Mrs. Le Marchant's face, as Burgoyne catches sight of it now and then,
as some turn in the road reveals the inmates of the closely-following
second carriage to his view, wears that uneasy and disquieted look which
always disfigures it when there is any question of her being brought
into personal relation with strangers. And Elizabeth, of whom he has
naturally a much nearer and more continuous view, is plainly
ill-at-ease. Miss Wilson has not thought it necessary to mention to her
lover how strong had been the opposition to her plan on the part of the
objects of it; nor, that it was only because her proposal was made _vivâ
voce_, and therefore unescapable, that it had been reluctantly accepted
at last. At first Burgoyne had attributed Elizabeth's evident
ill-at-easeness to her separation from Byng; but he presently discovers
that it is what she possesses, and not what she lacks, that is the chief
source of her _malaise_. During the latter part of his own personal
intercourse with her she had been, when in his company, sometimes sad,
sometimes wildly merry; but always entirely natural. Strange as it may
seem, it is obviously the presence of Amelia that puts constraint upon
her. Before the spirit of that most unterrifying of God's creatures,
Elizabeth's "stands rebuked." Once or twice he sees her inborn
gaiety--that gaiety whose existence he has so often noted as it
struggles up from under the mysterious weight of sorrow laid upon
it--spurt into life, only to be instantly killed by the reassumption of
that nervous formal manner which not all Amelia's gentle efforts can
break through.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account