It is not our intention to follow the suit through any of its details,
and we shall only say that it progressed rapidly, while poor
unsuspicious Guy was working hard to retrieve in some way his lost
fortune, and to fit up a pleasant home for the childish wife who was
drifting away from him. He had missed her so much at first, even while
he felt it a relief to have her gone when his business matters needed
all his time and thought. It was some comfort to write to her, but not
much to receive her letters, for Daisy did not excel in epistolary
composition, and after a few weeks her letters were short and far apart,
and, as Guy thought, constrained and studied in their tone, and when,
after she had been absent from him for three months or more his longing
to see her was so great that he decided upon a visit of a few days to
the West, and apprized her of his intention, asking if she would be glad
to see him, he received in reply a telegram from Mr. McDonald telling
him to defer his journey as Daisy was visiting some friends and would be
absent for an indefinite length of time. There was but one more letter
from her, and that was dated at Vincennes, and merely said that she was
well, and Guy must not feel anxious about her or take the trouble to
come to see her, as she knew how valuable his time must be, and would
far rather he should devote himself to his business than bother about
her. The letter was signed, "Hastily, Daisy," and Guy read it over many
times with a pang in his heart he could not define.
But he had no suspicion of the terrible blow in store for him, and went
on planning for her comfort just the same; and when at last Elmwood was
sold and he could no longer stay there, he hired a more expensive house
than he could afford, because he thought Daisy would like it better, and
then, with his sister Frances, set himself to the pleasant task of
fitting it up for Daisy. There was a blue room with a bay window just as
there had been in Elmwood, only it was not so pretentious and large. But
it was very pleasant, and had a door opening out upon what Guy meant
should be a flower garden in the summer, and though he missed his little
wife sadly, and longed so much at times for a sight of her beautiful
face and the sound of her sweet voice, he put all thought of himself
aside and said he would not bring her back until the May flowers were in
blossom and the young grass bright and green by the blue room door.
"She will have a better impression of her new home then," he said to his
sister, "and I want her to be happy here and not feel the change too
keenly."
Julia Hamilton chanced to be in town staying at the Towers, and as she
was very intimate with Miss Thornton the two were a great deal together,
and it thus came about that Julia was often at the brown cottage and
helped to settle the blue room for Daisy.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account