England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Short stories, English
About eleven o'clock, as she judged it to be, loud and angry sounds
arose. Her father and Mr. Reste had renewed their dispute--whatever its
cause might be. By-and-by, when it was at its height, she heard Mr.
Reste dash out at the back door; she heard her father dash after him. In
the yard there seemed to be a scuffle, more hot words, and then a sudden
silence. Katrine rose and stole to the window to look.
She could not see either of them. But a noise in the kitchen beneath,
as if the fire-irons were thrown down, seemed to say they had come back
indoors. Another minute and her father came out with a lighted lantern
in his hand; she wondered why, as it was moonlight. He crossed the yard
and went into the back kitchen, or brewhouse, as it was more often
called, and Katrine, hoping the quarrel was over, got into bed again.
Presently the back door was shut with a bang that shook the room, and
footsteps were heard ascending the stairs, and afterwards all was quiet
until morning.
As on the past morning, so it was on this. When Katrine got downstairs
she found that neither her father nor Mr. Reste was up. She breakfasted
alone, and set off for the Manor afterwards.
But, as it chanced, she was to have partial holiday that day. Lena
complained of a sore throat; she was subject to sore throats; so Miss
Barbary was released when the lesson was half over, and returned home.
Going to her room to take her bonnet off, she found Joan busy there.
From the window she saw her father at work at the far end of the garden.
This was Thursday, the day of the projected walk to Church Leet, and
very lovely weather. But Mr. Reste had not said anything about it since
the Tuesday afternoon.
"Is Mr. Reste gone out, Joan?"
"Mr. Reste is gone, Miss Katrine."
"Gone where?" asked she.
"Gone away; gone back to London," said Joan. Upon which Katrine, staring
at the old woman, inquired what she meant.
It appeared that Mr. Barbary had left his chamber close upon Katrine's
departure, and sat down to breakfast. When he had finished he called
Joan to take the things away. She inquired whether they had not better
be left for Mr. Reste. He answered that Mr. Reste was gone. "What, gone
away back to London?" Joan cried, in surprise; and her master said,
"Yes." "You might just have knocked me down with a feather, Miss
Katrine, I was that took to," added Joan now, in relating this. "Never
to say good-bye to me, nor anything!"
Katrine, thinking there was somebody else he had not said good-bye to,
could hardly speak from amazement. "When did he go, Joan? Since
breakfast? Or was he gone when I went out?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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