"'The sun has left the lea;
The orange flower perfumes the bower,
The breeze is on the sea.
The lark his lay who trilled all day
Sits hushed his partner nigh.
Breeze, bird, and flower confess the hour;
But where is County Guy?'
"The orange flower perfumes the bower; here we have the orange flower
and the lea, the bower and the sea; and it's very rarely that you find
all four together. 'The lark his lay who trilled all day'--what music it
is! There's no one like Scott."
His lameness prevented him from accompanying his guests on their walk
back to the boat; he stood in the doorway leaning on his cane and waving
a courtly farewell, while the chicken, with slowly considering steps,
crossed the veranda and entered the drawing-room again.
"Miss Sabrina, please tell me what you know of Ferdinand Morrison," Eve
began, as soon as a turn in the road hid the old house from their view.
Miss Sabrina had expected to talk about the Singletons. "Oh, Mr.
Morrison? we did not see him ourselves, you know."
"But you must have heard."
"Certainly, we heard. The Singletons are delightful people, are they
not? So cultivated! Their house has always been one of the most
agreeable on the Sound."
"I dare say. But about Ferdinand Morrison?" Eve went on. For it was not
often that she had so good an opportunity; at Romney, if there was no
one else present, there were always the servants, who came in and out
like members of the family. "Cicely met him first in Savannah, didn't
she?"
"Yes," answered Miss Sabrina (but giving up the Singletons with regret);
"she went to pay a visit to our cousin Emmeline; and there she met him.
From the very beginning he appeared to be much in love with her, Cousin
Emmeline wrote. And Cicely too--so we heard--appeared to care for him
from the first day. At least Cousin Emmeline received that impression;
Cicely, of course, did not take her into her confidence."
"Why of course?"
"At that early stage? But don't you think that those first sweet
uncertainties are always private? Mr. Morrison used to come every day,
and take her out for a drive; I have been in Savannah myself, and I have
often thought that probably they went to Bonaventure--_so_ delightful!
At last, one evening, Cicely told Cousin Emmeline that she was engaged.
And the next day she wrote to us. She did not come home; they were
married there at Emmeline's."
"And none of you went to the wedding?"
"There were only father and I to go; we have not always been able to do
as we wished," replied Miss Sabrina, gently.
"Mr. Morrison had money, I suppose?"
"I think not; we have never been told so."
"Didn't you ask?"
"That was for Cicely, wasn't it? I dare say she knows. We could only
hope, father and I, that she would be happy; but I fear that she has not
been, ah no." And Miss Sabrina sighed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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