Banks and banking -- Fiction; England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Love stories
It was a real _bouleversement_, but Josina, supposing that Arthur had
saved her father’s life at the risk of his own, and had then added to
his merit by recovering the lost money, found it natural enough. For
the full details of the robbery had never been told to her. “Better
leave it alone, Jos,” Arthur had said when she had again shown a desire
to know more. “It was a horrid business and you won’t want to dream of
it. Another minute and that d—d villain would have—but there, I’d
advise you to leave it alone.”
Jos, suspecting nothing, had not demurred, but on the contrary had
thought Arthur as modest as he was brave. And the doctor, with an eye
to his patient’s well-being, had taken the same view. “Put no questions
to him,” he said, “and don’t talk to him about it. Time enough to go
into it by and by, when the shock’s worn off. The odds are that he will
remember nothing that happened just before the scoundrel struck
his—that’s the common thing—and so much the better, my dear. Let
sleeping dogs lie, or, as we doctors say, don’t think about your
stomach till your victuals trouble you.”
So Josina knew no particulars except that Arthur had saved his uncle’s
life, and Clement—she shuddered as she thought of it—had come up in
time to be of service. And no one at Garth knew more. But, knowing so
much, it was not surprising to her that Arthur should be restored to
favor, and, lately forbidden the house, should now rule it as a master.
And clearly Arthur, also, found the position natural, so easily did he
fall into it. He was up and down the old shallow stairs—which the
Squire, true to the fashions of his youth, had never carpeted—a dozen
times a day. He was as often in and out of his uncle’s bedroom, or
sitting on the deep window-seat on which generations of mothers had
sunned their babes; and all this with a laugh and a cheery word that
wondrously brightened the sick room. Alert, quick, serviceable, and
willing to take any responsibility, he made himself a favorite with
all. Even Calamy, who shook his head over every improvement in the
Squire, and murmured much of the “old lamp flickering before it went
out,” grew hopeful in his presence. Miss Peacock adored him. He put
Josina’s nose out of joint.
Of the young fellow, whose moodiness had of late perplexed his
companions in the bank, not a trace remained. Had they seen him as he
was now they might have been tempted to think that a weight had been
lifted from him. But he seemed, for the time, to have forgotten the
bank. He rarely mentioned the Ovingtons.
There was one at Garth, however, who had not forgotten either the bank
or the Ovingtons; and proved it presently to Arthur’s surprise. “Jos,”
said the Squire one afternoon. And when she had replied that she was
there, “Where is Arthur?”
“I think he has just come in, sir.”
“Prop me up. And send him to me. Do you leave us.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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