The Mistress of ShenstoneBarclay, Florence L. (Florence Louisa)
General
The Mistress of Shenstone
Barclay, Florence L. (Florence Louisa)
English fiction
The quiet woman from the Lodge, who had been, before her own marriage, a
devoted maid-companion to Lady Ingleby, arrived in speechless sorrow, and
helped the doctor tenderly with all there was to do.
But when consciousness returned, and realisation, they were accompanied
by no natural expressions of grief; simply a settled stony silence; the
white set face; the bright unseeing eyes.
Margaret O'Mara knelt, and wept, and prayed, kissing the folded hands
upon the silken quilt. But Lady Ingleby merely smiled vaguely; and once
she said: "Hush, my dear Maggie. At last we will be adequate."
Several times during the night the doctor came, sitting silently beside
the bed, with watchful eyes and quiet touch. Myra scarcely noticed him,
and again he wondered how much larger the big grey eyes would grow, in
the pale setting of that lovely face.
Once he signed to the other watcher to follow him into the corridor.
Closing the door, he turned and faced her. He liked this quiet woman, in
her simple black merino gown, linen collar and cuffs, and neatly braided
hair. There was an air of refinement and gentle self-control about her,
which pleased the doctor.
"Mrs. O'Mara," he said; "she must weep, and she must sleep."
"She does not weep easily, sir," replied Margaret O'Mara, "and I have
known her to lie widely awake throughout an entire night with less cause
for sorrow than this."
"Ah," said the doctor; and he looked keenly at the woman from the Lodge.
"I wonder what else you have known?" he thought. But he did not voice the
conjecture. Deryck Brand rarely asked questions of a third person. His
patients never had to find out that his knowledge of them came through
the gossip or the breach of confidence of others.
At last he could allow that fixed unseeing gaze no longer. He decided to
do what was necessary, with a quiet nod, in response to Margaret O'Mara's
imploring look. He turned back the loose sleeve of the silk nightdress,
one firm hand grasped the soft arm beneath it; the other passed over it
for a moment with swift skilful pressure. Even Margaret's anxious eyes
saw nothing more; and afterwards Myra often wondered what could have
caused that tiny scar upon the whiteness of her arm.
Before long she was quietly asleep. The doctor stood looking down upon
her. There was tragedy to him in this perfect loveliness. Now the clear
candour of the grey eyes was veiled, the childlike look was no longer
there. It was the face of a woman--and of a woman who had lived, and who
had suffered.
Watching it, the doctor reviewed the history of those ten years of wedded
life; piecing together that which she herself had told him; his own
shrewd surmisings; and facts, which were common knowledge.
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