"You can go to New York to-night," remarked Edith thoughtfully,
ignoring his words, "and be back by Saturday morning. If you didn't so
much dislike going to New York in the day time, you might get there in
time to see godmamma to-night."
"To-morrow will be time enough," he answered. "You are a brick, Edith,
to help me out of this scrape, and the magnitude of the moral reforms
I'll institute in honor of my deliverance will astonish you."
He sprang up as light-heartedly as a boy. The means of escaping the
annoyance of the present moment had been found, and his buoyant spirits
lifted him above the doubts and troubles of the future.
They discussed together the details of his coming interview with Mrs.
Glendower, and the terms of the letter which Edith should write to her.
There was something most touching in the tender eagerness with which
Edith prolonged the talk and clung to the occasion which had brought
her and her husband, for the moment, together. She even forgot to
deplore the misfortune which had given rise to this confidence, and, in
her desire to be helpful to Arthur, she did not even remember that once
her pride would have risen in rebellion at the bare suggestion of
taking advantage of Mrs. Glendower's offer. All day long she went about
with a happier smile on her lips than had been there for many a long
day. The danger of impending ruin seemed to have brought her
consolation instead of grief; and in the prayers which she murmured in
her heart as she stood with her arms clasped about Caldwell, when
Fenton drove away that night, there was not a little thanksgiving
mingled with her supplications.
XXXIV
WHAT TIME SHE CHANTED.
Hamlet; iv.--7.
The stock report which caused Fenton such unpleasant sensations was
read that same morning by Mrs. Amanda Welsh Sampson with keen
satisfaction of a sort seldom known to the truly virtuous. Mrs. Sampson
was engaged in financial transactions of which the very magnitude
caused her naive satisfaction, while the possible results made her
bosom glow with unwonted emotion. Mrs. Sampson's affection for Alfred
Irons was neither deep nor tender in its nature, and in settling the
bill for services rendered in the railroad case there was no sentiment
likely to restrain her from making the best possible bargain. The
bargain she made was of a nature to send her about her flat singing
songs of triumph such as Deborah sang over the slaughter of the
unfortunate Sisera.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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