it was past the dinner hour when edith and coningsby reached the hall; an embarrassing circumstance, but mitigated by the conviction that they had not to encounter a very critical inspection. what, then, were their feelings when the first servant that they met informed them that mr. millbank had arrived! edith never could have believed that the return of her beloved father to his home could ever have been to her other than a cause of delight. and yet now she trembled when she heard the announcement. the mysteries of love were fast involving her existence. but this was not the season of meditation. her heart was still agitated by the tremulous admission that she responded to that fervent and adoring love whose eloquent music still sounded in her ear, and the pictures of whose fanciful devotion flitted over her agitated vision. unconsciously she pressed the arm of coningsby as the servant spoke, and then, without looking into his face, whispering him to be quick, she sprang away.
as for coningsby, notwithstanding the elation of his heart, and the ethereal joy which flowed in all his veins, the name of mr. millbank sounded, something like a knell. however, this was not the time to reflect. he obeyed the hint of edith; made the most rapid toilet that ever was consummated by a happy lover, and in a few minutes entered the drawing-room of hellingsley, to encounter the gentleman whom he hoped by some means or other, quite inconceivable, might some day be transformed into his father-in-law, and the fulfilment of his consequent duties towards whom he had commenced by keeping him waiting for dinner.
‘how do you do, sir,’ said mr. millbank, extending his hand to coningsby. ‘you seem to have taken a long walk.’
coningsby looked round to the kind lady wallinger, and half addressed his murmured answer to her, explaining how they had lost her, and their way, and were caught in a storm or a shower, which, as it terminated about three hours back, and the fishing-cottage was little more than a mile from the hall, very satisfactorily accounted for their not being in time for dinner.
lady wallinger then said something about the lowering clouds having frightened her from the terrace, and sir joseph and oswald talked a little of their sport, and of their having seen an otter; but there was, or at least there seemed to coningsby, a tone of general embarrassment which distressed him. the fact is, keeping people from dinner under any circumstances is distressing. they are obliged to talk at the very moment when they wish to use their powers of expression for a very different purpose. they are faint, and conversation makes them more exhausted. a gentleman, too, fond of his family, who in turn are devoted to him, making a great and inconvenient effort to reach them by dinner time, to please and surprise them; and finding them all dispersed, dinner so late that he might have reached home in good time without any great inconvenient effort; his daughter, whom he had wished a thousand times to embrace, taking a singularly long ramble with no other companion than a young gentleman, whom he did not exactly expect to see; all these are circumstances, individually perhaps slight, and yet, encountered collectively, it may be doubted they would not a little ruffle even the sweetest temper.
mr. millbank, too, had not the sweetest temper, though not a bad one; a little quick and fiery. but then he had a kind heart. and when edith, who had providentially sent down a message to order dinner, entered and embraced him at the very moment that dinner was announced, her father forgot everything in his joy in seeing her, and his pleasure in being surrounded by his friends. he gave his hand to lady wallinger, and sir joseph led away his niece. coningsby put his arm around the astonished neck of oswald, as if they were once more in the playing fields of eton.
‘by jove! my dear fellow,’ he exclaimed, ‘i am so sorry we kept your father from dinner.’
as edith headed her father’s table, according to his rigid rule, coningsby was on one side of her. they never spoke so little; coningsby would have never unclosed his lips, had he followed his humour. he was in a stupor of happiness; the dining room took the appearance of the fishing-cottage; and he saw nothing but the flowing river. lady wallinger was however next to him, and that was a relief; for he felt always she was his friend. sir joseph, a good-hearted man, and on subjects with which he was acquainted full of sound sense, was invaluable to-day, for he entirely kept up the conversation, speaking of things which greatly interested mr. millbank. and so their host soon recovered his good temper; he addressed several times his observations to coningsby, and was careful to take wine with him. on the whole, affairs went on flowingly enough. the gentlemen, indeed, stayed much longer over their wine than on the preceding days, and coningsby did not venture on the liberty of quitting the room before his host. it was as well. edith required repose. she tried to seek it on the bosom of her aunt, as she breathed to her the delicious secret of her life. when the gentlemen returned to the drawing-room the ladies were not there.
this rather disturbed mr. millbank again; he had not seen enough of his daughter; he wished to hear her sing. but edith managed to reappear; and even to sing. then coningsby went up to her and asked her to sing the song of the girls of granada. she said in a low voice, and with a fond yet serious look,
‘i am not in the mood for such a song, but if you wish me—’
she sang it, and with inexpressible grace, and with an arch vivacity, that to a fine observer would have singularly contrasted with the almost solemn and even troubled expression of her countenance a moment afterwards.
the day was about to die; the day the most important, the most precious in the lives of harry coningsby and edith millbank. words had been spoken, vows breathed, which were to influence their careers for ever. for them hereafter there was to be but one life, one destiny, one world. each of them was still in such a state of tremulous excitement, that neither had found time or occasion to ponder over the mighty result. they both required solitude; they both longed to be alone. coningsby rose to depart. he pressed the soft hand of edith, and his glance spoke his soul.
‘we shall see you at breakfast to-morrow, coningsby!’ said oswald, very loud, knowing that the presence of his father would make coningsby hesitate about coming. edith’s heart fluttered; but she said nothing. it was with delight she heard her father, after a moment’s pause, say,
‘oh! i beg we may have that pleasure.’
‘not quite at so early an hour,’ said coningsby; ‘but if you will permit me, i hope to have the pleasure of hearing from you to-morrow, sir, that your journey has not fatigued you.’
