Each felt the other's heart beat; and David
drank that ecstasy of silent, delirious bliss which comes to great
hearts once in a life.
Had he not earned it?
CHAPTER XXIX.
By some mighty instinct Mrs. Wilson knew when to come in. She came to
the door just one minute after Lucy had capitulated, and, turning the
handle, but without opening the door, bawled some fresh directions to
Jenny: this was to enable Lucy to smooth her ruffled feathers, if
necessary, and look Agnes. But Lucy's actual contact with that honest
heart seemed to have made a change in her; instead of doing Agnes, she
confronted (after a fashion of her own) the situation she had so long
evaded.
"Oh, nurse!" she cried, and wreathed her arms round her.
"Don't cry, my lamb! I can guess."
"Cry? Oh no; I would not pay him so poor a compliment. It was to say,
'Dear nurse, you must love Mr. Dodd as well as me now.'"
The dame received this indirect intelligence with hearty delight.
"That won't cost me much trouble," said she. "He is the one I'd have
picked out of all England for my nursling. When a young man is kind to
an old woman, it is a good sign; but la! his face is enough for me:
who ever saw guile in such a face as that. Aren't ye hungry by this
time? Dinner will be ready in about a minute."
"Nurse, can I speak to you a word?"
"Yes, sure."
It was to inquire whether she would invite Miss Dodd.
"She loves her brother very dearly, and it is cruel to separate them.
Pages:
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513