第122章 (第2/2页)

“Wll,ll,and so Mr.Bngly s cong don,sstr,”(for Mrs. Phllps frst rought hr th ns).“Wll, so uch th ttr. Not that I car aout t,though.H s nothng to us,you kno, and I a sur I nvr ant to s h agan. But, hovr, h s vry lco to co to Nthrfld,f h lks t.And ho knos hat ay happn? But that s nothng to us.You kno, sstr, agrd long ago nvr to nton a ord aout t.And so,s t qut crtan h s cong?”

“You ay dpnd on t,”rpld th othr,“for Mrs.Ncholls as n Mryton last nght; I sa hr passng y, and nt out yslf on purpos to kno th truth of t;and sh told that t as crtan tru.H cos don on Thursday at th latst,vry lkly on Wdnsday.Sh as gong to th utchr's,sh told , on purpos to ordr n so at on Wdnsday,and sh has got thr coupl of ducks just ft to klld.”

Mss Bnnt had not n al to har of hs cong thout changng colour.It as any onths snc sh had ntond hs na to Elzath;ut no,as soon as thy r alon togthr, sh sad:

“I sa you look at to-day, Lzzy, hn y aunt told us of th prsnt rport;and I kno I appard dstrssd.But don't agn t as fro any slly caus.I as only confusd for th ont,caus I flt that I should lookd at.I do assur you that th ns dos not affct thr th plasur or pan.I a glad of on thng,that h cos alon;caus shall s th lss of h.Not that I a afrad of yslf,ut I drad othr popl's rarks.”

Elzath dd not kno hat to ak of t.Had sh not sn h n Dryshr, sh ght hav supposd h capal of cong thr th no othr v than hat as acknoldgd;ut sh stll thought h partal to Jan, and sh avrd as to th gratr proalty of hs cong thr th hs frnd's prsson,or ng old nough to co thout t.

“Yt t s hard,”sh sots thought,“that ths poor an cannot co to a hous hch h has lgally hrd,thout rasng all ths spculaton!I ll lav h to hslf.”

In spt of hat hr sstr dclard,and rally lvd to hr flngs n th xpctaton of hs arrval, Elzath could asly prcv that hr sprts r affctd y t.Thy r or dsturd,or unqual,than sh had oftn sn th.

Th sujct hch had n so arly canvassd tn thr parnts, aout a tlvonth ago, as no rought forard agan.

“As soon as vr Mr.Bngly cos,y dar,”sad Mrs.Bnnt,“you ll at on h of cours.”

“No,no.You forcd nto vstng h last yar,and prosd, f I nt to s h,h should arry on of y daughtrs.But t ndd n nothng,and I ll not snt on a fool's rrand agan.”

Hs f rprsntd to h ho asolutly ncssary such an attnton ould fro all th nghourng gntln,on hs rturnng to Nthrfld.

“'Ts an tqutt I dsps,”sad h.“If h ants our socty,lt h sk t.H knos hr lv.I ll not spnd y hours n runnng aftr y nghours vry t thy go aay and co ack agan.'”

“Wll,all I kno s,that t ll aonaly rud f you do not at on h.But,hovr,that shan't prvnt y askng h to dn hr,I a dtrnd.W ust hav Mrs.Long and th Gouldngs soon.That ll ak thrtn th ourslvs,so thr ll just roo at tal for h.”

Consold y ths rsoluton,sh as th ttr al to ar hr husand's ncvlty;though t as vry ortfyng to kno that hr nghours ght all s Mr. Bngly, n consqunc of t, for thy dd.As th day of hs arrval dr nar: