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the heir of redclyffe-第67部分

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more too。  I gave you credit for domineering and prejudice; now I see 

it is malignity。'



As he spoke; Laura entered from the dressing…room; and stood aghast at 

the words; and then looked imploringly at her cousin。  Dr。 Mayerne was 

following her; and Charles called out;



'Now; doctor; give me as much opium as you please。  I only want to be 

stupefied till the world has turned round; and then you may wake me。'



Philip shook hands with Dr。 Mayerne; and; without betraying a shade of 

annoyance; wished Charles good night; but Charles had drawn the 

coverings over his head; and would not hear him。



'Poor fellow!' said Philip to Laura; when they were out of the room。  

'He is a very generous partisan; and excitement and suffering make him 

carry his zeal to excess。'



'I knew you could not be angry with him。'



'I could not be angry at this time at far more provocation given by any 

one belonging to you; Laura。'



Laura's heart had that sensation which the French call 〃se serrer〃; as 

she heard him allude to the long separation to which there seemed no 

limit; but they could say no more。



'Amy;' said Charles; when she returned to him after dinner; 'I am more 

than ever convinced that things will right themselves。  I never saw 

prejudice more at fault。'



'Did he tell you all about it?'



'I worked out of him all I could; and it is my belief Guy had the best 

of it。  I only wonder he did not horsewhip Philip round the quadrangle。  

I wish he had。'



'Oh; no; no!  But he controlled himself?'



'If he had not we should have heard of it fast enough;' and Charles 

told what he had been able to gather; while she sat divided between joy 

and pain。



Philip saw very little more of Charles。  He used to come to ask him how 

he was once a day; but never received any encouragement to lengthen his 

visit。  These gatherings in the diseased joint were always excessively 

painful; and were very long in coming to the worst; as well as 

afterwards in healing; and through the week of Philip's stay at 

Hollywell; Charles was either in a state of great suffering; or else 

heavy and confused with opiates。  His mother's whole time and thoughts 

were absorbed in him; she attended to him day and night; and could 

hardly spare a moment for anything else。  Indeed; with all her 

affection and anxiety for the young lovers; Charles was so entirely her 

engrossing object; that her first feeling of disappointment at the 

failure of Philip's journey of investigation was because it would 

grieve Charlie。  She could not think about Guy just then; and for Amy 

there was nothing for it but patience; and; good little creature; it 

was very nice to see her put her own troubles aside; and be so cheerful 

a nurse to her brother。  She was almost always in his room; for he 

liked to have her there; and she could not conquer a certain shrinking 

from Philip。



Laura had once pleaded hard and earnestly for Guy with Philip; but all 

in vain; she was only taught to think the case more hopeless than 

before。  Laura was a very kind nurse and sister; but she could better 

be spared than her mother and Amy; so that it generally fell to her lot 

to be down…stairs; making the drawing…room habitable。  Dr。 Mayerne; 

whenever Charles was ill; used to be more at Hollywell than at his own 

house; and there were few days that he did not dine there。  When Amy 

was out of the way; Philip used to entertain them with long accounts of 

Redclyffe; how fine a place it was; how far the estate reached on the 

Moorworth road; of its capacities for improvement; wastes of moorland 

to be enclosed or planted; magnificent timber needing nothing but 

thinning。  He spoke of the number of tenantry; and the manorial rights; 

and the influence in both town and county; which; in years gone by; had 

been proved to the utmost in many a fierce struggle with the house of 

Thorndale。  Sir Guy Morville might be one of the first men in England 

if he were not wanting to himself。  Mr。 Edmonstone enjoyed such talk; 

for it made him revel in the sense of his own magnanimity in refusing 

his daughter to the owner of all this; and Laura sometimes thought how 

Philip would have graced such a position; yet how much greater it was 

to rest entirely on his own merits。



'Ah; my fine fellow!' muttered Dr。 Mayerne to himself one day; when 

Philip and his uncle had left the room; just after a discourse of this 

kind; 'I see you have not forgotten you are the next heir。'



 Laura coloured with indignation; exclaimed; 'Oh!' then checked 

herself; as if such an aspersion was not worthy of her taking the 

trouble to refute it。



'Ah!  Miss Edmonstone; I did not know you were there。'



'Yes; you were talking to yourself; just as if you were at home;' said 

Charlotte; who was specially pert to the old doctor; because she knew 

herself to be a great pet。  'You were telling some home truths to make 

Laura angry。'



'Well; he would make a very good use of it if he had it;' said the 

doctor。



'Now you'll make me angry;' said Charlotte; 'and you have not mended 

matters with Laura。  She thinks nothing short of four…syllabled words 

good enough for Philip。'



'Hush! nonsense; Charlotte!' said Laura; much annoyed。  



'There Charlotte; she is avenging herself on you because she can't 

scold me' said the doctor; pretending to whisper。



'Charlotte is only growing more wild than ever for want of mamma;' said 

Laura; trying to laugh it off; but there was so much annoyance evident 

about her; that Dr。 Mayerne said;



'Seriously; I must apologize for my unlucky soliloquy; not that I 

thought I was saying much harm; for I did not by any means say or think 

the Captain wished Sir Guy any ill; and few men who stood next in 

succession to such a property would be likely to forget it。'



'Yes; but Philip is not like other men;' said Charlotte; who; at 

fourteen; had caught much of her brother's power of repartee; and could 

be quite as provoking; when unrestrained by any one whom she cared to 

obey。



Laura felt it was more for her dignity not to notice this; and replied; 

with an effort for a laugh;



'It must be your guilty conscience that sets you apologizing; for you 

said no harm; as you observe。'



'Yes;' said Dr。 Mayerne; good…humouredly。  'He does very well without 

it; and no doubt he would be one of the first men in the country if he 

had it; but it is in very good hands now; on the whole。  I don't think; 

even if the lad has been tempted into a little folly just now; that he 

can ever go very far wrong。'



'No; indeed;' said Charlotte;  'but Charlie and I don't believe he has 

done anything wrong。'



She spoke in a little surly decided tone; as if her opinion put an end 

to the matter; and Philip's return closed the discussion。



Divided as the party were between up…stairs and down…stairs; and in the 

absence of Charles's shrewd observation; Philip and Laura had more 

opportunity of intercourse than usual; and now that his departure would 

put an end to suspicion; they ventured on more openly seeking each 

other。  It never could be the perfect freedom that they had enjoyed 

before the avowal of their sentiments; but they had many brief 

conversations; giving Laura feverish; but exquisite; delight at each 

renewal of his rare expressions of tenderness。



'What are you going to do to…day?' he asked; on the last morning before 

he was to leave Hollywell。  'I must see you alone before I go。'



She looked down; and he kept his eyes fixed on her rather sternly; for 

he had never before made a clandestine appointment; and he did not like 

feeling ashamed of it。  At last she said;



'I go to East…hill School this afternoon。  I shall come away at half…

past three。'



Mary Ross was still absent; her six nephews and nieces having taken 

advantage of her visit to have the measles; not like reasonable 

children; all at once; so as to be one trouble; but one after the 

other; so as to keep Aunt Mary with them as long as possible; and Mr。 

Ross did not know what would have become of the female department of 

his parish but for Laura; who worked at school…keeping indefatigably。



Laura had some difficulty in shaking off Charlotte's company this 

afternoon; and was obliged to make the most of the probability of rain; 

and the dreadful dirt of the roads。  Indeed; she represented it as so 

formidable; that Mrs。 Edmonstone; who had hardly time to look out of 

window; much less to go out of doors; strongly advised her to stay at 

home herself; and Charlotte grew all the more eager for the fun。  

Luckily; however; for Laura; Dr。 Mayerne came in; laughing at the 

reports of the weather; and as he was wanted to prescribe for a poor 

old man in an opposite direction; he took Charlotte with him to show 

the way; and she was much better pleased to have him for a companion 

than th
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