the first three months of edie lewin's married life passed away happily and pleasantly. harry was always kindness itself to her; and as she saw more of him, she found in him what she had not anticipated, an unsuspected depth and earnestness of purpose. she had thought him at first a brilliant, dashing, clever irishman; she discovered upon nearer view that he had something more within him than mere showy external qualities. he was deeply in love with her: he respected and admired her: and in the[pg 58] midst of all his manly chivalry of demeanour towards his wife there was a certain indefinable air of self-restraint and constant watchfulness over his own actions which edie noticed with some little wifely pride and pleasure. she had not married a mere handsome rich young fellow; she had married a man of character and determination.
about three months after their marriage, harry lewin was called away for the first time to leave his bride. an unexpected letter from his lawyer in london—immediate business—those bothering australian shares and companies! would edie forgive him? he would run up for the day only, starting early and getting back late the same night. it's a long run from stoke to london, but you can just manage it if you fit your trains with dexterous ingenuity. so harry went, and edie was left alone, for the first time in her life, in the big rooms of peveril court for a whole day.
that very afternoon evan meredith and his father happened to call. it was evan's first visit to the bride, for he couldn't somehow make up his mind to see her earlier. he was subdued, silent, constrained, regretful, but he said nothing in allusion to the past—nothing but praise of the peveril court grounds, the beauty of the house, the charm of the surroundings, the magnificence of the old romneys and sir joshuas.
"you have a lovely place, edie," he said, hesitating a second before he spoke the old familiar name, but bringing it out quite naturally at last. "and your husband? i hope i may have the—the pleasure of seeing him again."
edie coloured. "he has gone up to town to-day," she answered simply.
"by himself?"
"by himself, evan."
evan meredith coughed uneasily, and looked at her with a silent look which said more plainly than words could have said it, "already!"[pg 59]
"he will be back this evening," edie went on apologetically, answering aloud his unspoken thought. "i—i'm sorry he isn't here to see you, evan."
"i'm sorry too, very sorry," evan answered with a half-stifled sigh. he didn't mean to let her see the ideas that were passing through his mind; but his quick, irrepressible celtic nature allowed the internal emotions to peep out at once through the thin cloak of that conventionally polite expression of regret. edie knew he meant he was very sorry that harry should have gone away so soon and left her.
that evening, about ten o'clock, as edie, sitting alone in the blue drawing-room, was beginning to wonder when harry's dogcart would be heard rolling briskly up the front avenue, there came a sudden double rap at the front door, and the servant brought in a sealed telegram. edie tore it open with some misgiving. it was not from harry. she read it hastily: "from proprietor, norton's hotel, jermyn street, london, to mrs. lewin, peveril court, stoke peveril, herefordshire. mr. lewin unfortunately detained in town by urgent business. he will not be able to return before to-morrow."
edie laid down the telegram with a sinking heart. in itself there was nothing so very strange in harry's being detained by business; men are always being detained by business; she knew it was a way they had, a masculine peculiarity. but why had not harry telegraphed himself? why had he left the proprietor of norton's hotel to telegraph for him? why was he at norton's hotel at all? and if he really was there, why could he not have written the telegram himself? it was very mysterious, perplexing, and inexplicable. tears came into edie's eyes, and she sat long looking at the flimsy pink government paper, as if the mere inspection of the hateful message would help her to make out the meaning of the enclosed mystery.[pg 60]
soon the question began to occur to her, what should she do for the night's arrangements? peveril court was so big and lonely; she hated the idea of stopping there alone. should she have out the carriage and drive round to spend the night as of old at her mother's? but no; it was late, and the servants would think it so very odd of her. people would talk about it; they would say harry had stopped away from her unexpectedly, and that she had gone back in a pique to her own home. young wives, she knew, are always doing those foolish things, and always regretting them afterwards when they find the whole county magnifying the molehill into a veritable mountain. much as she dreaded it, she must spend the night alone in that big bedroom—the haunted bedroom where the last of the peverils died. poor little edie! with her simple, small, village ways, she hated that great rambling house, and all its halls and staircases and corridors! but there was no help for it. she went tearfully up to her own room, and flung herself without undressing on the great bed with the heavy crimson tapestry hangings.
there she lay all night, tossing and turning, crying and wondering, dozing off at times and starting up again fitfully, but never putting out the candles on the dressing-table, which had burned away deep in the sockets by the time morning began to peep through the grey venetians of the east window.