Our rejoicings and dinner-parties were all over Outwardly, at least, we had all dropped back to our old habits. I had no lessons to give, because we were in holiday time, and divided my day between Celia and Leonard, unless we were all three together. But Celia was anxious; I was waiting with a sinking at the heart for Wassielewski's signal; and every day the face of Mr. Tyrrell grew more cloudy and overcast with care. He was mayor for the year, as I think I have said before, and had the municipal work in addition to the business of his own office. The first of these three days was June the 28th a week after Leonard's return. He had met Celia every day-sometimes twice in the same day; as yet he had said nothing. 66 Suppose," he said, "Suppose, Laddy, that—I only put a case, you know-that I were to meet you and Celia in the Queen's Bastion; suppose there should be no one else in the place "Well?" I asked. "Would it, I say, in such a contingency, occur to you to have an appointment elsewhere?" I forget whether Perseus had fallen in love with Andromeda before the slaying of the dragon; if so, the agitation in the breast of the warrior must have been greatly intensified, especially when he found he had only just arrived in time. I told him that it was a clear breach of trust; that Celia was allowed to come out with me in a tacit understanding that there should be no lovemaking; that I was a male duenna: that I should be ever after haunted by the knowledge of the crime; that I should be afraid to face her father; that Herr Räumer- but, after all, it mattered nothing what Herr Räumer thought; and-finally, I acceded, promised to efface myself, and wished him success. I do not know how it was that on the morning of that 28th day of June, Celia looked happier and brighter than she had done for weeks. She was dressed, I remember, in some light silver-grey muslin dress, which became her tall and graceful figure, and the sweet calm face above it. I knew every shade of her face; I had seen it change from childhood to womanhood; I had watched the clouds grow upon it during the trouble of the last few weeks; I had seen the sunshine come back to it when Leonard came home again, to bring us new hope. The dreariness was gone out of her 37-2 eyes, with the strange sad look of fixed speculation and the dreamy gloom. "Yes, Laddy," she said, catching my look and understanding it. "Yes, Laddy, I am more hopeful now. Leonard has come home again. I do not know how, but I am certain that he will help us." On this morning there was a Function of some kind-a Launch-a Reception-a Royal Visitgoing on in the Dockyard. From Celia's Arbour we could see the ships gay with bunting; there were occasional bursts of music; it must have been a Launch, because the garrison bands were playing while the people assembled in the shed, the naval and military officers in full uniform; the civil servants in the uniform of the Dockyard Volunteers -not those of 1860, but an earlier regiment, not so efficient, and with a much more gorgeous uniform; ladies in full war-paint, each in her own uniform, prepared to distract the male eye from contemplation too prolonged of naval architecture; the Mayor and Aldermen in gown and gold chain, splendid to look upon, in official seats, ready with an address; and no doubt, though one could only see him, as well as the Corporation, with the eyes of imagination, there would be among them all Ferdinand |