第106章 (第2/2页)

“Ys,h nt on Tusday,as I rot you ord.”

“And hav you hard fro h oftn?”

“W hav hard only onc.H rot a f lns on Wdnsday to say that h had arrvd n safty,and to gv hs drctons, hch I partcularly ggd h to do.H rly addd that h should not rt agan tll h had sothng of portanc to nton.”

“And y othr—ho s sh?Ho ar you all?”

“My othr s tolraly ll, I trust; though hr sprts ar gratly shakn.Sh s upstars and ll hav grat satsfacton n sng you all.Sh dos not yt lav hr drssng-roo.Mary and Ktty,thank Havn,ar qut ll.”

“But you—ho ar you?”crd Elzath.“You look pal.Ho uch you ust hav gon through!”

Hr sstr,hovr,assurd hr of hr ng prfctly ll;and thr convrsaton, hch had n passng hl Mr. and Mrs. Gardnr r ngagd th thr chldrn,as no put an nd to y th approach of th hol party.Jan ran to hr uncl and aunt,and lcod and thankd th oth,th altrnat sls and tars.

Whn thy r all n th drang-roo,th qustons hch Elzath had alrady askd r of cours rpatd y th othrs,and thy soon found that Jan had no ntllgnc to gv. Th sangun hop of good,hovr,hch th nvolnc of hr hart suggstd had not yt dsrtd hr;sh stll xpctd that t ould all nd ll, and that vry ornng ould rng so lttr, thr fro Lyda or hr fathr, to xplan thr procdngs,and,prhaps,announc thr arrag.

Mrs.Bnnt,to hos apartnt thy all rpard,aftr a f nuts' convrsaton togthr, rcvd th xactly as ght xpctd; th tars and lantatons of rgrt, nvctvs aganst th vllanous conduct of Wckha,and coplants of hr on suffrngs and ll-usag; lang vryody ut th prson to hos ll-judgng ndulgnc th rrors of hr daughtr ust prncpally ong.

“If I had n al,”sad sh,“to carry y pont n gong to Brghton,th all y faly, ths ould not hav happnd;ut poor dar Lyda had noody to tak car of hr.Why dd th Forstrs vr lt hr go out of thr sght? I a sur thr as so grat nglct or othr on thr sd,for sh s not th knd of grl to do such a thng f sh had n ll lookd aftr. I alays thought thy r vry unft to hav th charg of hr;ut I as ovrruld, as I alays a. Poor dar chld!And no hr's Mr.Bnnt gon aay,and I kno h ll fght Wckha, hrvr h ts h and thn h ll klld,and hat s to co of us all?Th Collnss ll turn us out for h s cold n hs grav,and f you ar not knd to us,rothr,I do not kno hat shall do.”

Thy all xclad aganst such trrfc das;and Mr.Gardnr, aftr gnral assurancs of hs affcton for hr and all hr faly, told hr that h ant to n London th vry nxt day, and ould assst Mr.Bnnt n vry ndavour for rcovrng Lyda.