******
"I think we managed it all very well between us," said Lady Albury afterwards, "but you really cannot guess the trouble we took."
"Why should there have been trouble?"
"Because you were such a perverse creature, as the old lady said. I am not sure that you were not right, because a girl does so often raise herself in her lover's estimation by refusing him half-a-dozen times. But you were not up to that."
"Indeed I was not. I am sure I did not intend to give any trouble to anybody."
"But you did. Only think of my going up to London to meet him, and of him coming from Aldershot to meet me, simply that we might put our heads together how to overcome the perversity of such a young woman as you!" There then came a look almost of pain on Ayala's brow. "But I do believe it was for the best. In this way he came to understand how absolutely necessary you were to him."
"Am I necessary to him?"
"He thinks so."
"Oh, if I can only be necessary to him always! But there should have been no going up to London. I should have rushed into his arms at once."
"That would have been unusual."
"But so is he unusual," said Ayala.
It is probable that the Colonel did not enjoy his days at Stalham before his marriage, except during the hour or two in which he was allowed to take Ayala out for a last walk. Such days can hardly be agreeable to the man of whom it is known by all around him that he is on the eve of committing matrimony. There is always, on such occasions, a feeling of weakness, as though the man had been subdued, brought at length into a cage and tamed, so as to be made fit for domestic purposes, and deprived of his ancient freedom amongst the woods;—whereas the girl feels herself to be the triumphant conqueror, who has successfully performed this great act of taming. Such being the case, the man had perhaps better keep away till he is forced to appear at the church-door.
Nevertheless our Colonel did enjoy his last walk. "Oh, yes," she said, "of course we will go to the old wood. Where else? I am so glad that poor fox went through Gobblegoose;—otherwise we should never have gone there, and then who knows whether you and I would ever have been friends again any more?"
"If one wood hadn't been there, I think another would have been found."
"Ah, that's just it. You can know that you had a purpose, and perhaps were determined to carry it out."
"Well, rather."
"But I couldn't be sure of that. I couldn't carry out my purpose, even if I had one. I had to doubt, and to be unhappy, and to hate myself, because I had been perverse. I declare, I do think you men have so much the best of it. How glorious would it have been to be able to walk straight up and say, Jonathan Stubbs, I love you better than all the world. Will you be my husband?"
"But suppose the Jonathan Stubbs of the occasion were to decline the honour. Where would you be then?"
"That would be disagreeable," said Ayala.
"It is disagreeable,—as you made me feel twice over."
"Oh, Jonathan, I am so sorry."
"Therefore it is possible that you may have the best of it."
******
"And so you never will take another walk with Ayala Dormer?" she said, as they were returning home.
"Never another," he replied.
"You cannot think how I regret it. Of course I am glad to become your wife. I do not at all want to have it postponed. But there is something so sweet in having a lover;—and you know that though I shall have a husband I shall never have a lover again,—and I never had one before, Jonathan. There has been very little of it. When a thing has been so sweet it is sad to think that it must be gone for ever!" Then she leaned upon him with both her hands, and looked up at him and smiled, with her lips a little open,—as she knew that he liked her to lean upon him and to look,—for she had caught by her instinct the very nature of the man, and knew how to witch him with her little charms. "Ah me! I wonder whether you'll like me to lean upon you when a dozen years have gone by."
"That depends on how heavy you may be."
"I shall be a fat old woman, perhaps. But I shall lean upon you,—always, always. What else shall I ever have to lean upon now?"
"What else should you want?"
"Nothing,—nothing,—nothing! I want nothing else. I wonder whether there is anybody in all the world who has got so completely everything that she ever dreamed of wanting as I have. But if you could have been only my lover for a littlelonger—!"Then he assured her that he would be her lover just the same, even though they were husband and wife. Alas, no! There he had promised more than it is given to a man to perform. Faith, honesty, steadiness of purpose, joined to the warmest love and the truest heart, will not enable a husband to maintain the sweetness of that aroma which has filled with delight the senses of the girl who has leaned upon his arm as her permitted lover.
"What a happy fellow you are!" said Mr. Greene, as, in the intimacy of the moment, they walked across the park together.
"Why don't you get a wife for yourself?"
"Yes; with £120 a-year!"
"With a little money you might."
"I don't want to have to look for the money; and if I did I shouldn't get it. I often think how very unfairly things are divided in this world."
"That will all be made up in the next."
"Not if one covets one's neighbour's wife,—or even his ass," said Mr. Greene.
On the return of the two lovers to the house from their walk there were Mr. and Mrs. Dosett, who would much rather have stayed away had they not been unwilling not to show their mark of affection to their niece. I doubt whether they were very happy, but they were at any rate received with every distinction. Sir Thomas and Aunt Emmeline were asked, but they made some excuse. Sir Thomas knew very well that he had nothing in common with Sir Harry Albury; and, as for Aunt Emmeline, her one journey to Stalham had been enough for her. But Sir Thomas was again very liberal, and sent down as his contribution to the wedding presents the very necklace which Ayala had refused from her cousin Tom. "Upon my word, your uncle is magnificent," said Lady Albury, upon which the whole story was told to her. Lucy and her husband were away on their tour, as were Gertrude and hers on theirs. This was rather a comfort, as Captain Batsby's presence at the house would have been a nuisance. But there was quite enough of guests to make the wedding, as being a country wedding, very brilliant. Among others, old Tony Tappett was there, mindful of the manner in which Cranbury Brook had been ridden, and of Croppy's presence when the hounds ran their fox into Dillsborough Wood. "I hope she be to ride with us, off and on, Colonel," said Tony, when the ceremony had been completed.
"Now and then, Tony, when we can get hold of Croppy."
"Because, when they come out like that, Colonel, it's a pity to lose 'em, just because they's got their husbands to attend to."
And Lord Rufford was there, with his wife, who on this occasion was very pressing with her invitations. She had heard that Colonel Stubbs was likely to rise high in his profession, and there were symptoms, of which she was an excellent judge, that Mrs. Colonel Stubbs would become known as a professional beauty. And Larry Twentyman was there, who, being in the neighbourhood, was, to his great delight, invited to the breakfast.
Thus, to her own intense satisfaction, Ayala was handed over to her
Angel of Light.
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.Volume II, Chapter XXVII, paragraph 12. Lady Albury's first name appears eight times in the text. It appears three times as "Rosaline" (including here) and five times as "Rosalind." Trollope was not a stickler for consistency, and the two spellings have been left as they appear in the original text.Volume II, Chapter XXXI, paragraph 1. Trollope seems to use "necklace" and "bracelet" interchangeably in describing Tom's gift for Ayala.Volume II, Chapter XXXVII, paragraph 1. The astute reader will recall that, in Chapter XXIX, Sir Thomas, after reading Gertrude's letter, "calmly tore the letter in little bits, and threw them into the waste-paper basket." Here we discover the letter was preserved.Volume II, Chapter XLII, paragraph 13. Here the mare with the broken knees is sent at once into Hastings for the doctor. The reader perhaps recalls that in Chapter XXX, when the mare fell and cut her knees to the bone while being driven by Mr. Traffick, Sir Thomas ordered his groom to shoot her. We do not know whether this is one of Trollope's inconsistencies or whether the groom merely ignored Sir Thomas' instructions.Volume III, Chapter LII, paragraph 17. The astute reader will remember that the pony ridden by Ayala in the hunt at the start of Volume II was named "Sprite." Here the pony reappears but with a different name: "Croppy."Specific changes in wording of the text are listed below.Volume I, Chapter III, paragraph 43. The word "at" was added to the sentence: "I don't see it AT all," said Ayala, flashing round.Volume I, Chapter VII, paragraph 57. The word "nothing" was changed to "anything" in the sentence: If he could only be made to understand that it could never mean ANYTHING!Volume I, Chapter IX, paragraph 12. The word "to" was deleted from the sentence which in the original was as follows: She has spoken a word or two to me TO which had been better unsaid, but I am well convinced that it has come from hot temper and not from a bad heart.Volume I, Chapter XIV, paragraph 2. A comma was added after the word "carriage" in the sentence: There would be quite enough for a CARRIAGE, for three months upon a mountain in Switzerland, and three more among the art treasures of Italy.Volume I, Chapter XV, paragraph 42. The word "I" was changed to "to" in the sentence: I don't know what TO say, but I can't.Volume II, Chapter XXIII, paragraph 47. The word "were" was changed to "where" in the sentence: Captain Batsby and three other gentlemen were put inside, WHERE they consoled themselves with unlimited tobacco.Volume II, Chapter XXVII, paragraph 4. "Albury" was changed to "Stalham" in the heading of the letter: STALHAM, Monday, 18th November, 18—.Volume III, Chapter LII, paragraph 1. A question mark was changed to a full stop at the end of the sentence: If he ever did come again it should not be because she had asked for his coming.
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Volume II, Chapter XXVII, paragraph 12. Lady Albury's first name appears eight times in the text. It appears three times as "Rosaline" (including here) and five times as "Rosalind." Trollope was not a stickler for consistency, and the two spellings have been left as they appear in the original text.
Volume II, Chapter XXXI, paragraph 1. Trollope seems to use "necklace" and "bracelet" interchangeably in describing Tom's gift for Ayala.
Volume II, Chapter XXXVII, paragraph 1. The astute reader will recall that, in Chapter XXIX, Sir Thomas, after reading Gertrude's letter, "calmly tore the letter in little bits, and threw them into the waste-paper basket." Here we discover the letter was preserved.
Volume II, Chapter XLII, paragraph 13. Here the mare with the broken knees is sent at once into Hastings for the doctor. The reader perhaps recalls that in Chapter XXX, when the mare fell and cut her knees to the bone while being driven by Mr. Traffick, Sir Thomas ordered his groom to shoot her. We do not know whether this is one of Trollope's inconsistencies or whether the groom merely ignored Sir Thomas' instructions.
Volume III, Chapter LII, paragraph 17. The astute reader will remember that the pony ridden by Ayala in the hunt at the start of Volume II was named "Sprite." Here the pony reappears but with a different name: "Croppy."
Specific changes in wording of the text are listed below.
Volume I, Chapter III, paragraph 43. The word "at" was added to the sentence: "I don't see it AT all," said Ayala, flashing round.
Volume I, Chapter VII, paragraph 57. The word "nothing" was changed to "anything" in the sentence: If he could only be made to understand that it could never mean ANYTHING!
Volume I, Chapter IX, paragraph 12. The word "to" was deleted from the sentence which in the original was as follows: She has spoken a word or two to me TO which had been better unsaid, but I am well convinced that it has come from hot temper and not from a bad heart.
Volume I, Chapter XIV, paragraph 2. A comma was added after the word "carriage" in the sentence: There would be quite enough for a CARRIAGE, for three months upon a mountain in Switzerland, and three more among the art treasures of Italy.
Volume I, Chapter XV, paragraph 42. The word "I" was changed to "to" in the sentence: I don't know what TO say, but I can't.
Volume II, Chapter XXIII, paragraph 47. The word "were" was changed to "where" in the sentence: Captain Batsby and three other gentlemen were put inside, WHERE they consoled themselves with unlimited tobacco.
Volume II, Chapter XXVII, paragraph 4. "Albury" was changed to "Stalham" in the heading of the letter: STALHAM, Monday, 18th November, 18—.
Volume III, Chapter LII, paragraph 1. A question mark was changed to a full stop at the end of the sentence: If he ever did come again it should not be because she had asked for his coming.