Although the
rector saw no immediate necessity for making this charitable
visit, the more especially as the ride to the village and back,
and the intermediate time devoted to gossip, would occupy at
least two hours and a half, he assented to his wife's proposal,
perceiving that she urged it with unusual earnestness, and being
unwilling to thwart her, even in a trifle, at a time when she was
ill.
Accordingly, his horse was at the door at twelve precisely.
Impatient to get back to the precious volume of the _Times,_ he
rode so much faster than usual, and so shortened his visit to the
old woman, that he was home again by a quarter past two.
Ascertaining from the servant who opened the door that the volume
had been left by Mr. Rambert's messenger punctually at two, he
ran up to his wife's room to tell her about his visit before he
secluded himself for the rest of the afternoon over his work. On
entering the bedroom he found it still darkened, and he was
struck by a smell of burned paper in it.
His wife (who was now dressed in her wrapper and lying on the
sofa) accounted for the smell by telling him that she had fancied
the room felt close, and that she had burned some paper--being
afraid of the cold air if she opened the window--to fumigate it.
Her eyes were evidently still weak, for she kept her hand over
them while she spoke.
Pages:
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394