"Mr. Corbet not down yet!" she exclaimed. And then Ellinor had to tell
her the outline of the facts so soon likely to be made public; that Mr.
Corbet and she had determined to break off their engagement; and that Mr.
Corbet had accordingly betaken himself to the Parsonage; and that she did
not expect him to return to Ford Bank. Miss Monro's astonishment was
unbounded. She kept going over and over all the little circumstances she
had noticed during the last visit, only on yesterday, in fact, which she
could not reconcile with the notion that the two, apparently so much
attached to each other but a few hours before, were now to be for ever
separated and estranged. Ellinor sickened under the torture; which yet
seemed like torture in a dream, from which there must come an awakening
and a relief. She felt as if she could not hear any more; yet there was
more to hear. Her father, as it turned out, was very ill, and had been
so all night long; he had evidently had some kind of attack on the brain,
whether apoplectic or paralytic it was for the doctors to decide. In the
hurry and anxiety of this day of misery succeeding to misery, she almost
forgot to wonder whether Ralph were still at the Parsonage--still in
Hamley; it was not till the evening visit of the physician that she
learnt that he had been seen by Dr. Moore as he was taking his place in
the morning mail to London.
Pages:
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166