登陆注册
5235700000166

第166章 CHAPTER XXXVIII.(6)

"Stop all their tongues," said Mr. Carden. "Come back to Hillsborough a wife. I gave up my choice to yours once. Now give me my way. I am touched to the heart by this young man's devotion: he invites me to live with him when you are married. What other young fellow would show me so much mercy?"

"Does he?" said Grace. "I will try and reward him for that, and for speaking well of one who could not defend himself. But give me a little time."

Mr. Carden conveyed this to Coventry with delight, and told him he should only have another month or so to wait. Coventry received this at first with unmixed exultation, but by-and-by he began to feel superstitious. Matters were now drawing to such a point that Little might very well arrive before the wedding-day, and just before it. Perhaps Heaven had that punishment in store for him; the cup was to be in his very grasp, and then struck out of it.

Only a question of time! But what is every race? The space between winner and loser strikes the senses more obviously; but the race is just as much a question of time as of space. Buridan runs second for the Derby, defeated by a length. But give Buridan a start of one second, and he shall beat the winner--by two lengths.

Little now wrote from Chicago that every thing was going on favorably, and he believed it would end in a sale of the patent clip in the United States and Canada for fifty thousand dollars, but no royalty.

This letter was much shorter than any of the others; and, from that alone, his guilty reader could see that the writer intended to follow it in person almost immediately.

Coventry began almost to watch the sun in his course. When it was morning he wished it was evening, and when it was evening he wished it was morning.

Sometimes he half wondered to see how calmly the sun rose and set, and Nature pursued her course, whilst he writhed in the agony of suspense, and would gladly have given a year out of his life for a day.

At last, by Mr. Carden's influence, the wedding-day was fixed. But soon after this great triumph came another intercepted letter. He went to his room and his hands trembled violently as he opened it.

His eye soon fixed on this passage:

"I thought to be in New York by this time, and looking homeward; but I am detained by another piece of good-fortune, if any thing can be called good-fortune that keeps me a day from you. Oh, my dear Grace, I am dying to see your handwriting at new York, and then fly home and see your dear self, and never, never quit you more. I have been wonderfully lucky; I have made my fortune, our fortune. But it hardly pays me for losing the sight of you so many months. But what I was going to tell you is, that my method of forging large axes by machinery is wonderfully praised, and a great firm takes it up on fair terms. This firm has branches in various parts of the world, and, once my machines are in full work, Hillsborough will never forge another ax. Man can not suppress machinery; the world is too big. That bullet sent through Mr. Tyler's hat loses Great Britain a whole trade. I profit in money by their short-sighted violence, but I must pay the price; for this will keep me another week at Chicago, perhaps ten days. Then home I come, with lots of money to please your father, and an ocean of love for you, who don't care about the filthy dross; no more do I, except as the paving-stones on the road to you and heaven, my adored one."

The effect of this letter was prodigious. So fearful had been the suspense, so great was now the relief, that Coventry felt exultant, buoyant. He went down to the sea-side, and walked, light as air, by the sands, and his brain teemed with delightful schemes. Little would come to Hillsborough soon after the marriage, but what of that?

On the wedding-night he would be at Dover. Next day at Paris, on his way to Rome, Athens, Constantinople. The inevitable exposure should never reach his wife until he had so won her, soul and body, that she should adore him for the crimes he had committed to win her--he knew the female heart to be capable of that.

He came back from his walk another man, color in his cheek and fire in his eye.

He walked into the drawing-room, and found Mr. Raby, with his hat on, just leaving Grace, whose eyes showed signs of weeping.

"I wish you joy, sir," said Raby. "I am to have the honor of being at your wedding."

"It will add to my happiness, if possible," said Coventry.

To be as polite in deed as in word, he saw Mr. Raby into the fly.

"Curious creatures, these girls," said Raby, shrugging his shoulders.

"She was engaged to me long ago," said Coventry, parrying the blow.

"Ah! I forgot that. Still--well, well; I wish you joy."

He went off, and Coventry returned to Grace. She was seated by the window looking at the sea.

"What did godpapa say to you?"

"Oh, he congratulated me. He reminded me you and I were first engaged at his house."

"Did he tell you it is to be at Woodbine Villa?"

"What?"

"The wedding." And Grace blushed to the forehead at having to mention it.

"No, indeed, he did not mention any such thing, or I should have shown him how unadvisable--"

"You mistake me. It is I who wish to be married from my father's house by good old Dr. Fynes. He married my parents, and he christened me, and now he shall marry me."

"I approve that, of course, since you wish it; but, my own dearest Grace, Woodbine Villa is associated with so many painful memories--let me advise, let me earnestly entreat you, not to select it as the place to be married from. Dr. Fynes can be invited here."

"I have set my heart on it," said Grace. "Pray do not thwart me in it."

"I should be very sorry to thwart you in any thing. But, before you finally decide, pray let me try and convince your better judgment."

同类推荐
  • 甲乙日历

    甲乙日历

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Man of Property

    Man of Property

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 奉和天枢成宴夷夏群

    奉和天枢成宴夷夏群

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说广义法门经

    佛说广义法门经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上混元真录

    太上混元真录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 太微八景箓

    太微八景箓

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 神天帝尊

    神天帝尊

    本想过平淡的生活,与她朝夕相伴,漫步天涯。奈何,有些人就要破坏这种美好……从微末中崛起,从挫折中成长,只有努力走向巅峰,才有能力保护她!QQ书友群:286722973
  • 休妻未遂

    休妻未遂

    他是孤儿,却是显赫家族的继承者,叔父阴谋夺权而被迫沦落他乡,当高墙大院里的一切恍然一场陈梦,情人与发妻,他乡与故乡,他该情归何处……他是长在美国的中国人,执迷不悔地跟一个女人牵手,严酷现实让他心灰意冷,踏上寻根之旅,在祖辈父辈尘封往事中,那抹曙光亦幻亦真……【喜欢小雨作品的,请关注新作《涅槃凰妃:腹黑王爷倒追妻》】
  • 吃掉那个收容物

    吃掉那个收容物

    中二版:亵渎者的雕像,懦弱者的皇冠,野心者的利刃...他们终将跪倒在您的面前,诉说着您的伟大,歌颂着您的史诗...愚昧的人民啊,献上你们的灵魂,如果你渴求改变悲惨的命运。睿智的学者啊,请奉上毕生所学,假如你想名留千古。全知全能的牧羊人正注视着你们的灵魂,期待你们的选择。正常版:叫我尤格!叫我索托斯!我特么要吃爆!
  • 我的驱魔师男友

    我的驱魔师男友

    人有人世,鬼有鬼界,魔有魔道。拥有‘阴缘伞’就可以在人界、冥界、魔界等不同时空穿梭。“你说你不是僵尸,可你却喝人血。你说你不是鬼,可你却能和鬼沟通……”她差点做了孤魂野鬼,他不惜天价,替她续命。她进了冥界,差点出不来,他不惜用自己的命跟冥王签下不平等合约……她拥有着世界无敌帅、无所不能的男友。生活中遇见的人渣,难题,他都可以为她解决、为她铲除,他就是她的哆啦A梦。
  • 谋定天下之贾诩

    谋定天下之贾诩

    三国是一个人才辈出的时代,虽然短暂的只有百余年但却璀璨辉煌,这是武与谋的天下。(故事有所改动,与历史有出入)
  • 甜甜的草莓味恋爱

    甜甜的草莓味恋爱

    三岁时,他因为一个赌注,上幼儿园的第一天被逼穿上了公主裙,邂逅了一个好奇宝宝。“欧阳澈,你为什么要去小男生的厕所?”“欧阳澈,你为什么要站着?”“欧阳澈,你为什么要不理我?”十五岁时再相遇,她缠在国民校草的他身后。“你是不是有个双胞胎妹妹?”“没有,我就是欧阳澈。”“欧阳澈?你不是女生吗?怎么变成男生了?”
  • 恶魔的依恋之落尘公主

    恶魔的依恋之落尘公主

    独自抚凭栏,无限江山,别时容易见时难,流水落花春去也,天上人间。暮然回首,那人却在灯火阑珊处!!!友情链接:爱的颜色http://m.wkkk.net/a/47736/
  • 美景多珍重

    美景多珍重

    岑美景一心仰慕作家蔚青城,终于有机会成为他的生活小助理,却发现这位作家好像和传说中的不太一样?传说他特别随和,特别喜欢笑,特别温柔,特别风趣。事实却是——面试天不断泼美景冷水,还各种命令她。美景一日三餐有菜有汤的好生伺候,他却无比嫌弃:“下次记得加辣椒,朝天椒,而且不要再让我看见绿色的东西,这种散发青草味道的食物有什么可吃的,你还不如直接啃饲料”。美景带他去交电费,忙前忙后,焦头烂额,叫他生活常识,他却放马后:“难道你不知道交电费可以用手机交吗?以前的助理都是这么交的”。真是天将降大任于斯人,必先扔给她岑美景一个蔚青城!"
  • 文化与艺术的多视角探索(中国艺术研究院学术文库)

    文化与艺术的多视角探索(中国艺术研究院学术文库)

    《中国艺术研究院学术文库:文化与艺术的多视角探索》是从作者已发表的学术成果中精选出的32篇论文汇集而成的个人文集,它涵盖了五个方面的论题,主要内容包括:文化艺术理论探索、非物质文化遗产保护研究、文学语言之思、艺术语言论析、艺术理论家评述。