"The evil spirits always hate the good ones. I am conscious of an evil spirit within my bosom. It is because my spirit is evil that you would not love me. He is good, and you love him.""Yes; I do," said Ayala.
"And now we will change the conversation. Ayala, I have got a little present which you must take from me.""Oh, no!" said Ayala, thinking of the diamond necklace.
"It's only a little thing -- and I hope you will." Then he brought out from his pocket a small brooch which he had selected from his own stock of jewelry for the occasion. "We are cousins, you know.""Yes, we are cousins," said Ayala, accepting the brooch, but still accepting it unwillingly.
"He must be very disdainful if he would object to such a little thing as this," said Tom, referring to the Colonel.
"He is not at all disdainful. He will not object in the least.
I am sure of that, Tom. I will take it then, and I will wear it sometimes as a memento that we have parted like friends --as cousins should do."
"Yes, as friends," said Tom, who thought that even that word was softer to his ear than cousins. Then he took her by the hand and looked into her face wistfully, thinking what might be the effect if for the last and for the first time he should snatch a kiss. Had he done so I think she would have let it pass without rebuke under the guise of cousinship. It would have been very disagreeable -- but then he was going away for so long a time, for so many miles! But at the moment Mrs Dosett came in, and Ayala was saved. "Goodbye," he said; "goodbye," and without waiting to take the hand which his aunt offered him he hurried out of the room, out of the house, and back across the Gardens to Queen's Gate.
At Queen's Gate there was an early dinner, at three o'clock, at which Sir Thomas did not appear, as he had arranged to come out of the city and meet his son at the railway station. There were, therefore, sitting at the board for the last time the mother and the two sisters with the intending traveller. "Oh, Tom,"said Lady Tringle, as soon as the servant had left them together, "I do so hope you will recover.""Of course he will recover," said Augusta.
"Why shouldn't he recover?" asked Gertrude. "It's all in a person's mind. If he'd only make up his mind not to think about her the thing would be done, and there would be nothing the matter with him.""There are twenty others, ever so much better than Ayala, would have him tomorrow," said his mother.
"And be glad to catch him," said Gertrude. "He's not like one of those who haven't got anything to make a wife comfortable with.""As for Ayala," said Augusta, "she didn't deserve such good luck.
I am told that that Colonel Stubbs can't afford to keep any kind of carriage for her. But then, to be sure, she has never been used to a carriage.""Oh, Tom, do look up," said his mother, "and say that you will try to be happy.""He'll be all right in New York," said Gertrude. "There's no place in the world, they say, where the girls put themselves forward so much, and make things so pleasant for the young men.""He will soon find someone there", said Augusta, "with a good deal more to say for herself than Ayala, and a great deal better looking.""I hope he will find someone who will really love him," said his mother.
