"That is true," said Alison, "he held out till Edward refused to come
home, and then nothing would make him listen to a word on his behalf."
"And it will be so again," thought Ermine, with a throb at her heart.
Then she asked, "Did you see whether there was a letter for you at
home?"
"Yes, I looked in, and found only this, which I have only glanced at,
from Bessie."
"From Paris?"
"Yes, they come home immediately after Easter. 'Your brother is resolved
I should be presented, and submit to the whole season in style; after
which he says I may judge for myself.' What people will do for
pretty young wives! Poor Mary's most brilliant season was a winter at
Edinburgh; and it must be his doing more than hers, for she goes on:
'Is it not very hard to be precluded all this time from playing the
chieftainess in the halls of my forefathers? I shall have to run down to
your Gowanbrae to refresh myself, and see what you are all about, for
I cannot get the fragment of a letter from Alick; and I met an
Avoncestrian the other day, who told me that the whole county was in a
state of excitement about the F. U. etc.; that every one believed that
the fascinating landscape-painter was on the high road to winning one of
the joint-heiresses; but that Lady Temple--the most incredible part
of the story--had blown up the whole affair, made her way into the
penetralia of the asylum, and rescued two female 'prentices, so nearly
whipped to death that it took an infinitesimal quantity of Rachel's
homoeopathy to demolish one entirely, and that the virtuous public was
highly indignant that there was no inquest nor trial for manslaughter;
but that it was certain that Rachel had been extremely ill ever since.
Poor Rachel, there must be some grain of truth in all this, but one
would like to be able to contradict it. I wrote to ask Alick the rights
of the story, but he has not vouchsafed me a line of reply; and I should
take it as very kind in you to let me know whether he is in the land
of the living or gone to Edinburgh--as I hear is to be the lot of the
Highlanders--or pining for the uncroquetable lawn, to which I always
told him he had an eye.'"
"She may think herself lucky he has not answered," said Ermine; "he
has always been rather unreasonably angry with her for making the
introduction."
"That is the reason he has not," added Alison, "for he is certainly not
far off. He has been over almost every day to inquire, and played German
tactics all Saturday afternoon with Francis to our great relief. But I
have stayed away long enough."