Osborne and Roger came to the Hall; Molly found Roger established
there when she returned after this absence at home. She gathered
that Osborne was coming; but very little was said about him in any
way. The Squire scarcely ever left his wife's room; he sat by her,
watching her, and now and then moaning to himself. She was so much
under the influence of opiates that she did not often rouse up; but
when she did, she almost invariably asked for Molly. On these rare
occasions, she would ask after Osborne--where he was, if he had been
told, and if he was coming? In her weakened and confused state of
intellect she seemed to have retained two strong impressions--one,
of the sympathy with which Molly had received her confidence about
Osborne; the other, of the anger which her husband entertained
against him. Before the squire she never mentioned Osborne's name;
nor did she seem at her ease in speaking about him to Roger; while,
when she was alone with Molly, she hardly spoke of any one else.
She must have had some sort of wandering idea that Roger blamed his
brother, while she remembered Molly's eager defence, which she had
thought hopelessly improbable at the time. At any rate, she made
Molly her confidante about her first-born. She sent her to ask Roger
how soon he would come, for she seemed to know perfectly well that he
was coming.
"Tell me all Roger says. He will tell you."
But it was several days before Molly could ask Roger any questions;
and meanwhile Mrs. Hamley's state had materially altered. At length
Molly came upon Roger sitting in the library, his head buried in his
hands. He did not hear her footstep till she was close beside him.
Then he lifted up his face, red, and stained with tears, his hair all
ruffled up and in disorder.
"I've been wanting to see you alone," she began. "Your mother does
so want some news of your brother Osborne. She told me last week to
ask you about him, but I did not like to speak of him before your
father."
"She has hardly ever named him to me."
"I don't know why; for to me she used to talk of him perpetually. I
have seen so little of her this week, and I think she forgets a great
deal now. Still, if you don't mind, I should like to be able to tell
her something if she asks me again."
He put his head again between his hands, and did not answer her for
some time.
"What does she want to know?" said he, at last. "Does she know that
Osborne is coming soon--any day?"