“Oh, yes, you will,” said he.

“No; I can’t like it; but, Hugh, I will not think ill of it any more.  Only be here as much as you can when you come home.”

“All right,” said he; then he kissed her forehead and escaped from her, and went his way, telling himself; as he went, that she was a fool.

That was the last he saw of her—­before his yachting commenced; but she—­poor fool—­was up by times in the morning, and, peeping out between her curtains as the early summer sun glanced upon her eyelids, saw him come forth from the porch and descend the great steps, and get into his dog-cart and drive himself away.  Then, when the sound of the gig could be no longer heard, and when her eyes could no longer catch the last expiring speck of his hat, the poor fool took herself to bed again and cried herself to sleep.

Chapter XLIII

Captain Clavering Makes His Last Attempt

The yachting scheme was first proposed to Archie by his brother Hugh.  “Jack says that he can make a berth for you, and you’d better come,” said the elder brother, understanding that when his edict had thus gone forth, the thing was as good as arranged.  “Jack finds the boat and men, and I find the grub and wine-and pay for the fishing,” said Hugh; “so you need not make any bones about it.”  Archie was not disposed to make any bones about it as regarded his acceptance either of the berth or of the grub and wine, and as he would be expected to earn his passage by his work, there was no necessity for any scruple; but there arose the question whether he had not got more important fish to fry.  He had not as yet made his proposal to Lady Ongar, and although he now knew that he had nothing to hope from the Russian Spy, nevertheless he thought that he might as well try his own hand at the venture.  His resolution on this head was always stronger after dinner than before, and generally became stronger and more strong as the evening advanced; so that he usually went to bed with a firm determination “to pop,” as he called it to his friend Doodles, early on the next day; but distance affected him as well as the hour of the day, and his purpose would become surprisingly cool in the neighborhood of Bolton Street.  When, however, his brother suggested that he should be taken altogether away from the scene of action, he thought of the fine income and of Ongar Park with pangs of regret, and ventured upon a mild remonstrance.  “But there’s this affair of Julia, you know,” said he.

“I thought that was all off,” said Hugh.

“O dear, no; not off at all.  I haven’t asked her yet.”

“I know you’ve not; and I don’t suppose you ever will.”

“Yes, I shall; that is to say, I mean it.  I was advised not to be in too much of a hurry; that is to say, I thought it best to let her settle down a little after her first seeing me.”

“To recover from her confusion?”