CHAPTER XIV

’Between Richard Mutimer, bachelor, and Adela Marian Waitham, spinster, both of this parish’

It was the only announcement of the kind that Mr. Wyvern had to make this Sunday.  To one of his hearers he seemed to utter the names with excessive emphasis, his deep voice reverberating in the church.  The pews were high; Adela almost cowered in her corner, feeling pierced with the eyes, with the thoughts too, of the congregation about her.

She had wondered whether the Manor pew would be occupied to-day, but it was not.  When she stood up, her eyes strayed towards it; the red curtains which concealed the interior were old and faded, the wooden canopy crowned it with dreary state.  In three weeks that would be her place at service.  Sitting there, it would not be hard to keep her thoughts on mortality.

Would it not have been graceful in him to attend church to-day?  Would she in future worship under the canopy alone?

No time had been lost.  Mr. Wyvern received notice of the proposed marriage less than two hours after Adela had spoken her world-changing monosyllable.  She put in no plea for delay, and her mother, though affecting a little consternation at Mutimer’s haste, could not seriously object.  Wanley, discussing the matter at its Sunday tea-tables, declared with unanimity that such expedition was indecent.  By this time the disapproval of the village had attached itself exclusively to Mrs. Waltham; Adela was spoken of as a martyr to her mother’s miserable calculations.  Mrs. Mewling went about with a story, that only by physical restraint had the unhappy girl been kept from taking flight.  The name of Hubert Eldon once more came up in conversation.  There was an unauthenticated rumour that he had been seen of late, lurking about Wanley.  The more boldly speculative gossips looked with delicious foreboding to the results of a marriage such as this.  Given a young man of Eldon’s reputation—­ah me!

The Walthams all lunched (or dined) at the Manor.  Mutimer was in high spirits, or seemed so; there were moments when the cheerful look died on his face, and his thoughts wandered from the conversation; but if his eye fell on Adela he never failed to smile the smile of inner satisfaction.  She had not yet responded to his look, and only answered his questions in the briefest words; but her countenance was resolutely bright, and her beauty all that man could ask.  Richard did not flatter himself that she held him dear; indeed, he was a good deal in doubt whether affection, as vulgarly understood, was consistent with breeding and education.  But that did not concern him; he had gained his end, and was jubilant.

In the course of the meal he mentioned that his sister would come down from London in a day or two.  Christmas was only a week off, and he had thought it would be pleasant to have her at the Manor for that season.