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When tea was over and the servants had co her ar rooraphs which werescattered about, and, sitting down beside her guest, began to show the this, the servants closed all the doors ofthe suite of rooms, as well as that which opened from the roomoutside--that of the well-hole into the avenueSuddenly, without anyseerow di close to Miht hold of her hand and began to drag her frohther other hand, and between theh the outer doorwhich the servants were beginning to closeIt was difficult at first tofind the way, the darkness was so great; but to their relief when Adae and horses, which had been waiting in theangle of the avenue, dashed upHer husband and Sir Nathaniellifted--aleThe postillion plied whipand spur, and the vehicle, rocking with its speed, swept through the gateand tore up the roadBehind the shouted out, doors shutting, and soe noiseEvery nerve of the horses wasstrained as they dashed recklessly along the roadThe two men held Mih protectinglyAs they went, there was a sudden rise in the ground; but the horses,breathing heavily, dashed up it at racing speed, not slackening theirpace when the hill fell away again, leaving therade
It would be foolish to say that neither Ada to Doom TowerMimi felt it more keenly than her husband,whose nerves were harder, and as erStill shebore up bravely, and as usual the effort was helpful to herWhen onceshe was in the study in the top of the turret, she alot theterrors which lay outside in the darkShe did not atteThecountry, but nowhere was to be observed that treht
The peaceful night had a good effect on the unseen,seemed far offAt tie restored, Adae in the signs of life in Castra RegisWhat he did see, to hiswonder and concern, on his returning ho white dress and er fro towards theCastlePondering on this, and trying to find sohts till he joined Mian the meal in silenceWhat had been had been, and was known tothem allMoreover, it was not a pleasant topic
A fillip was given to the conversation when AdaisThey each had so to say ofher, and of what her wishes or intentions were towards Edgar CaswallMiotten--andnever would--never could--the occasion when, to harerAs a socialup the rich landowner--"throwing herself at hishead so shamelessly," was how she expressed itShe was interested toknow that the great kite still flew from Caswall's towerBut beyondsuch oThe only coly expressed surprise at her ladyship's "cheek" in ignoring her owncriranted that others hadoverlooked them also
CHAPTER XXIV--A STARTLING PROPOSITION
The ht over the late events, the more puzzled she wasWhat did it all mean--what could it mean, except that there was an errorof fact somewhereCould it be possible that some of them--all of themhad been mistaken, that there had been no White Worm at all?On eitherside of her was a belief impossible of receptionNot to believe in whatseemed apparent was to destroy the very foundations of beliefyetin old days there had been monsters on the earth, and certainly soes of identityIt wasall very strangeJust fancy how any stranger--say a doctor--wouldregard her, if she were to tell him that she had been to a tea-party withan antediluvian monster, and that they had been waited on by up-to-datemen-servants
Adam had returned, exhilarated by his walk, and more settled in his one through the phaseof doubt and inability to believe in the reality of things, though it hadnot affected him to the sa ill-effects from her terrible ordeal, braced hiht Sir Nathaniel in order totalk over the matter with himHe knew that the calm common sense andself-reliance of the old man, as well as his experience, would be helpfulto them all
Sir Nathaniel had come to the conclusion that, for soed her plans, and, for thepresent at all events, was pacificHe was inclined to attribute herchanged dear Casasso far increased, as to justify a more fixed belief in his submission toher charms
As awhen she visitedCastra Regis, and they had had a long talk together, during which thepossibility of their union had been discussedCaswall, without beingenthusiastic on the subject, had been courteous and attentive; as she hadwalked back to Diana's Grove, she alratulated herself on her newsettle fixed in her mind, wasshown by a letter which she wrote later in the day to Adam Salton, andsent to him by handIt ran as follows:
"DEAR MR SALTON,
"I wonder if you would kindly advise, and, if possible, help me in ato make up mymind to sell Diana's Grove, I have put off and put off the doing of ittill nowThe place is ard to what I ht by er March, who hadanother residence, The Crest, ApplebyHe acquired all rights of allkinds, includingWhen he died, he left his wholeproperty tothis place, which has becomeendeared to me by many sacred memories and affections--therecollection ofmarried life, and the morethan happy memories of theto sell the place for any fair price--so long, ofcourse, as the purchaser was one I liked and of whom I approvedMayI say that you yourself would be the ideal personBut I dare nothope for soyour Australianfriends may be someone ishes to make a settlement in the OldCountry, and would care to fix the spot in one of the end, and with anever-ending vista of historical interest--an estate which, thoughsmall, is in perfect condition and with illimitable possibilities ofdevelophts which haveexisted before the tiinal possessorsIn addition, the house has been kept up to the_dernier cri_IedMy lawyers canprovide you, or whoever you est, with all business andhistorical detailsA word from you of acceptance or refusal is allthat is necessary, and we can leave details to be thrashed out by ouragentsForgiveyou in the matter, andbelieve me, yours very sincerely
"ARABELLA MARCH"
Ada made up, hewent to Mimi and asked if she had any objectionShe answered--after ashudder--that she was, in this, as in all things, willing to do whateverhe ht wish
"Dearest, I ae what is best for usBequite free to act as you see your duty, and as your inclination callsWeare in the hands of God, and He has hitherto guided us, and will do so toHis own end"
Froht to the study in the tohere he knew Sir Nathaniel would be at that hourThe old man wasalone, so, when he had entered in obedience to the "Come in," whichanswered his query, he closed the door and sat down beside him