She watched for a few minutes,when two white lights emerged from the side of a hill,and showed themselves to be the origin of the halo.
What a dazzling brilliance!What do they mark?
The South Foreland:they were previously covered by the cliff.
What is that level line of little sparkles--a town,I suppose?
Thats Dover.
All this time,and later,soft sheet lightning expanded from a cloud in their path,enkindling their faces as they paced up and down,shining over the water,and,for a moment,showing the horizon as a keen line.
Elfride slept soundly that night.Her first thought the next morning was the thrilling one that Knight was as close at hand as when they were at home at Endelstow,and her first sight,on looking out of the cabin window,was the perpendicular face of Beachy Head,gleaming white in a brilliant six-oclock-in-the-morning sun.This fair daybreak,however,soon changed its aspect.A cold wind and a pale mist descended upon the sea,and seemed to threaten a dreary day.
When they were nearing Southampton,Mrs.Swancourt came to say that her husband was so ill that he wished to be put on shore here,and left to do the remainder of the journey by land.He will be perfectly well directly he treads firm ground again.
Which shall we do--go with him,or finish our voyage as we intended?
Elfride was comfortably housed under an umbrella which Knight was holding over her to keep off the wind.Oh,dont let us go on shore!she said with dismay.It would be such a pity!
Thats very fine,said Mrs.Swancourt archly,as to a child.
See,the wind has increased her colour,the sea her appetite and spirits,and somebody her happiness.Yes,it would be a pity,certainly.
Tis my misfortune to be always spoken to from a pedestal,sighed Elfride.
Well,we will do as you like,Mrs.Swancourt,said Knight,but----
I myself would rather remain on board,interrupted the elder lady.And Mr.Swancourt particularly wishes to go by himself.
So that shall settle the matter.
The vicar,now a drab colour,was put ashore,and became as well as ever forthwith.
Elfride,sitting alone in a retired part of the vessel,saw a veiled woman walk aboard among the very latest arrivals at this port.She was clothed in black silk,and carried a dark shawl upon her arm.The woman,without looking around her,turned to the quarter allotted to the second-cabin passengers.All the carnation Mrs.Swancourt had complimented her step-daughter upon possessing left Elfrides cheeks,and she trembled visibly.
She ran to the other side of the boat,where Mrs.Swancourt was standing.
Let us go home by railway with papa,after all,she pleaded earnestly.I would rather go with him--shall we?
Mrs.Swancourt looked around for a moment,as if unable to decide.
Ah,she exclaimed,it is too late now.Why did not you say so before,when we had plenty of time?
The Juliet had at that minute let go,the engines had started,and they were gliding slowly away from the quay.There was no help for it but to remain,unless the Juliet could be made to put back,and that would create a great disturbance.Elfride gave up the idea and submitted quietly.Her happiness was sadly mutilated now.
The woman whose presence had so disturbed her was exactly like Mrs.Jethway.She seemed to haunt Elfride like a shadow.After several minutesvain endeavour to account for any design Mrs.
Jethway could have in watching her,Elfride decided to think that,if it were the widow,the encounter was accidental.She remembered that the widow in her restlessness was often visiting the village near Southampton,which was her original home,and it was possible that she chose water-transit with the idea of saving expense.
What is the matter,Elfride?Knight inquired,standing before her.
Nothing more than that I am rather depressed.
I dont much wonder at it;that wharf was depressing.We seemed underneath and inferior to everything around us.But we shall be in the sea breeze again soon,and that will freshen you,dear.
The evening closed in and dusk increased as they made way down Southampton Water and through the Solent.Elfrides disturbance of mind was such that her light spirits of the foregoing four and twenty hours had entirely deserted her.The weather too had grown more gloomy,for though the showers of the morning had ceased,the sky was covered more closely than ever with dense leaden clouds.
How beautiful was the sunset when they rounded the North Foreland the previous evening!now it was impossible to tell within half an hour the time of the luminarys going down.Knight led her about,and being by this time accustomed to her sudden changes of mood,overlooked the necessity of a cause in regarding the conditions--
impressionableness and elasticity.
Elfride looked stealthily to the other end of the vessel.Mrs.
Jethway,or her double,was sitting at the stern--her eye steadily regarding Elfride.
Let us go to the forepart,she said quickly to Knight.See there--the man is fixing the lights for the night.
Knight assented,and after watching the operation of fixing the red and the green lights on the port and starboard bows,and the hoisting of the white light to the masthead,he walked up and down with her till the increase of wind rendered promenading difficult.
Elfrides eyes were occasionally to be found furtively gazing abaft,to learn if her enemy were really there.Nobody was visible now.
Shall we go below?said Knight,seeing that the deck was nearly deserted.
No,she said.If you will kindly get me a rug from Mrs.
Swancourt,I should like,if you dont mind,to stay here.She had recently fancied the assumed Mrs.Jethway might be a first-class passenger,and dreaded meeting her by accident.
