joyment to
him. And so it almost was to her. The influence of the dear old scenes
was something, and his cheeriness was a great deal more; the peaceful
present was not harassed or disturbed, and the foreboding, on which she
might not dwell, made it the more precious. That slow wandering about
the farm and village, and the desultory remarks, the old pleasant
reminiscences, the inquiries and replies about the villagers and
neighbours had a quiet charm about them, as free and happy as when, youth
and child, they had frisked through the same paths; nay, the old scenes
so brought back the old habits that she found herself discoursing to him
in her former eager fashion upon the last historical character who had
bitten her fancy.

'My old way,' she said, catching herself up; 'dinning all this into your
ears as usual, when you don't care.'

'Don't I?' said Humfrey, with his sincere face turned on her in all its
sweetness. 'Perhaps I never showed you how much, Honor; and I beg your
pardon, but I would not have been without it!'

The Savilles came up, while Honor's heart was brimful at this compliment,
and then it was all commonplace again, except for that sunset light, that
rich radiance of the declining day, that seemed unconsciously to pervade
all Humfrey's cheerfulness, and to give his mirth and playfulness a solid
happiness.

Some mutual friends of long standing came to dinner, and the evening was
not unlike the last, quite as free from gloom, and Mr. Charlecote as
bright as ever, evidently taking his full share in county business, and
giving his mind to it. Only Honor noted that he quietly avoided an
invitation to a very gay party which was proposed; and his great ally,
Sir John Raymond, seemed rather vexed with him for not taking part in
some new and expensive experiment in farming, and asked incredulously
whether it were true that he wished to let a farm that he had kept for
several years in his own hands. Humfrey agreed that it was so, and said
something farther of wishing to come to terms quickly. She guessed that
this was for her sake, when she thought all this over in her bedroom.

Such was the effect of his calmness that it had not been a day of
agitation. There was more peace than tumult in her mind as she lay down
to rest, sad, but not analyzing her sadness, and lulled by the present
into putting aside the future. So she slept quietly, and awoke with a
weight at her heart, but softened and sustained b