FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130  
131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   >>   >|  
her and told her all her fears and all her troubles, sought counsel and aid from her, and appealed to her motherly feelings, Mrs. Furnival would have been urgent night and day in persuading her husband to take up the widow's case. She would have bade him work his very best without fee or reward, and would herself have shown Lady Mason the way to Old Square, Lincoln's Inn. She would have been discreet too, speaking no word of idle gossip to any one. When he, in their happy days, had told his legal secrets to her, she had never gossiped,--had never spoken an idle word concerning them. And she would have been constant to her friend, giving great consolation in the time of trouble, as one woman can console another. The thought that all this might be so did come across her for a moment, for there was innocence written in Lady Mason's eyes. But then she looked at her husband's face; and as she found no innocence there, her heart was again hardened. The woman's face could lie;--"the faces of such women are all lies," Mrs. Furnival said to herself;--but in her presence his face had been compelled to speak the truth. "Oh dear, no; I shall say nothing of course," she said. "I am quite sorry that I intruded. Mr. Furnival, as I happened to be in Holborn--at Mudie's for some books--I thought I would come down and ask whether you intend to dine at home to-day. You said nothing about it either last night or this morning; and nowadays one really does not know how to manage in such matters." "I told you that I should return to Birmingham this afternoon; I shall dine there," said Mr. Furnival, very sulkily. "Oh, very well. I certainly knew that you were going out of town. I did not at all expect that you would remain at home; but I thought that you might, perhaps, like to have your dinner before you went. Good morning, Lady Mason; I hope you may be successful in your--lawsuit." And then, curtsying to her husband's client, she prepared to withdraw. "I believe that I have said all that I need say, Mr. Furnival," said Lady Mason; "so that if Mrs. Furnival wishes--," and she also gathered herself up as though she were ready to leave the room. "I hardly know what Mrs. Furnival wishes," said the husband. "My wishes are nothing," said the wife, "and I really am quite sorry that I came in." And then she did go, leaving her husband and the woman of whom she was jealous once more alone together. Upon the whole I think that Mr. Furni
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130  
131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Furnival
 

husband

 

wishes

 
thought
 

morning

 

innocence

 

Birmingham

 

afternoon

 

sulkily

 

remain


expect

 
return
 

matters

 
appealed
 
intend
 

manage

 

dinner

 

feelings

 

persuading

 

nowadays


motherly

 

leaving

 

jealous

 

lawsuit

 

curtsying

 
client
 

successful

 

prepared

 

withdraw

 

gathered


urgent

 

sought

 
speaking
 

gossip

 

console

 

discreet

 

Square

 

written

 

Lincoln

 

moment


spoken
 
gossiped
 

secrets

 

counsel

 

consolation

 
trouble
 

giving

 
constant
 
friend
 

Holborn