"I won"t let you off,--so you might as well come at once."
Then she stood and shuddered for a moment, looking with beseeching eyes up into his face. Of course she meant to jump. Of course she would have been disappointed had Aunt Julia come and interrupted her jumping. Yes,--she would jump into his arms. She knew that he would catch her. At that moment her memory of Daniel Thwaite had become faint as the last shaded glimmer of twilight. She shut her eyes for half a moment, then opened them, looked into his face, and made her spring. As she did so, she struck her foot against a rising ledge of the rock, and, though she covered more than the distance in her leap, she stumbled as she came to the ground, and fell into his arms. She had sprained her ankle, in her effort to recover herself.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, holding her close to his side.
"No;--I think not;--only a little, that is. I was so awkward."
"I shall never forgive myself if you are hurt."
"There is nothing to forgive. I"ll sit down for a moment. It was my own fault because I was so stupid,--and it does not in the least signify. I know what it is now; I"ve sprained my ankle."
"There is nothing so painful as that."
"It hurts a little, but it will go off. It wasn"t the jump, but I twisted my foot somehow. If you look so unhappy, I"ll get up and jump back again."
"I am unhappy, dearest."
"Oh, but you mustn"t." The prohibition might be taken as applying to the epithet of endearment, and thereby her conscience be satisfied.
Then he bent over her, looking anxiously into her face as she winced with the pain, and he took her hand and kissed it. "Oh, no," she said, gently struggling to withdraw the hand which he held. "Here is Aunt Julia. You had better just move." Not that she would have cared a straw for the eyes of Aunt Julia, had it not been that the image of Daniel Thwaite again rose strong before her mind. Then Aunt Julia, and the curate, and Minnie were standing on the rock within a few paces of them, but on the other side of the stream.
"Is there anything the matter?" asked Miss Lovel.
"She has sprained her ankle in jumping over the Stryd, and she cannot walk. Perhaps Mr. Cross would not mind going back to the inn and getting a carriage. The road is only a quarter of a mile above us, and we could carry her up."
"How could you be so foolish, Frederic, as to let her jump it?" said the aunt.
"Don"t mind about my folly now. The thing is to get a carriage for Anna." The curate immediately hurried back, jumping over the Stryd as the nearest way to the inn; and Minnie also sprung across the stream so that she might sit down beside her cousin and offer consolation.
Aunt Julia was left alone, and after a while was forced to walk back by herself to the bridge.
"Is she much hurt?" asked Minnie.
"I am afraid she is hurt," said the lord.
"Dear, dear Minnie, it does not signify a bit," said Anna, lavishing on her younger cousin the caresses which fate forbade her to give to the elder. "I know I could walk home in a few minutes. I am better now. It is one of those things which go away almost immediately. I"ll try and stand, Frederic, if you"ll let me." Then she raised herself, leaning upon him, and declared that she was nearly well,--and then was reseated, still leaning on him.
"Shall we attempt to get her up to the road, Minnie, or wait till Mr.
Cross comes to help us?" Lady Anna declared that she did not want any help,--certainly not Mr. Cross"s help, and that she could do very well, just with Minnie"s arm. They waited there sitting on the rocks for half an hour, saying but little to each other, throwing into the stream the dry bits of stick which the last flood had left upon the stones, and each thinking how pleasant it was to sit there and dream, listening to the running waters. Then Lady Anna hobbled up to the carriage road, helped by a stronger arm than that of her cousin Minnie.
Of course there was some concern and dismay at the inn. Embrocations were used, and doctors were talked of, and heads were shaken, and a couch in the sitting-room was prepared, so that the poor injured one might eat her dinner without being driven to the solitude of her own bedroom.
CHAPTER XVI.
FOR EVER.
On the next morning the poor injured one was quite well,--but she was still held to be subject to piteous concern. The two aunts shook their heads when she said that she would walk down to the stepping-stones that morning, before starting for Yoxham; but she was quite sure that the sprain was gone, and the distance was not above half a mile. They were not to start till two o"clock. Would Minnie come down with her, and ramble about among the ruins?
"Minnie, come out on the lawn," said the lord. "Don"t you come with me and Anna;--you can go where you like about the place by yourself."
"Why mayn"t I come?"
"Never mind, but do as you"re bid."
"I know. You are going to make love to cousin Anna."
"You are an impertinent little imp."
"I am so glad, Frederic, because I do like her. I was sure she was a real cousin. Don"t you think she is very,--very nice?"
"Pretty well."
"Is that all?"
"You go away and don"t tease,--or else I"ll never bring you to the Stryd again." So it happened that Lord Lovel and Lady Anna went across the meadow together, down to the river, and sauntered along the margin till they came to the stepping-stones. He pa.s.sed over, and she followed him, almost without a word. Her heart was so full, that she did not think now of the water running at her feet. It had hardly seemed to her to make any difficulty as to the pa.s.sage. She must follow him whither he would lead her, but her mind misgave her,--that they would not return sweet loving friends as they went out. "We won"t climb," said he, "because it might try your ankle too much. But we will go in here by the meadow. I always think this is one of the prettiest views there is," he said, throwing himself upon the gra.s.s.
"It is all prettiest. It is like fairy land. Does the Duke let people come here always?"
"Yes, I fancy so."
"He must be very good-natured. Do you know the Duke?"
"I never saw him in my life."
"A duke sounds so awful to me."
"You"ll get used to them some day. Won"t you sit down?" Then she glided down to the ground at a little distance from him, and he at once shifted his place so as to be almost close to her. "Your foot is quite well?"
"Quite well."
"I thought for a few minutes that there was going to be some dreadful accident, and I was so mad with myself for having made you jump it.
If you had broken your leg, how would you have borne it?"
"Like other people, I suppose."
"Would you have been angry with me?"
"I hope not. I am sure not. You were doing the best you could to give me pleasure. I don"t think I should have been angry at all. I don"t think we are ever angry with the people we really like."
"Do you really like me?"
"Yes;--I like you."
"Is that all?"
"Is not that enough?"