Page:Once a Week Dec 1860 to June 61.pdf/152

. 2, 1861.] THE SILVER CORD.

her visit to her father at Canonhury, Mrs. Hawkesley returned to Maida Hill, anxious to communicate to her husband the scanty information which Mr. Vernon had added to the contents of his letter. Charles Hawkesley had not arrived, and long indeed seemed the delay. Beatrice was all but on the point of hastening over to Brompton, in the idea that some painful disclosure had detained her husband, when he entered with the two boys. In their coming that day, instead of the next, as proposed, she naturally detected fresh cause for alarm; but a word from her husband sufficed to reassure her sufficiently to give Walter and Fred her usual kindly welcome.

“Neither of our parents has chosen to come back yet,” said Hawkesley, “so we have deserted the house, and come over to live with our cruel uncle and aunt, and when we are wanted, we are to be sent for.”

But when the boys had been cared for by Aunt Beatrice, and had been sent into the garden with letter of licence to deal at will with the fruit, a concession not lightly made at other times, and Hawkesley and his wife were alone, his first words were—

“Something wrong, dearest.”

“I knew it,” said Beatrice, hastily. “I had a presentiment that it was so, and though you laugh at such things, I felt that when we met again we should have bad news. Tell me quickly—you know I want no preparation.”

“Nay, there is no news. That is, in fact, the worst I have to tell, except some small matters, which may in themselves be nothing.”

And the husband and wife told each other the results of their respective errands.