Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 2.djvu/338

328 "Yes? but that is coldly spoken. Give me your hand and I'll believe you.—You won't? Then, Mrs. Huntingdon, you do not forgive me!"

"Yes—here it is, and my forgiveness with it: only—sin no more."

He pressed my cold hand with sentimental fervour, but said nothing, and stood aside to let me pass into the room, where all the company were now assembled. Mr. Grimsby was seated near the door: on seeing me enter almost immediately followed by Hargrave, he leered at me, with a glance of intolerable significance, as I passed. I looked him in the face, till he sullenly turned away, if not ashamed, at least confounded for the moment. Meantime, Hattersley had seized Hargrave by the arm, and was whispering something in his ear—some coarse joke, no doubt, for the latter neither laughed nor spoke in answer, but, turning from him with a slight curl of the lip, disengaged himself and went to his mother,