But Mrs. Du Plessis smiled sweetly with her
empurpled lips, and the colonel did not mind the disgrace a particle.
They all went home very merry and full of innocent jocularity.
"Cecile," said the dominie, "I trust you will excuse the adjective, but
I should dearly love to hear Corry's jolly laugh just now. Poor fellow,
I think I could almost bear a pun."
The audacious Mr. Perrowne overheard the last words, and, with great
exuberance of feeling, propounded a conundrum.
"Mr. Wilkinson, why is a pun of our friend Coristine's like your sling?
D'ye give it up? Because there's now arm in it now. Ha! ha!"
They had only been a few hours away, but, when they returned to
Bridesdale, it did not require clever eyes to see that a great change
had taken place. The people were in the house, even the children, but
they were all very quiet. Neither the doctor nor the Squire was visible,
and instinctively the berry-pickers feared the worst. Mrs. Carruthers
told them that excitement had been too much for the enfeebled patient.
Happily, he was not strong enough to be delirious, but he seemed
sinking, and had fallen into unconsciousness, only muttering little
incoherences in his attenuated voice.
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