n attendance. He went down quietly, opened the d hussei gerd out, and shut it softly after him. her invincibe repugnance to this man, and perhaps stealthy art of watchin my one, which, even under innocent crust n a manner guilty and oppres** made Horene d head to foot. Her blood se: to ran cold. as she could-for at first she fo insurmount.... moving--she went quickly ewn room her dog b There Ri door; but even then, shuti. a chill sensation of horror.. ling somewhere near her. f ght. 1 Grams and disturbed the whol igurefreshed, and with a heavy oi lection; fomestic unhappiness of the preceding, she sought Edith again in all the rooms, and did so, f " time to tim, all the morning. But she remained in her ow chamber, and Florence saw nothing of her. Le ever, it the projected dinner at home was put it, Flore the 1,4 t bkely that she would go out in the evening to She had spoken of; and resolved to upon the staircase. ...d xt in, she heard, from the room a footstep on the stags that Lath Hurrying o., and up towards mmediately, coming down alone. light and wonder when, at sight face, and outretched arms, Edith said Mama!" said Florence, As don't call me by that na.. deferens me!--Florence!" Don't speak to me! Don king back, as Ference mo hyvards her, "don t touch me!" } 1.nce stood transfixed before the brand faxe d she noted, as in a dream, that Ldith spread her WAITING FOR EDITH'S RETURN. 273 hands over them, and shuddering through all her form, and crouching down against the wall, crawled by her like some lower animal, sprang up, and fled away. Florence dropped upon the stairs in a swoon; and was found there by Mrs. Pipchin, she supposed. She knew nothing more, until she found herself lying on her own bed, with Mrs. Pipchin and some servants standing round her. "Where is Mama?" was her first question. "Gone out to dinner," said Mrs. Pipchin. "And Papa?” "Mr. Dombey is in his own room, Miss Dombey," said Mrs. Pipchin, "and the best thing you can do, is to take off your things and go to bed this minute." This was the sagacious woman's remedy for all complaints, particularly lowness of spirits, and inability to sleep; for which offences, many young victims in the days of the Brighton Castle had been committed to bed at ten o'clock in the morning. Without promising obedience, but on the plea of desiring to be very quiet, Florence disengaged herself, as soon as she could, from the ministration of Mrs. Pipchin and her attendants. Left alone, she thought of what had happened on the staircase, at first in doubt of its reality; then with tears; then with an indescribable and terrible alarm, like that she had felt the night before. She determined not to go to bed until Edith returned, and if she could not speak to her, at least to be sure that she was safe at home. What indistinct and shadowy dread moved Florence to this resolution, she did not know, and did not dare to think. She only knew that until Edith came back, there was no repose for her aching head or throbbing heart. The evening deepened into night: midnight came; no Edith. Florence could not read, or rest a moment. She paced her own room, opened the door and paced the staircasegallery outside, looked out of window on the night, listened VOL. II. T |