BY CAROLINE GRAUTOFF. Oh, how full of briars is this working-day world." As You Like It. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, SUCCESSORS TO HENRY COLBURN, 13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1854. 249. V. 502. JANET MOWBRAY. CHAPTER I. Hin ist die schöne Sommerzeit, Und nach der Freude kam das Leid. HOFFMANN VON FALLERSLEBEN. Here's enow for sad thinking. T. HOOD. Janet slept heavily that night; worn out alike in mind and body, her head had scarcely pressed her pillow, ere unconsciousness gradually stole over her, and for a time she lay peacefully insensible to the painful change wrought by the events of one short hour. When she awoke, the sun was streaming brightly through the half VOL. II. B opened curtains, and she could perceive, from the arrangements on the dressingtable, that Sarah had already been into the room, though without arousing her. Then it must be very late! a strange sense of ill was upon her; she started up bewildered, and looked around; the white dress, hanging over a chair, the gloves and faded flowers, soon re-called to her mind the occurrences of the previous evening; she would fain have fallen back upon her pillow, and once more in slumber have forgotten her troubles; this, however, was impossible; she had now begun to think -though neither very steadily nor very clearly-and farther sleep was out of the question. She arose and slowly dressed herself, as in a dreary dream; but before descending, one resolution had been formed, which she was determined nothing should induce her to break; her father must not know anything of what passed between herself and Sir Henry Western; all her own causes for grief and uneasiness must be hidden from him; nor must he, if to avoid it were possible, be made unhappy for one moment, by the suspicion that anything had occurred to ruffle the calm and quiet of his daughter's heart. Her pale cheeks and heavy eyes must, for the present, be laid to the charge of fatigue, and beyond the present, Janet would not, nay could not, now think. It was a sultry morning; but the green blinds were down in the study, and the room looked dark and cool when she took her place at the breakfast table. "I have been thinking so much of poor Walter, this morning, Janet," said her father, "I wish we could have seen him once more; he's off by this time, I daresay I hope he may get on well, but there's very little chance that I, at least, shall ever see him again." |