Sanchia was perfectly happy; but he was not.
He stayed six months that year--from April to September; but then went to
Scotland, deer-stalking, shooting pheasants. He was back for Christmas and
brought a houseful of guests--all men. Again she welcomed him, again she
was kind. He was now a little blunted to the fine shades of love, took his
happiness as it happened to come, and could rub his hands over the
household blessing she was. By-and-by, at the end of her fourth year, she
took over the gardens as well as the house, was accepted by Mr. Menzies as
his liege-lady and by young Clyde as much more than that. The estate-
management, home-farm, woods, tenancies, were given up to her at the end
of the fifth year, just before Ingram sailed for West Africa on a shooting
expedition. By that time he had grown to depend upon her entirely for
everything. She was become the faithful well-tried wife of standing, which
in a man of Ingram's bone means that nothing remained of love but entire
confidence and occasional gratification. After this, he left her for long
periods together; for the whole of the eighth year he was abroad,
"idiotically happy," as he had told her.
During all this time no intercourse with her family--except those furtive
letters from her adoring old father, which were pitiful to her, because
they could not be answered as he would have had them; and nothing from her
friend of the Open, who had at last got himself a mate.
Pages:
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166