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Still, plenty and comfort reigned in their house, and Cora had imported a good deal of refinement and elegance, which she could make respected where Averil's attempts were only sneered down. Nor had sickness tried her household.
But even in the noise of the hoofs, even in the wave of the hand, the girls had detected gratified excitement. 'Charleston has surrendered! The rebels have submitted! cried Cora. And Averil's heart throbbed with its one desperate hope. No! That would have brought him in at once.
Averil's letter showed the exhilaration of the change, and of increasing confidence and comfort in her friend Cora Muller.
The little ones broke out, 'O, Henry, Henry, you must not go away to the wars! and Averil's pleading eyes spoke the same. Then Henry sat down and betook himself to argument. It would be folly to lose the first opening to employment that had presented itself.
Wedlock did enhance the grief and loss, and Tom found the privilege of these months of tendance more heart-wringing than he had anticipated, though of course more precious and inestimable. Moreover, Averil's depression had been a phase of her illness which had not before revealed itself in such a degree.
Henry took in his magazine, and courted his notice, often bringing him into Averil's way that she might hear her heroes treated with irony more effectual than home-made satire; but Ave was staunch. She hated the sight of Mr. Anderson; never cut the leaves of his magazine; and if driven to sing to him, took as little pains as her musical nature would let her do.
This was almost too much. Averil's lip trembled, but she looked up into her husband's face, and made an answer, which would have been odd had she not been speaking to his thought. 'Never mind! It is only happiness and the kindness. And she drank the coffee with an effort, and smiled at him again, as she asked, 'Where is Ella?
'Oh, then, would he let me speak about dear Leonard? and the child grew deadly white when the words were spoken; but her eyes still sought Averil's face, and grew terrified at the sight of the gush of tears. 'O, Ave, Ave, tell me only he is not dead! and as Averil could only make a sign, 'I do have such dreadful fancies about him, and I think I could sleep if I only knew what was really true.
She had been at various Sunday schools, and was a good conscientious girl, but had never gone through the process of conversion, so that Rosa Willis had horrified Ella by pronouncing her 'not a Christian. She had no objection to show her English friends the way to the favourite Episcopal Church, especially as it was esteemed fashionable; and her passion for Averil had retained her there, with growing interest, drawn on by Averil's greater precision of religious knowledge, and the beauty of the Church system, displayed to her as the one joy and relief left to one evidently crushed with suffering.
'I looked up the place after Leonard told me of it. It is as unlucky a location as the ill luck of that fellow Henry could have pitched on. Some friend Leonard spoke of a Yankee, I suppose, meaning to make a prey of them. 'The father of their young lady friend at the boarding-house. 'Oh! a Yankee edition of Mrs. Pugh! 'And the worst of it is that this is to be done with poor Averil's fortune.
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