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Updated: June 24, 2025
It happened that this man was reported dead in the Gazette I showed it to him myself." The young officer, who was not accustomed to ladies' society, and felt rather nervous at his own loquaciousness, kept his eyes fixed on his boots, and did not notice the deathly pallor of Mrs. Agar's face, nor the convulsive clutch of her fingers on the velvet arm of the chair.
He walked towards Agar's tent after the manner of one who had sat in the saddle for many hours. His spurs clanked with a sharp, business-like ring, and his every movement had that neat finish which indicates the soldier born and bred. Wheeling round he faced Agar, who had followed him with a more leisurely gait based on longer legs, looking up keenly into the quiet fair face.
His black eyes, beaming with intelligence, moved so quickly beneath the steady lashes that it was next to an impossibility to state what he saw and what he failed to see. He returned Agar's salute hurriedly, with a preoccupied air.
It was further assisted and elaborated by a circumstance which the originator could scarcely have been expected to foresee the fact of Arthur Agar's love for Dora, which was at this time beginning to take to itself a definite existence. It began, as all love does, with a want more or less elevated according to the nature of the wanter.
Then he rose with the mental brushing-away of unshed tears of a man who has never yet had time in life for idle lamentation. He turned towards the tin box, jingling his keys in a most practical and business-like way. "And I presume," he said, "that you have come to consult me about the late Captain Agar's will?" "Was there a will?" asked Mrs. Agar, with audible alarm.
"It is very dangerous." Mrs. Agar's sigh of relief was quite audible. It is thus that nature sometimes betrays human nature. "Did he say that? Did he think that of it?" Seymour Michael's opinion still had value in her eyes. "Yes," the reply came slowly; "he said that we might almost look upon Jem as a dead man." Mother and son looked at each other and said nothing.
In a few moments Miss Cecilia Harbottle entered the library. She glided forward as if afloat on a depth of the milk of human kindness, and folded Mrs. Agar in an emotional embrace. "Dear!" she exclaimed. "Dear Anna, how I feel for you!" In illustration of this sympathy she patted Mrs. Agar's somewhat flabby hands, and looked softly at her.
Having food and raiment, us therewithal be content. Give me Agar's wish, and the like; which to the little auditory, sounded like a doctrine full of Christian prudence and simplicity, but to poor D. was a receipt in full for that quarter's demands at least.
She spoke in rather an indifferent voice, and in the gloom her mother could not see her face. It was a singular thing that neither of them seemed to take Arthur Agar's feelings into account in the very smallest degree; and this must be accounted to them for wisdom. Dora was, as her mother had said, very strong. She never gave way.
"And in the meantime," she said lightly, "I suppose he is fully engaged in buying swords and guns and bomb-shells, or whatever the Goorkhas use in warfare." "He is coming home to-morrow for Sunday," replied Jem Agar's stepmother absently. She was thinking of her own son, and therefore did not hear the quick sigh which was almost a gasp; did not note the sudden light in the girl's eyes.
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