Now you understand how it was that Dr. Clatworthy and Miss St. Maur,
entering the garden ten minutes later, saw but a bevy of disconsolate
maidens strolling the paths, and no uniform nor sign of one.
"There!" said Miss St. Maur, pointing with her parasol. "There, sir! What
did I tell you?"
Dr. Clatworthy stared about him and mopped the crown of his head.
"But when I assure you, madam--"
"Oh, cruel, cruel!" Miss St. Maur burst into tears.
"Madam!" Dr. Clatworthy looked about him again. The young ladies had
turned and were withdrawing slowly to the far end of the walk. By this
time, you must know, the light had fallen dim, but with the moon rising
and the sun not gone altogether. "Madam! Dear madam!" said Dr.
Clatworthy, and was pressing her, polite as a lamb, towards the nearest
arbour to seat her there and persuade her. But before he could pilot her
past the laylock-bush, forth from that very arbour stepped a couple,
and from the next arbour another couple, and both couples took the garden
path, and in each couple the heads were closer together than necessary for
ordinary talk, and the eyes of them seemingly too well occupied to notice
the doctor and Miss St. Maur by the laylock-bush.
You see, Mr. Hardcastle, who belonged to the Navy, hadn't felt the need to
trouble himself about a deserter from the sister service; and Mounseer
Raynold had found a cousin, and naturally felt no concern in chasing a man
to strengthen the British army.
"My dear madam!" said Dr. Clatworthy, and led Miss St. Maur towards the
arbour. For certain he had recognised Miss Sophia; but maybe he let her
go then and there from his thoughts. And Miss St. Maur by his side was
weeping bitterly.
Dr. Clatworthy wasn't used to a woman in tears. He took Miss St. Maur's
hand, and by and by, finding her sobs didn't stop, he pressed it,
and . . .
Well, that's all the story. I've heard my mother tell it a score of
times, and always when she came to this point, she'd laugh and tell me to
marry for choice before I came to fifty, or else trust to luck and buy a
handkerchief.