'
And when that was thoroughly discussed two or three times over, they
fell to talking of other subjects, and among the rest of Devereux, and
wondered what his plans were; and, there being no brother officers by,
whether he meant to keep his commission, and various speculations as to
the exact cause of the coldness shown him by General Chattesworth. Dick
Spaight thought it might be that he had not asked Miss Gertrude in
marriage.
But this was pooh-poohed. 'Besides, they knew at Belmont,' said Toole,
who was an authority upon the domestic politics of that family, and
rather proud of being so, 'just as well as I did that Gipsy Dick was in
love with Miss Lilias; and I lay you fifty he'd marry her to-morrow if
she'd have him.'
Toole was always a little bit more intimate with people behind their
backs, so he called Devereux 'Gipsy Dick.'
'She's ailing, I hear,' said old Slowe.
'She is, indeed, Sir,' answered the doctor, with a grave shake of the
head.
'Nothing of moment, I hope?' he asked.
'Why, you see it may be; she had a bad cough last winter, and this year
she took it earlier, and it has fallen very much on her lungs; and you
see, we can't say, Sir, what turn it may take, and I'm very sorry she
should be so sick and ailing--she's the prettiest creature, and the best
little soul; and I don't know, on my conscience, what the poor old
parson would do if anything happened her, you know.
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