that?”
“I’m sick, Cranford,” she whispered.
The brandy fumes assailed him when she spoke, inciting him to still greater wrath. “You’ll be a lot sicker when I get through with you, my girl. I’ve a good mind to turn you over my knee and beat you.”
Trelenny attempted unsuccessfully to pull her arm from his firm grasp. “You’re just like your father,” she mumbled derisively. “Everything will be solved by violence.”
Abruptly he released her arm and drew back from her as though struck. “Occasionally there is good reason for physical discipline.”
“I am going to be sick,” was her only reply as she stumbled to the grassy verge of the street. Cranford immediately took hold of her shoulders and held her while she retched, violently, for several minutes. Although she heard him speak to his companion, she was too ill to pay any heed. His cool hand soothed her brow and, when she had ridded herself of the brandy, and almost everything else in her, he wiped her face with his handkerchief.
“Are you all right now?"
“Yes, I think so, but I want a glass of water. Will you take me back to the inn?” she asked humbly.
“Of course. Laytham, take her other arm, will you? And try to keep her from being recognized.”
Trelenny gazed confusedly from one man to the other, finally focusing her eyes with difficulty on Cranford. “You found him, then? But I don’t remember asking you. You weren’t in your room when I tapped and I could not see you in the Bull and Royal. And I am positive that I stopped nowhere when I left the stable before you found me.” Her face contorted with the effort to recall any further happenings during the evening. “Well, of course I didn’t find you, because just now you were very angry to see me and talked of beating me. How did you know I was trying to find Mr. Laytham?”
“I didn’t, Trelenny, but I would like very much to know why you were.” Cranford said, his countenance grim, as he and his companion urged her forward.
“I had to tell him not to rob anyone, you know. Miss Moreby was very upset that he might, and she did not think until afterwards that they could sell their clothes. Not that he will be able to do so now.” Trelenny’s face crumpled with dismay. “I have gotten brandy on the cravat, I fear, and perhaps worse on the coat and pantaloons. But you are not to be concerned, Mr. Laytham, for I shall pay to have them cleaned, and I had already promised to lend Miss Moreby the money you will need to get to…where you are going. Cranford won’t let me pay for the post horses in the end, anyway, so there is no reason you should not have the money. You will give it to him, won’t you, Cranford? If you have decided that I may pay for the horses, then I shall pay you from what I have kept. It is not as much, to be sure, but I can pay you the rest later, or borrow some from Mama.”
Cranford frowned. “Dear God, your mother doesn’t know you’ve gone out, does she?”
“Well, of course not. Did you think I would wake her to see how I looked in Mr. Laytham’s clothes? I think you’ve been drinking yourself, Cranford. Oh, do you know what I saw a man do to the serving girl in the Bull and Royal?”
“No, and I don’t wish to know,” he replied sternly. “How did you get so drunk?”
“The stableman found me looking in the window, and he thought I wouldn’t go in because my brother didn’t allow me. So we went to the tack room and he taught me to drink like a man. Disgusting! Do you drink like that, Cranford?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea how he taught you to drink.”
“You grab the bottle round the neck and just swill it down.” Trelenny wrinkled her nose with distaste. “Now what is the use of drinking in that manner? The liquor pours down your throat so fast you can get no pleasure from it, and I dare say one may pick up all sorts of diseases from sharing a bottle.”
They had arrived at the Castle and Cranford motioned
“I’m sick, Cranford,” she whispered.
The brandy fumes assailed him when she spoke, inciting him to still greater wrath. “You’ll be a lot sicker when I get through with you, my girl. I’ve a good mind to turn you over my knee and beat you.”
Trelenny attempted unsuccessfully to pull her arm from his firm grasp. “You’re just like your father,” she mumbled derisively. “Everything will be solved by violence.”
Abruptly he released her arm and drew back from her as though struck. “Occasionally there is good reason for physical discipline.”
“I am going to be sick,” was her only reply as she stumbled to the grassy verge of the street. Cranford immediately took hold of her shoulders and held her while she retched, violently, for several minutes. Although she heard him speak to his companion, she was too ill to pay any heed. His cool hand soothed her brow and, when she had ridded herself of the brandy, and almost everything else in her, he wiped her face with his handkerchief.
“Are you all right now?"
“Yes, I think so, but I want a glass of water. Will you take me back to the inn?” she asked humbly.
“Of course. Laytham, take her other arm, will you? And try to keep her from being recognized.”
Trelenny gazed confusedly from one man to the other, finally focusing her eyes with difficulty on Cranford. “You found him, then? But I don’t remember asking you. You weren’t in your room when I tapped and I could not see you in the Bull and Royal. And I am positive that I stopped nowhere when I left the stable before you found me.” Her face contorted with the effort to recall any further happenings during the evening. “Well, of course I didn’t find you, because just now you were very angry to see me and talked of beating me. How did you know I was trying to find Mr. Laytham?”
“I didn’t, Trelenny, but I would like very much to know why you were.” Cranford said, his countenance grim, as he and his companion urged her forward.
“I had to tell him not to rob anyone, you know. Miss Moreby was very upset that he might, and she did not think until afterwards that they could sell their clothes. Not that he will be able to do so now.” Trelenny’s face crumpled with dismay. “I have gotten brandy on the cravat, I fear, and perhaps worse on the coat and pantaloons. But you are not to be concerned, Mr. Laytham, for I shall pay to have them cleaned, and I had already promised to lend Miss Moreby the money you will need to get to…where you are going. Cranford won’t let me pay for the post horses in the end, anyway, so there is no reason you should not have the money. You will give it to him, won’t you, Cranford? If you have decided that I may pay for the horses, then I shall pay you from what I have kept. It is not as much, to be sure, but I can pay you the rest later, or borrow some from Mama.”
Cranford frowned. “Dear God, your mother doesn’t know you’ve gone out, does she?”
“Well, of course not. Did you think I would wake her to see how I looked in Mr. Laytham’s clothes? I think you’ve been drinking yourself, Cranford. Oh, do you know what I saw a man do to the serving girl in the Bull and Royal?”
“No, and I don’t wish to know,” he replied sternly. “How did you get so drunk?”
“The stableman found me looking in the window, and he thought I wouldn’t go in because my brother didn’t allow me. So we went to the tack room and he taught me to drink like a man. Disgusting! Do you drink like that, Cranford?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea how he taught you to drink.”
“You grab the bottle round the neck and just swill it down.” Trelenny wrinkled her nose with distaste. “Now what is the use of drinking in that manner? The liquor pours down your throat so fast you can get no pleasure from it, and I dare say one may pick up all sorts of diseases from sharing a bottle.”
They had arrived at the Castle and Cranford motioned
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