And Annie
herself, although all the time in Hector's thought, revealed herself
only, after the custom of celestials, at the very moment of her
disappearance; her message delivered, she went back to her duties at the
table; and then first Hector woke to the knowledge that she had been at
his door, and was there no more. During the last few days he had been
gradually approaching the resolve to keep silence no longer, but be bold
and tell Annie how full his heart was of her. One moment he might have
done so; one moment more, and he could not!
He followed close upon her steps, but not a word with her was possible,
and it seemed to Hector that she sped from him like a very wraith to
avoid his addressing her. Had she, then, he asked himself, some dim
suspicion of his feelings toward her, or was she but making haste from a
sense of propriety?
Now that very morning Mrs. Macintosh had been talking kindly to
Annie--as kindly, that is, as her abominable condescension would
permit--and, what to Annie was of far greater consequence, had paid her
her wages, rather more than she had expected, so that nothing now lay
between her and the fall of her burden from her heavy-laden conscience,
except, indeed, her preliminary confession. Dinner, therefore, being
over, her mistress gone to the drawing room to prepare the coffee, and
her master to his room to write a letter suddenly remembered, Hector was
left alone with Annie. Whereupon followed an amusing succession of
disconnected attempt and frustration.
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