第129章

Astheyissuedoutofthecustom-houseprecincts，Georgybrokeoutonthem，withhistelescopeuptohiseye，andaloudlaughofwelcome；hedancedroundthecoupleandperformedmanyfacetiousanticsasheledthemuptothehouse。Joswasn’tupyet；Beckynotvisible(thoughshelookedatthemthroughtheblinds)。

Georgyranofftoseeaboutbreakfast。Emmy，whoseshawlandbonnetwereoffinthepassageinthehandsofMrs。Payne，nowwenttoundotheclaspofWilliam’scloak，and——wewill，ifyouplease，gowithGeorge，andlookafterbreakfastfortheColonel。Thevesselisinport。

Hehasgottheprizehehasbeentryingforallhislife。

Thebirdhascomeinatlast。Thereitiswithitsheadonhisshoulder，billingandcooingcloseuptohisheart，withsoftoutstretchedflutteringwings。Thisiswhathehasaskedforeverydayandhourforeighteenyears。Thisiswhathepinedafter。Hereitis——thesummit，theend——

thelastpageofthethirdvolume。Good-bye，Colonel——

Godblessyou，honestWilliam！——Farewell，dearAmelia——Growgreenagain，tenderlittleparasite，roundtheruggedoldoaktowhichyoucling！

Perhapsitwascompunctiontowardsthekindandsimplecreature，whohadbeenthefirstinlifetodefendher，perhapsitwasadisliketoallsuchsentimentalscenes——butRebecca，satisfiedwithherpartinthetransaction，neverpresentedherselfbeforeColonelDobbinandtheladywhomhemarried。”Particularbusiness。”shesaid，tookhertoBruges，whithershewent，andonlyGeorgyandhisunclewerepresentatthemarriageceremony。

Whenitwasover，andGeorgyhadrejoinedhisparents，Mrs。Beckyreturned(justforafewdays)tocomfortthesolitarybachelor，JosephSedley。Hepreferredacontinentallife，hesaid，anddeclinedtojoininhousekeepingwithhissisterandherhusband。

EmmywasverygladinherhearttothinkthatshehadwrittentoherhusbandbeforeshereadorknewofthatletterofGeorge’s。”Iknewitallalong。”Williamsaid；“butcouldIusethatweaponagainstthepoorfellow’smemory？Itwasthatwhichmademesuffersowhenyou——“

“Neverspeakofthatdayagain。”Emmycriedout，socontriteandhumblethatWilliamturnedofftheconversationbyhisaccountofGlorvinaanddearoldPeggyO’Dowd，withwhomhewassittingwhentheletterofrecallreachedhim。”Ifyouhadn’tsentforme。”headdedwithalaugh，“whoknowswhatGlorvina’snamemightbenow？”

AtpresentitisGlorvinaPosky(nowMrs。MajorPosky)；shetookhimonthedeathofhisfirstwife，havingresolvednevertomarryoutoftheregiment。LadyO’Dowdisalsosoattachedtoitthat，shesays，ifanythingweretohappentoMick，bedadshe’dcomebackandmarrysomeof’em。ButtheMajor-GeneralisquitewellandlivesingreatsplendouratO’Dowdstown，withapackofbeagles，and(withtheexceptionofperhapstheirneighbour，HoggartyofCastleHoggarty)heisthefirstmanofhiscounty。HerLadyshipstilldancesjigs，andinsistedonstandingupwiththeMasteroftheHorseattheLordLieutenant’slastball。BothsheandGlorvinadeclaredthatDobbinhadusedthelatterSHEAMFULLY，butPoskyfallingin，Glorvinawasconsoled，andabeautifulturbanfromParisappeasedthewrathofLadyO’Dowd。

WhenColonelDobbinquittedtheservice，whichhedidimmediatelyafterhismarriage，herentedaprettylittlecountryplaceinHampshire，notfarfromQueen’sCrawley，where，afterthepassingoftheReformBill，SirPittandhisfamilyconstantlyresidednow。AllideaofaPeeragewasoutofthequestion，theBaronet’stwoseatsinParliamentbeinglost。Hewasbothoutofpocketandoutofspiritsbythatcatastrophe，failedinhishealth，andprophesiedthespeedyruinoftheEmpire。

LadyJaneandMrs。Dobbinbecamegr