Devereux to speak to Maurice; but Jane had
gone over to the enemy, and Emily never could do anything
unsupported. Besides, she neither liked to affront Maurice nor to
confess herself unable to keep him in order; and she, therefore,
tried to put the whole matter out of her head, in the thoughts of an
expedition to Raynham, which she was about to make in the manner she
best liked, with Jane in the close carriage, and the horses
reluctantly spared from their farm work.
As they were turning the corner of the lane they overtook Phyllis and
Adeline on their way to the school with some work, and Emily stopped
the carriage, to desire them to send off a letter which she had left
on the chimney-piece in the schoolroom. Then proceeding to Raynham,
they made their visits, paid Emily's debts, performed their
commissions, and met the carriage again at the bookseller's shop, at
the end of about two hours.
'Look here, Emily!' exclaimed Jane. 'Read this! can it be Mrs.
Aylmer?'
'The truly charitable,' said Emily, contemptuously. 'Mrs. Aylmer is
above--'
'But read. It says "unbeneficed clergyman and deceased nobleman,"
and who can that be but Uncle Rotherwood and Mr.
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