It did not need much to recall him to her mind; for it may be said that
in no idle moment of hers was her mind free of him. Now she asked
herself, for the hundredth time, not only what had become of him, but
what was her duty to him. She had not tried to find him, had not
endeavoured to communicate with him. At the moment it occurred to her
that she might have inserted a carefully-guarded advertisement in the
Personal column of one or more of the newspapers, and she felt ashamed
that the thought had not struck her before. She almost, but not quite,
decided to insert such an advertisement at once; but, as she pondered,
she questioned the wisdom of such an action. Her mind swung, like a
pendulum, from one side to the other, and at last she fell asleep, still
undecided, but still thinking of him.
The next morning she went out with Roddy for her usual before-breakfast
run. It seemed that the Marquess also was an early riser; for she saw
his figure, pacing one of the walks, his eyes fixed on the ground. She
was going in his direction, and Roddy, catching sight of him, bounded
towards him. The Marquess saw her, raised his hat, and turned. It seemed
to Celia that he wished to avoid her, and she went on her way--the dog
returning to her--and re-entered the house. She did not know whether to
expect a visit in the library from the Marquess; and every now and then,
when she heard his footstep or his voice, she paused in her work with
something like apprehension.
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