The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900 ... - Gredos

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
merged in that of the deeper love. Even to his own heart there should be but one sorrow
and one tenderness.
He gazed at Rachel in silence, and the look on his face brought tears into her eyes.
They were standing thus, strangely moved, when Madam Charnock appeared in the
doorway. She glanced from one to the other in surprise, but recovered herself when
Simon came forward to greet her.
Rachel followed her a little silently down the stairs and out of the house, but by-and-bye
regained her usual spirits, and began to chat gaily to her mother about her morning's
work. Mrs. Charnock answered her cheerfully and pleasantly, and presently inquired
casually on what subject she and Simon Fleetwood had chanced to be talking when she
had entered.
"Oh, it was about his mother," returned Rachel, grave again in an instant. "Poor fellow!
Do you know I believe I inadvertently caused him great pain? First I asked to see Mrs.
Fleetwood's sitting-room, which I afterwards found out no one but himself is allowed to
enter, and then I took the cover off the jar of pot-pourri which she made just before she
died. I believe that young man has an excellent heart. You must have seen how pale he
was when you came in, and he looked so sad — ah, how he must have loved his
mother! It is not every man that would be so much moved after so many years."
The bright dark eyes of mother and daughter met
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each other, the one pair inquiring, the other full of innocent sympathy. Mrs. Charnock
sighed. "He has indeed a good heart," she said, and her thoughts, too, went back as
Simon's had done to the gathering of the roses, and the memory of the tender relations
between mother and son. But the sight of the glow of enthusiasm in Rachel's face
recalled her to the present, and to the advisability of prudence.
“He seems a worthy young man," she pursued, "and is, I believe, an excellent farmer.
His aunt, too, is a very good sort of person, and not in any way inclined to presume.
Still it would be as well not to be too familiar with them, Rachel."
"But why, ma'am?" inquired the girl, opening her eyes very wide. "Miss Fleetwood was
most respectful —so respectful indeed that she made me feel quite confused; and I am