Last words of Thomas Carlyle - Warburg Institute

126 WOTTON REINFEEDCHAPTEE VIIJane Montagu had with brief good-night retireddirectly to her apartment, an example which hertwo attendants, wearied by a hard day's jom'ney,seemed not disinclined to follow. Their supper withour friend was short, and in regard to table-talklaborious rather than exhilarating ;rightly on what footmg he was tothey yet knew notstand, or how farhe might safely be admitted to their secrets, so thatcheerfulness and trustful communing gave place onall hands to politeness and cautious generalities.From theirconversation, which he could but watchnot lead, he had gathered only thatthey were navalofficers, that Jaspar, the elder and blunter of the two,was in fact the cousin of Jane, with whose characterand late history, however, he appeared nowisepersonally familiar, nor did either he or Elton hiscomrade seem to be her lover, though in her fortunesboth testified a true interest. For the rest, theparty was evidently in a state resembling flight, thoughwhence or whither was not so much as hinted, only apressing entreaty for silence and concealment taughtWotton that they still reckoned themselves within the