"An' so he shall, uncle, an' I'll save him all the trouble I can. That's
no gert hardship--weeks, or months even. I'll go like a lark, knawin'
Phoebe's safe."

So the matter stood and the days passed. Will's personal affairs, and
the secret of the position from which he had come was known only to
Clement Hicks. The lover talked of returning again thither after his
marriage, but he remained vague on that point, and, indeed, modified his
plans after the above recorded conversation with his uncle. Twice he
wrote to Phoebe in the period of waiting, and the letter had been
forwarded on both occasions through Clement. Two others knew what was
afoot, and during that time of trial Phoebe found Chris her salvation.
The stronger girl supported her sinking spirit and fortified her
courage. Chris mightily enjoyed the whole romance, and among those
circumstances that combined to make John Grimbal uneasy during the days
of waiting was her constant presence at Monks Barton. There she came as
Phoebe's friend, and the clear, bright eyes she often turned on him made
him angry, he knew not why. As for Mrs. Blanchard, she had secretly
learnt more than anybody suspected, for while Will first determined to
tell her nothing until afterwards, a second thought rebuked him for
hiding such a tremendous circumstance from his mother, and he wrote to
her at full length from Newton, saying nothing indeed of the past but
setting out the future in detail. Upon the subject Mrs. Blanchard kept
her own counsel.

Preparations for Phoebe's wedding moved apace, and she lived in a dim,
heart-breaking dream. John Grimbal, despite her entreaties, continued to
spend money upon her; yet each new gift brought nothing but tears. Grown
desperate in his determination to win a little affection and regard
before marriage, and bitterly conscious that he could command neither,