CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

Surprising News

One morning, about the beginning of November, Eliza Millward came to visit my sister with news regarding Mrs Graham. She looked quite pleased to see how surprised and worried I looked when she spoke the name.

"Well, perhaps you know already that Mrs Graham's husband is not really dead, and that she had run away from him, but perhaps you did not know that she has gone back to him again. I heard the news this morning from Mr Lawrence's servant."

I immediately left to see Mr Lawrence. Perhaps her husband had discovered where she was, and forced her to return to Grassdale. I had to speak to Mr Lawrence to find out.

"Is your sister gone?" I asked as I entered the house.

"Yes, she's gone," he responded calmly, "She returned to Grassdale Manor. Mr Huntingdon is ill. He has no one else to care for him. Miss Myers had left quite a long time ago, and the nurses hired to care for him do little to help him. He became ill after he fell from his horse while hunting. Here, she has written me a letter since returning to Grassdale," and he gave me the letter to read.

In the letter, she explained that Mr Huntingdon was very ill, but not dying. His health has improved since she had arrived to care for him. When she first arrived, he could not stay awake for long periods of time, and did not realise his wife, Mrs Huntingdon, had returned to care for him. When he discovered that she had, indeed, returned, he demanded to see his son. She calmly informed him that he could see his son after he signed an agreement to promise that she could leave with her son if she could not bear living with him any longer. At first, he said he would sign the agreement later, but he needed to see his son. She refused, telling him that he must first sign. Eventually, he signed the paper, and little Arthur was brought into the room. He had not seen his father for over a year, and was a bit afraid, seeing his father so ill. Mr Huntingdon declared that I had made the child hate him.

I requested that Mr Lawrence write to ask for permission to tell my mother and sister about her story, so they will know the reason for leaving her husband. He agreed.

(end of section)