Rochester's Wife by D. E. Stevenson

Author:D. E. Stevenson [Stevenson, D. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Lume Books
Published: 2022-02-16T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

an eerie vigil

After some little discussion it was agreed that Kit should spend the night at the Lynchet. He refused Mardie’s offer of a bed and declared that he would be perfectly comfortable upon the drawing-room sofa. He had decided to keep the light burning in the room, and the french windows wide open, for he thought there was a chance that Rochester might be wandering about in the vicinity and might see the light and walk in. A tray of biscuits and sandwiches and liquid refreshment was disposed upon a side-table in case he should feel hungry during the night.

The two girls went up to bed, and for a little while Kit stood at the window and gazed up at the stars. Then he rolled himself up in a blanket and lay down. The sofa was comfortable—it was a great deal more comfortable than many a bed which Kit had slept in during his travels—but he did not feel like sleep. The thought that Rochester might walk in at any moment was not inducive to slumber.

Kit had spent many strange nights in strange places, but this was the strangest of all. It was the most eerie vigil he had ever kept. He lay and looked at the light and thought of many things. First of all he tried to make up his mind what could have happened to Rochester. He thought of all the theories which had been advanced, and tried to see which was the most likely to be true. At one end of the scale was Dr. Peabody’s theory that Rochester had sensed the fact that they wanted to “shut him up” and had rushed away and committed suicide, and at the other end of the scale was the theory that his absence was due to some simple accident. Between these two theories there were several others which were equally tenable: he might have been run over in the road and injured, or even killed; he might have lost his memory; he might have taken offence at the old doctor’s words and have staged the whole affair to cause inconvenience and distress.

On thinking it over, Kit inclined to the last of these theories for it fitted in very well with what he knew of Rochester’s condition. It was the sort of idea which might easily take root in an unbalanced brain, a diseased imagination. Supposing Rochester had taken offence, and had said to himself, All right, then, I’ll give you something to worry about. I’ll cause a bit of trouble for you all.…

This might be the explanation, or it might not. Rochester might be found, alive and well, or he might not be found at all.

Kit turned over on the sofa and drew the blanket round his shoulders. It was much colder now, and his thoughts took a different turn. Only last night he had been sitting outside in Mardie’s garden looking up at her window and thinking about her and wishing he could do something to help her, and now he had got his wish.

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