Venetia

  CHAPTER X.

  Venetia found her mother walking up and down the room, as was hercustom when she was agitated. She hurried to her daughter. 'You mustchange your dress instantly, Venetia,' said Lady Annabel. 'Where isGeorge?'

  'He has gone down to Spezzia to papa and Plantagenet; it is a whitesquall; it comes on very suddenly in this sea. He ran down to Spezziainstantly, because he thought they would be wet,' said the agitatedVenetia, speaking with rapidity and trying to appear calm.

  'Are they at Spezzia?' inquired Lady Annabel, quickly.

  'George has no doubt they are, mother,' said Venetia.

  'No doubt!' exclaimed Lady Annabel, in great distress. 'God grant theymay be only wet.'

  'Dearest mother,' said Venetia, approaching her, but speech desertedher. She had advanced to encourage Lady Annabel, but her own fearchecked the words on her lips.

  'Change your dress, Venetia,' said Lady Annabel; 'lose no time indoing that. I think I will send down to Spezzia at once,'

  'That is useless now, dear mother, for George is there.'

  'Go, dearest,' said Lady Annabel; 'I dare say, we have no cause forfear, but I am exceedingly alarmed about your father, about them: Iam, indeed. I do not like these sudden squalls, and I never liked thisboating; indeed, I never did. George being with them reconciled me toit. Now go, Venetia; go, my love.'

  Venetia quitted the room. She was so agitated that she made Paunceforta confidant of her apprehensions.

  'La! my dear miss,' said Mistress Pauncefort, 'I should never havethought of such a thing! Do not you remember what the old man saidat Weymouth, "there is many a boat will live in a rougher sea than aship;" and it is such an unlikely thing, it is indeed, Miss Venetia. Iam certain sure my lord can manage a boat as well as a common sailor,and master is hardly less used to it than he. La! miss, don't makeyourself nervous about any such preposterous ideas. And I dare say youwill find them in the saloon when you go down again. Really I shouldnot wonder. I think you had better wear your twill dress; I have putthe new trimming on.'

  They had not returned when Venetia joined her mother. That indeed shecould scarcely expect. But, in about half an hour, a message arrivedfrom Captain Cadurcis that they were not at Spezzia, but fromsomething he had heard, he had no doubt they were at Sarzana, and hewas going to ride on there at once. He felt sure, however, from whathe had heard, they were at Sarzana. This communication afforded LadyAnnabel a little ease, but Venetia's heart misgave her. She recalledthe alarm of George in the morning, which it was impossible for him todisguise, and she thought she recognised in this hurried message andvague assurances of safety something of the same apprehension, and thesame fruitless efforts to conceal it.

  Now came the time of terrible suspense. Sarzana was nearly twentymiles distant from Spezzia. The evening must arrive before they couldreceive intelligence from Captain Cadurcis. In the meantime the squalldied away, the heavens became again bright, and, though the waves werestill tumultuous, the surf was greatly decreased. Lady Annabel hadalready sent down more than one messenger to the bay, but they broughtno intelligence; she resolved now to go herself, that she might havethe satisfaction of herself cross-examining the fishermen who had beendriven in from various parts by stress of weather. She would not letVenetia accompany her, who, she feared, might already suffer from theexertions and rough weather of the morning. This was a most anxioushour, and yet the absence of her mother was in some degree a relief toVenetia; it at least freed her from the perpetual effort of assumedcomposure. While her mother remained, Venetia had affected to read,though her eye wandered listlessly over the page, or to draw, thoughthe pencil trembled in her hand; anything which might guard her fromconveying to her mother that she shared the apprehensions which hadalready darkened her mother's mind. But now that Lady Annabel wasgone, Venetia, muffling herself up in her shawl, threw herself on asofa, and there she remained without a thought, her mind a chaos ofterrible images.

  Her mother returned, and with a radiant countenance, Venetia sprangfrom the sofa. 'There is good news; O mother! have they returned?'

  'They are not at Spezzia,' said Lady Annabel, throwing herself into achair panting for breath; 'but there is good news. You see I was rightto go, Venetia. These stupid people we send only ask questions, andtake the first answer. I have seen a fisherman, and he says he heardthat two persons, Englishmen he believes, have put into Lerici in anopen boat.'

  'God be praised!' said Venetia. 'O mother, I can now confess to youthe terror I have all along felt.'

  'My own heart assures me of it, my child,' said Lady Annabel weeping;and they mingled their tears together, but tears not of sorrow.

  'Poor George!' said Lady Annabel, 'he will have a terrible journey toSarzana, and be feeling so much for us! Perhaps he may meet them.'

  'I feel assured he will,' said Venetia; 'and perhaps ere long theywill all three be here again. Joy! joy!'

  'They must never go in that boat again,' said Lady Annabel.

  'Oh! they never will, dearest mother, if you ask them not,' saidVenetia.

  'We will send to Lerici,' said Lady Annabel.

  'Instantly,' said Venetia; 'but I dare say they already sent us amessenger.'

  'No!' said Lady Annabel; 'men treat the danger that is past verylightly. We shall not hear from them except in person.'

  Time now flew more lightly. They were both easy in their minds. Themessenger was despatched to Lerici; but even Lerici was a considerabledistance, and hours must elapse before his return. Still there was thehope of seeing them, or hearing from them in the interval.

  'I must go out, dear mother,' said Venetia. 'Let us both go out. Itis now very fine. Let us go just to the ravine, for indeed it isimpossible to remain here.'

  Accordingly they both went forth, and took up a position on the coastwhich commanded a view on all sides. All was radiant again, andcomparatively calm. Venetia looked upon the sea, and said, 'Ah! Inever shall forget a white squall in the Mediterranean, for all thissplendour.'

  It was sunset: they returned home. No news yet from Lerici. LadyAnnabel grew uneasy again. The pensive and melancholy hour encouragedgloom; but Venetia, who was sanguine, encouraged her mother.

  'Suppose they were not Englishmen in the boat,' said Lady Annabel.

  'It is impossible, mother. What other two persons in thisneighbourhood could have been in an open boat? Besides, the man saidEnglishmen. You remember, he said Englishmen. You are quite sure hedid? It must be they. I feel as convinced of it as of your presence.'

  'I think there can be no doubt,' said Lady Annabel. 'I wish that themessenger would return.'

  The messenger did return. No two persons in an open boat had put intoLerici; but a boat, like the one described, with every stitch ofcanvas set, had passed Lerici just before the squall commenced, and,the people there doubted not, had made Sarzana.

  Lady Annabel turned pale, but Venetia was still sanguine. 'They areat Sarzana,' she said; 'they must be at Sarzana: you see George wasright. He said he was sure they were at Sarzana. Besides, dear mother,he heard they were at Sarzana.'

  'And we heard they were at Lerici,' said Lady Annabel in a melancholytone.

  And so they were, dear mother; it all agrees. The accounts areconsistent. Do not you see how very consistent they are? They wereseen at Lerici, and were off Lerici, but they made Sarzana; and Georgeheard they were at Sarzana. I am certain they are at Sarzana. I feelquite easy; I feel as easy as if they were here. They are safe atSarzana. But it is too far to return to-night. We shall see them atbreakfast to-morrow, all three.'

  'Venetia, dearest! do not you sit up,' said her mother. 'I think thereis a chance of George returning; I feel assured he will send to-night;but late, of course. Go, dearest, and sleep.'

  'Sleep!' thought Venetia to herself; but to please her mother sheretired.

  'Good-night, my child,' said Lady Annabel. 'The moment any onearrives, you shall be aroused.'