Anthony Trollope: The Belton Estate

23. CHAPTER XXIII: THE LAST DAY AT BELTON (continued)

'I hope you will; I do hope you will,' said Mrs Askerton. 'I don't know whether you will be powerful to do so, or whether you will fail; my heart is not absolute; but I do know what will be the result if you are successful.'

'It is much more then than I know myself.'

'That I can believe too. Do you travel down to Yorkshire alone?'

'No; Captain Aylmer will meet me in town.'

Then Mrs Askerton looked at Mr Belton, but made no immediate reply; nor did she say anything further about Clara's journey. She looked at Mr Belton, and Will caught her eye, and understood that he was being rebuked for not having carried out that little scheme which, had been prepared for him. But he had come to hate the scheme, and almost hated Mrs Askerton for proposing it. He had declared to himself that her welfare, Clara's welfare, was the one thing which the should regard; and he had told himself that he was not strong enough, either in purpose or in wit, to devise schemes for her welfare. She was better able to manage things for herself than he was to manage them for her. If she loved this 'accursed beast,' let her marry him; only for that was now his one difficulty only he could not bring himself to think it possible that she should love him.

'I suppose you will never see this place again?' said Mrs Askerton after a long pause.

'I hope I shall, very often,' said Clara. 'Why should I not see it again? It is not going out of the family.'

'No not exactly out of the family. That is, it will belong to your cousin.'

'And cousins may be as far apart as strangers, you mean; but Will and I are not like that; are we, Will?'

'I hardly know what we are like,' said he.