His infatuation for
herself was becoming notorious; everybody saw it except her father. Mr.
Granger's mind was so occupied with questions connected with tithe that
fortunately for Beatrice little else could find an entry. Owen dogged
her about; he would wait whole hours outside the school or by the
Vicarage gate merely to speak a few words to her. Sometimes when at
length she appeared he seemed to be struck dumb, he could say nothing,
but would gaze at her with his dull eyes in a fashion that filled her
with vague alarm. He never ventured to speak to her of his love indeed,
but he looked it, which was almost as bad. Another thing was that he
had grown jealous. The seed which Elizabeth had planted in his mind had
brought forth abundantly, though of course Beatrice did not know that
this was her sister's doing.
On the very morning that Geoffrey went away Mr. Davies had met her as
she was walking back from the station and asked her if Mr. Bingham had
gone. When she replied that this was so, she had distinctly heard him
murmur, "Thank God! thank God!" Subsequently she discovered also that he
bribed the old postman to keep count of the letters which she sent and
received from Geoffrey.
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