She smiled at him, but it was a weak, wan little smile, for that descent
in the wind and the fog had quite exhausted her. Mr. Hammond took her
into a snug little parlour where there was a cheerful fire, and saw her
comfortably seated in an arm chair by the hearth, before he went to look
after a carriage.
There was no such thing as a conveyance to be had, but the Windermere
coach would pass in about half an hour, and for this they must wait. It
would take them back to Grasmere sooner than they could get there on
foot, in Mary's exhausted condition.
The tea-tray was brought in presently, and Hammond poured out the tea
and waited upon Lady Mary. It was a reversal of the usual formula but it
was very pleasant to Mary to sit with her feet on the low brass fender
and be waited upon by her lover. That fog on the brow of Helvellyn--that
piercing wind--had chilled her to the bone, and there was unspeakable
comfort in the glow and warmth of the fire, in the refreshment of a good
cup of tea.
'Mary, you are my own property now, remember,' said Hammond, watching
her tenderly as she sipped her tea.
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