Middleton returned slowly and thoughtfully to the house, often bending
his eyes in the direction in which he had last seen his wife, as if he
would fain trace her lovely form, in the gloom of the evening, still
floating through the vacant space. Don Augustin received him with
warmth, and for many minutes his mind was amused by relating to his
new kinsman plans for the future. The exclusive old Spaniard listened
to his glowing but true account of the prosperity and happiness of
those States, of which he had been an ignorant neighbour half his
life, partly in wonder, and partly with that sort of incredulity with
which one attends to what he fancies are the exaggerated descriptions
of a too partial friendship.
In this manner the hour for which Inez had conditioned passed away,
much sooner than her husband could have thought possible, in her
absence. At length his looks began to wander to the clock, and then
the minutes were counted, as one rolled by after another and Inez did
not appear. The hand had already made half of another circuit, around
the face of the dial, when Middleton arose and announced his
determination to go and offer himself, as an escort to the absentee.
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