ABSTRACT
The solicitude with which D’Alonville now waited for every post, since he daily expected letters from the travellers, is not to be described; nor could he, however he endeavoured to do so, conceal his anxiety from the persons with whom he was surrounded, at least from such of them as, either from affection or aversion, had an interest in watching him. Miss Milsington, from the involuntary changes of his countenance when the letters arrived, began to suspect that some affection more powerful than what he felt either for his French or his English friends, either for De Touranges or Ellesmere, was the cause of his being so violently agitated. She knew he could hold no correspondence with his own country; and she felt a violent curiosity to know with whom he was connected in England, that hearing from them, or not hearing from them, had such an effect on his countenance and manner. In proportion as their stay was prolonged, the country appeared to have for her greater charms; and as the mornings were now fine, she contrived to engage herself continually in the walks D’Alonville took with his pupils, and seemed never so happy as when she could, without any other witnesses than the two youngest boys, lean on his arm, and enter into conversation on the state of France, or some topic on which she hoped to engage him to converse with interest: but she had often the mortification of finding that he was absent and inattentive – that he fixed his eyes on some distant object in the south-west, where she could distinguish nothing that ought to attract him – and instead of the attention she expected, Answered neglectingly, he knew not what.’53
