第20部分(第1/7 頁)

the　world。〃

〃Ah！　if　Nell　would　only　speak！〃　cried　the　engineer。

〃Mr。　Starr……and　you；　father；〃　said　Harry；　〃I　do　beg　of　you　to　keep　silence　on　this　matter；　and　not　to　question　my　poor　Nell。 I　know　she　is　very　anxious　and　uneasy；　and　I　feel　positive　that　some　great　secret　painfully　oppresses　her　heart。 Either　she　knows　nothing　it　would　be　of　any　use　for　us　to　hear；　or　she　considers　it　her　duty　to　be　silent。　It　is　impossible　to　doubt　her　affection　for　us……for　all　of　us。　If　at　a　future　time　she　informs　me　of　what　she　has　hitherto　concealed　from　us；　you　shall　know　about　it　immediately。〃

〃So　be　it；　then；　Harry；〃　answered　the　engineer；　〃and　yet　I　must　say　Nell's　silence；　if　she　knows　anything；　is　to　me　perfectly　inexplicable。〃

Harry　would　have　continued　her　defense；　but　the　engineer　stopped　him；　saying；　〃All　right；　Harry；　we　promise　to　say　no　more　about　it　to　your　future　wife。〃

〃With　my　father's　consent　she　shall　be　my　wife　without　further　delay。〃

〃My　boy；〃　said　old　Simon；　〃your　marriage　shall　take　place　this　very　day　month。 Mr。　Starr；　will　you　undertake　the　part　of　Nell's　father？〃

〃You　may　reckon　upon　me　for　that；　Simon；〃　answered　the　engineer。

They　then　returned　to　the　cottage；　but　said　not　a　word　of　the　result　of　their　examinations　in　the　mine；　so　that　to　the　rest　of　its　inhabitants；　the　bursting　in　of　the　vaulted　roof　of　the　caverns　continued　to　be　regarded　as　a　mere　accident。　There　was　but　a　loch　the　less　in　Scotland。

Nell　gradually　resumed　her　customary　duties；　and　Harry　made　good　use　of　her　little　visit　to　the　upper　air；　in　the　instructions　he　gave　her。　She　enjoyed　the　recollections　of　life　above　ground；　yet　without　regretting　it。 The　somber　region　she　had　loved　as　a　child；　and　in　which　her　wedded　li