Then she considered the weakness, the stultifying nature of her
attempt at recall.
Events mocked her on all sides. By the favour of an accident, and
by her own immense exertions against her instincts, Swithin had been
restored to the rightful heritage that he had nearly forfeited on
her account. He had just started off to utilize it; when she,
without a moment's warning, was asking him again to cast it away.
She had set a certain machinery in motion--to stop it before it had
revolved once.
A horrid apprehension possessed her. It had been easy for Swithin
to give up what he had never known the advantages of keeping; but
having once begun to enjoy his possession would he give it up now?
Could he be depended on for such self-sacrifice? Before leaving, he
would have done anything at her request; but the mollia tempora
fandi had now passed. Suppose there arrived no reply from him for
the next three months; and that when his answer came he were to
inform her that, having now fully acquiesced in her original
decision, he found the life he was leading so profitable as to be
unable to abandon it, even to please her; that he was very sorry,
but having embarked on this course by her advice he meant to adhere
to it by his own.
There was, indeed, every probability that, moving about as he was
doing, and cautioned as he had been by her very self against
listening to her too readily, she would receive no reply of any sort
from him for three or perhaps four months.
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