He had
meant to be back at the cottage by three or four, and yet had made his
visit to the castle so long that without any losing of his way he could
not have been there before seven. As it was, when that hour arrived, he
was up on the top of a hill and could again see Portray Castle clustering
down close upon the sea, and the thin belt of trees and the shining water
beyond; but of the road to the cottage he knew nothing. For a moment he
thought of returning to Portray, till he had taught himself to perceive
that the distance was much greater than it had been from the spot at which
he had first seen the castle in the morning; and then he turned his pony
round and descended on the other side.
His mind was very full of Lizzie Eustace, and full also of Lucy Morris. If
it were to be asserted here that a young man may be perfectly true to a
first young woman while he is falling n love with a second, the readers of
this story would probably be offended. But undoubtedly many men believe
themselves to be quite true while undergoing this process, and many young
women expect nothing else from their lovers. If only he will come right at
last, they are contented.
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