"Oh
Verny, Verny, noble little Verny, would to God that I were with you now.
But you are resting, Verny, in the green grave by Russell's side, and
I--oh God, be merciful to me now!"
It was evening, and the stars came out and shone by hundreds, and Eric
walked on by the moonlight. But the exertion had brought on the pain in
his knee, and he had to sit down a long time by the road-side to rest.
He reached Ayrton at ten o'clock, but even then he could not summon up
courage to pass through the town where he was so well known, lest any
straggler should recognise him,--and he took a detour in order to get to
Fairholm. He did not arrive there till eleven o'clock; and then he could
not venture into the grounds, for he saw through the trees of the
shrubbery that there was no light in any of the windows, and it was
clear that they were all gone to bed.
What was he to do? He durst not disturb them so late at night. He
remembered that they would not have heard a syllable of or from him
since he had run away from Roslyn, and he feared the effect of so sudden
an emotion as his appearance at that hour might excite.
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