THE DAY WILL COME.
THE DAY WILL COME.
A Novel.
BY THE AUTHOR OF
“LADY AUDLEY’S SECRET,” “VIXEN,”
“MOHAWKS,” &c., &c., &c.
Stereotyped Edition.
LONDON:
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO., LIMITED,
STATIONERS’ HALL COURT.
1890.
[All rights reserved]
LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
[Pg 1]
THE DAY WILL COME.
CHAPTER I.
The joy-bells clashed out upon the clear, bright air, startling therooks in the elm-trees that showed their leafy tops above the greygables of the old church. The bells broke out with sudden jubilation;sudden, albeit the village had been on the alert for that verysound all the summer afternoon, uncertain as to when the signal forthat joy peal might be given.
The signal had come now, given by the telegraph wires to theold postmistress, and sent on to the expectant ringers in the churchtower. The young couple had arrived at Wareham station, fivemiles off; and four horses were bringing them to their honeymoonhome yonder amidst the old woods of Cheriton Chase.
Cheriton village had been on tiptoe with expectancy ever sincefour o’clock, although common sense ought to have informed thevillagers that a bride and bridegroom who were to be married attwo o’clock in Westminster Abbey were not very likely to appearat Cheriton early in the afternoon. But the village having madeup its mind to a half-holiday was glad to begin early. A little knotof gipsies from the last race-meeting in the neighbourhood hadimproved the occasion and set up the friendly and familiar image ofAunt Sally on the green in front of the Eagle Inn; while a rivalestablishment had started a pictorial shooting-gallery, with a rubicundgiant’s face and wide-open mouth, grinning at the populaceacross a barrel of Barcelona nuts. There are some people whomight think Cheriton village and Cheriton Chase too remote fromthe busy world and its traffic to be subject to strong emotions ofany kind. Yet even in this region of Purbeck, cut off from the restof England by a winding river, and ostentatiously calling itself anisland, there were eager interests and warm feelings, and many alink with the great world of men and women on the other side ofthe stream.
[Pg 2]
Cheriton Chase was one of the finest places in the county ofDorset. It lay south of Wareham, between Corfe Castle andBrankse