She watched every alteration in the atmosphere, every cloud in the sky,
with unspeakable anxiety. As the autumn gave place to winter, as the
winds blew loud above the broad expanse of ocean, as the foam-crests of
the dark waves rose high, and gleamed white and silvery in the dim
twilight, her heart sank with an awful fear for the absent wanderer.
Night and day her prayers arose to heaven--such prayers as only the
loving heart of woman breathes for the object of all her thoughts.
While Rosamond occupied the abode which Captain Jernam had chosen for
her, River View Cottage was abandoned entirely to the care of Mrs.
Mugby and Susan Trott, and the trim house had a desolate look in the
dismal autumn days, and the darkening winter twilights, carefully as it
was kept by Mrs. Mugby, who aired the rooms, and dusted and polished
the furniture every day, as industriously as if she had been certain of
the captain's return before night-fall.
"He may come this night, or he may not come for a year," she said to
Susan very often, when Miss Trott was a little disposed to neglect some
of her duties, in the way of dusting and polishing; "but mark my words,
Susan, when he does come, he'll come sudden, without so much as one
line of warning, or notice enough to get a bit of dinner ready for
him."
The day came at last when the housekeeper was gratified to find that
all her dusting and polishing had not been thrown away.
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