'I should naturally have thought that,' said Miller Loveday; 'but he wrote to me only two months ago, and his brother John heard from him within the last four weeks, when he was just about starting on another voyage. If you'll pardon me, Mrs. Garland, ma'am, I'll see if there's any Overcombe man here who is going to Budmouth to-day, so that I may get the letter by night-time. I cannot possibly go myself.'
So Mr. Loveday left them for awhile; and as they were so near home Mrs. Garland did not wait on the barrow for him to come back, but walked about with Anne a little time, until they should be disposed to trot down the slope to their own door. They listened to a man who was offering one guinea to receive ten in case Buonaparte should be killed in three months, and to other entertainments of that nature, which at this time were not rare. Once during their peregrination the eyes of the sailor before-mentioned fell upon Anne; but he glanced over her and passed her unheedingly by.
Loveday the elder was at this time on the other side of the line, looking for a messenger to the town. At twelve o'clock the review was over, and the King and his family left the hill. The troops then cleared off the field, the spectators followed, and by one o'clock the downs were again bare.
They still spread their grassy surface to the sun as on that beautiful morning not, historically speaking, so very long ago; but the King and his fifteen thousand armed men, the horses, the bands of music, the princesses, the cream-coloured teams--the gorgeous centre-piece, in short, to which the downs were but the mere mount or margin--how entirely have they all passed and gone!--lying scattered about the world as military and other dust, some at Talavera, Albuera, Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse, and Waterloo; some in home churchyards; and a few small handfuls in royal vaults.
In the afternoon John Loveday, lightened of his trumpet and trappings, appeared at the old mill-house door, and beheld Anne standing at hers.
'I saw you, Miss Garland,' said the soldier gaily.
'Where was I?' said she, smiling.
'On the top of the big mound--to the right of the King.'
'And I saw you; lots of times,' she rejoined.
Loveday seemed pleased. 'Did you really take the trouble to find me. That was very good of you.'
'Her eyes followed you everywhere,' said Mrs. Garland from an upper window.
'Of course I looked at the dragoons most,' said Anne, disconcerted.
'And when I looked at them my eyes naturally fell upon the trumpets.
I looked at the dragoons generally, no more.'
She did not mean to show any vexation to the trumpet-major, but he fancied otherwise, and stood repressed. The situation was relieved by the arrival of the miller, still looking serious.
'I am very much concerned, John; I did not go to the review for nothing. There's a letter a-waiting for me at Budmouth, and I must get it before bedtime, or I shan't sleep a wink.'
'I'll go, of course,' said John; 'and perhaps Miss Garland would like to see what's doing there to-day. Everybody is gone or going; the road is like a fair.'
He spoke pleadingly, but Anne was not won to assent.
'You can drive in the gig; 'twill do Blossom good,' said the miller.
'Let David drive Miss Garland,' said the trumpet-major, not wishing to coerce her; 'I would just as soon walk.'
Anne joyfully welcomed this arrangement, and a time was fixed for the start.