Silas explains his sad situation, and must hold himself in readiness for
early flight, if he would avoid the risk of losing his personal liberty. It
is a sad thing that he should have so irretrievably ruined himself,
that poor Austin's liberality seems to have positively precipitated his
extremity. His great anxiety is that I should see you before you leave for
your short stay in France. He thinks you must leave before a fortnight. I
am thinking of asking you to come over here; I know you would be just as
well at Elverston as in France; but perhaps, as he seems disposed to do
what we all wish, it may be safer to let him set about it in his own way.
The truth is, I have so set my heart upon it that I fear to risk it by
crossing him even in a trifle. He says I must fix an early day next week,
and talks as if he meant to urge me to make a longer visit than he defined.
I shall be only too happy. I begin, my dear Maud, to think that there is no
use in trying to control events, and that things often turn out best, and
most exactly to our wishes, by being left quite to themselves. I think
it was Talleyrand who praised the talent of _waiting_ so much.
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