But she promised , Saint -- she promised , and we Wests always keep our word . So it wo n't matter if he does want to philander , George . She promised . I wo n't worry . '' Upstairs , in her room , Rosemary sat for a long while looking out of the window across the moonlit garden to the distant , shining harbour . She felt vaguely upset and unsettled . She was suddenly tired of outworn dreams . And in the garden the petals of the last red rose were scattered by a sudden little wind . Summer was over -- it was autumn . CHAPTER XIV . MRS. ALEC DAVIS MAKES A CALL John Meredith walked slowly home . At first he thought a little about Rosemary , but by the time he reached Rainbow Valley he had forgotten all about her and was meditating on a point regarding German theology which Ellen had raised . He passed through Rainbow Valley and knew it not . The charm of Rainbow Valley had no potency against German theology . When he reached the manse he went to his study and took down a bulky volume in order to see which had been right , he or Ellen . He remained immersed in its mazes until dawn , struck a new trail of speculation and pursued it like a sleuth hound for the next week , utterly lost to the world , his parish and his family . He read day and night ; he forgot to go to his meals when Una was not there to drag him to them ; he never thought about Rosemary or Ellen again . Old Mrs. Marshall , over-harbour , was very ill and sent for him , but the message lay unheeded on his desk and gathered dust . Mrs. Marshall recovered but never forgave him . A young couple came to the manse to be married and Mr. Meredith , with unbrushed hair , in carpet slippers and faded dressing gown , married them .
To be sure , he began by reading the funeral service to them and got along as far as `` ashes to ashes and dust XXXXX dust '' before he vaguely suspected that something was wrong .
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