A Terrible Temptation (Fiscle Part 3) - Charles Reade (recommended ebook reader txt) 📗

Can't Be

Shamed.' Ah! I'll Not Forget That: I'll Pray Every Night I May Remember

Those Words Of The Brave Lady. Oh!"

 

"Yes,  Take Her For Your Oracle."

 

"I Mean To. I Always Try To Profit By My Superiors. She Has Courage: I

Have None. I Beat About The Bush,  And Talk Skim-Milk; She Uses The Very

Word. She Said We Have Been The Dupe And The Tool Of A Little Scheming

Rascal,  An Anonymous Coward,  With Motives As Base As His Heart Is

Black--Oh! Oh! Ay,  That Is The Way To Speak Of Such A Man; I Can't Do

It Myself,  But I Reverence The Brave Lady Who Can. And She Wasn't

Afraid Even Of You,  Dear Papa. 'Come,  Old Gentleman'--Ha! Ha!

Ha!--'Take The World As It Is; Belgravian Mothers Would Not Break

_Both_ Their Hearts For What Is Past And Gone.' What Hard Good Sense! A

Thing I Always _Did_ Admire: Because I've Got None. But Her _Heart_ Is

Not Hard; After All Her Words Of Fire,  That Went So Straight Instead Of

Beating The Bush,  She Ended By Crying For Me. Oh! Oh! Oh! Bless Her!

Bless Her! If Ever There Was A Good Woman In The World,  That Is One.

She Was Not Born A Lady,  I Am Afraid; But That Is Nothing: She Was Born

A Woman,  And I Mean To Make Her Acquaintance,  And Take Her For My

Example In All Things. No,  Dear Papa,  Women Are Not So Pitiful To Women

Without Cause. She Is Almost A Stranger,  Yet She Cried For Me. Can You

Be Harder To Me Than She Is? No; Pity Your Poor Girl,  Who Will Lose Her

Health,  And Perhaps Her Life. Pity Poor Charles,  Stung By An Anonymous

Viper,  And Laid On A Bed Of Sickness For Me. Oh! Oh! Oh!"

 

"I Do Pity You,  Bella. When You Cry Like This,  My Heart Bleeds."

 

"I'll Try Not To Cry,  Papa. Oh! Oh!"

 

"But Most Of All,  I Pity Your Infatuation,  Your Blindness. Poor,

Innocent Dove,  That Looks At Others By The Light Of Her Own Goodness,

And So Sees All Manner Of Virtues In A Brazen Hussy. Now Answer Me One

Plain Question. You Called Her 'The Sister!' Is She Not The Same Woman

That Played The Sister Of Charity?"

 

Bella Blushed To The Temples,  And Said,  Hesitatingly,  She Was Not Quite

Sure.

 

"Come,  Bella. I Thought You Were Going To Imitate The Jade,  And Not

Beat About The Bush. Yes Or No?"

 

"The Features Are Very Like."

 

"Bella,  You Know It Is The Same Woman. You Recognized Her In A Moment.

That Speaks Volumes. But She Shall Find I Am Not To Be Made 'A Dupe And

A Tool Of' Quite So Easily As She Thinks. I'll Tell You What--This Is

Some Professional Actress Sir Charles Has Hired To Waylay You. Little

Simpleton!"

 

Part 3 Chapter 8 Pg 54

He Said No More At That Time; But After Dinner He Ruminated,  And Took A

Very Serious,  Indeed Almost A Maritime,  View Of The Crisis. "I'm

Overmatched Now," Thought He. "They Will Cut My Sloop Out Under The

Very Guns Of The Flagship If We Stay Much Longer In This Port--A Lawyer

Against Me,  And A Woman Too; There's Nothing To Be Done But Heave

Anchor,  Hoist Sail,  And Run For It."

 

He Sent Off A Foreign Telegram,  And Then Went Upstairs. "Bella,  My

Dear," Said He,  "Pack Up Your Clothes For A Journey. We Start

To-Morrow."

 

"A Journey,  Papa! A Long One?"

 

"No. We Shan't Double The Horn This Time."

 

"Brighton? Paris?"

 

"Oh,  Farther Than That."

 

"The Grave: That Is The Journey I Should Like To Take."

 

 "So You Shall,  Some Day; But Just Now It Is A _Foreign_ Port You Are

Bound For. Go And Pack."

 

"I Obey." And She Was Creeping Off,  But He Called Her Back And Kissed

Her,  And Said,  "Now I'll Tell You Where You Are Going; But You Must

Promise Me Solemnly Not To Write One Line To Sir Charles."

 

She Promised,  But Cried As Soon As She Had Promised; Whereat The

Admiral Inferred He Had Done Wisely To Exact The Promise.

 

"Well,  My Dear," Said He,  "We Are Going To Baden. Your Aunt Molineux Is

There. She Is A Woman Of Great Delicacy And Prudence,  And Has Daughters

Of Her Own All Well Married,  Thanks To Her Motherly Care. She Will

Bring You To Your Senses Better Than I Can."

 

Next Evening They Left England By The Mail; And The Day After Richard

Bassett Learned This Through His Servant,  And Went Home Triumphant,

And,  Indeed,  Wondering At His Success. He Ascribed It,  However,  To The

Nemesis Which Dogs The Heels Of Those Who Inherit The Estate Of

Another.

 

Such Was The Only Moral Reflection He Made,  Though The Business In

General,  And Particularly His Share In It,  Admitted Of Several.

 

 Miss Somerset Also Heard Of It,  And Told Mr. Oldfield; He Told Sir

Charles Bassett.

 

That Gentleman Sighed Deeply,  And Said Nothing. He Had Lost All Hope.

 

 

 

Part 3 Chapter 8 Pg 55

 

The Whole Matter Appeared Stagnant For About Ten Days; And Then A

Delicate Hand Stirred The Dead Waters Cautiously. Mr. Oldfield,  Of All

People In The World,  Received A Short Letter From Bella Bruce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Konigsberg Hotel,  Baden.

 

"Miss Bruce Presents Her Compliments To Mr. Oldfield,  And Will Feel

Much Obliged If He Will Send Her The Name And Address Of That Brave

Lady Who Accompanied Him To Her Father's House.

 

"Miss Bruce Desires To Thank That Lady,  Personally,  For Her Noble

Defense Of One With Whom It Would Be Improper For Her To Communicate;

But She Can Never Be Indifferent To His Welfare,  Nor Hear Of His

Sufferings Without Deep Sorrow."

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Confound It!" Said Solomon Oldfield. "What Am I To Do? I Mustn't Tell

Her It Is Miss Somerset." So The Wary Lawyer Had A Copy Of The Letter

Made,  And Sent To Miss Somerset For Instructions.

 

Miss Somerset Sent For Mr. Marsh,  Who Was Now More At Her Beck And Call

Than Ever,  And Told Him She Had A Ticklish Letter To Write. "I Can Talk

With The Best," Said She,  "But The Moment I Sit Down And Take Up A Pen

Something Cold Runs Up My Shoulder,  And Then Down My Backbone,  And I'm

Palsied; Now You Are Always Writing,  And Can't Say 'Bo' To A Goose In

Company. Let Us Mix Ourselves; I'll Walk About And Speak My Mind,  And

Then You Put Down The Cream,  And Send It."

 

From This Ingenious Process Resulted The Following Composition:

 

 

 

 

 

 

"She Whom Miss Bruce Is Good Enough To Call 'The Brave Lady' Happened

To Know The Truth,  And That Tempted Her To Try And Baffle An Anonymous

Slanderer,  Who Was Ruining The Happiness Of A Lady And Gentleman. Being

A Person Of Warm Impulses,  She Went Great Lengths; But She Now Wishes

To Retire Into The Shade. She Is Flattered By Miss Bruce's Desire To

Know Her,  And Some Day,  Perhaps,  May Remind Her Of It; But At Present

She Must Deny Herself That Honor. If Her Reasons Were Known,  Miss Bruce

Would Not Be Offended Nor Hurt; She Would Entirely Approve Them."

Part 3 Chapter 8 Pg 56

 

Soon After This,  As Sir Charles Bassett Sat By The Fire,  Disconsolate,

His Servant Told Him A Lady Wanted To See Him.

 

"Who Is It?"

 

"Don't Know,  Sir Charles; But It Is A Kind Of A Sort Of A Nun,  Sir

Charles."

 

"Oh,  A Sister Of Charity! Perhaps The One That Nursed Me. Admit Her,  By

All Means."

 

The Sister Came In. She Had A Large Veil On. Sir Charles Received Her

With Profound Respect,  And Thanked Her,  With Some Little Hesitation,

For Her Kind Attention To Him. She Stopped Him By Saying That Was

Merely Her Duty. "But," Said She,  Softly,  "Words Fell From You,  On The

Bed Of Sickness,  That Touched My Heart; And Besides I Happen To Know

The Lady."

 

"You Know My Bella!" Cried Sir Charles. "Ah,  Then No Wonder You Speak

So Kindly; You Can Feel What I Have Lost. She Has Left England To Avoid

Me."

 

"All The Better. Where She Is The Door Cannot Be Closed In Your Face.

She Is At Baden. Follow Her There. She Has Heard The Truth From Mr.

Oldfield,  And She Knows Who Wrote The Anonymous Letter."

 

"And Who Did?"

 

"Mr. Richard Bassett."

 

This Amazed Sir Charles.

 

"The Scoundrel!" Said He,  After A Long Silence.

 

"Well,  Then,  Why Let That Fellow Defeat You,  For His Own Ends? I Would

Go At Once To Baden. Your Leaving England Would Be One More Proof To

Her That She Has No Rival. Stick To Her Like A Man,  Sir,  And You Will

Win Her,  I Tell You."

 

These Words From A Nun Amazed And Fired Him. He Rose From His Chair,

Flushed With Sudden Hope And Ardor. "I'll Leave For Baden To-Morrow

Morning."

 

The Sister Rose To Retire.

 

"No,  No," Cried Sir Charles. "I Have Not Thanked You. I Ought To Go

Down On My Knees And Bless You For All This. To Whom Am I So Indebted?"

 

Part 3 Chapter 8 Pg 57

"No Matter,  Sir."

 

"But It Does Matter. You Nursed Me,  And Perhaps Saved My Life,  And Now

You Give Me Back The Hopes That Make Life Sweet. You Will Not Trust Me

With Your Name?"

 

"We Have No Name."

 

"Your Voice At Times Sounds Very Like--No,  I Will Not Affront You By

Such A Comparison."

 

"I'm Her Sister," Said She,  Like Lightning.

 

This Announcement Quite Staggered Sir Charles,  And He Was Silent And

Uncomfortable. It Gave Him A Chill.

 

The Sister Watched Him Keenly,  But Said Nothing.

 

Sir Charles Did Not Know What To Say,  So He Asked To See Her Face. "It

Must Be As Beautiful As Your Heart."

 

The Sister Shook Her Head. "My Face Has Been Disfigured By A Frightful

Disorder."

 

Sir Charles Uttered An Ejaculation Of Regret And Pity.

 

"I