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

Could Not Bear To Show It To One Who Esteems Me As You Seem To Do.

But Perhaps It Will Not Always Be So."

 

"I Hope Not. You Are Young,  And Heaven Is Good. Can I Do Nothing For

You,  Who Have Done So Much For Me?"

 

"Nothing--Unless--" Said She,  Feigning Vast Timidity,  "You Could Spare

Me That Ring Of Yours,  As A Remembrance Of The Part I Have Played In

This Affair."

 

Sir Charles Colored. It Was A Ruby Of The Purest Water,  And Had Been

Two Centuries In His Family. He Colored,  But Was Too Fine A Gentleman

To Hesitate. He Said,  "By All Means. But It Is A Poor Thing To Offer

_You."_

 

"I Shall Value It Very Much."

 

"Say No More. I Am Fortunate In Having Anything You Deign To Accept."

 

And So The Ring Changed Hands.

 

The Sister Now Put It On Her Middle Finger,  And Held Up Her Hand,  And

Her Bright Eyes Glanced At It,  Through Her Veil,  With That Delight

Which Her Sex In General Feel At The Possession Of A New Bauble. She

Recovered Herself,  However,  And Told Him,  Soberly,  The Ring Should

Return To His Family At Her Death,  If Not Before.

 

"I Will Give You A Piece Of Advice For It," Said She. "Miss Bruce Has

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Foxy Hair; And She Is Very Timid. Don't You Take Her Advice About

Commanding Her. She Would Like To Be Your Slave! Don't Let Her. Coax

Her To Speak Her Mind. Make A Friend Of Her. Don't You Put Her To

This--That She Must Displease You,  Or Else Deceive You. She Might

Choose Wrong,  Especially With That Colored Hair."

 

"It Is Not In Her Nature To Deceive."

 

"It Is Not In Her Nature To Displease. Excuse Me; I Am Too Fanciful,

And Look At Women Too Close. But I Know Your Happiness Depends On Her.

All Your Eggs Are In That One Basket. Well,  I Have Told You How To

Carry The Basket. Good-By."

 

Sir Charles Saw Her Out,  And Bowed Respectfully To Her In The Hall,

While His Servant Opened The Street Door. He Did Her This Homage As His

Benefactress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Admiral And Miss Bruce Reached Baden Mrs. Molineux Was Away On A

Visit; And This Disappointed Admiral Bruce,  Who Had Counted On Her

Assistance To Manage And Comfort Bella. Bella Needed The Latter Very

Much. A Glance At Her Pale,  Pensive,  Lovely Face Was Enough To Show

That Sorrow Was Rooted At Her Heart. She Was Subjected To No Restraint,

But Kept The House Of Her Own Accord,  Thinking,  As Persons Of Her Age

Are Apt To Do,  That Her Whole History Must Be Written In Her Face.

Still,  Of Course,  She Did Go Out Sometimes; And One Cold But Bright

Afternoon She Was Strolling Languidly On The Parade,  When All In A

Moment She Met Sir Charles Bassett Face To Face.

 

She Gave An Eloquent Scream,  And Turned Pale A Moment,  And Then The Hot

Blood Came Rushing,  And Then It Retired,  And She Stood At Bay,  With

Heaving Bosom--And Great Eyes.

 

Sir Charles Held Out Both Hands Pathetically. "Don't You Be Afraid Of

Me."

 

When She Found He Was So Afraid Of Offending Her She Became More

Courageous. "How Dare You Come Here?" Said She,  But With More Curiosity

Than Violence,  For It Had Been Her Dream Of Hope He Would Come.

 

"How Could I Keep Away,  When I Heard You Were Here?"

 

"You Must Not Speak To Me,  Sir; I Am Forbidden."

 

"Pray Do Not Condemn Me Unheard."

 

"If I Listen To You I Shall Believe You. I Won't Hear A Word. Gentlemen

Can Do Things That Ladies Cannot Even Speak About. Talk To My Aunt

Molineux; Our Fate Depends On Her. This Will Teach You Not To Be So

Wicked. What Business Have Gentlemen To Be So Wicked? Ladies Are Not.

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No,  It Is No Use; I Will Not Hear A Syllable. I Am Ashamed To Be Seen

Speaking To You. You Are A Bad Character. Oh,  Charles,  Is It True You

Had A Fit?"

 

"Yes."

 

"And Have You Been Very Ill? You Look Ill."

 

"I Am Better Now,  Dearest."

 

"Dearest! Don't Call Me Names. How Dare You Keep Speaking To Me When I

Request You Not?"

 

"But I Can't Excuse Myself,  And Obtain My Pardon,  And Recover Your

Love,  Unless I Am Allowed To Speak."

 

"Oh,  You Can Speak To My Aunt Molineux,  And She Will Read You A Fine

Lesson."

 

"Where Is She?"

 

"Nobody Knows. But There Is Her House,  The One With The Iron Gate. Get

Her Ear First,  If You Really Love Me; And Don't You Ever Waylay Me

Again. If You Do,  I Shall Say Something Rude To You,  Sir. Oh,  I'm So

Happy!"

 

Having Let This Out,  She Hid Her Face With Her Hands,  And Fled Like The

Very Wind.

 

At Dinner-Time She Was In High Spirits.

 

The Admiral Congratulated Her.

 

"Brava,  Bell! Youth And Health And A Foreign Air Will Soon Cure You Of

That Folly."

 

Bella Blushed Deeply,  And Said Nothing. The Truth Struggled Within Her,

Too,  But She Shrank From Giving Pain,  And Receiving Expostulation.

 

She Kept The House,  Though,  For Two Days,  Partly Out Of Modesty,  Partly

Out Of An Honest And Pious Desire To Obey Her Father As Much As She

Could.

 

The Third Day Mrs. Molineux Arrived,  And Sent Over To The Admiral.

 

He Invited Bella To Come With Him. She Consented Eagerly,  But Was So

Long In Dressing That He Threatened To Go Without Her. She Implored Him

Not To Do That; And After A Monstrous Delay,  The Motive Of Which The

Reader May Perhaps Divine,  Father And Daughter Called On Mrs. Molineux.

She Received Them Very Affectionately. But When The Admiral,  With Some

Hesitation,  Began To Enter On The Great Subject,  She Said,  Quietly,

"Bella,  My Dear,  Go For A Walk,  And Come Back To Me In Half An Hour."

 

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"Aunt Molineux!" Said Bella,  Extending Both Her Hands Imploringly To

That Lady.

 

Mrs. Molineux Was Proof Against This Blandishment,  And Bella Had To Go.

 

When She Was Gone,  This Lady,  Who Both As Wife And Mother Was Literally

A Model,  Rather Astonished Her Brother The Admiral. She Said: "I Am

Sorry To Tell You That You Have Conducted This Matter With Perfect

Impropriety,  Both You And Bella. She Had No Business To Show You That

Anonymous Letter; And When She Did Show It You,  You Should Have Taken

It From Her,  And Told Her Not To Believe A Word Of It."

 

"And Married My Daughter To A Libertine! Why,  Charlotte,  I Am Ashamed

Of You."

 

Mrs. Molineux Colored High; But She Kept Her Temper,  And Ignored The

Interruption. "Then,  If You Decided To Go Into So Indelicate A Question

At All (And Really You Were Not Bound To Do So On Anonymous

Information),  Why,  Then,  You Should Have Sent For Sir Charles,  And

Given Him The Letter,  And Put Him On His Honor To Tell You The Truth.

He Would Have Told You The Fact,  Instead Of A Garbled Version; And The

Fact Is That Before He Knew Bella He Had A Connection,  Which He

Prepared To Dissolve,  On Terms Very Honorable To Himself,  As Soon As He

Engaged Himself To Your Daughter. What Is There In That? Why,  It Is

Common,  Universal,  Among Men Of Fashion. I Am So Vexed It Ever Came To

Bella's Knowledge: Really It Is Dreadful To Me,  As A Mother,  That Such

A Thing Should Have Been Discussed Before That Child. Complete

Innocence Means Complete Ignorance; And That Is How All My Girls Went

To Their Husbands. However,  What We Must Do Now Is To Tell Her Sir

Charles Has Satisfied Me He Was Not To Blame; And After That The

Subject Must Never Be Recurred To. Sir Charles Has Promised Me Never To

Mention It,  And No More Shall Bella. And Now,  My Dear John,  Let Me

Congratulate You. Your Daughter Has A High-Minded Lover,  Who Adores

Her,  With A Fine Estate: He Has Been Crying To Me,  Poor Fellow,  As Men

Will To A Woman Of My Age; And If You Have Any Respect For My

Judgment--Ask Him To Dinner."

 

She Added That It Might Be As Well If,  After Dinner,  He Were To Take A

Little Nap.

 

Admiral Bruce Did Not Fall Into These Views Without Discussion. I Spare

The Reader The Dialogue,  Since He Yielded At Last; Only He Stipulated

That His Sister Should Do The Dinner,  And The Subsequent Siesta.

 

Bella Returned Looking Very Wistful And Anxious.

 

"Come Here,  Niece," Said Mrs. Molineux. "Kneel You At My Knee. Now

Look--Me In The Face. Sir Charles Has Loved You,  And You Only,  From The

Day He First Saw You. He Loves You Now As Much As Ever. Do You Love

Him?"

 

"Oh,  Aunt! Aunt!" A Shower Of Kisses,  And A Tear Or Two.

 

"That Is Enough. Then Dry Your Eyes,  And Dress Your Beautiful Hair A

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Little Better Than _That;_ For He Dines With Me To-Day!"

 

Who So Bright And Happy Now As Bella Bruce?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dreaded Aunt Did Not Stop There. She Held That After The Peep Into

Real Life Bella Bruce Had Obtained,  For Want Of A Mother's Vigilance,

She Ought To Be A Wife As Soon As Possible. So She Gave Sir Charles A

Hint That Baden Was A Very Good Place To Be Married In; And From That

Moment Sir Charles Gave Bella And Her Father No Rest Till They

Consented.

 

Little Did Richard Bassett,  In England,  Dream What Was Going On At

Baden. He Now Surveyed The Chimneys Of Huntercombe Hall With

Resignation,  And Even With Growing Complacency,  As Chimneys That Would

One Day Be His,  Since Their Owner Would Not Be In A Hurry To