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

Precipitately; The Shaft Pierced

But One Bosom; For The Devoted Wife,  With The Swift Ingenuity Of

Woman's Love,  Had Put Both Her Hands Right Over Her Husband's Ears That

He Might Hear No More Insults.

 

Sir Charles Very Nearly Had A Fit; But His Wife Loosened His Neckcloth,

Caressed His Throbbing Head,  And Applied Eau-De-Cologne To His

Nostrils. He Got Better,  But Felt Dizzy For About An Hour. She Made Him

Come Into Her Room And Lie Down; She Hung Over Him,  Curling As A Vine

And Light As A Bird,  And Her Kisses Lit Softly As Down Upon His Eyes,

And Her Words Of Love And Pity Murmured Music In His Ears Till He

Slept,  And That Danger Passed.

 

For A Day Or Two After This Both Sir Charles And Lady Bassett Avoided

The Unpleasant Subject. But It Had To Be Faced; So Mr. Oldfield Was

Summoned To Huntercombe,  And All Engagements Given Up For The Day,  That

He Might Dine Alone With Them And Talk The Matter Over.

 

Sir Charles Thought He Could Justify; But When It Came To The Point He

Could Only Prove That Richard Had Done Several Ungentleman-Like Things

Of A Nature A Stout Jury Would Consider Trifles.

 

Mr. Oldfield Said Of Course They Must Enter An Appearance; And,  This

Done,  The Wisest Course Would Be To Let Him See Wheeler,  And Try To

Compromise The Suit. "It Will Cost You A Thousand Pounds,  Sir Charles,

I Dare Say; But If It Teaches You Never To Write Of An Enemy Or To An

Enemy Without Showing Your Lawyer The Letter First,  The Lesson Will Be

Cheap. Somebody In The Bible Says,  'Oh,  That Mine Enemy Would Write A

Book!' I Say,  'Oh,  That He Would Write A Letter--Without Consulting His

Solicitor."

Part 3 Chapter 10 Pg 79

It Was Lady Bassett's Cue Now To Make Light Of Troubles. "What Does It

Matter,  Mr. Oldfield? All They Want Is Money. Yes,  Offer Them A

Thousand Pounds To Leave Him In Peace."

 

So Next Day Mr. Oldfield Called On Wheeler,  All Smiles And Civility,

And Asked Him If He Did Not Think It A Pity Cousins Should Quarrel

Before The Whole County.

 

"A Great Pity," Said Wheeler. "But My Client Has No Alternative. No

Gentleman In The County Would Speak To Him If He Sat Quiet Under Such

Contumely."

 

After Beating About The Bush The Usual Time,  Oldfield Said That Sir

Charles Was Hungry For Litigation,  But That Lady Bassett Was Averse To

It. "In Short,  Mr. Wheeler,  I Will Try And Get Mr. Bassett A Thousand

Pounds To Forego This Scandal."

 

"I Will Consult Him,  And Let You Know," Said Wheeler. "He Happens To Be

In The Town."

 

Oldfield Called Again In An Hour. Wheeler Told Him A Thousand Pounds

Would Be Accepted,  With A Written Apology.

 

Oldfield Shook His Head. "Sir Charles Will Never Write An Apology:

Right Or Wrong,  He Is Too Sincere In His Conviction."

 

"He Will Never Get A Jury To Share It."

 

"You Must Not Be Too Sure Of That. You Don't Know The Defense."

 

Oldfield Said This With A Gravity Which Did Him Credit.

 

"Do You Know It Yourself?" Said The Other Keen Hand.

 

Mr. Oldfield Smiled Haughtily,  But Said Nothing. Wheeler Had Hit The

Mark.

 

"By The By," Said The Latter,  "There Is Another Little Matter. Sir

Charles Assaulted Me For Doing My Duty To My Client. I Mean To Sue Him.

Here Is The Writ; Will You Accept Service?"

 

"Oh,  Certainly,  Mr. Wheeler And I Am Glad To Find You Do Not Make A

Habit Of Serving Writs On Gentlemen In Person."

 

"Of Course Not. I Did It On A Single Occasion,  Contrary To My Own Wish,

And Went In Person--To Soften The Blow--Instead Of Sending My Clerk."

 

After This Little Spar,  The Two Artists In Law Bade Each Other Farewell

With Every Demonstration Of Civility.

 

Sir Charles Would Not Apologize.

 

The Plaintiff Filed His Declaration.

Part 3 Chapter 10 Pg 80

The Defendant Pleaded Not Guilty,  But Did Not Disclose A Defense. The

Law Allows A Defendant In Libel This Advantage.

 

Plaintiff Joined Issue,  And The Trial Was Set Down For The Next

Assizes.

 

Sir Charles Was Irritated,  But Nothing More. Lady Bassett,  With A

Woman's Natural Shrinking From Publicity,  Felt It More Deeply. She

Would Have Given Thousands Of Her Own Money To Keep The Matter Out Of

Court. But Her Very Terror Of Richard Bassett Restrained Her. She Was

Always Thinking About Him,  And Had Convinced Herself He Was The Ablest

Villain In The Wide World; And She Thought To Herself,  "If,  With His

Small Means,  He Annoys Charles So,  What Would He Do If I Were To Enrich

Him? He Would Crush Us."

 

As The Trial Drew Near She Began To Hover About Sir Charles In His

Study,  Like An Anxious Hen. The Maternal Yearnings Were Awakened In Her

By Marriage,  And She Had No Child; So Her Charles In Trouble Was

Husband And Child.

 

Sometimes She Would Come In And Just Kiss His Forehead,  And Run Out

Again,  Casting Back A Celestial Look Of Love At The Door,  And,  Though

It Was Her Husband She Had Kissed,  She Blushed Divinely. At Last One

Day She Crept In And Said,  Very Timidly,  "Charles Dear,  The Anonymous

Letter--Is Not That An Excuse For Libeling Him--As They Call Telling

The Truth?"

 

"Why,  Of Course It Is. Have You Got It?"

 

"Dearest,  The Brave Lady Took It Away."

 

"The Brave Lady! Who Is That?"

 

"Why,  The Lady That Came With Mr. Oldfield And Pleaded Your Cause With

Papa--Oh,  So Eloquently! Sometimes When I Think Of It Now I Feel Almost

Jealous. Who Is She?"

 

"From What You Have Always Told Me,  I Think It Was The Sister Of

Charity Who Nursed Me."

 

"You Silly Thing,  She Was No Sister Of Charity; That Was Only Put On.

Charles,  Tell Me The Truth. What Does It Matter _Now?_ It Was Some Lady

Who Loved You."

 

"Loved Me,  And Set Her Wits To Work To Marry Me To You?"

 

"Women's Love Is So Disinterested--Sometimes."

 

"No,  No; She Told Me She Was A Sister Of--,  And No Doubt That Is The

Truth."

 

"A Sister Of Whom?"

 

"No Matter: Don't Remind Me Of The Past; It Is Odious To Me; And,  On

Part 3 Chapter 10 Pg 81

Second Thoughts,  Rather Than Stir Up All That Mud,  It Would Be Better

Not To Use The Anonymous Letter,  Even If You Could Get It Again."

 

Lady Bassett Begged Him To Take Advice On That; Meantime She Would Try

To Get The Letter,  And Also The Evidence That Richard Bassett Wrote It.

 

"I See No Harm In That," Said Sir Charles; "Only Confine Your

Communication To Mr. Oldfield. I Will Not Have You Speaking Or Writing

To A Woman I Don't Know: And The More I Think Of Her Conduct The Less I

Understand It."

 

"There Are People Who Do Good By Stealth," Suggested Bella Timidly.

 

"Fiddledeedee!" Replied Sir Charles; "You Are A Goose--I Mean An

Angel."

 

Lady Bassett Complied With The Letter,  But,  Goose Or Not,  Evaded The

Spirit Of Sir Charles's Command With Considerable Dexterity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Dear Mr. Oldfield--You May Guess What Trouble I Am In. Sir Charles

Will Soon Have To Appear In Open Court,  And Be Talked Against By Some

Great Orator. That Anonymous Letter Mr. Bassett Wrote Me Was Very Base,

And Is Surely Some Justification Of The Violent Epithets My Dear

Husband,  In An Unhappy Moment Of Irritation,  Has Applied To Him. The

Brave Lady Has It. I Am Sure She Will Not Refuse To Send It Me. I Wish

I Dare Ask Her To Give It Me With Her Own Hand; But I Must Not,  I

Suppose. Pray Tell Her How Unhappy I Am,  And Perhaps She Will Favor Us

With A Word Of Advice As Well As The Letter.

 

"I Remain,  Yours Faithfully,

 

"Bella Bassett."

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Letter Was Written At The Brave Lady; And Mr. Oldfield Did What

Was Expected,  He Sent Miss Somerset A Copy Of Lady Bassett's Letter,

And Some Lines In His Own Hand,  Describing Sir Charles's Difficulty In

A More Businesslike Way.

 

In Due Course Miss Somerset Wrote Him Back That She Was In The Country,

Hunting,  At No Very Great Distance From Huntercombe Hall; She Would

Sent Up To Town For Her Desk; The Letter Would Be There,  If She Had

Kept It At All.

 

Oldfield Groaned At This Cool Conjecture,  And Wrote Back Directly,

Part 3 Chapter 10 Pg 82

Urging Expedition.

 

This Produced An Effect That He Had Not Anticipated.

 

One Morning Lord Harrowdale's Foxhounds Met At A Large Covert,  About

Five Miles From Huntercombe,  And Sir Charles Told Lady Bassett She Must

Ride To Cover.

 

"Yes,  Dear. Charles,  Love,  I Have No Spirit To Appear In Public. We

Shall Soon Have Publicity Enough."

 

"That Is My Reason. I Have Not Done Nor Said Anything I Am Ashamed Of,

And You Will Meet The County On This And On Every Public Occasion."

 

"I Obey," Said Bella.

 

"And Look Your Best."

 

"I Will,  Dearest."

 

"And Be In Good Spirits."

 

"Must I?"

 

"Yes."

 

"I Will Try. Oh!--Oh!--Oh!"

 

"Why,  You Poor-Spirited Little Goose! Dry Your Eyes This Moment."

 

"There. Oh!"

 

"And Kiss Me."

 

"There. Ah! Kissing You Is A Great Comfort."

 

"It Is One You Are Particularly Welcome To. Now Run Away And Put On

Your Habit. I'll Have Two Grooms Out; One With A Fresh Horse For Me,

And One To Look After You."

 

"Oh,  Charles! Pray Don't Make Me Hunt."

 

"No,  No. Not So Tyrannical As That; Hang It All!"

 

"Do You Know What I Do While You Are Hunting? I Pray All The Time That

You May Not Get A Fall And Be Hurt; And I Pray God To Forgive You And

All The Gentlemen For Your Cruelty In Galloping With All Those Dogs

After One Poor Little Inoffensive Thing,  To Hunt It And Kill It--Kill

It Twice,  Indeed; Once With Terror,  And Then Over Again With