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

And Then Is Gone And Leaves

His Victim Trembling?"

 

Then She Slipped Into The Dressing-Room And Became Hysterical,  Out Of

Her Husband's Sight And Hearing.

 

Mary Wells Nursed Her,  And,  When She Was Better,  Whispered In Her Ear,

"Lose No More Time,  Then. Cure Him. You Know The Way."

Part 3 Chapter 17 Pg 140

 

In The Present Condition Of Her Mind These Words Produced A Strange

Effect On Lady Bassett. She Quivered,  And Her Eyes Began To Rove In

That Peculiar Way I Have Already Noticed; And Then She Started Up And

Walked Wildly To And Fro; And Then She Kneeled Down And Prayed; And

Then,  Alarmed,  Perplexed,  Exhausted,  She Went And Leaned Her Head On

Her Patient's Shoulder,  And Wept Softly A Long Time.

 

Some Days Passed,  And No More Strangers Attempted To See Sir Charles.

 

Lady Bassett Was Beginning To Breathe Again,  When She Was Afflicted By

An Unwelcome Discovery.

 

Mary Wells Fainted Away So Suddenly That,  But For Lady Bassett's Quick

Eye And Ready Hand,  She Would Have Fallen Heavily.

 

Lady Bassett Laid Her Head Down And Loosened Her Stays,  And Discovered

Her Condition. She Said Nothing Till The Young Woman Was Well,  And Then

She Taxed Her With It.

 

Mary Denied It Plump; But,  Seeing Her Mistress's Disgust At The

Falsehood,  She Owned It With Many Tears.

 

Being Asked How She Could So Far Forget Herself,  She Told Lady Bassett

Part 3 Chapter 17 Pg 141

She Had Long Been Courted By A Respectable Young Man; He Had Come To

The Village,  Bound On A Three Years' Voyage,  To Bid Her Good-By,  And,

What With Love And Grief At Parting,  They Had Been Betrayed Into Folly;

And Now He Was On The Salt Seas,  Little Dreaming In What Condition He

Had Left Her: "And," Said She,  "Before Ever He Can Write To Me,  And I

To Him,  I Shall Be A Ruined Girl; That Is Why I Wanted To Put An End To

Myself; I _Will,_ Too,  Unless I Can Find Some Way To Hide It From The

World."

 

Lady Bassett Begged Her To Give Up Those Desperate Thoughts; She Would

Think What Could Be Done For Her. Lady Bassett Could Say No More To Her

Just Then,  For She Was Disgusted With Her.

 

But When She Came To Reflect That,  After All,  This Was Not A Lady,  And

That She Appeared By Her Own Account To Be The Victim Of Affection And

Frailty Rather Than Of Vice,  She Made Some Excuses; And Then The Girl

Had Laid Aside Her Trouble,  Her Despair,  And Given Her Sorrowful Mind

To Nursing And Comforting Sir Charles. This Would Have Outweighed A

Crime,  And It Made The Wife's Bowels Yearn Over The Unfortunate Girl.

"Mary," Said She,  "Others Must Judge You; I Am A Wife,  And Can Only See

Your Fidelity To My Poor Husband. I Don't Know What I Shall Do Without

You,  But I Think It Is My Duty To Send You To Him If Possible. You Are

Sure He Really Loves You?"

 

"Me Cross The Seas After A Young Man?" Said Mary Wells. "I'd As Lieve

Hang Myself On The Nighest Tree And Make An End. No,  My Lady,  If You

Are Really My Friend,  Let Me Stay Here As Long As I Can--I Will Never

Go Downstairs To Be Seen--And Then Give Me Money Enough To Get My

Trouble Over Unbeknown To My Sister; She Is All My Fear. She Is Married

To A Gentleman,  And Got Plenty Of Money,  And I Shall Never Want While

She Lives,  And Behave Myself; But She Would Never Forgive Me If She

Knew. She Is A Hard Woman; She Is Not Like You,  My Lady. I'd Liever Cut

My Hand Off Than I'd Trust Her As I Would You."

 

Lady Bassett Was Not Quite Insensible To This Compliment; But She Felt

Uneasy.

 

"What,  Help You To Deceive Your Sister?"

 

"For Her Good. Why,  If Any One Was To Go And Tell Her About Me Now,

She'd Hate Them For Telling Her Almost As Much As She Would Hate Me."

 

Lady Bassett Was Sore Perplexed. Unable To See Quite Clear In The

Matter,  She Naturally Reverted To Her Husband And His Interest. That

Dictated Her Course. She Said,  "Well,  Stay With Us,  Mary,  As Long As

You Can; And Then Money Shall Not Be Wanting To Hide Your Shame From

All The World; But I Hope When The Time Comes You Will Alter Your Mind

And Tell Your Sister. May I Ask What Her Name Is?"

 

Mary,  After A Moment's Hesitation,  Said Her Name Was Marsh.

 

"I Know A Mrs. Marsh," Said Lady Bassett; "But,  Of Course,  That Is Not

Your Sister. My Mrs. Marsh Is Rather Fair."

 

Part 3 Chapter 17 Pg 142

"So Is My Sister,  For That Matter."

 

"And Tall?"

 

"Yes; But You Never Saw Her. You'd Never Forget Her It You Had. She Has

Got Eyes Like A Lion."

 

"Ah! Does She Ride?"

 

"Oh,  She Is Famous For That; And Driving,  And All."

 

"Indeed! But No; I See No Resemblance."

 

"Oh,  She Is Only My Half-Sister."

 

"This Is Very Strange."

 

Lady Bassett Put Her Hand To Her Brow,  And Thought.

 

"Mary," Said She,  "All This Is Very Mysterious. We Are Wading In Deep

Waters."

 

Mary Wells Had No Idea What She Meant.

 

The Day Was Not Over Yet. Just Before Dinner-Time A Fly From The

Station Drove To The Door,  And Mr. Oldfield Got Out.

 

He Was Detained In The Hall By Sentinel Moss.

 

Lady Bassett Came Down To Him. At The Very Sight Of Him She Trembled,

And Said,  "Richard Bassett?"

 

"Yes," Said Mr. Oldfield,  "He Is In The Field Again. He Has Been To The

Court Of Chancery _Ex Parte,_ And Obtained An Injunction _Ad Interim_

To Stay Waste. Not Another Tree Must Be Cut Down On The Estate For The

Present."

 

"Thank Heaven It Is No Worse Than That. Not Another Tree Shall Be

Felled On The Grounds."

 

"Of Course Not. But They Will Not Stop There. If We Do Not Move To

Dissolve The Injunction,  I Fear They Will Go On And Ask The Court To

Administer The Estate,  With A View To All Interests Concerned,

Especially Those Of The Heir At Law And His Son."

 

"What,  While My Husband Lives?"

 

"If They Can Prove Him Dead In Law."

 

"I Don't Understand You,  Mr. Oldfield."

 

"They Have Got Affidavits Of Two Medical Men That He Is Insane."

 

Lady Bassett Uttered A Faint Scream,  And Put Her Hand To Her Heart.

Part 3 Chapter 17 Pg 143

"And,  Of Course,  They Will Use That Extraordinary Fall Of Timber As A

Further Proof,  And Also As A Reason Why The Court Should Interfere To

Protect The Heir At Law. Their Case Is Well Got Up And Very Strong,"

Said Mr. Oldfield,  Regretfully.

 

"Well,  But You Are A Lawyer,  And You Have Always Beaten Them Hitherto."

 

"I Had Law And Fact On My Side. It Is Not So Now. To Be Frank,  Lady

Bassett,  I Don't See What I Can Do But Watch The Case,  On The Chance Of

Some Error Or Illegality. It Is Very Hard To Fight A Case When You

Cannot Put Your Client Forward--And I Suppose That Would Not Be Safe.

How Unfortunate That You Have No Children!"

 

"Children! How Could They Help Us?"

 

"What A Question! How Could Richard Bassett Move The Court If He Was

Not The Heir At Law?"

 

After A Long Conference Mr. Oldfield Returned To Town To See What He

Could Do In The Way Of Procrastination,  And Lady Bassett Promised To

Leave No Stone Unturned To Cure Sir Charles In The Meantime. Mr.

Oldfield Was To Write Immediately If Any Fresh Step Was Taken.

 

When Mr. Oldfield Was Gone,  Lady Bassett Pondered Every Word He Had

Said,  And,  Mild As She Was,  Her Rage Began To Rise Against Her

Husband's Relentless Enemy. Her Wits Worked,  Her Eyes Roved In That

Peculiar Half-Savage Way I Have Described. She Became Intolerably

Restless; And Any One Acquainted With Her Sex Might See That Some

Strange Conflict Was Going On In Her Troubled Mind.

 

Every Now And Then She Would Come And Cling To Her Husband,  And Cry

Over Him; And That Seemed To Still The Tumult Of Her Soul A Little.

 

She Never Slept All That Night,  And Next Day,  Clinging In Her Helpless

Agony To The Nearest Branch,  She Told Mary Wells What Bassett Was

Doing,  And Said,  "What Shall I Do? He Is Not Mad; But He Is In So Very

Precarious A State That,  If They Get At Him To Torment Him,  They Will

Drive Him Mad Indeed."

 

"My Lady," Said Mary Wells,  "I Can't Go From My Word. 'Tis No Use In

Making Two Bites Of A Cherry. We Must Cure Him: And If We Don't,  You'll

Never Rue It But Once,  And That Will Be All Your Life."

 

"I Should Look On Myself With Horror Afterward Were I To Deceive Him

Now."

 

"No,  My Lady,  You Are Too Fond Of Him For That. Once You Saw Him Happy

You'd Be Happy Too,  No Matter How It Came About. That Richard Bassett

Will Turn Him Out Of This Else. I Am Sure He Will; He Is A Hard-Hearted

Villain."

 

Lady Bassett's Eyes Flashed Fire; Then Her Eyes Roved; Then She Sighed

Deeply.