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

Part 3 Chapter 17 Pg 144

Her Powers Of Resistance Were Beginning To Relax. As For Mary Wells,

She Gave Her No Peace; She Kept Instilling Her Mind Into Her Mistress's

With The Pertinacity Of A Small But Ever-Dripping Fount,  And We Know

Both By Science And Poetry That Small,  Incessant Drops Of Water Will

Wear A Hole In Marble.

 

"Gutta Cavat Lapidem Non Vi Sed Saepe Cadendo."

 

And In The Midst Of All A Letter Came From Mr. Oldfield,  To Tell Her

That Mr. Bassett Threatened To Take Out A Commission _De Lunatico,_ And

She Must Prepare Sir Charles For An Examination; For,  If Reported

Insane,  The Court Would Administer The Estates; But The Heir At Law,

Mr. Bassett,  Would Have The Ear Of The Court And The Right Of

Application,  And Become Virtually Master Of Huntercombe And Bassett;

And,  Perhaps,  Considering The Spirit By Which He Was Animated,  Would

Contrive To Occupy The Very Hall Itself. Lady Bassett Was In The

Dressing-Room When She Received This Blow,  And It Drove Her Almost

Frantic. She Bemoaned Her Husband; She Prayed God To Take Them Both,

And Let Their Enemy Have His Will. She Wept And Raved,  And At The

Height Of Her Distress Came From The Other Room A Feeble Cry,

"Childless! Childless! Childless!"

 

Lady Bassett Heard That,  And In One Moment,  From Violent She Became

Unnaturally And Dangerously Calm. She Said Firmly To Mary Wells,  "This

Is More Than I Can Bear. You Pretend You Can Save Him--Do It."

 

Mary Wells Now Trembled In Her Turn; But She Seized The Opportunity.

"My Lady,  Whatever I Say You'll Stand To?"

 

"Whatever You Say I'll Stand To."

 

 

Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 145

 

Mary Wells,  Like Other Uneducated Women,  Was Not Accustomed To Think

Long And Earnestly On Any One Subject; To Use An Expression She Once

Applied With Far Less Justice To Her Sister,  Her Mind Was Like Running

Water.

 

But Gestation Affects The Brains Of Such Women,  And Makes Them Think

More Steadily,  And Sometimes Very Acutely; Added To Which,  The Peculiar

Dangers And Difficulties That Beset This Girl During That Anxious

Period Stimulated Her Wits To The Very Utmost. Often She Sat Quite

Still For Hours At A Time,  Brooding And Brooding,  And Asking Herself

How She Could Turn Each New And Unexpected Event To Her Own Benefit.

Now So Much Does Mental Force Depend On That Exercise Of Keen And Long

Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 146

Attention,  In Which Her Sex Is Generally Deficient,  That This Young

Woman's Powers Were More Than Doubled Since The Day She First

Discovered Her Condition,  And Began To Work Her Brains Night And Day

For Her Defense.

 

Gradually,  As Events I Have Related Unfolded Themselves,  She Caught A

Glimpse Of This Idea,  That If She Could Get Her Mistress To Have A

Secret,  Her Mistress Would Help Her To Keep Her Own. Hence Her

Insidious Whispers,  And Her Constant Praises Of Mr. Angelo,  Who,  She

Saw,  Was Infatuated With Lady Bassett. Yet The Designing Creature Was

Actually Fond Of Her Mistress: And So Strangely Compounded Is A Heart

Of This Low Kind That The Extraordinary Step She Now Took Was Half

Affectionate Impulse,  Half Egotistical Design.

 

She Made A Motion With Her Hand Inviting Lady Bassett To Listen,  And

Stepped Into Sir Charles's Room.

 

"Childless! Childless! Childless!"

 

"Hush,  Sir," Said Mary Wells. "Don't Say So. We Shan't Be Many Mouths

Without One,  Please Heaven."

 

Sir Charles Shook His Head Sadly.

 

"Don't You Believe Me?"

 

"No."

 

"What,  Did Ever I Tell You A Lie?"

 

"No: But You Are Mistaken. She Would Have Told Me."

 

"Well,  Sir,  My Lady Is Young And Shy,  And I Think She Is Afraid Of

Disappointing You After All; For You Know,  Sir,  There's Many A Slip

'Twixt The Cup And The Lip. But 'Tis As I Tell You,  Sir."

 

Sir Charles Was Much Agitated,  And Said He Would Give Her A Hundred

Guineas If That Was True. "Where Is My Darling Wife? Why Do I Hear This

Through A Servant?"

 

Mary Wells Cast A Look At The Door,  And Said,  For Lady Bassett To Hear,

"She Is Receiving Company. Now,  Sir,  I Have Told You Good News; Will

You Do Something To Oblige Me? You Shouldn't Speak Of It Direct To My

Lady Just Yet; And If You Want All To Go Well,  You Mustn't Vex My Lady

As You Are Doing Now. What I Mean,  You Mustn't Be So Downhearted--

There's No Reason For't--And You Mustn't Coop Yourself Up On This

Floor: It Sets The Folks Talking,  And Worries My Lady. You Should Give

Her Every Chance,  Being The Way She Is."

 

Sir Charles Said Eagerly He Would Not Vex Her For The World. "I'll Walk

In The Garden," Said He; "But As For Going Abroad,  You Know I Am Not In

A Fit Condition Yet; My Mind Is Clouded."

 

"Not As I See."

Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 147

 

"Oh,  Not Always. But Sometimes A Cloud Seems To Get Into My Head; And

If I Was In Public I Might Do Or Say Something Discreditable. I Would

Rather Die."

 

"La,  Sir!" Said Mary Wells,  In A Broad,  Hearty Way--"A Cloud In Your

Head! You've Had A Bad Fall,  And A Fit At Top On't,  And No Wonder Your

Poor Head Do Ache At Times. You'll Outgrow That--If You Take The Air

And Give Over Fretting About The T'other Thing. I Tell You You'll Hear

The Music Of A Child's Voice And Little Feet A-Pattering Up And Down

This Here Corridor Before So Very Long--If So Be You Take My Advice,

And Leave Off Fretting My Lady With Fretting Of Yourself. You Should

Consider: She Is Too Fond Of You To Be Well When You Be Ill."

 

"I'll Get Well For Her Sake," Said Sir Charles,  Firmly.

 

At This Moment There Was A Knock At The Door. Mary Wells Opened It So

That The Servant Could See Nothing.

 

"Mr. Angelo Has Called."

 

"My Lady Will Be Down Directly."

 

Mary Wells Then Slipped Into The Dressing-Room,  And Found Lady Bassett

Looking Pale And Wild. She Had Heard Every Word.

 

"There,  He Is Better Already," Said Mary Wells. "He Shall Walk In The

Garden With You This Afternoon."

 

"What Have You Done? I Can't Look Him In The Face Now. Suppose He

Speaks To Me?"

 

"He Will Not. I'll Manage That. You Won't Have To Say A Word. Only

Listen To What I Say,  And Don't Make A Liar Of Me. He Is Better

Already."

 

"How Will This End?" Cried Lady Bassett,  Helplessly. "What Shall I Do?"

 

"You Must Go Downstairs,  And Not Come Here For An Hour At Least,  Or

You'll Spoil My Work. Mr. Angelo Is In The Drawing-Room."

 

"I Will Go To Him."

 

Lady Bassett Slipped Out By The Other Door,  And It Was Three Hours,

Instead Of One,  Before She Returned.

 

For The First Time In Her Life She Was Afraid To Face Her Husband.

Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 148

Meantime Mary Wells Had A Long Conversation With Her Master; And After

That She Retired Into The Adjoining Room,  And Sat Down To Sew

Baby-Linen Clandestinely.

 

After A Considerable Tune Lady Bassett Came In,  And,  Sinking Into A

Chair,  Covered Her Face With Her Hands. She Had Her Bonnet On.

 

Mary Wells Looked At Her With Black Eyes That Flashed Triumph.

 

After So Surveying Her For Some Time She Said: "I Have Been At Him

Again,  And There's A Change For The Better Already. He Is Not The Same

Man. You Go And See Else."

 

Lady Bassett Now Obeyed Her Servant: She Rose And Crept Like A Culprit

Into Sir Charles's Room. She Found Him Clean Shaved,  Dressed To

Perfection,  And Looking More Cheerful Than She Had Seen Him For Many A

Long Day. "Ah,  Bella," Said He,  "You Have Your Bonnet On; Let Us Have A

Walk In The Garden."

 

Lady Bassett Opened Her Eyes And Consented Eagerly,  Though She Was Very

Tired.

 

They Walked Together; And Sir Charles,  Being A Man That Never Broke His

Word,  Put No Direct Question To Lady Bassett,  But Spoke Cheerfully Of

The Future,  And Told Her She Was His Hope And His All; She Would Baffle

His Enemy,  And Cheer His Desolate Hearth.

 

She Blushed,  And Looked Confused And Distressed; Then He Smiled,  And

Talked Of Indifferent Matters,  Until A Pain In His Head Stopped Him;

Then He Became Confused,  And,  Putting His Hand Piteously To His Head,

Proposed To Retire At Once To His Own Room.

 

Lady Bassett Brought Him In,  And He Reposed In Silence On The Sofa.

 

The Next Day,  And,  Indeed,  Many Days Afterward,  Presented Similar

Features.

 

Mary Wells Talked To Her Master Of The Bright Days To Come,  Of The Joy

That Would Fill The House If All Went Well,  And Of The Defeat In Store

For Richard Bassett. She Spoke Of This Man With Strange Virulence; Said

"She Would Think No More Of Sticking A Knife Into Him Than Of Eating

Her Dinner;" And In Saying This She Showed The White Of Her Eye In A

Manner Truly Savage And Vindictive.

 

To Hurt The Same Person Is A Surer Bond Than To Love The Same Person;

And This Sentiment Of Mary Wells,  Coupled With Her Uniform Kindness To

Himself,  Gave Her Great Influence With Sir Charles In His Present

Weakened Condition. Moreover,  The Young Woman Had An Oily,  Persuasive