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

Coward Spoke The Truth. He Is There At

This Moment."

 

"Oh,  Papa! Papa! Let Me Die! The World Is Too Wicked For Me. Let Me

Die!"

 

"Die For An Unworthy Object? For Shame! Go To Your Own Room,  My Girl,

And Pray To Your God To Help You,  Since Your Mother Has Left Us. Oh,

How I Miss Her Now! Go And Pray,  And Let No One Else Know What We

Suffer. Be Your Father's Daughter. Fight And Pray."

 

Poor Bella Had No Longer To Complain That She Was Not Commanded. She

Kissed Him,  And Burst Into A Great Passion Of Weeping; But He Led Her

To The Door,  And She Tottered To Her Own Room,  A Blighted Girl.

 

The Sight Of Her Was Harrowing. Under Its Influence The Admiral Dashed

Off A Letter To Sir Charles,  Calling Him A Villain,  And Inviting Him To

Go To France And Let An Indignant Father Write Scoundrel On His

Carcass.

 

But When He Had Written This His Good Sense And Dignity Prevailed Over

His Fury; He Burned The Letter,  And Wrote Another. This He Sent By Hand

To Sir Charles's House,  And Ordered His Servants--But That The Reader

Knows.

 

Sir Charles Found The Admiral's Letter In His Letter-Rack. It Ran Thus:

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Sir--We Have Learned Your Connection With A Lady Named Somerset,  And I

Have Ascertained That You Went From My Daughter To Her House This Very

Day.

 

"Miss Bruce And Myself Withdraw From All Connection With You,  And I

Must Request You To Attempt No Communication With Her Of Any Kind. Such

An Attempt Would Be An Additional Insult.

 

"I Am,  Sir,  Your Obedient Servant,

 

"John Urquhart Bruce."

 

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At First Sir Charles Bassett Was Stunned By This Blow. Then His Mind

Resisted The Admiral's Severity,  And He Was Indignant At Being

Dismissed For So Common An Offense. This Gave Way To Deep Grief And

Shame At The Thought Of Bella And Her Lost Esteem. But Soon All Other

Feelings Merged For A Time In Fury At The Heartless Traitor Who Had

Destroyed His Happiness,  And Had Dashed The Cup Of Innocent Love From

His Very Lips. Boiling Over With Mortification And Rage,  He Drove At

Once To That Traitor's House. Polly Opened The Door. He Rushed Past

Her,  And Burst Into The Dining-Room,  Breathless,  And White With

Passion.

 

He Found Miss Somerset Studying The Deed By Which He Had Made Her

Independent For Life. She Started At His Strange Appearance,  And

Instinctively Put Both Hands Flat Upon The Deed.

 

"You Vile Wretch!" Cried Sir Charles. "You Heartless Monster! Enjoy

Your Work." And He Flung Her The Admiral's Letter. But He Did Not Wait

While She Read It; He Heaped Reproaches On Her; And,  For The First Time

In Her Life,  She Did Not Reply In Kind.

 

"Are You Mad?" She Faltered. "What Have I Done?"

 

"You Have Told Admiral Bruce."

 

"That's False."

 

"You Told Him I Was To Be Here To-Day."

 

"Charles,  I Never Did. Believe Me."

 

"You Did. Nobody Knew It But You. He Was Here To-Day At The Very Hour."

 

"May I Never Get Up Alive Off This Chair If I Told A Soul. Yes,  Our

Polly. I'll Ring For Her."

 

"No,  You Will Not. She Is Your Sister. Do You Think I'll Take The Word

Of Such Reptiles Against The Plain Fact? You Have Parted My Love And

Me--Parted Us On The Very Day I Had Made You Independent For Life. An

Innocent Love Was Waiting To Bless Me,  And An Honest Love Was In Your

Power,  Thanks To Me,  Your Kind,  Forgiving Friend And Benefactor. I Have

Heaped Kindness On You From The First Moment I Had The Misfortune To

Know You. I Connived At Your Infidelities--"

 

"Charles! Don't Say That. I Never _Was."_

 

"I Indulged Your Most Expensive Whims,  And,  Instead Of Leaving You With

A Curse,  As All The Rest Did That Ever Knew You,  And As You Deserve,  I

Bought Your Consent To Lead A Respectable Life,  And Be Blessed With A

Virtuous Love. You Took The Bribe,  But Robbed Me Of The

Blessing--Viper! You Have Destroyed Me,  Body And Soul--Monster! Perhaps

Part 3 Chapter 5 Pg 34

Blighted Her Happiness As Well; You She-Devils Hate An Angel Worse Than

Heaven Hates You. But You Shall Suffer With Us; Not Your Heart,  For You

Have None,  But Your Pocket. You Have Broken Faith With Me,  And Sent All

My Happiness To Hell; I'll Send Your Deed To Hell After It!" With This,

He Flung Himself Upon The Deed,  And Was Going To Throw It Into The

Fire. Now Up To That Moment She Had Been Overpowered By This Man's

Fury,  Whom She Had Never Seen The Least Angry Before; But When He Laid

Hands On Her Property It Acted Like An Electric Shock. "No! No!" She

Screamed,  And Sprang At Him Like A Wildcat.

 

Then Ensued A Violent And Unseemly Struggle All About The Room; Chairs

Were Upset,  And Vases Broken To Pieces; And The Man And Woman Dragged

Each Other To And Fro,  One Fighting For Her Property,  As If It Was Her

Life,  And The Other For Revenge.

 

Sir Charles,  Excited By Fury,  Was Stronger Than Himself,  And At Last

Shook Off One Of Her Hands For A Moment,  And Threw The Deed Into The

Fire. She Tried To Break From Him And Save It,  But He Held Her Like

Iron.

 

Yet Not For Long. While He Was Holding Her Back,  And She Straining

Every Nerve To Get To The Fire,  He Began To Show Sudden Symptoms Of

Distress. He Gasped Loudly,  And Cried,  "Oh! Oh! I'm Choking!" And Then

His Clutch Relaxed. She Tore Herself From It,  And,  Plunging Forward,

Rescued The Smoking Parchment.

 

At That Moment She Heard A Great Stagger Behind Her,  And A Pitiful

Moan,  And Sir Charles Fell Heavily,  Striking His Head Against The Edge

Of The Sofa. She Looked Round--As She Knelt,  And Saw Him,  Black In The

Face,  Rolling His Eyeballs Fearfully,  While His Teeth Gnashed Awfully,

And A Little Jet Of Foam Flew Through His Lips.

 

Then She Shrieked With Terror,  And The Blackened Deed Fell From Her

Hands. At This Moment Polly Rushed Into The Room. She Saw The Fearful

Sight,  And Echoed Her Sister's Scream. But They Were Neither Of Them

Women To Lose Their Heads And Beat The Air With Their Hands. They Got

To Him,  And Both Of Them Fought Hard With The Unconscious Sufferer,

Whose Body,  In A Fresh Convulsion,  Now Bounded Away From The Sofa,  And

Bade Fair To Batter Itself Against The Ground.

 

They Did All They Could To Hold Him With One Arm Apiece,  And To Release

His Swelling Throat With The Other. Their Nimble Fingers Whipped Off

His Neck-Tie In A Moment; But The Distended Windpipe Pressed So Against

The Shirt-Button They Could Not Undo It. Then They Seized The Collar,

And,  Pulling Against Each Other,  Wrenched The Shirt Open So Powerfully

That The Button Flew Into The Air,  And Tinkled Against A Mirror A Long

Way Off.

 

A Few More Struggles,  Somewhat Less Violent,  And Then The Face,  From

Purple,  Began To Whiten,  The Eyeballs Fixed; The Pulse Went Down; The

Man Lay Still.

 

"Oh,  My God!" Cried Rhoda Somerset. "He Is Dying! To The Nearest

Doctor! There's One Three Doors Off. No Bonnet! It's Life And Death

Part 3 Chapter 5 Pg 35

This Moment. Fly!"

 

Polly Obeyed,  And Doctor Andrews Was Actually In The Room Within Five

Minutes.

 

He Looked Grave,  And Kneeled Down By The Patient,  And Felt His Pulse

Anxiously.

 

Miss Somerset Sat Down,  And,  Being From The Country,  Though She Did Not

Look It,  Began To Weep Bitterly,  And Rock Herself In Rustic Fashion.

 

The Doctor Questioned Her Kindly,  And She Told Him,  Between Her Sobs,

How Sir Charles Had Been Taken.

 

The Doctor,  However,  Instead Of Being Alarmed By Those Frightful

Symptoms She Related,  Took A More Cheerful View Directly. "Then Do Not

Alarm Yourself Unnecessarily," He Said. "It Was Only An Epileptic Fit."

 

"Only!" Sobbed Miss Somerset. "Oh,  If You Had Seen Him! And He Lies

Like Death."

 

"Yes," Said Dr. Andrews; "A Severe Epileptic Fit Is Really A Terrible

Thing To Look At; But It Is Not Dangerous In Proportion. Is He Used To

Have Them?"

 

"Oh,  No,  Doctor--Never Had One Before."

 

Here She Was Mistaken,  I Think.

 

"You Must Keep Him Quiet; And Give Him A Moderate Stimulant As Soon As

He Can Swallow Comfortably; The Quietest Room In The House; And Don't

Let Him Be Hungry,  Night Or Day. Have Food By His Bedside,  And Watch

Him For A Day Or Two. I'll Come Again This Evening."

 

The Doctor Went To His Dinner--Tranquil.

 

Not So Those He Left. Miss Somerset Resigned Her Own Luxurious Bedroom,

And Had The Patient Laid,  Just As He Was,  Upon Her Bed. She Sent The

Page Out To Her Groom And Ordered Two Loads Of Straw To Be Laid Before

The Door; And She Watched By The Sufferer,  With Brandy And Water By Her

Side.

 

Sir Charles Now Might Have Seemed To Be In A Peaceful Slumber,  But For

His Eyes. They Were Open,  And Showed More White,  And Less Pupil,  Than

Usual.

 

However,  In Time He Began To Sigh And Move,  And Even Mutter; And,

Gradually,  Some Little Color Came Back To His Pale Cheeks.

 

Then Miss Somerset Had The Good Sense To Draw Back Out Of His Sight,

And Order Polly To Take Her Place By His Side. Polly Did So,  And,  Some

Time Afterward,  At A Fresh Order,  Put A Teaspoonful Of Brandy To His

Lips,  Which Were Still Pale And Even Bluish.

Part 3 Chapter 5 Pg 36

The Doctor Returned,  And Brought His Assistant. They Put The Patient To

Bed.

 

"His Life Is In No Danger," Said He. "I Wish I Was As Sure About His

Reason."

 

 

 

 

 

 

At One O'clock In The Morning,  As Polly Was Snoring