The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 226: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

é © TE mrt re ae nt a Tht AO Ne A A EET LT Pc A eS PN Sl a I SN RN ag i EE EATEN 212 THE YOUNG DUCIIESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. repast : it was impossible that she could mingle {moment on the landing to enter their respective in the discourse —she had no spirits for con-|{chambers, Ethel, as usual, locked the outer door versation — she could not force herself to be| of her‘own apartment; and then she passed into gay —and even if it were otherwise, Mildred | the dressing-room,—having first paused for an kept the discourse upon topics which Ithel did] instant at the bed to bestow a kiss upon little not like. It must be however observed that on| Alfred. In the meantime Lady Langport locked this occasion Mildred abstained from levelling any | the outer door of her own chamber; and then inuendo against Ethel: indeed she bestowed not | passing through the bath-room, she rejoined the slightest notice upon her, but addressed all | thel in the dressing-cabinet. the conversation to her mother. As for Lady| And now commenced her ladyship’s night Langport, she saw that something was wrong : | toilet,—to which on a former occasion we have 80 every now and then she cast an inquiring look | particularly alluded that it is not now necessary upon Ethel—and then she gazed upon her daugh- | to recapitulate the loathsome details. Suffice it ter, as if to ascertain what had taken place: but | therefore to say that when at length the process she was bewildered, and she did not like to ask | was complete, and everything artificial and succe- the question in the presence of both. daneous was laid aside, the wretched woman again Thus the evening passed away—unpleasantly } stood a living skeleton in the presence of Ethel,—a enough for her ladyship and Ethel: but Mildred | withered toothless hag, every bone visible beneath seemed as happy and comfortable and as uncon-| the skin, which just covered it without the in- cerned as if everything were going on well, and! tervention of any flesh to yield to the pressure! as if her presence had brought no trouble noran-| And just at that moment a sound fell upon the noyance into the house. ears of both Lady Langport and Ethel,—a sound At alittle before ten o’clock, Mildred rose some- | as of a door opening. what abruptly from her seat, and said, ‘I shall ‘Good heavens! what was that?” muttered now retire to rest. Iwas up early this morning | Lady Langport, with affright seizing upon her —and mean to be up early again to-morrow. So | countenance. I wish you both a very good night.” “YT do not know,” said Ethel. ‘ Did your She then quitted the room, and the use of the | ladyship lock the door of your own chamber ?” word doth conveyed the first intimation through-; ‘Yes! But you, Ethel—you ?” out the entire evening that Mildred chose to re- ‘“‘T remember perfectly well locking mine. But cognise the presence of such a person as Ethel. let us see! The sounds seem to come from the “My dear girl,” asked Lady Langport, so| bath-room!” soon as the door had closed behind Mildred, She was rushing towards the door which ‘‘ what has happened? what has caused this cool- | separated the dressing-cabinet from the bath- ness between you?” room, when that door suddenly opened, and “J promised your ladyship,” replied Ethel, | Mildred appeared upon the threshold. Yes!— “that I would exercise all possible forbearance | and there she stood transfixed with mingled towards Mildred; and I have done so. She| horror and amazement at the spectacle which met has fastened a quarrel upon me. But I will not} her eyes! tell you of it now. You are tired and worn out; An ejaculation of dismay burst from the lips of —TI see that you are—for the evening has been | Ethel: but it was a low half-stifled sound as if an anxious one for you ~ of a dying groan which emanated from Lady ‘Oh, good kind Ethel!” exclaimed Lady Lang-| Langport—and then the wretched woman fell port, ‘you are thinking of me when perhaps your | senseless upon the floor. soul is smarting under the sense of some insult received from Mildred! This must not be; —_— I beseech you to tell me what has occurred.” “No,” said Ethel ; “I will tell your ladyship CHAPTER XLIII nothing now :”—for she recoiled from the idea of | having to explain the nature of the taunts she THE IIYPOCRITE. had received from Mildred in respect to the marriage-certificate. ‘I must think—I must) Eruen flung a look of indescribable indignation deliberate! And perhaps I had better wait and, upon Mildred; and then she stooped dowu and see how Mildred’s demeanour may be towards me | raised up Lady Langport,—lifting that light, ema- to-morrow.” ciated, attenuated frame almost as easily as if it “Yes, yes—do so, dear Ethel,” said Lady | were a child’s; and she bore it to the couch. She Langport, who on her own side experienced no | quickly administered restoratives; and when Lady disinclination to postpone anything that might be; Langport began to give signs of recovering, Ethel of an unpleasant character. ‘‘ Perhaps I shall have | said to Mildred, who had followed her into the an opportunity of remonstrating with Mildred to-| bed-chamber, “ You had better withdraw. Retira, morrow. But Oh, she is peculiar, Ethel!—vyery | I beseech you, ere your mother regain her senses !"” very peculiar, Ethel!—and you may have scen ‘Do you think my presence will be odious to —you may have seen that she does not treat| her?” asked Mildred, half in defiance, though she me——” was still partly under the influence of the shock The unhappy lady stopped short: her Jips were} which the horrible spectacle of her mother’s real quivering, and tears were starting from her eyes. | condition had produced upon her. She hastily applied her kerchief; and then rising “Do not ask me what I think!” cried Ethel, from her seat, she said in a tone of forced com-| almost petulantly; “but if you have a spark of posure, ‘‘Come, sweet Ethel—let us retire to! feeling left, go! Go, I conjure you! I would rest.” not have done this which you have just done,-— They ascended the stairs, and separated for a| no, not for all the gold in the universe!” COMO YN Wn) Colin