The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 342: what you’re looking at

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

328 THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. in her heart she despised. But as her features immediately became serious in their expression, she pointed to a chair, saying, ‘ Sit down, and tell me how all this happened.” Instead of resuming her own place on the divan, the young lady took a chair at a little distance from the one which she had just indicated for the use of the intruder; and thus, from the very mo- ment that she had become aware of his presence, her whole conduct seemed to prove, by a variety of little details, that the modesty of her character and the propriety of her sentiments were beyond all suspicion. “With all possible frankness and candour,” said Walpole, “will I give the explanations which you await, and which indeed you have so much right to demand from my lips.” The young lady inclined her head gently, as much as to bid him proceed ; and it also struck him that there was a significant hint in that silent movement that he need not render his preface too long. He accordingly proceeded to explain how he happened (this was the term he used) to be walking in the paddock that afternoon at about five o’clock—how Lady Amesbury had beckoned him to the fence—how she had given him the ap- pointment—how he had kept it—and how he had. been made to tarry a few minutes in the shrub- bery until introduced to the apartment where he now found himself. “ And while you were in the shrubbery,” said the young lady, who had listened with ‘the deepest attention and with a thoughtful expres- sion of countenance, “you perhaps heard certain’ sounds 7 ‘“‘' Yes—to be candid, I did.” “The tambourine and the castanets ?” said the young lady, with a slight deepening of the sea- shell pink upon her cheeks. “Yes,” rejoined Walpole,— and likewise a peal of laughter which seemed to gush from the very fountains of a heart that had never known trouble nor care.” The countenance of the young lady still con- tinued imperturbable in the mingled softness and . brightness of its sweet intellectual beauty; and after reflecting in silence for nearly a minute, she | suddenly raised her eyes, fixed them upon Wal- “pole, and said, ‘“ Are you sure that you have told me everything ? Did her ladyship give you no intimation of what she meant—no hint of what _ her purpose was ?” “No. Ah, yes ! man coloured. . “You see that you have not told me every- thing,” said the fair stranger reproachfully. ‘‘ Yet you promised to deal with me in all frankness and candour !” “And I will do so!” exclaimed Edward. “Yes, her ladyship did say something It was here, at the door, just before she gently opened it But I dare not tell you Me Understand me, sir,” interrupted the young lady. ‘The indiscretion of my poor friend has thrown us together under circumstances which render it necessary that I should know all that passed. There must be no fastidiousness nor false delicacy between us; for when you have finished your explanation, it will become my turn _to give you one, not merely for my own sake, but also for that of Lady Amesbury. Therefore tell I forgot !”—and the young ‘stranger. ranged to be -placed under restraint—nor indeed thas she any relations or friends in the whole ‘paid. me at once what she said to you ere she opened the doer ?” Again did the colour mount to Edward Wal- pole’s cheeks: but suddenly mustering up all his courage, and conquering his bashfulness, he re- plied, ‘‘Lady Amesbury reminded me of an old adage, to the effect that ‘faint heart never won fair lady.’” It was now the beautiful stranger’s turn to colour even more deeply than Walpole had done; and for a few moments she bent her eyes down. But suddenly raising them, with the air of one who was all frankness and candour, who meant no wrong and who knew no guile, she said, ‘Without another instant’s delay let me explain the primal cause of an adventure which has natu- rally proved so embarrassing to both you and me. The key to the reading of the mystery is a indeed you have already suspected it ” “‘No: on my soul I have not!” ejaculated Walpole. “Well then, a few words will explain,” re- joined the fair stranger. ‘‘ Poor Lady Amesbury has not always a complete command over her intellects !” ‘‘Good heavens! cried Edward. -““ Unfortunate indeed !” The unfortunate lady!” pursued the fair “She is by no means sufficieritly de- world who would trouble themselves sufficiently about her “ Except yourself, perhaps 2” interjected Wal- pole. ‘““'Yes—I love my. poor friend—I sympathize with her—I compassionate her! “But she does not court society—it is seldom even that I am | truly welcome—and thus my visits are rarely Sometimes she remains for weeks and months together in moods of the deepest de- spondency, when the visit of a friend would only render her worse. On other occasions she be- comes strangely enlivened; and then it is that I do my best to sustain the cheering influence— and I play the part of a great foolish girl.” As she thus spoke, the young lady glanced at the tambourine and the castanets; and again did the soft hue of the sea-shell pink deepen upon her cheeks. ‘“‘T myself am a strange creature,” she con- tinued; “and if I give the rein to my natural Spirits they sometimes carry me away. Hence was it that just now, even when Lady Amesbury had glided out of this room, I seized the tam- bourine, I clashed it and danced just as if she were still here; and then with a peal of laughter at my own wild folly, I flung myself on that divan. I consider, sir,” added the young lady, in a low and deliberate tone, and again casting down her looks modestly,—‘“ I consider that I am bound to give these explanations for my own sake, because little thought I in the midst of my hoyden mirth that there was a listener outside the casement, or that a stranger step was about to in- trude over the threshold of this sanctuary.” “You know—you know,” observed Edward, in gentle deprecation of the term which had just been used, ‘that it was an innocent intrusion on my part !” YN Wn) COMO Colin