The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

52 ‘Why did you come to Southdale? Did I not charge you in my letter to remain at your own house until you heard from me ?” “Oh! I suspected that you were coming hither,” he passionately exclaimed ; ‘‘ and I has- tened to follow you! I cannot possibly live with- out you !” . “T may not listen to such language as this :” and she spoke coldly and severely ; but her’s was. an unnatural calmness—for while her looks main- tained a forced rigidity, her heart was ready to burst with the volcanic emotions that filled it. ‘For heaven’s sake, hear me!” cried the Duke: “hear me, by all the ‘love you have borne me ! by the love I bear for you! hear me,’ for the sake of our child !” Ethel started visibly : but instantaneously re- pressing the outward betrayal of her emotion, she said, “‘ Have you seen our—the child ?” “Our child, owr child!” cried the Duke. “Yes !—and I have covered the dear boy with kisses! Oh, Ethel! you will not separate him from his father!. My wife——start not !—Oh, do not bend upon me that look so forlorn—so de- solate! ° Listen, Ethel—listen! All is not so bad as you think! My wife’s conduct -is most ad- mirable! She will never interfere with us—she will allow us.to live together unmoleste a “Enough ! enough!” almost shrieked Ethel. ** Speak not thus—or you will force me to break a vow which I have solemnly taken within my own heart! You will make me reproach you. Sooner would I perish than live with you as your mis- tress !—sooner would I die than wilfully become the paramour of an adulterous husband! No! no !—not all my love for you could induce me thus to plunge deeper down into the vortex of degradation and misery! Leave me, I conjure yoni {” ‘Never, never will I leave you, Ethel!” ex- claimed Herbert, goaded almost to madness, “until I shall have succeeded in shaking a re- solve which can only tend to entail eternal misery on us both!” | “Oh! if you detain me here, you will bring utter destruction on my head!” cried Ethel. ‘‘ Let me hasten to depart from the village! Ifyou knew the risk that I ran » - “Risk? My God! I comprehend it!” ex- claimed the Duke, literally wringing his hands in the wild frenzy of his affliction. ‘“ Fly, Ethel ! fly! flight !” ‘Tt is too late,” she said, again displaying that cold unnatural calmness which we have before noticed. ‘“ Look! they come. Let them do their work—I shall deny it—and you will not betray me.” The Duke glanced in the direction of the Par- sonage; and he beheld three personages approach- ing with hasty footsteps. Nothing could exceed the terrible excitement that seized upon him as he judged from Ethel’s words the danger that was now threatening her. “Fly, fly, dearest !” he frantically exclaimed. ‘If you ever loved me,” she said, in a tone of the most imploring earnestness and with a look of the most appealing entreaty, ‘‘ I adjure you to be calm! Ifyou value my safety, I beseech you to afford me the only chance of ensuring it, by taking refuge in utter and complete denial of the Gibson the parish sexton. ‘in this unhappy proceedin But, Oh! let me be the companion of your THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. \ deed! Act thus for the sake of that love whereby I have adjured you !” ‘Ethel! I am almost heartbroken !” responded the wretched young nobleman; “but I will do as you desire! your words shall be laws for me!” The three persons who came from the direction of the Parsonage, were now close upon the spot : they were the clergyman, Farmer White, and “Oh, Mrs. Trevor! Oh! Mr.’ Trevor !” cried’ the worthy Milner, overwhelmed with grief, and the tears were running down his cheeks ; ‘‘ is it ‘possible that. you, Ethel, could have done this? In the name of mercy what motive had you? But give up the abstracted leaf, and the matter shall be hushed up !” “‘ There is no matter to be hushed up wherein I may be concerned,” answered Ethel. “Mr. Trevor, I adjure you,” said the worthy and afflicted clergyman, drawing the Duke aside, “if you for any reason have influenced your wife ” “Mr. Milner,” interrupted Ethel, whose quick ear had ‘caught the kind old gentleman’s words, ‘‘as there is a God above us, and as I havea soul to be saved, I swear to you that Mr. Trevor has in no way influenced, directly or indirectly, any proceeding which I have adopted or which you may suppose that I have adopted. Accuse not therefore him! Butif you think me guilty of anything, deal with me as you fancy I ought to be dealt with. Ah! I will add something more— and to the truth of this assertion also I invoke the testimony of heaven. It is that methought I was coming secretly and stealthily to Southdale, with- out Trevor's knowledge Indeed I wrote him a letter while he was in London, in the hope of throwing him as it were off the right scent : but by some means, as yet unknown to myself, he suspected that I was coming hither, and he fol- lowed me. All that I have just told you, Mr. Milner, is as'true as the Gospel; and therefore, I repeat, deal with me only, if there be any one to be dealt with !” While Ethel was thus speaking, Mr. Milner studied her countenance attentively, and when she had finished, he again turned aside to the Duke of Ardleigh, hastily whispering, ‘ Can it be an aberration of the intellect ?” “Yes, yes! it is!” quickly responded the young nobleman, seizing upon the idea with avidity. “T have often thought she was deranged !” Though both the clergyman and the Duke spoke in the lowest possible tones, yet Ethel heard what passed betwixt them. This time, however, she did not think fit to interpose any re- mark or offer any observation. ‘Mr. Trevor,” said the clergyman, bending upon Ethel a look of so much distress and sym- pathy that if he had been her own father he could not have displayed more suffering on her account, ‘‘ this is a most unfortunate affair! By your bewildered looks I can only too easily sup- pose that you are ignorant of what has been done. You heard me say something of an abstracted leaf: it was a leaf of the marriage register to which I alluded—and that has been taken by your wife! I am now under the painful necessity Good heavens, that such a necessity should arise in reference to one whom I have known COMO YN Wn) Colin