The Soldier's Wife — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

220 guick as you can—ana Zor heaven's sake don’t say a word to your master |” “ Not I, sir. I see and hear, but say nothing. Indeed, [ don’t want to see or hear more than I can help, Young people will be young eople.” “'l'o be sure, to be sure,” observed Gerald, well pleased that the woman should be thus ae- cessible to bribery. The cottage door was opened cautiously, and he stole ont. As he hurried back to the Manor House, he said to himself, “It was a deuced deal too foolish of me to go hiding behind those curtains: but I did want to hear Kitty blow the fellow Davis up, I think she is devlishly in love with me; but I don’t know perhaps | had better not and yet it would be taking a fine revenge on that scoundrel Davis, for trying to hook me into marrying his daughter seven years ago, Ah, the villain! what les he did tell me—what tricks he did play—and what a narrow escape I had too! How I could ever have been such a fool, I can’t make out,” It was past twelve o’clock when Gerald en- tered the Manor House ; and ascending to the drawing-room, he found his father and mother, together with Aunt Jane, seated there, evidently wailing his return, The Baronet was dozing over the paper—Lady Redburn was reclining on a sofa, revolving in her mind the number of friends and acquaintances who ought to be asked to the wedding when Gerald should lead Lady Adela Clive to the altar—an event which she looked upon as beyond all doubt; while Aunt Jane, sitfing up in her chair as prim and sour-looking as ever, was occupied In knittiuig. “Why, Gerald, my dear boy, how late you are |” said his mother, as he entered the room. " Where have you been ? “Oh, I just dropped m at the Ardens,” he re- sponded, vlibly uttering the first excuse that came into his head. “ T suppose,” said Aunt Jane, “that Mr. Arden was very glad to see you ?” “Oh, very!” ejaculated Gerald. “Then Mr. Arden is ubiquitous,” observed Aunt Jane, with a sneer: “for he has been with us the whole evening, and has only just this minute taken his departure.” | “ Well then,’ said Gerald, bursting out into a supercilious laugh, “I suppose I hav’n’t been there at all. And IJ tell you what it is, Aunt Jane—you needn't show such anxiety to catch me out ina fib. Jam not a boy now.” “No—you are a manikin,’ she observed quietly. “And you are a nasty, ill-tempered, sour- looking old tad,” ejaculated Gerald: and he flung himself out of the room in a violent rage. © That was not right of Gerald—very wroug indeed |’ exclaimed the Baronet, red with indig: naliol), “But then Aunt Jane should not question him: he is not a child now,” observed her ladyship. “Jt was you, my dear, who first questioned him,” replied Aunt Jane, “ As for his impert- pence, | care nothing about it. It’s the way he has been brought up :?’—and with these words ghe quitted the apartment, THY SOLDIER'S WIFS, Another week passed, during which Redburn continued his assiduities owardvindl Adela Clive: but she now began to feel some What importuned thereby, and gradually at forded him fewer opportunities of being alone with her. The suspicion bad arisen in her mind, though dimly and vaguely, that he was paying his court to her; and she grew frighe ened at the thought. She grew frightened for more reasons than one: firstly, because her af fections were irrevocably bestowed upon another—secondly, because she had begun to dislike Gerald Redburn—and thirdly, because her mother had hinted to ber that the time was approaching when she must think of settling in lite. In order to avoid Captain Redburn, she no longer walked out except when her mother or Lady Redburn walked out likewise; and if she found herself alone with Gerald in the drawing room, she speedily withdrew to her own Chamber, During this second week of the visit of Lady Burton and Lady Adela at the Manor Hoase, Gerald managed to call twice at the bailift’g cottage, and to pass an hour or two on each oe- casion With Kitty. But when he on the second visit endeavored to transfer a kiss fron her hand to her lips, she repulsed him ith more resolution than he had anticipated: for the truth is, that Mrs. Davis, though an exeeedingly thoughtless woman—fond of flattery and flirt+ ing, aud well pleased at receiving the visits of a captain in the army, who was also a wealthy baronet's son—was not so depraved as to fling herself into his arms at the first overture Neverthe'ess, it was in a laughing menner that she had repulsed him, although so resolutely, for she did not think that he enterte\ned any deliberate intention towards her. Ou his part Redburn set her behavior down as ¢ shyness which it would take but little troubl» to eon- quer; and he determined that the next time he visited at the cottage he would not si bmit so easily to a rebuff, if it should be attemy ted. It was at the expiration of the secon | week of which we have spoken, that Gerald 9n en: tering the drawing-room one forenoon, found Aunt Jane seated there alone. He wa: about to retire, when she said, “ Don’t go away for a minute: I want to speak to you.” “ And what the deuce do you want to t1y to me ?” he asked, somewhat savagely. “TI suppose you hate me,” observed Miss Redburn. “ Well, your hatred won’t kilf me: for I donot think that even if vou were ies. * In battle, you would prove very formidable to an enemy.” “ Was it to talk in this ill-tempered way that you told me to stop ?’—and Gerald was again moving towards the door, “ No--I meant to speak to you about Adela Clive :’—and Aunt Jane fixed her eyes of vlassy azure with a peculiar look upon her hepbew., “Ah!” he ejaculated, advancing straight up to where she was seated, “ And pray what do you want to tell me about Adela?” | “ Oh, little enough,” she responded in a sneer- ing tone: “only it struck me that you were bee coming rather sweet in that quarter —and ' a, wh we comicbooks.com } 7 F ¥ ‘ 4 ‘ e. ; ie ; 4 * ese | hs - ae +? 2