Hugh Crichton's Romance. Coleridge Christabel Rose

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СКАЧАТЬ last Hugh knocked the ashes out of his pipe, and said, in a formal, uncomfortable tone:

      “James, I have made a proposal to Mdlle. Mattei.”

      “The deuce you have!” ejaculated Jem.

      “And what did she say?”

      “She accepted it. But, Jem, you may entirely disabuse your mind of the idea that there has been any attempt to – to catch me; for her father has just given me to understand that he will not consent to it.”

      “What! he prefers the manager!”

      “So he says.”

      “And she doesn’t?”

      “No,” very shortly. “But I cannot suppose that if he was fully aware of the genuineness of my intentions and knew that my mother would receive her – In short, Jem, another person’s words – ”

      “Another person? Do you mean me? Answer for mamma? I declare, Hugh, that’s a little too much. You’re going to raise such a row at home as was never heard of, and you want me to help you!”

      Hugh said nothing, and James’s momentary perturbation subsided.

      “This is good!” he said. “You wanting help! Did you ever live in Oxley, Hugh, or is it all a mistake? ‘Jones at the opera abroad’ is so very unlike ‘Jones at the opera at home.’”

      “I am in earnest, Jem,” said Hugh, as James did all the laughing at his own joke.

      “It’s a great mistake being in earnest,” said Jem. “Here have you spoilt all your fun by it.”

      “I don’t understand you.”

      “Why,” said Jem, mischievously. “Of course, Violante was intended to amuse you during your holiday. A little sentiment – study of life.”

      “I have asked Mdlle. Mattei to be my wife,” interrupted Hugh, in a tone of high offence.

      “I beg your pardon,” said Jem, after a moment’s pause. “I’ll be serious. So Signor Mattei is the difficulty? H’m! How far do you suppose he is involved with this dangerous rival?”

      “That is what I cannot make out. He says that she, Violante, is engaged to him but she never mentioned his name.”

      “Told you nothing about him?”

      “No. So the question is,” said Hugh, in a voice that he tried hard to keep at an even level, “the question is, who is deceiving me?”

      “Both and neither,” returned Jem. “What?”

      “I dare say she likes you best, and thinks she will try to get out of her previous entanglement.”

      “She should have spoken the truth,” said Hugh, frowning.

      “Come, Hugh, that’s expecting a great deal of a poor little frightened thing like that, and an Italian, too. What would you have?”

      “You did not see her?” said Hugh.

      James looked at him, and saw that his hand shook as he put his pipe back into its case while he kept his face turned away.

      “What shall you do?” he said.

      “Find out,” returned Hugh, “and act accordingly.”

      He walked away as he spoke. James did not suppose it likely that Violante would come out of the ordeal with such flying colours as to satisfy his brother; and, though he was very little inclined to judge the poor child harshly, he could not help hoping that here was a way of escape for Hugh from a most unlucky prepossession, though, as he was forced to acknowledge, at the cost of considerable pain.

      Part 2, Chapter XIII

      Contrary Winds

      “Oh, well for him whose will is strong!”

      “Rosa! you were mistaken! He loves me – he says so. Oh, I am so happy – he is so good!” cried Violante, as she ran to meet her sister and threw herself into her arms. Timid as the southern maiden might be she had none of the proud, reticent “shamefastness” that would have led an English girl to conceal her joy even from herself. It was all right and natural; and as Rosa, aghast, dropped into a chair she knelt beside her, her sweet, pathetic eyes and lips transfigured as a flower by the sun.

      “What did he say to you?” exclaimed Rosa.

      “He loves me – he is coming back again. He does not mind about my singing – Ah, I cannot tell you,” and the bright face drooped with sudden bashfulness.

      “Oh!” cried Rosa, passionately, as she pulled off her hat and fanned herself with it; “what a foolish world this is! What has he said? what has he done?” she repeated, almost fiercely.

      “He asked me to marry him,” said Violante, with a sort of dignity.

      “Oh, dear! he is a very foolish young man. What is to come of it? – what can come of it? Nothing but trouble.”

      Violante gazed at her, mute and frightened; then her face brightened with an incredulous smile.

      “Oh, if you had never seen him!”

      “Rosa!” cried Violante, springing to her feet, “rather than that, I would be miserable for ever – rather than that, I would die.”

      “Because you are as silly as the rest! Oh, you unlucky child! don’t you see that it is impossible? Either he will go back to his own people and they will talk him out of it, or he will marry you in spite of them. But no, he shall never do that!”

      “But he said it would be right,” said Violante; then, as Rosa laughed bitterly, she went on, pleadingly: “Oh, Rosa mia, it is you who are silly. He will make it right. Indeed, I am happy; but I cannot bear to see you cry. I will act, I shall not care now, and you must keep father from being vexed.” There was much in Violante’s speech of the unconscious selfishness of one to whom the part of comforter was a strange reversion of ordinary life; but her caresses were very sweet to Rosa, who, recovering herself with an effort, said:

      “Well, Violante, you can’t expect me to believe in him as you do! I never thought it would come to this!”

      “But, Rosa, you will not try to stop it?” Rosa hesitated. Even supposing Hugh entirely faithful, what doubtful happiness lay before her sister; and, if not, what a blank of disappointment, what hopeless injury, what misery how unendurable to the girl who shrank and trembled at a harsh word!

      Rosa sat upright and gazed straight before her, while Violante watched, unable to understand her face.

      “No!” at length she exclaimed, “you must take your chance with the rest of us. How can I or anyone help it? But – but – I’ll never stop anyone’s love – oh, my little darling, my little darling!” and Rosa broke down into tears, hiding her face in the girl’s soft hair.

      “Rosa, you think I could not bear any trouble; but I could – for him.”

      There was a new fervour in her voice, and Rosa yielded to it. СКАЧАТЬ