The Greatest Works of Sheridan Le Fanu (65+ Novels & Short Stories in One Edition). Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

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СКАЧАТЬ if I can be of any real use, I don’t care, I’ll come: so there’s a wise little woman; do as I’ve said, and depend upon it everything will go well, and I’ll contrive before long to get that nasty creature away.”

      Except a kiss and a few hurried words in the morning when she was leaving, and a pencilled farewell for papa, thee was nothing more from Cousin Monica for some time.

      Knowl was dark again — darker than ever. My father, gentle always to me, was now — perhaps it was contrast with his fitful return to something like the world’s ways, during Lady Knollys’ stay — more silent, sad, and isolated than before. Of Madame de la Rougierre I had nothing at first particular to remark. Only, reader, if you happen to be a rather nervous and very young girl, I ask you to conceive my fears and imaginings, and the kind of misery which I was suffering. Its intensity I cannot now even myself recall. But it overshadowed me perpetually — a care, an alarm. It lay down with me at night and got up with me in the morning, tinting and disturbing my dreams, and making my daily life terrible. I wonder now that I lived through the ordeal. The torment was secret and incessant, and kept my mind in unintermitting activity.

      Externally things went on at Knowl for some weeks in the usual routine. Madame was, so far as her unpleasant ways were concerned, less tormenting than before, and constantly reminded me of “our leetle vow of friendship, you remember, dearest Maud!” and she would stand beside me, and looked from the window with her bony arm round my waist, and my reluctant hand drawn round in hers; and thus she would smile, and talk affectionately and even playfully; for at times she would grow quite girlish, and smile with her great carious teeth, and begin to quiz and babble about the young “faylows,” and tell bragging tales of her loves, all of which were dreadful to me.

      She was perpetually recurring, too, to the charming walk we had had together to Church Scarsdale, and proposing a repetition of that delightful excursion, which, you may be sure, I evaded, having by no means so agreeable a recollection of our visit.

      One day, as I was dressing to go out for a walk, in came good Mrs. Rusk, the housekeeper, to my room.

      “Miss Maud, dear, is not that too far for you? It is a long walk to Church Scarsdale, and you are not looking very well.”

      “To Church Scarsdale?” I repeated; “I’m not going to Church Scarsdale; who said I was going to Church Scarsdale? There is nothing I should so much dislike.”

      “Well, I never!” exclaimed she. “Why, there’s old Madame’s been down-stairs with me for fruit and sandwiches, telling me you were longing to go to Church Scarsdale ——”

      “It’s quite untrue,” I interrupted. “She knows I hate it.”

      “She does?” said Mrs. Rusk, quietly; “and you did not tell her nothing about the basket? Well — if there isn’t a story! Now what may she be after — what is it — what is she driving at?”

      “I can’t tell, but I won’t go.”

      “No, of course, dear, you won’t go. But you may be sure there’s some scheme in her old head. Tom Fowkes says she’s bin two or three times to drink tea at Farmer Gray’s — now, could be she’s thinking to marry him?” And Mrs. Rusk sat down and laughed heartily, ending with a crow of derision.

      “To think of a young fellow like that, and his wife, poor thing, not dead a year — maybe she’s got money?”

      “I don’t know — I don’t care — perhaps, Mrs. Rusk, you mistook Madame. I will go down; I am going out.”

      Madame had a basket in her hand. She held it quietly by her capacious skirt, at the far side, and made no allusion to the preparation, neither to the direction in which she proposed walking, and prattling artlessly and affectionately she marched by my side.

      Thus we reached the stile at the sheep-walk, and then I paused.

      “Now, Madame, have not we gone far enough in this direction? — suppose we visit the pigeon-house in the park?”

      “Wat folly! my dear a Maud — you cannot walk so far.”

      “Well, towards home, then.”

      “And wy not a this way? We ave not walk enough, and Mr. Ruthyn he will not be pleased if you do not take proper exercise. Let us walk on by the path, and stop when you like.”

      “Where do you wish to go, Madame?”

      “Nowhere particular — come along; don’t be fool, Maud.”

      “This leads to Church Scarsdale.”

      “A yes indeed! wat sweet place! bote we need not a walk all the way to there.”

      “I’d rather not walk outside the grounds to-day, Madame.”

      “Come, Maud, you shall not be fool — wat you mean, Mademoiselle?” said the stalworth lady, growing yellow and greenish with an angry mottling, and accosting me very gruffly.

      “I don’t care to cross the stile, thank you, Madame. I shall remain at this side.”

      “You shall do wat I tell you!” exclaimed she.

      “Let go my arm, Madame, you hurt me,” I cried.

      She had gripped my arm very firmly in her great bony hand, and seemed preparing to drag me over by main force.

      “Let me go,” I repeated shrilly, for the pain increased.

      “La!” she cried with a smile of rage and a laugh, letting me go and shoving me backward at the same time, so that I had a rather dangerous tumble.

      I stood up, a good deal hurt, and very angry, notwithstanding my fear of her.

      “I’ll ask papa if I am to be so ill-used.”

      “Wat av I done?” cried Madame, laughing grimly from her hollow jaws; “I did all I could to help you over —‘ow could I prevent you to pull back and tumble if you would do so? That is the way wen you petites Mademoiselles are naughty and hurt yourself they always try to make blame other people. Tell a wat you like — you think I care?”

      “Very well, Madame.”

      “Are a you coming?”

      “No.”

      She looked steadily in my face and very wickedly. I gazed at her as with dazzled eyes — I suppose as the feathered prey do at the owl that glares on them by night. I neither moved back nor forward, but stared at her quite helplessly.

      “You are nice pupil — charming young person! So polite, so obedient, so amiable! I will walk towards Church Scarsdale,” she continued, suddenly, breaking through the conventionalism of her irony, and accosting me in savage accents. “You weel stay behind if you dare. I tell you to accompany — do you hear?”

      More than ever resolved against following her, I remained where I was, watching her as she marched fiercely away, swinging her basket as though in imagination knocking my head off with it.

      She soon cooled, however, and looking over her shoulder, and seeing me still at the other side of the stile, she paused, and beckoned me grimly to follow her. Seeing me resolutely maintain my position, she СКАЧАТЬ