A Terrible Temptation (Fiscle Part 3) by Charles Reade (motivational books for men TXT) 📖
- Author: Charles Reade
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But Perhaps It Will Not Always Be So."
"I Hope Not. You Are Young, And Heaven Is Good. Can I Do Nothing For
You, Who Have Done So Much For Me?"
"Nothing--Unless--" Said She, Feigning Vast Timidity, "You Could Spare
Me That Ring Of Yours, As A Remembrance Of The Part I Have Played In
This Affair."
Sir Charles Colored. It Was A Ruby Of The Purest Water, And Had Been
Two Centuries In His Family. He Colored, But Was Too Fine A Gentleman
To Hesitate. He Said, "By All Means. But It Is A Poor Thing To Offer
_You."_
"I Shall Value It Very Much."
"Say No More. I Am Fortunate In Having Anything You Deign To Accept."
And So The Ring Changed Hands.
The Sister Now Put It On Her Middle Finger, And Held Up Her Hand, And
Her Bright Eyes Glanced At It, Through Her Veil, With That Delight
Which Her Sex In General Feel At The Possession Of A New Bauble. She
Recovered Herself, However, And Told Him, Soberly, The Ring Should
Return To His Family At Her Death, If Not Before.
"I Will Give You A Piece Of Advice For It," Said She. "Miss Bruce Has
Part 3 Chapter 8 Pg 58Foxy Hair; And She Is Very Timid. Don't You Take Her Advice About
Commanding Her. She Would Like To Be Your Slave! Don't Let Her. Coax
Her To Speak Her Mind. Make A Friend Of Her. Don't You Put Her To
This--That She Must Displease You, Or Else Deceive You. She Might
Choose Wrong, Especially With That Colored Hair."
"It Is Not In Her Nature To Deceive."
"It Is Not In Her Nature To Displease. Excuse Me; I Am Too Fanciful,
And Look At Women Too Close. But I Know Your Happiness Depends On Her.
All Your Eggs Are In That One Basket. Well, I Have Told You How To
Carry The Basket. Good-By."
Sir Charles Saw Her Out, And Bowed Respectfully To Her In The Hall,
While His Servant Opened The Street Door. He Did Her This Homage As His
Benefactress.
When Admiral And Miss Bruce Reached Baden Mrs. Molineux Was Away On A
Visit; And This Disappointed Admiral Bruce, Who Had Counted On Her
Assistance To Manage And Comfort Bella. Bella Needed The Latter Very
Much. A Glance At Her Pale, Pensive, Lovely Face Was Enough To Show
That Sorrow Was Rooted At Her Heart. She Was Subjected To No Restraint,
But Kept The House Of Her Own Accord, Thinking, As Persons Of Her Age
Are Apt To Do, That Her Whole History Must Be Written In Her Face.
Still, Of Course, She Did Go Out Sometimes; And One Cold But Bright
Afternoon She Was Strolling Languidly On The Parade, When All In A
Moment She Met Sir Charles Bassett Face To Face.
She Gave An Eloquent Scream, And Turned Pale A Moment, And Then The Hot
Blood Came Rushing, And Then It Retired, And She Stood At Bay, With
Heaving Bosom--And Great Eyes.
Sir Charles Held Out Both Hands Pathetically. "Don't You Be Afraid Of
Me."
When She Found He Was So Afraid Of Offending Her She Became More
Courageous. "How Dare You Come Here?" Said She, But With More Curiosity
Than Violence, For It Had Been Her Dream Of Hope He Would Come.
"How Could I Keep Away, When I Heard You Were Here?"
"You Must Not Speak To Me, Sir; I Am Forbidden."
"Pray Do Not Condemn Me Unheard."
"If I Listen To You I Shall Believe You. I Won't Hear A Word. Gentlemen
Can Do Things That Ladies Cannot Even Speak About. Talk To My Aunt
Molineux; Our Fate Depends On Her. This Will Teach You Not To Be So
Wicked. What Business Have Gentlemen To Be So Wicked? Ladies Are Not.
Part 3 Chapter 8 Pg 59No, It Is No Use; I Will Not Hear A Syllable. I Am Ashamed To Be Seen
Speaking To You. You Are A Bad Character. Oh, Charles, Is It True You
Had A Fit?"
"Yes."
"And Have You Been Very Ill? You Look Ill."
"I Am Better Now, Dearest."
"Dearest! Don't Call Me Names. How Dare You Keep Speaking To Me When I
Request You Not?"
"But I Can't Excuse Myself, And Obtain My Pardon, And Recover Your
Love, Unless I Am Allowed To Speak."
"Oh, You Can Speak To My Aunt Molineux, And She Will Read You A Fine
Lesson."
"Where Is She?"
"Nobody Knows. But There Is Her House, The One With The Iron Gate. Get
Her Ear First, If You Really Love Me; And Don't You Ever Waylay Me
Again. If You Do, I Shall Say Something Rude To You, Sir. Oh, I'm So
Happy!"
Having Let This Out, She Hid Her Face With Her Hands, And Fled Like The
Very Wind.
At Dinner-Time She Was In High Spirits.
The Admiral Congratulated Her.
"Brava, Bell! Youth And Health And A Foreign Air Will Soon Cure You Of
That Folly."
Bella Blushed Deeply, And Said Nothing. The Truth Struggled Within Her,
Too, But She Shrank From Giving Pain, And Receiving Expostulation.
She Kept The House, Though, For Two Days, Partly Out Of Modesty, Partly
Out Of An Honest And Pious Desire To Obey Her Father As Much As She
Could.
The Third Day Mrs. Molineux Arrived, And Sent Over To The Admiral.
He Invited Bella To Come With Him. She Consented Eagerly, But Was So
Long In Dressing That He Threatened To Go Without Her. She Implored Him
Not To Do That; And After A Monstrous Delay, The Motive Of Which The
Reader May Perhaps Divine, Father And Daughter Called On Mrs. Molineux.
She Received Them Very Affectionately. But When The Admiral, With Some
Hesitation, Began To Enter On The Great Subject, She Said, Quietly,
"Bella, My Dear, Go For A Walk, And Come Back To Me In Half An Hour."
Part 3 Chapter 8 Pg 60
"Aunt Molineux!" Said Bella, Extending Both Her Hands Imploringly To
That Lady.
Mrs. Molineux Was Proof Against This Blandishment, And Bella Had To Go.
When She Was Gone, This Lady, Who Both As Wife And Mother Was Literally
A Model, Rather Astonished Her Brother The Admiral. She Said: "I Am
Sorry To Tell You That You Have Conducted This Matter With Perfect
Impropriety, Both You And Bella. She Had No Business To Show You That
Anonymous Letter; And When She Did Show It You, You Should Have Taken
It From Her, And Told Her Not To Believe A Word Of It."
"And Married My Daughter To A Libertine! Why, Charlotte, I Am Ashamed
Of You."
Mrs. Molineux Colored High; But She Kept Her Temper, And Ignored The
Interruption. "Then, If You Decided To Go Into So Indelicate A Question
At All (And Really You Were Not Bound To Do So On Anonymous
Information), Why, Then, You Should Have Sent For Sir Charles, And
Given Him The Letter, And Put Him On His Honor To Tell You The Truth.
He Would Have Told You The Fact, Instead Of A Garbled Version; And The
Fact Is That Before He Knew Bella He Had A Connection, Which He
Prepared To Dissolve, On Terms Very Honorable To Himself, As Soon As He
Engaged Himself To Your Daughter. What Is There In That? Why, It Is
Common, Universal, Among Men Of Fashion. I Am So Vexed It Ever Came To
Bella's Knowledge: Really It Is Dreadful To Me, As A Mother, That Such
A Thing Should Have Been Discussed Before That Child. Complete
Innocence Means Complete Ignorance; And That Is How All My Girls Went
To Their Husbands. However, What We Must Do Now Is To Tell Her Sir
Charles Has Satisfied Me He Was Not To Blame; And After That The
Subject Must Never Be Recurred To. Sir Charles Has Promised Me Never To
Mention It, And No More Shall Bella. And Now, My Dear John, Let Me
Congratulate You. Your Daughter Has A High-Minded Lover, Who Adores
Her, With A Fine Estate: He Has Been Crying To Me, Poor Fellow, As Men
Will To A Woman Of My Age; And If You Have Any Respect For My
Judgment--Ask Him To Dinner."
She Added That It Might Be As Well If, After Dinner, He Were To Take A
Little Nap.
Admiral Bruce Did Not Fall Into These Views Without Discussion. I Spare
The Reader The Dialogue, Since He Yielded At Last; Only He Stipulated
That His Sister Should Do The Dinner, And The Subsequent Siesta.
Bella Returned Looking Very Wistful And Anxious.
"Come Here, Niece," Said Mrs. Molineux. "Kneel You At My Knee. Now
Look--Me In The Face. Sir Charles Has Loved You, And You Only, From The
Day He First Saw You. He Loves You Now As Much As Ever. Do You Love
Him?"
"Oh, Aunt! Aunt!" A Shower Of Kisses, And A Tear Or Two.
"That Is Enough. Then Dry Your Eyes, And Dress Your Beautiful Hair A
Part 3 Chapter 8 Pg 61Little Better Than _That;_ For He Dines With Me To-Day!"
Who So Bright And Happy Now As Bella Bruce?
The Dreaded Aunt Did Not Stop There. She Held That After The Peep Into
Real Life Bella Bruce Had Obtained, For Want Of A Mother's Vigilance,
She Ought To Be A Wife As Soon As Possible. So She Gave Sir Charles A
Hint That Baden Was A Very Good Place To Be Married In; And From That
Moment Sir Charles Gave Bella And Her Father No Rest Till They
Consented.
Little Did Richard Bassett, In England, Dream What Was Going On At
Baden. He Now Surveyed The Chimneys Of Huntercombe Hall With
Resignation, And Even With Growing Complacency, As Chimneys That Would
One Day Be His, Since Their Owner Would Not Be In A Hurry To
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