A Terrible Temptation (Fiscle Part 3) by Charles Reade (motivational books for men TXT) 📖
- Author: Charles Reade
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Her Powers Of Resistance Were Beginning To Relax. As For Mary Wells,
She Gave Her No Peace; She Kept Instilling Her Mind Into Her Mistress's
With The Pertinacity Of A Small But Ever-Dripping Fount, And We Know
Both By Science And Poetry That Small, Incessant Drops Of Water Will
Wear A Hole In Marble.
"Gutta Cavat Lapidem Non Vi Sed Saepe Cadendo."
And In The Midst Of All A Letter Came From Mr. Oldfield, To Tell Her
That Mr. Bassett Threatened To Take Out A Commission _De Lunatico,_ And
She Must Prepare Sir Charles For An Examination; For, If Reported
Insane, The Court Would Administer The Estates; But The Heir At Law,
Mr. Bassett, Would Have The Ear Of The Court And The Right Of
Application, And Become Virtually Master Of Huntercombe And Bassett;
And, Perhaps, Considering The Spirit By Which He Was Animated, Would
Contrive To Occupy The Very Hall Itself. Lady Bassett Was In The
Dressing-Room When She Received This Blow, And It Drove Her Almost
Frantic. She Bemoaned Her Husband; She Prayed God To Take Them Both,
And Let Their Enemy Have His Will. She Wept And Raved, And At The
Height Of Her Distress Came From The Other Room A Feeble Cry,
"Childless! Childless! Childless!"
Lady Bassett Heard That, And In One Moment, From Violent She Became
Unnaturally And Dangerously Calm. She Said Firmly To Mary Wells, "This
Is More Than I Can Bear. You Pretend You Can Save Him--Do It."
Mary Wells Now Trembled In Her Turn; But She Seized The Opportunity.
"My Lady, Whatever I Say You'll Stand To?"
"Whatever You Say I'll Stand To."
Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 145
Mary Wells, Like Other Uneducated Women, Was Not Accustomed To Think
Long And Earnestly On Any One Subject; To Use An Expression She Once
Applied With Far Less Justice To Her Sister, Her Mind Was Like Running
Water.
But Gestation Affects The Brains Of Such Women, And Makes Them Think
More Steadily, And Sometimes Very Acutely; Added To Which, The Peculiar
Dangers And Difficulties That Beset This Girl During That Anxious
Period Stimulated Her Wits To The Very Utmost. Often She Sat Quite
Still For Hours At A Time, Brooding And Brooding, And Asking Herself
How She Could Turn Each New And Unexpected Event To Her Own Benefit.
Now So Much Does Mental Force Depend On That Exercise Of Keen And Long
Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 146Attention, In Which Her Sex Is Generally Deficient, That This Young
Woman's Powers Were More Than Doubled Since The Day She First
Discovered Her Condition, And Began To Work Her Brains Night And Day
For Her Defense.
Gradually, As Events I Have Related Unfolded Themselves, She Caught A
Glimpse Of This Idea, That If She Could Get Her Mistress To Have A
Secret, Her Mistress Would Help Her To Keep Her Own. Hence Her
Insidious Whispers, And Her Constant Praises Of Mr. Angelo, Who, She
Saw, Was Infatuated With Lady Bassett. Yet The Designing Creature Was
Actually Fond Of Her Mistress: And So Strangely Compounded Is A Heart
Of This Low Kind That The Extraordinary Step She Now Took Was Half
Affectionate Impulse, Half Egotistical Design.
She Made A Motion With Her Hand Inviting Lady Bassett To Listen, And
Stepped Into Sir Charles's Room.
"Childless! Childless! Childless!"
"Hush, Sir," Said Mary Wells. "Don't Say So. We Shan't Be Many Mouths
Without One, Please Heaven."
Sir Charles Shook His Head Sadly.
"Don't You Believe Me?"
"No."
"What, Did Ever I Tell You A Lie?"
"No: But You Are Mistaken. She Would Have Told Me."
"Well, Sir, My Lady Is Young And Shy, And I Think She Is Afraid Of
Disappointing You After All; For You Know, Sir, There's Many A Slip
'Twixt The Cup And The Lip. But 'Tis As I Tell You, Sir."
Sir Charles Was Much Agitated, And Said He Would Give Her A Hundred
Guineas If That Was True. "Where Is My Darling Wife? Why Do I Hear This
Through A Servant?"
Mary Wells Cast A Look At The Door, And Said, For Lady Bassett To Hear,
"She Is Receiving Company. Now, Sir, I Have Told You Good News; Will
You Do Something To Oblige Me? You Shouldn't Speak Of It Direct To My
Lady Just Yet; And If You Want All To Go Well, You Mustn't Vex My Lady
As You Are Doing Now. What I Mean, You Mustn't Be So Downhearted--
There's No Reason For't--And You Mustn't Coop Yourself Up On This
Floor: It Sets The Folks Talking, And Worries My Lady. You Should Give
Her Every Chance, Being The Way She Is."
Sir Charles Said Eagerly He Would Not Vex Her For The World. "I'll Walk
In The Garden," Said He; "But As For Going Abroad, You Know I Am Not In
A Fit Condition Yet; My Mind Is Clouded."
"Not As I See."
Part 3 Chapter 18 Pg 147
"Oh, Not Always. But Sometimes A Cloud Seems To Get Into My Head; And
If I Was In Public I Might Do Or Say Something Discreditable. I Would
Rather Die."
"La, Sir!" Said Mary Wells, In A Broad, Hearty Way--"A Cloud In Your
Head! You've Had A Bad Fall, And A Fit At Top On't, And No Wonder Your
Poor Head Do Ache At Times. You'll Outgrow That--If You Take The Air
And Give Over Fretting About The T'other Thing. I Tell You You'll Hear
The Music Of A Child's Voice And Little Feet A-Pattering Up And Down
This Here Corridor Before So Very Long--If So Be You Take My Advice,
And Leave Off Fretting My Lady With Fretting Of Yourself. You Should
Consider: She Is Too Fond Of You To Be Well When You Be Ill."
"I'll Get Well For Her Sake," Said Sir Charles, Firmly.
At This Moment There Was A Knock At The Door. Mary Wells Opened It So
That The Servant Could See Nothing.
"Mr. Angelo Has Called."
"My Lady Will Be Down Directly."
Mary Wells Then Slipped Into The Dressing-Room, And Found Lady Bassett
Looking Pale And Wild. She Had Heard Every Word.
"There, He Is Better Already," Said Mary Wells. "He Shall Walk In The
Garden With You This Afternoon."
"What Have You Done? I Can't Look Him In The Face Now. Suppose He
Speaks To Me?"
"He Will Not. I'll Manage That. You Won't Have To Say A Word. Only
Listen To What I Say, And Don't Make A Liar Of Me. He Is Better
Already."
"How Will This End?" Cried Lady Bassett, Helplessly. "What Shall I Do?"
"You Must Go Downstairs, And Not Come Here For An Hour At Least, Or
You'll Spoil My Work. Mr. Angelo Is In The Drawing-Room."
"I Will Go To Him."
Lady Bassett Slipped Out By The Other Door, And It Was Three Hours,
Instead Of One, Before She Returned.
For The First Time In Her Life She Was Afraid To Face Her Husband.
Part 3 Chapter 19 Pg 148Meantime Mary Wells Had A Long Conversation With Her Master; And After
That She Retired Into The Adjoining Room, And Sat Down To Sew
Baby-Linen Clandestinely.
After A Considerable Tune Lady Bassett Came In, And, Sinking Into A
Chair, Covered Her Face With Her Hands. She Had Her Bonnet On.
Mary Wells Looked At Her With Black Eyes That Flashed Triumph.
After So Surveying Her For Some Time She Said: "I Have Been At Him
Again, And There's A Change For The Better Already. He Is Not The Same
Man. You Go And See Else."
Lady Bassett Now Obeyed Her Servant: She Rose And Crept Like A Culprit
Into Sir Charles's Room. She Found Him Clean Shaved, Dressed To
Perfection, And Looking More Cheerful Than She Had Seen Him For Many A
Long Day. "Ah, Bella," Said He, "You Have Your Bonnet On; Let Us Have A
Walk In The Garden."
Lady Bassett Opened Her Eyes And Consented Eagerly, Though She Was Very
Tired.
They Walked Together; And Sir Charles, Being A Man That Never Broke His
Word, Put No Direct Question To Lady Bassett, But Spoke Cheerfully Of
The Future, And Told Her She Was His Hope And His All; She Would Baffle
His Enemy, And Cheer His Desolate Hearth.
She Blushed, And Looked Confused And Distressed; Then He Smiled, And
Talked Of Indifferent Matters, Until A Pain In His Head Stopped Him;
Then He Became Confused, And, Putting His Hand Piteously To His Head,
Proposed To Retire At Once To His Own Room.
Lady Bassett Brought Him In, And He Reposed In Silence On The Sofa.
The Next Day, And, Indeed, Many Days Afterward, Presented Similar
Features.
Mary Wells Talked To Her Master Of The Bright Days To Come, Of The Joy
That Would Fill The House If All Went Well, And Of The Defeat In Store
For Richard Bassett. She Spoke Of This Man With Strange Virulence; Said
"She Would Think No More Of Sticking A Knife Into Him Than Of Eating
Her Dinner;" And In Saying This She Showed The White Of Her Eye In A
Manner Truly Savage And Vindictive.
To Hurt The Same Person Is A Surer Bond Than To Love The Same Person;
And This Sentiment Of Mary Wells, Coupled With Her Uniform Kindness To
Himself, Gave Her Great Influence With Sir Charles In His Present
Weakened Condition. Moreover, The Young Woman Had An Oily, Persuasive
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