Clarissa Harlowe Samuel Richardson (most important books to read TXT) 📖

The coach shall go on, my dear life, said he.⁠—But he gave not, nor intended to give, orders that it should.

Let the coach go on! said I⁠—Mr. Lovelace may come after us.

Indeed, my dear, you are ill!⁠—Indeed you must alight⁠—alight but for one quarter of an hour.⁠—Alight but to give orders yourself about your things. Whom can you be afraid of in my company, and my niece’s; these people must have behaved shockingly to you! Please the Lord, I’ll inquire into it!⁠—I’ll see what sort of people they are!

Immediately came the old creature to the door. A thousand pardons, dear Madam, stepping to the coach-side, if we have anyway offended you⁠—Be pleased, Ladies, (to the other two) to alight.

Well, my dear, whispered the Lady Betty, I now find that an hideous description of a person we never saw is an advantage to them. I thought the woman was a monster⁠—but, really, she seems tolerable.

I was afraid I should have fallen into fits: but still refused to go out⁠—Man!⁠—Man!⁠—Man!⁠—cried I, gaspingly, my head out of the coach and in, by turns, half a dozen times running, drive on!⁠—Let us go!

My heart misgave me beyond the power of my own accounting for it; for still I did not suspect these women. But the antipathy I had taken to the vile house, and to find myself so near it, when I expected no such matter, with the sight of the old creature, all together made me behave like a distracted person.

The hartshorn and water was brought. The pretended Lady Betty made me drink it. Heaven knows if there was anything else in it!

Besides, said she, whisperingly, I must see what sort of creatures the nieces are. Want of delicacy cannot be hid from me. You could not surely, my dear, have this aversion to re-enter a house, for a few minutes, in our company, in which you lodged and boarded several weeks, unless these women could be so presumptuously vile, as my nephew ought not to know.

Out stepped the pretended lady; the servant, at her command, having opened the door.

Dearest Madam, said the other to me, let me follow you, (for I was next the door). Fear nothing: I will not stir from your presence.

Come, my dear, said the pretended lady, give me your hand; holding out hers. Oblige me this once.

I will bless your footsteps, said the old creature, if once more you honour my house with your presence.

A crowd by this time was gathered about us; but I was too much affected to mind that.

Again the pretended Miss Montague urged me; standing up as ready to go out if I would give her room.⁠—Lord, my dear, said she, who can bear this crowd?⁠—What will people think?

The pretended Lady again pressed me, with both her hands held out⁠—Only, my dear, to give orders about your things.

And thus pressed, and gazed at, (for then I looked about me), the women so richly dressed, people whispering; in an evil moment, out stepped I, trembling, forced to lean with both my hands (frighted too much for ceremony) on the pretended Lady Betty’s arm⁠—Oh! that I had dropped down dead upon the guilty threshold!

We shall stay but a few minutes, my dear!⁠—but a few minutes! said the same specious jilt⁠—out of breath with her joy, as I have since thought, that they had thus triumphed over the unhappy victim!

Come, Mrs. Sinclair, I think your name is, show us the way⁠—following her, and leading me. I am very thirsty. You have frighted me, my dear, with your strange fears. I must have tea made, if it can be done in a moment. We have farther to go, Mrs. Sinclair, and must return to Hampstead this night.

It shall be ready in a moment, cried the wretch. We have water boiling.

Hasten, then⁠—Come, my dear, to me, as she led me through the passage to the fatal inner house⁠—lean upon me⁠—how you tremble!⁠—how you falter in your steps!⁠—Dearest niece Lovelace, (the old wretch being in hearing), why these hurries upon your spirits?⁠—We’ll be gone in a minute.

And thus she led the poor sacrifice into the old wretch’s too-well-known parlour.

Never was anybody so gentle, so meek, so low voiced, as the odious woman; drawling out, in a puling accent, all the obliging things she could say: awed, I then thought, by the conscious dignity of a woman of quality; glittering with jewels.

The called-for tea was ready presently.

There was no Mr. Belton, I believe: for the wretch went not to anybody, unless it were while we were parlying in the coach. No such person however, appeared at the tea-table.

I was made to drink two dishes, with milk, complaisantly urged by the pretended ladies helping me each to one. I was stupid to their hands; and, when I took the tea, almost choked with vapours; and could hardly swallow.

I thought, transiently thought, that the tea, the last dish particularly, had an odd taste. They, on my palating it, observed, that the milk was London-milk; far short in goodness of what they were accustomed to from their own dairies.

I have no doubt that my two dishes, and perhaps my hartshorn, were prepared for me; in which case it was more proper for their purpose, that they should help me, than that I should help myself. Ill before, I found myself still more and more disordered in my head; a heavy torpid pain increasing fast upon me. But I imputed it to my terror.

Nevertheless, at the pretended Lady’s motion, I went upstairs, attended by Dorcas; who affected to weep for joy, that she once more saw my blessed face; that was the vile creature’s word: and immediately I set about taking out some of my clothes, ordering what should be put up, and what sent after me.

While I was thus employed, up came the pretended Lady Betty, in a hurrying way⁠—My dear, you won’t be long before you are ready. My nephew is very busy in writing answers to his letters: so, I’ll just whip away, and