“For goodness' sake, man,” admonished2 his lordship, “try to keep Lady Blakeney talking outside for a moment, while the ladies withdraw. Zounds!” he added, with another more emphatic3 oath, “this is most unfortunate.”
“Quick, Sally! the candles!” shouted Jellyband, as hopping4 about from one leg to another, he ran hither and thither5, adding to the general discomfort of everybody.
The Comtesse, too, had risen to her feet: rigid7 and erect8, trying to hide her excitement beneath more becoming sang-froid, she repeated mechanically,—
“I will not see her!—I will not see her!”
Outside, the excitement attendant upon the arrival of very important guests grew apace.
“Good-day, Sir Percy!—Good-day to your ladyship! Your servant, Sir Percy!”—was heard in one long, continued chorus, with alternate more feeble tones of—“Remember the poor blind man! of your charity, lady and gentleman!”
“Let the poor man be—and give him some supper at my expense.”
The voice was low and musical, with a slight sing-song in it, and a faint soup?on of foreign intonation9 in the pronunciation of the consonants10.
Everyone in the coffee-room heard it and paused, instinctively11 listening to it for a moment. Sally was holding the candles by the opposite door, which led to the bedrooms upstairs, and the Comtesse was in the act of beating a hasty retreat before that enemy who owned such a sweet musical voice; Suzanne reluctantly was preparing to follow her mother, whilst casting regretful glances towards the door, where she hoped still to see her dearly-beloved, erstwhile school-fellow.
Then Jellyband threw open the door, still stupidly and blindly hoping to avert12 the catastrophe13 which he felt was in the air, and the same low, musical voice said, with a merry laugh and mock consternation,—
“B-r-r-r-r! I am as wet as a herring! Dieu! has anyone ever seen such a contemptible14 climate?”
“Suzanne, come with me at once—I wish it,” said the Comtesse, peremptorily15.
“Oh! Mama!” pleaded Suzanne.
“My lady . . . er . . . h'm! . . . my lady! . . .” came in feeble accents from Jellyband, who stood clumsily trying to bar the way.
“Pardieu, my good man,” said Lady Blakeney, with some impatience16, “what are you standing17 in my way for, dancing about like a turkey with a sore foot? Let me get to the fire, I am perished with the cold.”
And the next moment Lady Blakeney, gently pushing mine host on one side, had swept into the coffee-room.
There are many portraits and miniatures extant of Marguerite St. Just—Lady Blakeney as she was then—but it is doubtful if any of these really do her singular beauty justice. Tall, above the average, with magnificent presence and regal figure, it is small wonder that even the Comtesse paused for a moment in involuntary admiration18 before turning her back on so fascinating an apparition19.
Marguerite Blakeney was then scarcely five-and-twenty, and her beauty was at its most dazzling stage. The large hat, with its undulating and waving plumes20, threw a soft shadow across the classic brow with the aureole of auburn hair—free at the moment from any powder; the sweet, almost childlike mouth, the straight chiselled21 nose, round chin, and delicate throat, all seemed set off by the picturesque22 costume of the period. The rich blue velvet23 robe moulded in its every line the graceful24 contour of the figure, whilst one tiny hand held, with a dignity all its own, the tall stick adorned25 with a large bunch of ribbons which fashionable ladies of the period had taken to carrying recently.
With a quick glance all around the room, Marguerite Blakeney had taken stock of everyone there. She nodded pleasantly to Sir Andrew Ffoulkes, whilst extending a hand to Lord Antony.
“Hello! my Lord Tony, why—what are you doing here in Dover?” she said merrily.
Then, without waiting for a reply, she turned and faced the Comtesse and Suzanne. Her whole face lighted up with additional brightness, as she stretched out both arms towards the young girl.
“Why! if that isn't my little Suzanne over there. Pardieu, little citizeness, how came you to be in England? And Madame too!”
She went up effusively26 to them both, with not a single touch of embarrassment27 in her manner or in her smile. Lord Tony and Sir Andrew watched the little scene with eager apprehension28. English though they were, they had often been in France, and had mixed sufficiently29 with the French to realise the unbending hauteur30, the bitter hatred31 with which the old noblesse of France viewed all those who had helped to contribute to their downfall. Armand St. Just, the brother of beautiful Lady Blakeney—though known to hold moderate and conciliatory views—was an ardent32 republican; his feud33 with the ancient family of St. Cyr—the rights and wrongs of which no outsider ever knew—had culminated34 in the downfall, the almost total extinction35, of the latter. In France, St. Just and his party had triumphed, and here in England, face to face with these three refugees driven from their country, flying for their lives, bereft36 of all which centuries of luxury had given them, there stood a fair scion37 of those same republican families which had hurled38 down a throne, and uprooted39 an aristocracy whose origin was lost in the dim and distant vista40 of bygone centuries.
She stood there before them, in all the unconscious insolence41 of beauty, and stretched out her dainty hand to them, as if she would, by that one act, bridge over the conflict and bloodshed of the past decade.
“Suzanne, I forbid you to speak to that woman,” said the Comtesse, sternly, as she placed a restraining hand upon her daughter's arm.
She had spoken in English, so that all might hear and understand; the two young English gentlemen as well as the common innkeeper and his daughter. The latter literally42 gasped43 with horror at this foreign insolence, this impudence44 before her ladyship—who was English, now that she was Sir Percy's wife, and a friend of the Princess of Wales to boot.
As for Lord Antony and Sir Andrew Ffoulkes, their very hearts seemed to stand still with horror at this gratuitous45 insult. One of them uttered an exclamation46 of appeal, the other one of warning, and instinctively both glanced hurriedly towards the door, whence a slow, drawly, not unpleasant voice had already been heard.
Alone among those present Marguerite Blakeney and the Comtesse de Tournay had remained seemingly unmoved. The latter, rigid, erect and defiant47, with one hand still upon her daughter's arm, seemed the very personification of unbending pride. For the moment Marguerite's sweet face had become as white as the soft fichu which swathed her throat, and a very keen observer might have noted48 that the hand which held the tall, beribboned stick was clenched49, and trembled somewhat.
But this was only momentary50; the next instant the delicate eyebrows51 were raised slightly, the lips curved sarcastically52 upwards53, the clear blue eyes looked straight at the rigid Comtesse, and with a slight shrug54 of the shoulders—
“We are in England now, Madame,” rejoined the Comtesse, coldly, “and I am at liberty to forbid my daughter to touch your hand in friendship. Come, Suzanne.”
She beckoned56 to her daughter, and without another look at Marguerite Blakeney, but with a deep, old-fashioned curtsey to the two young men, she sailed majestically58 out of the room.
There was silence in the old inn parlour for a moment, as the rustle59 of the Comtesse's skirts died away down the passage. Marguerite, rigid as a statue, followed with hard, set eyes the upright figure, as it disappeared through the doorway60—but as little Suzanne, humble61 and obedient, was about to follow her mother, the hard, set expression suddenly vanished, and a wistful, almost pathetic and childlike look stole into Lady Blakeney's eyes.
Little Suzanne caught that look; the child's sweet nature went out to the beautiful woman, scarce older than herself; filial obedience62 vanished before girlish sympathy; at the door she turned, ran back to Marguerite, and putting her arms round her, kissed her effusively; then only did she follow her mother, Sally bringing up the rear, with a pleasant smile on her dimpled face, and with a final curtsey to my lady.
Suzanne's sweet and dainty impulse had relieved the unpleasant tension. Sir Andrew's eyes followed the pretty little figure, until it had quite disappeared, then they met Lady Blakeney's with unassumed merriment.
Marguerite, with dainty affectation, had kissed her hand to the ladies, as they disappeared through the door, then a humorous smile began hovering63 round the corners of her mouth.
“So that's it, is it?” she said gaily. “La! Sir Andrew, did you ever see such an unpleasant person? I hope when I grow old I sha'n't look like that.”
The laugh which accompanied this sally sounded perhaps a trifle forced and hard, but neither Sir Andrew nor Lord Tony were very keen observers. The mimicry65 was so perfect, the tone of the voice so accurately66 reproduced, that both the young men joined in a hearty67 cheerful “Bravo!”
“Ah! Lady Blakeney!” added Lord Tony, “how they must miss you at the Comédie Fran?aise, and how the Parisians must hate Sir Percy for having taken you away.”
“Lud, man,” rejoined Marguerite, with a shrug of her graceful shoulders, “'tis impossible to hate Sir Percy for anything; his witty68 sallies would disarm69 even Madame la Comtesse herself.”
The young Vicomte, who had not elected to follow his mother in her dignified70 exit, now made a step forward, ready to champion the Comtesse should Lady Blakeney aim any further shafts71 at her. But before he could utter a preliminary word of protest, a pleasant, though distinctly inane72 laugh, was heard from outside, and the next moment an unusually tall and very richly dressed figure appeared in the doorway.
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1
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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2
admonished
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| v.劝告( admonish的过去式和过去分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责 | |
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3
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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hopping
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| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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7
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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intonation
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| n.语调，声调；发声 | |
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consonants
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| n.辅音，子音( consonant的名词复数 )；辅音字母 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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12
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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17
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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19
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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20
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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21
chiselled
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| adj.凿过的，凿光的； （文章等）精心雕琢的v.凿，雕，镌( chisel的过去式 ) | |
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22
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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23
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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24
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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effusively
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| adv.变溢地，热情洋溢地 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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28
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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hauteur
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| n.傲慢 | |
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31
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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33
feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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34
culminated
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| v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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scion
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| n.嫩芽，子孙 | |
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38
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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39
uprooted
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| v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园 | |
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40
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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41
insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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43
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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44
impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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45
gratuitous
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| adj.无偿的，免费的；无缘无故的，不必要的 | |
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46
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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47
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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48
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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49
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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51
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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52
sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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53
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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54
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) | |
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55
gaily
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| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
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56
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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58
majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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59
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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60
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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61
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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62
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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63
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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64
mimicking
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| v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的现在分词 )；酷似 | |
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65
mimicry
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| n.（生物）拟态，模仿 | |
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66
accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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67
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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68
witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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69
disarm
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| v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和 | |
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70
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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71
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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72
inane
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| adj.空虚的，愚蠢的，空洞的 | |
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