Latterly, however, he had been in much better heart. She did not encourage him, perhaps, as much as he would have liked, but she favoured him more, he thought, than any of his fellows. Therefore it was that he had brought himself up to the terrible ordeal9 of staking his fate upon the throw;[136] and it was with this intention that he approached Miss Prioleau the very next time they met.
It was at a ball at the Convent, at the well known palace or residence of the Governor of the Rock. Edith was seated upon a fauteuil in the patio10, or central courtyard, between the dances. Her companion was Captain Mountcharles.
‘May I have the pleasure of a dance, Miss Prioleau?’ Herbert asked.
‘I’m afraid I have none left.’
‘You promised me the second valse—quite a week ago.’
‘Miss Prioleau is engaged for that to me,’ put in Captain Mountcharles, rather rudely.
‘The next, then?’ went on Herbert to Edith, without taking any notice of the A.D.C.
[137]
‘And for that too,’ said Mountcharles, in much the same tone as before.
‘Pardon me, I was speaking to Miss Prioleau, and I trust she will give me the answer herself.’
‘It’s quite—’ true she was going to say, as the easiest way out of the thing. But she was far too honest to tell a lie, even about a dance, and besides there was a mute appealing look in Herbert’s face which went to her heart. ‘I mean that you are rather late in the day, Mr. Larkins.’
She had promised not to dance with him, that was the fact. There had been a scene at the general’s about this Mr. Larkins, as Mrs. Prioleau called him. Edith had been taken rather sharply to task for encouraging him, and both father and mother had begged her to be careful. The man wasn’t half good enough for her, they[138] said. They had no absurd scruples11 about birth and position, and all that, still she ought to do much better than take a soldier of fortune, about whom and his belongings12 nothing whatever was known. Edith, remembering the Moorish Castle adventure, thought she could have enlightened her parents as to Herbert’s belongings, but she had no wish to injure him or to blacken him in their eyes. She only hotly repudiated13 the charge of favouring him, and agreed readily to do anything they wished. She would cut him if they liked. Not necessary? Well, snub him then? Not necessary either. What then? General and Mrs. Prioleau declared they would be satisfied if she would promise not to dance with the objectionable pretender at the Governor’s ball, and Edith gave her word to that effect.
[139]
This was why she had received Herbert so coldly. The other adventure had weighed, perhaps, with her, but not much.
As for Herbert, he was utterly14 taken aback. What could be the matter with Edith? Why this extraordinary change? Was the girl capricious, a mere15 flirt16, a garrison17 belle18, to whom admiration19 was everything, and admirers or their feelings simply nothing at all? Herbert did not like to think so hardly of her all at once, and resolved to make another attempt.
‘Is it quite hopeless, Miss Prioleau? May I not have one dance, only one?’ again he pleaded, with such earnest eyes that Edith Prioleau was touched and on the point of giving way.
‘Why did you cut me the other day, Mr. Larkins?’ suddenly asked Captain[140] Mountcharles, with the idea of creating some diversion.
‘I never cut you’—although I probably shall, and the sooner the better—Herbert was disposed to add. ‘When and where was it?’
‘Near the Moorish Cottage; you were coming out of some soldiers’ quarters.’
‘Oh yes, Sergeant20 Larkins.’
‘Relations, perhaps,’ the other observed impertinently.
‘Very near and very dear,’ Herbert replied promptly21. This was not an occasion on which he would deny his old friends.
‘At any rate you are honest, Mr. Larkins,’ Edith said, with a frank smile, but Herbert knew from the speech that Edith had been also present, and he seemed to understand now why she was so different to him.
[141]
‘Honesty is not the exclusive property of high birth, Miss Prioleau, and I can claim at least to have as much as my neighbours.’
‘Come, Edith, the music is playing,’ cried Captain Mountcharles, springing up; ‘we are losing half the dance.’
‘I’m not going to dance this,’ she replied coolly, adding, as he stared at her with indignant surprise, ‘I don’t care whether you’re cross or not. Go and find some other partners; there are plenty upstairs. I mean to stay here. Mr. Larkins will take care of me, I daresay.’
A quick flush of pleasure sprung to Herbert’s cheek. She was relenting; she did not mean to quarrel with him altogether. Perhaps after all she had been only trying him, and was ready to yield if he only took heart of grace to speak up and out to her like a man.
[142]
Mountcharles, with a sulky snort and a very savage22 look, had risen from his seat and walked off, leaving Herbert considerably elated, master of the field.
Our hero would have been less joyous23, perhaps, had he known Edith’s reason for thus appearing to favour him. With the native quick wittedness of a daughter of Eve, she had guessed already what was the matter with Herbert. A man who seeks to disguise his feelings in the presence of the woman he loves may flatter himself that he plays his part to perfection, but it is generally the flimsiest attempt even to ordinary feminine eyes, most of all to those of the beloved object. Edith had seen through him from the first. She knew that he was on the brink24 of a declaration, that he needed but the slightest encouragement to fall, metaphorically25, even practically, at her[143] feet. It was better that he and she should come to an understanding; that he should realise, even at some pain to himself, as well as to her, that they could only be friends to each other, nothing more.
There was a certain amount of coquetry in her fresh young voice and of archness in her bright eyes as she looked up to him and said,
‘Well, Mr. Larkins?’
He had been standing26 in front of her for some minutes, seeming rather gauche27 and stupid, and without uttering a word; courage seemed to come to him at once from her voice and look.
‘I was wondering whether you would listen to me, Miss Prioleau, while I told you a story—a long story—’
‘That depends. Is it interesting? Is it founded on fact? What is it about?’
[144]
‘It will be as interesting as I can make it. It is undoubtedly28 true, and it is all about myself.’
‘Your own history?’
‘Yes, so far as I know it.’
She made no answer, but just moved her skirts a little, with the gesture that implied she wished him to sit by her side.
There were other couples in the patio, patrolling or resting between the dances; there might be many interruptions; there certainly could be no privacy in this place, and Herbert did not wish his confidences published to all the world.
‘Shall we take a turn in the garden?’ Herbert asked, rather diffidently. ‘I shall be able to speak more unreservedly there.’
She nodded her head, and, getting up, took his arm without a word.
[145]
They passed out from the patio to the Convent garden—a perfect paradise that night for lovers. The moon was at its full—a southern moon—and flooded every place with warm white light; above was the deep purple sky, and high into it rose the steep crags of the great Rock. The soft and mellow29 air was loaded with fragrance30; a wealth of southern flowers, all now in their full bloom, filled the beds about, and among them were great bushes like trees of syringa, and of the dama de noche, which only give forth31 their full perfume at night. The sweet strains of an excellent band, playing for the dancers in the great ball-room up-stairs, rose and fell like a distant echo, and added greatly to the enchantment32 of the scene.
Walking here with the girl of his heart, Herbert spoke33 eloquently34 and well. He[146] told everything that had happened to him from his earliest days. The poor home in Triggertown barracks; the sudden appearance of the great lady who had charged herself with his education; the fine prospects35 which seemed to open before him on approaching manhood, and how they had been suddenly ruined. He spoke feelingly of the treatment he had received at the hands of Sir Rupert Farrington.
‘Which you so nobly repaid,’ interjected Edith.
He narrated36 the circumstances of his birth and parentage, and expatiated37 upon the affectionate devotion of old Mrs. Larkins, who had been a second mother to him; he touched lightly upon the chances which were still his of obtaining a title to a large estate and a good old name. He finished, and waited to hear what she would say.
[147]
But she was silent, and for so long that he feared she was annoyed.
‘You are not vexed38? I have not bored you, I hope?’ he said.
‘Oh, no, no; I was only thinking—thinking how hardly you had been used—how some of us, too, had misjudged you.’
She spoke in a low soft voice, which thrilled through him.
‘You were not one of those, surely? You, whose good opinion I value above all earthly things? Oh, Miss Prioleau, there is so much I have still to say to you that I hardly know how to begin. Can you not guess why I have told you my life? I wished only to interest you in myself, to explain why as yet I appear to be other than I really am. I felt it necessary, because I feared you despised me for my lowly birth—’
‘No, no, indeed, I never did that.’
[148]
‘I knew it, I knew it, but I wished to be perfectly39 sure. You are too good, Edith, too honest to be swayed by mere class distinctions—’
He was suddenly and rather rudely interrupted by the abrupt40 tones of General Prioleau’s voice—
‘But I am not, Mr. Larkins, and the sooner you know that the better. You probably despise them, as you do those conventional rules of propriety41 by which any one of the gentleman class would be bound.’
The general spoke with great warmth. There was no abatement42 in the angriness of his tone as he turned to his daughter and said,
‘Edith, your mother and I have been looking for you for some time past. I hardly thought to find you here and to see that you have not kept your promise.’
[149]
‘I gave no promise; I never said I would not speak to Mr. Larkins again,’ Edith said stoutly43, although her eyes were brimming over with tears.
‘Gaston, give Edith your arm, and take her back to her mother. I have a word or two to say to this—gentleman.’
Herbert, however, had by this time found his voice. He was brave enough too and spoke up to the general, in spite of their disparity in rank, as one man would to another.
‘I am truly sorry, sir, to have acted in a manner which is distasteful to you, but I cannot admit that I deserve your harsh words. I have done nothing wrong, sir—’
‘Nothing wrong!’ repeated the general, bitterly, ‘not in seeking to entrap44 the affections of an inexperienced young girl? Nothing wrong in inveigling45 her to compromise[150] herself with you by this long and solitary46 tête-à-tête? Nothing wrong!’
‘I am deeply and sincerely attached to your daughter, sir, and I wished to ask her to become my wife.’
‘Was there ever such matchless effrontery47? You? You to aspire48 to my daughter’s hand? What position could you give her? what would you live upon?’
‘I am not utterly penniless; I have good expectations; I have hopes indeed of succeeding to a title—’
‘That of chevalier d’industrie, I presume. But this is sheer waste of time. I know all about you—all I wish to hear—and I want nothing further. Our acquaintance must cease; I forbid you to enter my house, or ever again to address my daughter. I decline distinctly to hold any further communications with you. If your[151] own good taste does not prompt you to accede49 to my wishes, I must try to protect myself and my family by other means.’
‘I will win her in spite of you, general,’ said Herbert, firmly and very coolly, although his blood was up. ‘It is due to myself to say that neither by word or deed have I knowingly sought to entangle50 Miss Prioleau in any engagement. She is under no promise to me; I am not certain whether she cares for me, even as a friend. But if God but grants me strength and health to fight my way, she shall one day be my wife, and that in spite of you all.’
And he walked away, leaving General Prioleau aghast at his impudence51.
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1
moorish
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| adj.沼地的，荒野的，生[住]在沼地的 | |
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2
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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3
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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5
sketching
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| n.草图 | |
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6
blotting
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| 吸墨水纸 | |
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7
countersign
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| v.副署，会签 | |
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8
sentries
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| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
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9
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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10
patio
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| n.庭院，平台 | |
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scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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12
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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13
repudiated
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| v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务） | |
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14
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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15
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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16
flirt
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| v.调情，挑逗，调戏；n.调情者，卖俏者 | |
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17
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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18
belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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19
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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20
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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22
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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metaphorically
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| adv. 用比喻地 | |
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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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gauche
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| adj.笨拙的，粗鲁的 | |
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28
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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29
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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30
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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31
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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32
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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33
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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34
eloquently
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| adv. 雄辩地(有口才地, 富于表情地) | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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36
narrated
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| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
expatiated
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| v.详述，细说( expatiate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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39
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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40
abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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41
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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42
abatement
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| n.减(免)税，打折扣，冲销 | |
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43
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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44
entrap
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| v.以网或陷阱捕捉，使陷入圈套 | |
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45
inveigling
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| v.诱骗，引诱( inveigle的现在分词 ) | |
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46
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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47
effrontery
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| n.厚颜无耻 | |
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48
aspire
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| vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于 | |
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49
accede
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| v.应允，同意 | |
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50
entangle
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| vt.缠住，套住；卷入，连累 | |
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51
impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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