"Is she?" said Charlotte. "They had better wait a few years, both of them, until they shall have put by something."
"They're neither of them of the putting-by sort," returned Mrs. Buffle. "Them Crosses is the worst girls to spend in all the Fair: unless it's Carry Mason. She don't spare her back, she don't. The wonder is, how she gets it."
"Young girls will dress," observed Charlotte, carelessly.
Mrs. Buffle laughed. "You speak as if you were an old one."
"I feel like one sometimes, Mrs. Buffle. When children are left, as I and Robert were, with a baby brother to bring up, and hardly any means to do it upon, it helps to steady them. Tom——"
Eliza Tyrrett burst in at the door, with a violence that made its bell twang and tinkle3. "Half-a-pound o' dips, long-tens, Dame4 Buffle, and be quick about it," was her order. "There's such a flare-up, in at Mason's."
"A flare-up!" repeated Mrs. Buffle, who was always ripe and ready for a dish of scandal, whether it touched on domestic differences, or on young girls' improvidence5 in the shape of dress. "Is Mason and her having a noise?"
"It's not him and her. It's about Carry. Hetty Mason locked Carry up this afternoon, and Mason never came home at all to tea; he went and had some beer instead, and a turn at skittles, and she wouldn't let Carry out. He came in just now, and his wife told him a whole heap about Carry, and Mason went up to the cock-loft, undid6 the door, and threatened to kick Carry down. They're having it out in the kitchen, all three."
"What has Carry done?" asked Mrs. Buffle eagerly.
"Perhaps Charlotte East can tell," said Eliza Tyrrett, slyly. "She has been thick with Carry lately. I am not a-going to spoil sport."
Charlotte took up her butter, and bending a severe look of caution on the Tyrrett girl, left the shop. Anthony Dare's reputation was not a brilliant one, and the bare fact of Caroline Mason's allowing herself to walk with him would have damaged her in the eyes of Honey Fair. As well keep it, if possible, from Mrs. Buffle and other gossips.
As Charlotte crossed to her own door, she became conscious that some one was flying towards her in the dusk of the evening: a woman with a fleet foot and panting breath. Charlotte caught hold of her. "Caroline, where are you going?"
"Let me alone, Charlotte East"—and Caroline's nostrils7 were working, her eyes flashing. "I have left their house for ever, and am going to one who will give me a better."
Charlotte held her tight. "You must not go, Caroline."
"I will," she defiantly8 answered. "I have chosen my lot this night for better or for worse. Will I stay to be taunted9 without a cause? To be told I am what I am not? No! If anything should happen to me, let them reproach themselves, for they have driven me on to it."
Charlotte tried her utmost to restrain the wild girl. "Caroline," she urged, "this is the turning-point in your life. A step forward, and you may have passed it beyond recall; a step backwards10, and you may be saved for ever. Come home with me."
Caroline in her madness—it was little else—turned her ghastly face upon Charlotte. "You shan't stop me, Charlotte East! You go your way, and I'll go mine. Shall Mark and she go on at me without cause, I say, calling me false names?"
"Come home with me, Caroline. You shall stay with me to-night; you shan't go back to Hetty. My bed's not large, but it will hold us."
"I won't, I won't!" she uttered, struggling to be free.
"Only for a minute," implored11 Charlotte. "Come in for a minute until you are calm. You are mad just now."
"I am driven to it. There!"
With a jerk she wrenched12 herself from Charlotte's grasp, passion giving her strength: and she flew onwards and was lost in the dark night. Charlotte East ran home. Her brothers were there. "Tom," said she, "put this butter in the cupboard for me;" and out she went again. At the end of Honey Fair, a road lay each way. Which should she take? Which had Caroline taken?
She chose the one to the right—it was the most retired13—and went groping about it for twenty minutes. As it happened, as such things generally do happen, Caroline had taken the other.
In a sheltered part of that, which lay back, away from the glare of the gas lamps, Caroline had taken refuge. She had expected some one would be there to meet her; but she found herself mistaken. Down she sat on a stone, and her wild passion began to diminish.
Nearly half an hour afterwards, Charlotte found her there. Caroline was talking to Anthony Dare, who had just come up. Charlotte grasped Caroline.
"You must come with me, Caroline."
"Who on earth are you, and what do you want intruding14 here?" demanded Anthony Dare, turning round with a fierce stare on Charlotte.
"I am Charlotte East, sir, if it is any matter to you to know my name, and I am a friend of Caroline Mason's. I am here to take her out of harm's way."
"I am afraid there is one thing to harm her, sir, and that's you," said brave Charlotte. "You can't come among us people in Honey Fair for any good. Folks bent on good errands don't need to wait till dark before they pay their visits. You had better give up prowling about this place, Mr. Anthony Dare. Stay with your equals, sir; with those that will be a match for you."
"The woman must be deranged16!" uttered Anthony, going into a terrible passion. "How dare you presume to say such things to me?"
"How dare you, sir, set yourself out to work ill?" retorted Charlotte. "Come along, Caroline," she added to the girl, who was now crying bitterly. "As for you, sir, if you mean no harm, as you say, and it is necessary that you should condescend17 to visit Honey Fair, please to pay your visits in the broad light of day."
No very pleasant word broke from Anthony Dare. He would have liked to exterminate18 Charlotte. "Caroline," foamed19 he, "order this woman away. If I could see a policeman, I'd give her in charge."
"Sir, if you dare attempt to detain her, I'll appeal to the first passer-by. I'll tell them to look at the great and grand Mr. Anthony Dare, and to ask him what he wants here, night after night."
Even as Charlotte spoke20, footsteps were heard, and two gentlemen, talking together, advanced. The voice of one fell familiarly on the ear of Anthony Dare, familiarly on that of Charlotte East. The latter uttered a joyful21 cry.
"There's Mr. Ashley! Loose her, sir, or I'll call to him."
To have Mr. Ashley "called to" on the point would not be altogether agreeable to the feelings of young Anthony. "You fool!" he exclaimed to Charlotte East, "what harm do you suppose I meant, or thought of? You must be a very strange person yourself, to get such a thing into your imagination. Good night, Caroline."
And turning on his heel haughtily, Anthony Dare stalked off in the direction of Helstonleigh. Mr. Ashley passed on, having noticed nothing, and Charlotte East wound her arm round the sobbing22 girl, subdued23 now, and led her home.
Anthony went straight to Pomeranian Knoll24, and threw himself on to a sofa in a very ill humour. Lord Hawkesley was occupied with Adelaide and her singing, and paid little attention to him.
At the close of the evening they left together, Anthony going out with Lord Hawkesley, and linking arms as they proceeded towards the Star Hotel, Lord Hawkesley's usual quarters when in Helstonleigh.
"I have got two hundred out of the governor," began Anthony in a confidential25 tone. "He will give me the cheque to-morrow."
"What's two hundred, Dare?" slightingly spoke his lordship. "It's nothing."
"It was of no use trying for more to-night. The two hundred will stop present worry, Hawkesley; the future must be provided for when it comes." And they walked on with a quicker step.
Mrs. Dare had looked at her watch as they departed. It was half-past eleven. She said she supposed they might as well be going to bed, and Mr. Dare roused himself. For the last half-hour he had been half-asleep; quite asleep he did not choose to fall, in the young man's presence. A viscount to Lawyer Dare was a viscount. "Where's Herbert?" asked he, stretching himself. Master Herbert, Joseph answered, had had supper served (not being able to recover from the short allowance at dinner), and had gone to bed. The rest, excepting Adelaide, had gone before, free from want, from care, full of the good things of this life. The young Halliburtons, their cousins once removed, had knelt and thanked God for the day's good, even though that day to them had been what all their days were now, one of poverty and privation. Not so the Dares. As children, for they were not in a heathen land, they had been taught to say their prayers at night; but as they grew older, the custom was suffered to fall into disuse. The family attended church on Sundays, fashionably attired26, and there ended their religion.
To bed and to sleep went they, all the household, old and young—Joseph, the manservant, excepted. Sleepy Joseph stretched himself in a large chair to wait the return of Mr. Anthony: sleepy Joseph had so to stretch himself most nights. Mr. Anthony might come in in an hour's time, or Mr. Anthony might not come in until it was nearly time to commence the day's duties in the morning. It was all a chance; as poor Joseph knew to his cost.
Nine o'clock was the breakfast hour at Mr. Dare's, and the family were in general pretty punctual at it. On the following morning they were all assembled at the meal, Anthony rather red about the eyes, when Ann, the housemaid, entered.
"Here's a parcel for you, Mr. Anthony."
She held in her arms a large untidy sort of bundle, done round with string. Anthony turned his wondering eyes upon it.
"That! It can't be for me."
"A boy brought it and said it was for you, sir," returned Ann, letting the cumbersome27 parcel fall on a chair. "I asked if there was any answer, and he said there was not."
"It must be from your tailor, Anthony," said Mrs. Dare.
Anthony's consequence was offended at the suggestion. "My tailor send me a parcel done up like that!" repeated he. "He had better! He would get no more of my custom."
"What an extraordinary direction!" exclaimed Julia, who had got up, and drawn28 near, in her curiosity: "'Young Mister Antony Dare!' Just look, all of you."
Anthony rose, and the rest followed, except Mr. Dare, who was busy with a county paper, and paid no attention. A happy thought darted29 into Minny's mind. "I know!" she cried, clapping her hands. "Cyril and George are playing Anthony a trick, like the one they played Miss Benyon."
Anthony, too hastily taking up the view thus suggested, and inwardly vowing30 a not agreeable chastisement31 to the two, as soon as they should rush in to breakfast from school, took out his penknife and severed32 the string. The paper fell apart, and the contents rolled on to the floor.
What on earth were they? What did they mean? A woman's gown, tawdry but pretty; a shawl; a neck-scarf, with gold-coloured fringe; two pairs of gloves, the fingers worn into holes; a bow of handsome ribbon; a cameo brooch, fine and false; and one or two more such articles, not new, stood disclosed. The party around gazed in sheer amazement33.
"If ever I saw such a collection as this!" exclaimed Mrs. Dare. "It is a woman's clothing. Why should they have been sent to you, Anthony?"
Anthony's cheek wore rather a conscious colour just then. "How should I know?" he replied. "They must have been directed to me by mistake. Take the rags away, Ann"—spurning them with his foot—"and throw them into the dust-bin. Who knows what infected place they may have come from?"
Mrs. Dare and the young ladies shrieked34 at the last suggestion, gathered their skirts about them, and retired as far as the limits of the room allowed. Some enemy of malicious35 intent must have done it, they became convinced. Ann—no more liking36 to be infected with measles37 or what not than they—seized the tongs38, gingerly lifted the articles inside the paper, dragged the whole outside the door, and called Joseph to carry them to the receptacle indicated by Mr. Anthony.
Charlotte East had thought she would not do her work by halves.
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1
shrimp
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| n.虾，小虾；矮小的人 | |
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2
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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3
tinkle
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| vi.叮当作响；n.叮当声 | |
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dame
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| n.女士 | |
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improvidence
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| n.目光短浅 | |
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Undid
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| v. 解开, 复原 | |
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7
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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8
defiantly
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| adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地 | |
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9
taunted
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| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
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10
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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11
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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13
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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intruding
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| v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的现在分词)；把…强加于 | |
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15
haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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16
deranged
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| adj.疯狂的 | |
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condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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18
exterminate
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| v.扑灭，消灭，根绝 | |
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foamed
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| 泡沫的 | |
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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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21
joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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24
knoll
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| n.小山，小丘 | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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cumbersome
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| adj.笨重的，不便携带的 | |
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28
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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30
vowing
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式） | |
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31
chastisement
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| n.惩罚 | |
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32
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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33
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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34
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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36
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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37
measles
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| n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子 | |
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tongs
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| n.钳；夹子 | |
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