CAMILLA was received with the most tender joy by all her family, again re-assembled at Cleves to welcome the return of young Lynmere, who was expected every hour. Sir Hugh, perfectly1 recovered from his late illness, and busy, notwithstanding all remonstrance2, in preparation for the approaching nuptials3, was in spirits that exhilarated whoever saw him. Eugenia awaited that event with gentleness, though with varying sensations; from fears, lest her personal misfortunes should prove repulsive4 to Clermont and from wishes to find him resembling Melmond in talents and Bellamy in passion and constancy.
Dr. Orkborne gave now his lessons with redoubled assiduity, from an ambition to produce to the scholastic5 traveller, a phenomenon of his own workmanship in a learned young female: nor were his toils6 less ready, nor less pleasant, for a secret surmise7 they would shortly end; though not till honour should be united with independence, for his recompence. But Miss Margland fretted8 that this wedding would advance no London journey; and Indiana could not for a moment recover from her indignation, that the deformed9 and ugly Eugenia, though two years younger than herself, should be married before her. Lavinia had no thought but for the happiness of her sister; and Mr. Tyrold lamented10 the absence of his wife, who, alike from understanding and affection, was the only person to properly superintend this affair, but from whom Dr. Marchmont, just arrived, brought very faint hopes of a speedy return.
Eugenia, however, was not the sole care of her father, at this period. The countenance11 of Camilla soon betrayed, to his inquiring eyes, the inefficacy of the Tunbridge journey. But he forbore all question; and left to time or her choice to unravel12, if new incidents kept alive her inquietude, or, if no incident at all had been equally prejudicial to her repose13.
* * *
Two days after, while Camilla, still astonished by no news, nor sight of Edgar, was sitting with her sisters, and recounting to them her late adventures, and present difficulties, with Sir Sedley Clarendel, Jacob brought her, in its own superb bird-cage, the learned little bullfinch; telling her, it had been delivered to him without any message, by a man who said she had left it, by mistake, at Tunbridge; whence he had had orders to follow her with it to Cleves park.
She was much provoked thus to receive it. Mrs. Arlbery had pressed her to take it in her uncle’s chaise, which she had firmly refused; and she now concluded this method was adopted, that Sir Sedley might imagine she detained it as his gift.
In drawing out, soon after, the receptacle for the bird’s nourishment14, she perceived, written with a pencil upon the wood, these words: ‘Thou art gone then, fair fugitive15! Ah! at least, fly only where thou mayst be pursued!’
This writing had not been visible till the machine was taken out to be replenished16. She recollected17 the hand of Sir Sedley, and was now sure it was sent by himself, and could no longer, therefore, doubt his intentions being serious.
With infinite perplexity she consulted with her sisters; but, when candidly18 she had related, that once, to her never-ending regret, she had apparently19 welcomed his civilities, Eugenia pronounced her rectitude to be engaged by that error, as strongly as her gratitude20 by the preservation21 of her life, and the extraordinary service done to Lionel, not to reject the young baronet, should he make his proposals.
She heard this opinion with horror. Timid shame, and the counsel of her father, united to impede22 her naming the internal obstacle which she felt to be insurmountable; and, while casting up, in silence, her appealing eyes to Heaven for relief, from the intricacy in which she found herself involved, she saw Lionel galloping23 into the park.
She flew to meet him, and he dismounted, and led his horse, to walk with her.
She flattered herself, she might now represent the mischief24 he was doing, and obtain from him some redress25. But he was more wild and impracticable than ever. ‘Well, my dear girl,’ he cried, ‘when are all these betterings and worsings to take place? Numps has sent for me to see poor little Greek and Latin hobble to the altar, but, ’tis a million to one, if our noble baronet does not whisk you there before her. He’s a charming fellow faith. I had a good long confab with him this morning.’
‘This morning? I hope, then, you were so good, so just, as to tell him when you mean to pay the money you have borrowed?’
‘My dear child, I often think you were born but yesterday, only, by some accident, you came into the world, like Minerva, grown up and ready dressed. What makes you think I mean to pay him? Have I given him any bond?’
‘A bond? Is that necessary to justice and honour?’
‘If I had asked the money, you are right, my dear; I ought, then, certainly, to refund26. But, as it now stands, ’tis his own affair. I have nothing to do with it: except, indeed, receiving the dear little golden boys, and making merry with them.’
‘O fie, Lionel, fie!’
‘Why, what had I to do with it? Do you think he would care one fig27 if he saw me sunk to the bottom of the Red Sea? No, my dear, no, you are the little debtor28; so balance your accounts for yourself, and don’t cast them upon your poor neighbours, who have full enough to settle of their own.’
Camilla was thunderstruck; ‘And have you been so cruel,’ she cried, ‘seeing the matter in such a light, to place me in such a predicament?’
‘Cruel, my dear girl? why, what will it cost you, except dimple or two the more? And don’t you know you always look best when you smile? I assure you, it’s a mercy he don’t see you when you are giving me one of my lectures. It disfigures you so horribly, that he’d take fright and never speak to you again.’
‘What can I ever say, to make you hear me, or feel for me? Tell me, at least, what has passed this morning; and assure me that nothing new, nothing yet worse, has occurred.’
‘O no, nothing at all. All is in the fairest train possible. I dare say, he’ll come hither, upon the grand question, before sun-set.’
Camilla gasped29 for breath, and was some time before she could ask whence he drew such a conclusion.
‘O, because I see he’s in for it. I have a pretty good eye, my dear! He said, too, he had such a prodigious30... friendship, I think he called it, for you, that he was immeasurably happy, and all that, to be of the least service to your brother. A fine fellow, upon my word! a fine generous spark as ever I saw. He charged me to call upon him freely when I had any little embarrassment31, or difficulty, or was hard run, or things of that sort. He’s a fine buck32, I tell you, and knows the world perfectly, that I promise you. He’s none of your drivellers, none of your ignoramuses. He has the true notion of things. He’s just a right friend for me. You could not have made a better match.’
Camilla, in the most solemn manner, protested herself disengaged in thought, word, and deed; and declared her fixed33 intention so to continue. But he only laughed at her declarations, calling them maidenly34 fibs; and, assuring her, the young baronet was so much in earnest, she might as well be sincere as not. ‘Besides,’ he added, “tis not fair to trifle where a man behaves so handsomely and honourably35. Consider the ?￡200!’
‘I shall quite lose my senses, Lionel!’ cried she, in an agony; ‘I shall quite lose my senses if you speak in this manner!’
Lionel shouted aloud; ‘Why, my dear girl, what is ?￡200 to Sir Sedley Clarendel? You talk as if he had twenty pound a-year for pin-money, like you and Lavinia, that might go with half a gown a-year, if good old Numps did not help you. Why, he’s as rich as Croesus, child. Besides, he would have been quite affronted36 if I had talked of paying him such a trifle, for he offered me any thing I pleased. O, he knows the world, I promise you! He’s none of your starched37 prigs. He knows life, my dear! He said, he could perfectly conceive how hard it must be to a lad of spirit, like me, to be always exact. I don’t know that I ever made a more agreeable acquaintance in my life.’
Camilla was in an agitation38 that made him regard her, for a moment, with a serious surprise; but his natural levity39 soon resumed its post, and, laughing at himself for being nearly, he said, taken in, by her childish freaks, he protested he would bite no more: ‘For, after all, you must not think to make a fool of me, my dear. It won’t do. I’m too knowing. Do you suppose, if he had not already made up his mind to the noose40, and was not sure you had made up yours to letting it be tied, he would have cared for poor me, and my scrapes? No, no; whatever he does for me, before you are married, you may set down in your own memorandum41 book: whatever he may please to do afterwards, I am content should be charged to poor Pillgarlic.’
He then bid her good-morrow, by the name of Lady Clarendel; and said, he would go and see if little Greek and Latin were as preposterous42 a prude about young Lynmere.
Camilla remained almost petrified43 with amazement44 at her own situation; and only was deterred45 from immediately opening her whole heart and affairs to her father, with the confidence to which his indulgence entitled him, by the impossibility of explaining her full distress46 without betraying her brother.
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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nuptials
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| n.婚礼；婚礼( nuptial的名词复数 ) | |
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4
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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scholastic
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| adj.学校的，学院的，学术上的 | |
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toils
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| 网 | |
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surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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lamented
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| adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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12
unravel
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| v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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replenished
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| 补充( replenish的过去式和过去分词 )； 重新装满 | |
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recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
candidly
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| adv.坦率地，直率而诚恳地 | |
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19
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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impede
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，阻止 | |
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23
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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redress
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| n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除 | |
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refund
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| v.退还，偿还；n.归还，偿还额，退款 | |
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fig
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| n.无花果(树) | |
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debtor
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| n.借方，债务人 | |
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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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prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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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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32
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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maidenly
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| adj. 像处女的, 谨慎的, 稳静的 | |
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honourably
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| adv.可尊敬地，光荣地，体面地 | |
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36
affronted
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| adj.被侮辱的，被冒犯的v.勇敢地面对( affront的过去式和过去分词 )；相遇 | |
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starched
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| adj.浆硬的，硬挺的，拘泥刻板的v.把（衣服、床单等）浆一浆( starch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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40
noose
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| n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑 | |
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memorandum
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| n.备忘录，便笺 | |
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42
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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43
petrified
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| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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44
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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45
deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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