The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 181: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE YOUNG DUCHFSS, OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY, 167 “The hotel where J had taken up my quarters, was built in the form of a square, as most of these establishments are upon the Continent. On the inner side there was a verandah, screened from the court-yard itself by an array of ever- greens, orange-trees, and other shrubs, the inter- mediate spaces being filled up with blooming flowers. In the evening of the day of which I have been speaking, I descended into this arbour for the sake of j its refreshing coolness; and seating myself in the obscurest nook, I gave way to my reflections. Presently I was startled by hearing my name mentioned close by ; and I soon ascer- tained that there were two English gentlemen walking to and fro in the court-yard, smoking their cigars and chatting familiarly. To make myself more intelligible, I should explain that they were pacing just outside the barrier of ever- eens and flowers, while I was thus ensconced ehind it. And now let us see what they were saying.—‘' Well,’ observed one, ‘Miss Malcolm is no doubt a great catch :’ and this was the first sentence that drew my attention.—' I should think she is too! How the deuce could Langport do better? If she is not a lady of title, she de- scends from a very good family by her mother’s side, while her father was an eminent merchant.’— ‘True,’ replied the first speaker ; ; ‘and now-a- days the blood of patricians is brought to mingle with that of plebeians when self-interest is the motive power.—‘No doubt: and God knows,’ continued the other, ‘self-interest is the motive power in this instance. Langport was telling me just now that he thinks he shall bring the busi- ness to book to-morrow ; for the fair Mildred got very spooney upon him this afternoon when they were walking together on the quay. He does not think that she has the slightest suspicion of the desperate state of his circumstances : in fact he is sure she knows nothing about the matter; as how can she indeed? for she is searcely ever in England. So it is not that circumstance which has made her hesitate to marry him. He thinks she has perhaps been in love before, and got dis- appointed, and so made a vow to remain single all her life; which vow she now repents of, but does not exactly iknow how to break it.’—‘ And I suppose,’ said the other, ‘that if Miss Malcolm refuses after all to marry Langport, it is all up with him?’—‘ All up entirely. Why, all his estates have been sold by private contract to pay off the mortgages ; he has got executions in his little property of Hendon Court; and he is so overwhelmed with debts at Berlin, Wurtemberg, and Turin, wherever indeed he has been in a diplo- matic capacity, that if he cannot liquidate them immediately, he must give up his embassy. It is all this that worried him so terribly and made him il], and brought him down to Genoa to seek for health ; when as good luck would have it, who the deuce should arrive at the same time but Miss Malcolm ?’—‘Sn it really does look,’ observed, the other gentleman, ‘as if the two were destined for each other, and fate throws them together in this way ?’—‘ Well,’ proceeded the other individual, ‘ Langport has been playing an uncommon knowing game, and he deserves to win her. I hope he will.’.—‘ But what,’ inter- jected the other, ‘if the lady really does happen to suspect that his lordshbip’s circumstances are so desperate ?’—‘ There is no fear of her suspecting = anything of the sort. Langport has sounded her two or three times when he has been making love to her: he has offered to settle all her own for- tune on herself, and then he has narrowly watched her countenance to see what effect it would produce.’ —-‘ Well?’ asked the former speaker.—‘ Well,’ said the other, ‘ there has been nothing on the fair Mildred’s part to indicate the faintest suspicion of any double-dealing on her noble suitor’s side.’ ‘‘Here the conversation terminated; for the two gentlemen having finished their cigars, re- entered the hotel. I remained for some minutes in the arbour, pondering everything I had heard; and then abruptly quitting the place, I sought my own chamber. How completely the veil had fallen from my eyes! how rudely had it been thence snatched ! ‘What a villain is Langport ! I for a moment thought to myself: and then I mentally ejaculated, ‘No! for there has been mutual deception !’—And now, would you believe it, all the love I had previously experienced for him suddenly became absorbed in my own im- mense, illimitable vanity? Might I not become Lady Langport? Ifso much adulation and flat- tery were offered in society to plain Miss Mal- colm, how much greater the court that would be paid to Lady Langport? Ah! and to become the wife of an Ambassador—the Ambassadress, asI should be styled abroad! To have the pass- port within the limits of royal circles! to become the associate of queens and princesses! My silly | head was again turning, if not with visions of love at least with ambition ; and I slept serenely enough that night—perhaps far more so than those two | English gentlemen could have suspected if they had happened to have discovered that their con- versation had been overheard by me. “On the following day I met Lord Lang- port according to appointment upon the quay. He immediately assumed a tender look and tone, and he said, ‘ Methinks, Mildred, that from the concluding part of our conversa- tion yesterday, the interdiction laid upon me has ceased to exist, and that I may again mention the word Jove instead of friendship ? — ‘You doubtless understood from my manner,’ I said, ‘and from the terms on which we parted, that I should give you a decided answer to-day. I am now prepared to do so. You have often most generously suggested that my own fortune should be settled on me; but I could not think of render- ing myself so thoroughly and completely inde- pendent of the man whom I may take as my hus- band. I therefore stipulate that one-half be secured by settlement on me, while I cheerfully abandon the other half to your disposal, confident that you will make an excellent use of it.’—I saw with how much intense anxiety Langport listened to the first part of my speech: I noticed how a slight shade of vexation passed over his counte- nance when I mentioned the settlement ; and then I obs¢rved that his features altogether brightened u™ as if he were struck by the reflection that the p.esent arrangement was better than the loss of Me and my fortune altogether. Our arrangements were quickly made: he on his side was anxious to secure me, and I on my part was solicitous to avoid as much as possible the endearments, whe- ther feigned or real, which he might think it ne- cessary to bestow upon me during the period of COMO oO a a Colin