The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. 31 her husband gave, “Oh, do not take any notice ‘“‘No, sir,” he continued, speaking audibly ; of it! It is past—and you are here! Ifyou go | “you shall not be admitted into the presence of ——my God! there will be a duel! I shudder | the young lady whom you so grossly insulted. when I think of it !” ‘“Hthel dearest!” cried Trevor, “be calm ! be firm! There are insults which cannot be passed over—and this is one! I must investigate it! The perso whom you have depicted, myst be some wretched fop across whose back I lay a horsewhip, but who is by no means likely to have the courage to meet me as a man of honour! Ethel ! do not detain me! If I were a coward in such a case, you would have a right to say that I do not love you !” With these words, Trevor imprinted a fervid though hasty kiss upon Ethel’s lips; and then he darted forth from the apartment. At the same time he caught down his hat from a peg in the hall, he snatched up a riding-whip—and in a few moments he was outside the garden-gate. The dusk was now closing in: the sun had set —the twilight of the early part of May was re- deeming the landscape from a deeper obscurity. Trevor bent his -hurried steps towards the vil- lage ; for the cottage, be it remembered, was a little apart on the outskirt; and he soon caught sight of a person leaning against a gate and gazing in the direction of that cottage. A glance at the appearance of the individual satisfied him that it was the very one of whom he was in search and of whom Ethel had spoken. And now that young stranger himself, on eatching a glimpse of Trevor, quickly averted his regards ; and bending forward over the gate, instead of leaning with his back against it, seemed suddenly to become very intent on surveying the field with which the gate itself communicated. “ Ah! ha!” thought the indignant Trever to himself: “he suspects that I am one who has an account to settle with him! He pretends not to see me! he hopes I shall pass him by unrecognised. He is evidently a coward.” Another moment, and Alfred was by the side of the young stranger at the gate. But now the exquisite appeared to be very far from being in- spired by terror; and turning slowly round, he again leant loungingly with his back to the gate, twirling his moustache with an air of supercilious defiance. There was something full well calcn- lated on the part of that feminine, foppish, yet inimitable representative of dandyism to enhance to the very utmost the indignation of the high- spirited Trevor; and holding his whip in a menacing manner, he said, ‘May I ask, sir, whether it was you who just now wantonly insulted a@ young lady whom you met at no great distance from the church ?” The young exquisite made no answer; but it struck Alfred that « low derisive laugh sounded from his lips. “By heaven, sir!” exclaimed Trevor, ‘the more you provoke me, the severer shall be the chastisement which I will inflict! The amplest apology ” “Very well, then,” said the young stranger ; “Jet me make the apology to the lady herself, and in your presence.” Trevor was struck by the sound of the voice; he even gave a quick galvanic start: but instan- taneously regaining his self-possession, he men- tally ejaculated, ‘‘ The idea is ridiculous !” You will apologize to me here—upon this spot!” “And if I refuse?” said the young exquisite coolly. Again Trevor started at the sound of that voice: but again feeling convinced that the sort of suspicion it engendered was ridiculous, he an- swered sternly, “If you refuse, I will lay this whip across your back.” “Oh, indeed!” said the young fashionable, still with a most provoking coolness; and sticking the quizzing-glass in his eye, he added, “ But, you see, I also carry a whip; and perhaps I may know how to use it as well as yourself.” While he was thus speaking, he lounged against the gate in such a posture that whatsoever re- mained of the twilight defined his profile com- pletely to the view of Alfred Trevor. This gen- tleman contemplated that profile with a growing interest that rapidly increased into consternation and dismay: but all in a moment the exquisite averted his face again—and Trevor with an in- finite sense of relief, ejaculated to himself, ““Pshaw! it is preposterous!” “ Now, sir,” continued the young stranger, “you have not answered my last remark. I said that I also carried a whip—and I warn you that if you touch me with your's, I will thrash you soundly with mine.” This time the voice sounded differently from before ; and Trevor, still smarting under the sense of the insult offered to Ethel, exclaimed, ‘‘ The matter must be settled in another way. If you refuse as a gentleman to apologize, remember that there are such things as pistols!” The fashionable stranger burst out into the merriest laugh,—a laugh as musical and as silvery as that which had ere now so completely ravished the ears of the old parish clerk,—a laugh that was clear as a metallic sound—as pure and as gushing as the rippling flow of a streamlet. Again did Trevor give a quick galvanic start: again did his eyes scrutinisingly survey the features of the young stranger,—whom, however, he began to look wpon as very far from being a stranger to him; and then, as suspicion became conviction, he said in a hollow tone and with dis- mayed looks, “My God! is it really you ?” “Yes—tis I,” answered the disguised lady—for such she indeed was, as the reader has no doubt already full well surmised: and now she spoke altogether in her natural voice, which she had previously disguised as much as possible. ‘“ Yes —'tis I, Herbert!” A groan came from the lips of Trevor—and he staggered against the gate for support. At length suddenly recovering his self-posséssion, he as- sumed an air of haughty defiance; and he said, “Well, I confess that I keep a mistress here. I know not by what accident you may have dis- covered it: but at all events you can now judge for yourself whether I have not studied to enve- lope the fact in so whuch mystery as to avoid ereating «a scandal in the world. I am not the only man who is thus criminal, if actual fault there be in it: and perhaps you would do well to let the affair continue shrouded in this ob- scurity ?” “ Oh, Ethel is your mistress—eh?” said the oO COMO ere RL A A CA a a NE A I LL Colin