Rosa Lambert — page 218: what you’re looking at

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

ROSA LAMBERT. mation, if it came to his knowledge. It is true that I could not help speaking to Alvanly when we met—true also that I could not coldly and churl- ishly repulse Sir John Haverstock when he claimed me as a cousin—and true likewise that I could not turn my back upon the Marquis of Belmore when he was introduced to me. But still methought that I should do wrong to remain in a town where I must continuously encounter these personages, and stand the chance of being introduced to others. My mind was accordingly made up to leave at the end of the current week, and repair to some other watering-place. I did not choose to quit abruptly, and thus have the air of either rudely flying away from a cousin who had acknowledged me with every appearance of eenerous frankness: much less did I wish it to be supposed that I was frightened off by the whisper of who I really was. In the forenoon of the following day, while walking on the sands, I was joined by Mr. Alvanly ; and I at once saw by his countenance that he had something of more or less importance to com- municate. ‘ “Will you give me your attention for a few minutes, Mrs. Beaumont?’ he asked after the usual compliments were exchanged: “for I wish to speak to you on a particular subject.” “Tt all depends upon what this subject is,” was my answer, at once firmly and decisively given. “The subject more or less regards your own welfare,” he replied; “and I am sure you will thank me for the friendly part 1 am performing. But let us get beyond the view of all these people; and you will soon understand wherefore I do not wish us to be seen together.” “A few minutes’ walk,” I responded, “ will take us beyond eye-shot :’—and for those few minutes we proceeded together in silence. “Now, Mr. Alvanly,” I continued, when an angle of the cliff coucealed us from the view of the company on the sands, “ be pleased to explain yourself.” “sir John Haverstock is your cousin—and he introduced to you his friend the Marquis of Bel- more.” ‘* Precisely so,” I responded, somewhat surprised at this commencement of Alvanly’s explanations. “You regard me with astonishment,” he re- sumed: “but you will be still more astounded when 1 assure you that you have been made the subject of a wager.” “A wager?’ I ejaculated: and I was indeed amazed. “Yes—a wager,” he continued,—* a wager of a sort which is not altogether very uncommon amonest gay and dissipated young men about town,—but one which however flattering to your beauty, may not be equally so to your feelings unless the Rosa with whom I was acquainted some time back, was a very different person from the Mrs. Beaumont of the present time.” “Pray continue, Mr. Alvanly,” I said: for I knew him well enough to be aware that he had either something really important to communicate, or else some deep design of his own to serve; and iI was naturally anxious to ascertain the former, or to have some clue for fathoming the latter. “ Kirst of all let me assure you,” proceeded Gustavus, “that notwithstanding all the past—I SO ee ieee oe ce 207 mean the way in which we separated—I entertain a friendly feeling towards you. You remember that when we did separate, I exhibited no ill-will ——I displayed no vindictive rancour. On the von- trary, I suggested that when we thenceforth met, it should be with the passing salutations which are exchanged by acquaintances between whom nothing peculiar exists in the shape of either a good or an evil sentiment. Yes—I have all along entertained a friendly feeling towards you: if it were otherwise I should not have accosted you the day before yesterday, and have remained in fami- liar discourse for half-an-hour or so. All this pre- face, which I admit is a long one, is requisite to explain the motive which influences me in making you acquainted with certain facts that have come to my knowledge.” While Alvanly was thus speaking, I surveyed him attentively but furtively, in order to ascer- tain if possible how far he was sincere in what he was saying; and I had no reason by his looks to suspect him of sinister intentions. I begged him to proceed; and he continued in the following manner :— “I think that when I met you the day before yesterday, I dropped a hint to the effect that Sir John Haverstock was a gay and wild young man: or at all events you might have inferred as much from a remark which I remember to have made— namely, that he was already making hght work of his fortune. Ofcourse I had not any particular object in telling you this: I had not the remotest idea that he was your cousin, or that you would ever come together. Well then, what I told you is perfectly true. He is a dissipated young rake ; and in respect to women, unprincipled and un- scrupulous, as nearly all men on that point are—at least all men who have nothing better to do than seek after pleasure. He has a worthy companion in the Marquis of Belmore: their greatest delight is to boast of conquests already achieved, or to plan fresh ones; and you will believe me when I assure you that such men are not over delicate or hice as to the means they employ.” A light began to dawn in upon me: a suspicion arose 1n my mind which tended to confirm all that Alvanly was telling me. That readiness with which Haverstock had recognised me as a cousin—that sophistry with which he had sought to explain away his indifference to the world’s opinion in openly proclaiming me as such—that zeal with which he had laboured to prove himself generous- minded towards my family and myself, and to make me believe that even his sister, if present, would pursue an equally magnanimous course with regard to me,—were not all these circumstances suspicious, to say the least of them ?—and indeed, I wondered that they had not struck me to be so at the very first. “T must inform you,” continued Alvanly, “that 1 am staying at the same hotel where your cousin and the Marquis have taken up their quarters; and we yesterday agreed to dine together at six o'clock. As I entered the room where the cloth was laid, I heard Haverstock and Belmore talking about you; and the few words I thus caught be- fore they perceived my presence, put me upon my guard. Jat once suspected that they had some treacherous design in view; and this suspicion arose as much from a general knowledge of their re er EGboo © ey he ee Se A ‘Ss (ECO) ecoim