Rosa Lambert — page 231: what you’re looking at

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

”_- _ — 220 in comprehending the sort of representations which her brother had privately and secretly made to her, in order to induce her to cultivate my acquaint- ance. He had doubtless appealed to her good feeling to overlook my original fall from virtue: he had made her believe that I had only been guilty of one error: he had veiled from her the fact that I had been the mistress of several men— of which fact 1t was scarcely possible he himself was ignorant; and he had clinched all his argu- ments by the assurance that I was now married, and being honourably settled in life, no longer deserved to be slighted and punished for bygone frailty. Such was my reading of Sir John Haver- stock’s conduct; and such was the view which circumstances naturally suggested that I should take of the representations he must have made to his sister. : On the day next but one, Miss Haverstock called again; and on this occasion I received her without the slightest embarrassment: nor did she have to complain of my coldness. ‘he weather was superb, although it was now the month of November. True, nearly all the flowers were gone: but if the garden was thus stripped of its floral splendours, the evergreens remained ; and therefore the grounds in the midst of which the villa was situated, were cheerful with their aspect of verdure. But on looking farther into the open country, the trees were all denuded of their emerald foliage; and only the dry and hollow leaves rustled amidst the boughs, like skeleton trophies of death. But as I have observed, the weather was beautiful ; and the sun was of a sufficient brightness, while the air was of a genial freshness, to cheat one into the belief that it was the season of Spring’s advent instead of Autumn’s decline. After we had sat in discourse for a little while in the drawing-room, Miss Haverstock proposed that we should take a ramble in the garden—to which I cheerfully as- sented. ILhad to goup-stairs to put on my things; and she went forth,—I promising to join her ina few minutes in the garden. I was however detained a little longer than I expected, by the necessity of giving some house- hold instructions; and perhaps altogether a quarter of an hour elapsed ere I issued from the house. I walked round the garden—but could see nothing of Joanna. I looked into the conservatory: she was not there. I re-entered the villa, thinking that she had gone in another direction to seek me: but still she was not to be found. Then I came to the conclusion that we had been concealed from each other’s view by the dense avenue of ever- greens, which in one part were of a size and height to form quite an embowering shade. But still I could not see her. I called her by name: there was no response. I knew not what to think. Was she playing at hide-and-seek in a merry mood P or had some accident befallen her? But if it were, the latter, of what nature could it possibly be, thus to make her disappear so suddenly? As I was retracing my way along that part of the avenue where the evergreens were thickest and densest, I beheld a glove upon the ground; and immediately recognised it to be Joanna’s. On stooping to pick it up, I noticed that there were marks of footsteps so deeply indented on the gravel walk, and so huddled and confused together, as it were, that they seemed indicative of a scuflle hav- 7 ~~ eee me Be ee ee eee. oe ROSA LAMBERT. a en ing taken place. I now began to be seriously alarmed ; though not for the life of me could [ form any conjecture as to what had happened, The spot was the remotest from the house within the enclosing walls of the grounds; and hard by there was a door leading into a small paddock, This paddock had not been let to Beaumont along with the villa and the garden; it was marked out for building-land ; and therefore that gate had not been used since our occupation of the premises, But now to my surprise and increasing appre- hension I saw that it stood open. The next in- stant however I experienced a sudden relief, as the thought struck me that Joanna might perhaps SELLS have extended her ramble into the paddock,—« though I had previously fancied that the door of communication was invariably kept locked. I advanced to the door, and looked into the paddock —but beheld not the object of my search. There were however the traces of a man’s clumsy shoes upon the grass; and on returning to the spot where I had picked up the glove, I perceived that many of the footmarks there, which seemed to indicate a recent struggle, corresponded with those in the paddock. All my apprehensions returned with vivid force ; and I was just on the point of speeding to the villa and raising an alarm, when some one flitted through the open door. A cry of joy burst from my lips, and was echoed by her’s; for it was Joanna Haverstock herself. The next moment she was in my arms; and so overcome was she with agitation and excitement—so out of breath too—that I was compelled to support her for up- wards of a minute ere she began to recover her self-possession. “ Good heavens, my dear cousin!” I said, “what has happened ?” “ Dearest Rose, let us not remain here,” she responded, flinging terrified looks around. “It is you whom the villain wanted !” I instantaneously comprehended that some base treachery was at work; and I said, “ Give mea few words of explanation, dear cousin! We will raise an alarm—we will send the male-servants in chase—we will have the police fetched a “ No—I entreat you, Rose, nothing of all this!” interrupted Joanna; “and I will tell you why. But I am so out of breath—I am so agitated I feel that my looks are still wild with terror !” “ Come into the house—sit down—and compose yourself,” I said, sustaining her on my arm. “ Yes—but say nothing to the servants,’ she rejoined. “Do not let us have an air of affright and dismay! See, dear Rose! I am already gain- ing courage! It is you now who are the more agitated of the two.” We entered the villa, and repaired to the drawing-room. I gave Miss Haverstock some wine-and-water ; and it refreshed her. She then began to explain what had occurred. “ T was roaming about the garden,” she said, “ waiting for you to join me—and I was admiring the variegated hues of the immense evergreens where they are densest and shadiest,—when all of a sudden that door in the wall opened, and a man stood before me. He was dressed in a sailor- like garb; and if it were by the seaside he would have struck me as having the air of a smuggler.” “ What sort of a person was he ?” I imme- en oe SA SS, SS micbookKs.¢co (E(o)