Rosa Lambert — page 233: what you’re looking at

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

Se ee 222, @ be hesitating what course I should pursue. good care to secure my chamber-door on retiring to rest—to burn a taper throughout the mght— and to have the bell-pull so arranged at my ‘bed’s head that I could ring an alarm in a moment. Vor the first few nights, however, after the outrage to Joanna, my rest was broken with troubled and uneasy dreams; and I caught myself starting up in bed with the apprehension that some one was in the room. By degrees however my mind got more settled; days grew into weeks—no farther manifestation of covert treachery or open violence re'vealed itself—and thus, with continued security, J gradually lost the impression made upon my mind by the incident I have related. ‘One afternoon I again encountered Horace Rockingham. The circumstances were precisely thie same as on the former occasion about three weeks previously. I was alighting from my car- rifige to enter a shop, and he was coming along the street with the downcas® looks of one who deeply felt his fallen condition, and who dreaded Jest he should be thus recognised by those who had known him in better days. I hurried forward to- wards the shop-door, in order to avoid him: for I dreaded lest he might take it into his head to “ccost me, and by speaking loud expose me in his malignity before my own domestics. He suddenly raised his eyes; and on catching a glimpse of me, shrank back for a moment, cowering as it were, and doubtless thrown into that desperate state of mind when an individual wishes that the earth would open and swallow him up. But the next instant he seemed to be inspired by other thoughts ; and boldly advanced towards me just as I reached the shop-door. “One word, if you please!” he said: and he spoke in a low but fierce and determined tone. “Dare to imsult me,” I promptly answered, “and remorselessly will I give you into custody !” “You see, on the contrary, that I mean to have the air of being exceedingly civil:’’—and though he touched his hat in a supplant manner as he spoke, his eyes nevertheless lhghted suddenly up with that sinister glare which I have on former occasions so often alluded to. “There!” he at once continued, with horrible mockery as well as an indescribable power of sardonic bitterness in his accents: “am I not playing the beggar and the alms-seeker to perfection? Your liveried lacqueys do not suspect that you and I are old acquaintances. it will be your fault if they know it now !” I glanced uneasily towards the carriage. The coachman was looking down at his horses: the foottman was leaning with his elbow on the window- place of the door: he evidently thought that what was passing was an incident of ordinary occur- rence—naincly, a dilapidated individual imploring succour and telling some woe-begone tale. I must add that Jlorace Jtockingham’s back was towards the carriage; 60 that the peculiarity of his looks could not be noticed by the servant,—and as the vavement was wide, the spot where we stood was at a suflicient distance to prevent our discourse from being overheard. “Your last words implied a threat,” I said coldly and distantly: though L have no doubt there was the glitter of uneasiness in my eyes ;— and indeed, that restless glance which 1 had flung DD AE LA Ne le Ae le lit et te | i ea ee le al Ee mt a —— = ee ane Oo SF Oe Ce OR ee EET ES Se EO » . LA TL ea ie eee et me eee ek ROSA LAMBERT. ee ees of my fears; and several days passed while L was | towards the carriage, had not escaped Horace I took ; Rockingham’s notice. ‘1 , “What do you mean? and why do you accost me P” “I mean,” he answered, “ what my appearance denotes. I am a beggar—or at least ordering upon that situation,’ he added with continued bitterness of speech; “and why does a beggar accost a fashionable lady who rides in her ear- riage, unless it be to obtain from her some portion of her superfluities ?” I could not help flinging a glance upon him which said as eloquently as the eye can speak, “What! has it come to thisP—you who were once too proud to marry me, now sue for my charity P” “No, no, young lady!” he at once ejaculated, but still in the same low voice as before: “ it is not exactly that, after all! I know what is pass- ing in your mind: I read your thoughts. I am not to be treated as a common mendicant,”’ he went on to say, in a voice of mingled irony apd bitterness, as well as menace. “I have no doubt you have plenty of gold in your purse; and gold and I have for some months past been such strangers to each other, that a renewal of the acquaintance will be most welcome.” } I hesitated how to act. All in a moment it flashed to my mind that if I yielded on the present occasion, I might in future beeome the object of continuous extortion. ut still I dared not by a bold denial provoke the miscreant to blurt forth whatsoever his vindictiveness might prompt, and which would expose me in the presence of my own servants. “Come, Rose,” he said, in a fierce and peremp- tory manner, “the longer you hesitate, the more singular will it seem that you thus tarry in con- versation with such a pretty-looking object as I am.” “Out of pity will I relieve you,’ I began: “but not for a moment am I moved by your menaces 4 “'That’s false, Rose !” he retorted: “ your looks tell a different tale.” itt I longed to turn my back haughtily and in- dignantly upon him: but I was afraid to provoke his revengeful anger. The scene in the church- porch at Meadowville—the scene too in M. De- lancey’s studio—flashed vividly to my mind. Still I made an effort to retain my composure, and to appear not to yield altogether to his threats. | “In a word, then,” I said, “ will you promise to keep away from me in future, if I relieve you to the extent of my power to-day ?” | “T think you ought to know,” he responded, “that next to hanging and starving the least agreeable circumstance in which I could be placed, is to be compelled to receive anything from your hands.” er I spoke not another syllable; but taking out two bank-notes, for the collective sum of ten pounds, from my purse, placed them in his hands. He again touched his hat with mock humility— and hurried away, while I entered the shop, But - the scene had bewildered me to a certain extent; and I scarcely knew how to give the orders which had brought me to that particular esta- blishment. | ™ “Those beggars, ma’am, are getting quite out- rageous in persecuting ladies when alone,” said EOMIG : 200k