Rosa Lambert — page 371: what you’re looking at

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

ewww! a mm ee ee ee ee ts A ee Ba Ot een mR 8 ee ee ee ee 360 o__——- = eee eee ee ee ROSA LAMBERT. — _—_— eae ee te ee Ce assume. Permit me to introduce myself. Hero |every limb. “ You have only heard a part of is my card.” I saw that he was looking very hard at me, and with an expression of countenance that was half troubled, half bewildered; and I had no doubt that, as was ere now the case with his valet, he was becoming conscious of a certain similitude be- tween myself and that Rosa Lambert who had caused so much excitement beneath his roof. He took the card—held up his eye-glasses—examined it—and exclaimed with increasing wonderment of look, “Lieutenant Frederick Lambert !—16th Dragoons !”’ “Yes, Sir James Thornley,” I answered, in the roughest and sternest intonations to which I could possibly modulate my voice: “that is my name— and that is my rank—and damme, sir, you shall give me satisfaction !” “ Name — rank — damime—satisfaction!” mur- mured the bewildered and affrighted nabob, thus mechanically repeating my words; and he glanced from the card to my face, and back again to the ecard. “ Is it possible ‘4 “Tt is quite possible, Sir James,” I fiercely answered, “that I am the brother of that unfor- tunate young woman whose conduct has caused such sore distress to the highly respectable family with which she is connected. But fallen though she be, it is no reason why she should be trampled upon—and damme, sir, you shall give me satis- faction—for I am come to claim it. Do you hear that—eh, sir ?” ““Yes—lI hear it,” responded the wretched nabob, whose bilious countenance turned a sallowy white- ness, ghastly to behold. “ But—but—I never heard Miss Lambert speak of a brother in the—the— Dragoons.” “Very hkely not, sir!’ I exclaimed with tre- mendous fierceness: “she would doubtless be ashamed to allude to those whom she has dis- graced. But Iam not the less her brother: and I am a man of honour, sir—damme, do you hear that? I have been out in three duels, sir—and on each occasion have winged my man. I have horse- whipped other scoundrels on the race-course—and I mean to have the pleasure of winging or horse- whipping you before either of us will be many hours older. Damme, sir, do you hear that ?” “Yes, sir—you speak it loud enough!” answered the nabob, quivering from head to foot: for I always knew he was the most arrant coward in creation, or he never would have raised his cane against me. “But what do you complain of? Don’t be violent, sir—speak gently i “What do I complain of ?” I ejaculated, all the more fierce because of his prayer to the con- trary: “anything and everything! I complain of uny man who helps to seduce my sister into the path of error: but I complain specially of you, pur, for laving ill-treated her—beaten her with your stick to within an inch of her life—plundered her of all her money, jewels, and wardrobe—im- prisoned her in a dreadful dungeon—let loose your furies of servants at her—kept her upon bread and water—heaped the most opprobrious insults on her head Damme, sir, it is sufficient to make my blood boil with indignation!”—and I raised the horsewhip as if about to use it over the old fellow’s back, “Don’t—don’t!” he exclaimed, trembling in the story —and all that part immensely ex- aggerated * | “What, sir—do you dare tell me that I lie?” I _vociferated. ‘Insult upon insult! But damme, Vll have satisfaction. Name your friend, sir— name your friend! Pistols, of course! ‘Ten paces and let me tell you, sir, that I never missed hitting a half-crown at twenty. By heaven, Sir | James! my sister’s mighty wrongs shall be atoned for by your heart’s blood !” At these terrible expressions which I vomited | forth with all the display of fury to which I could possibly lash myself up, the wretched old Baronet quivered and shivered, and trembled and shook, as if he were stricken with the palsy; and he gasp- ingly murmured, “ Pray don’t be so violent—pray don’t, now, there’s a dear young gentleman! What can I do to pacify you ?” “What can you do, sir?” I exclaimed. “ No- thing but the completest atonement will suffico— or else name your friend, sir—and damme, I'll show you what it is to offend Lieutenant Frede- rick Lambert of the 16th Dragoons!” “Atonement P” cried the Baronet, catching eagerly at the word: “yes—to be sure—I am quite ready to make a proper atonement: but— but A “ But me no buts, sir!” I fiercely ejaculated. “You must make every atonement, without re- serve !”’ ‘““What—what do you demand?” inquired the trembling old man. “What do I demand?” I echoed, as if with the haughtiest disdain. “I demand a written apology for your conduct to my sister—and a complete as well as immediate restitution of all her property, to be sent within the hour that is pass- ing to the hotel where I am staying :’—and IL named it. “But, my dear sir,” replied the nabob, “ the best part of the things were gifts from me to your sister !” “Well, sir—and what then? Gifts toa person are the property of the person to whom they are given. That’s logic—and damme, sir, Dll main- tain it with a bullet rammed tight down into the fluted barrel of my pistol.” “Well, well,” rejoined the wretched old man, who was in such a state of nervous trepidation that I feared he would drop in the road where this delectable scene took place, “we won’t argue the point. But pray bear in mind, my dear sir, that I was for more than an hour tied fast to a tree, unable to get your sister’s handkerchief out of my mouth; and when I did, I had to bawl myself hoarse before I could get any one near me—and I caught such a dreadful cold ne “Enough of all this!” I interrupted him, stamp- ing my foot as if with violent rage. “ Make the atonement—or give me satisfaction. Name your friend, if you like: it is all the same to me. I have brought one with me; and that’s his hat which you see above the hedge yonder!’—tor at that very moment I caught a glimpse of Iderton, who from a distance of about fifty yards, in a neighbouring field, was contemplating the scene. “Dear me! dear me! How very, very pep- pery you are!” quiveringly uttered the nabob. “ Kast Indian curry is nothing to you!” S$ Te = cee “este eens never ne apenas tte a LEA LALIT NR Gomicbooks.com a ee