Rosa Lambert — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

LD . ——— vanly, he hurried away with his daughter. ROSA LAMBERT. 61 EE — shoulders—may nevertheless be able to afford a[ masque ball to which I was brought for a purpose Jeason even to the sage and erudite philosopher. | of your own, and not for my recreation.” In future, leave alone the mistresses of young men. “ My dear Rose, pray don’t be offended,” urged Depend upon it, they are not likely to fall in love} Alvanly. ‘‘ As for not having faith in you 2 with your antiquated countenance — they only} ‘The less that is said upon the subject, the laugh and ridicule you behind your back y better,” I interrupted him : and as we now reached Here I pressed Alvanly’s arm so hard that me- | the steps leading up to the verandah, on which thought the poor Earl observed the movement. He | several masques were grouped in hilarious conver- again looked very hard at me: he still trembled | sation, the topic of our discourse could not be con- from head to foot: he was no doubt painfully | tinued. humiliated—deeply mortified. Alvanly maintained; “But you will not persist in returning home his ground: he would not yield to my significant | yet, Rose ?” said Mr. Alvanly, as we entered the intimations that I wished him to put an end to/ saloons. “Itis by no means late: indeed, it is this discourse. But an incident which now oc-| still quite early—and I do not think the carriage curred, had the effect of doing so. For all of a| will have come yet. Pray get into good humour sudden, a lady, clad in the gray domino which I| again! Have another dance—I will lkewise— had ere now worn, and which she had therefore | and let us endeavour to pass at least one hour evidently succeeded in recovering, came up to the | agreeably.” spot where this scene was going on; and takingthe} While he was yet speaking, a thought entered Earl’s arm, murmured in accents which indicated | my head; andin pursuance thereof I assented to | mingled exhaustion and terror, “Oh! where have | his proposal. Dancing was speedily resumed: a you been, father? I have searched for you every- | gentleman came and invited me for the quadrille: where !”’ Gustavus chose a partner for himself; and thus “ And I also for you,” responded the old noble- | another’ half-hour was spent. The quadrille being man: and, no doubt infinitely rejoiced to be thus | over, and the usual promenade round the room relieved of farther bantering on the part of Al- | being likewise finished, my partner conducted me to a seat—made his bow—and left me. I glanced “ Now, Gustavus, I understand,” I said coldly | quickly around: Mr. Alvanly was not at the and distantly, “ wherefore you brought me hither. | moment to be seen—he had entered the adjoining It was not for the mere purpose of affording me | room with his own partner—and this circumstance recreation. You had another object in view—and | afforded me the very opportunity which I desired. it was twofold. In the first place, you wished to|I sped forth upon the verandah—descended the punish the Earl for having dared make overtures | steps—and emerged once more upon the grounds. to me; and in the second place you sought to} I will now explain the thought which had create such a breach between his lordship and my- | suddenly struck me when Gustavus was proposing self, as to render it utterly out of the question | that we should remain a little longer. It had oc- that he will ever renew those overtures. Your/| curred to me that Lady Lucia Calthorpe would be first motive has made you guilty of conduct that | certain to seek some opportunity of saying a few is unhandsome towards me, inasmuch as you should | words to Horace Rockingham ; and if so, I was have consulted me with regard to your intention, | desirous to watch them and overhear, if possible, and not have brought me hither toserve as a blind | whatsoever might take place. After my return agent or tool in the matter. Your second motive! with Alvanly to the brilliantly lighted apartments, proves that you had no real faith in my constancy | I had looked in vain amongst the throng of masques towards yourself: in your heart you dreaded lest I | for the old Earl in his Voltaire garb—for Lady should be dazzled by Lord Eveleigh’s overtures, | Lucia in the gray domino—and for Horace Rock- and you have taken the present means to make | ingham in the Page’s dress. I felt tolerably sure him my mortal enemy. Ah, Gustavus, all this is | that the father and daughter on their side, and but little complimentary to me—and but little | Horace on his own part, had remained in the honourable to yourself! Of course you intended | grounds; and I knew full well that if Lucia should the poor old man to suspect that it was I myself | perceive Horace, her ingenuity would by some who was listening to the language in which you! means or another enable her to separate from her addressed him: he will think that I have not father for the purpose of haying an interview with merely betrayed that which ought to have been | her lover—whom I had likewise found to be her regarded as secret—but that I have likewise vo- | seducer. luntarily sought to become the witness of his; These were the reflections which I had made, humiliation.” and which now prompted me to quit the saloons “Why, Rose!” cried Alvanly, “is it possible | once more and go forth into the open air. Aided you are offended? I have been listening in down- | by my aark apparel, I could glide unperceived right astonishment dt this elaborate piece of reason- | amongst shady avenues—behind groups of trees— ing on your part. As a matter of course I chose | or even hover at a distance from the centres of to punish the old fellow for seeking to deprive me | light, and observe whatsoever was going on. There of a mistress whom I love. Understand me well, | were not many masques now walking about in the Rose!, If he had been a young man, I should| grounds: there was consequently no confusion of © have called him out: but an old dotard like that, | costumes and personages to perplex my view as I with one foot in the graye—it would have been | looked in every direction for the objects of my downright murder! Therefore I was compelled | search. Presently I beheld Lord Eveleigh in his to adopt this course. Are you any longer angry ?” | Voltaire-garb hastening towards the steps of the “I am not well pleased,” was my response, | verandah: he was alone—and every instant he coldly given, “ And now, with your permission, I | kept looking around, evidently for some one. I will return home. I have had enough of the | felt assured that Lucia had again become separated rr COMMUG @ 1 0)@)C) <S (C (0)