Rosa Lambert — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

78 true that I love you still; and you shall be mine— you shall be mine! Ior that purpose have you been brought hither,” “Never, never!” I exclaimed, all my indigna- tion suddenly boiling up again, and fed too by the growing impatience with which I had listened to my persecutor’s speech, “ Let me go hence—or I will seream—L will raise the neighbourhood !” “ Beware how you force me to something des- perate,” said Horace Rockingham: and again the pistol was deliberately levelled at me. The execrable young man wore at the instant an expression of countenance so satanic in its admixture of sternest resolve and gloating passion, that I did indeed fear hewas capable of something desperate. My indignation onee more subsided _ rapidly into the direst alarm—my blood stagnated im my veins—and I murmured, “ For God’s sake, lower that weapon! An accident might stretch me lifeless at your feet !” “ Aye—and intentionally too, Rose,’ responded Horace, with a sardonic smile, “if you dare thwart my purpose. As for your screams, they will be unavailing here: for this is a house whence the din of disturbance frequently goes forth by day as well as by night; and the neighbours are too much accustomed as well as too indifferent to the sounds, to think of interfering.” While he was giving utterance to these words, a horrible, hideous, sickening suspicion stole into my mind—a suspicion of the loathsome, revolting nature of the house to which I had been brought. i felt as if some disgusting plague had just seized upon me—as if I were contaminated vy the mere circumstance of being within those walls. “ Execrable boy!” I cried, in a state bordering upon frenzy; “what place is this to which I have been so treacherously inveigled ?” “What place?’ he cried, with a sneer: “have not you already guessed? were not my words sig- nificant enough P” I staggered back with a faintness that came over me: I sank down upon a chair—and the tears gushed forth from my eyes. “ Now listen to me once again, Rosa,” resumed Horace: “and you will know precisely on what terms we stand towards each other. From my lips you have already learnt that I love you still, —love you with a maddening fervour—with a love indeed that will enable me to forget all your past vindictiveness, if for the present and the future you will be but complying and tender. Give your assent—and to-morrow I convey you to splendidly furnished apartments, where we will dwell toge- ther 3 “No, no—I will die sooner!” I ejaculated, in- spired with a sudden fury: and again I sprang up to my feet. “Well, listen then,’ continued Rockingham, a devilish expression once more coming upon his features, and giving him the appearance of that fearful beauty which painters and poets have re- presented as characterizing the ruined angel;— “and you will see that your position is indeed a desperate one. You are in a house of infamy. The driver of the coach who brought you thither, is in my pay: he was bribed by me while you were at Captain Forteseuc’s lodgings, to perform the service which L required of him, If you refuse ‘he terms 1 proffer, you may in a short time— ROSA LAMBERT. within another half-hour perhaps —issue hence. You will then have been here long enough to afford corroboration to the tale which will be told of you. Interrupt me not!—you must learn what the nature of that tale will bee An anonymous letter-——” | “ Detestable youth!” I ejaculated, ee with rage, the very fierceness of which render me impotent for energetic action: “you are indeed an adept at anonymous letters, which are the re- sources of the dastard and the coward—the weapons of the bravo-like maligner !” “Granting that I am this adept with those weapons, Rose,’ responded Horace eoolly, “ you ought to admit to yourself that I am not a man to be trifled with, But let me finish what I had to say, so that you may know precisely how you stand towards me. Ananonymous letter, as I was observing, will be despatched to Reginald For- tescue, informing him that you accompanied me, Horace Rockingham, to a house of a particular de- scription.” “Wretch—fiend!” I exclaimed: “think you for a moment that the vile tale will be believed ?” ‘* Believed P Certainly !” cried Rockingham, with a triumpant laugh: “believed as firmly as you ere now believed that your protector was in the arms of a rival. For jealousy believes anything!” “Ah! then, miscreant that you are,” I inter- jected furiously, “you admit the authorship of that foul calumny against Captain Fortescue.” “Wherefore should I deny it?” asked Horace, his countenance lighting up with a triumphant look and luxurious smile, as his eyes devoured me : “T had a purpose to serve—and I succeeded. L knew that on the receipt of that letter, you would fly to your protector’s lodgings: I knew also that you would not find him there. I caleulated that your mind would be in such trouble on coming forth again, that you would not notice in which direction the driver of the coach took you. As I have already said, an understanding was promptly entered into with him—for I was on the watch in Pall Mall; and having given him my gold and my™ instructions, I hurried hither, confident that I should not have to wait long ere you would be at the same destination. Now, Rose,is one who thus coolly combines, and calculates, and lays his plans, likely to be baffled in the triumphant carrying out of all his aims ?” “That you are vile and wicked enough for any- thing, I know, sir. Alas, I know it to my cost!” was my bitter exclamation. “ But let me go hence !” I added with passionate yehemence; and I advanced towards him. , “Stop! stand back!” he cried, now levelling both pistols at me. “ Hear me out—and in two minutes more the door shall be open for you, if you choose to avail yourself of the freedom thus afforded.” “Go on, go on!—be quick!” I ejaculated. “What more have you to say ?” | “Now that I have kept you a sufficient time here to answer my purpose,” he resumed, with that bitter mocking laugh which sounded like the mirth of a fiend, “it is no longer necessary to use intimidation. ‘There! and there!” he added, toss ing one pistol after the other upon the bed: “ away with the really useless weapons! I have fright- ened you desperately, Rose: bub they were not i} are Be