The Soldier's Wife — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

8 NE THE SOLDIER'S WIFE. answered the young man. “T have been in-,lions poor that the few may be rich;—and be suited —cruelly insulted—almost trampled upon|cause I have been heard to say so, | have been by one whom the accident of birth has made} accused, as you know, by Sir Archibald and Mr, Arden, of disseminating seditious ideas amongst the villagers, Yet, heaven knows how seldom I have obtruded my opinions upon others; and not frequenting the public-house, I have no op. portunity, nor do I seek it, of interfering with the sentiraents of my fellow-villagers. ever, it is known that I have once or twice spoken in that sense; and it has struck me for at least two years past that the baronet and the parson would be very glad to get me out of the what the world calls my superior.” “Who has done this?” inquired Lucy, sud- denly becoming painfully excited; and the tears started out upon the long dark lashes which shaded her deep blue eyes. “ Gerald Redburn,” returned Frederick. “When I think of what took place I am surprised that TY restrained my hand from tearing him off his horse and spurning him at my feet. I should have done s90 perhaps; but, miserable enfecbled atrippling as he is, it would have been a cow- ard’s blow on my part. And yet I was bitterly provoked !” “Yes, dear Frederick, you must have been— you must have been—to talk thus and to feel so deeply too. Oh!” exclaimed the generous-hearted and devoted girl, “what can I say—what can I do to console you? Ah! methinks that if I had heen ever so much provoked, yet that in your society I should experience a soothing solace :?’— then, as if she had sad too much for maiden modesty, she bent down her eyes, blushing deeply. “Oh! a thousand thanks, dearest Lucy, for this spontaneous assurance of the extent of your love!”—and Frederick Lonsdale pressed her hand to his lips. “ Yes, dearest, I also should _ feel every possible consolation in your sweet ecompany—your sympathy would pour a balm into the heart to heal the wounds of any depth and poignancy. But it is not the mere sense of terrible insult which now oppresses me: it is also the fear of asad, sad change m my circum- stances, poor as they already are!” ; “ What mean you, dear Frederick?” inquired Lucy, with a startled look of fresh apprehension. “T mean, beloved girl,’ was Lonsdale’s excited reply, “that the insolent Gerald, not contented with flinging at me the bitterest taun’s, has threatened to deprive me of my bread. He has vowed that I shall work for his father no longer, and that he will take sufficient measures to pre- vent me from obtaining employment at the hands of any tenant of Sir Archibald’s. Such a cruelty, if carried out, would amount, dear Lucy, to a sentence of exile from the village : and that it will be carried out, | have, alas! the too pain- ful conviction.” The excitement of anxiety dying away from Lucy’s countenance, was succeeded by a look of deep dejection; and for upwards oF a minute there was a pause, during which the lovers walked with the slow pace of sadness along the bank of the stream, At length Lucy again stopped short, saying somewhat abruptly, * You have not told me, dear Frederick, the nature of this quarrel between yourself and Mr, Redburn.” “You know, dear Lucy—for we have fre- quently spoken on the subject before—that ] am no very great favorite with Sir Archibald or his cou—nor yet with the Rev. Mr. Arden; and I think it is because I have been decently edu- eated, and have added as well as | could to my little stock of knowledge. People in high life don't like humble persons, such as Lam, to have much learning: they think it opens our eyes to village,” How- * But you are such a general favorite, my dear Frederick,” said Lucy, gazing up fondly and ad- miringly in her lover’s countenance, “that they would not dare outrage general opinion by any open and unprovoked act of tyranny,” “That is the exact truth of the case, dear “ But now, I fear me, the opportunity does present itself, and the tyranny will be exercised. I will however come to the point. This afternoon I was working in the field up by the plantation yonder, when Mr, Redburn rode by on horseback, hat as a matter of course: but he took no no- tice of me. Ever since his return home from Oxford he treated me in this haughty manner : out [ can assure you it gave me not much con- cern—for I was resolved to avoid as far as pose sible affording the slightest opportunity for the visitation of the tyranny which I nevertheless apprehended. Well, Gerald Redburn, who was riding unattended, passed along the lane; and presently I heard him crying out in his weak sickly voice, ‘I say, you fellow Lonsdale, come here !—My first thought was to disobey a com- mand so imperiously given; but curbing my annoyance, and true to my resolve not to suffer myself to be easily provoked, I hurried to the spot where he had halted. Pointing with his kid gloved finger upon the ground, Gerald R d- burp said, ‘ Pick up that riding-whip.—lIf I had been the vilest of dogs, he could not have ad- dressed me in a more brutal overbearing man- ner. I felt the color mounting to my face; and [ recollect that I threw upon him a look of ir- repressible indignation, He saw it at once, and flying into a rage, exclaimed, ‘You beggarly clod hopper, make haste and do as I tell you Pick up that whip, I say, or I shall jump off and lay it about your shoulders’—‘ Mr, Redburn,’ said I, mastering my feelings as well as I pus- sibly could, ‘ 1 would do anything I can to serve you if you only speak civilly’—Thereupon he levelled a bitter imprecation at me—au impre- cation which sounded shocking indeed when coming from the lips of a young gentleman ; and he renewed his command that I should pick up the whip instantaneously. Lucy, I could no Lucy,” exclaimed Frederick. longer control myself——” I touched my “No, Frederick,” said the young damsel, her cheeks now flushed with the crimson glow of indignatior at the bare idea of the treatment which her lover had experienced: “I can well understana that you lost all igi? then ; and it would even have shown a had tamely submitted, But proceed, -bo injustice of the system which keeps the mil/ followed ” ack of spirit if W (E(©) m € ,00 “S a v *S. Bey =”) ee