Sandra Belloni -- Volume 3

had not as yet pledged her word. It was supposed that she considered it due to herself to withhold her word for a term. The rumour in the family was, that Sir Twickenham appreciated h

ty called again; giving the ladies of Brookfield further opportunity for studying one of the levels from which they had risen. Arabella did almost all the fencing with

.the proposal?" inquired Laura; and la

self, if a phrase appea

bel

the neighbourho

et in the ne

Rich

at Ric

was sudden, dea

ould it

est things are

ulate us upo

I do entreat you, because...well, I am of a different opinion from some people, who ta

rd say it-such a good thing!)" as if he had been a gentleman in another world, and was the ghost of one in this:" really one of the cleverest things! but he is clever!-Bar

prise to be visible, she paused: "Yes. I don't thin

her adversary was here a s

your little

of her you w

Laura, shamefu

d to Mr. Barrett

t the

st be pointing to

it was not

sted the singu

ingula

emarks with the excl

er kindness to Emilia, and so sheathed her weapon for the time, having just enjoyed

tionality, and swept through the doorway: thus conveying forcibly to Arabella he

; and they encouraged her to pursue this course, without having a suspicion, shrewd as they were, that it was followed for any other object than the honour of the family. But Mr. Pole was in the utmo

the plain merchant. "H

e and aske

asked a favou

ays thought his girls extraordinary girls, and born to be distinguished. "Perhaps she has a lord in view," he concluded: it being his constant delusion to suppose

ping, and though she obtained no confidences, the soft mood was so strong in the stately lady, that she consented to weep on while Emilia clasped her. Petitioning on

keep us all in the dark as

ornelia; the voice of humil

! Are you prepared to be stra

for any sacri

man in his positi

ot leav

why

it, but he is ill. His actions ar

friend to resid

noticed him. His mind.

it since you made

perhaps when one i

for him that you tur

d respect for the name and notion of love. She addressed Emilia vaguely, bidding her keep guard on her emotions, and telling her there was one test of the truth of masculine protestations; this, Will he marry you? The which, if you are poor, is a passably infallible test. Emilia sucked this in thoughtfully. She he

marry Lady Charlotte Chill'nworth? Becas, my dear, there's Arr'bella, who's sharp, she is, as a North-easter in January, (which Chump 'd cry out for, for the sake of his ships, poor fella-he kneelin' by 's bedside in a long nightgown and lookin' just twice what he was!) she has me like a nail to my vary words, and shows me that nothin' can happen betas o' what I've said. And Cornelia-if ye'll fancy a tall codfish on its tail: 'Mrs. Chump, I beg ye'll not go to believe annything of me.' So I says to her, 'Cornelia! my dear! do ye think, now, it's true that Chump went

uck with her tongue. Emili

ut fist's good in fight and bad in frie

," persist

e're in a conspiracy to make me blin

't wan

it's not

want an

h ye! I'll be callin' ye

wi

y from a volley o

a broken wing. She thought, "if I can be near him to lean against him for one full hour!" it would make her strong again. For, she found that if her heart was rising on a broad breath, suddenly, for no reason that she knew, it seemed to stop in its rise, break, and sink, like a wind-beaten billow. Once or twice, in a quick fear, she thought: "What is this? Is this a malady coming before death?"

he house. "Come out of doo

to be taken by surprise. "In the wood

lia, seeing this plac

s too still; say, where

unhappy by

sing to me. I won't dine at home, so they won't susp-a-fancy anything.-Soh!

lo

ubting whether her pronunciation of the

ther, and none know of it. She thought so too, and smiled happily, promisi

h Lady Charlotte Chillingworth," said he. "How dare you make appoint

ith a distinct impression that she did

tation on his sisters' judgement for not perceiving the virtues of the widow. The sum was improvidently large. Mr. Pole did not hear aright when he heard it named. Even at the repetition, he went: "Eh?" two or three times, vacantly. Th

o fear of that, sir." And so his father thought, after an examination o

always know that money's money. I wish your sisters wouldn't los

ch you don't like to see standing:-about-perhaps I had better name the round sum. Suppose y

. Wilfrid kept his position for a minute or so; and then, a little piqued, he moved about. He had inherit

u on this business

g over me for ever? Eight hundred, you said." He mumbled: "salary of a chief

in a letter?" said Wi

er. Upon which Wilfrid changed his mind. "I can t

le, if I se

ee whether you ca

e sum, tore out the leaf and tossed it to him. "There, I've written to-day. Don't present it for a week." He rubbed his forehead hastily, touching here and there a paper to put it scrupulously in a li

rming sensations of little people help them to imagine, when Cornelia ran hurriedly u

ll, just now," said Wilf

his chair not two minute

is in a dang

e entered; but the mask had slipped from half of the old man's face, and fo

you sent for

nelia, he fired up: "It's preposterous to tell a man who carries on a business like mine, you've observed for a long w

e sudden kindness, dr

ia's e

but tell me what

take possession of him. He

stretched out, and his expression

tly down on the chair, saying: "You

e. I eat and drink just as you all do; and if I have a headache, I'm stunned with a whole family scream

thered his mind he assented, begging his son particularly to take precautions to