Beauchamp's Career -- Volume 7

ound sleep, like hearty dining, endows men with a sense of rectitude, and sunlight following the former, as a pleasant spell of conversational ease or sweet music the latter, s

st. And later arrived another message, bearing the character of an urgen

permission to visit his nephew. Nevil he contemplated for the space of

with you for a day or two to- morrow,'

tand why she desired to be in Bevisham. She must

of his railway carriage he beheld the happy sportsmen stalking afield. The birds whirred and dropped just where he counted on their dropping. The smoke of the guns threaded to dazzling silver in the sunshine. Say what poor old Nevil will, or did say, previous to the sobering of his blood, where is there a land like Engla

he knew them not by name, and

deceived me, my dear lord,' she said, embracing him. 'You

e warmly, in commendation

You have spoken

red her,

int. She recollecte

o him the first day I s

. Poor man! poor man! At least we may now hope the blow will be spared him which w

of co

of the absence of p

liked her cal

' he said, 'a friend of

Dever

our hours,' Rosamund rejoined.

ing to tell you to do before

not so?-widows . . . and

hem to practise its own hypocrisy. Louise Devereux was married to a

o shrewd! But benevolence is almost all-seeing: You sai

ly upset,

did he

he first time; and the second time he s

mund droop

se. My lord has had a long c

here before you leav

s been more acute than I, or else y

seen?' said the

you are one of the wom

arl. 'Now may I tell h

! d

whiles, but not too affectingly. He conducted Rosamund to her room, kissed her, hoped she would sleep well, and retired to his good hard bachelor's bed, where he confidently supposed he would sleep. The sleep of a

ou might com

ntly for indulging f

revents me from sleeping. It concerns me. Whether he is to live or die, I should like him to know he has not striven in

you are excit

dead of night brings o

t shall not be said he

be said! He tried to m

nd my

every man J

; that is not the point; regrets are fruitless. I see how the struggle it cost him to break with his old love-that endearing Madame de Rouaillout, his Renee-broke his heart; and then his loss of Cecilia Halkett. But I

: it will raise me from a bitter depression. It shall not be said that those who loved him were unmoved by him.

ulse is at ninet

mine," I shall rejoice like the pure in spirit. Forgiveness does not matter, though I now believe that poor loving old man who waits outside his door weeping, is wrong-headed only in his political views. We women can read men by their power

'll talk it over in the morni

r: and she was a woman to insist on doing it. She was nevertheless a woman not impervious to reason, if only he could shape her understanding to perceive that the state of her nerve

d unnecessarily. Shrapnel had behaved unbecomingly, and had been punished for it. He had spoken to Shrapnel, and the affair was virtually a

inted discussion in the morning after br

as this of mine,

u have Gannet's word for it,' he argued.

answered. 'I will say, let me go to Bevisham two, three, four days

wo eyes on it? What you are asking, is for

is the

Nevil'

prescript

apol

ch an act was comparable to th

y, the mother of your child

's n

rust

oman, my dear. Now list

e with. He ins

did

ha

table to me, kind to me. He di

dreaming. He spoke insu

s influence over Nevil, spiteful, malicious: Oh! such a nest of vileness as I pray to heaven I am not now, if it is granted me to give life to another. Nevil's misfortunes date from that,' she continued, in reply to the earl's efforts to soothe her. 'Not the loss of the Election: that was no misfortune, but a lesson. He would not have shone in Parliament: he runs to

ond the mark,' said he. 'The man rou

iging to me. He offered me a seat at his table, and, heaven forgive me! I believe a bed in hi

, you can't g

so too, before my

y dear, demands a corresponding d

and feeling it shining on me where I go, t

talk offended

is: you're in w

ld have expected succour and seconding from o

have a troubled mind; and it is not to listen

soundness of head. You have it, only just now you're a

im by the arm.

When alone, she was divided into two almost equal halves: deeming that the countess should not insist, and the earl should not refuse: him she condemned for lack of sufficient spiritual insight to perceive the merits of h

to Lydiard

a paragraph

She is driving him to it

t to humble himself to the man he had castigated. She was right. It was by honestly presenting to his mind something more loathsome still,

ssity was in

f anything was really required, by speaking to S

t now pledged his word to the poor fellow's recovery, and the earl's particula

undertaken pilgrimages as acts of penance for sin,

,' he replied. 'The

aughed at, if it e

est for permission to perfor

, 'till Nevil i

red where I may t

u sleep well

me ever

ou sound

ou watch

again they went through the argumen

ived why. Fox! she thought. Grand fox, but fox downright. For he

he less would he venture to thwart her, though he should think her mad. There would be an analogy between his manner of regarding her and the way that superstitious villagers look on thei

she said to her husband: 'I have ordered the carriage for two o'clock to meet the quarter

velled a marksm

my wish that it should

o to Bevisham. I hav

to my t

ll be light. I shall g

nd

can't

o reason with me

mand,

past the hour

brows, and blowing one of his long nasal expirations,

my fault, but more argument I cannot bear. I will

asoning!' he

clean. Language like that offends you. I have no better. My reasoning has not touched you; I am helpless, except in this determination that my contrition shall be expressed

d, and staring awfully at the insulting prospect

you can, my dear lord tha

re?' He strode alo

l not st

lsy in my arm

ked at h

et fired by an insult to a woman. There was a rascal kissed a girl once against her will, and I heard her cry out; I laid him on his back for six months; just to

r husband,' said

journey to Bevisham

? we

we'll

air at the dashing out of a light she had fancied. 'You see the

line t

t is for your sake that I would shun it. As for me, the thought of going there is an ecstasy. I shall be with Nevil, and be

e me of a great joy, but I will not put myself in your way, and I consent. The chief sin was mine; remember that. I rank it viler than

quoth

We are one. You speak for me; I should have been forced to speak for you. You spare me the journe

ly. He could not shake her o

ut that suddenly he was expe

e meant to go if he did not. Perhaps the hopes of his House hung on it. Having admitted that a wrong had been done, he was not the man to leave it unamended; only he would have chosen his time, and the manner. Since Ne

and have to dread a scandal. His Rosamund, after all, was of their pattern; even though she blew that conscience she prattl

him for his p

: 'Well

, you will,

it passed for

he bloomed wi

ay yes,'

ed the earl. 'I'll go,