登陆注册
4708600000122

第122章

Frank was away, and Mary was systematically banished, with due acknowledgement from all the powers in Greshamsbury. But this was not enough for Lady Arabella as long as her daughter still habitually consorted with the female culprit, and as long as her husband consorted with the male culprit. It seemed to Lady Arabella at this moment as though, in banishing Mary from the house, she had in effect banished herself from the most intimate of the Greshamsbury social circles. She magnified in her own mind the importance of the conferences between the girls, and was not without some fear that the doctor might be talking the squire over into very dangerous compliance.

Her object was to break of all confidential intercourse between Beatrice and Mary, and to interrupt, as far as she could do it, that between the doctor and the squire. This, it may be said, could be more easily done by skilful management within her own household. She had, however, tried that and failed. She had said much to Beatrice as to the imprudence of her friendship with Mary, and she had done this purposely before the squire; injudiciously however--for the squire had immediately taken Mary's part, and had declared that he had no wish to see a quarrel between his family and that of the doctor; that Mary Thorne was in every way a good girl, and an eligible friend for his own child; and had ended by declaring, that he would not have Mary persecuted for Frank's fault. This had not been the end, nor nearly the end of what had been said on the matter at Greshamsbury; but the end, when it came, came in this wise, that Lady Arabella determined to say a few words to the doctor as to the expediency of forbidding familiar intercourse between Mary and any of the Greshamsbury people.

With this view Lady Arabella absolutely bearded the lion in his den, the doctor in his shop. She had heard that both Mary and Beatrice were to pass a certain afternoon at the parsonage, and took that opportunity of calling at the doctor's house. A period of many years had passed since she had last so honoured that abode. Mary, indeed, had been so much one of her own family that the ceremony of calling on her had never been thought necessary; and thus, unless Mary had been absolutely ill, there would have been nothing to bring her ladyship to the house.

All this she knew would add to the importance of the occasion, and she judged it prudent to make the occasion as important as it might well be.

She was so far successful that she soon found herself tete-a-tete with the doctor in his own study. She was no whit dismayed by the pair of human thigh-bones which lay close to his hand, and which, when he was talking in that den of his own, he was in the constant habit of handling with much energy; nor was she frightened out of her propriety even by the little child's skull which grinned at her from off the chimney-piece.

'Doctor,' she said, as soon as the first complimentary greetings were over, speaking in her kindest and most would-be-confidential tone.

'Doctor, I am still uneasy about that boy of mine, and I have thought it best to come and see you at once, and tell you freely what I think.'

The doctor bowed, and said that he was very sorry that she should have any cause for uneasiness about his young friend Frank.

'Indeed, I am very uneasy, doctor; and having, as I do have, such reliance on your prudence, and such perfect confidence in your friendship, I have thought it best to come and speak to you openly:' thereupon the Lady Arabella paused, and the doctor bowed again.

'Nobody knows so well as you do the dreadful state of the squire's affairs.'

'Not so dreadful; not so very dreadful,' said the doctor, mildly: 'that is, as far as I know.'

'Yes they are, doctor; very dreadful; very dreadful indeed. You know how much he owes to this young man: I do not, for the squire never tells anything to me; but I know that it is a very large sum of money; enough to swamp the estate and ruin Frank. Now I call that very dreadful.'

'No, not ruin him, Lady Arabella; not ruin him, I hope.'

'However, I did not come to talk to you about that. As I said before, I know nothing of the squire's affairs, and, as a matter of course, I do not ask you to tell me. But I am sure you will agree with me in this that, as a mother, I cannot but be interested about my only son,' and Lady Arabella put her cambric handkerchief to her eyes.

'Of course you are; of course you are,' said the doctor; 'and, Lady Arabella, my opinion of Frank is such, that I feel sure that he will do well;' and, in his energy, Dr Thorne brandished one of the thigh-bones almost in the lady's face.

'I hope he will; I am sure I hope he will. But, doctor, he has such dangers to contend with; he is so warm and impulsive that I fear his heart will bring him into trouble. Now, you know, unless Frank marries money he is lost.'

The doctor made no answer to this last appeal, but as he sat and listened a slight frown came across his brow.

'He must marry money, doctor. Now we have, you see, with your assistance, contrived to separate him from dear Mary--'

'With my assistance, Lady Arabella! I have given no assistance, nor have I meddled in the matter; nor will I.'

'Well, doctor, perhaps not meddled; but you agreed with me, you know, that the two young people had been imprudent.'

'I agreed to no such thing, Lady Arabella; never, never. I not only never agreed that Mary had been imprudent, but I will not agree to it now, and will not allow any one to assert it in my presence without contradicting it:' and then the doctor worked away at the thigh-bones in a manner that did rather alarm her ladyship.

'At any rate, you thought that the young people had better be kept apart.'

'No; neither did I think that: my niece, I felt sure, was safe from danger. I knew that she would do nothing that would bring either her or me to shame.'

'Not to shame,' said the lady apologetically, as it were, using the word perhaps not exactly in the doctor's sense.

同类推荐
  • 指头画说

    指头画说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说优婆夷堕舍迦经

    佛说优婆夷堕舍迦经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 正一敕坛仪

    正一敕坛仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 金莲正宗记

    金莲正宗记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 邱祖秘传大丹直指

    邱祖秘传大丹直指

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 快穿:炮灰打脸手册

    快穿:炮灰打脸手册

    烂尾,无厘头很多bug,不建议看。所以千万不要看,说真的。
  • 大巍禅师竹室集

    大巍禅师竹室集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 主神快穿之神秘男神病入骨

    主神快穿之神秘男神病入骨

    #1v1轻度暗黑向,男女主角都有病系列#主神下场玩快穿,黑化男神宠入骨。—穿越三千界,追债金手指与收割渣渣灵魂之余,颜妩不断寻找着爱人的转世:淡漠矜贵的偶像男神,清冷似仙的俊美妖帝,优雅克制的禁欲总裁……然而每一次,男人总会撕开纯白的伪装,露出黑透的真面目,不厌其烦地对她进行新一轮的囚禁和束缚……小黑屋中。颜妩:“原来,这就是你的爱?”男人只优雅地甩出了镣铐。“当然,比起宝贝总在外流浪,我宁愿将你的尸体禁锢在我身旁。”而她颤抖着身子……却抑制不住地轻笑出了声。“其实,你这样子,我更喜欢呢。”——推荐老书《主神快穿:黑化男神宠宠宠》(本书前传,没看过不影响阅读本书)《快穿系统:反派男神攻略计》
  • 豪门英雄

    豪门英雄

    年近六十岁的钱满川是青州府城南有名的土财主。近年来随着年龄的不断增大,那久久埋藏于心底、在他有生之年亲眼看着三儿子钱如水考中秀才、荣宗耀祖的期望与日俱增。可谓老而弥坚,变得越来越迫切了。一个区区穷酸秀才,何以让这个家财万贯、鲜衣怒马的财主痴迷到如此程度?这得从钱家早年的一场官司说起。钱满川的老爹在五十岁那年为争夺一方上好的土地与邻村一家张姓财主打起了官司。钱家仰仗雄厚的家底,不惜血本地拿出了大把的金条、成箱的银圆,上下打点,左右疏通,终使官司有了八成胜算。
  • 诸法无诤三昧法门

    诸法无诤三昧法门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 你是我克服一切爱的人

    你是我克服一切爱的人

    没有刻骨铭心的温柔,只有等山野褪去的温柔。
  • 绝地求生之天幕

    绝地求生之天幕

    【第一版简介】莫名其妙进入到了一个游戏之中,它的背后,隐藏着惊人的秘密……
  • 故事会(2018年5月下)

    故事会(2018年5月下)

    《故事会》是中国最通俗的民间文学小本杂志,是中国的老牌刊物之一。先后获得两届中国期刊的最高奖——国家期刊奖。1998年,它在世界综合类期刊中发行量排名第5。从1984年开始,《故事会》由双月刊改为月刊,2003年11月份开始试行半月刊,2004年正式改为半月刊。现分为红、绿两版,其中红版为上半月刊,绿版为下半月刊。
  • 千古一帝

    千古一帝

    与万里长城一起举世闻名的秦始皇,是中国家喻户晓的人物,然而,人们但知他是一个暴君,却忽略了他是一位伟大的皇帝。秦始皇是中国第一位皇帝,他首建中央集权制度,开创了中国历史的新纪元,影响中国达两千年之久,从而奠定了他千古一帝的地位。故事写秦始皇度过了苦难的童年后,少年天子一展奇才,翦除权臣,夺回实权,悲怆壮烈;亲政后,问鼎中原,霸气冲天,一统天下,可歌可泣。称帝后,废除分封,行中央集权,筑长城,统一文字、度量衡,前无古人。他奏响了秦颂绝响,影响了中国几千年!登峰造极后,突然向深渊滑落下去,几代人的心血竟被付之一炬……秦始皇,他波澜壮阔的一生,名垂千古的伟大和千古罪人的错误,让人无比崇敬,也让人扼腕叹息……书中惊心动魄的权力斗争,有的落马,有的成功,他们给历史带来了无尽的启示,也留下了沉重的思考……
  • 小学生最喜欢看的好词好句好段大全

    小学生最喜欢看的好词好句好段大全

    小朋友们,你们是否还在为写不出妙语连珠的句子而烦恼?是否还在为自己的作文没有亮点而焦急?这里有你需要的好词、好句、好段,这里会让你的作文增光生色,这里会让你的作文与众不同,孩子们,还等什么,来吧,来这里寻找你所需要的作文素材吧!《小学生最喜欢的系列丛书:小学生最喜欢看的好词好句好段大全》分为写人篇、状物篇、写景篇、叙事篇、社会热点与爱心活动五部分,语言生动、形象,对提高孩子的写作能力大有裨益。