登陆注册
5167600000045

第45章

MR WHARTON COMPLAINS.

'I think you have betrayed me.' This accusation was brought by Mr Wharton against Mrs Roby in that lady's drawing-room, and was occasioned by a report that had been made to the old lawyer by his daughter.He was very angry and almost violent;--so much so that by his manner, he gave considerable advantage to the lady whom he was accusing.

Mrs Roby undoubtedly had betrayed her brother-in-law.She had been false to the trust reposed in her.He had explained his wishes to her in regard to his daughter, to whom she had in some sort assumed to stand in place of a mother, and she, while pretending to act in accordance with his wishes, had directly opposed them.But it was not likely that he would be able to prove her treachery though he might be sure of it.He had desired that the girl should see as little as possible of Ferdinand Lopez, but had hesitated to give a positive order that she should not meet him.He had indeed himself taken her to a dinner party at which he knew that she would meet him.But Mrs Roby had betrayed him.Since the dinner party she had arranged a meeting at her own house in behalf of the lover,--as to which arrangement Emily Wharton had herself been altogether innocent.

Emily had met the man in her aunt's house, not expecting to meet him, and the lover had had an opportunity of speaking his mind freely.She also had spoken hers freely.She would not engage herself without her father's consent.With that consent she would do so,--oh, so willingly! She did not coy her love.He might be certain that she would give herself to no one else.Her heart was entirely his.But she had pledged herself to her father, and on no consideration would she break that pledge.She went on to say that after what had passed she thought that they had better not meet.In such meetings there could be no satisfaction, and must be much pain.But he had her full permission to use any arguments that he could use with her father.On the evening of that day she told her father all that had passed,--omitting no detail either of what she had said or of what had been said to her--adding a positive assurance of obedience, but doing so with a severe solemnity and apparent consciousness of ill-usage which almost broke her father's heart.

'Your aunt must have laid him there on purpose,' Mr Wharton had said.But Emily would neither accuse nor defend her aunt.'I at least knew nothing of it,' she said.'I know that,' Mr Wharton had ejaculated.'I know that.I don't accuse you of anything, my dear,--except of thinking that you understand the world better than I do.' Then Emily had retired and Mr Wharton had been left to pass half the night in perplexed reverie, feeling that he would be forced ultimately to give way, and yet certain that by doing so he would endanger his child's happiness.

He was so angry with his sister-in-law, and on the next day, early in the morning, he attacked her.'I think you have betrayed me,' he said.

'What do you mean by that, Mr Wharton?'

'You have had this man here on purpose that he might make love to Emily.'

'I have done no such thing.You told me yourself that they were not to be kept apart.He comes here, and it would be very odd indeed if I were to tell the servants that he is not to be admitted.If you want to quarrel with me, of course you can.Ihave always endeavoured to be a good friend to Emily.'

'It is not being a good friend to her, bringing her and this adventurer together.'

'I don't know why you call him an adventurer.But you are so very odd in your ideas! He is received everywhere, and is always at the Duchess of Omnium's.'

'I don't care a fig about the Duchess.'

'I dare say not.Only the Duke happens to be Prime Minister, and his house is considered to have the very best society in England, or indeed, Europe, can give.And I think it is something in a young man's favour when it is known that he associates with such persons as the Duke of Omnium.I believe that most fathers would have a regard to the company which a man keeps when they think of their daughter's marrying.'

'I ain't thinking of her marrying.I don't want her to marry; --not this man at least.And I fancy the Duchess of Omnium is just as likely to have scamps in her drawing-room as any other lady in London.'

'And do such men as Mr Happerton associate with scamps?'

'I don't know anything about Mr Happerton,--and I don't care anything about him.'

'He has 20,000 pounds a year out of his business.And does Everett associate with scamps.'

'Very likely.'

'I never knew anyone so much prejudiced as you are, Mr Wharton.

When you have a point to carry there's nothing you won't say.Isuppose it comes from being in the courts.'

'The long and short of it is this,' said the lawyer, 'if I find that Emily is brought here to meet Mr Lopez, I must forbid her to come at all.'

'You must do as you please about that.But to tell you the truth, Mr Wharton, I think the mischief is done.Such a girl as Emily, when she has taken it into her head to love a man, is not likely to give him up.'

'She has promised to have nothing to say to him without my sanction.'

'We all know what that means.You'll have to give way.You'll find that it will be so.The stern parent who dooms his daughter to perpetual seclusion because she won't marry the man he likes, doesn't belong to this age.'

'Who talks about seclusion?'

'Do you suppose that she'll give up the man she loves because you don't like him? Is that the way girls live nowadays? She won't run away with him, because she's not one of that sort; but unless you're harder-hearted than I take you to be, she'll make your life a burden to you.And as for betraying you, that's nonsense.

You've no right to say it.I'm not going to quarrel with you whatever you may say, but you've no right to say it.'

同类推荐
  • 彻庸和尚谷响集

    彻庸和尚谷响集

    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。
  • 关尹子

    关尹子

    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。
  • 皇明盛事述

    皇明盛事述

    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。
  • The White Moll

    The White Moll

    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。
  • 金箓大斋启盟仪

    金箓大斋启盟仪

    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。
热门推荐
  • 郊庙歌辞 晋昭德成

    郊庙歌辞 晋昭德成

    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。
  • 聚焦中国改革

    聚焦中国改革

    本书立足于党的十八届三中全会的大背景,以全会审议通过的《中共中央关于全面深化改革若干重大问题的决定》为蓝本,重点阐述我国经济体制、政治体制、文化体制、社会体制、生态文明体制、党的建设制度等重点领域改革的方针政策,为深入贯彻十八届三中全会精神、深刻理解《决定》内涵、全面深化改革若干重大问题提供有益的借鉴和参考。
  • 带着农场玩穿越

    带着农场玩穿越

    她只不过玩玩QQ农场而已,干嘛醒来就换了一个地方?乡村草屋?家中无粮?父亲重伤?母亲懦弱?兄弟姐妹一群?咦?QQ农场跟着玩穿越?可以种田?可以养牧场?什么,空间里饲养出来的鸡鸭兔子全都是灵禽?QQ空间不但可以升级,还可以收尽天下凶兽,成为最强悍的召唤师!贾商追上门?绅士来访?贵人到来?神秘宗门出现?父母的家族驾临?皆因灵禽惹得祸!兵来将挡,水来土淹,见人说人话,见鬼说鬼见话,且看程筱筱如何利用空间玩转异世!媒婆上门?滚,没见姐要种田么?神仙哥哥?一袭白衣胜雪,骑着仙鹤而来,长得像是妖精般美丽的男子,轻笑时若鸿羽飘落,甜蜜如糖,静默时则冷峻如冰。他泛着魔魅光芒的双眸晶亮无比,那是看她的眼神,俊美如神抵脸庞洋溢浅笑,那是对她的宠爱,眉眼间泛起一片涟漪,那是对她的情意,他轻柔而充满磁性的声音总是叫着她的名字。赶不走,骂不动,死皮赖脸守在她身边,与爹爹狼狈为奸。再厉害的她也架不住坑姐的陷阱,于是——《本文爽文、温馨、溺宠、冤家、1V1,喜欢文文亲亲请点击收藏,砸花花,砸钻钻,留言言,不喜欢点击叉叉号,不必留言人身攻击,谢谢大家!》
  • 三国之第四帝国

    三国之第四帝国

    这里有你耳熟能详的人物。也有你曾经忽略过的好汉。有经典的战役。也有不经典却很重要的战争。公元189年,永汉元年,黄巾起义被镇压之后,外戚宦官在内斗中失去权柄,董卓从此控制了朝廷.自此天下大乱。所谓乱世出英雄,且看李腾在这乱世之中如何斩将夺城,建立丰功伟业,成为一代帝王。
  • 大明元辅

    大明元辅

    身出名门,既有首辅伯父,又陪太子读书,朝野戏言小阁老;领袖金榜,上承隆庆遗风,下开万历盛世,天下称颂大元辅。县委秘书出身的小小镇长穿越成隆庆第一重臣高拱的侄儿。【承诺的100万字免费章节已完成。】盟主建了个书友Q群,群号:691201920,大家有什么想讨论的可以进群讨论一下,我也会进去潜水,了解大家的看法。
  • 衡庐精舍藏稿

    衡庐精舍藏稿

    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。
  • 圈子圈套2:迷局篇

    圈子圈套2:迷局篇

    职场风云再起。洪钧出任维西尔中国区总经理,他和俞威之间的较量又或明或暗地展开来,面对商场上的尔虞我诈,他该如何出招。俞威依旧在ICE呼风唤雨,然而当他发现新任研发中心的负责人竟然和洪钧有某种渊源时,他还能笑得起来吗?他将如何面对这一颗“定时炸弹”。
  • 爵爷独宠:娇妻太撩人

    爵爷独宠:娇妻太撩人

    震惊!重生杀手强势归来,后宫佳丽竟达三千!权势滔天的厉总也倾尽所有只为博她一笑!“BOSS,有编辑说夫人后宫佳丽三千。”某男:“封杀!”“BOSS,夫人砸了电视台。”“帮她善后!”当某位宠妻狂魔见到自家媳妇:“媳妇,砸电视台的时候手痛吗?我给你呼呼。”某女:“……”说好的傲娇总裁呢???
  • 状元辣妻

    状元辣妻

    前世,谢文婧是扬州第一悍妇!死后成为扬州第一荡妇!还连累扬州状元郎一起身败名裂!前世,谢文婧以一己之力撑起扬州两大世家,娘家,婆家。死后,却连一处埋骨之地都没有。重获新生,娘家要败就破败去!婆家?我等着你败落的一天!祖母美名远扬,便教你露出狰狞的獠牙!让世人看看!好一个贤良大度的祖母!不过是一个披着人皮的豺狼而已!表妹羸弱乖巧,小小年纪深得祖母真传,将人渣未婚夫早早征服,这一世,便将人渣拱手相送,不必感谢!咱姐妹一场,人渣还是舍得送的!这一世,谢文婧定下重生目标:从恶毒的祖母手里救出爹!将祖母安排在爹身边的小妾打出去!管教好被祖母诱导成的纨绔弟弟!改写堂弟英年早逝的悲剧!阻止堂妹嫁给扬州通判的精神病的儿子!隔壁的那个少年郎,早早给定下,前世我们说好,这一世再续情缘!推荐我的完结种田文《彪悍农家大嫂》、《无赖童养媳》
  • 刑场上的较量

    刑场上的较量

    黄半仙刚把猪赶进猪圈里,忽然趔趔趄趄跑进一个人来,浑身是血,见了黄半仙,上气不接下气地说:“小兄弟救救我,后面有日本人追杀。”黄半仙来不及细问,就把他藏进猪圈里,又往他身上抹了许多臭泥巴,直到看不出人和猪来方罢休。黄半仙从猪圈出来,故意在地上打个滚,然后趴在地上嚎起来:“臭当兵的,你回来,凭啥抢我的马,你个臭当兵的……”正嚎着,几个日本人追了进来,问黄半仙看没看见一个受伤的军官。黄半仙哭哭唧唧说:“他把我打翻在地,抢走了我的马,骑着往西跑了。”