登陆注册
5229500000101

第101章 Chapter XLII. Try to Excuse Her.(3)

After considering it for a while, he remembered the dinner that he had given to his friend Sarrazin on his return from the United States, and the departure of the lawyer to his club, with a purpose in view which interested them both. It was the same club to which Herbert belonged. Randal wrote at once to Mr. Sarrazin, mentioning what had happened, and acknowledging the anxiety tha t weighed on his mind.

Having instructed Malcolm to take the letter to the lawyer's house, and, if he was not at home, to inquire where he might be found, Randal adopted the readiest means of composing himself, in the servant's absence, by lighting his pipe.

He was enveloped in clouds of tobacco-smoke--the only clouds which we can trust never to prove unworthy of our confidence in them--when Mrs. Presty's letter caught his attention. If the month had been January instead of July, he would have thrown it into the fire. Under present circumstances, he took it up and read it:

"I bear no malice, dear Randal, and I write to you as affectionately as if you had kept your temper on the occasion when we last met.

"You will be pleased to hear that Catherine was as thoroughly distressed as you could wish her to be, when it became my disagreeable duty to mention what had passed between us, by way of accounting for your absence. She was quite unable to rally her spirits, even with dear Captain Bennydeck present to encourage her.

"'I am not receiving you as I ought,' she said to him, when we began dinner, 'but there is perhaps some excuse for me. I have lost the regard and esteem of an old friend, who has cruelly wronged me.' From motives of delicacy (which I don't expect you to understand) she refrained from mentioning your name. The prettiest answer that I ever heard was the answer that the Captain returned. 'Let the true friend,' he said, 'take the place in your heart which the false friend has lost.'

"He kissed her hand. If you had seen how he did it, and how she looked at him, you would have felt that you had done more toward persuading my daughter to marry the Captain than any other person about her, myself included. You had deserted her; you had thrown her back on the one true friend left. Thank you, Randal. In our best interests, thank you.

"It is needless to add that I got out of the way, and took Kitty with me, at the earliest opportunity--and left them by themselves.

"At bed-time I went into Catherine's room. Our interview began and ended in less than a minute. It was useless to ask if the Captain had proposed marriage; her agitation sufficiently informed me of what had happened. My one question was: 'Dearest Catherine, have you said Yes?' She turned shockingly pale, and answered: 'I have not said No.' Could anything be more encouraging? God bless you; we shall meet at the wedding."

Randal laid down the letter and filled his pipe again. He was not in the least exasperated; he was only anxious to hear from Mr. Sarrazin. If Mrs. Presty had seen him at that moment, she would have said to herself: "I forgot the wretch was a smoker."

In half an hour more the door was opened by Malcolm, and Mr. Sarrazin in person answered his friend.

"There are no such incorrigible gossips," he said, "as men in the smoking-room of a club. Those popular newspapers began the mischief, and the editor of one of them completed it. How he got his information I am not able to say. The small-talk turned on that report about the charming widow; and the editor congratulated himself on the delicacy of his conduct. 'When the paragraph reached me,' he said, 'the writer mentioned that Mrs.

Norman was that well-known lady, the divorced Mrs. Herbert Linley. I thought this rather too bad, and I cut it out.' Your brother appears to have been present--but he seldom goes to the club, and none of the members knew him even by sight. Shall I give you a light? Your pipe's out."

Randal's feelings, at that moment, were not within reach of the comforting influence of tobacco.

"Do you think your brother has gone to Sydenham?" Mr. Sarrazin asked.

Randal answered: "I haven't a doubt of it now."

同类推荐
  • 赠山中老人

    赠山中老人

    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。
  • 游杭州诸胜记

    游杭州诸胜记

    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。
  • Catriona

    Catriona

    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。
  • 权修

    权修

    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。
  • 聚云吹万真禅师语录

    聚云吹万真禅师语录

    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
  • The Wood Beyond the World

    The Wood Beyond the World

    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。
  • 我最亲爱的

    我最亲爱的

    简沫以为自己对男人不再有任何兴趣,直到沈宁澜假借心理医生身份出现在她生活中。原来所有的一切都是为了让我遇见最亲爱的你。
  • 自媒体终极秘诀

    自媒体终极秘诀

    微信公众号、微博、个人电台、YY直播、QQ空间……你有多少个自媒体账号?你是否也曾希望,自媒体的粉丝能突破四位数?甚至,能用自己的自媒体赚钱,实现财务自由?刘阳先生的《自媒体终极秘诀》,可以让你的希望,不再仅仅是希望。自媒体是什么?如何运营自媒体?怎样用自媒体赚钱?《自媒体终极秘诀》从这三个角度入手,为读者答疑解惑。自媒体的定位,自媒体的内容制作要点,自媒体的推广,自媒体的品牌运营及维护,自媒体的赢利模式,自媒体的商业策略,自媒体的未来趋势……
  • 军队的女儿

    军队的女儿

    四十几年前,被誉为“中国的保尔”十一岁从湘江来到天山博格达奥拉峰下虚报岁数从军,如今在南海之滨粤西农垦干部疗养院蜂疗科主任王孟筠以她当年顽强与疾病作斗争、把青春献给军垦事业的动人事迹,被作家邓普写进小说《军队的女儿》和电影《生命的火花》。这部小说和电影中的主角刘海英,便是她的化身。
  • 这些事30岁以前一定要学会

    这些事30岁以前一定要学会

    对梦想成功的每一个青年来说,只要及早规划人生,找准方向,经过五年、十年、十五年的努力,相信你一定可以取得成功,成为一个成功者。本书旨在端正人们对生活、感情、事业、财富的理解,以开放的眼光立足于当今社会,它包括:设定人生目标、建立必胜的信心、开创自己的事业、与人相处的技巧、提高办事的能力等。三十岁以前,可以决定你的一生,我们编写本书的目的也就在于此。如果你很迷惘,或者你目标很明确,想要激励自己,这本书都是不错的选择。
  • 弃妃弑君

    弃妃弑君

    女主身怀奇技,持有二十五件亘古神器之一的神琴,十分强悍冷漠,为保护百万族人,完成使命,不择手段,极端腹黑心狠手辣。不求得到天下人的称赞,只愿能与心爱的男子们把酒言欢,笑看风云。
  • 天降我才必有用

    天降我才必有用

    不减肥就得死!一部被贬仙人在凡间的奋斗史!群号:832476624
  • 伤心之旅

    伤心之旅

    《伤心之旅》收录作品8篇,包括《我心永恒》、《郑家鸡汤馆》、《无墙的烦恼》、《村头那一家》、《鸟柏觅踪》等。小说内容涉及解放前后的民俗民风,奇闻趣事、平民百姓的喜怒哀乐以及个别基层领导的腐败现象等。内容提要《伤心之旅》是一部中篇小说集,是作者在不同年代、在不同刊物上发表过的作品的合集。主要描写了一些解放前后的民俗民风,奇闻趣事、平民百姓的喜怒哀乐以及个别基层领导的腐败现象等。
  • 蓝雨逸事之话痨天与精分圆

    蓝雨逸事之话痨天与精分圆

    第十一赛季,沉寂十年的蓝雨俱乐部终于迎来了一位妹子,本想当个吉祥物捧着,却不想妹子完全没想着依靠这帮大老爷们,还一直是一副“生而为人我十分抱歉”的模样。妹子出道前曾加入一个叫做“洛神阁”粉丝团,团内有擅长黑客技术之人捅了大篓子,知道了不该知道的秘密,连带着妹子也一起遭了殃,反派以此相要挟妹子说出幕后黑手……
  • 卡拉马佐夫兄弟

    卡拉马佐夫兄弟

    《卡拉马佐夫兄弟》是陀思妥耶夫斯基所著的最后一部长篇小说,同时也是他的巅峰之作。小说在《俄国导报》上进行了两年的连载后,于1880年完成。而陀思妥耶夫斯基本人也在创作完这部巨著后仅四个月就辞世了。小说通过一桩真实的弑父案,描写老卡拉马佐夫同三个儿子即两代人之间的尖锐冲突。老卡拉马佐夫贪财好色,他独自霸占妻子留给儿子们的遗产,并与长子德米特里为一个风流女子争风吃醋。一天黑夜,德米特里疑心自己的情人去跟老头儿幽会,于是便闯入家园,一怒之下,差点把老头儿砸死。德米特里仓皇逃离后,躲在暗中装病的老卡拉马佐夫的私生子斯麦尔佳科夫却悄然将老爷杀死,造成了一桩震惊全俄的扑朔迷离的血案……