Confessions of a Young Lady: Her Doings and MisdoingsMarsh, Richard
General
Confessions of a Young Lady: Her Doings and Misdoings
Marsh, Richard
England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Girls -- Fiction; Women -- Fiction
"How do you make that out? When I have been winning other people's
money with somebody else's writing?"
"Precisely. Though I should not phrase it quite like that. Hetty
informs me that this lady is in sore straits. Well, you have gained
for her what, in her position, she will regard as a fortune--which she
never could have done for herself."
"I never meant to."
"Which actually makes it more delightful. Because, while you have been
trying to do a good deed, you have really done a better." He had a
very nice way of putting things. "I would suggest that you yourself
take the money to this lady at once. Her pleasure at seeing it will
only be eclipsed by her delight at seeing you. And I shall be only too
proud and happy if you will allow me to accompany you on your errand
of mercy."
That was what did happen. Scarcely had he stopped speaking than Harris
appeared at the window.
"If you please, Miss Molly, Miss Nora and the young gentlemen asked me
to tell you that they've gone off for the day, and won't be back till
the evening."
"We also," observed Mr Sanford, "will go off for the day. You see, the
stars in their courses are on the side of Miss Winston. I came over on
my machine; if you'll jump on yours we'll be off!"
He seemed to imagine that I could rush off to the other side of
the county just as I was. Masculine persons do have such curious
notions--even when they are grown up. I had to scrub my face to make
it clean. The condition of my hair was frightful. I seemed to have
cried it into a tangled mass. Just as I was struggling with it his
voice came up the stairs.
"I don't know, Miss Boyes, if you are aware that you have been
five-and-thirty minutes. If you can get down inside the next five we
may catch the train; but if you can't, I'm afraid we sha'n't."
Of course after that I simply flew. I left my hair nearly as it was;
jammed my hat on anyhow; and bounded down the stairs.
"I hope I haven't kept you waiting," I remarked.
"I'm used to it," he said. "I have two sisters."
I do not know what he meant. It sounded very rude. Almost like one of
my own relations.
We caught the train; and, after changing at Chichester, reached
Angmering at last. By that time I had come to the conclusion that Mr
Sanford was one of the most delightful persons I had ever encountered.
And so intellectual. A trifle dogmatic perhaps, and a little inclined
to regard me as younger than I was. We had a long and most interesting
discussion about women in politics. A subject of which I knew
absolutely nothing. But it was not necessary, on that account, that he
should hint as much. Which he very nearly did. Yet, on the whole, I
could not but regard him as the kind of cousin to do one credit. And,
at the risk of making her conceited, almost made up my mind to tell
Hetty so next time I wrote to her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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