Tales and Novels — Volume 10: HelenEdgeworth, Maria
General
Tales and Novels — Volume 10: Helen
Edgeworth, Maria
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Women -- England -- Fiction
Each walked separately up and down the room, speaking without listening
to what the other said. Helen heard an offer from Beauclerc, to which
she extremely wished that the general had listened. But he was deaf with
determination not to yield to any thing Beauclerc could say further: the
noise of passion in their ears was too great for either of them to hear
the other.
Suddenly turning, Beauclerc exclaimed,--
“Borne with me, do you say? ‘Tis I that have to bear--and by heavens!”
cried he, “more than I can--than I will--bear. Before to-morrow’s sun
goes down I will have the money.”
“From whom?”
“From any money-lending
Jew--usurer--extortioner--cheat--rascal--whatever he be. You drive me
to it--you--you my friend--you, with whom I have dealt so openly; and to
the last it shall be open. To no vile indirections will I stoop. I tell
you, my guardian, that if you deny me my own, I will have what I want
from the Jews.”
“Easily,” said his guardian. “But first, recollect that a clause in your
father’s will, in such case, sends his estates to your cousin Venables.”
“To my cousin Venables let them go--all--all; if such be your pleasure,
sir, be it so. The lowest man on earth that has feeling keeps his
promise. The slave has a right to his word! Ruin me if you will, and as
soon as you please; disgrace me you cannot; bend my spirit you cannot;
ruin in any shape I will meet, rather than submit to such a guardian,
such a----”
Tyrant he was on the point of saying, but Lady Cecilia stopped that word
by suddenly seizing upon his arm: forcibly she carried him off, saying
“Come out with me on the terrace, Granville, and recover your senses.”
“My senses! I have never lost them; never was cooler in my life,”
said he, kicking open the glass door upon its first resistance, and
shattering its remaining panes to fragments. Unnoticing, not hearing
the crash, the general stood leaning his elbow on the mantel-piece,
and covering his eyes with his hand. Helen remained near him, scarce
breathing loud enough to be heard; he did not know she was there, and he
repeated aloud, in an accent of deep feeling, “Tyrant! from Beauclerc!”
A sigh from Helen made him aware of her presence, and, as he removed his
hand from his eyes, she saw his look was more in sorrow than in anger:
she said softly, “Mr. Beauclerc was wrong, very wrong, but he was in a
passion, he did not know what he meant.”
There was silence for a few moments. “You are right, I believe,” said
the general, “it was heat of anger----”
“To which the best are subject,” said Helen, “and the best and kindest
most easily forgive.”
“But Beauclerc said some things which were----”
“Unpardonable--only forget them; let all be forgotten.”
“Yes,” said the general, “all but my determination; that, observe, is
fixed. My mind, Miss Stanley, is made up, and, once made up, it is not
to be changed.”
“I am certain of that,” said Helen, “but I am not clear that your mind
is made up.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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