Delamere, she will certainly NEVER
become--MRS. GAMMON!--Loving Kate as I do, and being thoroughly
acquainted with Gammon, I feel deep interest in his movements, and am
watching them with great apprehension:--she, lovely, innocent,
unsuspicious; he, subtle, selfish, unscrupulous, desperate! And he has
great power in his hands: is he not silently surrounding his destined
prey with unperceived, but apparently inextricable meshes? God guard
thee, my Kate, and reward thy noble devotion to thy brother and his
fallen fortunes! Do we chide thee for clinging to them with fond
tenacity in their extremity, when thou art daily importuned to enter
into that station which thou wouldst so adorn?
Gammon's reception by the Aubreys, in Vivian Street--kind and
courteous though it had surely been--had ever since rankled in his
heart. Their abstaining from a request to him to prolong his stay, or to
renew his visit, he had noted at the time, and had ever since reflected
upon it with pique and discouragement. Nevertheless, he was resolved at
all hazards to become at least an occasional visitor in Vivian Street.
When a fortnight had elapsed without any further intimation to Mr.
Aubrey concerning the dreaded balance due to the firm, Gammon ventured
to call upon him, for the purpose of assuring Mr. Aubrey that it was no
mere temporary lull; that he might divest his mind of all uneasiness on
the subject; and of asking whether he (Gammon) had not told Mr. Aubrey
truly that he both could and would restrain the hand of Mr. Quirk. Could
Mr. Aubrey be otherwise than grateful for such active, effectual, and
manifestly disinterested kindness? Again Gammon made his appearance at
Mrs. Aubrey's tea-table--and was again received with all the sweetness
and frankness of manner which he had formerly experienced from her and
Miss Aubrey. Again he called, on some adroit pretext or another--and
once heard Miss Aubrey's rich voice and exquisite performance on the
piano. He became subject to emotions and impulses of such a sort as he
had never before experienced; yet, whenever he retired from their
fascinating society, he was conscious of an aching void, as it were,
within--he perceived the absence of all sympathy towards him; he felt
_indignant_--but that did not quench the ardor of his aspirations. 'Tis
hardly necessary to say, that on every occasion, Gammon effectually
concealed the profound and agitating feelings which the sight of Miss
Aubrey called forth in him; and what a tax was this upon his powers of
self-control! How he laid himself out to amuse and interest them all!
With what racy humor would he describe the vulgar absurdities of
Titmouse--the stately eccentricities of the Dreddlingtons! With what
eager and breathless interest was he listened to! Few men could make
themselves more completely agreeable than Gammon; and the ladies really
took pleasure in his society; Kate being, all the while, about as far
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