The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 4 of 5)Burney, Fanny
History
The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 4 of 5)
Burney, Fanny
France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799 -- Refugees -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Refugees -- Fiction; War stories
'True! Good! You are right there, Mrs Bydel! I did not think of that, I
protest. However, these two gentlemen have too much kindness about them,
to repeat a thing that may hurt a young person just coming, as one may
say, into the world, for she is but a chicken; and my lord, here, who
looks younger still, is scarcely more than an egg. So you may be sure he
has no guile in him, for he seems almost as innocent as herself.
However, my pretty lady, if you have still any more debts, new or old,
only tell me who you owe them to, and I'll run and fetch all the people
here; and we'll join together to discharge them at once; for Mr Harleigh
is always at home when he is doing good; and this young nobleman can't
begin too soon to learn what he is rich for: so you can never be in
better hands for taking up a little money. When we settled the last
batch, you had no debt left but to Mrs Bydel; and, as the Baronet has
paid her, she's off our hands. So tell me whether there is any new one
that you have been running up since?'
Wounded, and nearly indignant at this demand, 'None!' Juliet
spontaneously answered; when catching a glance at Lord Melbury, who
involuntarily looked down, his purse and the fifteen guineas of Lady
Aurora, rushed upon her memory, and filled her again with visible
embarrassment.
'Good! good!' cried the pleased Mr Giles: 'you could not tell me better
news. But are there any poor souls, then, that you forgot to mention in
our last reckoning? Are there any old debts that you did not count?'
Inexpressibly hurt at a supposition so offensive to her sense of
probity, Juliet hastily repeated, 'No, Sir, there are none!' but, in
raising her head, and encountering the penetrating eyes of Harleigh, the
terrible recollection of the capital into which she had broken, and of
the large sum so long his due, struck cold to her heart; though it burnt
her cheeks with a dye of crimson.
Yet were these sensations nearly nugatory, compared with those which she
suffered the next instant, when Miss Bydel, suddenly perceiving the
direction upon the packet, read aloud 'For Albert Harleigh, Esq.'
Her exclamations, her blunt, unqualified interrogatories, and the
wonder, and simple ejaculations of Mr Giles Arbe, filled Juliet with a
confusion so intolerable, that she forced her arm from Miss Bydel, with
intention to insist upon publicly restoring the packet to Harleigh; but
Harleigh, confounded himself, had advanced towards the house, which,
frequently as they had stopt, they now insensibly reached; but from
which he would most willingly have retrograded, upon seeing Ireton
issue, laughing, into the portico.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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