The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 5 of 5)Burney, Fanny
History
The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 5 of 5)
Burney, Fanny
France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799 -- Refugees -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Refugees -- Fiction; War stories
Mrs Howel received the Admiral, seated, with an air of state, upon her
arm-chair; at one side of which stood Mrs Rawlins, and at the other
Hilson. The landlord was stationed near the door; and Juliet, indignant,
though trembling, placed herself at a window; determining rather, with
whatever mortification, to seek the protection of the Admiral, than to
avow who she was thus publicly, thus disgracefully, and thus
compulsorily.
The Admiral entered with the martial air of a man used to command; and
whose mind was made up not to be put out of his way. He bestowed,
nevertheless, three low bows, with great formality, to the sex of Mrs
Howel; to the first of which she arose and courtsied, returning the two
others by an inclination of the head, and bidding Hilson bring the
Admiral a chair.
The Admiral, having adjusted himself, his hat, and his sword to his
liking, said, 'I wish you good morning, Ma'am. You won't take it amiss,
I hope, that I make free to wait upon you myself, for the sake of having
a small matter of discourse with you, about a certain chap that I
understand to be one of your domestics; a place whereof, if I may judge
by what I have seen of him, he is not over and above worthy.'
'If any of my people, Sir,' answered Mrs Howel, 'have forgotten what is
due to an officer of your rank, I shall take care to make them sensible
of my displeasure.'
The Admiral, much gratified, made her a low bow, saying, 'A lady, Ma'am,
such as I suppose you to be, can't fail having a right way of thinking.
But that sort of gentry, as I have taken frequent note, have an ugly
kind of a knack, of treating people rather short that have got a favour
to ask; the which I don't uphold. And this is the main reason that I
think it right to give you an item of my opinion upon this matter,
respecting that lad; who just now, in my proper view, let a young
gentlewoman call and squall after him, till she was black in the face,
without so much as once veering round, to say, Pray, Ma'am, what do you
please to want?'
Hilson, now, triumphant that he could plead his haste to obey the
commands of his lady, was beginning an affronted self-defence; when the
Admiral, accidentally perceiving Juliet, hastily arose; and in a fit of
unrestrained choler, clinching his double fist at Hilson, cried, 'Why
what sort of a fellow are you, Sir? to bring me a chair while you see a
lady standing? Which do you take to be strongest? An old weather beaten
tar, such as I am; or a poor weak female, that could not lend a hand to
the pump, thof the vessel were going to the bottom?'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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