登陆注册
15439600000209

第209章

Another arrangement had also been made. Isabel was to be taken to the Duke immediately upon her arrival, and to be left for a while with him, so that he might express himself as might find fit to do to this newly-adopted child. It was a matter to him of such importance that nothing remaining to him in his life could equal it. It was not simply that she was to be the wife of his son,--though that in itself was a consideration very sacred. Had it been Gerald who was bringing to him a bride, the occasion would have had less of awe. But this girl, this American girl, was to be the mother and grandmother of future Dukes of Omnium,--the ancestress, it was to be hoped, of all future Dukes of Omnium! By what she might be, by what she might have in her of mental fibre, of high or low quality, of true or untrue womanliness, were to be fashioned those who in days to come might be amongst the strongest and most faithful bulwarks of the constitution. An England without a Duke of Omnium,--or at any rate without any Duke,--what would it be? And yet he knew that with bad Dukes his country would be in worse stress than though she had none at all. An aristocracy;--yes; but an aristocracy that shall be of the very best! He believed himself thoroughly in this order; but if this order or many of his order, should become as was now Lord Grex, then, he thought, that his order not only must go to the wall, but that, in the cause of humanity, it had better do so. With all this daily, hourly, always in his mind, this matter in the choice of a wife for his heir was to him of solemn importance.

When they arrived Silverbridge was there and led them first of all into the dining-room. 'My!' said Mrs Boncassen, as she looked around her. 'I thought that our Fifth Avenue parlous whipped up everything in the way of city houses.'

'What a nice little room for Darby and Joan to sit down to eat a mutton-chop in,' said Isabel.

'It's a beastly great barrack,' said Silverbridge;--'but the best of it is that we never use it. We'll have a cosy little place for Darby and Joan;--you'll see. Now come to the governor. I've got to leave you with him.'

'Oh me! I am in such a fright.'

'He can't eat you,' said Mrs Boncassen.

'And he won't even bite,' said Silverbridge.

'I should not mind that because I could bite again. But if he looks as though he thought I shouldn't do, I shall drop.'

'My belief is that he's almost as much in love with you as I am,' said Silverbridge, as he took her to the door of the Duke's room.

'Here we are, sir.'

'My dear,' said the Duke, rising up and coming to her, 'I am very glad to see you. It is good of you to come to me.' Then he took her in both his hands and kissed her forehead and her lips. She, as she put her face up to him, stood quite still in his embrace, but her eyes were bright with pleasure.

'Shall I leave her?' said Silverbridge.

'For a few minutes.'

'Don't keep her too long, for I want to take her all over the house.'

'A few minutes,--and then I will bring her up to the drawing-room.'

Upon this the door was closed, and Isabel was alone with her new father. 'And so, my dear, you are to be my child.'

'If you will have me.'

'Come here and sit down by me. Your father has already told you that;--has he not?

'He has told me that you had consented.'

'And Silverbridge has said as much?'

'I would sooner hear it from you than from either of them.'

'Then hear it from me. You shall be my child. And if you will love me you shall be very dear to me. You shall be my own child,--as dear to me as my own. I must either love his wife very dearly, or else I must be an unhappy man. And she most love me dearly, or I must be unhappy.'

'I will love you,' she said, pressing his hand.

'And now let me say some few words to you, only let there be no bitterness in them to your young heart. When I say that I take you to my own heart, you may be sure that I do so thoroughly. You shall be as dear to me and as near as though you had been all English.'

'Shall I?'

'There shall be no difference made. My boy's wife shall be my daughter in very deed. But I had not wished it to be so.'

'I knew that,--but could I have given up?'

'He at any rate could not give up. There were little prejudices;--you can understand that.'

'Oh yes.'

'We who wear black coats could not bring ourselves readily to put on scarlet garments; nor should we sit comfortably with our legs crossed like Turks.'

'I am your scarlet coat and our cross-legged Turk,' she said, with feigned self-reproach in her voice, but with a sparkle of mirth in her eye.

'But when I have once got into my scarlet coat I can be very proud of it, and when I am once seated in my divan I shall find it of all postures the easiest. Do you understand me?'

'I think so.'

'Not a shade of any prejudice shall be left to darken my mind.

There shall be no feeling but that you are in truth his chosen wife. After all neither can country, nor race, nor rank, nor wealth, make a good woman. Education can do much. But nature must have done much also.'

'Do not expect too much of me.'

'I will so expect that all shall be taken for the best. You know, I think, that I have liked you since I first saw you.'

'I know that you have always been good to me.'

'I have liked you from the first. That you are lovely perhaps is no merit, though, to speak the truth, I am well pleased that Silverbridge should have found so much beauty.'

'That is all a matter of taste, I suppose,' she said, laughing.

'But there is much a young woman may do for herself, which I think you have done. A silly girl, though she be a second Helen, would hardly have satisfied me.'

'Or perhaps him,' said Isabel.

同类推荐
  • 含中集

    含中集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 庞居士语录

    庞居士语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 大乘百法明门论开宗义决

    大乘百法明门论开宗义决

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 金谷怀古

    金谷怀古

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 三茅真君加封事典

    三茅真君加封事典

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 两溪文集

    两溪文集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 我的休闲之旅

    我的休闲之旅

    兄妹二人无意中发现自己拥有灵根,从此踏上休闲之旅
  • 冷魅公主遇上邪魅王子

    冷魅公主遇上邪魅王子

    洛栀眙一名黑道少女,她注定有不平凡的一生,也就是这样一个少女,竟然也有人疼有人爱。
  • 大陆高手之龙的传说

    大陆高手之龙的传说

    他是世界顶尖的军人,为了维护世界和平而战;他是库尔斯帝国的第二继承人,为了王国荣誉不得不退缩。当他和他撞在一起,世界会发生什么样的变化。“我能为你抵挡任何风雨,你能为我做什么?”他喘着粗气柔和地问被他压在身下的人,黑亮的眸子里闪烁着掠夺的光芒。“只要你想要的,我都能给你。”他薄唇轻启,清冷的眼睛划过一丝柔和,如玉的手指扫过身上人英挺的眉眼。“那就将这个世界都给我……”最后的话语消失在密合的唇瓣中。
  • 杰出青少年一生的行动计划

    杰出青少年一生的行动计划

    青少年风华正茂,无不渴望杰出。要成就杰出,就必须付出实际行动。但如何去行动,先做什么,后做什么?又该如何站在整个人生的高度,协调各方面因素制定贯穿一生的行动计划?本书总结众多杰出人物的人生经历,为青少年展现出一幅全面规划人生的宏伟蓝图,引导青少年有条不紊地开创成功卓越的人生。
  • 最强大明星

    最强大明星

    上一世,佛修叶落登临宇宙之巅。强者回归,重生都市。这一生,誓要补全心中缺憾。最强大明星之路启程……
  • 天运圣医

    天运圣医

    以成为小白脸为目标的叶秋看着燕京那泊车小弟,保安,以及司机们刀削的面庞。悄悄在皮鞋的鞋面上看了看自己的面庞。随即暗自庆幸还好自己有一身不错的医术。纵然你富可敌国,掌握亿万家财又如何。纵然你红颜祸水,容颜倾国倾城又如何。——我掌握你们的生命。
  • 密妃在清朝

    密妃在清朝

    一朝穿越,还是在清朝,王密蘅表示自己鸭梨很大。好在爹爹只是苏州某县的七品小官,跟那四四八八神马的扯不上半毛钱的关系,王密蘅终于松了一口气。可是,谁能告诉她,怎么一个南巡,她就成了四四八八的小妈?【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 天上的行星

    天上的行星

    萧蔷微看着眼前的男人纠结的说:“你知道我今年多少岁吗?”陈思珉噙着笑,挑着眉头:“20岁啊!”“所以我现在还不想结婚,也不想要孩子。”萧蔷微视死如归的说。「这个故事很简单就是粉丝和明星之间的故事,如果感兴趣,欢迎入坑。」
  • 天下红妆之皇后倾城

    天下红妆之皇后倾城

    她,一介女流;他,一位太子;她为他,他和她,一切都是?