登陆注册
15692200000034

第34章 THE MARCHIONESS OF STONEHENGE(4)

It was a curious psychological fact that,having once made the avowal,Milly seemed possessed with a spirit of ecstasy at her position.With the liberal sum of money supplied to her by Lady Caroline she now purchased the garb of a widow,and duly appeared at church in her weeds,her simple face looking so sweet against its margin of crape that she was almost envied her state by the other village-girls of her age.And when a woman's sorrow for her beloved can maim her young life so obviously as it had done Milly's there was,in truth,little subterfuge in the case.Her explanation tallied so well with the details of her lover's latter movements--those strange absences and sudden returnings,which had occasionally puzzled his friends--that nobody supposed for a moment that the second actor in these secret nuptials was other than she.The actual and whole truth would indeed have seemed a preposterous assertion beside this plausible one,by reason of the lofty demeanour of the Lady Caroline and the unassuming habits of the late villager.There being no inheritance in question,not a soul took the trouble to go to the city church,forty miles off,and search the registers for marriage signatures bearing out so humble a romance.

In a short time Milly caused a decent tombstone to be erected over her nominal husband's grave,whereon appeared the statement that it was placed there by his heartbroken widow,which,considering that the payment for it came from Lady Caroline and the grief from Milly,was as truthful as such inscriptions usually are,and only required pluralizing to render it yet more nearly so.

The impressionable and complaisant Milly,in her character of widow,took delight in going to his grave every day,and indulging in sorrow which was a positive luxury to her.She placed fresh flowers on his grave,and so keen was her emotional imaginativeness that she almost believed herself to have been his wife indeed as she walked to and fro in her garb of woe.One afternoon,Milly being busily engaged in this labour of love at the grave,Lady Caroline passed outside the churchyard wall with some of her visiting friends,who,seeing Milly there,watched her actions with interest,remarked upon the pathos of the scene,and upon the intense affection the young man must have felt for such a tender creature as Milly.A strange light,as of pain,shot from the Lady Caroline's eye,as if for the first time she begrudged to the young girl the position she had been at such pains to transfer to her;it showed that a slumbering affection for her husband still had life in Lady Caroline,obscured and stifled as it was by social considerations.

An end was put to this smooth arrangement by the sudden appearance in the churchyard one day of the Lady Caroline,when Milly had come there on her usual errand of laying flowers.Lady Caroline had been anxiously awaiting her behind the chancel,and her countenance was pale and agitated.

'Milly!'she said,'come here!I don't know how to say to you what I am going to say.I am half dead!'

'I am sorry for your ladyship,'says Milly,wondering.

'Give me that ring!'says the lady,snatching at the girl's left hand.

Milly drew it quickly away.

'I tell you give it to me!'repeated Caroline,almost fiercely.

'Oh--but you don't know why?I am in a grief and a trouble I did not expect!'And Lady Caroline whispered a few words to the girl.

'O my lady!'said the thunderstruck Milly.'What WILL you do?'

'You must say that your statement was a wicked lie,an invention,a scandal,a deadly sin--that I told you to make it to screen me!

That it was I whom he married at Bath.In short,we must tell the truth,or I am ruined--body,mind,and reputation--for ever!'

But there is a limit to the flexibility of gentle-souled women.

Milly by this time had so grown to the idea of being one flesh with this young man,of having the right to bear his name as she bore it;had so thoroughly come to regard him as her husband,to dream of him as her husband,to speak of him as her husband,that she could not relinquish him at a moment's peremptory notice.

'No,no,'she said desperately,'I cannot,I will not give him up!

Your ladyship took him away from me alive,and gave him back to me only when he was dead.Now I will keep him!I am truly his widow.

More truly than you,my lady!for I love him and mourn for him,and call myself by his dear name,and your ladyship does neither!'

'I DO love him!'cries Lady Caroline with flashing eyes,'and Icling to him,and won't let him go to such as you!How can I,when he is the father of this poor babe that's coming to me?I must have him back again!Milly,Milly,can't you pity and understand me,perverse girl that you are,and the miserable plight that I am in?

Oh,this precipitancy--it is the ruin of women!Why did I not consider,and wait!Come,give me back all that I have given you,and assure me you will support me in confessing the truth!'

'Never,never!'persisted Milly,with woe-begone passionateness.

'Look at this headstone!Look at my gown and bonnet of crape--this ring:listen to the name they call me by!My character is worth as much to me as yours is to you!After declaring my Love mine,myself his,taking his name,making his death my own particular sorrow,how can I say it was not so?No such dishonour for me!I will outswear you,my lady;and I shall be believed.My story is so much the more likely that yours will be thought false.But,O please,my lady,do not drive me to this!In pity let me keep him!'

The poor nominal widow exhibited such anguish at a proposal which would have been truly a bitter humiliation to her,that Lady Caroline was warmed to pity in spite of her own condition.

'Yes,I see your position,'she answered.'But think of mine!What can I do?Without your support it would seem an invention to save me from disgrace;even if I produced the register,the love of scandal in the world is such that the multitude would slur over the fact,say it was a fabrication,and believe your story.I do not know who were the witnesses,or anything!'

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 腹黑男神的攻城计谋

    腹黑男神的攻城计谋

    “什么玩意郑杏儿,你他妈在学校就学这屌东西?你确定你上的不是色情学院?”陈硕朝着郑杏儿的脸上甩了一堆素描纸,英俊的脸气的差点变形。郑杏儿被骂的莫名其妙,弯腰捡起来素描纸一看,立马涨红了脸。这是在学校画的人体素描的草稿。“郑杏儿你这能画出来什么东西,别说老子不照顾你,这次我们开灯做,让你看个够,看你他妈的还给我画别的男人。”陈硕七窍生烟,走过去直接一把捞起郑杏儿扛到肩上,往自己的房间大步流星地走去。肩上的郑杏儿不停挣扎着,“陈硕你这个流氓,放我下来。”“这就流氓了?还有更流氓的!”说着一把扯下郑杏儿的裤子,对着白花花的屁屁狠狠吸了一口,发出响亮的声音。
  • 龙血战纪

    龙血战纪

    楚族一介养子楚虔,开启神秘血脉,追寻着先贤的足迹,踏上武者之路。
  • 卧底警官爱不起

    卧底警官爱不起

    两年前她与他有过两面之缘后,他们的生活就被命运安排了......从此,他们被命运折磨得狼狈不堪。颜雨萱,颜家大小姐,身份过于惊人,在某个酒店跑新闻被下药.....他莫寒轩,人称韩少,警官卧底,再次遇见颜雨萱,两人的命运就开始发生了变化,冥冥之中的命运早已绑在一起......经历了几次的生死的考验,几次危险都让他们侥幸逃脱,最终他们挡不住的就是婚姻......她被迫嫁给另一个男人,几次想离婚却不成功,因为有他的帮忙,她终于摆脱了一个不幸福的婚姻.....小剧情,某男“颜雨萱,你再睡,信不信本少爷扒光了你!”“……”“行!既然这样,那本少爷也就不客气了!”某男坏笑着上前......……某女“我们离婚吧!我和你在一起我是不会幸福的!”某女乞求某男.某男听到离婚二字,脸色变得阴沉了,“你做梦,就算是死,我秦非凡也不会和你离婚的!”某女就知道他不会拿轻易的答应的,于是“那我们法庭上见……”……这中间会发生什么样的故事呢?一起走进这故事吧……
  • 血煞魔路

    血煞魔路

    我是学渣要怎样不服打我fuck0000000000
  • 祭天之界

    祭天之界

    当有一棵参天古树贯通天地,一道剑光冲破了轮回,一个巨人顶天立地划破阴阳……天地皆是虚幻,唯有一念方可成真!
  • 红楼之禛惜黛玉

    红楼之禛惜黛玉

    她,眉如黛,人如玉,他,活阎王,冷面佛,相遇,或许注定了纠缠,生命的纠缠,或许注定了相守。一部红楼,那是半壁江山,不知道多少人感叹,红楼未完,但是真正的结局却已无人知晓。
  • 凤鸣九霄:仙尊,不太冷

    凤鸣九霄:仙尊,不太冷

    本是实力超群的王牌特工,没想到,也有失足摔死的时候?!更没想到,特么还穿越了,成了一位有名无实的废材郡主?本想混吃混喝等死,没想到,不停地有人上门挑衅。后来,某人来个惊才艳艳,顶级废材变顶级天才,日子终于清闲了!哪料,还有一个更大的阴谋,在朴素迷离的未来,静静地等待着她。
  • 吴昌硕经典印作技法解析

    吴昌硕经典印作技法解析

    吴昌硕是我国近代驰誉海内外的艺术大师。他在诗、书、画、印诸方面均有高深的造诣,并能融会古今,博采众长,破旧立新,各具面目,成为我国近代艺术史上开创一代新风的典范。这四者中,人们公认他篆刻艺术成就最高,只不过印为小道,到晚年反被他的书画名所掩,他自己也曾说过“人说我善作画,其实我的书法比画好,而我的篆刻更胜于书法。”本书为“历代篆刻经典技法解析丛书”中的一本,分析了吴昌硕经典印作的技法和创作思想,旨在启发和帮助篆刻爱好者正确认识吴氏印风的演变过程及其艺术精华之所在,把握吴氏印风的本质特征,从而有目的、有选择地学习和借鉴。
  • 妃飛烟玥

    妃飛烟玥

    有个超级花痴加自恋的闺蜜不是谁都能抗得住的!为了搭讪途中偶遇的帅哥,把我弄到这人生地不熟的世界,我好想晕死过去算了!穿越就穿越吧!为嘛还从天而降直接砸到别人家里???还被丞相大人收为义女要送进皇宫!“我想回家。。。我不要进宫。!。。。子玥,我能不能选择把你掐死呢?”!“别对着我可怜兮兮的眨眼睛!老娘不吃你那套”!
  • 听说天堂有个你之祈灵师

    听说天堂有个你之祈灵师

    因为一场梦镜,让他遇见了她,从此便沉轮于有她的梦中,他在世间寻她100年,只为和她相守浮生。被丢进时空夹缝里的沐婉儿,漫无目的地到处乱逛,不小心闯进了他洗澡的地方,看着湖边一丝不挂的他感慨道。“好一副美男戏水图啊~~”。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。缘起。