友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
九色书籍 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

lady susan-第2章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



sixteen who has received so wretched an education; could not be a very



desirable companion here。 Reginald has long wished; I know; to see the



captivating Lady Susan; and we shall depend on his joining our party soon。



I am glad to hear that my father continues so well; and am; with best love;



&c。;







CATHERINE VERNON。























IV











MR。 DE COURCY TO MRS。 VERNON











Parklands。











My dear Sister;I congratulate you and Mr。 Vernon on being about to



receive into your family the most accomplished coquette in England。 As a



very distinguished flirt I have always been taught to consider her; but it



has lately fallen In my way to hear some particulars of her conduct at



Langford: which prove that she does not confine herself to that sort of



honest flirtation which satisfies most people; but aspires to the more



delicious gratification of making a whole family miserable。 By her



behaviour to Mr。 Mainwaring she gave jealousy and wretchedness to his wife;



and by her attentions to a young man previously attached to Mr。



Mainwaring's sister deprived an amiable girl of her lover。







I learnt all this from Mr。 Smith; now in this neighbourhood (I have



dined with him; at Hurst and Wilford); who is just come from Langford where



he was a fortnight with her ladyship; and who is therefore well qualified



to make the communication。







What a woman she must be! I long to see her; and shall certainly accept



your kind invitation; that I may form some idea of those bewitching powers



which can do so muchengaging at the same time; and in the same house; the



affections of two men; who were neither of them at liberty to bestow them…



…and all this without the charm of youth! I am glad to find Miss Vernon



does not accompany her mother to Churchhill; as she has not even manners to



recommend her; and; according to Mr。 Smith's account; is equally dull and



proud。 Where pride and stupidity unite there can be no dissimulation worthy



notice; and Miss Vernon shall be consigned to unrelenting contempt; but by



all that I can gather Lady Susan possesses a degree of captivating deceit



which it must be pleasing to witness and detect。 I shall be with you very



soon; and am ever;







Your affectionate brother;







R。 DE COURCY。



















V











LADY SUSAN VERNON TO MRS。 JOHNSON











Churchhill。











I received your note; my dear Alicia; just before I left town; and



rejoice to be assured that Mr。 Johnson suspected nothing of your engagement



the evening before。 It is undoubtedly better to deceive him entirely; and



since he will be stubborn he must be tricked。 I arrived here in safety; and



have no reason to complain of my reception from Mr。 Vernon; but I confess



myself not equally satisfied with the behaviour of his lady。 She is



perfectly well…bred; indeed; and has the air of a woman of fashion; but her



manners are not such as can persuade me of her being prepossessed in my



favour。 I wanted her to be delighted at seeing me。 I was as amiable as



possible on the occasion; but all in vain。 She does not like me。 To be sure



when we consider that I DID take some pains to prevent my brother…in…law's



marrying her; this want of cordiality is not very surprizing; and yet it



shows an illiberal and vindictive spirit to resent a project which



influenced me six years ago; and which never succeeded at last。







I am sometimes disposed to repent that I did not let Charles buy Vernon



Castle; when we were obliged to sell it; but it was a trying circumstance;



especially as the sale took place exactly at the time of his marriage; and



everybody ought to respect the delicacy of those feelings which could not



endure that my husband's dignity should be lessened by his younger



brother's having possession of the family estate。 Could matters have been



so arranged as to prevent the necessity of our leaving the castle; could we



have lived with Charles and kept him single; I should have been very far



from persuading my husband to dispose of it elsewhere; but Charles was on



the point of marrying Miss De Courcy; and the event has justified me。 Here



are children in abundance; and what benefit could have accrued to me from



his purchasing Vernon? My having prevented it may perhaps have given his



wife an unfavourable impression; but where there is a disposition to



dislike; a motive will never be wanting; and as to money matters it has not



withheld him from being very useful to me。 I really have a regard for him;



he is so easily imposed upon! The house is a good one; the furniture



fashionable; and everything announces plenty and elegance。 Charles is very



rich I am sure; when a man has once got his name in a banking…house he



rolls in money; but they do not know what to do with it; keep very little



company; and never go to London but on business。 We shall be as stupid as



possible。 I mean to win my sister…in…law's heart through the children; I



know all their names already; and am going to attach myself with the



greatest sensibility to one in particular; a young Frederic; whom I take on



my lap and sigh over for his dear uncle's sake。







Poor Mainwaring! I need not tell you how much I miss him; how



perpetually he is in my thoughts。 I found a dismal letter from him on my



arrival here; full of complaints of his wife and sister; and lamentations



on the cruelty of his fate。 I passed off the letter as his wife's; to the



Vernons; and when I write to him it must be under cover to you。







Ever yours;



S。 VERNON。























VI











MRS。 VERNON TO MR。 DE COURCY











Churchhill。











Well; my dear Reginald; I have seen this dangerous creature; and must



give you some description of her; though I hope you will soon be able to



form your own judgment she is really excessively pretty; however you may



choose to question the allurements of a lady no longer young; I must; for



my own part; declare that I have seldom seen so lovely a woman as Lady



Susan。 She is delicately fair; with fine grey eyes and dark eyelashes; and



from her appearance one would not suppose her more than five and twenty;



though she must in fact be ten years older; I was certainly not disposed to



admire her; though always hearing she was beautiful; but I cannot help



feeling that she possesses an uncommon union of symmetry; brilliancy; and



grace。 Her address to me was so gentle; frank; and even affectionate; that;



if I had not known how much she has always disliked me for marrying Mr。



Vernon; and that we had never met before; I should have imagined her an



attached friend。 One is apt; I believe; to connect assurance of manner with



coquetry; and to expect that an impudent address will naturally attend an



impudent mind; at least I was myself prepared for an improper degree of



confidence in Lady Susan; but her countenance is absolutely sweet; and her



voice and manner winningly mild。 I am sorry it is so; for what is this but



deceit? Unfortunately; one knows her too well。 She is clever and agreeable;



has all that knowledge of the world which makes conversation easy; and



talks very well; with a happy command of language; which is too often used;



I believe; to make black appear white。 She has already almost persuaded me



of her being warmly attached to her daughter; though I have been so long



convinced to the contrary。 She speaks of her with so much tenderness and



anxiety; lamenting so bitterly the neglect of her education; which she



represents however as wholly unavoidable; that I am forced to recollect how



many successive springs her ladyship spent in town; while her daughter was



left in Staffordshire to the care of servants; or a governess very little



better; to prevent my believing what she says。







If her manners have so great an influence on my resentful heart; you may



judge how much more strongly they operate on Mr。 Vernon's generous temper。



I wish I could be as well satisfied as he is; that it was really her choice



to leave Langford for Churchhill; and if she had not stayed there for



months before she discovered that her friend's manner of living did not



suit her situation or feelings; I might have believed that concern for the



loss of such a husband as Mr。 Vernon; to whom her own behaviour was far



from unexceptionable; might for a time make her wish for retirement。 But



I cannot forget the length of her visit 
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!