Lord Ormont and His Aminta — Volume 2 by George Meredith
page 21 of 66 (31%)
page 21 of 66 (31%)
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day; and Lady Eglett--Lady Charlotte Eglett may hear; for there is no end
to them, and impute them to her, when really!--can she be made responsible for eyes innocent of the mischief they appear destined to do? But I am disturbing you in your work." "You are very good, ma'am," said the ghost of the determined young gentleman. "A slight cold, have you?" Mrs. Pagnell asked solicitously. "Dear me, no!" he gave answer with a cleared throat. In charging him with more than he wanted to carry, she supplied him with particulars he had wanted to know; and now he asked himself what could be the gain of any amount of satisfied curiosity regarding a married Aminta. She slew my lord on board a packet-boat; she bears the arrows that slay. My lord married her where the first English chaplain was to be found; that is not wonderful either. British Embassy, Madrid! Weyburn believed the ceremony to have been performed there: at the same time, he could hear Lady Charlotte's voice repeating with her varied intonation Mrs. Pagnell's impressive utterances; and he could imagine how the somewhat silly duenna aunt, so penetrable in her transparent artifices, struck emphasis on the incredulity of people inclined to judge of the reported ceremony by Lord Ormont's behaviour to his captive. How explain that strange matter? But can there be a gain in trying to sound it? Weyburn shuffled it away. Before the fit of passion seized him, he could turn his eager mind from anything which had not a perceptible point of gain, either for bodily strength or mental acquisition, or for money, too, now that the school was growing palpable |
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