Read Online Edith Wharton - Novella 01 by Fast (and) Loose (v2.1) - Free Book Online
Authors: Fast (and) Loose (v2.1)
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source of anxiety to me,” he explained
as he came back. But circumstantial evidence was against Jack, & there was
a scowl of suspicion beneath my lord’s heavy politeness. A few days later,
Egerton called at the house, but my lady was out; & although he saw her
several times at balls & drums & races, always resplendent & always
surrounded by a faithful retinue of adorers, he had no opportunity of
exchanging a word with her.
IX.
Madeline Graham.
“The lady, in truth, was young, fair
& gentle.”
Robert Lytton: Lucile.
Since
his parting with Georgie Rivers , & the disappointment of his love, Guy
Hastings had been, as Jack expressed it: “going rapidly to the dogs.” Now there
are many modes of travelling on this road; the melodramatic one in which the
dark-browed hero takes to murder, elopement, & sedition; the commonplace
one in which drinking, gambling & duelling are prominent features; the
precipitate one of suicide; & finally that one which Guy himself had
chosen. He did not kill himself, as we have seen , nor
did he run away with anyone, or fight a duel, or drink hard; but he seemed to
grow careless of life, money & health, & to lose whatever faith &
tenderness he had had in a sort of undefined skepticism. Perhaps this least
perceptible is yet the most dangerous way of “going to the dogs”; it is like
the noiseless dripping of lime-water which hardens the softest substance into
stone. Guy’s life was no longer sweet to him. He felt himself sliding away from
all ties of kindliness & affection, & did not care to stay his course;
he thought his heart was withered & that nothing could revive it. Perhaps
the first thing that came near touching it, & shewed that it had any
vitality left, was Teresina . Not that he loved her; Jack need not have been anxious on that score.
But there is a dangerous sort of interest & pity which may too easily be
mistaken for love, & which Guy felt towards the little contadina. She
appealed to the heart he thought dead by her shyness & her soft, leaning
temper; & to his eye by the rich, languid beauty which could in no way
bring to his mind another kind of prettiness with which his bitterest memories
were associated. He painted the girl over & over again, & interested
himself in her; but whatever danger might have been in store was warded off by
a confession that Teresina made one April morning, with blushes & tears, to the Signore. She
was in love, poor little soul, with Matteo, old Giovanni the blacksmith’s son;
but Matteo was poor, & Teresina ’s parents had destined her to be the wife of the rich carpenter,
Pietro. So she told Guy; & her story so completely enlisted his sympathy
that he not only went to see the Padre & bribed him largely to let Teresina
marry where her heart was, but wrote to Mr. Graham, who had bought one of his
pictures, & got a nice little sum from the generous merchant. This was some
time after Jack’s departure, & a week after Guy left Rome for his Summer wanderings in Switzerland , followed by the gratitude of two honest
peasant hearts.
The
soft July day, a little more than two months after this, he was walking along
the old covered bridge at Interlaken, when the sound of voices reached him from
the other end, & a moment later a stout, fair lady, who seemed to move in
an English atmosphere, so clear was her nationality, appeared with a girl by
her side. The girl was tall & elancee, & bore an unmistakeable
resemblance to the elder lady; & a few yards behind them Guy espied the
florid, whiskered countenance of Mr. Graham. The merchant was the first to
speak his recognition, in his usual loud tones, while the ladies fell back a
littie, & the girl began to sketch with her parasol. “Mr. Hastings here!”
exclaimed Mr. Graham. “This is a surprise! Been here long, eh? Mrs. Graham, my
dear, this is Mr.
as he came back. But circumstantial evidence was against Jack, & there was
a scowl of suspicion beneath my lord’s heavy politeness. A few days later,
Egerton called at the house, but my lady was out; & although he saw her
several times at balls & drums & races, always resplendent & always
surrounded by a faithful retinue of adorers, he had no opportunity of
exchanging a word with her.
IX.
Madeline Graham.
“The lady, in truth, was young, fair
& gentle.”
Robert Lytton: Lucile.
Since
his parting with Georgie Rivers , & the disappointment of his love, Guy
Hastings had been, as Jack expressed it: “going rapidly to the dogs.” Now there
are many modes of travelling on this road; the melodramatic one in which the
dark-browed hero takes to murder, elopement, & sedition; the commonplace
one in which drinking, gambling & duelling are prominent features; the
precipitate one of suicide; & finally that one which Guy himself had
chosen. He did not kill himself, as we have seen , nor
did he run away with anyone, or fight a duel, or drink hard; but he seemed to
grow careless of life, money & health, & to lose whatever faith &
tenderness he had had in a sort of undefined skepticism. Perhaps this least
perceptible is yet the most dangerous way of “going to the dogs”; it is like
the noiseless dripping of lime-water which hardens the softest substance into
stone. Guy’s life was no longer sweet to him. He felt himself sliding away from
all ties of kindliness & affection, & did not care to stay his course;
he thought his heart was withered & that nothing could revive it. Perhaps
the first thing that came near touching it, & shewed that it had any
vitality left, was Teresina . Not that he loved her; Jack need not have been anxious on that score.
But there is a dangerous sort of interest & pity which may too easily be
mistaken for love, & which Guy felt towards the little contadina. She
appealed to the heart he thought dead by her shyness & her soft, leaning
temper; & to his eye by the rich, languid beauty which could in no way
bring to his mind another kind of prettiness with which his bitterest memories
were associated. He painted the girl over & over again, & interested
himself in her; but whatever danger might have been in store was warded off by
a confession that Teresina made one April morning, with blushes & tears, to the Signore. She
was in love, poor little soul, with Matteo, old Giovanni the blacksmith’s son;
but Matteo was poor, & Teresina ’s parents had destined her to be the wife of the rich carpenter,
Pietro. So she told Guy; & her story so completely enlisted his sympathy
that he not only went to see the Padre & bribed him largely to let Teresina
marry where her heart was, but wrote to Mr. Graham, who had bought one of his
pictures, & got a nice little sum from the generous merchant. This was some
time after Jack’s departure, & a week after Guy left Rome for his Summer wanderings in Switzerland , followed by the gratitude of two honest
peasant hearts.
The
soft July day, a little more than two months after this, he was walking along
the old covered bridge at Interlaken, when the sound of voices reached him from
the other end, & a moment later a stout, fair lady, who seemed to move in
an English atmosphere, so clear was her nationality, appeared with a girl by
her side. The girl was tall & elancee, & bore an unmistakeable
resemblance to the elder lady; & a few yards behind them Guy espied the
florid, whiskered countenance of Mr. Graham. The merchant was the first to
speak his recognition, in his usual loud tones, while the ladies fell back a
littie, & the girl began to sketch with her parasol. “Mr. Hastings here!”
exclaimed Mr. Graham. “This is a surprise! Been here long, eh? Mrs. Graham, my
dear, this is Mr.
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