Ireland, was beckoned into their box by Lady Dashfort,
by her squeezed into a seat next to Lady Isabel; but
Lady Isabel seemed to feel sovereign contempt, properly
repressed by politeness, for what, in a low whisper
to a female friend on the other side of her, she called,
’the self-sufficient inanity of this sad coxcomb.’
Other coxcombs, of a more vivacious style, who stationed
themselves round her mother, or to whom her mother
stretched from box to box to talk, seemed to engage
no more of Lady Isabel’s attention than just
what she was compelled to give by Lady Dashfort’s
repeated calls of—
’Isabel! Isabel! Colonel G—
Isabel! Lord D— bowing to you, Belie!
Belie! Sir Harry B— Isabel, child,
with your eyes on the stage? Did you never see
a play before? Novice! Major P—waiting
to catch your eye this quarter of an hour; and now
her eyes gone down to her play-bill! Sir Harry,
do take it from her.
‘Were eyes so radiant only made to read?’
Lady Isabel appeared to suffer so exquisitely and
so naturally from this persecution, that Lord Colambre
said to himself—
’If this be acting, it is the best acting I
ever saw. If this be art, it deserves to be nature.’
And with this sentiment he did himself the honour
of handing Lady Isabel to her carriage this night,
and with this sentiment he awoke next morning; and
by the time he had dressed and breakfasted he determined
that it was impossible all that he had seen could be
acting. ’No woman, no young woman, could
have such art. Sir James Brooke had been unwarrantably
severe; he would go and tell him so.’
But Sir James Brooke this day received orders for
his regiment to march to quarters in a distant part
of Ireland. His head was full of arms, and ammunition,
and knapsacks, and billets, and routes; and there was
no possibility, even in the present chivalrous disposition
of our hero, to enter upon the defence of the Lady
Isabel. Indeed, in the regret he felt for the
approaching and unexpected departure of his friend,
Lord Colambre forgot the fair lady. But just
when Sir James had his foot in the stirrup, he stopped.
’By the bye, my dear lord, I saw you at the
play last night. You seemed to be much interested.
Don’t think me impertinent, if I remind you of
our conversation when we were riding home from Tusculum;
and if I warn you,’ said he, mounting his horse,
’to beware of counterfeits—for such
are abroad.’ Reining in his impatient steed,
Sir James turned again and added, ’deeds
not words, is my motto. Remember, we
can judge better by the conduct of people towards
others than by their manner towards ourselves.’
Our hero was quite convinced of the good sense of
his friend’s last remark, that it is safer to
judge of people by their conduct to others than by
their manners towards ourselves; but as yet, he felt
scarcely any interest on the subject of Lady Dashfort
or Lady Isabel’s characters; however, he inquired
and listened to all the evidence he could obtain respecting
this mother and daughter.
