“I believe he has a very large income.”
“And is your sister-in-law a nice pretty woman?”
“La! Joseph is not married,” said
Amelia, laughing again.
Perhaps she had mentioned the fact already to Rebecca,
but that young lady did not appear to have remembered
it; indeed, vowed and protested that she expected
to see a number of Amelia’s nephews and nieces.
She was quite disappointed that Mr. Sedley was not
married; she was sure Amelia had said he was, and
she doted so on little children.
“I think you must have had enough of them at
Chiswick,” said Amelia, rather wondering at
the sudden tenderness on her friend’s part; and
indeed in later days Miss Sharp would never have committed
herself so far as to advance opinions, the untruth
of which would have been so easily detected.
But we must remember that she is but nineteen as
yet, unused to the art of deceiving, poor innocent
creature! and making her own experience in her own
person. The meaning of the above series of queries,
as translated in the heart of this ingenious young
woman, was simply this: “If Mr. Joseph Sedley
is rich and unmarried, why should I not marry him?
I have only a fortnight, to be sure, but there is
no harm in trying.” And she determined
within herself to make this laudable attempt.
She redoubled her caresses to Amelia; she kissed
the white cornelian necklace as she put it on; and
vowed she would never, never part with it. When
the dinner-bell rang she went downstairs with her arm
round her friend’s waist, as is the habit of
young ladies. She was so agitated at the drawing-room
door, that she could hardly find courage to enter.
“Feel my heart, how it beats, dear!” said
she to her friend.
“No, it doesn’t,” said Amelia.
“Come in, don’t be frightened. Papa
won’t do you any harm.”
Rebecca Is in Presence of the Enemy
A very stout, puffy man, in buckskins and Hessian
boots, with several immense neckcloths that rose almost
to his nose, with a red striped waistcoat and an apple
green coat with steel buttons almost as large as crown
pieces (it was the morning costume of a dandy or blood
of those days) was reading the paper by the fire when
the two girls entered, and bounced off his arm-chair,
and blushed excessively, and hid his entire face almost
in his neckcloths at this apparition.
“It’s only your sister, Joseph,”
said Amelia, laughing and shaking the two fingers
which he held out. “I’ve come home
for good, you know; and this is my friend,
Miss Sharp, whom you have heard me mention.”
“No, never, upon my word,” said the head
under the neckcloth, shaking very much—“that
is, yes—what abominably cold weather, Miss”—and
herewith he fell to poking the fire with all his might,
although it was in the middle of June.
“He’s very handsome,” whispered
Rebecca to Amelia, rather loud.
