the spirits you had when you were a girl, which is so odd!" and she thought of the halcyon days of donkeys and puppy dogs. "Not at all odd! When one is a girl, one does not know what one's fate is to be; and though one has some pleasant and agreeable hours, one has mortifications also; but when one's fortune is made, when one has a husband who is proud of one, and (though it sounds vain to say so) when one feels that one is admired and courted by others, I do not see why one should not be in spirits." Lady Selcourt had been gratified that morning by a noble dandy's compliance with her request to prolong his stay at Ashdale Park, in order to join in some charades which were proposed for the evening's amusement, when he had resisted the general solicitations of the rest of the party. If Lucy had seen her at Sir Charles's seat in Oxfordshire, with her husband and her children around her, in the bosom of her family, she would not have thought her flow of spirits so enviable. Arguments the unsoundness and sophistry of which would be apparent enough at other times appear conclusive and convincing when they are in accordance with the feelings of the moment. Lucy was thoroughly discontented with her husband and her own manner of life; her mind was unsettled-she was in a state of mortification, while at the same time she thought more highly of her own charms than she had ever done before. She saw Sophy, with half her personal beauty, but with an adoring husband (for she had succeeded in making Sir Charles admire, as well as fear her; she had enthralled him, and he dared not even struggle in his shackles, but appeared to look on them as precious ornaments); and she also saw her receiving the incense of that conventional complimemtary manner which all women can command, if they choose to require it. If she had been happy at home, she would have despised and condemned such unmeaning homage; but as it was, she did not like to be altogether eclipsed by Sophy, and her manner instinctively assumed a tone which encouraged men to talk to her. There was a characteristic simplicity in her view of subjects, and in her mode of expressing herself, which amused, as being peculiar to herself. She ventured to be droll. She was pleased at success, her spirits rose, and she began to think that, after all, one might make oneself very tolerably happy without the romantic affection which Milly's story had taught her to sigh after. Another spring arrived, and Lady Montreville went to Lon don with the full intention of shining as the most attractive of women, and of having a train of admirers-humble admirers, who should be kept at a most respectful distance, but who might show her husband what others thought of her. She had little difficulty in succeeding in her object. With rank and beauty, a lively manner, and a husband so much older than herself, the difficulty was to keep them off, not to attract them. Lionel Delville became a frequent visiter in St. James's Square. He no longer found it impossible to pay her a compliment, although, as yet, he dared go no further. Captain Lyon claimed acquaintance as an old friend. Although he had scarcely found out she was alive as the fourth daughter of Colonel Heckfield, he proclaimed her the most fascinating of her sex as the Marchioness of Montreville. Indeed, he insinuated that he had been the first to discover these fascinations, and to point them out to Lord Montreville. He affected to patronize her to all his friends. Statesmen, warriors, poets, were to be found in her train. Among others, Lord Thorcaster, a deep politician, who was particularly strong on political economy, the bullion question, the poor laws, and free trade. She was quite pretty enough to be exceedingly agreeable to this man of deep reading and comprehensive mind. He did not make love-no: he talked politics; but her eyes were so blue, and her teeth so white, that he thought her political aperçus astonishingly luminous; especially when one day that the question of free trade was discussed, she exclaimed in her simple manner, "Why can they not let it alone, and then everybody and every country will naturally manufacture what they can do best, and what they are most fitted for; and everybody will buy where they can get the best things for the least money. That must be good for all parties, and there would be an end of all this fuss about duties on imports and exports." "My dear Lady Montreville, you have in one sentence condensed all the arguments that it has taken the two houses of Parliament years to discuss. I have urged this very train of reasoning myself. If our legislators were but endowed with the clear and powerful undersanding of a certain young and beautiful woman, it would be well for our poor country! But it is not every mind that can thus grapple with a subject, divest it of all the false colouring thrown over it by sophistry, and at once seize the real point at issue." "Dear me! have I done all this? It seemed very natural to say what I said." VOL. II.-1 "Very natural to persons of decision, who can shake themselves free from the trammels of prejudice." "But I never thought upon the subject before, so I had no prejudices to shake off; I merely said what struck me as plain and obvious." "Indeed! astonishing you should at once seize all the bearings of the case!" Lucy felt a little like M. Jourdain, when he discovered that he had been speaking prose all his life; and was rather elated at finding she was so clever. She had heard she was pretty, and had perceived she was attractive, and had sometimes felt that she amused, but she had never before been told she was clever. Lord Thorcaster was a man who stood high with a certain set; his suffrage was decidedly worth having, for he was reckoned very fastidious; and Lucy was much exalted in her own estimation by his opinion of her talents. She now listened with attention to political discussions; fancied she greatly preferred such subjects to the frivolous conversation of women; she occasionally retailed the arguments she heard adduced by others, and sometimes hazarded an opinion of her own. Thorcaster was charmed; but as he was neither young nor handsome, the degree in which he frequented St. James's Square gave no umbrage to Lord Montreville, nor ground for scandal to the world. Lord CHAPTER XIV. J'ai vu une jolie femme dont la conversation passoit pour un enchantement, personne au monde nes'exprimoit comme elle, c'étoit la vivacité, c'étoit la finesse même qu iparlait: les connoisseurs n'y pouvaient tenir de plaisir. La petite vérole lui vint, elle en resta extrémement marquée, quand la pauvre femme reparut, ce n'étoit plus qu'une babillarde incommode. MARIVAUX. ALTHOUGH no consequences attended Lord Thorcaster's admiration of Lady Montreville, as far as he himself was concerned, it had a visible effect upon her manners. People are always more vulnerable to flattery with regard to the merit for which they are least remarkable, than that on which they them 1 selves are not in doubt. Lord Thorcaster's compliments upon the strength of her understanding, caused her to set up for a superior woman, une tête forte, and she sometimes astonished those who knew her best, by having a decided opinion upon some subject of which women are seldom supposed competent judges. This little fit of pretension, if it did not add to her attractions, tended very much to increase the number of persons attracted. It was evident there must be vanity, when a new character was assumed for the purpose of shining; and this conviction gave courage and audacity to the herd of aspirers to her favour, who had hitherto been kept at bay by the candour and openness of her manner. The back of Lady Montreville's opera-box was always thronged with men. The door was constantly opened, and quickly shut again, by persons who could not find standing-room, and wo to the neighbours on each side, if by any chance they loved music, and wished to listen to the sweet sounds they had paid their money to hear. Lionel Delville, who from the first had been exceedingly favourable to Lucy, now found his cousin's house the most agreeable in London; and took advantage of the privileges of relationship to be always in attendance. It seemed to be a settled thing, that he was her most obsequious slave. Open conventional gallantry and cousinly intimacy were so skilfully blended, that it was difficult to ascertain when and where real gallantry commenced. She was proud of the admiration of the oracle of statesmen, and pleased with the devotion of the oracle of fashion. She was the life of society; she became a great talker, and her spirits rose with the exertion. Her voice was by nature so sweetly modulated, that no one could be tired of hearing it; her countenance was so soft, that although she occasionally sported the most decided opinions, they did not seem tranchant when delivered by her. If success in the great world could constitute the whole happiness of any person with naturally good feelings, she might now have been happy. But was she so? No. She had not ben brought up without some attention to religious subjects. She always went to church and would have felt uneasy if she had omitted to do so; she had a general desire and resolution to do what was right, and a horror of doing what was wrong. Herown domestic discontents, Sophy's arguments and example, the natural desire after happiness inherent in our nature, and the vanity which is lurking at the bottom of most hearts, had combined to lead her thus far on the road to wrong; but she could not be happy unless she felt satisfied with herself. She often thought, "How cheerful the Duchess of Altonworth is! How placid she looks! Nothing ever worries her, and every thing worries me. It makes me unhappy and discontented with myself to see her;" and the result was, that she frequented her quiet and select soirées less and less; for when not in a whirl of engagements, she invariably felt weary and listless. Though the constant tribute paid to her charms afforded her but little pleasure, she felt the want of it if by any chance it was withheld. Then she became fastidious upon the subject. She despised the homage of commonplace empty youngsters: she ridiculed the doux yeux of old men; she was disgusted with fulsome compliments; but Lionel Delville knew how to flatter, without appearing to do so; he had learned in his cousin's school, and Lord Montreville saw his own arts practised upon his wife. He had taken no notice of the tribe of general admirers, for, feeling himself not immaculate, he instinctively avoided what might lead to recrimination. He had not heeded Lord Thorcaster's attentions, for he was nearly as old as himself, and much less good-looking ;-but the increased devotion of Lionel Delville gave him serious uneasiness. From the beginning he felt a dread of his particular friend, and had sought his company as little as possible, since he married. Until now, Lucy's manner had been such that she might safely have bid defiance to the most malicious; but the revolution which the last few weeks had effected in her, rendered him serious and thoughtful. He was uncertain what line to take, and in the mean time he was not particularly good-humoured, and frequently spoke of the frivolity and the vanity of women in a manner which sounded harshly in Lucy's ears when she thought of the immorality and the hypocrisy of men. Often would she lament having ever seen the fatal letter; often did she wish herself once more deceived; often did she look back, as to a happy time, to that when she sought only to please her husband. She almost wished to be again ruled, and thwarted in all her everyday pursuits; for she now thought these petty annoyances were more than compensated by the satisfactory sensation of fulfilling the duties of a good wife, and the hope of securing the affections of her husband. It was with sorrow and regret that she reverted to the days when she did so sincerely wish to secure them. Those days were gonegone, never to return! |