lady susan-第2节

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sixteen　who　has　received　so　wretched　an　education；　could　not　be　a　very



desirable　companion　here。　Reginald　has　long　wished；　I　know；　to　see　the



captivating　Lady　Susan；　and　we　shall　depend　on　his　joining　our　party　soon。



I　am　glad　to　hear　that　my　father　continues　so　well；　and　am；　with　best　love；



&c。；







CATHERINE　VERNON。























IV











MR。　DE　COURCY　TO　MRS。　VERNON











Parklands。











My　dear　Sister；I　congratulate　you　and　Mr。　Vernon　on　being　about　to



receive　into　your　family　the　most　accomplished　coquette　in　England。　As　a



very　distinguished　flirt　I　have　always　been　taught　to　consider　her；　but　it



has　lately　fallen　In　my　way　to　hear　some　particulars　of　her　conduct　at



Langford：　which　prove　that　she　does　not　confine　herself　to　that　sort　of



honest　flirtation　which　satisfies　most　people；　but　aspires　to　the　more



delicious　gratification　of　making　a　whole　family　miserable。　By　her



behaviour　to　Mr。　Mainwaring　she　gave　jealousy　and　wretchedness　to　his　wife；



and　by　her　attentions　to　a　young　man　previously　attached　to　Mr。



Mainwaring's　sister　deprived　an　amiable　girl　of　her　lover。







I　learnt　all　this　from　Mr。　Smith；　now　in　this　neighbourhood　（I　have



dined　with　him；　at　Hurst　and　Wilford）；　who　is　just　come　from　Langford　where



he　was　a　fortnight　with　her　ladyship；　and　who　is　therefore　well　qualified



to　make　the　communication。







What　a　woman　she　must　be！　I　long　to　see　her；　and　shall　certainly　accept



your　kind　invitation；　that　I　may　form　some　idea　of　those　bewitching　powers



which　can　do　so　muchengaging　at　the　same　time；　and　in　the　same　house；　the



affections　of　two　men；　who　were　neither　of　them　at　liberty　to　bestow　them…



…and　all　this　without　the　charm　of　youth！　I　am　glad　to　find　Miss　Vernon



does　not　accompany　her　mother　to　Churchhill；　as　she　has　not　even　manners　to



recommend　her；　and；　according　to　Mr。　Smith's　account；　is　equally　dull　and



proud。　Where　pride　and　stupidity　unite　there　can　be　no　dissimulation　worthy



notice；　and　Miss　Vernon　shall　be　consigned　to　unrelenting　contempt；　but　by



all　that　I　can　gather　Lady　Susan　possesses　a　degree　of　captivating　deceit



which　it　must　be　pleasing　to　witness　and　detect。　I　shall　be　with　you　very



soon；　and　am　ever；







Your　affectionate　brother；







R。　DE　COURCY。



















V











LADY　SUSAN　VERNON　TO　MRS。　JOHNSON











Churchhill。











I　received　your　note；　my　dear　Alicia；　just　before　I　left　town；　and



rejoice　to　be　assured　that　Mr。　Johnson　suspected　nothing　of　your　engagement



the　evening　before。　It　is　undoubtedly　better　to　deceive　him　entirely；　and



since　he　will　be　stubborn　he　must　be　tricked。　I　arrived　here　in　safety；　and



have　no　reason　to　complain　of　my　reception　from　Mr。　Vernon；　but　I　confess



myself　not　equally　satisfied　with　the　behaviour　of　his　lady。　She　is



perfectly　well…bred；　indeed；　and　has　the　air　of　a　woman　of　fashion；　but　her



manners　are　not　such　as　can　persuade　me　of　her　being　prepossessed　in　my



favour。　I　wanted　her　to　be　delighted　at　seeing　me。　I　was　as　amiable　as



possible　on　the　occasion；　but　all　in　vain。　She　does　not　like　me。　To　be　sure



when　we　consider　that　I　DID　take　some　pains　to　prevent　my　brother…in…law's



marrying　her；　this　want　of　cordiality　is　not　very　surprizing；　and　yet　it



shows　an　illiberal　and　vindictive　spirit　to　resent　a　project　which



influenced　me　six　years　ago；　and　which　never　succeeded　at　last。







I　am　sometimes　disposed　to　repent　that　I　did　not　let　Charles　buy　Vernon



Castle；　when　we　were　obliged　to　sell　it；　but　it　was　a　trying　circumstance；



especially　as　the　sale　took　place　exactly　at　the　time　of　his　marriage；　and



everybody　ought　to　respect　the　delicacy　of　those　feelings　which　could　not



endure　that　my　husband's　dignity　should　be　lessened　by　his　younger



brother's　having　possession　of　the　family　estate。　Could　matters　have　been



so　arranged　as　to　prevent　the　necessity　of　our　leaving　the　castle；　could　we



have　lived　with　Charles　and　kept　him　single；　I　should　have　been　very　far



from　persuading　my　husband　to　dispose　of　it　elsewhere；　but　Charles　was　on



the　point　of　marrying　Miss　De　Courcy；　and　the　event　has　justified　me。　Here



are　children　in　abundance；　and　what　benefit　could　have　accrued　to　me　from



his　purchasing　Vernon？　My　having　prevented　it　may　perhaps　have　given　his



wife　an　unfavourable　impression；　but　where　there　is　a　disposition　to



dislike；　a　motive　will　never　be　wanting；　and　as　to　money　matters　it　has　not



withheld　him　from　being　very　useful　to　me。　I　really　have　a　regard　for　him；



he　is　so　easily　imposed　upon！　The　house　is　a　good　one；　the　furniture



fashionable；　and　everything　announces　plenty　and　elegance。　Charles　is　very



rich　I　am　sure；　when　a　man　has　once　got　his　name　in　a　banking…house　he



rolls　in　money；　but　they　do　not　know　what　to　do　with　it；　keep　very　little



company；　and　never　go　to　London　but　on　business。　We　shall　be　as　stupid　as



possible。　I　mean　to　win　my　sister…in…law's　heart　through　the　children；　I



know　all　their　names　already；　and　am　going　to　attach　myself　with　the



greatest　sensibility　to　one　in　particular；　a　young　Frederic；　whom　I　take　on



my　lap　and　sigh　over　for　his　dear　uncle's　sake。







Poor　Mainwaring！　I　need　not　tell　you　how　much　I　miss　him；　how



perpetually　he　is　in　my　thoughts。　I　found　a　dismal　letter　from　him　on　my



arrival　here；　full　of　complaints　of　his　wife　and　sister；　and　lamentations



on　the　cruelty　of　his　fate。　I　passed　off　the　letter　as　his　wife's；　to　the



Vernons；　and　when　I　write　to　him　it　must　be　under　cover　to　you。







Ever　yours；



S。　VERNON。























VI











MRS。　VERNON　TO　MR。　DE　COURCY











Churchhill。











Well；　my　dear　Reginald；　I　have　seen　this　dangerous　creature；　and　must



give　you　some　description　of　her；　though　I　hope　you　will　soon　be　able　to



form　your　own　judgment　she　is　really　excessively　pretty；　however　you　may



choose　to　question　the　allurements　of　a　lady　no　longer　young；　I　must；　for



my　own　part；　declare　that　I　have　seldom　seen　so　lovely　a　woman　as　Lady



Susan。　She　is　delicately　fair；　with　fine　grey　eyes　and　dark　eyelashes；　and



from　her　appearance　one　would　not　suppose　her　more　than　five　and　twenty；



though　she　must　in　fact　be　ten　years　older；　I　was　certainly　not　disposed　to



admire　her；　though　always　hearing　she　was　beautiful；　but　I　cannot　help



feeling　that　she　possesses　an　uncommon　union　of　symmetry；　brilliancy；　and



grace。　Her　address　to　me　was　so　gentle；　frank；　and　even　affectionate；　that；



if　I　had　not　known　how　much　she　has　always　disliked　me　for　marrying　Mr。



Vernon；　and　that　we　had　never　met　before；　I　should　have　imagined　her　an



attached　friend。　One　is　apt；　I　believe；　to　connect　assurance　of　manner　with



coquetry；　and　to　expect　that　an　impudent　address　will　naturally　attend　an



impudent　mind；　at　least　I　was　myself　prepared　for　an　improper　degree　of



confidence　in　Lady　Susan；　but　her　countenance　is　absolutely　sweet；　and　her



voice　and　manner　winningly　mild。　I　am　sorry　it　is　so；　for　what　is　this　but



deceit？　Unfortunately；　one　knows　her　too　well。　She　is　clever　and　agreeable；



has　all　that　knowledge　of　the　world　which　makes　conversation　easy；　and



talks　very　well；　with　a　happy　command　of　language；　which　is　too　often　used；



I　believe；　to　make　black　appear　white。　She　has　already　almost　persuaded　me



of　her　being　warmly　attached　to　her　daughter；　though　I　have　been　so　long



convinced　to　the　contrary。　She　speaks　of　her　with　so　much　tenderness　and



anxiety；　lamenting　so　bitterly　the　neglect　of　her　education；　which　she



represents　however　as　wholly　unavoidable；　that　I　am　forced　to　recollect　how



many　successive　springs　her　ladyship　spent　in　town；　while　her　daughter　was



left　in　Staffordshire　to　the　care　of　servants；　or　a　governess　very　little



better；　to　prevent　my　believing　what　she　says。







If　her　manners　have　so　great　an　influence　on　my　resentful　heart；　you　may



judge　how　much　more　strongly　they　operate　on　Mr。　Vernon's　generous　temper。



I　wish　I　could　be　as　well　satisfied　as　he　is；　that　it　was　really　her　choice



to　leave　Langford　for　Churchhill；　and　if　she　had　not　stayed　there　for



months　before　she　discovered　that　her　friend's　manner　of　living　did　not



suit　her　situation　or　feelings；　I　might　have　believed　that　concern　for　the



loss　of　such　a　husband　as　Mr。　Vernon；　to　whom　her　own　behaviour　was　far



from　unexceptionable；　might　for　a　time　make　her　wish　for　retirement。　But



I　cannot　forget　the　length　of　her　visit