第90章

Hunsden rose.“Good bye，” said he to Frances； “I shall be off for this glorious England to-morrow， and it may be twelve months or more before I come to Brussels again； whenever I do come I’ll seek you out， and you shall see if I don’t find means to make you fiercer than a dragon.You’ve done pretty well this evening， but next interview you shall challenge me outright.Meantime you’re doomed to become Mrs.William Crimsworth， I suppose； poor young lady？ but you have a spark of spirit； cherish it， and give the Professor the full benefit thereof.”

“Are you married， Mr.Hunsden？” asked Frances， suddenly.

“No.I should have thought you might have guessed I was a Benedict by my look.”

“Well， whenever you marry don’t take a wife out of Switzerland； for if you begin blaspheming Helvetia， and cursing the cantons—above all， if you mention the word ass in the same breath with the name Tell (for ass is baudet， I know； though Monsieur is pleased to translate it esprit-fort) your mountain maid will some night smother her Breton-bretonnant， even as your own Shakspeare’s Othello smothered Desdemona.”

“I am warned，” said Hunsden； “and so are you， lad，” (noddingto me).“I hope yet to hear of a travesty of the Moor and his gentle lady， in which the parts shall be reversed according to the plan just sketched—you， however， being in my nightcap.Farewell， mademoiselle！” He bowed on her hand， absolutely like Sir Charles Grandison on that of Harriet Byron； adding—“Death from such fingers would not be without charms.”

“Mon Dieu！” murmured Frances， opening her large eyes and lifting her distinctly arched brows； “c’est qu’il fait des compliments！ je ne m’y suis pas attendu.” She smiled， half in ire， half in mirth， curtsied with foreign grace， and so they parted.

No sooner had we got into the street than Hunsden collared me.“And that is your lace-mender？” said he； “and you reckon you have done a fine， magnanimous thing in offering to marry her？ You， a scion of Seacombe， have proved your disdain of social distinctions by taking up with an ouvrière！ And I pitied the fellow， thinking his feelings had misled him， and that he had hurt himselfby contracting a low match！”

“Just let go my collar， Hunsden.”

“On the contrary， he swayed me to and fro； so I grappled himround the waist.It was dark； the street lonely and lampless.We had then a tug for it； and after we had both rolled on the pavement， and with difficulty picked ourselves up， we agreed to walk on more soberly.

“Yes， that’s my lace-mender，” said I； “and she is to be mine for life—God willing.”

“God is not willing—you can’t suppose it； what business haveyou to be suited so well with a partner？ And she treats you with a sort of respect， too， and says， ‘Monsieur’ and modulates her tone in addressing you， actually， as if you were something superior！ She could not evince more deference to such a one as I， were she favoured by fortune to the supreme extent of being my choice instead of yours.”

“Hunsden， you’re a puppy.But you’ve only seen the title-page of my happiness； you don’t know the tale that follows； you cannot conceive the interest and sweet variety and thrilling excitement of the narrative.”

Hunsden—speaking low and deep， for we had now entered a busier street—desired me to hold my peace， threatening to do something dreadful if I stimulated his wrath further by boasting.I laughed till my sides ached.We soon reached his hotel； before he entered it， he said—“Don’t be vainglorious.Your lace-mender is too good for you， but not good enough for me； neither physically nor morally does she come up to my ideal of a woman.No； I dream of something far beyond that pale-faced， excitable little Helvetian (by-the-by she has infinitely more of the nervous， mobile Parisienne in her than of the the robust ‘jungfrau’).Your Mdlle Henri is in person “chétive”， in mind “sans caractère”， compared with the queen ofmy visions.You， indeed， may put up with that minois chiffoné； but when I marry I must have straighter and more harmonious features， to say nothing of a nobler and better developed shape than that perverse， ill-thriven child can boast.”

“Bribe a seraph to fetch you a coal of fire from heaven， if you will，” said I， “and with it kindle life in the tallest， fattest， most boneless， fullest-blooded of Ruben’s painted women—leave me only my Alpine peri， and I’ll not envy you.”

With a simultaneous movement， each turned his back on the other.Neither said “God bless you；” yet on the morrow the sea was to roll between us.