The Initials. Baroness Jemima Montgomery Tautphoeus
my sister’s influence something may be done; she is a good child, and about to marry to please papa and mamma; first of all, however, I must speak to Hildegarde herself.”
“There you have every thing to hope, for she is absolutely civil to you sometimes! You will probably enter into some interesting secret engagement?”
“That would be worse than folly. I could not be so ungenerous as to ask her to refuse, perhaps, an eligible establishment, should one offer, on the chance that I should marry her, should I live to become a second edition of Major Stultz! Suppose I wait ten years, Hildegarde’s and my ideas would both be changed. I do not feel quite sure that at the end of that time I might not prefer some gentle, simple Crescenz, who would overlook my age and ugliness provided I made her handsome presents, and supplied her liberally with bon-bons. I wish you had seen her face of delight just before I came here, when Major Stultz gave her a box of bon-bons, which evidently had been ordered from Munich expressly for her, as it contained nothing but sugar hearts and darts, and kisses wrapped up in pink and blue papers, and doves billing, while almost bursting with the liquor with which they had been ingeniously filled by the confectioner!”
“So! Now I know why the little coquette did not come to meet me! After having called me to account for my neglect so innocently, and talking such mysterious nonsense about her first love, she amuses herself eating sugar-plums, and sends her sister to me now. These German girls are inexplicable; one cannot talk to them without quarrelling, or being entangled in a labyrinth of sentimentality.”
“You must not judge of all from your slight acquaintance with two,” observed Zedwitz, laughing. “You may say what you please, but you cannot deny that they are fine specimens of the species.”
“Hildegarde is undoubtedly handsome, but then she is only amiable towards you,” said Hamilton, leaning against the side of one of the arches. “I believe,” he continued, after a pause, “I believe I am getting very tired of Seon, and were I not engaged to these Rosenbergs, I should start at once for Vienna. Suppose we make a tour in the Tyrol together?”
Zedwitz looked embarrassed, and said, with some hesitation, “I—a—am—half engaged to join the Rosenbergs in a party to an alp, and afterwards to Salzburg.”
“What! and I have never heard a word about it?”
“Oh, you will be invited as a matter of course. I had some trouble to manage it, as I do not enjoy the good graces of Madame Rosenberg. She expects her husband to-morrow, who comes here for one day to make the acquaintance of his future son-in-law. The day he leaves is fixed for our excursion.”
“How do we travel—boys, of course, inclusive?”
“In whatever carriages we get from here. In Traunstein we take a char-à-banc, which will accommodate us all. For such parties it is a very agreeable vehicle, as we can all remain together; for when a division takes place, the chances that one gets a disagreeable companion are too great.”
“Videlicet!” cried Hamilton, laughing. “Count Zedwitz wishes to be quite sure of enjoying the society of a certain young lady for three whole days.”
“You are right,” he answered, taking Hamilton’s arm to leave the cloisters. “Quite right. I trust you have given up all idea of being my rival?”
“I believe I must give up all such idea, if I ever had it, for Hildegarde told me just now that she despised me; had she said she hated me, I might have some chance; but I am not equal to a struggle against indifference and scorn. I believe,” he added, laughing, “I must make her hate me.”
“But you won’t interfere with me, I hope?”
“Not at all. You will appear more amiable by the contrast.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“Were I to continue my present line of conduct,” answered Hamilton, affected with solemnity, “it is possible that hate might be produced in time; but, in order to hurry matters, I shall be obliged to make desperate love to her sister. Hildegarde seems very vulnerable on that point. It will not also cause me much trouble, as Crescenz gave me a fair challenge to-day in the garden, and cannot reproach me hereafter.”
“Hamilton,” cried Zedwitz, stopping suddenly, and looking at him attentively, “you are certainly older than you acknowledge to be.”
“I understand the implied compliment,” replied Hamilton. “You conceive my intellect beyond my years. My father always said I was no fool; I am glad to find that others are inclined to agree with him in this negative sort of commendation.”
“You are indeed anything but a fool; and if you fall into good hands, I have no doubt——”
“Good hands!” cried Hamilton, interrupting him; “I have no idea of falling into any hands, good or bad; I intend to judge and act for myself.”
“Then you will pay dear for your experience, as others have done before you.”
“We shall see,” replied Hamilton.
“You will feel,” said Zedwitz, seizing with both hands the ends of his long moustaches, to give them a peculiar twirl towards the corners of his eyes before he entered the room where the company were assembled for supper.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.