"I have no other home now."
Austin Lovel laid down his palette, and came across the room to receive
her.
"What does it all mean, Clary?--Look here, young woman," he said to Jane
Target; "you'll find my wife in the next room; and she'll help you to make
that youngster comfortable.--Now, Clary," he went on, as the girl curtseyed
and vanished through the door that divided the two rooms, "what does it all
mean?"
Clarissa told him her story--told it, that is to say, as well as she could
tell a story which reflected so much discredit upon herself.
"I went to the Rue du Chevalier Bayard at 5 on Tuesday--as I promised, you
know, Austin--and found Mr. Fairfax there. You may imagine how surprised
I was when I heard you were gone. He did not tell me immediately; and he
detained me there--talking to me."
The sudden crimson which mounted to her very temples at this juncture
betrayed her secret.
"Talking to you!" cried Austin; "you mean making love to you! The infernal
scoundrel!"
"It was--very dishonourable!"
"That's a mild way of putting it. What! he hung about my rooms when I had
gone, to get you into a trap, as it were, at the risk of compromising you
in a most serious manner! You never gave him any encouragement, did you,
Clarissa?"
"I never meant to do so."
"You never meant! But a woman must know what she is doing. You used to
meet him at my rooms very often.
Pages:
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624