'Young ladies, did you ever hear
of such overweening presumption? Here is a damsel who expects her
scraps of angular writing to be preserved with as much care as the
Golden Bulls of the Pope!'
'That is to say, you burnt it without reading it,' said Anne.
'The former part of your supposition is true, sweet sister mine,'
replied Rupert: 'not knowing what spells it might contain, seeing
that Miss Merton's caligraphy is more like the cabalistic characters
of a sorceress than the Italian-hand of a gentle demoiselle, I
exorcised it--I committed it to the devouring element!'
'Without turning over the second page of the second piece of note-
paper, I suppose?' said Anne.
'How was I ever to suppose that anyone would write a letter for the
purpose of giving me an important piece of information,' said Rupert,
'and then put the pith of it in a place where no one would ever dream
of looking? No, Lady Elizabeth, if by my absence your feast has lost
its brightest ornament, its wittiest and wisest cavalier, it is this
sister of mine whom you must accuse!'
It was really not a little provoking to be blamed in this manner for
Rupert's own carelessness; but Anne was used to her brother's ways,
and could bear them with good humour.
Pages:
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214