reckoned the circumstance among the wisely-improved opportunities

of my life.



To return to the serious interests of the present narrative, I

may now announce that my evidence as an eye-witness of events has



come to an end. The day after Lord Loring's visit, domestic

troubles separated me, to my most sincere regret, from Romayne. I



have only to add, that the foregoingnarrative of personal

experience has been written with a due sense of responsibility,



and that it may be depended on throughout as an exact statement

of the truth.



JOHN PHILIP HYND,

(late Major, 110th



Regiment).

THE STORY.



BOOK THE FIRST.

CHAPTER I.



THE CONFIDENCES.

IN an upper room of one of the palatial houses which are situated



on the north side of Hyde Park, two ladies sat at breakfast, and

gossiped over their tea.



The elder of the two was Lady Loring--still in the prime of life;

possessed of the golden hair and the clear blue eyes, the



delicately-florid complexion, and the freely developed figure,

which are among the favorite attractions popularly associated



with the beauty of Englishwomen. Her younger companion was the

unknown lady admired by Major Hynd on the sea passage from France



to England. With hair and eyes of the darkest brown; with a pure

pallor of complexion, only changing to a faint rose tint in



moments of agitation; with a tall graceful figure, incompletely

developed in substance and



strength--she presented an almost complete contrast to Lady

Loring. Two more opposite types of beauty it would have been



hardly possible to place at the same table.

The servant brought in the letters of the morning. Lady Loring



ran through her correspondence rapidly, pushed away the letters

in a heap, and poured herself out a second cup of tea.



"Nothing interesting this morning for me," she said. "Any news of

your mother, Stella?"



The young lady handed an open letter to her hostess, with a faint

smile. "See for yourself, Adelaide," she answered, with the



tender sweetness of tone which made her voice irresistibly

charming--"and tell me if there were ever two women so utterly



unlike each other as my mother and myself."

Lady Loring ran through the letter, as she had run through her



own correspondence. "Never, dearest Stella, have I enjoyed myself

as I do in this delightful country house--twenty-seven at dinner



every day, without including the neighbors--a little carpet dance

every evening--we play billiards, and go into the smoking



room--the hounds meet three times a week--all sorts of

celebrities among the company, famous beauties included--such



dresses! such conversation!--and serious duties, my dear, not

neglected--high church and choral service in the town on



Sundays--recitations in the evening from Paradise Lost, by an

amateur elocutionist--oh, you foolish, headstrong child! why did



you make excuses and stay in London, when you might have

accompanied me to this earthly Paradise?--are you really ill?--my



love to Lady Loring--and of course, if you _are_ ill, you must

have medical advice--they ask after you so kindly here--the first



dinner bell is ringing, before I have half done my letter--what

_am_ I to wear?--why is my daughter not here to advise me," etc.,



etc., etc.

"There is time to change your mind and advise your mother," Lady



Loring remarked with grave irony as she returned the letter.

"Don't even speak of it!" said Stella. "I really know no life



that I should not prefer to the life that my mother is enjoying

at this moment. What should I have done, Adelaide, if you had not



offered me a happy refuge in your house? _My_ 'earthly Paradise'

is here, where I am allowed to dream away my time over my



drawings and my books, and to resign myself to poor health and

low spirits, without being dragged into society, and (worse



still) threatened with that 'medical advice' in which, when she

isn't threatened with it herself, my poor dear mother believes so



implicitly. I wish you would hire me as your 'companion,' and let

me stay here for the rest of my life."



Lady Loring's bright face became grave while Stella was speaking.

• guilty [´gilti] a.有罪的；心虚的 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• offense [ə´fens] n.冒犯；触怒；犯法 (初中英语单词)


• investigation [in,vesti´geiʃən] n.调查(研究) (初中英语单词)


• medical [´medikəl] a.医学的；医疗的 (初中英语单词)


• residence [´rezidəns] n.居住(期间)；住宅 (初中英语单词)


• impression [im´preʃən] n.印刷；印象；效果 (初中英语单词)


• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)


• briefly [´bri:fli] ad.简短地；简略地 (初中英语单词)


• relate [ri´leit] v.阐明；使联系；涉及 (初中英语单词)


• magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)


• gallery [´gæləri] n.画廊；美术馆；长廊 (初中英语单词)


• conclusion [kən´klu:ʒən] n.结束；结论；推论 (初中英语单词)


• coldness [´kəuldnis] n.寒冷；冷淡 (初中英语单词)


• commit [kə´mit] vt.犯(罪)；把…判处 (初中英语单词)


• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)


• submit [səb´mit] vt.使服从；使忍受 (初中英语单词)


• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)


• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)


• carriage [´kæridʒ] n.马车；客车；货运 (初中英语单词)


• reading [´ri:diŋ] n.(阅)读；朗读；读物 (初中英语单词)


• astonishment [ə´stɔniʃmənt] n.吃惊；惊异 (初中英语单词)


• priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)


• sincere [sin´siə] a.真挚的；直率的 (初中英语单词)


• freely [´fri:li] ad.自由地；慷慨地 (初中英语单词)


• companion [kəm´pæniən] n.同伴；同事；伴侣 (初中英语单词)


• graceful [´greisfəl] a.优美的，流畅的 (初中英语单词)


• contrast [´kɔntrɑ:st] n.对比 v.使对比(照) (初中英语单词)


• delightful [di´laitful] a.讨人喜欢的 (初中英语单词)


• carpet [´kɑ:pit] n.地毯 vt.铺地毯 (初中英语单词)


• paradise [´pærədais] n.天堂；乐园 (初中英语单词)


• advise [əd´vaiz] vt.忠告；建议；通知 (初中英语单词)


• refuge [´refju:dʒ] v.&n.避难(所)；庇护 (初中英语单词)


• resign [ri´zain] v.辞职；放弃；委托 (初中英语单词)


• hearing [´hiəriŋ] n.听力；听证会；审讯 (高中英语单词)


• illustrious [i´lʌstriəs] a.杰出的，显赫的 (高中英语单词)


• community [kə´mju:niti] n.团体；社区；公众 (高中英语单词)


• landlady [´lænd,leidi] n.女房东；女店主 (高中英语单词)


• carelessly [´kɛəlisli] ad.粗心地；疏忽地 (高中英语单词)


• customary [´kʌstəməri] a.通常的；惯例的 (高中英语单词)


• earnestly [´ə:nistli] ad.认真地；急切地 (高中英语单词)


• needless [´ni:dləs] a.不必要的；无用的 (高中英语单词)


• remedy [´remidi] n.药品 vt.医治；减轻 (高中英语单词)


• divert [dai´və:t] vt.转移注意力；消遣 (高中英语单词)


• solitary [´sɔlitəri] a.独居的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)


• caution [´kɔ:ʃən] n.&vt.小心；告诫；警告 (高中英语单词)


• narrative [´nærətiv] a.叙述的 n.记事 (高中英语单词)


• complexion [kəm´plekʃən] n.肤色；情况；局面 (高中英语单词)


• agitation [,ædʒi´teiʃən] n.鼓动；摇动；焦虑 (高中英语单词)


• correspondence [,kɔri´spɔndəns] n.通信；符合；相当 (高中英语单词)


• hostess [´həustis] n.女主人；旅馆女老板 (高中英语单词)


• sweetness [´swi:tnis] n.甜蜜；芳香；亲切 (高中英语单词)


• earthly [´ə:θli] a.地球的；世俗的 (高中英语单词)


• formally [´fɔ:məli] ad.形式地，正式地 (英语四级单词)


• cruelly [´kruəli] ad.残酷地；极，非常 (英语四级单词)


• unreasonable [ʌn´ri:zənəbl] a.不合理的；荒唐的 (英语四级单词)


• bedside [´bedsaid] n.床边 a.护理的 (英语四级单词)


• accessible [ək´sesəbəl] a.易接近的；可到达的 (英语四级单词)


• submission [səb´miʃən] n.屈服；谦恭 (英语四级单词)


• cordially [´kɔ:djəli] ad.热诚地；亲切地 (英语四级单词)


• upstairs [,ʌp´steəz] ad.在楼上 a.楼上的 (英语四级单词)


• consultation [,kɔnsəl´teiʃən] n.商量；会诊；查阅 (英语四级单词)


• elderly [´eldəli] a. 较老的，年长的 (英语四级单词)


• coincidence [kəu´insidəns] n.巧合；符合；一致 (英语四级单词)


• survivor [sə´vaivə] n.未死的人；残存者 (英语六级单词)


• retired [ri´taiəd] a.退休的；通职的 (英语六级单词)


• incurable [in´kjuərəbəl] a.不能治疗的 (英语六级单词)


• foregoing [´fɔ:gəuiŋ] a.在前的，上述的 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)