"Indeed," cried Cecilia, extremely affected by this plaintive tenderness, "I believe it--and were I him, I could not, I think, hesitate a moment in my choice!"
Henrietta now, hearing her mother coming in, made a sign to her to be silent; but Mrs Belfield had not been an instant in the pa.s.sage, before a thundering knocking at the street-door occasioned it to be instantly re-opened. A servant then enquired if Mrs Belfield was at home, and being answered by herself in the affirmative, a chair was brought into the house.
But what was the astonishment of Cecilia, when, in another moment, she heard from the next parlour the voice of Mr Delvile senior, saying, "Your servant, ma"am; Mrs Belfield, I presume?"
There was no occasion, now, to make a sign to her of silence, for her own amazement was sufficient to deprive her of speech.
"Yes, Sir," answered Mrs Belfield; "but I suppose, Sir, you are some gentleman to my son."
"No, madam," he returned, "my business is with yourself."
Cecilia now recovering from her surprise, determined to hasten unnoticed out of the house, well knowing that to be seen in it would be regarded as a confirmation of all that he had a.s.serted. She whispered, therefore, to Henrietta, that she must instantly run away, but, upon softly opening the door leading to the pa.s.sage, she found Mr Delvile"s chairmen, and a footman there in waiting.
She closed it again, irresolute what to do: but after a little deliberation, she concluded to out-stay him, as she was known to all his servants, who would not fail to mention seeing her; and a retreat so private was worse than any other risk. A chair was also in waiting for herself, but it was a hackney one, and she could not be known by it; and her footman she had fortunately dismissed, as he had business to transact for her journey next day.
Mean-while the thinness of the part.i.tion between the two parlours made her hearing every word that was said unavoidable.
"I am sure, Sir, I shall be very willing to oblige you," Mrs Belfield answered; "but pray, Sir, what"s your name?"
"My name, ma"am," he replied, in a rather elevated voice, "I am seldom obliged to announce myself; nor is there any present necessity I should make it known. It is sufficient I a.s.sure you, you are speaking to no very common person, and probably to one you will have little chance to meet with again."
"But how can I tell your business, Sir, if I don"t so much as know your name?"
"My business, madam, I mean to tell myself; your affair is only to hear it. I have some questions, indeed, to ask, which I must trouble you to answer, but they will sufficiently explain themselves to prevent any difficulty upon your part. There is no need, therefore, of any introductory ceremonial."
"Well, Sir," said Mrs Belfield, wholly insensible of this ambiguous greatness, "if you mean to make your name a secret."
"Few names, I believe, ma"am," cried he, haughtily, "have less the advantage of secrecy than mine! on the contrary, this is but one among a very few houses in this town to which my person would not immediately announce it. That, however, is immaterial; and you will be so good as to rest satisfied with my a.s.surances, that the person with whom you are now conversing, will prove no disgrace to your character."
Mrs Belfield, overpowered, though hardly knowing, with what, only said _he was very welcome_, and begged him to sit down.
"Excuse me, ma"am," he answered, "My business is but of a moment, and my avocations are too many to suffer my infringing that time. You say you have a son; I have heard of him, also, somewhere before; pray will you give me leave to enquire--I don"t mean to go deep into the matter,--but particular family occurrences make it essential for me to know,--whether there is not a young person of rather a capital fortune, to whom he is supposed to make proposals?"
"Lack-a-day, no, Sir!" answered Mrs Belfield, to the infinite relief of Cecilia, who instantly concluded this question referred to herself.
"I beg your pardon, then; good morning to you, ma"am," said Mr Delvile, in a tone that spoke his disappointment; but added "And there is no such young person, you say, who favours his pretensions?"
"Dear Sir," cried she, "why there"s n.o.body he"ll so much as put the question to! there"s a young lady at this very time, a great fortune, that has as much a mind to him, I tell him, as any man need desire to see; but there"s no making him think it! though he has been brought up at the university, and knows more about all the things, or as much, as any body in the king"s dominions."
"O, then," cried Mr Delvile, in a voice of far more complacency, "it is not on the side of the young woman that the difficulty seems to rest?"
"Lord, no, Sir! he might have had her again and again only for asking!
She came after him ever so often; but being brought up, as I said, at the university, he thought he knew better than me, and so my preaching was all as good as lost upon him."
The consternation of Cecilia at these speeches could by nothing be equalled but by the shame of Henrietta, who, though she knew not to whom her mother made them, felt all the disgrace and the shock of them herself.
"I suppose, Sir," continued Mrs Belfield, "you know my son?"
"No, ma"am, my acquaintance is--not very universal."
"Then, Sir, you are no judge how well he might make his own terms. And as to this young lady, she found him out, Sir, when not one of his own natural friends could tell where in the world he was gone! She was the first, Sir, to come and tell me news of him though I was his own mother!
Love, Sir, is prodigious for quickness! it can see, I sometimes think, through bricks and mortar. Yet all this would not do, he was so obstinate not to take the hint!"
Cecilia now felt so extremely provoked, she was upon the point of bursting in upon them to make her own vindication; but as her pa.s.sions, though they tried her reason never conquered it, she restrained herself by considering that to issue forth from a room in that house, would do more towards strengthening what was thus boldly a.s.serted, than all her protestations could have chance to destroy.
"And as to young ladies themselves," continued Mrs Belfield, "they know no more how to make their minds known than a baby does: so I suppose he"ll shilly shally till somebody else will cry snap, and take her. It is but a little while ago that it was all the report she was to have young Mr Delvile, one of her guardian"s sons."
"I am sorry report was so impertinent," cried Mr Delvile, with much displeasure; "young Mr Delvile is not to be disposed of with so little ceremony; he knows better what is due to his family."
Cecilia here blushed from indignation, and Henrietta sighed from despondency.
"Lord, Sir," answered Mrs Belfield, "what should his family do better?
I never heard they were any so rich, and I dare say the old gentleman, being her guardian, took care to put his son enough in her way, however it came about that they did not make a match of it: for as to old Mr Delvile, all the world says---"
"All the world takes a very great liberty," angrily interrupted Mr Delvile, "in saying any thing about him: and you will excuse my informing you that a person of his rank and consideration, is not lightly to be mentioned upon every little occasion that occurs."
"Lord, Sir," cried Mrs Belfield, somewhat surprised at this unexpected prohibition, "I don"t care for my part if I never mention the old gentleman"s name again! I never heard any good of him in my life, for they say he"s as proud as Lucifer, and n.o.body knows what it"s of, for they say--"
"_They_ say?" cried he, firing with rage, "and who are _they_? be so good as inform me that?"
"Lord, every body, Sir! it"s his common character."
"Then every body is extremely indecent," speaking very loud, "to pay no more respect to one of the first families in England. It is a licentiousness that ought by no means to be suffered with impunity."
Here, the street-door being kept open by the servants in waiting, a new step was heard in the pa.s.sage, which Henrietta immediately knowing, turned, with uplifted hands to Cecilia, and whispered, "How unlucky!
it"s my brother! I thought he would not have returned till night!"
"Surely he will not come in here?" re-whispered Cecilia.
But, at the same moment, he opened the door, and entered the room. He was immediately beginning an apology, and starting back, but Henrietta catching him by the arm, told him in a low voice, that she had made use of his room because she had thought him engaged for the day, but begged him to keep still and quiet, as the least noise would discover them.
Belfield then stopt; but the embarra.s.sment of Cecilia was extreme; to find herself in his room after the speeches she had heard from his mother, and to continue with him in it by connivance, when she knew she had been represented as quite at his service, distressed and provoked her immeasurably; and she felt very angry with Henrietta for not sooner informing her whose apartment she had borrowed. Yet now to remove, and to be seen, was not to be thought of; she kept, therefore, fixed to her seat, though changing colour every moment from the variety of her emotions.
During this painful interruption she lost Mrs Belfield"s next answer, and another speech or two from Mr Delvile, to whose own pa.s.sion and loudness was owing Belfield"s entering his room unheard: but the next voice that called their attention was that of Mr Hobson, who just then walked into the parlour.
"Why what"s to do here?" cried he, facetiously, "nothing but chairs and livery servants! Why, ma"am, what is this your rout day? Sir your most humble servant. I ask pardon, but I did not know you at first. But come, suppose we were all to sit down? Sitting"s as cheap as standing, and what I say is this; when a man"s tired, it"s more agreeable."
"Have you any thing further, ma"am," said Mr Delvile, with great solemnity, "to communicate to me?"
"No, Sir," said Mrs Belfield, rather angrily, "it"s no business of mine to be communicating myself to a gentleman that I don"t know the name of.
Why, Mr Hobson, how come you to know the gentleman?"
"To know _me_!" repeated Mr Delvile, scornfully.
"Why I can"t say much, ma"am," answered Mr Hobson, "as to my knowing the gentleman, being I have been in his company but once; and what I say is, to know a person if one leaves but a quart in a hogshead, it"s two pints too much. That"s my notion. But, Sir, that was but an ungain business at "Squire Monckton"s t"other morning. Every body was no-how, as one may say. But, Sir, if I may be so free, pray what is your private opinion of that old gentleman that talked so much out of the way?"
"My private opinion, Sir?"