The Quiet Gentleman

Her flights into this realm of fancy would have surprised, and indeed horrified, her daughter, whose own view of her circumstances was decidedly unhopeful. Mrs. Morville had not been deceived: Drusilla's heart was not untouched. Impregnable to the advances of that promising young politician, Mr. Henry Poundsbridge, it had crumbled under the assault of the Earl's first smile. "In fact," Drusilla told her mirrored image severely, "you have fallen in love with a beautiful face, and you should be ashamed of yourself!" She then reflected that she had several times been in company with Lord Byron without succumbing to the charms of a face generally held to be the most beautiful in England, and became more cheerful. However, a candid scrutiny of her own face in the mirror soon lowered her spirits again. She could perceive no merit either in the freshness of her complexion, or in her dark, well-opened eyes, and would willingly have sacrificed the natural curl in her brown hair for tresses of gold, or even of raven-black. As for her figure, though some men might admire plump women, she could not bring herself to suppose that St. Erth, himself so slim and graceful, could think her anything but a poor little dab of a girl.

"It is a great piece of folly to suppose that because his manners are so very engaging he regards you with anything but tolerance!" she told her image. She then blew her nose, sniffed, and added, with a glance of contempt at her rather flushed countenance: "Depend upon it, you are just the sort of girl a man would be glad to have for his sister! You don't even know how to swoon, and I daresay if you tried you would make wretched work of it, for all you have is common-sense, and of what use is that, pray?"

This embittered thought brought to her mind the several occasions upon which she might, had she been the kind of female his lordship no doubt admired, had kindled his ardour by a display of sensibility, or even of heroism. This excursion into romance was not entirely successful, for while she did her best to conjure up an agreeable vision of a heroic Miss Morville, the Miss Morville who was the possessor not only of a practical mind but also of two out-spoken brothers could not but interpose objections to the heroine's actions. To have thrown herself between the foils, when she had surprised the Earl fencing with Martin, would certainly have been spectacular, but that it would have evoked anything but exasperation in the male breast she was quite unable to believe. She thought she need not blame herself for having refrained upon this occasion; but when she recalled her behaviour in the avenue, when the Earl had been thrown from his horse, she knew that nothing could excuse her. Here had been an opportunity for spasms, swoonings, and a display of sensibility, utterly neglected! How could his lordship have been expected to guess that her heart had been beating so hard and so fast that she had felt quite sick, when all she had done was to talk to him in a voice drained of all expression? Not even when his lifeless body had been carried into the Castle had she conducted herself like a heroine of romance! Had she fainted at the sight of his blood-soaked raiment? Had she screamed? No! All she had done had been to direct Ulverston to do one thing, Turvey another, Chard to ride for the doctor, while she herself had done what lay within her power to staunch the bleeding.

At this point, the prosaic Miss Morville intervened. "Just as well!" she said.

"He would have liked me better had I fallen into a swoon!" argued Drusilla.

"Nonsense! He would have been dead, far well you know that no one else had the least notion what to do!" said Miss Morville.

"At least I might have screamed when Martin came through the panel!"

"He was very much obliged to you for not screaming. He said you were a remarkable woman," Miss Morville reminded her.

"I heard him say the same of his Aunt Cinderford!" said Drusilla, refusing to be comforted.

Miss Morville could think of no reply to this, but issued instead depressing counsel. "You would do better to put him out of your mind, and return to your parents," she said. "No doubt he will presently become betrothed to a tall and beautiful woman, and forget your very existence. However, a useful life lies before you, for your brothers will certainly marry, and although you yourself will remain single, you will be an excellent aunt to all your nephews and nieces."

It was perhaps not surprising that it was Miss Morville rather than Drusilla, who presently carried his medicine to the Earl.