elinor wyllys-2-第44章

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r　each　and　all　of　the　gentlemen　from　Broadlawn；　who　were　frequent　visiters　at　Wyllys…Roof。　Mr。　Stryker；　indeed；　was　there　half　the　time。　It　was　evident　that　the　lady　was　extremely　interested　in　Hazlehurst's　difficulties；　she　was　constant　in　her　inquiries　as　to　the　progress　of　affairs；　and　listened　anxiously　to　the　many　different　prognostics　as　to　the　result。　Miss　Agnes　remarked　indeed；　one　day；　when　Mr。　Ellsworth　thought　he　had　succeeded　in　obtaining　an　all…important　clue；　in　tracing　the　previous　career　of　Harry's　opponent；　that　his　sister　seemed　much　elatedshe　sent　an　extremely　amiable　message　to　Hazlehurst　in　her　brother's　letter。　It　afterwards　appeared；　however；　on　farther　inquiry；　that　this　very　point　turned　out　entirely　in　favour　of　the　sailor；　actually　proving　that　nine　years　previously　he　had　sailed　in　one　of　the　Havre　packets；　under　the　name　of　William　Stanley。　Mrs。　Creighton　that　evening　expressed　her　good　wishes　for　Harry；　in　a　much　calmer　tone；　before　a　roomfull　｛sic｝　of　company。

〃Ladies；　have　you　no　sympathizing　message　for　Hazlehurst？〃　inquired　Mr。　Ellsworth；　as　he　folded　a　letter　he　had　been　writing。

〃Oh；　certainly；　we　were　sorry　to　hear　the　bad　news；〃　and　she　then　turned　immediately；　and　began　an　animated；　laughing　conversation　with　Hubert　de　Vaux。

'What　a　difference　in　character　between　the　brother　and　sister；'　thought　Miss　Agnes；　whose　good　opinion　of　Mr。　Ellsworth　had　been　raised　higher　than　ever；　by　the　earnest　devotion　to　his　friend's　interest；　which　appeared　throughout　his　whole　management　of　the　case。

The　family　at　Wyllys…Roof　were　careful　to　show；　by　their　friendly　attention　to　the　Hubbards；　that　their　respect　and　regard　for　them　had　not　suffered　at　all　by　the　steps　Mr。　Clapp　had　taken。　Miss　Agnes　and　Elinor　visited　the　cottage　as　frequently　as　ever。　One　morning；　shortly　after　the　wedding；　Miss　Wyllys　went　to　inquire　after　Mrs。　Hubbard；　as　she　was　in　the　habit　of　doing。　She　found　Mary　Hubbard；　the　youngest　daughter；　there；　and　was　struck　on　entering；　by　the　expression　of　Miss　Patsey's　facevery　different　from　her　usual　calm；　pleasant　aspect。

〃Oh；　Miss　Wyllys！〃　she　exclaimed；　in　answer　to　an　inquiry　of　Miss　Agnes's〃I　am　just　going　to　Longbridge！　My　poor；　kind　uncle　Joseph！but　he　was　always　too　weak　and　indulgent　to　those　girls！〃

〃What　has　happened？〃　asked　Miss　Wyllys；　anxiously。

〃Dreadful　news；　indeed；　Mrs。　Hilson　has　disgraced　herself！Her　husband　has　left　her　and　applied　for　a　divorce！　But　I　do　not　believe　it　is　half　as　bad　as　most　people　think；　Julianna　has　been　shamefully　imprudent；　but　I　cannot　think　her　guilty！〃

｛〃Her　husband　has　left　her。。。〃　=　this　incident　seems　to　reflect　the　unhappy　marriage　between　Henry　Nicholas　Cruger　（1800…1867）　　a　close　friend　of　the　Cooper　family　　and　the　free…wheeling　Harriet　Douglas　（1790…1872）。　After　their　1833　marriage；　Harriet　Douglas　insisted　on　living　her　own　life　　often　in　Europe；　Cruger　eventually　left　her　and　in　1843　began　a　lengthy　and　highly　public　divorce　action　based　on　desertion。　The　Cooper　family　strongly　disapproved　of　Harriet　Douglas；　and　she　is　believed　to　have　been　an　inspiration　for　the　free…wheeling　Mary　Monson　in　James　Fenimore　Cooper's　last　novel；　〃The　Ways　of　the　Hour〃　（1850）｝

Miss　Wyllys　was　grieved　to　hear　such　a　bad　account　of　her　old　neighbour's　daughter。

〃Her　husband　has　left　her；　you　say；　where　is　she　now？〃

〃Her　father　brought　her　home　with　him。　He　went　after　her　to　Newport；　where　she　had　gone　in　the　same　party　with　this　manthis　Mr。　de　Montbrun；　and　a　person　who　lives　in　the　same　boarding…house；　a　Mrs。　Bagman；　who　has　done　a　great　deal　of　harm　to　Julianna。〃

〃Sad；　indeed！〃　exclaimed　Miss　Agnes。

〃Charles　says　it　is　heart…rending；　to　see　my　poor　uncle；　who　was　so　proud　of　his　good　namethought　so　much　of　his　daughters！　Often　have　I　heard　him　say：　'Let　them　enjoy　life；　Patsey；　while　they　are　young；　girls　can't　do　much　harm；　I　love　to　see　them　look　pretty　and　merry。'　They　never　received　any　solid　instruction；　and　since　her　marriage；　Julianna　seems　to　have　been　in　bad　company。　She　had　no　children　to　think　about；　and　Mr。　Hilson's　time　is　always　given　to　his　business；　her　head　was　full　of　nonsense　from　morning　till　night；　I　was　afraid　no　good　would　come　of　it。〃

〃It　is　at　least　a　great　point；　that　she　should　have　come　back　with　her　father。〃

〃Yes；　indeed；　I　am　thankful　for　it；　from　the　bottom　of　my　heart。　Oh；　Miss　Wyllys；　what　a　dreadful　thing　it　is；　to　see　young　people　going　on；　from　one　bad　way　to　another！〃　exclaimed　Miss　Patsey。

〃We　must　hope　that　her　eyes　will　be　opened；　now。〃

〃If　she　had　only　taken　warning　from　what　Charles　told　her　about　this　Mr。　de　Montbrun；　he　had　seen　him　at　Rome；　and　though　he　had　no　positive　proofs；　knew　he　was　a　bad　man；　and　told　Mrs。　Hilson　so。　It　is　surely　wrong；　Miss　Wyllys；　to　let　all　kinds　of　strangers　from　foreign　countries　into　our　families；　without　knowing　anything　about　them。〃

〃I　have　often　thought　it　very　wrong；〃　said　Miss　Agnes；　earnestly。

〃But　Mrs。　Hilson　wouldn't　believe　a　word　Charles　said。　She　talked　a　great　deal　about　aristocratic　fashions；　said　she　wouldn't　be　a　slave　to　prudish　notionsjust　as　she　always　talks。〃

〃Where　was　her　husband；　all　this　time？〃

〃He　was　in　New　York。　They　had　not　agreed　well　for　some　time；　on　account　of　her　spending　so　much　money；　and　flirting　with　everybody。　At　last　he　heard　how　his　wife　was　behaving；　and　went　to　Saratoga。　He　found　everybody　who　knew　her；　was　talking　about　Julianna　and　this　Frenchman。　They　had　a　violent　quarrel；　and　he　brought　her　back　to　town；　but　gave　her　warning；　if　ever　she　spoke　again　to　that　man　he　would　leave　her。　Would　you　believe　it！in　less　than　a　week；　she　went　to　the　theatre　with　him　and　this　Mrs。　Bagman！　You　know　Mr。　Hilson　is　a　quiet　man　in　general；　but　when　he　has　made　up　his　mind　to　anything；　he　never　changes　it：　when　he　came　in　from　his　business；　and　found　where　his　wife　had　gone；　he　wrote　a　letter　to　Uncle　Joseph；　and　left　the　house。〃

〃But　what　does　Mrs。　Hilson　say？　Does　she　show　any　feeling？〃

〃She　cries　a　great　deal；　but　talks　just　as　usual；　says　she　is　a　victim　to　her　husband's　brutality　and　jealousy。　It　seems　impossible　to　make　her　see　things　in　their　right　light。　I　hope　and　pray　that　her　eyes　may　be　opened；　but　I　am　afraid　it　will　be　a　long　time　before　they　are。　But　it　is　hard；　Miss　Wyllys；　to　open　the　eyes　of　the　blind　and　deluded！　It　is　more　than　mortal　man　can　do！〃

〃Yes；　we　feel　at　such　times　our　miserable　weakness；　and　the　influence　of　evil　upon　human　nature；　more；　perhaps；　than　at　any　other　moment！〃

〃That　is　true；　indeed。　I　have　often　thought；　Miss　Wyllys；　that　those　who　have　watched　over　a　large　family　of　children　and　young　people；　have　better　notions　about　the　true　state　of　human　nature；　than　your　great　philosophers。　That　has　been　the　difficulty　with　Uncle　Hubbard；　he　said　girls　in　a　respectable　family　were　in　no　danger　of　doing　what　was　wrong；　that　he　hated　preaching　and　scolding；　and　could　not　bear　to　make　young　people　gloomy；　by　talking　to　them　about　serious　subjects。　My　father　always　taught　me　to　think　very　differently；　he　believed　that　the　only　way　to　help　young　people　to　be　really　happy　and　cheerful；　was　to　teach　them　to　do　their　duty。〃

〃It　would　be　well；　if　all　those　who　have　charge　of　young　persons　thought　so！〃　exclaimed　Miss　Agnes。

〃But；　oh；　Miss　Wyllys；　I　dread　seeing　my　poor　uncle！　Charles　writes　me　word　that　he　is　quite　changedpale　and　care…wornso　different　from　his　usual　look；　he　says　my　uncle　has　grown　ten　years　older　in　the　last　week。　And　such　a　kind；　indulgent　father　as　he　has　been！〃

Tears　filled　Miss　Wyllys's　eyes。　〃Is　his　daughter　Emmeline　at　home？〃　she　asked。

〃Yes；　and　Emmeline　seems　more　sobered　by　this　terrible　business；　than　Mrs。　Hilson　herself。　She　sent　for　me；　thinking　I　might　be　of　some　service　to　Julianna；　and　persuade　her　to　stay　at　home；　and　not　return　to　Mrs。　Bagman；　as　she　threatens　to　do。〃

A　wagon　was　waiting　to　carry　Miss　Patsey　to　Longbridge；　and　Miss　Agnes　begging　that　she　might　not　detain　her；　she　set　out　on　her　painful　duty。　On　arriving　at　her　uncle's　house；　she　almost　dreaded　to　cross　the　threshold。　She　found　Mr。　Hubbard　in　the　dining…room；　he　paid　no　attention　to　her　as　she　opened　the　door；　but　continued　walking　up　and　down。