Volume V Part 67 (1/2)
CHAPTER XV
The Hanoverians
As ere leaving the house wevery sad I was struck by their beauty, and extrereeted by one of thealt”
”Hirieved at your ain for a ageer than a quarter of an hour”
I could not refuse so s me how unfortunate they had been in Hanover, how they had come to London to obtain compensation, of their failure, their debts, the cruelty of the landlord, their mother's illness, the prison that awaited her, the likelihood of their being cast into the street, and the cruelty of all their acquaintances
”We have nothing to sell, and all our resources consist of two shi+llings, which we shall have to spend on bread, on which we live”
”Who are your friends? How can they abandon you at such a ti others, Lord Baltimore, Marquis Carracioli, the Neapolitan ambassador, and Lord Pembroke
”I can't believe it,” said I, ”for I know the two last nobleood reason for their conduct, since you are beautiful; and for these gentleht”
”Yes, there is a reason These rich noblemen abandon us with contempt
They refuse to take pity on us because we refuse to yield to their guilty passion”
”That is to say, they have taken a fancy to you, and as you will not have pity on them they refuse to have pity on you Is it not so?”
”That is exactly the situation”
”Then I think they are in the right”
”In the right?”
”Yes, I am quite of their opinion We leave you to enjoy your sense of virtue, and we spend ourthose favours which you refuse us Your ly you would get twenty guineas fast enough I would give you the money myself, and the action would be put down to benevolence; whereas, as the case stands, if I were to give you anything it would be thought that I was actuated by the hope of favours to cohed at, and deservedly, as a dupe”
I felt that this was the proper way to speak to the girl, whose eloquence in pleading her cause was simply wonderful
She did not reply to my oration, and I asked her how she came to know me
”I saw you at Richuineas, and I got nothing for my money; but I have profited by the lesson, and in future I shall never pay in advance”
Just then herme to wait a moment, she went into her room, and returned almost directly with the request that I would co up in her bed; she looked about forty-five, and still preserved traces of her former beauty; her countenance bore the imprint of sadness, but had no marks of sickness whatsoever Her brilliant and expressive eyes, her intellectual face, and a suggestion of craft about her, all bade uard, and a sort of false likeness to the Charpillon's mother made ive no heed to the appeals of pity