Wɖ a mînd ɖus fl v hapinis, Caʈrin wz hardli awer ɖt tū or ʈri dez hd pást awe, wɖǎt hr siyñ Iẓbela fr mor ɖn a fy minits tgɖr. Ś bgan frst t b snṣbl v ɖs, n t sai fr hr convseśn, az ś wōct alñ ɖ pumprūm wn mornñ, bî Msz Aḷn’z sîd, wɖǎt enʈñ t se or t hír; n scersli hd ś flt a fîv minits’ loññ v frendśp, bfr ɖ objict v it apird, n invîtñ hr t a sīcrit confṛns, léd ɖ we t a sīt. “Ɖs z mî fevrit ples,” sd ś az ɖe sat dǎn on a benć btwn ɖ dorz, ẃć cmandd a tolṛbl vy v evrbdi enṭrñ at îɖr; “it z so ǎt v ɖ we.”
Caʈrin, obzrvñ ɖt Iẓbela’z îz wr cntińli bnt twdz wn dor or ɖ uɖr, az in īgr xpcteśn, n rmembrñ hǎ ofn ś hd bn fōlsli akzd v biyñ arć, ʈt ɖ preznt a fîn oṗtyṇti fr biyñ riyli so; n ɖrfr gêli sd, “D nt b unīzi, Iẓbela, Jemz wl sn b hir.”
“Pśa! Mî dir crīćr,” ś rplaid, “d nt ʈnc m sć a simpltn az t b olwz wontñ t cnfîn him t mî elbo. It wd b hidịs t b olwz tgɖr; w śd b ɖ jest v ɖ ples. N so y r gwñ t Norʈangr! I am amezñli glad v it. It z wn v ɖ fînist old plesz in Ñgḷnd, I unḍstand. I śl dpnd upn a most ptiklr dscripśn v it.”
“Y śl srtnli hv ɖ bst in mî pǎr t gv. Bt hu r y lcñ fr? R yr sistrz cmñ?”
“I am nt lcñ fr enbdi. Wn’z îz mst b smẃr, n y nǒ ẃt a fūliś tric I hv v fixñ mîn, ẃn mî ʈts r an hundṛd mîlz of. I am amezñli absnt; I b’liv I am ɖ most absnt crīćr in ɖ wrld. Tilni sz it z olwz ɖ ces wɖ mîndz v a srtn stamp.”
“Bt I ʈt, Iẓbela, y hd smʈñ in ptiklr t tel m?”
“Ǒ! Yes, n so I hv. Bt hir z a prūf v ẃt I wz seyñ. Mî pur hed, I hd qt fgot it. Wel, ɖ ʈñ z ɖs: I hv jst hd a letr fṛm Jon; y cn ges ɖ contents.”
“No, indd, I canot.”
“Mî swīt luv, d nt b so abomiṇbli afctd. Ẃt cn h rait abt, bt yrslf? Y nǒ h z ovr hed n irz in luv wɖ y.”
“Wɖ m, dir Iẓbela!”
“Nê, mî swītist Caʈrin, ɖs z biyñ qt absrd! Modsti, n ol ɖt, z vri wel in its we, bt riyli a litl comn oṇsti z smtmz qt az bcmñ. I hv no îdīa v biyñ so oṿstrend! It z fiśñ fr complimnts. Hiz atnśnz wr sć az a ćîld mst hv notist. N it wz bt haf an aur bfr h left Baʈ ɖt y gev him ɖ most poẓtiv incurijmnt. H sz so in ɖs letr, sz ɖt h az gd az md y an ofr, n ɖt y rsivd hiz advansz in ɖ cîndist we; n nǎ h wonts m t rj hiz sūt, n se ol manr v priti ʈñz t y. So it z in ven t afct ignṛns.”
Caʈrin, wɖ ol ɖ ŕṇstnis v truʈ, xprest hr astoniśmnt at sć a ćarj, pṛtstñ hr iṇsns v evri ʈt v Mr Ʈorp’s biyñ in luv wɖ hr, n ɖ consiqnt imposbiḷti v hr hvñ evr intndd t incurij him. “Az t eni atnśnz on hiz sîd, I d dcler, upn mî onr, I nvr wz snṣbl v ɖm fr a momnt—xpt jst hiz ascñ m t dans ɖ frst de v hiz cmñ. N az t mcñ m an ofr, or enʈñ lîc it, ɖr mst b sm un’cǎntbl mstec. I cd nt hv misunḍstd a ʈñ v ɖt cnd, y nǒ! N, az I evr wś t b b’livd, I soḷmli pṛtst ɖt no siḷbl v sć a nećr evr pást btwn s. Ɖ last haf aur bfr h wnt awe! It mst b ol n cmplitli a mstec—fr I dd nt si him wns ɖt hol mornñ.”
“Bt ɖt y srtnli dd, fr y spent ɖ hol mornñ in Edgr’z Bildñz—it wz ɖ de yr faɖr’z cnsnt cem—n I am priti śr ɖt y n Jon wr alon in ɖ parlr sm tîm bfr y left ɖ hǎs.”
“R y? Wel, f y se it, it wz so, I der se—bt fr ɖ lîf v m, I canot rec̣lect it. I d rmembr nǎ biyñ wɖ y, n siyñ him az wel az ɖ rest—bt ɖt w wr evr alon fr fîv minits—Hvr, it z nt wrʈ arğwñ abt, fr ẃtvr mt pas on hiz sîd, y mst b cnvinst, bî mî hvñ no rec̣lex́n v it, ɖt I nvr ʈt, nr xpctd, nr wśt fr enʈñ v ɖ cnd fṛm him. I am xesvli cnsrnd ɖt h śd hv eni rgard fr m—bt indd it hz bn qt unintnṣ́nl on mî sîd; I nvr hd ɖ smōlist îdīa v it. Pre undisiv him az sn az y cn, n tel him I beg hiz pardn—ɖt z—I d nt nǒ ẃt I òt t se—bt mc him unḍstand ẃt I mīn, in ɖ proṗrist we. I wd nt spīc disrispctf̣li v a bruɖr v yrz, Iẓbela, I am śr; bt y nǒ vri wel ɖt f I cd ʈnc v wn man mor ɖn anɖr—h z nt ɖ prsn.” Iẓbela wz sîḷnt. “Mî dir frend, y mst nt b angri wɖ m. I canot s’poz yr bruɖr cerz so vri mć abt m. N, y nǒ, w śl stl b sistrz.”
“Yes, yes” (wɖ a bluś), “ɖr r mor wez ɖn wn v ǎr biyñ sistrz. Bt ẃr am I wonḍrñ t? Wel, mî dir Caʈrin, ɖ ces sīmz t b ɖt y r dtrmind agnst pur Jon—z nt it so?”
“I srtnli canot rtrn hiz afx́n, n az srtnli nvr mnt t incurij it.”
“Sins ɖt z ɖ ces, I am śr I śl nt tīz y eni frɖr. Jon dzîrd m t spīc t y on ɖ subjict, n ɖrfr I hv. Bt I cnfes, az sn az I réd hiz letr, I ʈt it a vri fūliś, imprūdnt biznis, n nt lîcli t pṛmot ɖ gd v îɖr; fr ẃt wr y t liv upn, s’pozñ y cem tgɖr? Y hv bʈ v y smʈñ, t b śr, bt it z nt a trîfl ɖt wl s’port a faṃli nawdez; n aftr ol ɖt r’mansrz me se, ɖr z no dwñ wɖǎt muni. I onli wundr Jon cd ʈnc v it; h cd nt hv rsivd mî last.”
“Y d aqit m, ɖen, v enʈñ roñ?—Y r cnvinst ɖt I nvr mnt t dsiv yr bruɖr, nvr sspctd him v lîcñ m tl ɖs momnt?”
“Ǒ! Az t ɖt,” ansrd Iẓbela lafñli, “I d nt pritnd t dtrmin ẃt yr ʈts n dzînz in tîm past me hv bn. Ol ɖt z bst noun t yrslf. A litl harmlis flrteśn or so wl ocŕ, n wn z ofn drwn on t gv mor incurijmnt ɖn wn wśz t stand bî. Bt y me b aśurd ɖt I am ɖ last prsn in ɖ wrld t juj y svirli. Ol ɖoz ʈñz śd b alaud fr in yʈ n hî spirits. Ẃt wn mīnz wn de, y nǒ, wn me nt mīn ɖ nxt. Srcmstansz ćenj, opińnz oltr.”
“Bt mî opińn v yr bruɖr nvr dd oltr; it wz olwz ɖ sem. Y r dscrîbñ ẃt nvr hapnd.”
“Mî dirist Caʈrin,” cntinyd ɖ uɖr wɖǎt at ol liṣnñ t hr, “I wd nt fr ol ɖ wrld b ɖ mīnz v huriyñ y intu an ingejmnt bfr y ń ẃt y wr abt. I d nt ʈnc enʈñ wd jusṭfî m in wśñ y t sacṛfîs ol yr hapinis mirli t oblîj mî bruɖr, bcz h z mî bruɖr, n hu phps aftr ol, y nǒ, mt b jst az hapi wɖǎt y, fr ppl sldm nǒ ẃt ɖe wd b at, yuñ men ispeśli, ɖe r so amezñli ćenɉbl n inconstnt. Ẃt I se z, ẃ śd a bruɖr’z hapinis b dirr t m ɖn a frend’z? Y nǒ I cari mî nośnz v frendśp priti hî. Bt, abv ol ʈñz, mî dir Caʈrin, d nt b in a huri. Tec mî wrd fr it, ɖt f y r in tù gret a huri, y wl srtnli liv t rpnt it. Tilni sz ɖr z nʈñ ppl r so ofn dsivd in az ɖ stet v ɖer ǒn afx́nz, n I b’liv h z vri rît. Ā! Hir h cmz; nvr mînd, h wl nt si s, I am śr.”
Caʈrin, lcñ p, psivd Captin Tilni; n Iẓbela, ŕṇstli fixñ hr î on him az ś spouc, sn còt hiz notis. H aproćt imījtli, n tc ɖ sīt t ẃć hr muvmnts invîtd him. Hiz frst adres md Caʈrin start. Ɖo spocn lo, ś cd dstnḡś, “Ẃt! Olwz t b woćt, in prsn or bî proxi!”
“Pśa, nonsns!” wz Iẓbela’z ansr in ɖ sem haf ẃispr. “Ẃ d y pt sć ʈñz intu mî hed? F I cd b’liv it—mî spirit, y nǒ, z priti indipndnt.”
“I wś yr hart wr indipndnt. Ɖt wd b inuf fr m.”
“Mî hart, indd! Ẃt cn y hv t d wɖ harts? Y men hv nn v y eni harts.”
“F w hv nt harts, w hv îz; n ɖe gv s torment inuf.”
“D ɖe? I am sori fr it; I am sori ɖe fînd enʈñ so dis’griybl in m. I wl lc anɖr we. I hop ɖs plizz y” (trnñ hr bac on him); “I hop yr îz r nt tormntd nǎ.”
“Nvr mor so; fr ɖ éj v a blūmñ ćīc z stl in vy—at wns tù mć n tù litl.”
Caʈrin hŕd ol ɖs, n qt ǎt v cǎntinns, cd lisn no longr. Amezd ɖt Iẓbela cd indyr it, n jeḷs fr hr bruɖr, ś rouz p, n seyñ ś śd jôn Msz Aḷn, pṛpozd ɖer wōcñ. Bt fr ɖs Iẓbela śoud no incḷneśn. Ś wz so amezñli tîrd, n it wz so odịs t p’red abt ɖ pumprūm; n f ś muvd fṛm hr sīt ś śd mis hr sistrz; ś wz xpctñ hr sistrz evri momnt; so ɖt hr dirist Caʈrin mst xkz hr, n mst sit qaytli dǎn agn. Bt Caʈrin cd b stubn tù; n Msz Aḷn jst ɖen cmñ p t pṛpoz ɖer rtrnñ hom, ś jônd hr n wōct ǎt v ɖ pumprūm, līvñ Iẓbela stl sitñ wɖ Captin Tilni. Wɖ mć unīzinis dd ś ɖus līv ɖm. It sīmd t hr ɖt Captin Tilni wz fōlñ in luv wɖ Iẓbela, n Iẓbela unconśsli incuṛjñ him; unconśsli it mst b, fr Iẓbela’z ataćmnt t Jemz wz az srtn n wel acnolijd az hr ingejmnt. T dǎt hr truʈ or gd intnśnz wz imposbl; n yt, jrñ ɖ hol v ɖer convseśn hr manr hd bn od. Ś wśt Iẓbela hd tōct mor lîc hr yźl slf, n nt so mć abt muni, n hd nt lct so wel plizd at ɖ sît v Captin Tilni. Hǎ strenj ɖt ś śd nt psiv hiz adṃreśn! Caʈrin loñd t gv hr a hint v it, t pt hr on hr gard, n privnt ol ɖ pen ẃć hr tù lîvli bhevyr mt uɖwz criet bʈ fr him n hr bruɖr.
Ɖ complimnt v Jon Ʈorp’s afx́n dd nt mc amndz fr ɖs ʈtlisnis in hiz sistr. Ś wz olmst az far fṛm b’livñ az fṛm wśñ it t b sinsir; fr ś hd nt fgotn ɖt h cd mstec, n hiz asrśn v ɖ ofr n v hr incurijmnt cnvinst hr ɖt hiz mstecs cd smtmz b vri igrījs. In vaṇti, ɖrfr, ś gend bt litl; hr ćīf profit wz in wundr. Ɖt h śd ʈnc it wrʈ hiz ẃl t fansi himslf in luv wɖ hr wz a matr v lîvli astoniśmnt. Iẓbela tōct v hiz atnśnz; ś hd nvr bn snsibl v eni; bt Iẓbela hd sd mni ʈñz ẃć ś hopt hd bn spocn in hest, n wd nvr b sd agn; n upn ɖs ś wz glad t rest oltgɖr fr preznt īz n cumf̣t.
