Ɖ folowñ convseśn, ẃć tc ples btwn ɖ tū frendz in ɖ pumprūm wn mornñ, aftr an aqentns v et or nîn dez, z gvn az a spesimn v ɖer vri worm ataćmnt, n v ɖ delic̣si, dscreśn, orijnaḷti v ʈt, n litrri test ẃć marct ɖ rīzṇblnis v ɖt ataćmnt.
Ɖe met bî apôntmnt; n az Iẓbela hd arîvd nirli fîv minits bfr hr frend, hr frst adres naćṛli wz, “Mî dirist crīćr, ẃt cn hv md y so lêt? I hv bn wêtñ fr y at līst ɖs ej!”
“Hv y, indd! I am vri sori fr it; bt riyli I ʈt I wz in vri gd tîm. It z bt jst wn. I hop y hv nt bn hir loñ?”
“Ǒ! Ɖz ten ejz at līst. I am śr I hv bn hir ɖs haf aur. Bt nǎ, let s g n sit dǎn at ɖ uɖr end v ɖ rūm, n injô ǎrslvz. I hv an hundṛd ʈñz t se t y. In ɖ frst ples, I wz so afreid it wd ren ɖs mornñ, jst az I wontd t set of; it lct vri śǎri, n ɖt wd hv ʈroun m intu aġniz! D y nǒ, I sw ɖ pritiist hat y cn imajn, in a śopwindo in Milsm Strīt jst nǎ—vri lîc yrz, onli wɖ cǒclico ribnz instd v grīn; I qt loñd fr it. Bt, mî dirist Caʈrin, ẃt hv y bn dwñ wɖ yrslf ol ɖs mornñ? Hv y gn on wɖ Ūdolfo?”
“Yes, I hv bn rīdñ it evr sins I woc; n I am got t ɖ blac veil.”
“R y, indd? Hǎ dlîtfl! Ǒ! I wd nt tel y ẃt z bhnd ɖ blac veil fr ɖ wrld! R nt y wîld t nǒ?”
“Ǒ! Yes, qt; ẃt cn it b? Bt d nt tel m—I wd nt b tld upn eni acǎnt. I nǒ it mst b a scelitn, I am śr it z Loṛntīna’z scelitn. Ǒ! I am dlîtd wɖ ɖ bc! I śd lîc t spend mî hol lîf in rīdñ it. I aśur y, f it hd nt bn t mīt y, I wd nt hv cm awe fṛm it fr ol ɖ wrld.”
“Dir crīćr! Hǎ mć I am oblîjd t y; n ẃn y hv finiśt Ūdolfo, w wl rīd ɖ Itałn tgɖr; n I hv md ǎt a list v ten or twelv mor v ɖ sem cnd fr y.”
“Hv y, indd! Hǎ glad I am! Ẃt r ɖe ol?”
“I wl rīd y ɖer nemz d’recli; hir ɖe r, in mî pocit-bc. Casl v Wŭlfnbah, Clermont, Mistirịs Wornñz, Necṛmansr v ɖ Blac Forist, Midnît Bel, Orfn v ɖ Rîn, n Horid Misṭriz. Ɖoz wl last s sm tîm.”
“Yes, priti wel; bt r ɖe ol horid, r y śr ɖe r ol horid?”
“Yes, qt śr; fr a ptiklr frend v mîn, a Mis Andruz, a swīt grl, wn v ɖ swītist crīćrz in ɖ wrld, hz réd evri wn v ɖm. I wś y ń Mis Andruz, y wd b dlîtd wɖ hr. Ś z netñ hrslf ɖ swītist clǒc y cn cnsiv. I ʈnc hr az bytifl az an enjl, n I am so vxt wɖ ɖ men fr nt admîrñ hr! I scold ɖm ol amezñli abt it.”
“Scold ɖm! D y scold ɖm fr nt admîrñ hr?”
“Yes, ɖt I d. Ɖr z nʈñ I wd nt d fr ɖoz hu r riyli mî frendz. I hv no nośn v luvñ ppl bî havz; it z nt mî nećr. Mî ataćmnts r olwz xesvli stroñ. I tld Captin Hunt at wn v ǎr asmbliz ɖs wintr ɖt f h wz t tīz m ol nît, I wd nt dans wɖ him, unls h wd alǎ Mis Andruz t b az bytifl az an enjl. Ɖ men ʈnc s inceṗbl v riyl frendśp, y nǒ, n I am dtrmind t śo ɖm ɖ difṛns. Nǎ, f I wr t hír enbdi spīc slîtñli v y, I śd fîr p in a momnt: bt ɖt z nt at ol lîcli, fr y r jst ɖ cnd v grl t b a gret fevrit wɖ ɖ men.”
“Ǒ, dir!” craid Caʈrin, cuḷrñ. “Hǎ cn y se so?”
“I nǒ y vri wel; y hv so mć aṇmeśn, ẃć z xacli ẃt Mis Andruz wonts, fr I mst cnfes ɖr z smʈñ amezñli insipid abt hr. Ǒ! I mst tel y, ɖt jst aftr w partd yesṭde, I sw a yuñ man lcñ at y so ŕṇstli—I am śr h z in luv wɖ y.” Caʈrin culrd, n dsclemd agn. Iẓbela laft. “It z vri tru, upn mî onr, bt I si hǎ it z; y r indifṛnt t evrbdi’z adṃreśn, xpt ɖt v wn jntlmn, hu śl b nemlis. Nê, I canot blem y”—spīcñ mor sirịsli—“yr fīlñz r īẓli unḍstd. Ẃr ɖ hart z riyli ataćt, I nǒ vri wel hǎ litl wn cn b plizd wɖ ɖ atnśn v enbdi els. Evrʈñ z so insipid, so uninṭrestñ, ɖt dz nt rlet t ɖ b’luvid objict! I cn prf̣cli comprihnd yr fīlñz.”
“Bt y śd nt pswed m ɖt I ʈnc so vri mć abt Mr Tilni, fr phps I me nvr si him agn.”
“Nt si him agn! Mî dirist crīćr, d nt tōc v it. I am śr y wd b mizṛbl f y ʈt so!”
“No, indd, I śd nt. I d nt pritnd t se ɖt I wz nt vri mć plizd wɖ him; bt ẃl I hv Ūdolfo t rīd, I fīl az f nbdi cd mc m mizṛbl. Ǒ! Ɖ dredfl blac veil! Mî dir Iẓbela, I am śr ɖr mst b Loṛntīna’z scelitn bhnd it.”
“It z so od t m, ɖt y śd nvr hv réd Ūdolfo bfr; bt I s’poz Msz Morḷnd objcts t novlz.”
“No, ś dz nt. Ś vri ofn rīdz Sr Ćarlz Grandisn hrslf; bt ny bcs d nt fōl in ǎr we.”
“Sr Ćarlz Grandison! Ɖt z an amezñ horid bc, z it nt? I rmembr Mis Andruz cd nt gt ʈru ɖ frst volym.”
“It z nt lîc Ūdolfo at ol; bt yt I ʈnc it z vri enttenñ.”
“D y indd! Y s’prîz m; I ʈt it hd nt bn rīdbl. Bt, mî dirist Caʈrin, hv y setld ẃt t wer on yr hed tnît? I am dtrmind at ol ivnts t b drest xacli lîc y. Ɖ men tec notis v ɖt smtmz, y nǒ.”
“Bt it dz nt sigṇfî f ɖe d,” sd Caʈrin, vri iṇsntli.
“Sigṇfî! Ǒ, hevnz! I mc it a rūl nvr t mînd ẃt ɖe se. Ɖe r vri ofn amezñli imprtinnt f y d nt trīt ɖm wɖ spirit, n mc ɖm cīp ɖer distns.”
“R ɖe? Wel, I nvr obzrvd ɖt. Ɖe olwz bhev vri wel t m.”
“Ǒ! Ɖe gv ɖmslvz sć erz. Ɖe r ɖ most cnsitd crīćrz in ɖ wrld, n ʈnc ɖmslvz v so mć importns! Bî ɖ bî, ɖo I hv ʈt v it a hundṛd tîmz, I hv olwz fgot t asc y ẃt z yr fevrit cmplex́n in a man. D y lîc ɖm bst darc or fer?”
“I hardli nǒ. I nvr mć ʈt abt it. Smʈñ btwn bʈ, I ʈnc. Brǎn—nt fer, n—n nt vri darc.”
“Vri wel, Caʈrin. Ɖt z xacli h. I hv nt fgot yr dscripśn v Mr Tilni—‘a brǎn scin, wɖ darc îz, n rɖr darc her.’ Wel, mî test z difṛnt. I prifŕ lît îz, n az t cmplex́n—d y nǒ—I lîc a salo betr ɖn eni uɖr. Y mst nt btre m, f y śd evr mīt wɖ wn v yr aqentns anṣrñ ɖt dscripśn.”
“Btre y! Ẃt d y mīn?”
“Nê, d nt dstres m. I b’liv I hv sd tù mć. Let s drop ɖ subjict.”
Caʈrin, in sm amezmnt, cmplaid, n aftr rmenñ a fy momnts sîḷnt, wz on ɖ pônt v rvrtñ t ẃt inṭrestd hr at ɖt tîm rɖr mor ɖn enʈñ els in ɖ wrld, Loṛntīna’z scelitn, ẃn hr frend privntd hr, bî seyñ, “Fr hevn’z sec! Let s muv awe fṛm ɖs end v ɖ rūm. D y nǒ, ɖr r tū odịs yuñ men hu hv bn stẹrñ at m ɖs haf aur. Ɖe riyli pt m qt ǎt v cǎntinns. Let s g n lc at ɖ arîvlz. Ɖe wl hardli folo s ɖr.”
Awe ɖe wōct t ɖ bc; n ẃl Iẓbela xamind ɖ nemz, it wz Caʈrin’z implômnt t woć ɖ pṛsidñz v ɖz alarmñ yuñ men.
“Ɖe r nt cmñ ɖs we, r ɖe? I hop ɖe r nt so imprtinnt az t folo s. Pre let m nǒ f ɖe r cmñ. I am dtrmind I wl nt lc p.”
In a fy momnts Caʈrin, wɖ un’fctd pleźr, aśurd hr ɖt ś nīd nt b longr unīzi, az ɖ jntlṃn hd jst left ɖ pumprūm.
“N ẃć we r ɖe gn?” sd Iẓbela, trnñ hesṭli rnd. “Wn wz a vri gd-lcñ yuñ man.”
“Ɖe wnt twdz ɖ ćrćyard.”
“Wel, I am amezñli glad I hv got rid v ɖm! N nǎ, ẃt se y t gwñ t Edgr’z Bildñz wɖ m, n lcñ at mî ny hat? Y sd y śd lîc t si it.”
Caʈrin reḍli agrìd. “Onli,” ś add, “phps w me oṿtec ɖ tū yuñ men.”
“Ǒ! Nvr mînd ɖt. F w mc hest, w śl pas bî ɖm prezntli, n I am dayñ t śo y mî hat.”
“Bt f w onli wêt a fy minits, ɖr wl b no denjr v ǎr siyñ ɖm at ol.”
“I śl nt pe ɖm eni sć complimnt, I aśur y. I hv no nośn v trītñ men wɖ sć rspct. Ɖt z ɖ we t spôl ɖm.”
Caʈrin hd nʈñ t opoz agnst sć rīẓnñ; n ɖrfr, t śo ɖ indpndns v Mis Ʈorp, n hr reẓluśn v humblñ ɖ sx, ɖe set v imījtli az fast az ɖe cd wōc, in psyt v ɖ tū yuñ men.
