The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900 ... - Gredos

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
The yeoman drew a long breath of relief; but even yet his cheeks were crimson, and he
could scarce bring himself to look Rachel in the face. Her flippant tone in describing a
performance which, as it seemed to his unsophisticated mind, no modest woman ought
even to have witnessed, had grated on him extremely; and it was anguish to him to think
of the surroundings in which she had recently found herself.
“But thereby hangs a tale” she continued. "I do not dance the waltz, Mr. Fleetwood,
though many call my repugnance affected and prudish. I am sure I am continually
pestered by the gentlemen who want to be my partners. There is one in particular — a
very fashionable personage, a friend of Mr. Brummel's and leader of the ton —who
simply worries me to death about it. His name is Sir Walter Brooke, and he is
considered vastly important in his own set. He entertains me much; and Cousin
Humphrey is furiously jealous of him."
“Is your Cousin Humphrey then?” began Simon, who had been listening with a grave
and mystified air at Rachel's somewhat disjointed confidences.
[230]
“Yes, Mr. Fleetwood," she broke in before he could finish the sentence, " my Cousin
Humphrey plagues me vastly, if that is what you mean, and I plague him too. He has no
right to consider himself my mentor. Well, he is, as I say, furiously jealous, and one day
chancing to stand by while Sir Walter was lamenting my cruelty in refusing to dance the
waltz with him, he put on so gloomy and disagreeable a face that I could not forbear
teasing him. So I explained very graciously to Sir Walter that my objection was not to
the partner but to the dance; that I was a countrified damsel and had not yet been
educated according to the notions of town-bred folk; but that, for aught that any one
knew, in time I might learn to adapt myself. Rapture of Sir Walter —rage of my cousin!
As for me I was all artless innocence."
Simon made a little abrupt movement at which Rachel, who had been laughing,
suddenly composed her features and went on hurriedly:—
“Humphrey took me by the arm, and, pretending that his mother wanted me, drew me
on one side. His face was fierce enough to frighten one, but I am not easily cowed. ‘I
forbid you, miss,’ he whispered in my ear as soon as we were at a safe distance, ‘I