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

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
played about her mouth the while, and her eyes, hitherto so mournful, laughed too.
Looking at her thus one divined the fascination which had so long held captive the
usually fickle heart of her princely partner.
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"My good friend,” said she, "you are somewhat abrupt, but I believe that you mean
well. Since you know me, I must also know you. Pray, tell me your name and where
you come from."
“My name, madam, is Simon Fleetwood. I am a yeoman by birth, and I come from
Lancashire, from the neighbourhood of Charnleigh Hall, My home is close beside
Rachel Charnock's, and we have known each other all our lives.”
"Ah, and you have come here doubtless to see her? Poor fellow! I witnessed the manner
of your meeting. Nevertheless, you have influence with the girl — I saw it in her face
to-day. Listen to me, sir: take her away from this place — take her away at once. She
has already ruined the happiness of others, she will ruin herself unless something is
done speedily. You love her, I see it — unworthy as she is of any good man's love —
and something tells me that for all her flightiness the creature loves you, too,”
"Madam,” cried Simon, suddenly in a white heat, "I will not hear her spoken of thus. If
she has rashly put it in the power of malicious tongues to traduce her, others are more to
blame than she. She has been more sinned against than she has sinned. Oh, madam,” he
cried, pacing up and down the little enclosure with great agitation, for the lady's chance
words had raised within him such a tumult of love and hope, wrath and self-reproach,
that he could scarce speak rationally, “oh, madam, think of it! She was a child, all
innocence, all trust; she knew nothing of the ways of the world — scarce anything of
life itself. She owes her present plight to the selfish passion of a man who should have
known better. One who took advantage of her inexperience, who abused his power,
who, though by his very birth cut off from her, was base enough to press a suit that
could but wreck
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her life. My eyes are opened now at last! Oh, horrible selfishness — vile cruelty!"