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

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
"Come, let me make you acquainted one with the other," she cried. "Whom do you
think, Mr. Simon, I have called you to see? You might guess, and guess, and guess
again, and yet you would never hit upon the truth. Why, you must know that these
friends of mine are your own cousins; yes, and very near ones, too; their mother and
your mother were sisters. Mr. Simon Fleetwood, this is Miss Bertha Gifford, and this is
Mr. Edward Gifford. Now I beg that you will shake hands. I am told there has been a
family feud, but I don't like feuds, so I have made up my mind that this one shall cease.
I only found out last night that Mrs. Gifford had been a Weston of Hatherleigh, and then
I knew you must be cousins.”
The bright eyes were glancing from one to the other as she spoke; the Giffords were
silent and seemed constrained, and of that she made small account; but her heart
misgave her for a moment when she noticed how pale and stern was Simon Fleetwood.
She looked at him now almost pleadingly: "Indeed, I think that
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cousins should be good friends," she said, adding with a laugh, "I ought to know, for I
have a cousin of my own. What say you, Humphrey?"
Simon followed her glance, and started as he recognised that the fourth member of the
party was no other than Mr. Humphrey Charnock, who had made no attempt to greet
him, but sat motionless on his horse.
He answered now with a sneer, which did not escape the onlookers:—
“If all cousins were such pleasant and desirable acquaintances as yourself, my dear
Rachel, we should be eager to hunt up our kin to the ninetieth degree, but as it is, I fear
me that most cousins — first or otherwise—love each other no whit the more than the
first brothers we are told about."
"That is a very silly speech," retorted Rachel, colouring. "My friends here will form but
a poor opinion of your taste and judgment."
"I think the comparison a little far-fetched, I must own," cried Edward Gifford. "But if it
comes to that, we are all cousins, through Adam the Gardener, and so at your bidding,
madam, I will acknowledge my kinship to this worthy young man, who is, indeed,