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

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
In another moment or two he was gone, and Mrs. Charnock sighed again as she watched
Bertha look after him with a very pensive face.
Great was Rachel's annoyance at the discovery that Simon had been so ill-advised as to
call upon Mr. Gifford during that gentleman's absence.
“I had set my heart upon being present at their first interview,” she said. “I should have
kept the peace between them, and made sure the reconciliation was complete. Now I
must see that Gifford returns the visit soon and behaves properly. I believe," she added,
seriously, "this young man would do a great deal to oblige me."
"Indeed? That is strange, my dear, for he does not seem to me by any means a goodnatured
person."
As Mrs. Charnock spoke she cast a keen glance at her daughter, but Rachel bore the
look without flinching, and continued to drum absently on the table.
"It is certainly rather singular," she agreed, "for Cousin Humphrey, who is much more
agreeable, will do nothing at all that I ask him, and yet he is a relation. But Mr. Gifford
is a droll creature — he says such curious things."
"Pray, what manner of things, child?"
"Oh, I don't know — silly things — and he does silly
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things, too. Yesterday, for instance, he picked up an old flower that I had thrown away,
and wore it all day, though I told him he was free to pick himself a really pretty posy in
the garden; and to-day, when my father, as we rode home, asked him to grant him half
an hour's chat in the study this afternoon, he grimaced at me and replied that he should
be delighted; and presently falling behind he remarked that there was nothing he would
not do for my beaux yeux. Now, I had not asked him to converse with my father, and I
am sure I do not care whether he does or no, and I think it was silly of him to say that"
She paused abruptly, struck by the expression of her mother's face; Mrs. Charnock
looked startled and alarmed.
“Rachel, I have heard nothing of this," she said. “What can your father have to say to
Mr. Gifford?"
"Truly I do not know, ma'am; and what have my eyes to do with it?"