Arabella Read Online Free PDF

to explain something she had read in Sir John Malcolm’s History of Persia ,which the Vicar, whose only personal extravagance was his purchase of books, had lately added to his library. This was a happy inspiration: while her contemporaries gazed at Sophia in stupefaction, the Vicar, becoming quite animated, expounded at length on the subject, quite forgetting the immediate problems of the hour, and reducing his other offspring to a state of speechless indignation by saying, as he rose from the table, that he was glad to find that he had one daughter at least of a scholarly turn of mind.
    “And Sophy never read a word of the book!” Bertram said bitterly, when, after enduring an evening in the parlour under the scourge of having passages from Sir John Malcolm’s memorable work read aloud tothem, he and his two elder sisters had escaped to the sanctuary of the girls’ bedchamber.
    “Oh, yes, I had!” retorted Sophia, sitting down on the end of her bed, and curling her legs under her in a way that, could her Mama but have seen it, would certainly have called down reproof upon her head.
    Margaret, who was always sent up to bed before the appearance of the tea-tray, and thus had been spared the greater part of the evening’s infliction, sat up, hugging her knees, and asked simply: “Why?”
    “Well, it was that day that Mama was obliged to go out, and desired me to remain in the parlour in case old Mrs. Farnham should call,” explained Sophia. “I had nothing else to do!”
    After regarding her fixedly for several moments, her brother and sisters apparently decided that the excuse was reasonable, for they abandoned the subject.
    “I declare I was ready to sink when Papa said that about me!” remarked Arabella.
    “Yes, but you know, Bella, he is very absent-minded,” said Sophia, “and I fancy he had forgotten what you and Bertram did on Boxing Day, and what he said about your inclination for finery, when you pulled the feathers out of Uncle’s peacocks to furbish up your old bonnet.”
    “Yes, perhaps he had,” agreed Arabella, in a dampened tone. “But all the same,” she added, her spirits reviving, “he never said I had no delicacy of principle, which he said to you when he discovered it was you, Sophy, who put one of Harry’s trousers-buttons into the bag in Church that Sunday!”
    This wasso unanswerable that Sophia could think of no retort to make. Bertram said suddenly: “Well, since it is decided that you are to go to London, Bella, I’ll tell you something!”
    Seventeen years’ intimate knowledge of her younger brother was not enough to restrain Arabella from demanding eagerly: “Oh, what, pray?”
    “You may get a surprise when you are there!” said Bertram, in a voice of mystery. “Mind, I don’t say you will, but you may! ”
    “What can you possibly mean? Tell me, Bertram!— dearest Bertram!”
    “I’m not such a saphead! Girls always blab everything!”
    “I would not! You know I would not! Oh, Bertram!”
    “Don’t heed him!” recommended Margaret, sinking back onto her pillow. “It’s all humbug!”
    “Well, it’s not, miss!” said her brother, nettled. “But you needn’t think I mean to tell you, for I don’t! But don’t be surprised, Bella, if you get a surprise before you have been in London very long!”
    This ineptitude naturally threw his sisters into whoops. Unfortunately their mirth reached the ears of old Nurse, who promptly sailed into the room, and delivered herself of a shrill homily on the general impropriety of young gentlemen who sat on the ends of their sisters’ beds. Since she was quite capable of reporting this shocking conduct to Mama, Bertram thought it prudent to remove himself, and the symposium came to an abrupt end. Nurse, blowing out the candles, said that if this came to Mama’s ears there would be no London for Miss Arabella; but apparently it did not come to Mama’s ears, for on the morrow, and indeed on all the succeeding days,