[Catherine: A Story by William Makepeace Thackeray]@TWC D-Link bookCatherine: A Story CHAPTER II 2/12
I never had anything to do with a woman in my life but I ill-treated her, and she liked me the better." "Mrs.Hall ought to be VERY fond of you then, sure enough!" said Mr. Corporal. "Very fond;--ha, ha! Corporal, you wag you--and so she IS very fond. Yesterday, after the knife-and-beer scene--no wonder I threw the liquor in her face: it was so dev'lish flat that no gentleman could drink it: and I told her never to draw it till dinner-time--" "Oh, it was enough to put an angel in a fury!" said Brock. "Well, yesterday, after the knife business, when you had got the carver out of her hand, off she flings to her bedroom, will not eat a bit of dinner forsooth, and remains locked up for a couple of hours.
At two o'clock afternoon (I was over a tankard), out comes the little she-devil, her face pale, her eyes bleared, and the tip of her nose as red as fire with sniffling and weeping.
Making for my hand, 'Max,' says she, 'will you forgive me ?' 'What!' says I.'Forgive a murderess ?' says I.'No, curse me, never!' 'Your cruelty will kill me,' sobbed she. 'Cruelty be hanged!' says I; 'didn't you draw that beer an hour before dinner ?' She could say nothing to THIS, you know, and I swore that every time she did so, I would fling it into her face again.
Whereupon back she flounced to her chamber, where she wept and stormed until night-time." "When you forgave her ?" "I DID forgive her, that's positive.
You see I had supped at the 'Rose' along with Tom Trippet and half-a-dozen pretty fellows; and I had eased a great fat-headed Warwickshire landjunker--what d'ye call him ?--squire, of forty pieces; and I'm dev'lish good-humoured when I've won, and so Cat and I made it up: but I've taught her never to bring me stale beer again--ha, ha!" This conversation will explain, a great deal better than any description of ours, however eloquent, the state of things as between Count Maximilian and Mrs.Catherine, and the feelings which they entertained for each other.
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