Colonel Quaritch, V.C. (1889) by H. Rider Haggard

Author:H. Rider Haggard [Haggard, H. Rider]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Delphi Main Series
Publisher: Delphi Classics
Published: 2020-12-20T15:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XXIII

THE BLOW FALLS

ON THE FOLLOWING morning, about ten o’clock, while Edward Cossey was still at breakfast, a dog-cart drew up at his door and out of it stepped Colonel Quaritch.

“Now for the row,” said he to himself. “I hope that the governor was right in his tale, that’s all. Perhaps it would have been wiser to say nothing till I had made sure,” and he poured out some more tea a little nervously, for in the Colonel he had, he felt, an adversary not to be despised.

Presently the door opened, and “Colonel Quaritch” was announced. He rose and bowed a salutation, which the Colonel whose face bore a particularly grim expression, did not return.

“Will you take a chair?” he said, as soon as the servant had left, and without speaking Harold took one — and presently began the conversation.

“Last night, Mr. Cossey,” he said, “you thought proper to publicly bring a charge against me, which if it were true would go a long way towards showing that I was not a fit person to associate with those before whom it was brought.”

“Yes,” said Edward coolly.

“Before making any remarks on your conduct in bringing such a charge, which I give you credit for believing to be true, I purpose to show to you that it is a false charge,” went on the Colonel quietly. “The story is a very simple one, and so sad that nothing short of necessity would force me to tell it. I was, when quite young, engaged to your aunt, Miss Heston, to whom I was much attached, and who was then twenty years of age. Though I had little besides my profession, she had money, and we were going to be married. The circumstances under which the marriage was broken off were as follow: — Three days before the wedding was to take place I went unexpectedly to the house, and was told by the servant that Miss Heston was upstairs in her sitting- room. I went upstairs to the room, which I knew well, knocked and got no answer. Then I walked into the room, and this is what I saw. Your aunt was lying on the sofa in her wedding dress (that is, in half of it, for she had only the skirt on), as I first thought, asleep. I went up to her, and saw that by her side was a brandy bottle, half empty. In her hand also was a glass containing raw brandy. While I was wondering what it could mean, she woke up, got off the sofa, and I saw that she was intoxicated.”

“It’s a lie!” said Edward excitedly.

“Be careful what you say, sir,” answered the Colonel, “and wait to say it till I have done.”

“As soon as I realised what was the matter, I left the room again, and going down to your grandfather’s study, where he was engaged in writing a sermon, I asked him to come upstairs, as I feared that his daughter was not well.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.