The Young Countess, Or, Love and Jealousy (Volume 3) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1848. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VI. The first person who entered the diningroom at Kosenau, where, as usual, the breakfast was spread on the morning after the charades, was the Countess. She had passed an almost sleepless night; but the torment which had kept her waking on this occasion arose less from the selfinflicted tortures of jealousy, than from selfreproach. It was a self-reproach, however, of no very noble, or conscientious kind, and came from no remorse arising from the consciousness of having acted ill, but solely from the fear of having acted imprudently. Nor would she, perhaps, in her present perverted state of mind, have gone even thus far towards repentance, had she not thought it possible that the displeasure manifested by Hermanstadt's sudden retreat the night before, had been occasioned less by any very tender interest in Caroline, than by an angry feeling towards herself. She well remembered that she had pushed by him very rudely while he was carrying the troublesome girl into the green-room, and when she recalled the happy spirits he had been in during the two former charades, and the tender gallantry of his manner to herself whenever, either on the scene or off it, any opportunity occurred for its display, she could not but confess that her thus trying to fasten a quarrel on him, for what might, after all, have resulted merely from accident and the heat of the rooms, was anything but wise. It was therefore the hope of exchanging a few kind words with him, before her other guests made their appearance, that brought her down stairs thus early--for HE was always among the first to leave his room, and to enjoy the freshness of the morning air in the garden. But on this occasion it was not so. Again and again her eyes were anxiously turned towards the opening door...