But what call you dutiful?
To give up my own inclinations--That's something more for you to tell
of--in obedience to my parents' commands; and to beg that I may not be
made miserable with a man that is fitter for any body than for me.
For me, do you mean, Clary?
Why not? since you have put the question. You have a better opinion of
him than I have. My friends, I hope, would not think him too good for
me, and not good enough for you. But cannot you tell me, Bella, what
is to become of me, without insulting over me thus?--If I must be thus
treated, remember, that if I am guilty of any rashness, the usage I meet
with will justify it.
So, Clary, you are contriving an excuse, I find, for somewhat that we
have not doubted has been in your head a great while.
If it were so, you seem resolved, for your part, and so does my brother
for his, that I shall not want one.--But indeed, Bella, I can bear no
longer this repetition of the worst part of yesterday's conversation:
I desire I may throw myself at my father's and mother's feet, and hear
from them what their sentence is. I shall at least avoid, by that means,
the unsisterly insults I meet with from you.
Hey-day! What, is this you? Is it you, my meek sister Clary?
Yes, it is I, Bella; and I will claim the protection due to a child of
the family, or to know why I am to be thus treated, when I offer only to
preserve to myself the liberty of refusal, which belongs to my sex; and,
to please my parents, would give up my choice. I have contented myself
till now to take second-hand messengers, and first-hand insults: you are
but my sister: my brother is not my sovereign. And while I have a father
and mother living, I will not be thus treated by a brother and sister,
and their servants, all setting upon me, as it should seem, to make me
desperate, and do a rash thing.--I will know, in short, sister Bella,
why I am to be constrained thus?--What is intended by it?--And whether I
am to be considered as a child or a slave?
She stood aghast all this time, partly with real, partly with affected,
surprise.
And is it you? Is it indeed you?--Well, Clary, you amaze me! But since
you are so desirous to refer yourself to your father and mother, I will
go down, and tell them what you say. Your friends are not yet gone,
I believe: they shall assemble again; and then you may come down, and
plead your own cause in person.
Let me then. But let my brother and you be absent. You have made
yourselves too much parties against me, to sit as my judges. And I
desire to have none of yours or his interpositions. I am sure you could
not have represented what I proposed fairly: I am sure you could not.
Nor is it possible you should be commissioned to treat me thus.
Well, well, I'll call up my brother to you.--I will indeed.--He shall
justify himself, as well as me.
I desire not to see my brother, except he will come as a brother, laying
aside the authority he has unjustly assumed over me.
And so, Clary, it is nothing to him, or to me, is it, that our sister
shall disgrace her whole family?
As how, Bella, disgrace it?--The man whom you thus freely treat, is a
man of birth and fortune: he is a man of parts, and nobly allied.--He
was once thought worthy of you: and I wish to Heaven you had had him.
I am sure it was not thus my fault you had not, although you treat me
thus.
This set her into a flame: I wish I had forborne it. O how the poor
Bella raved! I thought she would have beat me once or twice: and she
vowed her fingers itched to do so--but I was not worth her anger: yet
she flamed on.
We were heard to be high.--And Betty came up from my mother to command
my sister to attend her.--She went down accordingly, threatening me with
letting every one know what a violent creature I had shewn myself to be.