Vanity Fair - Page 205/573

"Can I ever forget her who so befriended the friendless orphan? No,

though she has cast me off," the latter said, "I shall never cease to

love her, and I would devote my life to her service. As my own

benefactress, as my beloved Rawdon's adored relative, I love and admire

Miss Crawley, dear Miss Briggs, beyond any woman in the world, and next

to her I love all those who are faithful to her. I would never have

treated Miss Crawley's faithful friends as that odious designing Mrs.

Bute has done. Rawdon, who was all heart," Rebecca continued,

"although his outward manners might seem rough and careless, had said a

hundred times, with tears in his eyes, that he blessed Heaven for

sending his dearest Aunty two such admirable nurses as her attached

Firkin and her admirable Miss Briggs. Should the machinations of the

horrible Mrs. Bute end, as she too much feared they would, in banishing

everybody that Miss Crawley loved from her side, and leaving that poor

lady a victim to those harpies at the Rectory, Rebecca besought her

(Miss Briggs) to remember that her own home, humble as it was, was

always open to receive Briggs. Dear friend," she exclaimed, in a

transport of enthusiasm, "some hearts can never forget benefits; all

women are not Bute Crawleys! Though why should I complain of her,"

Rebecca added; "though I have been her tool and the victim to her arts,

do I not owe my dearest Rawdon to her?" And Rebecca unfolded to Briggs

all Mrs. Bute's conduct at Queen's Crawley, which, though

unintelligible to her then, was clearly enough explained by the events

now--now that the attachment had sprung up which Mrs. Bute had

encouraged by a thousand artifices--now that two innocent people had

fallen into the snares which she had laid for them, and loved and

married and been ruined through her schemes.

It was all very true. Briggs saw the stratagems as clearly as

possible. Mrs. Bute had made the match between Rawdon and Rebecca.

Yet, though the latter was a perfectly innocent victim, Miss Briggs

could not disguise from her friend her fear that Miss Crawley's

affections were hopelessly estranged from Rebecca, and that the old

lady would never forgive her nephew for making so imprudent a marriage.

On this point Rebecca had her own opinion, and still kept up a good

heart. If Miss Crawley did not forgive them at present, she might at

least relent on a future day. Even now, there was only that puling,

sickly Pitt Crawley between Rawdon and a baronetcy; and should anything

happen to the former, all would be well. At all events, to have Mrs.

Bute's designs exposed, and herself well abused, was a satisfaction,

and might be advantageous to Rawdon's interest; and Rebecca, after an

hour's chat with her recovered friend, left her with the most tender

demonstrations of regard, and quite assured that the conversation they

had had together would be reported to Miss Crawley before many hours

were over.