Chapter 27 - Page 2

believe," said the baronet, dryly.

Denbigh again smiled: it was a smile different from any Mrs. Wilson had
ever seen on his countenance, and gave an entirely novel expression to his
face; it was full of meaning it was knowing--spoke more of the man of the
world than anything she had before noticed in him, and left on her mind
one of those vague impressions she was often troubled with, that there was
something about Denbigh in character or condition, or both, that was
mysterious.

The spirit of Jane was too great to leave her a pining or pensive maiden;
yet her feelings had sustained a shock that time alone could cure. She
appeared again amongst her friends; but the consciousness of her
expectations with respect to the colonel being known to them, threw around
her a hauteur and distance very foreign to her natural manner. Emily
alone, whose every movement sprang from the spontaneous feelings of her
heart, and whose words and actions were influenced by the finest and most
affectionate delicacy, such as she was not conscious of possessing
herself, won upon the better feelings of her sister so far, as to restore
between them the usual exchange of kindness and sympathy. But Jane
admitted no confidence; she found nothing consoling, nothing solid, to
justify her attachment to Egerton; nothing indeed, excepting such external
advantages as she was now ashamed to admit had ever the power over her
they in reality had possessed. The marriage of the fugitives in Scotland
had been announced; and as the impression that Egerton was to be connected
with the Moseleys was destroyed of course, their every-day acquaintances,
feeling the restraints removed that such an opinion had once imposed, were
free in their comments on his character. Sir Edward and Lady Moseley were
astonished to find how many things to his disadvantage were generally
known; that he gambled--intrigued--and was in debt--were no secrets
apparently to anybody, but to those who were most interested in knowing
the truth; while Mrs. Wilson saw in these facts additional reasons for
examining and judging for ourselves; the world uniformly concealing from
the party and his friends their honest opinions of his character. Some of
these insinuations reached the ears of Jane: her aunt having rightly
judged, that the surest way to destroy Egerton's power over the
imagination of her niece was to strip him of his fictitious qualities,
suggested this expedient to Lady Moseley; and some of their visitors had
though as the colonel had certainly been attentive to Miss Moseley, it
would give her pleasure to know that her rival had not made the most
eligible match in the kingdom. The project of Mrs. Wilson succeeded in a
great measure; but although Egerton fell, Jane did