Page:Lady Barbarity; a romance (IA ladybarbarityrom00snai).pdf/238

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her supper if she likes; and you can tell her, boys, that the Captain's laughing at her in his sleeve."

Goodman then withdrew. Turning on Emblem fiercely when he had done so, I cried out in the very extremity of rage:

"Oh, the deep devil! Oh, the cunning, foxey fiend! But, remark me, girl, d'ye hear? I say, remark me, I'll be revenged upon that Captain as I'm a female. I'm resolved upon it, I'll be revenged. Ha, thou ancient enemy, I'll have thee yet, and then I'll twist thee. Ha! I see thee squirming like a lizard in the sun. Thou belly-wriggling snake, I'll pay thee for it. Eve was not my early mamma else! I'll correct thee of these Eden tricks, thou worm, thou abominable night-bite!"

It was the pains of disappointment, combined with the keen thought that, after all, the Captain had occasion for his mockery that whipt me to this transport. The descent from supposition to hard fact was, indeed, most cruel. My pretty schemes, that had been designed to assist young Anthony and show the crafty soldier in a foolish light, where were they now? And the Captain sitting calmly down and laughing to himself at my predicament! Mrs. Polly Emblem had wisely fled the chamber, else I would not have answered for her at that instant.

An hour passed, and I had pulled all the curls out of my hair, and had washed half the powder from my face with weeping, when the door was opened and Mr. Anthony appeared. He looked