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- Уилки Коллинз
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There
was
a
time
when
a
man
in
search
of
the
pleasures
of
gossip
sought
the
society
of
ladies
.
The
man
knows
better
now
.
He
goes
to
the
smoking
-
room
of
his
club
.
Doctor
Wybrow
lit
his
cigar
,
and
looked
round
him
at
his
brethren
in
social
conclave
assembled
.
The
room
was
well
filled
;
but
the
flow
of
talk
was
still
languid
.
The
Doctor
innocently
applied
the
stimulant
that
was
wanted
.
When
he
inquired
if
anybody
knew
the
Countess
Narona
,
he
was
answered
by
something
like
a
shout
of
astonishment
.
Never
(
the
conclave
agreed
)
had
such
an
absurd
question
been
asked
before
!
Every
human
creature
,
with
the
slightest
claim
to
a
place
in
society
,
knew
the
Countess
Narona
.
An
adventuress
with
a
European
reputation
of
the
blackest
possible
colour
—
such
was
the
general
description
of
the
woman
with
the
deathlike
complexion
and
the
glittering
eyes
.
Descending
to
particulars
,
each
member
of
the
club
contributed
his
own
little
stock
of
scandal
to
the
memoirs
of
the
Countess
.
It
was
doubtful
whether
she
was
really
,
what
she
called
herself
,
a
Dalmatian
lady
.
It
was
doubtful
whether
she
had
ever
been
married
to
the
Count
whose
widow
she
assumed
to
be
.
It
was
doubtful
whether
the
man
who
accompanied
her
in
her
travels
(
under
the
name
of
Baron
Rivar
,
and
in
the
character
of
her
brother
)
was
her
brother
at
all
.
Report
pointed
to
the
Baron
as
a
gambler
at
every
’
table
’
on
the
Continent
.
Report
whispered
that
his
so
-
called
sister
had
narrowly
escaped
being
implicated
in
a
famous
trial
for
poisoning
at
Vienna
—
that
she
had
been
known
at
Milan
as
a
spy
in
the
interests
of
Austria
—
that
her
’
apartment
’
in
Paris
had
been
denounced
to
the
police
as
nothing
less
than
a
private
gambling
-
house
—
and
that
her
present
appearance
in
England
was
the
natural
result
of
the
discovery
.
Only
one
member
of
the
assembly
in
the
smoking
-
room
took
the
part
of
this
much
-
abused
woman
,
and
declared
that
her
character
had
been
most
cruelly
and
most
unjustly
assailed
.
But
as
the
man
was
a
lawyer
,
his
interference
went
for
nothing
:
it
was
naturally
attributed
to
the
spirit
of
contradiction
inherent
in
his
profession
.
He
was
asked
derisively
what
he
thought
of
the
circumstances
under
which
the
Countess
had
become
engaged
to
be
married
;
and
he
made
the
characteristic
answer
,
that
he
thought
the
circumstances
highly
creditable
to
both
parties
,
and
that
he
looked
on
the
lady
’
s
future
husband
as
a
most
enviable
man
.
Hearing
this
,
the
Doctor
raised
another
shout
of
astonishment
by
inquiring
the
name
of
the
gentleman
whom
the
Countess
was
about
to
marry
.
His
friends
in
the
smoking
-
room
decided
unanimously
that
the
celebrated
physician
must
be
a
second
’
Rip
-
van
-
Winkle
,
’
and
that
he
had
just
awakened
from
a
supernatural
sleep
of
twenty
years
.
It
was
all
very
well
to
say
that
he
was
devoted
to
his
profession
,
and
that
he
had
neither
time
nor
inclination
to
pick
up
fragments
of
gossip
at
dinner
-
parties
and
balls
.
A
man
who
did
not
know
that
the
Countess
Narona
had
borrowed
money
at
Homburg
of
no
less
a
person
than
Lord
Montbarry
,
and
had
then
deluded
him
into
making
her
a
proposal
of
marriage
,
was
a
man
who
had
probably
never
heard
of
Lord
Montbarry
himself
.
The
younger
members
of
the
club
,
humouring
the
joke
,
sent
a
waiter
for
the
’
Peerage
’
;
and
read
aloud
the
memoir
of
the
nobleman
in
question
,
for
the
Doctor
’
s
benefit
—
with
illustrative
morsels
of
information
interpolated
by
themselves
.
’
Herbert
John
Westwick
.
First
Baron
Montbarry
,
of
Montbarry
,
King
’
s
County
,
Ireland
.
Created
a
Peer
for
distinguished
military
services
in
India
.
Born
,
1812
.
Forty
-
eight
years
old
,
Doctor
,
at
the
present
time
.
Not
married
.
Will
be
married
next
week
,
Doctor
,
to
the
delightful
creature
we
have
been
talking
about
.
Heir
presumptive
,
his
lordship
’
s
next
brother
,
Stephen
Robert
,
married
to
Ella
,
youngest
daughter
of
the
Reverend
Silas
Marden
,
Rector
of
Runnigate
,
and
has
issue
,
three
daughters
.
Younger
brothers
of
his
lordship
,
Francis
and
Henry
,
unmarried
.
Sisters
of
his
lordship
,
Lady
Barville
,
married
to
Sir
Theodore
Barville
,
Bart
.
;
and
Anne
,
widow
of
the
late
Peter
Norbury
,
Esq
.
,
of
Norbury
Cross
.
Bear
his
lordship
’
s
relations
well
in
mind
,
Doctor
.
Three
brothers
Westwick
,
Stephen
,
Francis
,
and
Henry
;
and
two
sisters
,
Lady
Barville
and
Mrs
.
Norbury
.
Not
one
of
the
five
will
be
present
at
the
marriage
;
and
not
one
of
the
five
will
leave
a
stone
unturned
to
stop
it
,
if
the
Countess
will
only
give
them
a
chance
.
Add
to
these
hostile
members
of
the
family
another
offended
relative
not
mentioned
in
the
’
Peerage
,
’
a
young
lady
—
’
A
sudden
outburst
of
protest
in
more
than
one
part
of
the
room
stopped
the
coming
disclosure
,
and
released
the
Doctor
from
further
persecution
.
