George Eliot: Middlemarch

BOOK VI. THE WIDOW AND THE WIFE. 60. CHAPTER LX. (continued)

"I've been abroad myself, Mr. Ladislaw--I've seen the world-- used to parley-vous a little. It was at Boulogne I saw your father-- a most uncommon likeness you are of him, by Jove! mouth--nose--eyes-- hair turned off your brow just like his--a little in the foreign style. John Bull doesn't do much of that. But your father was very ill when I saw him. Lord, lord! hands you might see through. You were a small youngster then. Did he get well?"

"No," said Will, curtly.

"Ah! Well! I've often wondered what became of your mother. She ran away from her friends when she was a young lass-- a proud-spirited lass, and pretty, by Jove! I knew the reason why she ran away," said Raffles, winking slowly as he looked sideways at Will.

"You know nothing dishonorable of her, sir," said Will, turning on him rather savagely. But Mr. Raffles just now was not sensitive to shades of manner.

"Not a bit!" said he, tossing his head decisively "She was a little too honorable to like her friends--that was it!" Here Raffles again winked slowly. "Lord bless you, I knew all about 'em-- a little in what you may call the respectable thieving line-- the high style of receiving-house--none of your holes and corners-- first-rate. Slap-up shop, high profits and no mistake. But Lord! Sarah would have known nothing about it--a dashing young lady she was-- fine boarding-school--fit for a lord's wife--only Archie Duncan threw it at her out of spite, because she would have nothing to do with him. And so she ran away from the whole concern. I travelled for 'em, sir, in a gentlemanly way--at a high salary. They didn't mind her running away at first--godly folks, sir, very godly--and she was for the stage. The son was alive then, and the daughter was at a discount. Hallo! here we are at the Blue Bull. What do you say, Mr. Ladislaw?--shall we turn in and have a glass?"

"No, I must say good evening," said Will, dashing up a passage which led into Lowick Gate, and almost running to get out of Raffles's reach.