Vellenaux A Novel by Edmund William Forrest (best e book reader TXT) 📕

Are You Satisfied?" Then,  Refolding The Papers Somewhat Hastily,

Replaced Them In Her Dress And Turned To Leave The Room,  Remarking As

She Did So,  "I Shall Return In A Few Moments,  And You Must Make Up Your

Mind As To How You Intend To Act Before I Do So."

Ralph Had Read Every Line And Word,  And Saw How Hopeless Was His Case

Unless He Closed With The Widow's Offer,  But He Would Make One More

Trial To Obtain The Best Position,  And As She Re-Entered Said,  "Place

Those Documents In My Possession And I Will Swear To Fulfil The Terms

You Propose."

"Not So," She Replied With A Contemptuous Curl On Her Lip,  "They Remain

With Me,  And I Remain Here; There Will Be No Difficulty In That. Of

Course Miss Effingham Must Find Shelter Beneath Your Roof For Some Time

At Least,  And As You Are A Single Man,  You Will Require Some One To

Superintend Your Establishment Until The Future Lady Coleman Shall

Appear On The Scene,  And Ere That Event Takes Place,  Other Arrangements

Can Be Made. Accept My Conditions And You Become One Of The Wealthiest

Men In The County. Reject Them,  And I Immediately Place Both Documents

In The Hands Of The Late Baronet's Lawyer,  Who Is Now In The House. I

Have Merely To Say That I Gathered Them From The Floor Of The Study,  On

The Morning Of Sir Jasper's Death,  And That,  In The Hurry And Excitement

Of The Moment,  Carried Them To My Own Room,  Unconscious Of Their

Importance,  Until This Morning. This Statement,  True Or Otherwise,  Will

Suffice To Account For Their Being In My Possession"

Ralph Coleman Would Have Still Hesitated,  But Her's Being The Stronger

Will Of The Two,  He Succumbed,  Took The Required Oath,  And The Compact

Between Them Was Complete. No Sooner Was This Effected Than Both Parties

Left The Place Of Meeting In The Same Order As They Entered.

Having Carried Her Point And Thus Secured For Herself A Comfortable

Income,  Together With A Handsome Suite Of Apartments Within The Walls Of

Vellenaux,  Which She Very Naturally Concluded Would Be A Permanent Home,

At Least During The Life Of Sir Ralph,  He Being Completely In Her Power,

As She Could At Any Time,  By The Production Of The Late Baronet's Will,

Drive Him Ignominiously From His Present Luxurious Abode. It Is True,  In

Effecting This She Would Have To Seek Refuge In A Foreign Land,  Yet A

Vindictive Spirit Will Often,  As The Old Adage Runs,  Cut Off The Nose To

Be Revenged On The Face.

Having Gained The Mastery Of The Position,  She Turned Her Thoughts In

The Direction Of The New Baronet With A View Of Inducing Him To Submit

To The Matrimonial Yoke And By That Means Establish Herself As

Vellenaux's Envied Mistress With The Prefix Of Lady Before Her Name.

However,  She Could Afford To Bide Her Time,  Feeling Certain That In The

Long Run Sir Ralph Would Yield,  Her Stronger Will Working On His Fears.

The Funeral Was Over. The Family Vault Of The Coleman's In The Quaint

Old Church,  A Little Beyond The Park Limits,  Had Received The Mortal

Remains Of The Worthy Man,  Who For Forty Years Had Attended Divine

Service Within That Sacred Edifice Where The Last Sad Rite For The

Departed Had Just Been Performed. It Had Been A Solemn And Imposing

Ceremony. The Cortege Passed Slowly And Silently Down The Broad Avenue

Of Venerable Elms,  Through The Park Gate And Up The Road Leading To The

Old Church Yard. The Superbly Mounted Coffin,  Borne On Its Funeral

Hearse,  Whose Black Plumes,  Undulated In The Soft Winds That Sighed

Through The Trees,  Was Drawn By Six Velvet Palled Horses,  And

Accompanied By Mutes,  Pall Bearers And Others In All The Solemn

Paraphernalia Of Woe,  Followed By The Mourning Coaches,  And The Long

Line Of Private Carriages,  Some Occupied And Others Empty,  For By One Of

The Conventionalities Of English Well-Bred Society,  One Can Be Present

On Such Occasions By Proxy. Your Carriage Will Suffice,  Should You Not

Feel Equal To The Task Of Attending In Person. The Full,  Deep,  Rich

Tones Of The Organ Poured Forth The Funeral Dirge,  As The Coffin Was

Carried Up The Centre Aisle And Placed On Trussels In Front Of The

Altar. The Pews,  Gallery And Aisles Were Filled By Rich And Poor; So

Much Had The Late Baronet Been Respected By Friend And Tenant. The

Venerable Rector Who Performed The Service,  Although Accustomed To Such

Scenes,  Was Deeply Affected. He Had Been On The Most Intimate Terms With

Sir Jasper,  And Had Never Solicited His Kind Offices On Behalf Of The

Poor In Vain. Besides,  He Was More Advanced In Years Than The Friend

Whom He Had Now Consigned To The Cold Embraces Of The Grave,  For Were

Not His Own Days Numbered And Must Soon Draw To A Close?

As The Different Parties Separated On The Conclusion Of The Ceremony,

Various Were The Comments And Conjectures As To The Manner In Which Sir

Jasper Had Divided His Property,  And It Was Almost Universally Believed

That Miss Edith Would Come In For A Greater Part Of His Wealth And The

Estate Of Vellenaux Would Undoubtedly Become Hers.

Sir Ralph,  As He Must Now Be Called,  And Others Interested In Such

Proceedings,  Returned,  To Vellenaux To Examine And Hear Read The Will

And Such Other Documents Relating To The Distribution Of The Property

Real And Personal Of The Late Baronet,  And Great Was The Surprise Of All

Present Except One,  When It Was Announced That,  After The Strictest

Search,  No Will Or Other Document Of The Kind Had Been Found Among The

Papers Of The Late Baronet. Mr. Russell,  A Man Of Integrity,  And Well

Known For The Uprightness Of His Dealings,  And Who Had For Upwards Of

Thirty Years Transacted All The Legal Business And Had The Management Of

The Estate Of The Late Sir Jasper,  Declared That,  To The Best Of His

Knowledge No Will Had Been Made. This Was Followed By A Statement From

Sir Ralph To The Effect That It Was But A Few Weeks Since,  That His

Cousin,  The Late Sir Jasper Coleman,  Had Declared To Him His Intention

Of Making A Will In His (Sir Ralph's) Favor. Miss Effingham,  On Being

Asked,  Had Sent Word That She Had Never Heard Her Uncle Say Anything On

The Subject,  And Mrs. Fraudhurst,  On Being Interrogated,  Announced That

She Had Always Been Of The Opinion That Miss Effingham Was To Be Sole

Heiress Of Her Uncle's Wealth,  But Had Never Heard Sir Jasper Speak Of

Having Actually Made Any Will At All. Consequently The Law Gave To Sir

Ralph Coleman The Entire Property Of The Late Baronet,  Whose Much-Loved

Niece Was Thus Left A Penniless Orphan.

Old Reynolds,  Who Had Been In The Library When It Was Announced The

Baronet Had Left No Will,  And That The Entire Property Fell To His

Cousin,  Sir Ralph,  Immediately Summoned The Domestics In The Servants'

Hall And Related To His Astonished Hearers What He Had Heard.

Consternation Was Depicted On The Countenance Of All,  And A Wordy

Colloquy Ensued As To What Would Become Of Their Dear Young Mistress,

And Whether They Would Be Discharged To Make Room For Others Whom The

New Baronet Might Choose To Appoint. The Grey-Headed Old Butler Had Been

At Vellenaux Since He Was A Lad Of Fourteen,  And Had Known Colonel

Effingham,  Who Had Frequently,  Prior To Leaving The Service,  Visited His

Old Companion-In-Arms,  Sir Jasper Coleman,  At His Favorite Residence,

Felt Much Concerned That The Niece Of His Old Master Should Have Been

Left Unprovided For. "Of Course," Said Annette,  Edith's Own Maid "I

Shall Have To Return Home,  For I Do Not Suppose Miss Effingham Will

Remain Here Very Long,  As Sir Ralph Is A Bachelor,  And I Know For

Certain That She Dislikes Him Exceedingly."

"But What Will Madam,  The Widow,  Do," Enquired The Footman.

"Set Her Cap At Him As She Did At Our Poor,  Dear Old Master," Responded

The Housekeeper,  "No Fear,  She Will Take Care Not To Be A Loser By The

Change." "She Will,  No Doubt," Suggested Another,  "Keep House For Sir

Ralph Until He Brings Home A Lady Coleman,  Or Is Persuaded Into Marrying

The Widow Herself."

It Was Quite Evident,  That Sympathy Ran High In Edith's Favour,  And That

They Cared Not A Jot For The Ex-Governess Or The New Master. But They

Were Too Well Trained To Betray What They Thought Concerning The Two

Last Named Persons.

The Matter Was Duly Talked Over Throughout The Neighbourhood. Some Shook

Their Heads But Said Nothing,  And Others Said A Great Deal That Meant

Nothing. The Bartons Sent A Very Kind And Sympathizing Letter To Edith

In Which They Offered Her An Asylum At The Willows,  Should She Think A

Little Change Of Scene Would In Any Way Reconcile Her To The Loss She

Had Sustained,  They Having Heard That Miss Effingham Had In Her Grief

Declined For The Present To Receive Her Most Intimate Friends And

Acquaintances.

For Many Days After The Funeral Edith Kept Within The Seclusion Of Her

Own Chamber,  Alas,  Hers Now No Longer,  But The Property Of Another And

Of One Whose Presence Was Repugnant To Her. With Returning Consciousness

Also Came The Realization Of The Sad Spectacle That Had Met Her View In

The Private Library. She Had Loved And Respected Her Uncle,  And Had Ever

Looked Up To Him As A Father,  Which He Had Indeed Been Since The Death

Of Her Parents,  Whom She Did Not Recollect,  And Grief For His Loss Had

Outweighed All Other Thoughts And Considerations For The Future,  And For

The First Week She Gave Herself Up To Inconsolable Sorrow. But At Length

That Practical Good Sense With Which Nature Had Endowed Her,  Came To Her

Relief. She Stifled The Rising Sobs In Her Young Bosom And Prepared To

Face The Stern Realities Of Life,  Which Must Ere Long,  She Knew,  Force

Themselves Upon Her.

To Remain In The House Of The Man She So Despised And Whose Proffered

Vows Of Love She Had So Indignantly Rejected,  Was Impossible.

Of The Malady Which Was The Cause Of Her Uncle's Sudden Death,  She Knew

Nothing. He Had Never Hinted Of Its Existence,  Therefore She Was Totally

Unprepared And Inexpressibly Shocked At The Suddenness With Which He Had

Been Struck Down,  And It Was Some Time Before She Could Sufficiently

Subdue Her Agitated Feelings To Enable Her To Give Any Instructions To

The Household,  Who,  Like Herself,  Had Been Almost Stupefied By The

Calamity.

But Not So With Mrs. Fraudhurst; That Cold,  Unfeeling Woman Cared Only

For The Safety Of Her Own Position,  And Had Already Arranged What She

Should Do. At Her Suggestion,  No Changes Were Made In The Establishment.

Every Servant Was Retained,  And The Business Of The Estate Still Left In