Vellenaux A Novel by Edmund William Forrest (booksvooks txt) 📕

Seen Him Somewhere. I Meet All Sorts Of People."

"Well,  Well,  Your Sister Julia Is Coming Up To Town Some Evening Next

Week,  And She Is Such A Clever Girl,  Perhaps She Can Enlighten You On

The Subject."

Tom Stared At His Aunt For A Moment,  Then The Mist Began To Clear Away.

It Now Struck Him That He Had Never Met The Doctor In Harley Street

Except During The Time That His Sister Was On A Visit There,  And It Also

Occurred To Him Now,  That On His Last Flying Visit To Devonshire He Had

Met A Gentleman Much Resembling Doctor Ashburnham,  Riding With Julia In

One Of The Green Lanes In Vellenaux. It Was All Dear Enough Now,  It Was

Julia'S Lover Who Had Given Him So Much Concern Of Late,  And This Fact

Removed A Great Load From Tom'S Heart. On This Discovery His Face

Brightened Up. "But,  My Dear Aunt,  Is There Really Anything In It."

"Anything In What?" Enquired The Good Lady,  Looking Up From Her

Knitting,  Somewhat Amused At The Manner In Which Her Nephew Had Put The

Question.

"Why,  I Mean,  Is There Any Love Affair,  Engagement Or That Sort Of Thing

Between Julia And The Doctor?"

"Well,  Tom,  All I Can Say Is,  That Doctor Ashburnham Seldom Calls Here

Except During The Time Your Sister Is In London,  Or Occasionally Pays

Us A Visit To Enquire When She Is Likely To Be In Town Again. They Have

Met,  I Believe,  In devonshire,  And He Has Visited Her At The Willows. He

Is Certainly Very Attentive To Her When She Is With Us,  And She Appears

To Be Anything But Indifferent To His Addresses; You Can Draw Your Own

Conclusions From That,  But,  As I Before Stated,  She Will Be Here Next

Week And Then,  Perhaps,  She May Take You Into Her Confidence. I Can Say

No More On The Matter."

"By George! I Hope It Is As You Say. It Would Be A Capital Match For

Her. He Has A First Rate Practice,  Keeps Quite A Stylish Turn Out,  And

Occupies A Handsome House In cavendish Square. I Must Become More

Intimate With Him,  And See If I Cannot Worm Out Exactly What He Is

Driving At." Here Tom Took His Hat,  And Started Down Stairs Three Steps

At A Time,  Nearly Upsetting The Doctor In The Hall In His Great Hurry.

"Beg Pardon,  My Dear Sir,  Quite Accidental I Assure You; In Haste To

Speak To Mr. Cotterell In The Library," Said Tom Apologetically.

"Don'T Mention It,  Pray,  Mr. Barton," Was The Reply,  As That Gentleman

Quickly Ascended The Staircase Leading To The Drawing Room.

Now,  Tom Really Had No Business With Mr. Cotterell That Evening,  Nor

Would He Have Intruded On That Worthy Person,  But For His Encounter With

The Doctor. He Would,  He Thought,  Not Remain Long With His Aunt,  And It

Would Be A Good Opportunity To Push His Enquiries,  Could He But Manage

To Go Out With Him. His Anticipations Proved Correct. The Doctor Did Not

Remain Long Up Stairs,  And Our Friend Tom Managed To Meet Him Again As

He Was Passing Through The Hall.

"Fine Evening,  Sir; Which Way Are You Walking?" Said Tom,  Seeing No

Vehicle In attendance.

"I Am Returning To Cavendish Square,  Sir," Was The Ready Reply.

"I Also Am Going In That Direction,  And If You Have No Objection Will

Walk With You," Returned Tom Barton. The Two Gentlemen Walked Together,

Chatting In a Very Friendly Way On The Different Topics Of The Day Until

They Had Reached The Door Of The Doctor'S Residence,  When That Gentleman

Surprised Tom By Saying,  "Mr. Barton,  Will You Do Me The Favor To Step

In For A Few Moments? I Wish To Speak To You On A Subject That Cannot

Very Well Be Discussed In The Public Street." Nothing Loath,  Tom Agreed

And Was Ushered Into A Very Snug Apartment,  Half Library,  Half Smoking

Divan.

"You Smoke,  Of Course," Said The Doctor,  Pointing At The Same Time To An

Array Of Pipes And Tobacco Of Different Kinds On A Small Side Table.

Fill,  Then,  Drop Into That Easy Chair,  And I Will Tell You Why I Have

Requested You To Enter My Snuggery. Tom Acted Upon His Suggestion,  And

Was Soon Sending Great Puffs Of Smoke Half Way Across The Room. His Host

Followed This Very Laudable Example,  And After A Few Whiffs,  At Once

Opened The Business By Candidly,  And In a Straightforward,  Manner,

Telling Tom The Great Love And Admiration He Felt For Miss Barton,  Whom

He Had Frequently Met In devonshire As Well As In London,  And That He

Had Vanity Enough To Believe That His Love Was Reciprocated,  And

Declared His Intention On Julia'S Arrival To Decide The Affair By Making

Her An Offer Of His Hand And Heart,  And Finished By Requesting Tom To

Forward His Views To The Best Of His Ability.

To This Tom Readily Assented. "The Sly Little Puss," He Continued,  "Not

To Mention A Word Of It Even To Me. But I Suppose It Is Not Considered

By The Fair Sex Quite The Thing To Speak To Any One On So Delicate A

Subject Until After The Gentleman Has Popped The Question." Shortly

After,  He Took His Departure For His Chambers At Lincoln'S Inn,  And It

Was Noticed That Doctor Ashburnham And Mr. Tom Barton Were Seen More

Frequently Together Than Had Hitherto Been The Case.

Miss Barton Arrived,  As Had Been Expected By Her Relatives In Harley

Street,  And The Physician From Cavendish Square Called There Every Day,

Although There Was No Illness Or Epidemic In The House,  Save That Known

As The Heart Disease,  And So Earnestly Did The Doctor Press His Suit

That Julia Must Have Been Hard-Hearted Indeed To Have Refused To Add To

His Happiness By Encumbering Him With A Wife,  And Ere She Returned To

Devonshire,  It Was Finally Settled That The Wedding Was To Take Place At

The End Of The Following Month,  And A Very Dashing Affair It Proved. The

Lawn Sleeves At Saint George'S,  Hanover Square,  Were Called Into

Requisition On The Occasion. There Was A Great Display Of White Corded

Silk,  Lace Orange Blossoms,  Muslins And Wreaths Of White Roses. Gunter,

Of Berkly Square,  Was Called Upon To Supply A Wedding Breakfast,  Which

Was Partaken Of At The Cotterells',  And After Some Champagne Had Been

Drank,  And The Speeches Usual On The Occasion Made,  The Happy Pair

Started On Their Wedding Tour Through The South Of England,  Calling,  Of

Course,  At The Willows On Their Way. After Visiting Scotland They

Returned To London,  And Settled Comfortably Down To The Humdrum Of

Every Day Life In The Doctor'S Handsome Establishment In cavendish

Square,  Which Had Been Re-Decorated And Furnished For Them During Their

Absence.

Not Many Months Elapsed Before The Happiness Of Our Young Friends Was

Somewhat Over-Shadowed By The Death Of The Worthy Old Couple At The

Willows,  Who Expired Within Two Months Of Each Other. Mr. Barton Died Of

Old Age,  And His Wife From Influenza,  Caught While Attending Church To

Hear The Funeral Sermon.

Horace Barton Not Being Expected In england For Some Time,  The Willows

Was Let On A Short Lease,  And Emily Came Up To London To Reside With Her

Aunt In Harley Street,  Occasionally Spending Several Weeks With Her

Sister,  Mrs. Ashburnham.

Our Young Lawyer Was Slowly But Surely Increasing His Practice. He Had

Used All His Powers Of Persuasion To Induce Kate To Allow Him To Lead

Her To The Altar On The Same Day That His Sister Was Married,  But In

Vain,  For That Young Lady Declared That She Would Rather Take A Second

Class Character In The Interesting Tableau This Time,  With The View Of

Being Better Able To Sustain The Role Of The Principal Actress In a

Similar Pageant At Some Future Time. With This Decision Tom Had To

Remain Satisfied For The Present And Attend To Business. But In The

Course Of Time Circumstances Transpired Which Prevented Him From

Attaining Any Eminence As A Lawyer. A Distant Relative Of Mr.

Cotterell'S And Godmother To Kate,  Departed This Life,  Leaving Her

Godchild The Very Comfortable Sum Of Six Hundred Per Annum,  Secured In

The Four Per Cents.,  And After Wearing Mourning For A Suitable Period,

Kate Took The Initiative By Announcing To Tom,  Very Much To His Surprise

And Delight,  That She Was Both Ready And Willing To Become His Wife On

The Following Conditions,  Which Were,  That He Should Give Up Practising

Law,  Take A Snug Cottage In devonshire,  And Turn His Attention To

Haymaking,  Shooting,  &C,  And Retire From London Life Altogether,  For She

Said That In The Country They Could Live Very Comfortably On Six Hundred

A Year And Be Thought Somebodies,  But They Could Scarcely Exist In

London On That Sum And Then Be Thought Nobodies.

If Our Young Lawyer Had Any Scruples On The Score Of Giving Up His

Profession And Thereby Losing All Chance Of Ever Attaining To The

Dignity Of Lord Chancellor,  He Certainly Kept Them To Himself,  For He

Had No Wish To Run Counter To The Inclination Of Kate,  Or He Might Find

Himself In The Position Of The Dog In The Fable,  Who Had Thrown Away The

Substance To Endeavour To Grasp The Shadow. Tom,  In Reality,  Had Never

Liked A London Life,  And Had A Constant Hankering After Field Sports,

Shooting And Fishing; And Now He Believed He Could Indulge In These To

The Top Of His Bent. They Could Live Very Comfortably On Their Joint

Income,  For He Had Received A Certain Sum On The Death Of His Parents,

And Likewise Made Something During The Past Few Years By His Profession,

Which He Had Increased By Placing It Out At Interest. Moreover,  He Knew

Exactly Where To Find A House And Grounds That Would Suit Them; The Very

One That Kate Had So Admired During Their Strolls Around Vellenaux. It

Was Picturesquely Situated In a Shady Dell,  Through Which Ran A Flowing

Brook Which Deepened And Widened As It Flowed On Towards The Sea,  And

Was The Favourite Resort Of The Angler And Amateur Fisherman--About An

Equal Distance From The Willows And The Rectory,  And But A Short Walk

From The Woods And Park Of Vellenaux. There Were Horace'S Grounds To

Shoot Over,  And Although Sir Ralph Coleman Was Not A Neighbour Best

Suited To His Taste,  Yet He Felt Certain That He Would Not Object To His

Occasionally Using His Preserves,  Or Bagging