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

Vocal And Instrumental. They Would Frequently Wander For Hours Through

The Park Or Woods,  But Of Late He Had Restricted His Walks To The Lawn,

Or Down The Avenue To The Lodge At The Park Gate,  To Hold Converse With

The Keeper,  An Old Soldier Who Had Served Under Him In His Peninsular

Campaigns,  And Often When Relieved From The Attendance On Him Would

Edith And Arthur Carlton,  Hand In Hand,  Stroll Down The Said Avenue To

Listen To The Wonderful Stories Related By The Old Lodge Keeper. But

This Was Some Time Ago,  For This Youth (Of Which More Will Be Heard

Anon) Was Now,  And Had Been For Some Time,  At College At Oxford.

"Edith My Darling," Said The Kind Old Man,  Bending Over As He Did So And

Tapping Her Soft Rosy Cheek,  "My Visit To London Was Purely A Business

One,  And I Delayed No Longer Than Was Necessary To Complete It,  But What

I Saw And Heard During My Journey To And Fro,  I Will Relate To,  You In

The Evening."

The Lively Girl Was About To Make Some Reply To Her Good Natured Uncle

When A Light Rapping Was Heard; The Door Gently Opened And A Lady About

Five And Thirty Entered; She Was Attired In A Dress Of Black Silk Of

Most Undeniable Paris Cut,  Which Fitted Her To A Miracle; To Edith She

Made A Slight Inclination Of The Head So As Not To Disarrange Her

Coiffure Which Was Most Elaborately Got Up Doubtless With A View To

Produce An Effect.

"I Trust,  Sir Jasper,  You Slept Well After Your Tedious Journey."

"Very Well,  I Thank You. Oh! I See You Have The Post Bag,  I Am Somewhat

Anxious About Some Letters I Expect To Receive."

Moving Around The Back Of The Baronet's Chair She Came Between Him And

Edith,  Who Took The Bag From Her And Held Out Her Hand To Her Uncle For

The Key To Open It With,  As Was Her Usual Custom Of A Morning; The Key

Was Handed To Her,  And While They Were Thus Engaged The Eagle Eye Of The

Lady In Black Fell Upon The Will Which Was Still Lying Partially Exposed

On The Escritoire Just As It Had Fallen From Sir Jasper's Hand Ere He

Had Sank Into That Reverie Which Had Been Disturbed By The Entrance Of

Edith; She Obtained But A Hurried Glance,  Yet It Was Sufficient For Her

To Decipher Its Full Meaning. As She Realized This A Dark Cloud Passed

Across Her Features,  She Moved Silently To The Window And Looked Out;

When She Again Turned The Cloud Had Vanished And Her Face Was Calm And

Serene. So Occupied With The Mail Bag Had Been Both Uncle And Niece That

The Action Of The Lady In Question,  In First Glancing Over The Paper On

The Desk And Her Subsequent Movement Towards The Window,  Had Remained

Unnoticed By Either.

"There Is A Letter For You,  My Dear," Said The Baronet Handing One To

Edith. "Oh!" Said She Joyously,  "It Is From Arthur. He Is The Dearest

Old Fellow,  And One Of The Best Correspondents Alive; He Tells The

Funniest Stories Of The College Scrapes He Gets Into,  And How Cleverly

He Gets Out Of Them,  And Makes All Manner Of Fun In His Caricatures Of

The Musty Old Professors."

"There,  There Now,  Away To Your Own Room," Said Her Uncle,  "And Let Me

Know What New Scrape Your Dear Old Fellow Has Been Getting In And Out

Of,  During Our Walk After Dinner." Edith Blushed Slightly And Hurried

Out Of The Apartment.

"There Are No Letters For You This Morning,  Mrs. Fraudhurst,  But Here

Are The London Papers,  I Have No Time At Present To Look Over Them,  And

Would Feel Obliged If You Would Lay Them On The Library Table." She Took

Them,  And With A Graceful Courtesy,  Smilingly Left The Room,  And Went

Direct To The Library,  Sat Down At The Table And Drew The Writing

Materials Towards Her As If About To Write; But Ere She Commenced Her

Head Sank On Her Hand And She Appeared To Be,  For Some Moments,  Lost In

Thought. As She Will Be Brought Prominently Forward As Our Story

Progresses,  We Had Better Inform The Reader At Once,  All We Know Of Her

Antecedents.

Mr. Fraudhurst Had Been A Lawyer Of Some Standing In The Village Of

Vellenaux; He Was Reported Wealthy,  And When On The Shady Side Of Fifty

Married The Niece Of His Housekeeper,  Much To The Disgust Of The Said

Housekeeper,  And Several Maiden Ladies Of Doubtful Ages Who Resided In

The Neighbourhood,  Who Had Each In Her Own Mind Marked Him As Her

Especial Property,  To Be Gobbled Up At The First Opportunity He Or

Chance Might Afford Them For So Doing,  And They Waxed Wrath And Were

Very Bitter Against Her Who Had Secured The Prize And Carried It Off

When As They Thought It Just Within Their Grasp. The Lawyer And The

Baronet Had Been Upon Terms Of Intimacy For Several Years Prior To The

Marriage,  And Sir Jasper Being A Bachelor Saw No Objection To His

Friend's Wife Visiting Vellenaux,  Although She Had,  As He Would

Facetiously Observe,  Risen From The Ranks.

The Lady In Question Was,  At Eighteen,  Tall,  Pretty And Ambitious. She

Had At An Early Age Determined To Rise Above The Station In Which She

Was Born,  And For That Object She Had Studied Most Assiduously At The

Village School,  Where She Attained The Reputation Of Being The Most Apt

Scholar Of Her Class. A Few Years Residence With A Relative London

Served To Develop Her Natural Abilities,  And She Lost No Opportunity Of

Pursuing Her Studies Or Of Affecting The Tone And Fashion Of Persons

Moving In A Far Higher Circle Than Her Own.

Education And Application She Knew Would Doubtless Do Much To Elevate

Her In The Social Scale,  But The Position She So Earnestly Sought For

Was To Become The Wife Of Some Man Of Good Standing In Society,  Whose

Means Would Be Sufficient To Support Her In That Style To Which Her

Ambition Led Her To Hope For,  And For This She Strove Hard And Was

Rewarded For Her Perseverance By Becoming The Wife Of A Reputed Wealthy

Barrister Some Thirty Years Her Senior,  And For A Few Years Enjoying The

Position She Had Attained,  Visiting And Visited By The Uppercrusts Of

The Place And Not Unfrequently Dining At Vellenaux And Otherwise

Enjoying The Hospitality Of Its Owner.

When Little Edith Was About Seven Years Old,  Mr. Fraudhurst Was Gathered

To His Fathers,  And The Sorrowing Widow Was Left In A Very Different

Position Than Was Anticipated Either By Herself Or Others Who Took Any

Interest In Such Matters; The House And Grounds Which She Fully Believed

To Be Her Own Property,  Passed Into The Hands Of A Distant Relative Of

The Deceased Barrister,  And With The Exception Of The Furniture And Some

Three Hundred Pounds In Cash,  She Was No Better Off Than She Had Been

Prior To Her Marriage; But,  Being A Woman Of Great Tact,  She Contrived

To Keep This Circumstance From The Knowledge Of The Enquiring

Neighbours,  And Having Applied To The New Owner Of The Premises She

Obtained Permission To Occupy Them For A Period Of Six Months.

On The Baronet Calling To Pay His Visit Of Condolence The Lady,  Who Had

Previously Arranged What She Should Say And Do On The Occasion,  Unfolded

To Sir Jasper Her Real Position And Out Of Friendship For Her Late

Husband Claimed His Advice And Assistance. The Worthy Old Bachelor

Declared His Willingness To Assist Her If She Could Only Point Out The

Way; As To Advice He Could Realty Give None On So Difficult A Matter.

"Oh! Sir Jasper," Exclaimed The Widow,  In A Voice So Excellently

Modulated To Suit The Occasion,  That The Old Bachelor Was Beginning To

Feel A Real Interest In Her Affairs,  "So Like Yourself,  So Good Of You

To Allow Me To Suggest The Way In Which You Can Best Serve Me In My

Peculiar And,  I May Say,  Awkward Position."

"There Is A Way,  My Dear Sir Jasper,  (And Here The Widow Bent Over And

Placed Her Soft White Hand On His Arm) In Which I Believe You Can

Materially Serve Me,  And At The Same Time Advance The Interest Of One

Who Is,  Without Doubt,  More Dear To You Than Any Living Being; I Allude

To Dear Little Edith." At The Mention Of His Niece's Name He Looked Up

Enquiringly As If Not Quite Catching The Meaning Of Her Words.

"You Must Understand,  Sir Jasper," She Continued,  "That The Little

Darling Is Now Of An Age That Will Require Some Person To Guide And

Direct The Development Of Her Young Mind And Superintend Her Studies. Of

Course,  Old Nurse Simms Is An Excellent And Worthy Woman,  But Not Such

An One As The Future Heiress Of Vellenaux Should Be Entrusted To,  As She

Advances From Childhood To Maturity. It Is An Important And Responsible

Position,  And Should Only Be Undertaken By Those Who Have Already Passed

Through The Struggles And Trials Of The World,  And Drank Of The Cup Of

Affliction." Here A Pearly Tear Fell Upon The Hand Of The Good-Natured

Baronet,  And Here She Applied Her White Laced Cambric To Her Eyes.

This Was The _Coup De Main_ That Carried The Day. The Soft-Hearted

Bachelor Was Not Proof Against This,  Besides There Was Truth And Reason

In Her Suggestions For His Darling Little Niece,  And He Did Not See How

He Could,  For The Present,  Do Better Than To Offer To Mrs. Fraudhurst

The Charge Of Edith,  And Before He Took Leave It Was Arranged That The

Widow Should Call At Vellenaux Daily And Endeavor To Gain The Confidence

Of The Child,  And At The End Of The Six Months She Should Give Up

Housekeeping And Be Installed As Governess And Companion For Edith; And

So Well Did She Play Her Cards That She Had Scarcely Been There Twelve

Months When She Ruled The Household As Though She Were Its Legitimate

Mistress; Always Heading The Table When Sir Jasper Entertained His

Bachelor Friends,  And Thus,  We May Say,  For Several Years Lived In

Clover. Her Chief Duties Consisted In Educating Edith And Arthur,  Which,

For Several Years,  Was A Task Which Did Not Require Much Mental

Endowment Or Physical Exertion. It Was,  In Fact,  More Of A Pastime Than

Otherwise,  And As