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

It Was Somewhat Late In The Afternoon When Captain Carlton And Doctor

Draycott Reached London,  Where The Two Friends And Travelling Companions

Parted--Draycott For His Father'S House In Finsbury Pavement,  And

Carlton For His Hotel In bond Street. His First Idea Was To Go Direct To

Berkly Square And Inform Edith And The Bartons Of The Death Of Sir

Ralph,  And The Declaration He Had Made Concerning The Will Of The Late

Sir Jasper; But While Waiting In The Coffee Room Of The Hotel,  Looking

Over The Morning Paper,  He Chanced To Hear The Following Conversation

Between Two Gentlemen Standing At The Bow Window That Looked Out On The

Street.

"And So The Bartons Give Their Farewell Spread This Evening? Are You

Going?"

"Well,  I Rather Think So," Was The Other'S Reply. "It Is A Thousand

Pities,  However,  To Bury That Lovely Woman,  Miss Effingham,  In The

Country. There Is Not Her Equal In Town. If She Only Had A Decent

Allowance Of Cash Or Other Property,  She Would Have Been Sought For By A

Coronet,  You May Depend On That."

"But I Heard," Continued His Friend,  "That She Was Engaged To An Indian

Officer,  Who Is Expected In england Shortly," And With These Words They

Passed Out Into The Street.

On Hearing This,  Arthur Determined To Defer His Visit A Few Hours

Longer. There Was A Great Rush Of Vehicles That Night On The South Side

Of Berkly Square. The Heavy Family Carriage,  With Its Sleek Horses,

Driven At A Sober Pace By Old John,  The Dashing Curricle And Smart

Barouche,  With The Elegant Private Cab With Its Busy Little Tiger In Top

Boots,  Whose Single Arm Stops The Thorough Bred Animal When His Master

Drops The Reins.

"Is Them 'Ere Hangels," Enquired The Butcher Boy Of His Crony,  Tom

Drops,  The Pot Boy At The Crown And Sceptre,  Just Round The Corner,  As

The Two Young Ladies,  Who Had Acted In The Character Of Bridesmaids In

The Morning,  Stepped From Their Carriage On To The Indian Matting Which

Had Been Stretched Across The Pavement To The Hall Steps,  All Tarletan

And Rose Buds,  And Ascended The Grand Staircase Leading To The Ball

Room.

"Well,  If They Ain'T They Ought To Be," Was The Response Of Tom Drops.

At This Moment A Very Stout And Elaborately Turbaned Dowager Passed

Slowly From Her Brougham Along The Matting And Entered The Hall.

"Is She A Hangel Too,  Do You Think? Don'T Look Much Like One Now,"

Enquired The Young Butcher.

"In Course Not," Said Tom,  "They Loses All The Hangel When They Marries,

Leastways So I Have Heard. But Who It This Swell? He Is Bang Up To The

Mark; He'S A Horse Sojer I Knows,  And A Ossifer," As The Embroidered

Sabretache Of Captain Carlton Met His View While Ascending The Hall

Steps. "Well,  I Am Off," Said One To The Other And The Two Lads Went

Their Way.

"Show Me Into The Library,  And Hand This Card To Miss Effingham," Said

Arthur To A Servant At The Foot Of The Staircase. The Footman First

Looked At Him,  Then At The Name On The Card,  Then Said,  With A Low Bow,

"Certainly,  Sir,  Certainly," And Ushered The Captain To Rather A Snug

Little Apartment Which Was Used As A Library. Edith Was Dancing When The

Footman Entered. On The Conclusion Of The Waltz He Approached And

Quietly Handed Her The Card. A Flush Of Pleasure Lit Up Her Beautiful

Features,  And Joy Sparkled In Her Brilliant Eyes,  As She Read The Name,

And Without A Word To Any One,  Followed The Servant And Passed Straight

To The Room Where Her Lover Waited For Her. We Will Pass Over The

Transports Of Their First Meeting,--It Can Be Easily Imagined,  As The

Reader,  Is Already Aware Of Their Engagement,  And That He Had Returned

To England For The Sole Purpose Of Their Union. After The Emotion Of The

First Few Moments Had Subsided Arthur Related To Her The Accident By

Which Sir Ralph Had Been Killed,  And Of The Existence Of Her Uncle'S

Will,  And The Way It Had Been Stolen By Mrs. Fraudhurst,  And Sir Ralph'S

Complicity In The Plot.

A Feeling Of Regret At The Untimely End Of The Unhappy Man,  As He Had

Been Hurried Into Eternity Without Preparation,  Came Over Her For A Few

Moments,  This Was Chased Away By Indignation At The Fraudulent And Base

Part That Had Been Played By Her Late Governess And Companion. "What Has

Become Of Her?" She Inquired.

"Decamped,  And No Doubt Fled The Country Ere This; All That Is Known Of

Her Is That She Left Vellenaux On The Plea Of Rendering All The

Assistance In Her Power To Sir Ralph,  But She Did Not Make Her

Appearance In That Neighbourhood," Was Arthur'S Answer. The Reader Knows

More Of Her Movements Than Any Of Her Acquaintances At Vellenaux Or

London.

"And We Shall Have Dear Old Vellenaux To Live In. Oh! Arthur Dear,  I Am

So Happy,  With All The Friends I Hold Most Dear On Earth Residing Around

Us. You Will Of Course Leave The Service Now? How Kind Of My Poor,  Dear

Uncle To Think Of Us Both In His Will. But Mrs. Barton May Notice My

Absence,  And Become Uneasy,  So Let Us Return;" And In another Moment Or

Two,  Leaning On The Arm Of Her Handsome Affianced Husband,  Edith

Re-Entered The Ball Room,  Much To The Relief And Surprise Of Pauline

Barton. Arthur Carlton Took An Opportunity During The Evening Of

Relating To Mr. Barton The Change That Had Taken Place In edith'S

Circumstances By The Death Of,  And Disclosures Made By,  The Late

Baronet.

"Meet Me At Breakfast In The Morning,  And We Will Consult As To What

Immediate Steps Should Be Taken On This Extraordinary Occasion; But Of

Course You Will Sleep Here," Said Horace. Arthur Assented,  And Was Soon

Again At Edith'S Side,  Who Had Told Confidentially To Mrs. Barton All

That He Had Told Her: And That Little Lady Could Not Restrain Her

Delight,  And Before Eleven O'Clock That Evening,  Every One In The Room

Became Aware That The Beautiful Miss Effingham Was Worth Twenty Thousand

Pounds A Year As Heiress Of Vellenaux.

Mr. And Mrs. Denham,  Previous To The Ball,  Took Their Departure For

Of The Early History Of Sir Lexicon Chutny Very Little Was Known. He Was

Of Dutch Extraction That Was Obvious,  Had Served For A Time In The

Madras Civil Service,  But On Acquiring A Large Property By The Death Of

A Distant Relative,  He Retired From That Service And Settled On One Of

His Plantations In Pallamcotta. How He Obtained His Title No One Knew Or

Enquired,  His Relative,  Now Deceased,  Was So Called,  And In His Will He

Directed That His Heir Should Assume His Name And Rank. He Was

Thoroughly Indian In His Tastes And Habits,  Sensual And Self Indulgent;

Saw Very Little European Society,  And Report Said That He Had Several

Native Mistresses,  And Was Reputed Very Wealthy. He Had Never Married,

For European Ladies At That Period Were Rarely To Be Met With In

Pallamcotta. It Must Have Been Business Of No Ordinary Importance To

Induce Him To Leave The Land Wherein He Had Been Born,  To Visit Hamburg,

Where He Made His Stay As Short As Possible. He Was Not Favorably

Impressed With The Frauleins And Fair-Haired Daughters Of Holland,  And

Was Now Returning Home In The "Great Mogul," A Dutch Indiaman Bound To

Madras.

"Wreck On The Lee Bow!" Shouted A Look Out From The Mast-Head. This

Excited Quite A Commotion On Deck,  From Whence The Object Was Soon

Discernable Through The Telescope,  And Soon After By The Naked Eye. The

Ship'S Course Was Altered And She Bore Down Upon The Unfortunate Craft

To Render Such Assistance As Might Be Necessary. She Proved To Be The

Ship "Kaffir Chief," From Cork,  Bound To The Cape; She Had Been

Dismasted In One Of Those Terrific Storms Which So Frequently Occur In

These Latitudes,  And Was Now Lying Completely Water-Logged On The Bosom

Of The Treacherous Ocean. The Day Previous To The Wreck Had Been

Remarkably Fine,  But As Night Closed In The Wind Rose And Continued To

Increase Until It Blew A Perfect Hurricane. In Spite Of The Utmost

Exertions Of The Crew The Sails Were Blown Clear Of The Bolt Ropes,

Yards And Spars Were Carried Away,  When The Foremast Went By The Board

And The Main Topmast Fell With A Crash Into The Sea,  Seventeen Of The

Crew Were Hurled Into The Wild Waste Of Waters. A Little Before Daylight

A Tremendous Sea Struck Her Stern,  Unshipping The Rudder,  Carrying Away

The Wheel,  Round-House And Lockers,  Rendering Her Unmanageable,  And She

Was Tossed Helplessly Like A Log Upon The Mighty Billows. As The Day

Broke The Storm Somewhat Subsided,  A Scene Of Wild Desolation Was

Realized By Those On Board The Unfortunate Vessel,  As The Flashes Of

Broad Sheet Lightning,  With Which The Heavy Clouds Were Surcharged,

Occasionally Shot Forth. The Scene Was Startling And Terrific,  The Wild

Waves Were Breaking Over Her And Three More Of The Crew Were Swept

Overboard. As The Light Increased The Sea Began Gradually To Go Down,

And Spars And Pieces Of Wreck Were Seen Floating All Around,  Lifted Upon

The Surging Waves,  To Which Some Of The Unfortunate Seamen Had Clung

With The Grasp Of Despair,  Only To Be Again Thrown Into The Dark Trough

Of The Sea To Rise No More.

Although The Hurricane Had Subsided,  So Much Water Had Been Shipped That

The Pumps Had To Be Kept Continually Going To Prevent The Hull From

Going Down: To This Laborious Task All Had To Exert Themselves To The

Utmost,  And Only By This Means Could The Ship Be Kept Afloat. The

Self-Styled Mrs. Grenville Rendered Good Service In This Hour Of Peril,

She Voluntarily Took The Place Of The Steward,  Now Called To The Pumps,

And Served Out Rations Of Biscuits And Spirits To All Hands,  Nor Did She

Forget Herself On The Occasion. The Danger Of Her Position Appeared In

No Way To Appal Her,  And Having To Undergo No Bodily Fatigue Beyond Her

Strength,  She Was Very Little Affected By The Disasters And Hardships Of

The Past Few Days. Such Of The Officers And Crew As Had Not Been

Swallowed Up By The Boiling Surf Were In a Very Weak And Exhausted