Vellenaux A Novel by Edmund William Forrest (phonics reading books TXT) π
Sending A Flood Of Soft, Mellow Rainbow Tinted Light Through The
Quaintly Curved And Deeply Mullioned Windows Which Adorned A Portion Of
The Eastern Wing Of That Grand Old Baronial Residence, Vellenaux, On A
Fine September Morning, At The Period During Which Our Story Opens. This
Handsome Pile, Now The Property Of Sir Jasper Coleman, Had Been Erected
By One Of His Ancestors, Reginald De Coleman, During The Reign Of The
Fifth Henry.
This Gallant Knight Had Rendered That Monarch Great Service During His
Wars In France, Especially At Agincourt, Where His Skill And Bravery Was
So Conspicuous, And Used To So Great Advantage, That King Henry, On His
Return To England, Rewarded His Faithful Follower With A Grant Of Land
In Devonshire, On Which He Was Enabled, With The Spoils He Had Acquired
And The Ransoms Received From His French Prisoners Of Note, To Erect A
Magnificent Chateaux, Which He Called Vellenaux, After Francois, Count
De Vellenaux, A French Noble, Whose Ransom Contributed Largely To Its
Construction. Here He Continued To Reside Until His Death, Which
Occurred Several Years After.
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- Author: Edmund William Forrest
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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
Condition, Owing To Their Great Labor At The Pumps, When Rescued From
Their Perilous Position By The Boats Of The "Great Mogul." These
Particulars Were Gathered From Time To Time From Some Of The Crew, But
From Mrs. Grenville A More Detailed Account Of The Wreck Was Obtained.
That Lady Thought It Necessary To Keep To Her Cabin For The First Week,
During Which Time She Had To Sketch Out A Fresh Plan Of Action For The
Future.
This She Soon Effected, Having Received All The Required Information
From The Little Fat Dutch Stewardess Concerning The Ship, Its
Destination, And The Names And Positions Of The Passengers.
"My Dear Madam," Said The Polite Captain, Addressing Mrs. Grenville,
"You Really Must Allow Me To Recommend You To Try An Airing On The
Quarter Deck This Beautiful Morning; After The Long Seclusion Of Your
Cabin You Will, I Am Sure, Find It Both Agreeable And Refreshing." In A
Graceful Manner, And With A Pleasing Smile, She Replied,
"I Shall Be Happy To Adopt Your Suggestion Captain Hanstein, And If It
Is Not Interfering With Your Professional Duties, May I Request The
Favour Of Your Arm For A Promenade, As I Feel Scarcely Equal To The
Effort Unattended."
The Captain Bowed And Assisted The Lady To The Quarterdeck.
The Indigo Planter, Who Had Sat Opposite Mrs. Grenville At Breakfast,
Felt Somewhat Annoyed That He Had Not Solicited The Pleasure Of
Accompanying The Lady In Her Walk On Deck; He Had Been Struck With Her
Appearance At First Sight, For The Widow Knowing The Effect Of First
Impressions, Had Been Exceedingly Careful With Her Toilette That
Morning, And Certainly Did Look Her Best.
Sir Lexicon Had Never Yet Seen Any One Who Came Up To His Idea Of A
Handsome Woman, Until He Encountered Mrs. Grenville That Morning; Her
Curling Dark Hair, Superb Neck And Shoulders, Stately Figure And
Sparkling Black Eyes, And Well Modulated Voice Fascinated Him, As No
Woman As Yet Ever Had Done. She Was Not Young, It Is True; But This He
Regarded As Fortunate. She Was Still Some Years Younger Than Sir
Lexicon; But As To Who Or What She Was He Was A Stranger; But This He
Was Determined To Ascertain If Possible, And Betook Himself On Deck For
The Purpose. As The Professional Duties Of The Captain Called Him For A
Time Away, He Took His Place Beside The Lady And Endeavoured To Interest
Her In His Conversation. He Found Her Charmingly Condescending, And
Apparently Frank And Friendly In Her Remarks, And After About An Hour's
Chit Chat Allowed Him To Conduct Her To Her State Room.
Poor Captain Costigan Had Been Killed By A Falling Spar And Knocked
Overboard. The Remainder Of The Crew And Passengers That Had Been
Chapter 17 Pg 112Rescued From Their Precarious Situation On The Wreck Had Been On Board
The "Great Mogul" About A Couple Of Weeks, When She Let Go Her Anchor In
Table Bay. These, With The Exception Of Mrs. Grenville, Went On Shore In
The First Boat That Came Off To The Ship. She, That Morning, Had An
Interview With Captain Hanstein, And Some Hours After The Others Had
Left, The Obliging Captain Took Her Ashore In His Own Boat, In Which
Also Sat Sir Lexicon Chutny. He Put Up At The Same Hotel As Mrs.
Grenville, And Was Seen Escorting Her About Cape Town.
The "Mogul" Remained Only Two Days At The Cape, Then Resumed Her Voyage,
And Mrs. Grenville, The Captain, And Sir Lexicon Chutny, Could Be Seen
Pacing Her Quarterdeck As She Sailed Out Of The Bay, Unquestionably
Enjoying, With Much Pleasure, The Clear, Balmy, And Exhilarating Breeze
Of The Early Day, Which, With The Assistance Of The Sun's Rays, Was
Lifting From The Table Land On The Summit Of The Great Mountain, Called
Occasionally Table Rock. A Large, Heavy, White Cloud That Frequently
Spread Itself Over The Whole Surface, Resembling Very Much In Appearance
An Enormous Table Cloth, Hence The Origin Of The Name. This Remarkable
Mountain Is Steep, Rugged And Precipitous, And Towers Up Hundreds Of
Feet Towards The Clear, Blue Vault Of Heaven. Very Little Brushwood Or
Vegetation Is To Be Found Thereon. At Its Base, Snugly Ensconced Under
Its Protecting Shade, Is Situated Cape Town, Looking Quite Pretty And
Picturesque As The Day Dawns And The Rising Sun Appears. There Are Two
Other Smaller Elevations In Close Proximity To The Table Rock, Not
Without Interest, And Called Respectively The Lion's Head And Lion's
Rump, Possibly Because They Are Connected Together By A Ridge Of Rock,
Which, To The Imaginative Mind, Gives It The Appearance Of An Enormous
Lion, Sleeping. The Other Objects Of Interest And The Shipping In The
Harbor Were Soon Left Far Astern.
As They Were Sweeping Out To Sea, The Captain Could, By The Aid Of His
Glass, Clearly Distinguish The Signal That Was Flying From The
Flagstaff, Situated On The Lofty Eminence Mentioned Before, As The
Lion's Rump Signalling Station, Announcing The Approach Of An English
Vessel From London. On Hearing This The Lady's Face Changed To An Ashen
Hue, And She Trembled Slightly. It Was For An Instant Only; Her Strong
Will Conquered The Emotion, And With Her Feelings Now Under Perfect
Control, She Was Again Conversing And Smiling In The Most Charming
Manner Until Luncheon Was Announced, To Which She Was Conducted By Sir
Lexicon, And While Thus Engaged She Felt That She Had Good Cause To
Rejoice That A Fine Swelling Breeze Was Carrying Her Rapidly Away From
The Cape Of Good Hope; For, Doubtless, The Newspapers Brought Out By The
New Arrival, Contained A Full Account Of Sir Ralph's Death, And Her Own
Flight From The Country, And It Was Quite Possible That Some Suspicion
Might Have Fallen Upon Her, Had She Remained A Day Longer At Cape Town.
The Wealthy Planter Of Pallamcotta Was Not The Only Person On Board Who
Had Become Infatuated With The Lively Widow; For In Fact Captain
Hanstein, The Honest-Hearted Seaman Had Been Caught In Her Toils. He Had
Believed Every Word That Had Been Confidentially Told Him By Mrs.
Grenville, Her Position In Life, And Her Reason For Visiting The Cape
And Madras. Of Course There Was Scarcely A Grain Of Truth In The Whole
Statement. She Was Not Long In Discovering The Captain's Weak Point, And
Chapter 17 Pg 113Rather Encouraged Him Than Otherwise, But Had No Notion Of Engaging
Herself To The Fat Honest Dutch Skipper. Far From It, But She Thought It
Necessary To Her Project To Mislead Him On That Point. This Unscrupulous
And Ambitious Woman Cared Not How She Wounded The Feelings Of Others, If
She Thought By So Doing It Would Further Her Own Interest. She Was
Determined To Secure Sir Lexicon As A Husband, And Thus Become Lady
Chutny; And So Skillfully Did She Angle, And Played Her Cards With Such
Great Tact, That There Was Very Little Doubt Of Her Succeeding.
The Dutch Are Naturally Slow Of Action, And The Planter's Wooing Was Of
A Rather Passive Character, And His Attention To The Lady Did Not Excite
The Suspicion Of Her Other Admirer, Who Did Not Think It Would Be
Necessary To Pop The Momentous Question Until She Was About To Leave The
Ship On Reaching Madras. That Sir Lexicon Was Somewhat Piqued At The
Marked Attention Paid To Her By That Good-Natured Sailor Was Quite
Evident, And Was Exactly What The Widow Had Anticipated And Desired. She
Played Both Lovers Off, One Against The Other, And The Result Proved
That Her Theory And Practice Were Correct; For Sir Lexicon Took
Advantage Of An Opportunity That Was Afforded Him One Afternoon While
Playing Chess With Mrs. Grenville In The After Cabin. They Were Quite
Alone, And During A Pause In The Game, He Formally Made Her An Offer Of
Marriage, Which, After A Little Skillful Beating About The Bush, She
Accepted, But On The Condition That Nothing Should Be Said About The
Subject To Any One On Board. This Was Agreed To, And The Game Continued.
There Were Other Passengers On Board, But, As They Are In No Way
Connected With Our Story, It Would Be Needless To Particularize Them.
On The Vessel Reaching Her Destination, The Gallant Captain Mastered Up
Courage, And Boldly And In A Straightforward Manner, Asked Mrs.
Grenville To Become His Wife. The Lady Listened To Him With Polite
Attention, And Said In Reply:
"Captain Hanstein, I Should Be Very Sorry If Any Act Of Mine Has Led You
To Believe That I Looked Upon You In Any Other Light Than That Of A
Friend, From Whom I Have Received Many Acts Of Kindness. I Regret To
Pain You By A Refusal, But It Must Be So, For I Now Tell You In Strict
Confidence That I Am Engaged To Sir Lexicon Chutny." Then With A Smile
And A Graceful Bend Of The Head, She Left The Bewildered Captain To His
Own Reflections; And Shortly After, Attended By Sir Lexicon, Quitted The
Ship.
After A Sufficient Time For Procuring All The Necessary Paraphernalia
Considered Indispensable On Such Occasions Had Elapsed, The Marriage Was
Celebrated In The Cathedral At Madras, And The Ambitious Views Of The
Mercenary Woman Were At Length Realized. "She Could" She Thought "Play
The Great Lady In Pallamcotta, And Somewhat Astonish The Good Folks At
The Capital By The Brilliancy Of Her Entertainments Periodically, For
Sir Lexicon, Although Self-Indulgent, Was By No Means Of A Miserly Turn,
And Would, For A Time At Least, Feel A Certain Pleasure At The
Admiration That Would Be Excited By The Splendour Of Her Ladyship's
Assemblies."
Their Stay At The Capital, On This Occasion, Was But Of Short Duration,
As Sir Lexicon Was Anxious To Return To Pallamcotta To Finally Arrange
Chapter 17 Pg 114The Business That Had Taken Him To Hamburg. To This Arrangement Her
Ladyship Made No Objection, It Suited Her Views Exactly; Her Idea Was,
That Her Advent In India Should Become
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