Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Edmund William (best affordable ebook reader .txt) 📗
- Author: Edmund William Edmund William
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"Will You Now Tell Me All That You Know Concerning, Your Grandfather?"
"He Was Called Eustace Vere Carleton, I Believe, From The Fact Of His
Signing Himself So In His Letters To My Father, Wherein He Desired That
He Should Enter The British Service, And Said That He Should Provide His
Commission And Make Him A Small Yearly Allowance As Long As He Remained
In The Service,--These Two Letters Are Now In My Possession And At Your
Service, Should You Require Them," So Saying, Carlton Took From His Desk
The Papers In Question, Which He Handed To The Lawyer. "But, Pray, Sir,
In What Way And To What Extent Am I To Be Benefitted By The Early
Proceedings Of My Paternal Relatives?" Enquired The Dragoon, Darting At
The Same Time A Knowing Wink At The Surgeon, Who At That Moment Happened
To Look Up, For Until Then He Had Appeared To Be Deeply Absorbed With A
Late Number Of _Punch_, Though In Truth He Was Very Much Interested In,
And Had Not Lost A Word Of The Conversation That Had Been Going On
Between The Lawyer And His Friend Carlton, But He Only Shook His Head In
Acknowledgment Of The Friendly Wink, And Continued To Turn Over The
Pages Of That Comical But Highly Interesting Periodical Which He Had
Taken Up At The Commencement Of The Interview.
"Every Lost Link In The Chain Of Evidence Is, I Believe, Now Complete,"
Replied Mr. Capias, "And I Am At Liberty To Communicate To You The
Following Circumstance Which, Doubtless, Up To The Present Time You Have
Been A Stranger To." He Hereupon Cleared His Throat, And In a Well
Modulated Voice Said:
"Maud Chumly, Your Great Grandmother, The Daughter Of A Church Of
England Clergyman, At The Age Of Eighteen Married Arthur Eustace
Carlton, Ninth Earl Of Castlemere. The Result Of Their Union Was A Son,
A Wild, Harum Scarum Sort Of A Youth Who, At The Age Of Nineteen, Was
Provided With An Appointment And Sent Out To The British Embassy At The
Court Of Spain. While Here He Managed To Get Entangled And Elope With
The Wife Of A Castillian Hidalgo; They Were Pursued And Overtaken By The
Enraged Grandee And His Followers; The Lady Was Recovered, But The
Husband Lost His Life In a Duel With The Gay Lothario Who, Subsequently,
To Avoid The Vengeance Of The Family And The Strong Arm Of The Law, Fled
To Mexico, Where, A Few Years After, He Married The Daughter Of A French
Officer Of High Rank, By Whom He Also Had An Only Son, But Never
Returned To England, Nor Did He, On The Death Of His Father, Assume The
Title Or Take Possession Of The Estate, But Resided Continually On The
Continent; Nor Did He By Word Or Deed Reveal To His Beautiful Wife Or
Child His Real Position In The Peerage Of Great Britain. His Son At An
Early Age Was Sent To England, And Was Educated Principally At Rugby,
But He Also Graduated At Cambridge; He Afterwards Entered The English
Army, And During His Stay In India Married The Daughter Of A Judge Of
One Of The Native Courts, And Like His Father And Grandfather Before
Him, Had But One Son, His Wife Having Died During Her Passage To
England. The Bereaved Officer Served, Subsequently, With Great
Distinction, Through The Peninsular Campaign, Became Colonel Of His
Regiment, And At The Close Of The War Was Placed On Half Pay, And At The
Age Of Fifty-Six, Died At Exeter, In devonshire; This Only Son, Arthur
Carlton, Likewise Entered The Army And Became A Captain Of Light
Dragoons, And Is Now Beyond The Possibility Of A Doubt, The Rightful And
Lawful Heir To The Late Earl Of Castlemere." Here Mr. Capias Bowed Most
Deferentially, Gathered His Papers Together, Said That He Trusted In a
Few Days To Have The Honour Of Another Interview With His Lordship, And
Then Vanished From The Room.
"The Fairy Godmother, In The Garb Of A Limb Of The Law, By All That'S
Wonderful," Burst Forth Draycott, Who Was The First To Speak After The
Visitor Had Departed.
"The Next Lady Presented To Her Majesty, By Her Grace The Duchess Of
Opals, Was The Lovely And Accomplished Edith, Countess Of Castlemere, On
Her Marriage With The Noble Earl Of That Name." "By Jove! It Sounds
Well," Exclaimed Arthur, Starting Out Of A Reverie Into Which He Had
Fallen, And Springing To His Feet. "Draycott" Continued He, "Am I Awake?
Can It Be All True What The Little Man In black Has Been Telling Us?"
And Carlton Paced Excitedly Up And Down The Apartment.
"Not A Doubt Of It, My Lord," Resumed Draycott "These Musty Old Lawyers
Never Commit Themselves By Letting Out So Much As This One Has Done,
Unless They Are Quite Sure That Everything Is All Safe, Cut And Dried
And Ready For Use, As The Saying Is, And I Think Your Lordship Cannot
Refuse To Join Me In drinking The Health Of The Future Countess Of
Castlemere;" And, Suiting The Action To The Word, Filled Out Two Bumpers
Of Sherry, Which He And Carlton, Nothing Loath, Quaffed Off.
"And Now For The Stroll. I Must Call At The Bartons And Mention This
Piece Of News To Edith; But, My Dear Fellow, Not A Word Of It At The
Clubs. Of Course, They Will Hear Of It From The Newspapers Before The
World Is Many Hours Older."
Arthur Was Right, For The _Pall Mall Gazette_, Of The Following Day,
Announced The Retirement From The Service Of Captain Carlton, Light
Dragoons, By The Sale Of His Commission, And The _Court Circular_ Of The
Same Date Created Quite An Excitement In Fashionable Circles By The
Following: "_On Dit_.--Captain A. Carlton, Late Of The Light Dragoons,
Has Just Succeeded To The Title And Estates Of His Great Grandfather,
The Late Earl Of Castlemere, Which Title Had Lain Dormant For Several
Years, In consequence Of The Only Son Of The Late Nobleman Never Having
Assumed The Title, And Died In Obscurity Abroad, And We, Learn That The
New Earl Is About To Lead To The Hymenial Altar The Beautiful Miss
Effingham, Heiress Of The Splendid Estate Of Vellenaux In devonshire."
The News Of The Alteration In carlton'S Social Position Was Received
With The Utmost Satisfaction In berkly Square. Edith Was Too Firmly
Convinced Of The Unalterable Attachment Of Her Lover To Fear That A
Change Of Fortune Would, In any Way, Alienate Or Weaken The Love He Bore
Her, Believing, As She Did, That Arthur Loved Her With All The Devotion
Of A Long Tried Affection. Certain Alterations In The Programme Had To
Be Made, Consequent On The Elevation To The Peerage Of The Bridegroom
Elect. The Wedding, Which, Was To Have Taken Place In devonshire, Was
Now To Be Celebrated In London; This Entailed A Delay Of Some Few Weeks
In Order That The Family Mansion Of The Castlemeres, In Saint James'
Square, Might Be Re-Decorated And Furnished In a Style Befitting The
Occasion.
As The Rent Role Of The Carlton Abbey Property Produced An Income Equal
To A Clear Ten Thousand A Year, Arthur Now Considered Himself In a
Position To Carry Out The Great Desire Of His Heart, That Of Presenting
To His Beloved Edith The Costly Gems He Had Brought With Him From India.
He Therefore Took Them To One Of The Leading Jewelers In London For
Arrangement And Re-Setting, And Among The Beautiful And Costly Wedding
Presents From The Aristocratic Connections Of The Earl, From The Bartons
And Others Who Had Known Edith From Her Infancy, There Were None That
Could Compare In any Way With The Magnificent Diamond Tiara Ear Rings
And Bracelets, The Cross Rings And Brooches Of Rubies, Pearls And
Diamonds, From The Jewel Case Of That Mutinous Indian Princess, The
Begum Of Runjetpoora.
With Such Zeal And Good Will Did The Lawyers On Both Sides Work, That In
Less Than Three Months From The Death Of Sir Ralph Coleman, Edith Was In
Possession Of Vellenaux, And Arthur Had Been Recognized And Installed As
Earl Of Castlemere, And Master Of Carlton Abbey, That Being The Name Of
The Estate In Nottinghamshire, Where The Old Earl Died.
Having Thus Succeeded To The Title And Estates Of His Forefathers,
Arthur Quitted His Rooms In albermarle Street, And Located Himself At
His Mansion In St. James' Square, Which, Although Undergoing Extensive
Alterations And Decorations, Had Still A Sufficient Number Of Apartments
In Thorough Repair And Handsomely Enough Furnished, To Satisfy The
Taste Of A More Fastidious Person Than Our Ex-Light Dragoon. It Was
Really Astonishing The Number Of Visitors He Had To Receive, And Cards
And Notes Of Invitation Were Showered Upon Him From People Whose Very
Existence He Had Previously Never Heard Of, Connections By Marriage Of
The Past Generation Crowded Upon Him, Mothers With Marriageable
Daughters Invited Him To Their Assemblies, Young Men Of His Own Order
Sought To Engage Him In The Various Pursuits Considered Indispensable
Among Those By Whom He Now Found Himself Surrounded. When It Became
Generally Known That The New Earl Was, Beyond The Possibility Of A
Doubt, Engaged To Be Married, The Connections Just Mentioned Thought It
Right And Proper To Recognize In edith Effingham The Future Countess Of
Castlemere; And, On Learning That She Was The Niece Of A Baronet, And
Heiress, In Her Own Right, To Twenty Thousand A Year, She Was Sought
After And Made Much Of By The Aristocratic Relatives Of Her Affianced
Husband, For The Privilege Of Entering, As Honoured Guests, Such Places
As Vellenaux And Carlton Abbey Was Not To Be Lost For The Want Of A
Little Tact And Polite Attention To The Bride Elect, And So Edith'S
Circle Of Female Friends Enlarged Rapidly, And It Was From Among These
That She Selected The Eight Young Beauties Who Were To Act As
Bridesmaids On Her Marriage Day, Now Fast Approaching.
The Bishop Of Exeter, Who Had Been Well Acquainted With Arthur'S Father,
Offered His Services On The Interesting Occasion, Which Were Gladly
Accepted. Exactly At 11 A.M., The Family Carriage Of The Bartons,
Containing Edith, Pauline Barton, And Three Of The Bridesmaids, Left
Berkly Square. In a Second Were Seated The Other Five Ladies Acting In
That Capacity. Then Came The Large, Roomy Vehicle Of The Good Natured
Stock Broker, Occupied By Mr. And Mrs. Cotterell, Horace Barton And Mr.
And Mrs. Denham, Who Had Come Up From Devonshire Expressly To Be Present
At The Ceremony. Tom Barton And Cousin Kate Accepted Seats In The
Handsome Barouche Of The Ashburnhams.
The Cavalcade Reached Westminister Abbey Just As The Bishop Of Exeter,
Attended By Two Other Clergymen, Drove Up. Quite A Number Of
Aristocratic Equipages, With Their Occupants, Had Already Arrived, And
Just As The Bride Was Descending From Her Carriage, A Handsome
Cabriolete, Driven By The Earl Of Castlemere; Attended By His Groomsman,
Draycott, Dashed Up At Full Speed. Quite A Large Assemblage Had Gathered
About The Cloisters And Aisles Of The Venerable Structure, Where It Had
Pleased Miss Effingham To Have The Marriage Solemnized, All Anxious To
Get A Glimpse Of The Wedding Party, As They Moved Up To The Chancel And
Took The Positions Assigned Them In Front And To The Right And Left Of
The Altar, And A Fairer Scene Than The One Now Presented To Their View,
Had, By Many Been Rarely, If Ever, Witnessed. The Warm, Ruddy Light Of A
Summer'S Sun, Subdued By The Gorgeously Colored Panes Of The Magnificent
Oriel Windows Above The Altar, Fell Softly, Yet Brightly, On The Richly
Dressed Groups That Composed The Bridal Party.
Attended By A Bevy Of Young Maidens, Edith, In The Pride Of Her Womanly
Beauty, Now Fully Matured And Developed, Advanced With A Firm Step And
Knelt Before The Altar, Her Symmetrical And Perfectly Faultless Figure
Appearing To Advantage In a Rich White Corded Silk, With Its Superb
Train Of The Same Material, The Whole Trimmed With Fine Old Point Lace
Of The Most Costly Description; Nor Did The Exquisitely Worked Veil She
Wore Conceal The Tresses Of Golden Brown Hair That Fell In Luxuriant
Ringlets On Her Alabaster Shoulders. The Magnificent Diamonds Of The
Begum Encircled Her Fail Brow, Neck And Arms, While Pendants Of The Same
Precious Stones Hung From Her Small, Shell-Like Ears, Their Brilliant
Prismatic Hues Shooting Forth And Glittering With Lustrous And Dazzling
Brilliancy At Each Movement Of The Wearer; But Far Brighter Than All Was
The Glorious Rays Of The Light Of Love And Joy That Danced And
Scintilated In The Deep Blue Eyes Of The Bride As She Stood Forth And
Plighted Her Troth To Him She So Fondly And Devotedly Loved, And The
Face Of The Handsome Earl Beamed With Unclouded Happiness As He Placed
The Small Golden Circle On The Finger Of His Future Countess.
The Ceremony Was Not A Long, But An Impressive One. The Bridal Anthem
Was Beautifully Rendered By The Choristers, Accompanied By The Clear,
Full, Deep Tones
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