Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Forrest (best book club books of all time txt) 📗

Chapter 7 Pg 46

The Hands Of Mr. Russell,  The Former Agent,  And Matters Soon Resumed

Their Usual Routine,  As Though The Late Proprietor Was Merely Absent On

A Visit.

 

Notwithstanding The Precautions Taken In Order To Prevent Suspicion From

Gaining Ground That There Had Been Any Complicity Between Sir Ralph And

The Widow,  Which Might Account For The Absence Of Any Legal Document

Making A Suitable Provision For That Niece To Whom Sir Jasper Was So

Sincerely Attached,  There Were Many Who Could Not Divest Themselves Of

The Idea That There Had Been Foul Play Practiced In Some Way,  But As

There Was Nothing Tangible To Go Upon They Were Compelled To Confine

Their Suspicions Within Their Own Breasts,  And Show Their Sympathy For

Miss Effingham By Letters Of Condolence And Offers Of Friendship And

Protection Should She Need Them; For Of Course,  It Was Understood By All

That Her Position Was Materially Altered By The Apparent Fact That Sir

Jasper Had Died Intestate.

 

Both Mrs. Fraudhurst And Sir Ralph Were Struck With The Visible Inroad

That Grief Had Made In The Pale But Still Beautiful Features Of Edith,

As She Entered The Drawing Room For The First Time Since Her Uncle's

Funeral.

 

The New Baronet Rose As If To Conduct Her To A Seat,  But There Was

Something In Her Eye And Manner That Checked Him,  And He Contented

Himself With Bowing To Her Somewhat Stiffly,  And Resumed His Chair. She

Advanced Toward The Table At Which He Was Seated,  With A Coolness And

Self-Possession So Natural To Her,  Whenever Placed In Any Awkward And

Trying Position; Her Elegant Figure Fully Developed By The Tight Fitting

Habit She Wore,  And The Ringlets Of Her Rich Brown Hair Falling Upon Her

Magnificent Shoulders From Beneath Her Black Riding Hat,  And In A Voice

Calm,  Clear And Distinct,  But Without The Least Bitterness Or Anger,

Thus Addressed Him: "Sir Ralph Coleman,  The Law,  I Am Told,  Pronounces

You Master Of Vellenaux And Its Broad Acres. The Death Of My Uncle Has

Left Me Without A Home,  But,  I Trust,  Not Without Friends. Do Not

Interrupt Me,  Sir," Said She,  Seeing That He Was About To Speak,  "Your

Importunities And Ungenerous Conduct Previous To The Death Of My Late

Lamented Uncle And More Than Father,  Would,  In Itself,  Be A Sufficient

Inducement For Me To Take The Step I Am Now About To Do. It Is My

Intention To Leave Vellenaux This Morning For The Willows,  And Request

That My Personal Effects And Such Property As May Have Been Presented To

Me By My Late Uncle May Be Sent To Me There." Then,  With A Slight

Inclination Of The Head Towards Him,  And Without A Word Or Glance In The

Direction Of Mrs. Fraudhurst,  Who Was Seated At The Open Window,

Examining The Contents Of The Post Bag,  Turned And Left The Apartment.

Her Intended Departure Had Been Made Known To The Whole Of The Household

By Annette,  And,  Much To Her Surprise,  She Found All The Servants

Assembled In The Hall To Pay Their Respects To Her As She Quitted The

Only Home She Had Ever Known. Edith Felt Deeply Their Respectful

Sympathy And Parted From Them With Unfeigned Regret. Poor Old Bridoon At

The Lodge Felt Keenly For His Young Mistress,  And Could Not Refrain From

Expressing To Her,  As She Wished Him Farewell,  That There Was Something

Wrong About The Absence Of Any Will Or Other Document. He Would Not

Believe That His Dear Old Master Would Put Off Making A Provision For

His Niece Until It Was Too Late,  And He Sincerely Hoped That He Might

Live To See The Day Of Her Return To Vellenaux As Its Mistress. This

Feeling Was Shared Alike By Tenantry And Servants,  For They All Had,  In

Some Way,  Been Indebted To Her For Acts Of Kindness.

 

"You Have Been Too Precipitate,  And Frightened The Bird Away," Remarked

Mrs. Fraudhurst. "But," Continued She,  After A Moment's Pause,  "Perhaps

It Is As Well She Has Taken This Step. Her Presence Here Is Now No

Longer Necessary. You Have The Property Without The Encumbrance."

 

Chapter 7 Pg 47

Whatever Sir Ralph's Opinions On The Subject Might Have Been He Did Not

Express Them; But In His Inmost Heart He Wished That She Had Remained

Under His Roof,  For Time,  He Thought,  Would Cause Her To Change Her

Mind,  And Think More Favorably Of His Suit,  And Once His Wife,  She Could

Not Give Evidence Against Him Should The Affair Of The Stolen Will Ever

Come To Her Knowledge. He Distrusted His Partner In Crime,  And Avoided

As Much As Possible Being Left Alone With Her.

 

In The Bartons Edith Found True Friends,  Julia And Emily Doing

Everything In Their Power To Render Her Stay With Them As Agreeable As

Possible. The Pretty Mrs. Horace,  Who,  From The First,  Had Taken A Great

Interest In Her,  Now Felt A Real Desire To Serve One Who,  By The Force

Of Circumstances Over Which She Had No Control,  Had Been Left,  As It

Were,  Alone In The World,  And That,  Too,  At An Age And With Such

Personal Attractions As Usually Require The Most Careful Watching Of

Parent Or Guardian,  And It Entered Her Pretty Head That She Could Serve

Her Friend Most Effectually And At The Same Time Secure For Herself That

Which Was So Much Needed In Her Indian Home In The Far East,  A Personal

Friend And Companion. Good,  Easy Horace,  She Knew,  Would Not Object,  And

Scarcely Had Edith Been One Week At The Willows Before She Had Unfolded

To Her The Scheme She Had Worked Out For Their Mutual Benefit; And

Meeting The Approval Of The Whole Family,  Edith Was Only Too Happy To

Accompany Mrs. Barton On Her Return To Calcutta,  For,  Thought She,  I

Have No Relative In England To Miss Me,  Or Mourn For Me,  But In India I

Perhaps Have,  And Her Thoughts Wandered To Arthur Carlton And The

Probability Of Their Meeting In The Land Beyond The Seas. After A Few

Weeks' Longer Residence In Devonshire,  The Pretty Little Wife Of The

Judge,  Accompanied By Edith,  Left By The Overland Route To Return To Her

Home In The City Of Palaces. And Such Was The Effect On Edith Of Change

Of Scene And A Life So Entirely New To Her,  Among A People Whose Habits,

Manners And Customs Were Strangely At Variance With Anything She Had

Hitherto Experienced,  And She Now Remembered,  With Feelings Of Emotion

Softened By Time,  That Uncle,  Whose Death She Had So Deeply Lamented,

That Her Health And Spirits Gradually Returned,  And With Them That

Beauty,  Which Had Adorned Her Before Her Sad Bereavement,  And For A Few

Years Her Residence In India Was In No Way Distasteful To Her. During

This Time She Had Frequently Heard Of Arthur Carlton,  But They Had Only

Met Twice,  His Regiment Being Employed At So Great A Distance From

Calcutta In Settling Some Disturbances Among The Rohillas Of Rohilcund,

That It Was Very Difficult For A Subaltern To Obtain Leave Of Absence.

 

A Few Weeks After Her Return,  Mrs. Barton Had Written To Arthur,

Acquainting Him With The Fact Of Edith's Being In The Country,  And

Certain Circumstances Connected With The Death Of Sir Jasper Coleman,

And Wound Up By Giving Him A Special Invitation To Chowringee For A Few

Weeks. This She Had Done Out Of Kindness To Edith,  For She Had Some

Suspicion Of How That Young Lady Might Be Influenced By The Presence Of

The Playmate Of Her Childhood.

 

Carlton Received This Intelligence With The Utmost Astonishment. He Had

Been In Complete Ignorance Of The Baronet's Death And The Changes That

Had Taken Place At Vellenaux. His Last Two Letters To Edith Had Remained

Unanswered,  Or At Least He Had Not Received Them. But He Little Knew

That Mrs. Fraudhurst Had Taken Possession Of The Post Bag And Abstracted

Therefrom Edith's Letters To Him As Well As Those He Had Sent To Her.

She Had Some Apprehensions That He Might Contrive To Make His Appearance

At Vellenaux At A Time It Was Least Expected Or Desired By Either

Herself Or Sir Ralph Coleman. His Next Feeling Was That Of Joy At The

Thought Of Again Meeting Her,  And At The Idea That She Was To Remain In

The Same Country Perhaps For Several Years. As Has Been Mentioned

Before,  No Direct Words Of Love Had Passed Between Them,  And It Was Not

Until The Mighty Ocean Had Divided Them That He Had Realized How Dear

She Was To Him,  Or The Strength Or Depth Of His Love For Her. In His

Chapter 7 Pg 48

Heart He Secretly Rejoiced That Sir Jasper's Estate Had Passed Into

Other Hands,  For What Chance Had He,  A Poor Lieutenant Of Dragoons,  In

Aspiring To The Hand Of The Beautiful Edith,  Heiress Of Vellenaux.

 

He Lost No Time In Procuring The Required Furlough,  And At Their First

Meeting,  The Four Missing Letters Were Commented Upon,  And Their

Non-Delivery Ascribed To The Right Party,  Namely,  Mrs. Fraudhurst,  As

They Wandered Together Down The Pomegranate And Orange Groves In The

Cool Of The Evening,  Or Pacing The Broad,  Open Verandah Beneath The Star

Lit Sky.

 

"I Think,  Carlton,  You Must Be In High Feather With The Colonel,  Or Your

Lucky Star Is In The Ascendant," Said Captain Hastings To Our Young

Hero,  A Few Days After His Return From Calcutta,  As They Rode Home From

Stables Together.

 

"How So? What Is In The Mind Now?" Enquired Arthur,  As He Reined His

Horse Nearer To That Of His Companion.

 

"Why,  There Is Another Row Among Those Fellows In Bundlecund,  And A

Squadron Of Our Regiment Has Been Ordered Out. My Troop And Yours Have

Been Selected For The Business,  And As Your Captain Is In Europe And The

Other Two Troop Commanders Absent From Headquarters,  You Are To Have

Charge On,  This Occasion. I Command The Squadron,  So They May Look Out

For Hard Knocks If We Get A Chance At Them. I Will Teach The Blackguards

A Lesson They Will Not Forget For Some Time. They Will Find No

Philanthropy Or Mistaken Clemency About Me,  And To Tell You The Truth,  I

Would Rather Have You For My Second In Command Than Either Dalzell Or

Harcly."

 

"Many Thanks For Your Good Opinion; And Depend Upon It I Shall Not Be

Backward In Proving Its Correctness,  Should An Opportunity Offer,"

Responded Arthur,  As They Entered The Mess Room.

 

The Affair In Bundlecund Proved A More Obstinate Contest Than Had Been

At First Expected,  And Lasted For A Considerable Time. But The Coolness

And Determination Of The Light Dragoons Were Too Much For Them,

Consequently The Disturbance Was Quelled,  But Not Before A Large Number

Of The Rascals Had Been Made To Bite The Dust. Here,  As In

Chillianwalla,  Carlton's Bravery And Skill,  As A Troop Leader,  Were

Conspicuous,  And He Well Merited The Encomiums That Were Poured Upon Him

By His Brother Officers On