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

Day Of Rest,  They Have Quite

A Number Of Religious Festivals Or Holidays Which They Scrupulously

Observe.

 

The Principal Festival,  And The One Most Religiously Kept Of All The

Holidays Among The True Believers--As The Followers Of Mahomet Style

Themselves--Is That Of The Moharum,  Which Lasts Ten Days,  Commencing

From The Appearance Of The New Moon,  In The Month Of November,  During

Which Time Handsome Temples And Mosques Are Constructed Of Bamboo And

Paper,  And Embellished With Glass,  Paint And Gilding. On The Last Day

They Are Carried In Grand Procession Through The Public Thoroughfares,

Proceeded By A Band Of Music And Accompanied By An Immense Concourse Of

Spectators. Many Of The Faithful Prostrate Themselves Before These

Chapter 9 Pg 58

Taboots,  And In Many Instances Rolling Over And Over In The Muddy

Streets For A Considerable Distance,  Being Generally Well Primed With

Bang Or Opium. There Are Occasional Disturbances Between The Fanatics Of

The Different Castes,  For Many Of These Work Themselves Up To A Pitch Of

Frenzy By The Use Of Narcotics And Other Stimulants,  But The Government

Always Take Steps To Prevent Any Serious Outbreak,  By Having The Troops

Posted In Different Parts Of The Town,  Ready To Turn Out At A Moment's

Notice,  And A Strong Body Of Police Mounted And On Foot Accompany The

Procession To Enforce Order. At Sunset They Reach The River,  And The

Day's Proceedings Terminate By The Taboots Being Thrown Into The Water,

Amid The Shouts,  Gesticulation And Vociferations Of The Now Thoroughly

Excited Populace.

 

The Dewally Festival Is Equally Recognized By Natives Of All Castes And

Denominations As A Sort Of New Year's Day. Accounts For The Past Year

Are Closed,  And New Books Are Opened. The Dirt And Rubbish Of The Past

Twelvemonth Is Removed,  The Houses Thoroughly Cleansed And At Night The

City Or Town Is Illuminated With Lamps,  Chinese Lanterns,  And Other

Descriptions Of Lights,  And The Houses Thrown Open For General

Hospitality.

 

The Hooley,  The Most Revolting Of All Hindoo Festivals,  Draws Together

An Immense Concourse Of People. Large Fires Are Made On The Sides Of The

Public Streets And Liquid Dye Stuffs,  With Every Description Of Filth Is

Thrown By The Hindoos On Each Other,  And Should Any Unfortunate Hindoo

Woman Show Herself In The Street On These Occasions,  She Is Assaulted

With Language Of The Most Obscene And Disgusting Nature. These Festivals

Have Of Late Years Been Curtailed By The Government,  And Now Seldom Last

More Than Two Days--That Is,  In Large Cities Containing European

Communities--But In Native Towns It Is Still Of Many Days Duration.

 

Accounts Of These And Other Native Ceremonies,  Together With The Horrors

Of The Black Hole,  Experienced By Europeans,  Nearly One Hundred Years

Since At The Suggestion Of The Native Princes,  Had Been Related To Edith

By Her Moonshee Ayah,  But Their Dominion,  Or Power For Good Or Evil,  Has

Now Passed Away,  And Calcutta Of The Present Day Is One Of The

Pleasantest And Finest Cities To The European To Be Found Throughout Our

Indian Possessions.

 

And Were It Not For The Great Change In Her Position,  From Absolute

Affluence To Becoming The Recipient Of Another's Bounty,  Edith Would

Have Been,  If Not Quite Happy,  At Least Contented. Yet It Must Not Be

Imagined That She Was Ungrateful Or The Less Thankful To Her Kind

Protectors,  The Bartons,  For She Could Now Well Realize What Might Have

Been Her Situation Had She Been Compelled To Act Upon The Plan That Had

First Suggested Itself To Her On Leaving Vellenaux--That Of Becoming A

Governess Or Companion To Some Antiquated Dowager In Europe.

 

The Repeated Assurances From Mrs. Barton That She Would,  At No Distant

Period,  Secure A Brilliant Alliance,  Fell Coldly On Her Ear,  But She

Made No Ostentative Demonstration Of Her Own Ideas On The Subject,  But

With A Gentle And Quiet Dignity,  Repelled The Advances Of Certain

Aspirants For Her Hand,  Who Were Continually To Be Found In Her Train

Whenever She Appeared Abroad. She Had A Smile For All And A Fascinating

And Bewitching Manner Which Was Equally Bestowed Among Her Would-Be

Admirers. But Beyond This All Was Calm And Cold. Her Heart Had

Imperceptibly Slipped From Her,  And Was Now In The Care Of Another,  Nor

Would She Wish It Were Otherwise. The Future Was Before Her And She Was

Willing To Wait.

 

Let It Not Be Imagined That Arthur Carlton Was A Lukewarm Lover,  Coldly

Prudential,  Or Thinking It Would Be Time Enough To Marry When He Should

Have Obtained His Captaincy,  And Careless As To What Trying Position

Chapter 9 Pg 59

Edith Might Be Placed In,  Surrounded,  As He Knew Her To Be,  By Those Who

Would Willingly Wed Her At Any Moment. Far From It. He Loved Her Too

Well To Ask Her To Share At Present The Inconveniences Incident To A

Camp Life,  As Experienced By The Wives Of Subalterns,  Not That He

Doubted She Would Yield Up Without A Single Regret The Gay Society And

Splendid Establishment Of Mrs. Barton,  And Contentedly Share With Him

His Home,  Be It Ever So Humble. But The Thought Of Her Having To Make

Any Such Sacrifice Was To Him One That Could Not Be Entertained For A

Moment. He Believed He Knew Her Sufficiently Well To Trust Implicitly In

Her Constancy,  And Await The Happy Time When He Could In All Honour

Formally Propose For Her Hand.

 

About A Twelvemonth Prior To The Outbreak Of The Great Sepoy Mutiny,  It

Pleased The Authorities To Change The Scene Of Mr. Barton's Labors From

Chowringee,  That Belgravia Of Calcutta,  To Goolampore,  A Military

Station Of Some Importance In The Northwest Provinces,  Or More Properly

Speaking In The Goozeratte Country. This Act Of The Government,  Although

Particularly Objectionable To Mrs. Barton,  Was Exactly What Her Lord And

Master Desired. His Term Of Service Would Shortly Come To A Close,  And

Therefore,  In His Opinion,  It Became Expedient,  Not Only To Retrench His

Expenses,  Which He Could Not Do At The Gay Capitol,  But Likewise Gather

In A Few More Of The Loaves And Fishes Of Office,  Which Were Said To Be

Found In Greater Abundance At A Distance From The Seat Of Government,

Besides Mr. Barton Was In The Decline Of Life,  And Felt That The Harness

Of Office Life Did Not Fit So Easily Upon Him While Under The Immediate

Supervision Of The Suddur Aydowlett,  As It Would Do When Removed From

Its Immediate Influence. However,  Be This As It May,  He Was Quite

Content With The Change,  Nor Was He The Only One To Whom This Change Was

A Sort Of Relief. The City Of Palaces And Its Surroundings Had Become

Distasteful To Edith; Not That She Disliked The Capitol Or The Pleasures

To Be Found There; But She Felt Wearied And Annoyed By The Attentions

That Were Showered Upon Her By The Numerous Suitors Who Thronged Around

Her,  Using All The Powers Of Persuasion They Had At Command,  To Induce

Her To Listen To Their Respective Suits. The Parchment Visaged Nabob,

With His Sacks Of Rupees,  The Wealthy Planter,  Whose Fortune Had Been

Wrung From Either Opium Or Indigo,  Perhaps Both,  The Rich Civil Servant

And Field Officer,  With Numerous Others,  All Jostling And Hedging Each

Other In The Race For The Hand Of The Beautiful Miss Effingham; But The

Prize Was Not For Them. She Cared Not A Jot For Either Their Persons Or

Their Purses And Would Not Consent To Be Caught,  And Like A Bird In A

Golden Cage,  Flutter Without The Means Of Escape.

 

But There Was One For Whom She Did Care,  One Whose Image Was Indelibly

Stamped On Her Heart,  And Whom She Loved As Woman Only Can Love,  And

This Favored One Was Arthur Carlton,  Lieut. H.M. Light Dragoons--The

Playmate Of Her Childhood,  And Companion Of Her Riper Years In The

Golden Days At Vellenaux,  In Dear Old England.

 

"It Is Absurd In The Directors,  Or Whoever Has To Do With It,  To Send

Horace Off To The Northwest,  Just At The Commencement Of The Season Too;

Besides,  We Shall Scarcely Be Settled Before We Shall Have To Return To

England. I Declare We Are Being Treated Shamefully," Said Mrs. Barton,

As She Stepped From The Chuppaul Ghat To The Budgerow That Was To Convey

Them To The Steamer,  In Which A Passage Had Been Provided By The

Government For Them,  To The Nearest Port On The Coast Of Goozeratte,  _En

Route_ For Goolampore,  "And To Think," Again Resumed The Little Lady To

Edith,  As They Sat Together In The Handsomely Furnished Cabin,  "That

Your Brilliant Prospects Will Be Destroyed; For Who Is There In The

Interior That Will Compensate For The Loss Of Those Eligible Suitors For

Your Hand?" Edith Disclaimed Against Brilliant Alliances Or The Admirers

Referred To.

 

"It Is All Very Fine,  My Dear,  For You To Say So; But Depend Upon It,

Chapter 9 Pg 60

For A Young Lady In Your Position And Circumstances,  There Is Nothing

Equal To A Wealthy Husband,  And An Establishment Of Your Own. But What I

Shall Do Without You I Really Do Not Know; But I Expect It Must Come To

That Some Day Or Other." Here The Good Lady Sank Back Among Her

Cushions,  And Resigned Herself To Her Fate,  Her Ayah,  And Her Last New

Novel.

 

For Several Months All Went Pleasantly Enough With The Bartons,  Much

More So,  Indeed Than Had Been Anticipated By Her Little Ladyship; For

She Found That As Wife Of The Judge,  The Highest Civil Functionary In

The Station,  She Was Leader Of Fashion,  And Took Precedence Of All Other

Ladies In Goolampore; And Edith,  For A Time,  Found Herself Relieved From

The Importunities That Beset Her At Calcutta. Not That She Lacked

Admirers,  But Certainly At Present Their Attentions Were Not

Sufficiently Marked To Give Her Any Annoyance.

 

The Worthy Judge Was Retrenching. His Expenses Were Scarcely One Fourth

Of What They Had Been At The Presidency. He Had Attained His Object,  And

All Things For The Time Being _Couleur De Rose_.

 

"Come Here Pretty One," Said He As He Noticed Edith Dismounting,  After

Her Usual Ride Around The Race Course And Band Stand,  One Beautiful

Evening. "Listen! Here Is Something In The Papers That Will Greatly

Interest You,  Or I Am Much Mistaken." Edith Was Soon At His Side,  All

Attention,  When The Gentleman Proceeded To Read As Follows:--"Extract

From General Orders. His Excellency The Commander In Chief Has Been

Pleased To Appoint Lieutenant Arthur Carlton,  H.M. Light Dragoons,  To

Act As A.D.C. On The Staff Of General D----,  At Goolampore. That Officer

Will Proceed And