Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Forrest (7 ebook reader txt) 📗

Chapter 17 Pg 121

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

Rescued 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.

 

Chapter 17 Pg 122

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

Rather 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

Chapter 17 Pg 123

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

The 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 Known To The Gay And Fashionable

Butterflies Of The Presidency As Quietly And Gradually As Might Be. It

Was Necessary That They Should Be Aware There Was Such A Person As Lady

Chutny In existence; But For The Present She Would Be Heard Of Only And

Not Seen,  So That When She Appeared Among Them And Threw Open Her

Splendid Rooms For Balls And Other Entertainments It Would Be Considered

A Matter Of Course,  A Thing To Be Expected From The Wife Of So Wealthy A

Man As Sir Lexicon Was Reputed To Be. Her Ladyship'S Theory Was The

Correct One,  For By Acting In This Manner She Would Be Relieved From The

Hubbub And Cry Of "Who Is She?"