Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Forrest (best book club books of all time txt) 📗
- Author: Edmund William Forrest
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Understand, Or See In What Way He Ought To Act, But Doubtless She Would
Put Him Right On All Matters That Were To Be Brought Quietly To The
Notice Of Sir Jasper. While Making Some Addition To His Toilet, It
Occurred To Him That She Might Be Only Making A Cat's Paw Of Him To
Feather Her Own Nest, But As He Could Not See Clearly How This Could Be,
Dismissed The Idea From His Mind, And Shortly After Made His Bow To The
Widow.
She Rose And Received Him Courteously; Apologised For The Absence Of The
Host And His Niece, Supposed He Would Feel Inclined To Retire Early, As
Doubtless He Would Wish To Rise At The Dawn Of Day, To Avail Himself Of
The Excellent Shooting Which Was To Be Had In The Turnip Fields, And Was
Altogether Very Chatty And Agreeable; But She In No Way Alluded To The
Letter She Had Written, To Him, He Was Therefore Compelled To Broach The
Subject, And Before The Supper Bell Rang, A Mutual Understanding As To
What Was To Be Said And Done Was Arrived At Between Them.
The Baronet And Mr. Coleman Breakfasted Alone On The Following Morning.
Edith Had Not Returned, And Mrs. Fraudhurst Excused Herself On The Plea
Of Indisposition, But Doubtless She Had Some Other Motive For Absenting
Herself.
"And You Found The Birds Plentiful, And In Good Condition," Enquired Sir
Jasper, As He Pushed Away His Plate, And Turned His Chair Towards The
Bright, Cheerful Fire Which Was Blazing In The Polished Grate, And
Stooping Down To Pat A Couple Of Pointers That Were Crouching
Comfortably On The Hearth Rug At His Feet.
"Yes, Indeed, Quite So, I Do Not Remember A Season When The Partridges
Have Been So Plump Or In Such Numbers, But Had Hoped To Have Had Your
Company This Morning, But Perhaps To-Morrow."
"So I Have Heard, But You Must Really Excuse Me, It Used To Be My Chief
Delight To Shoot Over The Grounds And Preserves On A Fine Autumn Morning
Like The Present One, But It Is Too Much For Me Now, And I Have Given It
Up, But I Like My Friends To Enjoy It. How Long Can You Stay This Time?"
"Only Three Days; I Cannot Be Absent From Town More Than That, But It Is
Well Worth The Journey To Shoot Over A Friends Property, Even If Only
For Three Days."
"Then You Must Make The Most Of Your Time; Old Tom The Game-Keeper Will
Show You The Best Covers And General Shooting Ground. I Wish You Could
Have Remained For A Week Or Two, The Young Fellows Belonging To The
Neighboring Families Will Be Home From School And College, And There
Will Be Plenty Of Popping Then, I Promise You. Ah! That Reminds Me That
Arthur Carlton Has Finished His Education, And Is Coming Home, And It Is
Not My Intention That He Should Again Return To Oxford; And Now We Are
Alone And Not Likely To Be Disturbed, I Wish You Would Give Me Your
Opinion As To What Profession Or Occupation It Would Be Best For Him To
Embark In. I Should Like To Give The Youngster A Fair Start In Life. I
Have Given Him The Education Of A Gentleman, And I Should Like Him To
Retain That Position."
This Was The Turn In The Conversation The Lawyer Had Been Anxiously
Waiting For, But He Seemed In No Hurry To Take Advantage Of It; He
Shifted His Position So That The Light Might Not Fall On His Features,
Took A Pinch Of Snuff And Crossed One Knee Over The Other Before He
Ventured An Opinion On The Subject.
"I Know So Very Little Of The Young Gentleman," He Began, "As Scarcely
To Be Able To Advise You On A Matter Of Such Moment, And Have Hitherto
Declined From So Doing On That Account, But As You So Desire It, I Will
Chapter 2 Pg 10Give My Opinion On The Matter According To The Best Of My Judgment."
"Thank You, Thank You, That Is All I Ask. Then," Resumed The Lawyer,
"The Road By Which A Young Man Of Education Can, By Perseverance, Hope
To Earn For Himself A Competency And A Good Position In The Social
Scale, Is That Of The Church, The Navy Or In The Military Service Of His
Country. As For The Pulpit, Unless The Aspirant Has A Special Tendency
For It, Or Some Good Friend Who Has A Living To Bestow, He Will Hardly
Realize A Sufficient Income To Support Himself As A Gentleman; And To
Send Him Up To London To Study Law, Or Medicine For Two Or Three Years
Would But Expose Him To The Temptations And Dissipations Of That Great
City, And It Would Take Years Of Drudgery Before He Would Be Able To
Obtain A Competency. In My Opinion The Safest And Most Expeditious Way
Of Proceeding Is To Put Him Into The Army; His Commission And Outfit Is
The Only Outlay, And Can Be Done At Once; His Position Is Established,
And It Only Remains With Himself To Rise In His Profession, And You Will
Be Relieved From All Care And Responsibility On His Account; But
Understand Me, I Do Not Mean That He Should Enter One Of The Regiments,
Now In England, To Loiter His Time Away At Some Country Quarters Or
Fashionable Watering Place, To Fall Into Debt, Difficulty, Love, Or Some
Other Absurd Scrape, But Put Him Into Some Corps That Is Now And Will Be
For Some Years Stationed Somewhere Abroad, India, For Instance, For I
Have Been, By Competent Authorities, Informed That There An Officer Can
Live Comfortably On The Pay Of His Rank.
"If He Is Abstemious, And Takes Care Of His Health, His Promotion Must
Ensue Without Purchase, And That, Too, In A Few Years. It Is A Prospect
That Thousands Of Youngsters Would Jump At, And One I Think That Is In
Every Way Suitable For Him; This Sir Jasper, Is All I Have To Offer On
This Subject."
This Advice Of Ralph Coleman's, Although Given To Effect A Preconcerted
Scheme, Was So In Unison With The Baronet's Views, That He Could But
Assent To What Had Been Uttered By Ralph, And The Lawyer Had The
Satisfaction Of Knowing, Ere He Left The Breakfast Room, That His
Suggestions Would Be Carried Out To The Letter; And Prior To His Return
To London He Had Another Interview With The Wily Widow, At Which He
Informed Her Of The Arrangement That Had Been Decided Upon By The
Baronet In Regard To Arthur Carlton's Future Career. "He Will," Ralph
Went On To Say, "Be Thus Removed Out Of Harm's Way For Several Years,
And Perchance May Never Again Cross Your Path, And I Have No Doubt While
Sir Jasper Lives Your Position Will Be Secure. I Have Served Your Turn
Without Benefitting Myself In Any Way."
"Not So," Was The Lady's Reply, "You Have But Been Paving The Way For
Your Own Advancement. Why Not Marry Edith, She Is Aware That The Title
Falls To You, But Is Ignorant Of The Fact That Her Uncle Has Made Her
Sole Heiress, And Girls Brought Up As She Has Been, Will Frequently
Overlook Much To Gain A Title, And Become The Envied Lady Of Vellenaux."
"With Young Carlton Out Of The Way, And Separated, As They Will Be, For
Years, Any Rising Passion She May Now Feel For Him Will Soon Die Out,
And If You Make Your Advances With Caution, And Be Not Too Precipitate,
I Have No Doubt That You Will Eventually Secure Both The Lady And The
Estate, So Of The Two, I Fancy That You Have Rather The Best Of The
Bargain." And After A Little More Conversation On The Subject, This
Worthy Pair Parted.
And Now Let Us Introduce The Youth Whose Future Welfare Had Been The
Difficulty About Which The Widow And Ralph Had Given Themselves So Much
Concern.
A Tall, Slight, But Decidedly Handsome Youth, Between Eighteen And
Chapter 2 Pg 11Nineteen Years Of Age, Wearing The Collegiate Cap And Gown, Was Pacing
Somewhat Impatiently Up And Down The Quadrangle Of St. John's College,
Evidently Expecting The Approach Of Some Person Whom He Was Most
Desirous Of Seeing. This Was Arthur Carlton, The Protégé Of Sir Jasper
Coleman. He Was An Orphan, Having Lost Both Parents 'Ere He Knew Them.
His Father Had Been A Peninsular Officer And Companion-In-Arms Of The
Baronet, Who, On The Death Of His Friend, Undertook To See To The
Education And Future Welfare Of The Little Arthur. On Losing His Mother
He Had Been Removed Under The Care Of His Nurse To Vellenaux, Where He
Had Been Only A Few Months, When The Little Edith Made Her Appearance On
The Scene Of Action, And Being Nearly Of An Age They Soon Became Good
Friends And Fond Of The Society Of Each Other, Because Of Mutual
Assistance While Pursuing Their Studies Together, Which They Continued
To Do Until Young Carlton Was By His Kind Patron Sent To School, Prior
To His Going To College At Oxford. Fond Of Study, He Readily Acquired
Knowledge Which He Stored Up To Be Used Hereafter As Circumstances Might
Demand; He Was Aware Of His Real Position, And That His Future Success
In Life Must Chiefly Depend Upon His Own Exertions.
His Patron In Caring For Him During His Early Years, And Giving Him The
Benefit Of A University Education, Had, In The Young Man's Opinion,
Fully Carried Out The Promise Made To His Father, On His Death Bed,
Whether On The Completion Of His Education His Benefactor Would Continue
To Assist Him By Using His Interest To Procure Him Some Suitable
Position In Which He Could Carve Out For Himself, A Road To Name And
Fame, He Knew Not, But Nevertheless He Felt A Deep Sense Of Gratitude
For What Had Already Been Done For Him, By His Father's Old Friend. He
Was Becoming Restless When The Friend Expected Advanced At A Smart Pace
To Meet Him, And Proved To Be Tom Barton, The Youngest Son Of The
Bartons Of The Willows, A Worthy Old Couple Who Resided On Their Own
Property, The So Called Willows Which Joined The Estate Of Sir Jasper
Coleman. In This Family Besides Daughters There Were Two Sons, The
Eldest Horace Barton Had Graduated At St. John's, And Subsequently Had
Obtained An Appointment In The Civil Service Of The East India Company,
And Had Gone Out To Calcutta, Where He Had Now Been For Several Years.
Tom, Like His Brother, Had Been Educated At Oxford, And Was Now About
Leaving College To Return To His Home For A Few Weeks, Prior To His
Leaving For London, To Pursue The Profession He Had Chosen, That Of The
Law.
"Carlton, My Dear Fellow, You Must Really Excuse Me For Thus Keeping You
Waiting; I Assure
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