Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Forrest (the rosie project txt) 📗
- Author: Edmund William Forrest
Book online «Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Forrest (the rosie project txt) 📗». Author Edmund William Forrest
Death Of Sir Jasper Or Edith's Marriage. Her Income During The Years Of
Her Residence With Sir Jasper Had Been A Handsome One, And Being At
Little Or No Expense, She Managed To Accumulate A Goodly Sum At Her
Bankers; But The Idea Of Losing Her Present Abode Was To Her
Disagreeable In The Extreme, And Her Busy Mind Was Continually At Work
To Devise How This Could Be Averted, And This Was The Way Matters Stood
With Her On The Morning Alluded To.
"He Is Coming Home From College Next Month Not Again To Return, And She
Loves Him, Though She May Not At Present Realize The Fact, But That
Knowledge Will Come, And I Fear Much Too Soon. Sir Jasper Will Not
Object, And The Youth Will Hardly Refuse To Accept Vellenaux And Twenty
Thousand A Year, Although There Be An Incumbrance In The Shape Of A Wife
Attached To The Bargain. Yes, I See It All, They Will Marry And I Shall
Be Thrown Out In The Cold Unless I Have Wit Enough To Prevent It Without
Appearing To Interest Myself In Any Way With What Ought Not To Concern
Me. But Arthur Carlton Must Not Remain Here. He Must Be Sent Abroad, To
America, India, Anywhere, It Matters Not Where, So That They Be
Separated, And That Ere Long." These Were The Thoughts That Chased Each
Other Through The Active Brain Of Mrs. Fraudhurst, As She Sat Alone In
The Library. Half An Hour Had Elapsed Ere She Had Quite Made Up Her Mind
As To What Course She Should Pursue To Avoid The Impending Evil. Then,
At Length, Seeming To Grasp The Difficulty, She Took Up Her Pen And
Wrote What She Thought Was Likely To Transpire At Vellenaux Should There
Be No One Sufficiently Interested In The Matter To Prevent The Estate
(Which Had Been In The Coleman Family For Several Generations) From
Passing Into Other Hands. This She Sent To One Whom She Had Every Reason
To Believe (For She Had Observed Him Well) Would Not Scruple To Use Any
Means To Gain Possession Of The Broad Lands Of Vellenaux. This Letter
The Cautious Widow Posted With Her Own Hands, To Prevent The Possibility
Of The Address Being Noticed By Either Sir Jasper Or Edith. The Matter
Being Thus Satisfactorily Arranged, She Patiently Awaited The
Developments Of The First Fruits Of The Plot Against Young Carlton.
Chapter 2 Pg 8
It May Be Remarked, And With A Great Deal Of Truth, That The Chapters Of
A Novel Bear A Certain Resemblance To Those Pleasing Illusions Known As
Dissolving Views, Where One Scene Glides Almost Imperceptibly Into
Another. The Reader Has Been Gazing Mentally On Woods, Landscapes And
Water In The South Of England, When Lo! In The Twinkling Of An Eye, The
Busy Haunts Of Men In The World's Great Capitol, London, Stands Unveiled
Chapter 2 Pg 9Effect
Is Concerned, The Change Is At Times Less Pleasing Than The One Just
Fading From View. Yet If We Wish To Realize The Plot Of The Story, The
Dark And Uncertain Shades Of The Picture Should Be Looked On, From Time
To Time, As They Present Themselves.
On A Door, Which Stood Partially Open, In The Last Of A Row Of Gloomy
Looking Houses Situated In One Of Those Dark And Narrow Paved Courts
Leading From Chancery Lane To Lincoln Inn Field's, Was Painted In Black
Letters On A White Ground--"Ralph Coleman, Attorney-At-Law."
In The Ill Lit Passage To The Right Was A Door That Opened Into The
Front Office, Where, Seated At An Old-Fashioned Desk, Was A Youth, Tall,
Thin And Pale, Busily Engaged Engrossing Some Legal Documents. A Short,
Quick Step Was Heard Coming Up The Court, The Handle Turned, The Door
Opened, And A Man About The Middle Height With A Slight Tendency To Be
Corpulent, And About Thirty-Five Years Of Age, Entered. "Are Those
Papers Ready," Enquired Mr. Coleman Of The Young Clerk, Who Had Ceased
Writing On The Entrance Of His Employer.
"I Am Finishing The Last One Now," Was The Ready Reply.
"Good; And My Letters?"
"They Are In The Usual Place, On Your Desk," Answered The Youth,
Re-Commencing His Work. The Attorney Moved Away And Entered His Private
Office, And Seating Himself In His Old Leathern Chair, Commenced In A
Methodical Way To Open And Peruse His Letters.
Ralph Coleman Commenced Life With Very Fair Prospects. He Came Of A Good
Old Family And Had Received A University Education, And Studied For The
Bar Very Assiduously For Three Or Four Years, But On The Death Of His
Father He Came In For Five Thousand Pounds. He Then Neglected His
Profession, And, For A Time, Led A Very Fast Life In London. When He Had
Run Through About Half Of His Money He Went Abroad, And While There
Married A Lady Who Had A Tolerable Fortune. They Travelled Together Over
The European Continent, And For Several Years Enjoyed What Is Termed
Life.
An Accident Happened To Mrs. Coleman In Switzerland Which Resulted In
Her Death. Ralph Being Again Alone In The World, As It Were, Entered
Into All The Wild Dissipations Of Vienna And Paris, Which Ended In His
Ruin; And He Returned To England With Only A Five Pound Note Between Him
And Beggary. As The Cousin And Only Male Relative Of Sir Jasper Coleman,
He Was Heir To The Baronetcy But Not To The Property. This Was
Unentailed, And At The Will Of The Baronet; But Should He Die Intestate
The Whole Would Fall To Ralph.
But The Hope Of Succeeding To The Estate Banished, Or Was At Least, To
A Considerable Extent, Quashed, When He Learned That Miss Effingham Had
Been Adopted By Her Uncle, And That Likewise He Had Made A Protégé Of
The Son Of His Old Friend Eustace Carlton, And Would No Doubt Eventually
Make A Will In Their Favor; But So Far As He Could Learn, Up To The
Present Time No Will Had Been Made. There Was A Degree Of Consolation In
This; But In The Meantime He Must Live; He Therefore Resumed His
Chapter 2 Pg 10Profession, And By Energy, And The Aid Of His Aristocratic Friends,
Succeeded In Obtaining A Tolerable Practice.
He Was On Pretty Good Terms With His Cousin, And Usually Went Down To
Devonshire For A Few Days During The Shooting Season, And On More Than
One Occasion Had Sir Jasper Spoken To Him Of The Future Career Of Young
Arthur; But The Lawyer Generally Managed To Evade The Subject By Saying
There Was Plenty Of Time To Think About That When The Youngster Should
Leave College, And Appeared To Interest Himself Very Little In The
Matter, Because He Did Not See In What Way The Youth's Future Career
Could Affect Him; That Sir Jasper Might Assist Arthur With His Interest,
At The Outset, And Perhaps Give Him A Couple Of Hundred Pounds To Help
Him On In His Profession Or Calling, He Did Not At All Doubt; But Beyond
This Ralph Did Not Believe The Baronet Would Assist Him.
"Ah!" Said The Attorney, As He Took Up The Fourth Letter And Glanced At
The Postmark, "From Devonshire, And The Handwriting Is That Of Mrs.
Fraudhurst; What Can That Maneuvering Woman Have To Communicate? But We
Shall See, We Shall See," And At Once Opened The Letter. The Contents
Were Evidently Not Of An Agreeable Character, For His Brow Darken And
His Lips Were Firmly Compressed As He Read The Long And Closely Written
Epistle. At Its Conclusion He Moved For A Few Seconds Uneasily In His
Chair, Then Re-Folded The Letter And Placed It Carefully In His
Pocketbook. With His Head Resting On His Hand He Remained Sometime In
Deep Thought; Presently His Brow Became Clear And, Turning To His Desk,
Wrote Rapidly For The Space Of An Hour.
"Scrubbins," Said He, Addressing His Confidential (And Only) Clerk, "I
Am Going To Devonshire, But Will Return The Day After To-Morrow; You
Will Find Your Instructions On My Desk, And Now Give Me The Deeds; And
Remember, Should Any One Enquire For Me Tell Them I Am Gone To The
Country On Business, And Shall Be Back The Day After To-Morrow," And
Without Farther Comment, Ralph Coleman Passed Out Of The Office.
It Was A Still, Calm Night In Early Autumn, The Silvery Moon Looked Down
From Her Deep Violet Throne Amidst The Starry Heavens; The Dull, Heavy
Sound Made By The Mighty Ocean, As Its Huge Waves Were Dashed Upon The
Sea-Beat Shore, Fell Audibly On The Ear In The Silent Night. A Light Sea
Breeze Swept Through The Furze Bushes That Were Scattered Over The
Downs, Across Which Lay The High Road Leading Past The Park.
Bridoon, The Old Gate Keeper, Was Seated On His Wooden Settle Within The
Porch Of The Lodge, Smoking A Long Clay Pipe, And Occasionally Quaffing
Long Draughts Of Rare Old Cider. He Was Just Thinking Of Turning In For
The Night, When A Vehicle Stopped, And A Voice Demanded Admittance. As
The Gates Swung Open A Gig And Its Occupant Passed Through And Proceeded
At A Smart Pace Along The Broad Avenue Towards The Mansion.
The Clock Of The Village Church Was Striking Ten As Ralph Coleman
Pulled Up At The Principal Entrance Of Vellenaux, And Was Met In The
Hall By Reynolds The Old Butler, And Conducted To The Room He Usually
Occupied When Visiting There During The Shooting Season.
"Sir Jasper," Said The Old Servant, "Has Retired For The Night, And Miss
Effingham Is On A Visit To The Willows, But Mrs. Fraudhurst Is, I
Chapter 2 Pg 11Believe, Still In The Drawing Room; Will You Please To Step In There
Until Supper Is
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