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 LIONEL DEERHURST 
 
 OR, 
 
 FASHIONABLE LIFE 
 
 UNDER THE REGENCY. 
 
 EDITED 
 
 BY THE COUNTESS OF BLESSINGTON, 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 
 
 1846. 
 
LOND ON 
 
 Printefl by Schulze and Co., 13, Poland Street. 
 

 THE DEERHURSTS 
 
 ^ CHAPTER I. 
 
 ' My father was the son of Sir Roojer Deer- 
 
 cr 
 
 ^hurst, a descendant of the Coventry family, 
 
 ''■^who with other young adventurers had accom- 
 panied Mr. Clive to India, and during the seven 
 
 .years' war had distinguished himself by his gal- 
 
 ^ lantry, knowledge of the oriental languages, and 
 
 a prudence and self-possession, where interest 
 
 -^prevailed, more to be envied than admired in one 
 
 !yj so young. 
 
 ^ At Arania he fought by the side of Mr. Clive, 
 
 ,/^and being the means of preserving that brave 
 ■^Commander's life, was not only presented with 
 -ba company, but appointed to a place of high 
 ^ trust on the Coromandel coast. There he was 
 5 soon after united to the orphan heiress of one of 
 
 " ♦f VOL. I. B 
 
2 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 the Carnatic nabobs who had perished in Madras 
 in 1746, when it was besieged by the French. 
 With her Sir Roger gained vast wealth and a 
 splendid residence near Pondicherry. It was 
 said, that not satisfied with these unexpected 
 acquisitions, he not only encouraged, but took 
 part in the barbarous persecutions against the 
 hapless Gf^ntoos, for the purpose of extorting 
 their treasures. For the truth of these reports 
 I cannot vouch, but alas ! from earliest youth, I 
 had too much cause to understand his stern, 
 unrelenting temper. 
 
 Of Sir Roger's union with the Carnatic heiress, 
 my father Lionel was the only fruit ; and as at 
 the age of twelve he appeared delicate, malgre 
 the bitter grief of parting from her beloved boy. 
 Lady Deerhurst consented to have him educated 
 in England, hoping that its genial clime would 
 restore his waning strength. Thither Sir Roger 
 accompanied him, placed him at Eton, enjoining 
 that he should be gratified in every whim and ca- 
 price his childish fancy might dictate ; and then 
 bidding him a fond adieu, returned to India. 
 
 Profiting by the indulgence so weakly granted, 
 Lionel, as might be expected became more re- 
 markable for fun and frolic, than attention to 
 study. His cheerful temper, buoyant spirits, and 
 unbounded generosity gained for him the friend- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 3 
 
 ship of his companions ; and when at eighteen 
 
 he left Eton to join the hght infantry, in 
 
 which he was appointed to an ensigncy, he 
 bore away with him the sincere regrets of the 
 whole college ; for even the tutors, however they 
 might condemn his idleness, were by no means 
 proof against the influence of his ingenuous and 
 liberal disposition. 
 
 In the light infantry he lost none of his 
 Etonian popularity ; his introduction as Sir Ro- 
 ger's heir was favourable ; then he was abund- 
 antly supplied with money, kept a noble stud, 
 both at the command of his friends, which in- 
 cluded all his brother officers, nay acquaintances ; 
 to these extraneous advantages, he united a ready 
 playful wit, a fine voice, and was confiding and 
 extravagant to imprudence. No wonder that 
 Lionel Deerhurst was popular. In placing his 
 son in the light infantry, Sir Roger merely 
 intended it as a sort of noviciate in the service, 
 as he himself proposed returning to England, and 
 having him transferred into the Life Guards, 
 which his great interest could easily effect. 
 Besides, he had it in contemplation to reside a 
 few years in Devonshire, where he inherited an 
 ancient though dilapidated estate from his an- 
 cestor, the first baronet of his race ; but ere these 
 plans were put into execution, the unexpected 
 
 B 2 
 
4 ' THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 death of Lady Deerhurst by some years his 
 senior, produced an alteration in his views. 
 
 Pass we over Lionel's affliction for a parent, 
 for whom, even after so long a separation, he 
 entertained the tenderest affection, nor were 
 his regrets tinctured by one apprehension of 
 the vast change this event might produce in his 
 own fortunes. Wild and volatile he certainly 
 was, but at this period not selfish. Besides 
 in his uncalculating folly he had acquired the 
 habit of thinking and speaking of his father, 
 then in his forty second year, as of an old man. 
 Thus the idea of his forming another connexion, 
 or entertaining schemes of happiness independent 
 of his thoughtless son, never suggested itself; and 
 he tried to speak of the good old boy — the gover- 
 nor, the wealthy nabob — as of an excellent simple- 
 minded dotard, a mere puppet in his hands, and 
 gave himself no small credit for being so attentive 
 a son, and so regular a correspondent. I must not 
 
 omit mentioning, that though the light m- 
 
 fantry were justly considered one of the most 
 gallant regiments in his Majesty's service, they 
 were equally remarkable for dissipation. Unfor- 
 tunately Major Gosshanks, who commanded the 
 depot took a particular fancy to my father ; and 
 as the Major's proudest boast was that he could 
 drink four bottles of claret at a sitting without 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 5 
 
 losing his equilibrium, in emulation of so noble 
 an example, my father laid several wages^ that j" 
 within a given time he would attain equal per- 
 fection in Bacchanalian accomplishments ; thus 
 in a wild, thoughtless frolic, originated the ignoble 
 vice, which growing into a habit, laid the found- 
 ation of much future misery and degradation. 
 
 Early in the year 1773 his regiment was sent 
 to Chester. It proved but a dull quarter ; this, 
 added to the languor resulting from dissipation^ 
 so ennuied Lionel, that on obtaining leave of ab- 
 sence he passed over to Wales, his sole object 
 being to kill time, which unbroken by any power- 
 ful excitement already began to feel wearisome. 
 Having loitered through the classic and romantic 
 vales of Clwyd and Llangollen, he then proceeded 
 to the neighbourhood of Cader Idris, and in pur- 
 suit of sylvan sports fixed his residence in the 
 villase of Plinhmmon. There he met with Mr. 
 Arnheim, the rector of the parish, who invited 
 him to the Parsonage. It was a simple circum- 
 stance, yet it sealed my father's destinies. 
 
 Mr. Arnheim, though then advanced in years, 
 had been united a few months previously to a 
 verv lovely girl — a Miss Vilmont. She and her 
 sister Gertrude were the illegitimate offspring 
 of the late Lord Vilmont, who educated them in 
 a manner, as if he hoped by the brilliancy of their 
 
6 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 acquirements, to throw into the shade the un- 
 happy circumstances of their birth. It had been 
 his intention to have given them large fortunes, and 
 to have introduced them into those high circles 
 in which he himself moved; but in the midst of 
 these schemes for their aggrandizement he was 
 carried off suddenly and intestate, while his 
 lovely and accomplished daughters were plunged 
 into the extremest destitution. A distant rela- 
 tive succeeded to the title and estates, who far 
 from extending to them any protection, openly 
 maintained the propriety of discountenancing the 
 offspring of the late Lord's profligacy. Thus, 
 owing to the selfish thoughtlessness of their 
 father, were they obliged to seek an anxious and 
 precarious livelihood in the practice of accom- 
 plishments cultivated with a widely different 
 view, till they were relieved from that painful 
 necessity by the union of the eldest with Mr. 
 Arnheim, whose mental superiority compens^ed 
 for his want of youth and more exalted station. 
 
 Had Gertrude Vilmont been less beautiful or 
 fascinating, her misfortunes and dependance had 
 proved sufl&cient to attach her to Lionel, then glow- 
 ing with all the romance of youth and inexperience. 
 The particulars of my father's courtship I 
 never learned; his passion for Gertrude was so 
 violent, that he would have sacrificed every con- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. / 
 
 sideration to its indulgence ; but in his mistaken 
 view of Sir Roger^s character he anticipated no 
 obstacle to his wishes. From childhood, his 
 every whim and caprice were wont to be grati- 
 fied, and the idea of being thwarted in the 
 lightest fancy never occurred to him. 
 
 Too impatient to wait, during the tedious 
 months which must elapse ere he received his 
 father^s sanction from Pondicherry, he urged 
 his beautiful Gertrude to an immediate union. 
 Fondly devoted to her ardent, impassioned lover, 
 ^'she nothing lothe,'' consented, and notwith- 
 standing the objections put forward by Mr. Arn- 
 heim, the enamoured lovers were ultimately united 
 by him in the parish church of Plinlimmon. 
 
 A year passed off happily, during which 
 time, under various pretexts, Lionel postponed 
 announcing his nuptials to Sir Roger ; and 
 as Gertrude's figure, albeit her blushes, held 
 out a fair prospect of her soon becoming a 
 mother, confident as he was, he began to fear 
 that he had been too precipitate, and that Sir 
 Roger might take umbrage at a step, which he even 
 to himself acknowledged to be thoughtless ; for 
 while Gertrude's love daily increased, his declined 
 in an equal proportion; and this feeling of dis- 
 content was kept up, and aggravated by the fre- 
 quent visits which he made to his corps, still at 
 
8 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Chester, where his return was ever hailed with 
 pleasure^ as being the best and jolUest fellow at 
 the mess. 
 
 Thus months rolled on imperceptibly, when 
 Lionel was roused from his reckless indifference, 
 by receiving a letter, announcing at once his 
 father's arrival in England, and his own appoint- 
 ment to a company in the light infantry, and 
 
 also requesting that he would lose no time in 
 joining Sir Roger in London. In compliance with 
 this request, Lionel hastened to meet that parent 
 from whom he had been so long separated, and 
 of whom he had formed so erroneous an opinion ; 
 while as the event proved, Sir Roger was equally 
 mistaken in the view which he had formed of 
 his son. 
 
 This interview, the exact particulars of which I 
 have never learned, proved fatal to my father^s 
 prospects ; nor were the circumstances under which 
 it occurred, such as to lead to favourable resi 
 They met under a restraint ; both had a paii 
 duty to perform — a secret to disclose, of the 
 reception of which by the other, each was 
 dubious. Lionel had to announce to his haughty 
 and imperious father his union with the penni- 
 less offspring of shame; while Sir Roger had to 
 apprize his sarcastic and volatile son of his ap- 
 proaching marriage, with one young enough to 
 
 'in 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 9 
 
 be his daughter; for the business which had 
 brought him so unexpectedly to Europe, was to 
 make some arrangements preparatory to his nup- 
 tials with the lovely daughter of Admiral Eustace. 
 Besides, Sir Roger was disappointed, cold, proud, 
 and pompous, a lover of forms, and of the old 
 regime; he was offended, nay often shocked at the 
 bold, reckless, dissipated character of his son. 
 
 x\ deficiency of moral excellence he would have 
 overlooked as a matter of indifference ; but Lio- 
 nel's swearing and drinking, his noisy and pointed 
 sarcasms, while they were repugnant to the Eas- 
 tern Nabob's refinement, constantly wounded his 
 self-love ; and far from finding pleasure in the 
 society of an only son, from whom he had been so 
 long parted, he felt ill at ease in his company, and 
 was relieved by his absence. 
 
 With such sentiments, he received with plea- 
 sure the inteUigence that Lionel must proceed to 
 St^Sbomingo with his regiment. Nor was this 
 change in his movements displeasing to the latter, 
 as it placed it out of his power to postpone any 
 longer that disclosure from which the stern, un- 
 gracious manner of Sir Roger, had hitherto de- 
 terred him. He was, indeed, conscious that he 
 had made but Uttle progress in Sir Roger's affec- 
 tions, as in one of his letters to my mother at 
 this period, he writes thus : — 
 
 B 3 
 
10 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 "There is one great cause of discontent be- 
 tween my-father and me, which all Mr. Arnheim's 
 wisdom will fail in removing. I consider him a 
 vast deal too young, and he esteei^s me a vast 
 deal too old ; and this I verily believe is the head 
 and front of a misunderstanding, which, though 
 never expressed, certainly exists between us.'^ 
 
 As the time of Lionel's departure drew nigh, 
 and the prospect of being rid of his irksome 
 presence appeared more certain to Sir Roger, 
 he softened considerably in his manner, and 
 gave unto his son several proofs, if not of his 
 affection, at least of his wealth. This liberality 
 unmanned my generous and reckless father 
 more effectually than all the Nabob's coldness 
 and sternness, so much so, that when the night 
 before his departure arrived, with the tale of 
 his marriage still untold, he was so overpowered 
 by his fears, that he had recourse to wL^Jio 
 sustain him through this trying ordeal. fl|Ppe 
 extremity of his moral cowardice, he quaffed 
 glass after glass ; and, in the height of his in- 
 toxication, forgetful of all respect, waiving all 
 preface or apology, he boldly announced his mar- 
 riage, nothing extenuating. How he commenced 
 his acknowledgment, how defended it, he knew 
 not : there was some attempt to laugh it off, to 
 be witty, to boast of the coming heir, the embryo 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 11 
 
 bridegroom^s grandson ; but of the particulars his 
 deep potations left no recollections. 
 
 Oceans of wine, however, could not wash out 
 from his memory the consequences of that inter- 
 view ; ages of intoxication would fail to neutra- 
 hze their effect upon his destinies. Every darker 
 passion in the breast of Sir Roger, fostered and 
 fomented by a protracted residence in tropical 
 climes, and by the exercise of an uncontrolled 
 will, was roused ; and not finding vent in a nobler 
 outbreak, which the violence of Lionel prevented, 
 settled into a deep and inextinguishable hate, a 
 father's hate, and the only words which he used, 
 the last words which my wretched parent ever heard 
 him utter, rang in his ears until his latest hour. 
 
 " Boy,'^ said he, " though time should last 
 to eternity, I never can, I never will forgive you : 
 nay, I shall never wilhngly see you more. You 
 ha¥e trampled upon every principle of filial duty 
 a^Rffection ; you have taunted and insulted an 
 indulgent father 5 you have disgraced an ancient 
 family by marrying a bastard ; you have snapped 
 asunder the slender cords that bound us toge- 
 ther, and now abide the consequences.^^ 
 
 Strange how a few short hours can alter the whole 
 aspect of our fortunes. Death itself could have 
 hardly effected a more striking change in the living 
 man than did that interview in the prospects of 
 
12 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Lionel D^rhurst. He arose, next morning ; 
 yet oh ! ^Ww different. But yesterday, the ex- 
 pectant heir of thousands, the favoured child of 
 fortune, the son whose every wish was no sooner 
 uttered than gratified ; to-day, disinherited, bear- 
 ing about him the intolerable burthen of a father's 
 wrath — the wretched victim of weakness and in- 
 toxication. 
 
 As he sate striving to remove the weight upon 
 his heart, by indulging in sanguine hopes of Sir 
 Roger's relenting, the illusion was at once and for 
 ever dispelled by receiving a letter, reiterating all 
 that the exasperated father had uttered the night 
 before, announcing his fixed resolution to dis- 
 inherit him, and peremptorily banishing him for 
 ever from his presence. At the same time he 
 received from his agent the intelligence, that a 
 small annuity had been settled upon him, beyond 
 which, he need not look to Sir Roger Deerhurst 
 for countenance or support. |^p 
 
 The effect of this intelligence upon Lionel was 
 other than might be expected. Conscience, that 
 busy tormentor, was soothed and set at rest ; 
 indignation at his father's unnatural sternness and 
 injustice took the place of remorse at his own 
 folly. Pride, the pride of one, before unthwarted 
 in his slightest wish, banished from his breast 
 every thought of seeking a reconciliation^ and 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 13 
 
 dejected, not humbled, he hurried down to Plin- 
 limmon to take a hasty leave of the JM|d cause 
 of all his misery. ^^^ 
 
 It was in vain my mother importuned to ac- 
 company him to St. Domingo. The arguments 
 of Lionel, Mr. Arnheim, and her devoted sister, 
 overpowered her entreaties ; and with a bursting 
 heart, she saw my father depart to drown the 
 memory of his ruined fortunes in the wild ex- 
 cesses of tropical dissipation. The shock of his 
 departure, and grief at their altered prospects, 
 were the occasion of my unexpected appearance 
 under such gloomy auspices; a mother's tears 
 were mingled with my infant nutriment, and 
 the first sounds that broke upon my ears, were 
 the heart-broken sighs of the forlorn wife. 
 
14 THE DEERHURSTS, 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 Early in the spring of 1782, my father again 
 visited Cader Idris, after an absence of nine 
 years, an interval which I pass rapidly over, as 
 generally unmarked by any incident of importance. 
 Two events had, indeed, occurred which exerted 
 a powerful influence over the interests of our 
 family. Immediately on his return to India, 
 after the unhappy rupture with his son. Sir Roger 
 Deerhurst's nuptials with Miss Eustace were 
 celebrated. The Madras Gazette, in which the in- 
 telligence reached England, entered into an elaboA 
 rate description of the gorgeous trousseau of the 
 bride, and the magnificent preparations made at 
 the palace of Pondicherry for her reception. All 
 this had sunk deeply into my father's breast, and 
 seemed to shut out all prospect of reconcilia- 
 tion with his unrelenting parent. 
 
 The other circumstance which I have to men- 
 tion, though of a widely different character. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 15 
 
 exercised a still greater influence upon nay destiny. 
 It was the birth of Clara Arnheim. <|Sliis event 
 
 was as joyful as unexpected^ since many years 
 had elapsed from Mrs. Arnheim's marriage, ere 
 she was blessed with this new claim upon her 
 affections. All seemed to p-*rticipate in the plea- 
 sure afforded by the appearance of the little 
 stranger. Lord Plinlimmon acted as godfather; 
 her Ladyship insisted on supplying the tiny ward- 
 robe; in a word, the Parsonage was one scene 
 of joy and congratulation. All this operated 
 powerfully on my boyish fancy, and the earliest 
 sentiment of which I can recal the memory, 
 was that of love for my baby-cousin. Oh ! that 
 I could bring back those hours of innocence 
 in which I used to rock the lovely child in her 
 downy cradle, fondly sport with her, as she rolled 
 upon her mother's lap, or hold her on my moun- 
 tain pony ; while Llewellyn (Llewellyn was my 
 nurse's son) used to stand at its head. But why 
 loiter over scenes never to be recalled, the bare 
 memory of which fills my saddened soul with 
 anguish ? 
 
 My father's return to Cader Idris had been 
 occasioned by his promotion to a majority in the 
 
 foot, and as his regiment was under orders 
 
 for embarkation, his arrival was the signal for my 
 mother^s departure and mine; a parting, the 
 
J 6 THE DEERHURST^. 
 
 anguish j^^hich is still fresh in my memory. To 
 be briefl^^on after our arrival at Gibraltar^ my 
 mother^s health rapidly declined; and notwith- 
 standing the genial air of the south, she fell a 
 prey to hereditary consumption. This sad event 
 was accelerated by the inteUigence that her be- 
 loved and only sister, Mrs. Arnheim, had expired 
 in giving birth to a still-born child. 
 
 After an absence of some years in the south of 
 Spain, my father and I arrived in England, and 
 without further delay hastened to the Parsonage. 
 Oh ! never shall 1 forget my youthful ecstacies as 
 I caught the first glimpse of the cherished scenes 
 of my childhood. 
 
 The manse was erected at the extreme end of 
 a small thickly wooded dingle at the base of 
 Cader Idris, whose craggy heights formed a 
 gigantic bulwark to protect it from the frequent 
 storms which blew over the long range of moun- 
 tains, extending from the sea-coast to Plinlimmon. 
 A clear trout-stream 5 which borrowed its silvery 
 -waters from the Diswyney, ran bubbling on, and 
 the more distant but imposing view of Lord 
 Plinlimmon^s ancient castle, with its fine parks, and 
 extensive woods, a residence worthy of its noble 
 proprietor, are the features of the landscape most 
 prominent in my memory. Amid objects so 
 magijificent and imposing, few would have passed 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 17 
 
 to gaze on the pastor^s modest gle1)e qdLynhewn 
 stone, built in the simplest style of ajMpcture. 
 The only attempt at ornament consisted of a 
 verandah surrounded by, and supporting a variety 
 of exquisite plants, whose gay blossoms gave a 
 graceful and cheerful appearance to the otherwise 
 sombre building; besides at either side of the 
 front entrance were stages of rare exotics — Clara^s 
 peculiar charge. 
 
 While I hurry on to the stirring incidents of 
 my life^ let me dwell on the days of happiness 
 passed with Clara Arnheim. Our numerous ex- 
 cursions up the hoary sides of that old mountain 
 where we used to w-ander for hours and hours, in 
 all the dreamy rapture of firsts of boyish love, free 
 from the slightest taint of selfishness or sense ; 
 not a dell, not a lake of that strange mountain 
 did we leave unvisited. And oft used we to w'ile 
 away those blissful hours in telling curious 
 legends of the holy Druids, who offered up their 
 strange and horrid vows within the huge circles 
 that seemed of nature's workmanship, and with 
 w^hich old Cader Idris abounds ; or tired of that, 
 used to draw forth the echoes of the mountain with 
 my bugle, the sounds of w^hich revelling through 
 all the cliffs and fissures of the rock, were told 
 back a thousand fold, and soothed, while they 
 amazed, the youthful Clara. 
 
18 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Wh|Jjtoow is that fair girl, just emerging 
 from tli^joy of childhood ; those cheeks of velvet 
 softness, are they to tingle with the blush of 
 shame ; those eyes of intense azure, are they to 
 scald with tears of hopeless misery ; those silken 
 sunny locks, to hide the heavings of a bursting 
 heart ? Can the destroyer find aught to work 
 upon 'mid such sweet innocence? Out upon 
 these thoughts, they drive me to despair. 
 
 Two years flew rapidly by — oh ! how rapidly, 
 and we were entering on the third ; another happy 
 year, when I was summoned to join my father, 
 who had been for some time with his reginient in 
 Cork. Arrived there, I was placed under the 
 charge of a Mr. La Franck, an accomplished 
 scholar, and friend of Mr. Arnheim. There I 
 contracted an intimacy with my preceptor's son, 
 Thomas La Franck, and with his pupils, Charles 
 Mellish and George Tennant. The whole 
 attention of our worthy tutor was devoted to 
 our instruction; and as v/e were each without 
 brothers, we soon became linked to one another 
 in the closest friendship. La Franck and Ten- 
 nant were studious ; Mellish and myself, idle : 
 thus in the mornings, we paired off, while in the 
 evenings, we were rarely found apart. Our chief 
 amusement was rowing on the Lee in a boat 
 placed at our disposal by Tennant's father, who 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 19 
 
 was a considerable ship builder 3 and my pro- 
 ficiency in music, thanks to my long rej^ence in 
 the south, proved no slight acquisition on such 
 occasions. 
 
 To my skill in music I owed many an agree- 
 able acquaintance ; but none whom I valued more 
 than Mr. Tennant, my schoolfellow's father. In 
 music he excelled, and being pleased with my 
 proficiency, I became a constant visitor at his 
 house, situated on Glanmire water. How many 
 happy days have I passed under that hospitable 
 roof I How well I can recal to mind its gentle 
 and amiable mistress, and oh ! how vividly are my 
 recollections of her daughter, Aighne Tennant, 
 then beaming with youth and innocence; so 
 joyous, so mirthful, and yet so sylph-like, as to 
 seem formed of some finer element than the gross 
 earth. 
 
20 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 m 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 I PASSED four years of boyish indiflference and 
 enjoyment in Cork, unmarked by any event 
 of interest. The warmest friendship subsisted 
 between the four el^ves of Mr. La Franck; and I 
 passed all my vacations and holidays with the 
 Tennants. My strong, though childish, passion 
 for Clara prevented any warmer feeling than 
 affection springing up between Aigline and myself; 
 and I listened without jealousy to Mellish, as he 
 poured into my ear the confession of his boyish 
 love for her. 
 
 In the wayward course of a soldier's life, my 
 father was now obliged to proceed with the regi- 
 ment to Barbadoes ; and fearful of the consequence 
 of a tropical climate on my yet unformed consti- 
 tution, he resolved to send me back to Cader 
 Idris to continue under Mr. Arnheim's care, till 
 an opportunity offered of procuring me a com- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 21 
 
 mission for the army, which was my ultimate desti- 
 nation. The journey from Cork to Cader Idris, 
 was tedious, embittered by my regrets at leaving 
 my friends the Tennants, which even the joyful 
 anticipation of again seeing Clara Arnheim could 
 not altogether assuage. 
 
 At length arrived, I alighted at the rustic gate, 
 and entered into the small lawn, adorned by its 
 knots of flowers and shrubs. The harvest moon, 
 in the full refulgence of its glory, shed its softened 
 light around, leaving the craggy heights of Cader 
 Idris in partial shadow. The transparent stream 
 which rushed sparkling by, and which, as Clara 
 used sportively to remark, seemed only to diverge 
 from its parent river to enliven the scene; the 
 rich balmy air, redolent with the perfume of 
 a thousand heaths and flowers, the last vespers 
 of the birds, and oh! far beyond all in loveli- 
 ness, the tall graceful form of Clara in her dra- 
 pery of white, standing in the parterre collect- 
 ing blossoms, which on seeing us, she cast away 
 to bound into my father^s arms, then into mine. 
 Oh! it was a moment of rapture, that seemed 
 a foretaste of heaven. But, alas ! a gloom over- 
 hung the once cheerful Parsonage in consequence 
 of the feeble state of Mr. Arnheim^s health, who 
 was threatened with the greatest of human pri- 
 vations, the loss of sight ; and even his Christian 
 
22 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 piety could not altogether prevent the effect of 
 this callHiity weighing on his spirits. 
 
 Never did Clara appear to greater advantage 
 than now, as angel like she ministered to her 
 father^s wants, reading and writing for him daily. 
 The whole care of the domestic arrangements 
 devolved on the gentle girl, in which task, how- 
 ever, she was much assisted by the activity of a 
 young Welsh girl, Janet Owen, whose attach- 
 ment and fidelity to Clara made me regard her 
 with interest. Mr. Arnheim, perhaps, apprehen- 
 sive of the affections of his daughter becoming 
 engaged to one whose close connexion rendered 
 such a result most undesirable, now exerted him- 
 self to get me into the army, and at length suc- 
 ceeded in a manner he had least anticipated. 
 His intimate friend and patron was Lord 
 Plinlimmon, who having held a high official posi- 
 tion in India, had there become acquainted with 
 my inflexible grandfather. Through this favour- 
 able channel, intelligence was conveyed to Sir 
 Roger of my position, and extorted from him 
 that, which under other circumstances, I would 
 have rejected with scorn, an order on his agpnt in 
 London for one thousand pounds. Thus it was 
 the haughty Nabob dealt out his churFs pittance 
 to the heir of his first-born, while with all the 
 weakness of a dotard father, he lavished on the 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 23 
 
 offspring of his second marriage every indulgence. 
 My father^s half brother, Etienne Deerhurst, was 
 now openly recognised as the expectant heir of 
 all Sir Roger's treasures ; and in the bitterness of 
 ray heart, I could hardly refrain from venting 
 curses on this odious supplanter — for as such I 
 regarded him. 
 
 On receiving Sir Roger's gift, Mrs. Arnheim 
 proposed my immediately proceeding to London ; 
 and on the eve of my departure presented me 
 with a A^aluable watch and some books, advising 
 me by all means to cultivate my musical talents, 
 as they would prove a resource to keep me from 
 dissipation. Clara, too, collected her treasures, to 
 present as parting remembrances, permitting me 
 to cut oif a ringlet of her bright hair ; and when 
 in the anguish of my burning soul, tortured by 
 the conviction that the Parsonage was no longer 
 to be my home — my blissful home — I bitterly 
 accused her of not regretting me, sweetly, caress- 
 ingly, the gentle girl said : " Freville, though you 
 say it, you cannot believe that I do not deeply 
 regret you, my earliest companion, my cousin, 
 and my friend.'* Oh, how calm and passion- 
 less did these words appear to my almost frantic 
 feelings ! and when, on the following morning, 
 the hour of separation was announced, and that 
 she threw her arms around me, sobbing out. 
 
24 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 '' Dear, dear, Freville ! adieu— farewell \" I lost 
 all control, and clasped her with transport to my 
 wildly throbbing breast ; then, overcome by emo- 
 tions, uttered a groan, reeled, and must have 
 fallen, had not Mr. Arnheim sprang forward, and 
 supporting me in his arms, placed me in the 
 chariot. Ere I recovered from my insensibility, 
 the heights of Cader Idris — that memory-mark of 
 many an hour of happiness — were only visible in 
 the distance. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 25 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 My first care on reaching London, was to 
 inquire after Sir Roger^s English agent, Mr. 
 Moneymore, on whom my draft for a thousand 
 pounds was drawn, and who I expected would 
 interest himself in the purchase of my commission. 
 As to Mr. Arnheim, he was totally unacquainted 
 with the details of business ; and my noble friend 
 and patron Lord Plinlimmon had departed for 
 Florence to join his lady. 
 
 I experienced disappointment on finding that 
 Mr. Moneymore had left town, and was not 
 expected to return for some months. I lost no 
 time in acquainting Mr. Arnheim of his absence, 
 entertaining a wish that he would invite me to 
 return to Cader Idris ; far from it, within a few days 
 I received his answer, which breathed the spirit 
 of paternal love. He said that he deeply regretted 
 being by circumstances prevented from requesting 
 
 VOL. I. c 
 
26 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 me once more to make the Parsonage my home ; 
 but that his health declined so rapidly, his phy- 
 sician pressed the necessity of change of air, and 
 he only waited until he could prevail upon some 
 clergyman to perform the duties of his parish, 
 when with Clara and Janet Owen, he would pro- 
 ceed to Swansea. He added, 
 
 ^^ I leave this in the vain pursuit of health, to 
 satisfy, or rather divert, the tender solicitude of 
 my beloved Clara ; — her young hopes are sanguine 
 of my recovery ; but, Freville, I am not self- 
 deceived, and feel that I am rapidly approaching 
 man's final bourne/' 
 
 This letter afflicted me, for I experienced a 
 filial affection for Mr. Arnheim ; but at the period, 
 my hopes, too, were young, and I satisfied myself 
 that his apprehensions of immediate death were 
 hypochondriacal. 
 
 The next two months were passed by me in 
 lion hunting ; and as this method of killing time 
 is in London a very expensive mode of idling, my 
 finances, never very flush, were reduced so quickly, 
 that notwithstanding my disinclination to move, I 
 was obliged to decamp from my apartments in 
 Sloane Square, and mount into a dingy garret in 
 Oxford Street. All this time I had not heard of the 
 Arnheims ; they had either forgotten my existence, 
 or neglected me ; I had then no other friends 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 27 
 
 but the Tennants, and they had become as a 
 memory of boyhood ;— but young Hope was still 
 mine, and unappalled by my friendliness or poverty, 
 she flitted around my path, gently leading me to 
 despise the present, in planning for the future. 
 Love and Clara, — for in my bosom they had 
 merged into one, — hovered over my pillow, sooth- 
 ing not disturbing my slumbers ; then came 
 less exciting pleasures, in the form of gold 
 epaulets, flashing swords, waving plumes ; in 
 short, the whole paraphernalia of military and 
 aid-de-camp finery spread their gaud before me ; 
 and then, my extraordinary merits must of neces- 
 sity crown me with a heroes wreath of victory ! 
 Well, these day dreams are the sweet blossoms of 
 youth and inexperience, — pity that they soon 
 wither before the storms of life; for me these 
 rainbow colours suspended in ethers far above 
 earth's grovelling atmosphere, began to pale 
 before the grim countenance and discontented 
 murmurings of my most puissant hostess of 
 mount garret. For the last few weeks she had 
 pointedly animadverted on the' largeness of my 
 appetite ; 1 should restrain it, she advised, for it 
 led to consumption. The laugh with which I 
 received this startling intelligence offended the 
 dignity of this dame of Oxford Street, and with 
 
 c 2 
 
28 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 less courtesy, she loudly intimated that to check 
 the innovations of the aforesaid consumption, 
 she recommended, nay insisted on, my trying a 
 change of abode. Now, as she was a great per- 
 sonage within the compass of her lodging-house, 
 her commands were imperative, and my position 
 became most embarrassing. Money I had none ; 
 seduced by the witcheries of Imagination, I had 
 banished Reason and her hand- maiden Prudence; 
 and, while the needful lasted, scattered it freely— 
 too freely ; — then when it was gone, admitted my 
 mortality by parting with the better part of my 
 wardrobe to satisfy my good appetite, which was 
 as imperative in its demands as my fierce hostess. 
 It is in vain that we poor mortals struggle to 
 etherialise our being — '^ After all we are but 
 men/' 
 
 My dilemma was relieved by seeing among the 
 fashionable intelligence of the newspapers, the 
 arrival of Simon Moneymore, Esq., at his town 
 residence, in Portman Square. I concluded the 
 pompous announcement was to give notice to his 
 clients ; however, to me it was most satisfactory. 
 
 I had too overweening an opinion of my own 
 position, to value Sir Roger^s man of business, 
 except so far as he might prove useful ; still as he 
 resided in a fashionable localit)^, I wished to ap- 
 pear to the best advantage. But with all my 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 20 
 
 ingenuity, aided by a red haired damsel, who 
 with the speed of a Mercury, and the diversity of 
 a Proteus, fulfilled the various duties of cook, 
 butler, house-maid, porter, and abigail, I could 
 scarcely attain in my dress to the shabby genteel. 
 I was attired in a pair of nankeen tights, so tight 
 that I could with diflficulty step forward, (their 
 scanty length disguised by a tolerable pair of 
 Hessian boots), an old embroidered military sur- 
 coat of my father^s, a purple choker exquisitely 
 tied, and carried a richly gemmed bamboo sword 
 cane, valued by me as being the only Oriental 
 gift I had ever received from Sir Roger. 
 
 What with the consciousness of possessing one 
 thousand pounds, and the admiration of the red 
 haired damsel, rather energetically expressed, 
 with an air of self-satisfaction, and a short 
 mincing step — for alas ! the nankeens set haste 
 at defiance, I moved slowly forward, gracefully 
 dangling my cane. 
 
 All fops are absurd; but your shabby-genteel 
 fops are grotesque. 
 
 On reaching Portman Square, I was surprised 
 at the splendour of the mansion — the dignified 
 deportment of the fat porter, as he stared at me 
 through his spectacles with a look which seemed 
 to say, ' what can be the business of this shabby 
 fellow ?' and the more insolent regards of the tall 
 
30 THE DEERHURSTS. .(/// 
 
 thin footman, as elevating his glass," he lisped 
 out: 
 
 '' There is some mistake here. Fellow, what 
 do you want }'' 
 
 This rather confounded me, and in a hesitating 
 voice, I said, '^ If this is Mr. Moneymore^s 
 residence, and he is at home, be so kind as to 
 acquaint him, that by an order from Sir Roger 
 Deerhurst, I have called upon him.'' 
 
 " And who are you ?'' sneered the footman, 
 " to give me this trouble ? Fellow, go to Mark 
 Lane office :" and he opened the door. 
 
 My anger was raised, — ^pushing him aside, I 
 called out, " I am Mr. Deerhurst, quick ! how 
 dare you loiter?'' 
 
 My name, added to my decided manner, acted 
 like electricity on the servile menials : the fat 
 porter deferentially handed me a chair ; the thin 
 footman skipped up stairs — how I envied him the 
 loose green velvet breeches, which admitted such 
 freedom of limb ! — the next moment he returned, 
 and with the skip and grin of a monkey requested 
 I would go to the saloon, where Mr. Moneymore 
 would attend me. 
 
 I mounted the marble staircase cautiously. 
 
 ''Mr. Deerhurst, I fear you have hurt your- 
 self?" said the obsequious footman. 
 
 " Not so 1" I replied, " but as you may observe. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 31 
 
 I wear tights,^' and I burst forth into a lit 
 of laughter, at the look of scorn he cast on my 
 dress as he flung open the door of the gorgeous 
 saloon fitted up in Eastern fashion. Several of 
 the superb ornaments bore our family crest, from 
 which I concluded they were presents from Sir 
 Roger. 
 
 In a few moments Mr. Money more entered : 
 he was very tall, perruqued, frilled, perfumed, 
 the very personification of conceit. You felt at 
 one look that he was vulgar and affected. He 
 advanced towards me with a sliding step, a sim- 
 pering air, and his long back bending forward 
 into a curve. Reaching out his hand, he cried : — 
 
 " Mr. Deerhurst, most welcome ; from my 
 valued friend and noble patron Sir Roger Deer- 
 hurst's letter, I was not prepared for so early a 
 visit ; but, of course, you understand, that during 
 your sojourn in London this house and all within 
 it are at your command : that is, if such poor 
 accommodations as it offers are worthy of the 
 honour of your presence." 
 
 With difficulty I restrained my laughter, as 
 1 recollected my sordid garret in Oxford Street. 
 Without accepting the offer, I made an appro- 
 priate answer, much wondering at the motive 
 which led to Mr. Moneymore^s flattering recep- 
 tion. There was a silence, during which I ob- 
 
32 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 served that he attentively scanned my appearance. 
 He interrupted my ruminations, saying : — 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Deerhurst, you have a resemblance, 
 though not a very strong one, to my esteemed 
 friend and generous patron. Sir Roger." 
 
 " To that, then,'' I cried, '' I am to impute your 
 hospitality ; still I must apologise for pressing on 
 your notice the motive of my visit. Perhaps at 
 present it may not suit your convenience, but cir- 
 cumstances have brought me to such a position, 
 that I fear I must trespass on you for an imme- 
 diate attention to Sir Roger's order.'' I spoke 
 these words in a hesitating tone. 
 
 " I do not, Mr. Deerhurst, perfectly compre- 
 hend you,'"* said he ; " your words are incoherent, 
 and you speak doubtingly of aqcepting my hos- 
 pitality. Sir, my father, and, consequently, 
 myself, owe our prosperity to Sir Roger, my 
 esteemed friend and noble patron. Mr. Deer- 
 hurst, none but fools are ungrateful; but sit 
 down, I shall presently show you Sir Roger's 
 letter, announcing that you were to visit me. 
 First I must order preparations for your recep- 
 tion. We bachelors," and he gave a smirk of 
 self-satisfaction, " are sometimes at fault ; but 
 ha '/' and he jumped with a theatrical air, " what 
 am I about ? Now that I hear my chariot, I recol- 
 lect that when you were announced I was engaged 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 33 
 
 at my toilette, being invited to dine with Lord 
 Beletrieve. No small honour, my young friend — 
 for such as me,'' — and he gave me a senti- 
 mental squeeze of the hand, "for his Lordship, 
 the most fastidious nobleman in England, ad- 
 mits none to his table but the elite ; his man- 
 sion is the very emporium of grace, fashion, and 
 luxury/' 
 
 " Let me intreat of you, Mr. Moneymore, to 
 keep your engagement. I can attend you to- 
 morrow.'' 
 
 *' Mon dieu ! Mr. Deerhurst, you attend me ? 
 keep my engagement ? and leave you ? impossible ! 
 But excuse me while I write an apology.'' 
 
 As he wrote, I surveyed hira with a strong in- 
 clination to laugh in his face ; he wore a flowing 
 peruke of a strange fashion, but bearing some 
 resemblance to those I had seen in the pictures 
 of Sir Peter Lely. Between it and his immense 
 roll of cravat stuck out his long hatchet-shaped 
 visage ; and, if my nankeens were tight, his fell 
 like bags over his fleshless calves ; his vest was 
 of white satin, and his coat of the finest material, 
 but all so elaborate, so studied, he was such a 
 caricature, that I inwardly vowed to renounce 
 foppery, and leave its details to footmen and par- 
 venus. As these observations flashed through 
 my mind, I felt well contented with my seedy 
 
 c 3 
 
34 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 garments, rather considering them as a gentle- 
 manly distinction. 
 
 Having despatched his answer to Lord Bele- 
 trieve, he took a seat next to me, and then, 
 solicitous to impress me with an idea of his con- 
 sequence, all evidently depending on his acquaint- 
 ance with the great, burst forth into a history of 
 their politics, habits, talents, vices, the latter 
 of which seemed to have fascinated him. Posi- 
 tively he had the whole peerage by heart. As to 
 his words, they rushed forth with the force of a 
 mill-stream, and under the appearance of refine- 
 ment and affectation, he was painfully gross. 
 Before two hours had passed I detested the fop ; 
 still he was amusing. 
 
 Taking advantage of a pause in his conversa- 
 tion, I said : — " Excuse me, Mr. Moneymore, 
 but amidst all the nobles and high dames of whom 
 you have spoken — not, I must say, that you have 
 by your revelations elevated that distinguished 
 class to my view — how comes it that you make 
 no mention of Lord Plinlimmon ? I understood 
 that he was one of the most distinguished noble -^ 
 men in England, not only by position and supe- 
 rior talents, but for strict morality.'^ 
 
 " Strict morality P' he reiterated, with a sneer ; 
 " pshaw ! but you are a youth totally unacquainted 
 with life.'' 
 
THE DEERHURST. 35 
 
 " Then/' I exclaimed in a tone of vivacity ex- 
 pressive of mortification and surprise, '^ you do 
 not consider Lord Plinlimmon a strictly moral 
 man, or one of superior intellect ?'' 
 
 " Excuse me, Mr. Deerhurst, but positively 
 you misunderstand my meaning : undoubtedly 
 Lord Plinlimmon is one of the very best men 
 in England, a beau-ideal of nobility that 
 would have satisfied La Fayette, or any other 
 romancer of the French revolutionists, a saint 
 that would have been canonized in former 
 ages ; but, Mr. Deerhurst, all these sublime 
 qualities are very well in .the perspective — to be 
 looked forward to as gracing the residue of life, 
 when the passions are cooled, and the effects of 
 time stealing over our personal attractions,'' and 
 he cast a look of self-complacency over his figure ; 
 " but in youth, Mr. Deerhurst, fashion — myste- 
 rious, omnipotent fashion, should be the high mark 
 of our ambition." As he spoke, there was such 
 an air of apish vanity and self-conceit about him, 
 that I felt a violent inclination to knock him down. 
 Without waiting for an answer, he continued : 
 '* (3f course, as it is Sir Roger's wish, you can 
 call upon Lord PhnUmmon; but, Mr. Deerhurst, 
 humble as I am, I flatter myself that through my 
 means you may be introduced into the Beletrieve 
 set; indeed, immediately upon receiving Sir 
 Roger's letter, I mentioned to my noble and 
 
36 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 ^^lonou^ed patroiij Lord Beletrieve, that I should 
 request that favour, and he has kmdly con- 
 sented/^ 
 
 I coloured with vexation, at the idea of being 
 received into society through Mr. Moneymore's 
 intercession, and, with great hauteur answered : 
 
 " If it is, indeed, Sir Roger's wish to have me 
 introduced to Court — though I must say I am at 
 a loss to understand this sudden change of 
 measures — I have no doubt that Lord Plinlim- 
 mon, from the friendship he has always shown, 
 will gladly pay me every attention/' 
 
 He interrupted me quickly, saying : 
 
 " Then you know his Lordship ?" 
 
 " Intimately," I replied. 
 
 He looked thoughtful ; then, as if speaking to 
 himself, muttered : 
 
 " I had no idea his Lordship had travelled so 
 far." 
 
 I made no reply ; when, glancing his eyes over 
 my dress, he said : 
 
 " It is just as I thougliK His Lordship knows 
 nothing of dress, but considers all these requisite 
 elegancies as minor considerations : — a great mis- 
 take; but the wisest men sometimes err. Ap- 
 pearances are always imposing : what imposes on 
 the senses, influences the mind ; every thing 
 proves this to a demonstration. No arguing 
 against admitted facts ; true, the innovations of 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 37 
 
 \he French Revolution have caused some dilapi- 
 dation to the ancient fabric of our habits, and 
 customs ; shorn fashion of some of her beams ; 
 but the foundation is unsapped : the goose may 
 be plucked of its feathers, but they grow again. '^ 
 
 The laughter I had so long restrained, now 
 burst forth; and, I fear, somewhat rudely, for 
 Mr. Moneymore looked very angry, as he petu- 
 lantly said : 
 
 " Mr. Deerhurst, Sir Roger having deigned to 
 place you under my peculiar care, in pity to your 
 youth, and depending on your honour not to 
 repeat any information that I may give you, more 
 particularly to Lord Plinlimmon, who considers a 
 too great attention to trifles contemptible, I shall 
 relate a few facts to prove the influence — it may 
 be the caprice of fashion ; first assuring you, that 
 I am not one of the Cosmopolite Club, though 
 his Lordship has graciously said, that except for 
 the prejudices of his set, who banish all who are 
 useful from the high temple of their goddess, I 
 might aspire to the honour.-" 
 
 He paused, and looked at me with his smirk of 
 self-conceit. 
 
 I coolly answered : " Mr. Moneymore, being 
 totally ignorant of your subject and allusions, I 
 am incompetent to answer. The name of 
 Plinlimmon as connected with all that is great 
 and good, has long been familiar to my mind ; 
 
38 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 ■v^ith that of Beletrieve, I am totally unac- 
 quainted, and never before heard of the Cosmo- 
 polite Club." 
 
 " Tell it not in London \" he exclaimed, in a 
 theatrical tone, " it would at once mark you as a 
 person unacquainted with high life, as one who 
 had either lived in seclusion — a seclusion which 
 excluded all the fashionable news of the day, or, 
 worse again, as having mixed with a very low set; 
 and; in either case, you would never be admitted 
 into the Beletrieve Club/^ 
 
 Again I laughed, for the grimaces and em- 
 phasis of the man were quite apish ; recovering 
 myself, I replied : 
 
 "Then, Mr. Moneymore, you must class me 
 with the secluded. I have no acquaintances in 
 London ; how could I }" 
 
 '^True,^' he answered, " you are a stranger, even 
 to our customs, and habits, and style of dress,^* 
 and he scanned the old military surcoali^ and the 
 Hessian boots, with a look of ineffable contempt. 
 I made no reply, and he continued : " Mr. Deer- 
 hurst, the facts I am going to confide to your 
 honour, and which you may consider as a preface 
 to the volume of instructions I shall consider it 
 my duty to give, before your introduction to Lord 
 Beletrieve : — ' that mould of form, and that glass 
 of fashion,' — are such as to the uninitiated must 
 appear absurd, still they go to prove that fashion 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 89 
 
 depends upon no tangible cause. It is not youth, 
 for Lord Beletrieve is sixty ; it is not beauty, for 
 his Lordship, once so pre-eminent, is on the 
 wane ; nay, one might possess the form of an 
 Apollo, and the head of an Antinous, and not be 
 the fashion. Again, it is not wealth, for his 
 Lordship's fortune is now limited ; in short, it is 
 a je ne sais quoi which defies accurate descrip- 
 tion." 
 
 " Forgive me," said I, " for interrupting you ; 
 but I thought you were going to relate some 
 important facts which would prove the influence 
 of Lord Beletrieve.^' 
 
 "Important!" he replied, emphatically, '^the 
 word appears misapplied ; important ! — it seems 
 merely applicable to business : it is important to 
 a man to look after his property, after his family, 
 after his health ; but what have these to say to 
 fashion ? Well, Mr. Deerhurst, perhaps you are 
 right ; for, after all, whatever holds an influence 
 over society, is of importance ; and a power may 
 be rendered still more potent by being invisible, 
 its mystification possesses one advantage — it can- 
 not be analysed by the vulgar." 
 
 Sick of his rhodomontading on his favourite 
 subject, I replied rather impatiently : 
 
 " Mr. Moneymore, you admit that business is 
 of importance, may I then speak of that which 
 has brought me hither V 
 
40 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 "Nay, Mr. Deerhurst, I have to apologize for 
 having so long delayed showing you Sir Roger's 
 letter of instructions to me, relative to your 
 future conduct. Unfortunately, as he expresses 
 it, from the conduct of his eldest son, Lionel, 
 all his hopes now centre in you ; however, 
 before I go for the letter, you must take some 
 refreshment ; until it is announced, with your 
 permission, I shall continue my explanation of 
 Lord Beletrieve." 
 
 I bowed my assent ; indeed, I was too much 
 agitated to speak. Could it be possible that 
 Etienne Deerhurst was dead ? And that from grief, 
 penitence, or want of some other heir. Sir Roger 
 was going to acknowledge me ? And was I to 
 be raised from all the desagremens of poverty, to 
 such a proud position ? Observing my silence, 
 Mr. Moneymore imputed it to an interest in his 
 conversation ; looking full in my face, he ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " Mr. Deerhurst, I must request your fixed at- 
 tention, while you observe my wig, for it is a 
 wig of no vulgar fashion.'^' 
 
 The abruptness and strangeness of this remark, 
 at a moment when all my thoughts were absorbed 
 in calculating the vast possessions of my heirship^ 
 appeared so absurd, that I gave way to unre- 
 strained laughter. Like my poor father, my 
 risible muscles were easily put into motion ; 
 
THE DEERHURSfS. 41 
 
 surely, I thought, the man is mad, and I am 
 more likely to lose my thousand pounds, than to 
 inherit old Sir Roger's lacs of rupees. 
 
 " I am by no means offended, Mr. Deerhurst,^' 
 said Mr. Moneymore. '^ I know from Sir Roger 
 that you are of a gay, volatile temper, fond of plea- 
 sure, and easily amused; however, my wig has 
 its history, — hear it. In early youth, Lord Bele- 
 trieve was remarkable for his fine hair — a distinc- 
 tion of which he was very proud; and, as far 
 as a very superficial knowledge of history admitted, 
 traced it as a sign of high birth. At this period, 
 he spent much time in Paris, and, according to 
 the fashions of the elite, tied his hair partly 
 behind, letting some luxuriant curls fall at either 
 side over his ears. Well time, alas ! Mr. Deer- 
 hurst, no respector of persons, rolled on its foot- 
 steps, marked by the horrors of the French 
 revolution ; but worse far worse, it thinned the 
 flowing locks of Lord Beletrieve. Powder and 
 pomatum, in vain, struggled to hide the coming 
 baldness; true, the effect of this memorable 
 event had cleared a way for the defect to escape 
 detection. But now, Mr. Deerhurst, for one of 
 my secrets ; nature who in other respects had 
 formed Lord Beletrieve as a very model, had 
 given him a pair of prodigious ears, quite flat at 
 top and of a deep crimson hue which nothing 
 
42 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 could remove, and they looked ill, alarmingly ill, 
 near a complexion sallowed by the aforesaid 
 time. Now what was to be done ? Cropped 
 heads were the style ! As Lord Beletrieve perti- 
 nently observed, every innovation of the aristo- 
 cracy was marked by the setting aside of some 
 gentlemanly distinction, such as neglecting the 
 studied forms of politeness, a gallant attention to 
 the fair sex, a profound veneration to superior 
 birth, rank, or position. More barbarous still 
 was the clipping off the hair and drapery, for the 
 unwashed rabble, finding them an inconvenience, 
 and that they sat ungracefully on their unprac- 
 tised limbs, violently condemned as effeminate 
 an elegance they could not attain. B^tes f ex- 
 claimed Mr. Moneymore, taking a long pinch 
 of snuff, and handing me the box ; ^' it is 
 Prince's mixture, Mr. Deerhurst,'' he added con- 
 ceitedly. 
 
 I rephed with vivacity, "You are very kind, 
 Mr. Moneymore, but I never take snuff." 
 
 With profound gravity he answered : " You 
 must learn to do so, Mr. Deerhurst, for Lord 
 Beletrieve takes it." 
 
 "And pray, what is that to me;" I coldly 
 demanded. 
 
 " All — every thing,'' was the answer, and then 
 with a profound bow, he continued : " Mr. Deer- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 43 
 
 hurst, in this dilemma, between loss of hair, and 
 rather donkeyish ears, another man would have 
 been for ever lost to fashion ; but the mighty 
 genius of Beletrieve rose above his ears, and he 
 invented and made a model for a wig ; went to 
 France, remained perdu for a year, then returned 
 to London. On the same night there was a fete 
 at Holland or Lansdowne House, no matter 
 which, a great political question was being dis- 
 cussed. The Prince and his Royal Brothers 
 were there. Lord Beletrieve was announced ; 
 he entered with all the grace of his courtly 
 manner ; every eye was turned on his wig, 
 which was elevated by his Lordship^s unusual 
 height above the crowd. The sensation it ex- 
 cited was quite electric, politics were forgotten, 
 and wigs alone absorbed all the thoughts of 
 this great assembly. The result need scarcely be 
 told : that ornament so esteemed by our grand- 
 fathers, and whose magic perfumed circle enve- 
 loped so much of wisdom, of folly, of hope and fears, 
 again resumed its influence in society ? The next 
 day several of the young nobility went off to Paris, 
 hoping to equal his Lordship's wig, or as it was 
 termed, the Beletrieve ; while others were satis- 
 fied to have their heads shaven and ornamented 
 with the best perruques London could produce. 
 Mr. Deerhurst, though not noble I adopted the 
 
44 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 fashion/' and he bowed his head till the powder 
 was scattered over my face. This put me out of 
 humour, and I said sulkily, " Mr. Moneymore, I 
 am no judge of perruques or wigs." 
 
 "Forgive me, Mr. Deerhurst, but the word 
 wig or perruque is associated with a thousand 
 ideas irrelevant to our subject. The practi- 
 cal wisdom and knowledge of a Lord Chan- 
 cellor, the solemnity of a judge, the puffed 
 rubicund cheeks of a coachman, the shrivelled 
 drivelling face of an old beggar, all pop out in 
 review before us, for imagination is a busy body. 
 Not so with a Beletrieve ; we see nothing but 
 flowing ringlets, wafting the richest perfume over 
 some fair one's gentle bosom, as love pours soft 
 nonsense into her willing ear, while her admiring 
 eyes rapturously rest on the Beletrieve.^^ 
 
 " And is this," said I, pointing to Mr. Money- 
 more's wig, " a Beletrieve ?" 
 
 " Yes, I assure you, one of the genuine Pari- 
 sian cut, and thereby hangs a tale. You laugh, 
 Mr. Deerhurst, at the expression, perhaps you 
 think that I allude to the queue of my Beletrieve, 
 by no means, it is a mere faqon deparler. Now as 
 his Lordship says, all faqons de parler, and old 
 saws and sayings are bad taste, and smell of 
 antiquity, a subject which should never be alluded 
 to in fashionable society, — seeing that one of 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 45 
 
 its great objects is to banish from the mind all 
 painful recollections of the past, all thoughts of 
 future; — in present enjoyment if we cannot 
 stop the progress of time — '^ 
 
 Interrupting him, I exclaimed : " Crown it with 
 a Beletrieve, and so hide its baldness/' 
 
 " A very just remark, Mr. Deerhurst ; for see- 
 ing is believing, and what we do not see we 
 are apt to forget/^ Saying these words^ Mr. 
 Moneymore heaved a solemn sigh^ observing, 
 " Mr. Deerhurst^ we learn these quaint sayings 
 in our nursery, amidst that grade of societ}^ 
 called nursery-maids, and in after-days they force 
 themselves on our memory, and the vulgar 
 truisms burst forth ; but as his Lordship observes, 
 true politeness is, of all accomplishments, the 
 most difficult of attainment; it requires a con- 
 stant sacrifice of our opinions to others, a prac- 
 tical good temper, and more difficult still, an 
 apparent admiration of qualities we sincerely de- 
 spise, and often a civility and attention to persons, 
 whom, were we to follow the impulse of our 
 inclination, we would literally kick out of our 
 presence/*^ 
 
 Again, I indulged in laughter, for my own 
 sensations illustrated the truth of the remark, as 
 for the last half hour I had been devoutly wish- 
 ing to prove my activity, by a gentle kicking of 
 
46 THE DEERHURSTS, 
 
 the pompous fop. Far from being offended, Mr. 
 Moneymore, who delighted in having a listener, 
 seemed pleased, and with his apish grin con- 
 tinued : 
 
 "All this time, I have wandered from my 
 Beletrieve, and the tail that hangs thereto. 
 Know, Mr. Deerhurst, the mystery of its per- 
 fection, but remember it is a sacred trust ; this, 
 my Beletrieve, was originally intended for his 
 Lordship; fortunately for my head, it will not suit 
 his, for the springs pressed too tightly on his 
 temples, which resisting the progress of the afore- 
 said time, retained their fulness ; be that as it 
 may, he ordered the Beletrieve to be returned 
 to Paris, and his perruque-maker to be dismissed. 
 Happily for me, I knew his valet, he acquainted 
 me with the interesting fact. Not to dwell too 
 much on particulars, by paying a large gratuity, 
 the locks formed to grace the head of nobility, 
 became mine, and as you may see they fit grace- 
 fully. It was a fortunate chance, Mr. Deerhurst, 
 wl;iich thus garnished my temples." 
 
 " I have to thank you Mr. Moneymore," I 
 replied, " for information so interesting, and 
 shall in future know how to judge of wigs, and of 
 the heads which support them. Shall we now to 
 business, and for the present waive fashion, with 
 whose mysteries I am totally unacquainted ?" 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 47 
 
 "Mr. Deerhurst, to a young man in youT 
 position, fashion is business, and as I shall make 
 it mine to bring about an immediate introduc- 
 tion between you and his Lordship, I will just 
 give you a few more hints, as to what I shall 
 term the style of appearance necessary for you to 
 adopt. Of course your tailor — I must recommend 
 you to mine — can do a vast deal ; but then, there 
 is attitude, and yours is too erect, too stately for 
 the present mode, and might prejudice his Lord- 
 ship against you. But as knowledge is ever more 
 influential when we can trace it to its source, 
 I shall now explain the origin of the curve in my 
 back which I flatter myself has not escaped your 
 notice.'^ 
 
 " It is no flattery, Mr. Moneymore, for me to 
 say it commanded my attention. Was I wrong 
 in imputing it to weakness of the spine }'' 
 
 " All your ideas, Mr. Deerhurst, are what I 
 call unsophisticated ; but a few weeks' intercourse 
 with Lord Beletrieve and his set will reform you. 
 The origin of the curve is this : his Lordship^s 
 epicurean habits led to delicacy of health ; for it 
 is a melancholy fact that, as yet, neither civiUza- 
 tion nor science has succeeded in discovering a 
 panacea for the evils inherent to our nature, such 
 as disease, old age, death and pain, which by a 
 most unhappy arrangement the noble seems to 
 VOL. I. c 4 
 
48 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 suffer more than the peasant. Well, it so chanced, 
 that some years ago — let me see, it is now seven — 
 his lordship was attacked by rheumatic gout, of 
 a very severe description, in his left leg and in 
 his back. To the bodily torture thus inflicted on 
 him, was the more insupportable mortification of 
 having his debility discovered.'^ 
 
 *' My dear sir,^' said I, interrupting him some- 
 what petulantly, *' I can readily understand that 
 your Lord Beletrieve is a very fine gentleman, 
 and that many pleasant passages may be told of 
 his varied and fashionable existence ; but I reaUy 
 did not call upon you to be amused by a recital of 
 his adventures.'^ 
 
 " Softly, my young friend,'^ said Mr. Money- 
 more, sagely, " as I think it by no means improb- 
 able that you and I are to be brought more inti- 
 mately together, — as you are a very young man, 
 and moreover the grandson of my patron, — my 
 friend, I may venture to call him — Sir Roger 
 Deerhurst, I think I am doing you a service 
 for which you will hereafter be grateful, — by com- 
 municating to you (in strict confidence be it re- 
 membered) some ' passages' as you call them in 
 Lord Beletrieve's career as at once illustrate the 
 character of that distinguished man, and furnish 
 materials for imitation to younger but congenial 
 spirits. A celebrated author, my dear young 
 gentleman, whom to read is to admire, admits 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 49 
 
 that vice loses half its horrors by losing all its 
 grossness. Again, Mr. Deerhurst, as that pro- 
 found philosopher, Gibbon, has written, half the 
 world are guided by names, which, I opine, means 
 that men are taken by their words. Hence I in- 
 fer, that when I hold up to your observation and 
 inspection, a character so illustrious as my friend, 
 Lord Beletrieve — a man in whom all the graces 
 unite, — who knows, perhaps better than any man 
 breathing, how to soften — to mellow down the 
 natural asperities of the passions — '' 
 
 "May I inquire, Mr. Moneymore, as to the 
 morals of a society that requires these refine- 
 ments }'^ 
 
 " Truly, Mr. Deerhurst, you require improve- 
 ment. The fact is. Sir Roger, who is an old man, 
 has tainted your mind with obsolete notions of 
 virtue, and all that. Wealth, not love, was his 
 pursuit; and where we pursue one object with 
 avidity, we often remain ignorant of others, and 
 thus form erroneous views. But Lord Bele- 
 trieve by no means supports the present state of 
 morals ; on the contrary, he considers them so 
 relaxed, that no wise man, he tells me, will 
 venture to marry. However, his Lordship, who 
 despises all prejudices, admits that the price of a 
 virtuous woman is above rubies ; and could such 
 be found, men should marry. But, alas ! such 
 
 VOL. I. D 
 
50 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 precious gems are rare, consequently to most per- 
 sons unattainable." 
 
 "A strange observation for his Lordship/' I 
 replied. *' At least, it is very unlike what, from 
 your former account of him, I was led to ex- 
 pect/' 
 
 He answered, "To the man of the world, 
 nothing is strange. Among the Beletrieve set 
 are many men of extensive information and of 
 high talent ; but they have chosen present enjoy- 
 ment for their pursuit, and fashion as their pre- 
 siding goddess. But no more of this. Before 
 you are one of the initiated, you have much to 
 learn. To begin, I must return to the graceful 
 bend of the back. When Lord Beletrieve was 
 attacked with gout, he consulted his physician, 
 confiding to him that death would be preferable 
 to an exposure of his misfortune. The physician, 
 a wise, intelligent man, at once entered into his 
 feelings, which he considered not only perfectly 
 natural, but laudable ; advised him, on the instant, 
 to write letters to all his most familiar and intimate 
 friends, regretting that unexpected business obliged 
 him to set off for Italy without so much as saying 
 one farewell. This done, the next business 
 was to remove his Lordship, by night, to a soli- 
 tary house near Hampton Court, where for six 
 months he attended him with such care and skill, 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 51 
 
 that at the end of that period, his Lordship set 
 off privately for Italy. In nine months after- 
 wards, he returned to London, (it was the very 
 height of the season), bringing over some rare 
 articles of virtu, which he presented to the Prince 
 of Wales, with an assurance that he had gone 
 to Athens expressly to collect them for his Royal 
 Highness. The Prince received them most gra- 
 ciously, and on the following day invited a large 
 party to meet Lord Beletrieve, and to see his 
 presents. The assembly met, and many were 
 surprised at the alteration a few months had made 
 in his Lordship^s appearance. He looked pallid, 
 exhausted ; had a slight lameness in his left foot, 
 and his back was stooped. Aware of these per- 
 sonal defects, and resolved to hide their origin, 
 he planned a method to turn them to advantage. 
 To this end, when the dessert was placed on 
 the table, he managed to command the Princess 
 particular attention ; as a matter of course, that 
 of all the party followed ; then in a calm, bland 
 voice, he related a few amusing anecdotes, and 
 afterwards, with apparent carelessness, spoke of 
 some English nobles whom he had met at Flo- 
 rence, but who — though fine and accomphshed 
 young men — had, in consequence of their appear- 
 ance of robust health, been excluded by the exclu- 
 sives. ' Indeed,' he continued, turning towards 
 
 VOL. I. D 2 
 
 u.av.-,^oiTY OF ILLINOIS 
 LIBRARY 
 
52 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 the Prince, 'your Royal Highness will, I have 
 no doubt, agree with me in thinking that the 
 Enghsh exclusives in Italy are too refined, when 
 I acquaint you with the following circumstances. 
 May I first take the liberty of reminding your 
 Royal Highness that more than once you have 
 complimented me on my dancing ? Having 
 elicited your royal admiration, it naturally became 
 my proudest boast ; and being solicitous to excite 
 a favourable sensation in Florence, I took every 
 opportunity of displaying my figure, more espe- 
 cially in the waltz. But, judge my astonishment 
 — nay, I may truly say, despair — when I saw that 
 I began to be neglected by the exclusives. Hap- 
 pily I possessed a sincere friend among them, 
 who acquainted me that dancing, or in fact, 
 any movement that showed a perfect strength 
 and elasticity of limbs had for the last three 
 weeks been by the exclusives dubbed as vulgar ; 
 and that although they might admit within the 
 pale of their select society certain persons whose 
 moral characters would not bear a microscopic 
 examination — * 
 
 " My dear Sir," said I, almost maddened by my 
 companion's prolixity, " I must say — " 
 
 " Say nothing at present, but listen,^' he 
 returned ; " though they might admit, as I have 
 just observed, certain clouded characters, still, 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 53 
 
 that was tout-a-fait autre chose from associating 
 with anything vulgar. The very word vulgar 
 was the antipodes of fashion, and caused a 
 revulsion of feeling within its select circles. Be- 
 sides, vulgarity was an existing evil, and required 
 to be guarded against ; whereas, morals had be- 
 come obsolete, and any attempt to revive them 
 by fastidious objections or invidious remarks on 
 the conduct of persons in a certain class, would 
 be quite a Quixotic business — a fighting in the 
 dark against an invisible power — rendering the ex- 
 alted feeling which strove to bring back the romance 
 and virtue of a former age a subject of ridicule 
 and contempt, and thus injuring in place of 
 serving the cause. Now, your Royal Highness, 
 as this reasoning of my familiar spirit was too 
 profound to be disputed, I satisfied myself by 
 demanding how dancing, so long sanctioned by 
 fashion, and which at once combined music, grace, 
 exercise, and excitement, had become so obnoxious 
 as to incur the awful charge of vulgarity ? She 
 replied, * Why the fact is this, a short time ago 
 the Marchese Zoppo came hither from Rome, and 
 excited a great sensation ; indeed, scandal went 
 so far as to say that a certain Princess, whom he 
 had met in Berlin, was his familiar spirit ; how- 
 ever, on the truth of this I cannot decide, but one 
 thing is certain, although the Marchese was of 
 
54 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 patrician birth and in possession of a princely 
 fortune, his proudest boast was a slight lameness 
 of his left ankle, and a gentle, almost impercep- 
 tible curve of his back, which he called a Grecian 
 bend ? Now, Beletrieve,' continued my fair fa- 
 miliar, 'although I am certain that these high 
 attributes of fashion will to many appear a blemish, 
 and that in due time dancing will resume its 
 influence, still for the present I would strongly 
 advise you to study the Zoppo graces ; you have 
 a great advantage in your exalted height, which 
 even exceeds the Marchese^s. It may be, your 
 Royal Highness, a weakness to admit — for I 
 consider that all weakness consists in the admis- 
 sion — that I became so emulous to attain these 
 perfections, that at an exorbitant price I engaged 
 a French dancing-master to instruct me in the 
 Zoppo art/ Observing that the Prince laughed 
 at the idea, without changing his grave man- 
 ner he said, ' I can solemnly assure your 
 Royal Highness, that more than one young 
 man of fashion had the tendon Achilles of his left 
 leg slightly cut to obtain the desired accomplish- 
 ment. So far, success might be commanded by 
 all who possessed heroism in the cause ; but the 
 Grecian bend was more difficult of attainment, 
 indeed, to some impossible. It required height, 
 and rather a slight form. In vain the short and 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 55 . 
 
 stout-made studied the Zoppo stoop ; they might 
 indeed mock the grace, by slouching their shoul- 
 ders or stooping their backs forward, and thus 
 rendering themselves ridiculous by aiming at an 
 advantage they were not formed to possess/ But, 
 Mr. Deerhurst, passing over all the remarks the 
 Prince was pleased to make, and his compliments 
 to Lord Beletrieve, I shall on this subject merely 
 add, that a few days after the Prince's dinner to 
 Lord Beletrieve, there was not a fashionable to be 
 seen in Hyde Park who did not attempt to sport 
 the Zoppo graces ; and Monsieur Moussard, who 
 opened an academy for their instruction realized, 
 before the end of three months, a large fortune. 
 As to his Lordship, next to the Prince he became 
 the most admired man in London, 'the observed 
 of all observers.' Thus his genius rose above his 
 broken health, and what would have sent another 
 to pine away life in ?i.fauteuil, enveloped in flan- 
 nels and surrounded by nurses, raised him to the 
 very pinnacle of the haut ton. But you look 
 exhausted, Mr. Deerhurst; permit me to ring 
 for the refreshments." 
 
 So saying, he rose on his long legs, and skipped 
 over to the bell with something of the movement 
 of a kangaroo. I saw this was a ruse to show off 
 the Zoppo graces ; and though I laughed at seeing 
 foppery so caricatured, still I disliked him so 
 
56 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 sincerely, I was resolved not to humour his folly 
 by a single compliment. 
 
 Refreshments being announced, we descended 
 to the dining-room, which in keeping with every 
 thing else in that region of vanity, was elaborately 
 spread out with plate and glass, sumptuous enough 
 to entertain the Prince. The repast was exquisite, 
 and my stomach, long inured to the scant and ill- 
 dressed fare of Oxford Street, in spite of conscience, 
 which assured me that these preparations were 
 not made for my poverty, partook largely of the 
 viands; in this I was joined by Mr. Moneymore, 
 so I concluded that a good appetite did not come 
 under the class of the Beletrieve^s vulgarities. 
 There was consolation in this, at least while I 
 had a thousand pounds to feast on. 
 
 Ever and anon, while partaking of his costly 
 fare, I could observe my host scanning uneasily 
 my antiquated garments, and evidently perplexed 
 by the result of his observations. At length, as 
 though a new light had broken upon him, he cried 
 out in an agitated tone : — 
 
 " Positively, Mr. Deerhurst, I am at a loss to 
 understand — ha ! now I have it ; you only es- 
 caped from shipwreck. Good heaven ! how you 
 frighten me. Speak quickly, dear Sir, and relieve 
 my mind from the apprehension of your luggage 
 being lost. It must have been of considerable 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 57 
 
 value, for Sir Roger, in his letter announcing your 
 intention of coming to England, expressly stated 
 that during your stay in London, it was his desire 
 that you should be surrounded by a princely 
 retinue. Excuse me, Mr. Deerhurst, but on the 
 instant of our introduction, you should have 
 acquainted me with this very great misfortune. 
 What is now to be done ? I have no orders from 
 Sir Roger relative to supplying you.^^ 
 
 With a very grave countenance I answered : 
 " I assure you, Mr. Moneymore, I was quite 
 ignorant of having been shipwrecked ; on the 
 contrary, whenever I chanced to be at sea, my 
 voyages have been prosperous. As to an order 
 from Sir Roger, I have one in my pocket, the 
 ostensible cause why I have now the honour of 
 your acquaintance." 
 
 So saying, with a low bow, and I fear rather a 
 sneering expression of countenance, I handed him 
 the draft. The whole truth burst on his asto- 
 nished soul. He actually trembled with rage and 
 vexation. In a voice stifled with passion, he 
 exclaimed : — 
 
 " And who are you who dared to come here 
 and impose upon me to such a degree, that I not 
 only sent an apology at an awkward hour to Lord 
 Beletrieve, but confided to you his secrets ? 
 Good heaven ! what infatuation," and he actually 
 
 D 3 
 
58 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 stamped on the ground, striking his forehead 
 with violence ; then glaring on me, he exclaimed, 
 ^' Sir, you are an impostor \'' 
 
 " By no means, Mr. Moneymore ; all the mis- 
 take was of your own making. Now be pleased 
 to say who you supposed me to be." 
 
 " You announced yourself as Mr. Deerhurst. 
 Your card is on my dressing-table." 
 
 " And so I am," I replied, laughing ; for I 
 enjoyed the fop^s misery. 
 
 He seemed startled, and then in a subdued 
 tone said : 
 
 " Are you Mr. Etienne Eustace Deerhurst ? 
 If so, excuse me ; but really I am bewildered.'^ 
 
 " No," I rephed haughtily. " But I am Fre- 
 ville Deerhurst, Sir Roger^s rightful heir.^' 
 
 He made his kangaroo step, calling out : 
 
 " Now the mystery is explained — you are the 
 beggared son," and he glanced his eyes contemp- 
 tuously on my dress, " of that Lionel Deerhurst 
 whom Sir Roger disinherited, and you came here 
 to play off some vulgar hoax. Quit my house. 
 Sir. I will not honour your draft ; and if you 
 delay another instant, I shall order my servant to 
 show you out." 
 
 Before he concluded the last sentence, I shook 
 my cane over his head, exclaiming : 
 
 " Fop as you are, dare not again to speak dis- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 59 
 
 respectfully of my father, or to address me except 
 as a gentleman/^ 
 
 *^ I am no coward, Mr. Deerhurst/* he replied, 
 with something like dignity ; " still, I have no 
 wish to enter into a quarrel with you/' 
 
 And he was moving from the room, when I 
 called out : 
 
 " Have you no money of Sir Roger Deerhurst^s 
 in your hands, that you decline honouring this 
 draft ?'' 
 
 " Thousands, tens of thousands 1" he answered 
 petulantly. But," and he hesitated, ^* I must 
 request an explanation how this draft came into 
 your possession.^' 
 
 I replied carelessly, for I was tired of the whole 
 scene, " It was forwarded for my use by Sir 
 Roger to Lord Plinlimmon. But if you, Mr. 
 Moneymore, hesitate about its acceptance, I have 
 only to write to his Lordship, which I shall do 
 this evening,'^ and I advanced with a proud step 
 towards the door. 
 
 " Stay a moment, Mr. Deerhurst," he called 
 out. " Matters of business must be attended 
 to, not hurried over." He then scanned the 
 draft with great attention, muttering, " There can 
 be no mistake ; Sir Roger himself drew this out." 
 Then turning to me, he added, " Mr. Deerhurst, 
 you say that you have received this direct from 
 Lord Plinhmmon?" 
 
60 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 As he examined the note, I marked with 
 surprise the change in his manner. All the fop- 
 pery of fashion was laid aside, and he wore the 
 anxious, important look of a man engaged in 
 money matters. On his questioning me, I an- 
 swered : 
 
 " Let there be no further mistake, the draft 
 was forwarded to me through Lord Plinlim- 
 mon, who, from friendship to my uncle, Mr. Arn- 
 heim, wrote to Sir Roger in my favour.^' 
 
 " And who is the Reverend Mr. Arnheim ?'^ 
 he demanded, in his insolent manner. 
 
 I answered with indignation, " Mr. Arnheim is 
 a clergyman of superior talents and strict mo- 
 rality.'' 
 
 " Pshaw \" he answered. " How Lord Bele- 
 trieve would laugh at all this cant. Superior 
 talents ! — strict morality ! — absurd. However, 
 Mr. Deerhurst, this draft appears correct; still, 
 I should like to see some vouchers to prove 
 your identity. Collect them, and then on next 
 Tuesday, at twelve, call at my office in Mark 
 Lane, and your business shall be settled.^' So 
 saying, he rang the bell, calling out, " Open the 
 door for this gentleman.'^ Before I was half-way 
 down the stairs, I heard him scream out, "If 
 that shabby fellow ever calls again, of course I 
 am not at home.'' 
 
 I felt all the insolence of the parvenu, but 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. ' 61 
 
 despised him too much to resent it. On reaching 
 the hall door, a new vexation occurred ; it was 
 raining violently, and a footman, whom I had 
 not before observed, respectfully requested that 
 I would step into the dining-hall till the shower 
 passed off. As he spoke, I recognized in him a 
 person of the name of Pat Mulcahy ; he had lived 
 with the Tennants in Cork. With ready Irish 
 wit, the fellow entered into a ludicrous account 
 of Mr. Moneymore^s miserly habits, grafted on 
 pompous display. He also said, that on the fol- 
 lowing week he purposed quitting his service, 
 being engaged to Lord Beletrieve, whom Pat 
 designated as the noblest nobleman in all Eng- 
 land. To my inquiry how he had discovered 
 me, he replied, that the servants being amused 
 at the vaunted heir of Sir Roger Deerhurst 
 arriving in such shabby trim — I give Pat's words 
 — he peeped into the saloon to see him, and 
 in a moment twigged me ; but shrewdly con- 
 cluding that I came to impose on Mr. Money- 
 more, resolved not to betray my secret. 
 
 I smiled at his Irish honesty, but still thanked 
 him. A few moments after, we saw Mr. Money- 
 more drive off. Pat then called a coach, and I 
 returned to Oxford Street. 
 
62 THE DEERHURSTS, 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 I REPAIRED next day to Mr. Moneymore's office 
 in the City, and found, to my astonishment, that he 
 peremptorily refused to cash the draft, on the plea 
 of having received no direct communication from 
 Sir Roger. Had I not been totally inexperienced 
 in business I might have seen through this flimsy 
 evasion, and have suspected what I afterwards 
 ascertained to be the fact, that this aper of 
 fashion, malignant at the mistake of which I was 
 the innocent occasion, resolved to avenge himself 
 by retarding the payment, which my appearance 
 convinced him was so necessary to my comfort. 
 This blow came upon me quite unexpectedly, 
 and I turned from the office in a truly miserable 
 state of mind. 
 
 Without a friend in the great city, I might 
 almost say in the kingdom, and burning with 
 offended pride, I was driven almost to despair. 
 My troubled spirit at length found consolation by 
 recurring to Clara and the Parson&ge ; and con- 
 quering the reluctance which 1 felt at addressing 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 63 
 
 myself to Mr. Arnheim, as a suppliant for his 
 assistance and advice, I sat down and briefly 
 communicated to him the disappointment of my 
 hopes, and the desolate position in which I found 
 myself. 
 
 Having concluded my letter, in spite of the 
 threatening aspect of the weather, I set off at a 
 brisk pace to the Post Office. On my return, I 
 was overtaken by a shower, and in making a sud- 
 den rush to get into shelter, I nearly upset a gen- 
 tleman who was waiting for his carriage. Of 
 course I turned round to apologize, when after 
 looking steadily at me, he exclaimed with vivacity : 
 
 " Grown up as you are, I think I cannot be 
 mistaken in my young friend, Freville Deer- 
 hurst ?'' 
 
 While he addressed me, I recognized in him 
 Mr. Tennant altered, indeed, from the comely, 
 quiet, industrious man of business, to the well- 
 dressed, positively handsome man of fashion. I 
 returned his salute with a glow of pleasure. 
 
 " Let me take a full view of you, Freville," he 
 added, smiUng, and stepping some paces back, so 
 as to command my person. '^ Why you are up- 
 wards of six feet high, and such limbs and shoul- 
 ders; and it is not quite three years since I 
 treated and ordered you about as a school-boy. I 
 must be angry with you and Aigline for making 
 an old man of me.^' 
 
64 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 I interrupted him with vivacity, exclaiming: 
 " And how are dear AigUne and George ? And 
 where are they now ?^^ 
 
 "George," he replied, "is on the wide and 
 distant seas, but I know not his present destina- 
 tion, and Aigline is in London ; but, Freville, for 
 the present waive inquiries, I would not mar the 
 happiness of meeting you, and since we last met, 
 I have experienced irremediable sorrow, and ac- 
 quired what, I fear, will prove but transitory 
 enjoyment. But life is a chequered scene. How- 
 ever,'^ he rejoined with a forced laugh, " a truce 
 to melancholy. I see no chance of this shower 
 clearing off, so if not otherwise engaged, perhaps 
 you will accompany me, and as we drive along 
 you can tell all your adventures. Where is your 
 father. Major Deerhurst, at present ? And do you 
 still remember Clara Arnheim, your pretty cousin, 
 about whom George and Aigline so constantly 
 teazed you ?" 
 
 I replied, with emotion, ^' It is long since I 
 have heard either from, or of my father ; but he is 
 in some of the Western Isles ; and as to Clara, 
 she is dearer to me than ever : and now, Mr. Ten- 
 nant, I request of you to acquaint me with every 
 circumstance connected with your own family. 
 I have never forgotten the happy days spent at 
 Glanmire Water, nor my gratitude for all your 
 kindness.^^ 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 65 
 
 He answered, playfully : " Come, come, no 
 compliments between old friends ; and now, in 
 answer to your questions, soon after you left 
 Cork, George — and he, you know, was destined 
 for the navy — having obtained his appointment, 
 we all went to Portsmouth to ship off the young 
 middy. An unexpected surprise awaited me 
 there, I found myself the master of a large fortune 
 by the death of an old gentleman whom I had 
 obliged in life, and who, being without any 
 nearer connexions, testified his gratitude by 
 making me his heir. It is a long story, and I will 
 not punish you with the recital.^^ 
 
 Grasping his hand, I was warmly congratulat- 
 ing him on his good fortune and happiness, 
 when, contracting his brow, with a quivering 
 lip, he replied : 
 
 "My young friend, talk not to me of happi- 
 ness. I have lost her whom no wealth can 
 replace — my wife is dead ! But a truce to these 
 gloomy reminiscences. You will be glad to hear 
 that your old friend, Aigline, is looked upon as 
 the handsomest and most accomplished of the 
 votaries of fashion. But it waxes late, we must 
 now part ; and remember, I shall expect you to- 
 morrow in Grosvenor Square, which must be 
 your head- quarters during your stay in London. 
 
66 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 With a light step, and a heart considerably- 
 relieved, I hurried next day to Grosvenor Square, 
 and, as I passed through the lofty hall and 
 spacious staircase, I was struck with the contrast 
 between the elegance of their decorations, and the 
 elaborate splendour of the Moneymore residence. 
 I was buried in a philosophical reverie on the 
 vicissitudes of life, when the door of the room, 
 into which I had been ushered, flew open, and 
 Aigline — the beautiful Aigline-rsprang forward to 
 greet and to welcome me. Not quite three years 
 had elapsed since we last parted in Cork, she was 
 then about sixteen, and so handsome, that I could 
 find no words sufficient to express my admira- 
 tion; and since then my memory had often 
 reverted to her as she sat dressing dolls, to man 
 a tiny yacht which, under Mr. Tennant's instruc- 
 tions, I had built for Clara, or, with comprehen- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 67 
 
 sive genius, hurried over her different lessons, so 
 as to be in time to row down the water with her 
 brother, Charles Mellish, La Franck, and myself, 
 when as she gaily guided the helm, she would 
 warble forth the songs of her native land, while I, 
 leaving the more arduous task of rowing to my 
 companions, accompanied her with my flute, in 
 spite of the angry looks of Mellish, whose boyish 
 love for her already subjected him to the pangs 
 of jealousy. All this I had remembered, and the 
 various scenes connected with the bright days 
 spent at Glanmire Villa ; and her father had said, 
 that the admiration she awakened was a pass- 
 port to the first society; yet I had formed no 
 conception of the loveliness that now stood before 
 me ; no, not in the hour when my vivid imagina- 
 tion was most exalted had I fancied a face and 
 form of such exquisite proportions. To describe 
 her, I might say that she combined the fine 
 chiselled features of a Grecian Venus, with the 
 blushing softness of a Hebe ; that her hair was 
 dark and glossy as the raven^s wing, her eyes 
 of the deepest blue, her lips and teeth full of 
 freshness ; but all description must fall short of 
 the varying and intellectual expression of her 
 countenance, in which consisted her greatest 
 charm. Lord Beletrieve, of whom I shall here- 
 after speak, was heard to say, that she was an 
 
68 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 illustration of the poet's animated description of 
 the beautiful Lady of Coventry : 
 
 Whene'er with soft serenity she smil'd. 
 
 Or caught the orient blush of quick surprise. 
 
 How sweetly mutable, how brightly wild. 
 The liquid lustre darted from her eyes. 
 
 Each look, each motion, spoke an inborn grace. 
 Which o'er her form its transient glory cast ; 
 
 Some lovelier wonder soon usurped its place, 
 Chased by a charm still lovelier than the past. 
 
 In form, Aigline was rather below the middle 
 size ; but though very slight, her limbs were so 
 perfectly rounded, that Canova might have taken 
 her as a model for one of his graces. So imposing 
 was her appearance, so dazzling her beauty, that 
 as she stood smiling and blushing, I continued 
 gazing, so absorbed in wonder, that I never 
 thought of returning her salute. 
 
 After waiting a few moments in expectation 
 of my addressing her, in a playful, but half re- 
 proachful tone, she said : 
 
 " Freville, hither I flew to receive you as a 
 companion and friend, and you scarcely deign 
 to acknowledge me ! Are we then to meet as 
 strangers ? If so, Mr. Deerhurst, excuse the 
 freedom of my address — the result of ' auld lang 
 syne,' and permit me to request the honour of 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 69 
 
 your accompanying me to the breakfast parlour, 
 where Mr. Tennant waits to receive you.'' 
 
 I caught her hand, and pressing it rapturously 
 to my lipsj exclaimed : " Aigline, you must ex- 
 cuse an awkwardness, which sprung from my 
 admiration of yourself. Positively, nature never 
 produced anything so beautiful ! Is there not 
 a fable, where every one who gazed on a certain 
 princess was turned into a statue ? Such is the 
 effect your charms have on me.'' 
 
 She burst into a laugh, as she answered : 
 " What a strange compliment to prove me to 
 be of such a petrifying nature. If all my admirers 
 are turned into statues, to what a stupid destiny 
 I am consigned ! Why, though I were as vain 
 as Lord Beletrieve, it would be no compensation ; 
 but, Freville, your metaphors were always a little 
 incongruous ; however, I am glad to find that you 
 are not changed. But all this time papa is wait- 
 ing. Yet, one word before we join him : am I 
 more beautiful than Clara Arnheim?" as she 
 spoke, she playfully pressed her finger to her lip, 
 and shook her head. 
 
 '^ By all the laws of gallantry," I exclaimed, 
 adopting her gay mood, " I should give the 
 preference to present company. But, in plain 
 sincerity, methinks that Paris himself would 
 have found it difficult to decide between your 
 
70 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Houri style of beauty, and Clara's Madonna face 
 and form/' 
 
 Again she laughed ; and oh ! that sorrow should 
 ever have hushed that happy laugh, as she spor- 
 tively answered : 
 
 ^^Why, Freville, you must have learned to 
 blunder in Ireland ! Was there ever so grotes- 
 que a compliment to place my rival among the 
 highest of the Christian saints, and make poor 
 me a soulless being — a mere plaything, to amuse 
 some three-tailed bashaw of a Turk ! Really, I 
 am quite offended,^^ and, drawing herself up with 
 a stately air, she walked out of the room. 
 
 I followed, and as I entered the breakfast par- 
 lour, Mr. Tennant rose, and received me with 
 as much courtesy, as if I had been the obliger, 
 he the obliged. 
 
 Aigline, whose gay spirits were never restrained 
 by her father's presence, immediately set about 
 quizzing me for my awkward compliments. Soon 
 after Mr. Tennant retired. Being left alone with 
 Aigline, she first obtained my promise to con- 
 tinue in Grosvenor Square, adding, 
 
 ^' And now for my plans, Freville, I must use 
 all my interest with Lord Beletrieve to intro- 
 duce you into the world of fashion. If I succeed, 
 what with your personal advantages — for you are 
 not very ill-looking — your musical talents, which 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 71 
 
 I hope you have not neglected, and his patronage, 
 I foresee you will be one of the dandies of the 
 season : for observe, macaronies are out of date — 
 the very name sunk into oblivion/' 
 
 " It is a brilliant prospect,^' I answered play- 
 fully ; " at all events, introduce me to this Lord 
 Beletrieve, for he seems a kind of Marquis of 
 Carrabbas, forced on my notice by every person 
 to whom I speak/^ 
 
 ''And you,^' said she, smiling archly, and 
 pointing to a confoundedly ill-shaped pair of 
 square-toed boots, a little the worse for the wear, 
 and which I had put on in consequence of my 
 Hessians being under the care of a cobbler, " are 
 to perform the part of the cat, and seek out some 
 Princess for him/' 
 
 Although provoked at her sarcasm, I laughed, 
 and, to change the subject — for I never could 
 endure ridicule — said, "Aigline, describe Lord 
 Beletrieve ; I want to discover whether your 
 portrait will agree with Mr. Moneymore's carica- 
 ture/' 
 
 " Describe Lord Beletrieve ? What an impos- 
 sible task ! However, I can give you what a 
 painter would term a rough outline of his person : 
 as to his mental qualifications, facts alone can do 
 them justice, and for those you must abide 
 patiently ; I would not anticipate your study of 
 
72 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 his character,— -mark me it is a black-letter book. 
 To commence : his Lordship's age is about sixty 
 — thanks to the Peerage, no mistake there ; his 
 height six feet two ; proportions just ; in youth he 
 would not have disgraced a Hercules ; his whole 
 form set off to the best advantage by his tailor, 
 and his face delicately shaded by the luxuriant 
 flow of his peruke, the — " 
 
 " Oh, stop its description \" I exclaimed, " for 
 there you cannot excel Mr. Moneymore's." 
 
 " Then I come to his eyes, which, though dim in 
 sight, are bright to view ; his lips are pallid, but 
 smile bland^ ; his countenance is irresistible, from 
 its Cupid— no not Cupid, the ugly, chubbed, fat 
 boy, but from its own expression — to women, so 
 full of languishing tenderness ; to men, of calm 
 dignity, tinctured with hauteur. Then he is a sena- 
 tor, a privy-councillor ; a first rate favourite with 
 the Prince : and, next to his Royal Highness, the 
 leader of London fashion : — prouder distinction 
 still, he is chief of the Cosmopolite Club — 
 an association whose proudest boast is, that 
 rising above all the prejudices of patriotism, 
 domestic afiections, or divine hopes, they live 
 solely for themselves, and not for their body 
 corporate, for that would be diverging from 
 the concentration of the individual selfishness 
 which forms at once their bane and antidote. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 73 
 
 Then, though no wit himself, his Lordship is a 
 great admirer of other men^s genius, that is, 
 if it pay-j him homage; add to this, he is a 
 favourite with several ladies of quality, and 
 whenever he condescends to pay attention, he 
 boasts of being irresistible, for, observe, to yield 
 to any violent feeling would be against the fun- 
 damental spirit of cosmopolitism. Among his 
 minor attractions — minor as being more attainable 
 — may be placed a villa on the Thames, of which 
 LucuUus might have been proud ; a splendid 
 London residence, embellished with the rarest 
 articles of vertu, innumerable Venuses, Apollos, 
 Cupids ; in short, taste as well as luxury preside 
 over its adornment, and all is in keeping with its 
 splendour/' 
 
 She paused, and I observed, "Aigline, add 
 that he is a most inspiring subject who could 
 draw forth from you such a tirade. Now tell 
 me, how did Miss Tennant get acquainted with 
 him, and what does she do with this very great 
 man ?'' 
 
 " That question, Freville,'' she replied, " obliges 
 me to appear very vain. One evening I went to 
 Covent Garden to see the inimitable Siddons in 
 the character of Mrs. Haller, and being then un- 
 initiated in fashionable life, was in a perfect 
 ecstacy at her performance. It chanced that the 
 
 VOL. I. B 
 
74 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Prince entered a box near to the one in which I 
 satj to converse with some ladies of his acquaint- 
 ance. He had the good taste to look at me, and 
 be dazzled by my charms. Seriously, Freville, 
 he honoured me by his notice, and pronounced 
 me beautiful.^' 
 
 " Don't blush so unmercifully, Aigline,'' I said, 
 smiling. ^^ I am not going to be so disloyal as to 
 dispute his Royal Highness's opinion." 
 
 " Well, Freville, as Lord Beletrieve^s opinion was 
 necessary to establish his Royal Highnesses, he sent 
 for him to another box ; and, fortunately for me, 
 after a strict examination, his Lordship approved, 
 and thus I was at once brought into notice, nay, 
 more, the next day Lord Beletrieve called upon 
 my father, and as he afterwards rather too can- 
 didly told me, congratulated himself on finding 
 that, though a nouveau riche, he was quite pre- 
 sentable. In his Lordship^s cool analyzation of 
 our merits, discovering my musical talents, he 
 recommended that I should immediately obtain 
 finishing lessons on the harp, in singing, and, 
 start, not, Freville, in waltzing. And as the 
 artistes who were to honour me by attending at a 
 price so monstrous that I should blush to name 
 it, might object to instruct a nobody , moreover, 
 an Irish nobody, he interested himself to obtain 
 that advantage for me, and, of course, succeeded. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 7^ 
 
 ^ Miss Tennant/ solemnly observed his Lord- 
 ship, ' be indefatigable in improving yourself, and 
 in three months I shall give a concert for the 
 express purpose of introducing you into fashion- 
 able life, where, between the Prince's appro- 
 bation of your beauty^ and ray patronage, I 
 flatter myself no one will presume to object to 
 your society.' Such, Freville, were the circum- 
 stances which led to my introduction into the 
 magic circle, and at present no entertainment 
 would be thought perfect without my company. 
 Princes, Dukes, Ambassadors, Duchesses, all 
 court my smiles. Need you then wonder if this 
 little head is turned?'' and she laid her taper 
 fingers on it. 
 
 " Aigline/^ I replied, " you astonish me beyond 
 all expression ; I wonder not at your being admired, 
 it could not be otherwise, but that from any motive 
 your father could place you so much under the 
 guidance of Lord Beletrieve, a professed liber- 
 tine, or launch you without a mother's protection 
 into scenes of dissipation; you that were edu- 
 cated by her with such watchful and religious 
 strictness." 
 
 " Oh ! do not speak of my poor mother," she 
 exclaimed in a tone of deep feeling ; " her death 
 caused me unspeakable affliction, and yet it is but 
 nine months since she died. * This mockery of 
 
 E 2 
 
76 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 woe!"^ and she pointed to her mourning-dress, 
 which she still wore. " Yet my father and I are the 
 gayest of the gay. I once thought such things could 
 not be, but we are launched into the giddy vortex 
 of fashion, and this, more than the cold marble, 
 shuts out her inestimable memory ;'' so saying, 
 she hurried from the apartment. 
 
 That evening Aigline went to the Opera with a 
 Lady Mainstown, who, I understood, acted as her 
 chaperon to the brilliant scenes into which she 
 was then an admitted and admired guest. Mr. 
 Tennant remained with me, and in spite of my 
 objections, forced on my acceptance what he 
 termed the loan of a large sum of money. 
 
 " If ever you are Sir Rogers's heir," he said 
 smiling, " you can repay me -, if not, you are 
 most welcome to partake of the current of wealth 
 so rapidly gliding away.'' 
 
 He sighed deeply, and I thought looked unhappy. 
 Next morning, immediately after breakfast I ac- 
 companied Aigline to her music-room, or boudoir. 
 There, in her playful manner, she criticised my 
 dress, recommending to me the first artists of 
 fashion. Admitting that my appearance savoured 
 of the purlieus of St. Giles, I resigned the im- 
 provement of my person into her hands, then 
 requested she would acquaint me with the source 
 of her father's wealth. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 77 
 
 " Oh," shp replied, '^ I never could find leisure 
 to relate the tedious particulars, so a few words 
 must explain. You are aware that my father is 
 capable of the most generous acts of friendship. 
 Well, some person whom in early life he was the 
 means of setting up in business, realised an im- 
 mense fortune, and, having no family, on his 
 death-bed he bequeathed to my father upwards 
 of a hundred thousand pounds, twenty of which 
 were settled on my brother George ; but having 
 imbibed some very unreasonable antipathy to the 
 fair daughters of Eve, he did not even mention 
 my name in his testament. Was not that very 
 ungallant of the old merchant ?" 
 
 I answered her gaily, but remarked : 
 
 " However, as it is in your father's possession, 
 you need not regret it." 
 
 I thought she looked grave, but after a moment 
 said : 
 
 " Now, Freville, as you and I are to be domi- 
 ciled together, in all honesty I must acquaint you 
 that I am on the eve of being married — or am 
 supposed to be so. Consequently, there must be 
 an end to your fine compliments, even if your 
 heart was not devoted to Clara Arnheim, and my 
 hand to Lord Chanceley. Still, regarding you as 
 a friend, I would not admit of the gallantry 
 which, by giving an appearance of trifling and 
 
78 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 insincerity to our intercourse, must destroy con- 
 fidence/^ 
 
 " And who is Lord Chanceley ?^' I demanded, 
 " and is the hand alone engaged }" 
 
 She sighed audibly, then in a low voice replied, 
 " Freville, be satisfied with what I choose to con- 
 fide, and inquire not too curiously. However, in 
 answer to your first question. Lord Chanceley is 
 next heir to an earldom, and in present posses- 
 sion of a noble fijrtune, — distinctions enough for 
 any man ; at least, so think the denizens of 
 fashion." 
 
 ^^Add and a man of taste,'^ I interrupted, 
 " proved by his selection of you.'^ 
 
 She replied hastily : 
 
 " Taste and feeling had nothing to say to the 
 preference. He heard that the Prince admired, 
 that Lord Beletrieve patronized me; in these 
 circumstances he all my attractions. Why, Fre- 
 ville, men of fashion, with a few eccentric ex- 
 ceptions, choose their wives on the judgment 
 of those who aiFect to be connoisseurs, and, I 
 can tell you, are confoundedly angry if they 
 fail to elicit general admiration." 
 
 '' Then, Aigline, I have to congratulate you on 
 the prospect of being a Countess. Is Lord 
 Chanceley a man of talent ?^' 
 
 She laughed, exclaiming, "He has but one idea. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 7^ 
 
 that is to imitate his great prototype, Lord Bele- 
 trieve. Nevertheless, should we ever be united, 
 he shall find me a devoted wife. As Lady 
 Chanceley, I can burst the trammels of fashion and 
 folly which now encompass me without losing a 
 position rendered, by the delusions of ambition 
 and gratified vanity, absolutely necessary, I verily 
 believe, to my existence/' 
 
 " How soon,'' I demanded, "is this union, 
 which, on your side, appears to be one of ambi- 
 tion to be solemnized ?" 
 
 " Ah !" she replied, " that is the question. 
 Alas ! I cannot answer, except, indeed, I could 
 prevail upon Lord Beletrieve to nominate the 
 day." 
 
 " Lord Beletrieve, Aigline !'' I cried. 
 
 " Yes, Freville, my destiny is in his hands ; he 
 is the Coryphseus of a set among whom his will 
 or taste is a law." 
 
 " And,'' I interrupted, " he is in love with you 
 himself. Well, Aigline," I added, sarcastically, 
 " after all, ambition being the object, Lady Bele- 
 trieve will sound just as well as Lady Chanceley. 
 In either case, I congratulate your Lady- 
 ship." 
 
 " Nonsense," she angrily answered ; " the idea 
 of Lord Beletrieve's marrying is so very absurd. 
 However, next Monday I am to have a concert 
 
80 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 honoured by his presence. See him, and judge 
 for yourself.'' 
 
 " Then why should he interfere in your union 
 with Lord Chanceley, Aigline ?" 
 
 "Another very simple question, yet to which 
 I can give no reasonable answer, further than that 
 I apprehend his interference ; yet why or where- 
 fore, I cannot with all my woman's wit divine.'^ 
 
 " You are fanciful, Aigline.^' 
 
 '^ And you provoking, Freville ; but judge from 
 the following facts. Three weeks have passed 
 since Lord Chanceley, in all due form, proposed 
 for me ; and though, from a knowledge of Lord 
 Beletrieve's influence over my passionless lover, 
 I have frequently attempted to introduce the 
 subject, he has always gracefully eluded it. You 
 know I was at the Opera last night ; Lord 
 Chanceley sat by my side, and was quite elaborate 
 in his description of my nuptial jewels, equipages, 
 residences, &c., &c., being pleasing and flattering 
 subjects to which I granted a willing ear, when 
 who should lounge into our box but Lord Bele- 
 trieve, who, after a moment, said, ' Chanceley, 
 what is the humour of this ? I claim Miss 
 Tennant as my pecuUar care.' With an ob- 
 sequious bow, up jumped Chanceley, making way 
 for his Lordship. Every glass seemed pointed 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 81 
 
 towards us, and the Prince absolutely smiled and 
 shook his head at Lord Beletrieve. Resolved to 
 put an end to future interruption s, I turned 
 round and said, ^ My Lord, though the subject is 
 very embarrassing, I wish to acquaint you with 
 an event, which I am confident you already know. 
 My nup — ' ' Ha ! stop,' he cried, laying his hand 
 on my arm ; then in a tone of pseudo gallantry 
 he continued, ' dark browed daughter of Erin's 
 saintly isle, why destroy a pleasing illusion ? At 
 present I consider you quite charming, would 
 you become disagreeable by the tedium of obliging 
 me to listen to what you say I already know. 
 Then if the tale embarrasses, in the name of the 
 loves and graces, desist, desist. At this instant 
 your bloom is perfect, another shade would 
 deepen it into red, vulgar red. Come, no trem- 
 bling, no blushing, no feeling ; they are all in bad 
 taste ; nay, are as grotesque as if you took out 
 a crook and I a fife : it would be rather a sheepish 
 fashion, would it not, Aigline ? Ill-natured people 
 might ridicule us.' I could not resist laughing, for 
 to give effect to his words he held up his cane, 
 and whistled a pastoral air. During this time 
 Lord Chanceley looked on quite delighted that 
 his Lordship honoured me by his notice. Now, 
 Freville, should Lord Beletrieve choose to in- 
 
 E 3 
 
82 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 terfere, what chance have I with a man who, 
 almost on the eve of marriage, would resign his 
 place to a rival ?^' 
 
 " At all events, Aigline, it will not be a heart- 
 breaking affair/' I said this bitterly. 
 
 " Ambition has its griefs, its despairs, as well 
 as love," she answered ; " but, Freville, romantic 
 as you are, once introduced into the magic circle, 
 I do not doubt but that I shall see you bow be- 
 fore its idol. Nay more, if you brought your 
 Clara here, learn to value her by the number of 
 her admirers. Pleasant state of society ! I won- 
 der what would Britain's stalwart knights of the 
 olden times have thought, who considered that the 
 honour of their stately dames should be as bright 
 and unsullied as the blades of the good swords which 
 thev would have buried to the hilt in the breast 
 of any who dared to breathe a word against them, 
 could they rise from their narrow beds, and wit- 
 ness this most extraordinary change of manners, 
 and its still stranger results. But here comes 
 my father: observe, he must not even suspect 
 the indecision of Lord Chanceley's character.'' 
 
 On the Saturday previous to Aigline's concert, 
 I was introduced to Lord Beletrieve. From the 
 accounts 1 had received, and Mr. Moneymore's 
 grotesque caricature, I expected to see an old 
 beau, dressed in foppish fashion, and with a 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 83 
 
 flippant, affected address. On the contrary, he 
 was a perfect gentleman, who, without the formal 
 stateliness of the vieille cour, possessed its digni- 
 fied poHteness, carefully shunning every observa- 
 tion likely to wound the feelings of his hearers, 
 and by the graceful urbanity of his manners, dis- 
 guising his innate, indomitable selfishness. His 
 dress was peculiar, but became him well; nankeen 
 tights, blue coat, with gilt buttons, white Marseilles 
 vest. The very slight curve in his back was not 
 unbecoming, and his lameness, which he struggled 
 to conquer, scarcely perceptible. Born to high 
 rank, large fortune, uniting to these the advan- 
 tages of manly beauty, and talents far above me- 
 diocrity, he might have raised himself to the 
 highest place in the senate of his country. But 
 he had sacrificed all to the pursuit of idle plea- 
 sures, and at the age of sixty found himself 
 rapidly gliding into the vale of years, and unpos- 
 sessed of one solid advantage. His health was 
 faded, his fortune involved, his boasted Cosmopo- 
 lite Club sinking into disrepute. Younger and 
 less endowed men were usurping his place in 
 society, — a new order of things being established. 
 True, he was still the leader of a set who stu- 
 diously copied his every action, but he had too 
 much intellect for his position — it is a great 
 curse — he began to despise himself; this soured 
 
84 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 his temper. He became envious, jealous, mi- 
 santhropic. There is no misanthropy so pro- 
 found or dangerous as that which emanates from 
 mortified vanity; but these discontents had no 
 effect on the outward man. He still continued 
 his graspings after notoriety and conquest ; the 
 bland smile and persuasive manner were the 
 same ; the cold sneer and expressive shrug which 
 had cast scorn on many a noble heart, had lost 
 none of their power. Reputation, hope, virtue, 
 still withered before them. My hand trembles 
 as I acknowledge that, captivated by the graces 
 of this Belial, and yielding to the influence 
 of opinion, in defiance of all I had learned of 
 his character, I became one of his most de- 
 voted admirers and imitators. Unhappily, from 
 caprice, he took a fancy to me, showed me some 
 kindness, which did not interfere with his own 
 views, and sought my society. Need I add, 
 
 the eifect which this interview had on mv unfixed 
 
 •I 
 
 principles. 
 
 Aigline did not spare her raillery, pointing out 
 how much wiser I had spoken for her than 
 acted for myself. Although my greatest am- 
 bition was to be initiated into the Cosmopolite 
 Club, still, as I had the good taste not to copy 
 his Lordship^s dress, or personal defects, she 
 gratified her playful humour by making her at- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 85 
 
 tendant, Ellen, place one of his old perukes on 
 my table ; and sometimes, to oblige her, I sported 
 it of an evening, when we chanced to be without 
 company, which seldom occurred. Strange that 
 men can at once despise and worship the gro- 
 tesque and polluted idols of fashion ! 
 
86 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIT. 
 
 On the evening of, Aigline's concert, Lord 
 Beletrieve, by appointment, came early to prac- 
 tise with her. He had a just taste for music, 
 some knowledge of the sciences, and affected a 
 great deal more. Aigline, who looked exquisitely 
 beautiful, and, resolved to win his attention, and 
 gain his sanction to her projected nuptials, as he 
 stood by her harp, said : 
 
 " My Lord, gratify me by attending patiently 
 while I explain a matter, to me of the deepest 
 consequence, as connected with my future hap- 
 piness/^ 
 
 " Future happiness !'^ he retorted, with a thea- 
 trical start. Then in a reproachful tone, he said, 
 " Though I confess the unpleasing truth that I am 
 passe, still I am not quite so gone as to be appointed 
 father confessor to youth and beauty such as 
 
THE DEERHURSTS, 8? 
 
 yours. Besides^ we Cosmopolites shun the mys- 
 terious doctrines connected with the future. Bum 
 vivimus vivanms, is our motto.^' 
 
 " Nay, my Lord/^ she gravely replied, " I do 
 not mean my happiness in another world, but my 
 prospects in this ; so let me entreat of you to be 
 serious/' 
 
 " Serious/' he interrupted, "why it would de- 
 stroy the present blissful illusion. Serious, where 
 beauty, music, and feasting preside ! forbid it, 
 Comus, thou god of mirth and revelry. Nay, 
 Aigline, shade not your fair brow with that frown 
 of anger. Remember, to be serious is to reflect, 
 — to reflect, to reason — to reason, to be sad ; for 
 reflection raises to our view disappointment, sor- 
 row, old age, debility, death, and its hideous 
 accompaniments. Is there not some quaint phi- 
 losophy which goes to prove that all we see most 
 charming in nature is owing to some visual decep- 
 tion ? If, then, the loveliness of this sphere we 
 inhabit is but an igmisfatuus, a brightness spring- 
 ing from corruption, is it not far better to yield to 
 the illusion, than by dispersing it, rush into the 
 knowledge of stern, uncompromising truths, and 
 evils over which the united powers of man can 
 have no control ? Credit me, Aigline, all wisdom 
 consists in enjoying the present j the past we 
 
88 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 have lost, the future may not be for us ; we live 
 to-day, to-morrow we may die. Then — 
 
 " Away with melancholy. 
 Which doleful changes bring/* 
 
 He sung this out in admirable style ; I could 
 not resist laughing at Aigline's defeat, but tears 
 started into her eyes. On the instant, company 
 began to arriye ; she stepped forward to receive 
 them, when turning to me, with his inimitable 
 shrug. Lord Beletrieve remarked : 
 
 " Aigline would raise me to the honour of being 
 the friend of the family. Bah ! it is too absurd," 
 and taking a pinch of snufF, he advanced to one 
 of the royal princes, who, at his request, honoured 
 the concert by his presence. 
 
 The concert v^ent off well, even amidst the first 
 singers of the Opera, engaged at a monstrous 
 expense, the connoisseurs gave Aigline a prefer- 
 ence. Nor was I without my share of praise. At the 
 concert 1 first saw Lord Chanceley, a thin, rather 
 low, knock-kneed young man, with light hair and 
 whiskers, and a countenance tolerably handsome. 
 But when Aigline said that all his ideas were 
 absorbed in the study of the great original, Lord 
 Beletrieve, she by no means exaggerated ; and if 
 his imitation was less grotesque than Mr. Money- 
 
THE DEERHURST8. 89 
 
 morels, it was because his youth and appearance 
 were naturally graceful. 
 
 The next three months were passed in a con- 
 stant round of gaiety. The Tennants were classed 
 among the elites, and I was received as Sir Roger 
 Deerhurst's grandson and heir ; I taking no 
 pains to contradict a belief so flattering to my 
 vanity, and which won for me the attention of the 
 Vilmont family. I was his Lordship's young 
 relative, of whom he was so proud, that I received 
 many hints that the hand of either of the three 
 Miss Vilmonts was at my command. Nay, 
 Aigline said, that as Lord Vilmont was an influ- 
 ential person, probably he had it in contemplation 
 to bring in an Act to prove the propriety of my 
 marrying the three sisters. Certainly, the rather 
 tight-laced morality which had influenced him to 
 refuse the smallest assistance to the orphans of 
 his predecessor was quite lost in respect for the 
 reputed heir ; but the knowledge of his heartless 
 cruelty to them was never forgotten by me. 
 
 I sometimes dined with Lord Beletrieve — no 
 small distinction. I was perfectly charmed with 
 his palace : it was a very temple of luxury and 
 refinement. He had but a few pictures and 
 statues, but they were of the finest execution. I 
 remarked that all the latter wore drapery. 
 
 VOL. I. E 4 
 
$0 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 " Mr. Deerhurst/' he replied, " I belong to the 
 old school, and by no mean^ approve of introduc- 
 ing un draped figures where ladies are admitted. 
 You smile — mistake me not. I do not allude to 
 what effect they may have on morals — morals do 
 not belong to my function, — the refinement of 
 passion does. A woman should be as delicate as 
 the sensitive plant, shrinking from all that is 
 bold or coarse. When she loses this delicacy, her 
 greatest charm is gone. You seem astonished at 
 what I say, but remember, that what we lose in 
 ourselves we exact from others. However, except 
 when I meet with a rara avis, like Aigline Ten- 
 nant, I generally shun an introduction to your 
 young misses. Their insipidity and self-satisfac- 
 tion offer nothing attractive to my taste ; which 
 though founded on epicurean philosophy, never- 
 theless can be satisfied with nothing short of 
 intellect.'' 
 
 Lord Chanceley went to his seat in Devonshire 
 to make splendid preparations for his nuptials, 
 which were to take place on his return ; still he 
 fixed no period for either. About this time, there 
 was an on dit circulated, relative to Lord Bele- 
 trieve, which excited a sensation. A pretty Flo- 
 rentine of rank, imbibing some taste for the stage, 
 eloped from her friends, and appeared at the 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 91 
 
 Italian Opera, in London. Her debut was crowded 
 to excess, but she proved a failure. She had a 
 sweet voice, but no compass ; a lovely form, but 
 no dignity or dramatic powers. The poor Italian 
 was in despair. In this extremity, numerous 
 admirers arose to offer her protection. Strange to 
 say, she gave Lord Beletrieve the preference, and 
 loved him in all sincerity. Fifteen months she 
 dwelt beneath his roof, when she was seized with 
 fever. He then, in defiance of the attendant 
 physician, had her removed. 
 
 '^ My Lord," exclaimed the doctor, " if removed 
 in this state, I cannot answer for her life. In 
 such a house as this, there is no fear of in- 
 fection.'^ 
 
 "Bahl'* answered his Lordship; "I never 
 thought of infection. But if the signora die^ere, 
 I shall fancy it a charnel-house." 
 
 Well, she was removed — died ; and next day, 
 speaking on the subject, he remarked : 
 
 *' On the whole, I congratulate myself. Poor 
 Melanche (so she was called), was so determined, 
 like the poet's Melancholy, in * marking me for her 
 own' that I should have found a difficulty in 
 shaking her off, and I began to tire of her. In 
 fact, she was embarrassing me — death has settled 
 the business satisfactorily." 
 
 Aigline was quite indignant when this circum- 
 
 VOL. I. E 5 
 
92 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Stance reached her; and with good feeling 
 regretted my intimacy with his Lordship. I 
 retorted, and she then replied sadly : 
 
 "Freville, we are both rushing swiftly into 
 ruin. One difference, however, exists between 
 us ; though I have not courage to retreat, I see 
 and feel my danger ; whereas, you are self- 
 deceived, — it may be, wilfully so.'* 
 
 "Nay, Aigline, you are severe, and the most 
 prejudiced person I ever met.'^ 
 
 " I believe you are right," she answered ; " but 
 I dislike him so utterly, that sometimes as he 
 hangs over me, with his fixed smile, I feel a 
 perfect revulsion of my blood, and then I have a 
 presentiment that he is the ruler of my destiny. 
 And oh ! surely if he is, it must be evil, for no 
 good could spring from him, the mocker of all that 
 is sacred. Wonder not then at my great regret at 
 seeing you so completely under his influence : 
 even my father, in general so little observant, was 
 startled yesterday at the freedom of some of your 
 opinions. Oh ! Freville, wild and thoughtless as 
 I am, from the inmost recesses of my soul I rever- 
 ence virtue. My marriage with Lord Chanceley is 
 the charm which shall dissolve my present enchant- 
 ment, and then you shall see me act up to my amia- 
 ble mother^s precepts. Alas ! that I ever deviated 
 from them ! One great difference, Freville, exists 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 93 
 
 between you and me, — you are rushing blindly 
 forward on your career ; whereas, I see and tremble 
 at my danger, and still, as if bound by some 
 talismanic power, have not strength to escape. 
 Freville, it was my folly which first introduced 
 you to Lord Beletrieve, and should you suffer in 
 morals or happiness, I never can forgive my- 
 self/' 
 
 " Is my happiness then so dear to you, 
 Aigline }" I repeated with emotion. 
 
 " Psha ! this is nonsense,^' she answered, as 
 she rushed from the apartment. 
 
 The following week we went to the theatre ; 
 Mr. Tennant accompanied us every instant ; — in an 
 under voice, for she did not wish her father to 
 know her dislike to Lord Beletrieve — Aigline 
 congratulated herself on his Lordship's absence. 
 She certainly looked exquisitely beautiful and 
 happy. More than once she whispered, " Methinks, 
 Freville, that even the air of this heated theatre 
 appears as fresh as early spring, when it is not 
 polluted with the Beletrieve presence." 
 
 " And with so strong a prejudice," I answered, 
 '^ why did you ever admit his acquaintance, and 
 why do you not now decline it ? Really, Aigline, 
 this inconsistency looks like affectation." 
 
 " Why did I ever admit his acquaintance ! to 
 that question;. 1 positively cannot give any satis- 
 
94 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 factory answer. Do you remember, Freville, 
 the tale in the ' Arabian Nights,' over which we 
 were wont to laugh so heartily, where Sinbad the 
 sailor let the old man mount on his back, and 
 could not afterwards shake him off ? For every 
 attempt he made, the old man stuck more closely 
 to him. Now 1 am just in the same predicament : 
 in my ignorance or vanity I let Lord Beletrieve 
 assume a command over me, and now I cannot 
 cast it off, though I pledge you my word I have 
 made several attempts ; nay, more, he has dis- 
 covered my sentiments, and the excitement of 
 conquering my dislike teaches him to cling to me 
 with a pertinacity truly alarming." 
 
 " Are you afraid he will strangle or crush you ?'^ 
 I demanded, smiling. 
 
 " Figuratively ! if I do not escape, he will 
 strangle my character and crush my happiness.^^ 
 
 On our return from the theatre we learned that 
 Lord Chanceley had called at past eleven, and 
 left word, for Miss Tennant, that he had only just 
 arrived, but that being impatient to see her he had 
 waived all ceremony. We regretted having been 
 absent, but Aigline was much pleased at this proof 
 of his affection. 
 
 " I did not expect he would have been so 
 ardent,'^ said she to me ; '' and now, Freville, I 
 agree with you, I have been fanciful and unjust. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 95 
 
 but when the heart is deeply interested on any 
 subject, it is apt to get suspicious and doubtful/' 
 
 Again on the following morning Lord Chanceley 
 called. Aigline, who was at her toilet, for it was 
 before our very late breakfast, sent to request he 
 would wait, as she would be down in a few 
 minutes. 
 
 " Tell her," he replied, " that what makes me 
 up so early, is, that I received a note from Lord 
 Beletrieve, requesting me to breakfast with him ; 
 however, I shall again call in the course of the 
 day, as I am all impatience to see her.'^ 
 
 Concluding Lord Chanceley would not wish for 
 interruption during his visit, I took one of Mr. 
 Tennant's horses and rode off to Hampton Court, 
 to execute a commission for him with a friend. 
 It was a beautiful afternoon, and I was easily 
 prevailed upon to spend the day, so I did not 
 return to London until a late hour, near midnight. 
 I inquired for Miss Tennant ; understanding she 
 had retired to rest, I was following her example, 
 when Mr. Tennant, looking fearfully ill and 
 excited, came out of the drawing-room and re- 
 quested that I would remain, as he had much to 
 say ; I readily consented. Closing the door he 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " Freville, here is a most unfortunate business. 
 Aigline in expectation of Lord Chanceley not 
 
96 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 only remained at home all day, but wrote a note 
 expressive of her joy at his return, and regret 
 that she had missed seeing him when he was so 
 obhging as to call, and requested the pleasure of 
 his company to dinner. To prevent the possibility 
 of any mistake relative to his receiving it, I drove 
 myself to the hotel, saw his servant, who assured me 
 that when his Lordship was going out he had said, 
 ' I mean to dine with the Tennants, probably we 
 shall go to the Opera, so be in readiness.' All this 
 was what might be expected, so I returned to 
 acquaint Aigline and give orders ; then not to 
 interrupt her expected t^te-a-t^te, drove out. 
 
 ^' On returning to dinner I found Lord Chanceley 
 had not called. Poor Aigline was trembling with 
 disappointment and excitement, — I much fear she 
 is attached to him ; — well, we waited dinner until 
 past ten, then dismissed it untouched; another 
 half hour elapsed, and I was going to call to 
 inquire if he had received Aigline's note, when a 
 waiter from the hotel arrived with one to me from 
 his Lordship, in which he commenced with an 
 elaborate apology for not having sent an earlier 
 answer to my invitation for dinner ; regretted he 
 could not accept it, but, all things considered, he 
 thought it in better taste not to do so, as he found, 
 his uncle refused to grant his consent to his 
 union with Miss Tennant. He would not wound 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 97 
 
 my feelings by repeating his uncle's unanswerable 
 objections ; he considered doing so would be in bad 
 taste ; and he added, that ere I received his note 
 he should be on his way to the continent, where 
 he would continue for a year or two, or until 
 Miss Tennant was married, since after the pubhcity 
 of his admiration, though happily it did not com- 
 promise his honour, — as he never could form 
 an engagement without his uncle's consent, — he 
 thought it would be in bad taste to meet her, 
 which must be the case if he continued in London. 
 He concluded his heartless, insolent rejection 
 of my daughter, by requesting that I would present 
 his best regards and compliments to her. So 
 much, Freville, for the bad taste of this con- 
 temptible sprig of nobility !" 
 
 I was at a loss for an answer to soothe Mr. 
 Tennant, who positively looked half distracted, so 
 I muttered something about Aigline having had a 
 good escape from such a fop, and then with a 
 happy contradiction said, perhaps, after a time, 
 his uncle may consent. 
 
 " Psha !" he answered indignantly, " the uncle 
 is a mere subterfuge to soften down his unmanly 
 desertion of a girl he so ardently sought ; the only 
 uncle he has is a step-uncle on his mother's side, 
 who has no authority or influence over him ; and 
 the only part of his letter that is true is that 
 
 VOL. I. F 
 
98 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 respecting his departure. He left London in a 
 chariot and four before one this day, and ordered 
 his note to me not to be delivered till past ten 
 in the afternoon/' 
 
 " Fool 1" he exclaimed, after a pause, " did he 
 think it necessary to fly from my beautiful daugh- 
 ter who, in all but the vain and artificial insti- 
 tutes of society, is far his superior. Heaven, how 
 I lessened her and myself when I sacrificed the 
 truly respectable in pursuit of the false glare of 
 fashion ! But I am severely punished.'' He sighed 
 deeply and then continued, " The step I wished to 
 take was to challenge Lord Chanceley, but Aigline 
 suffered torture from the very idea ; first, she says, 
 waiving to her the dearest of *all considerations 
 — my safety, it would only give publicity to her 
 mortification ; and next, if Lord Chanceley wished 
 to shirk out of the duel, a very probable sug- 
 gestion, for most villains are cowards, he could 
 do so on the pretence that a patrician would be 
 disgraced by a meeting with a shipwright." A laugh 
 of scorn almost amounting to a convulsion, dis- 
 torted Tennant's countenance as he spoke these 
 words, and he continued for some time struggling 
 to regain composure. 
 
 I then took an opportunity of pressing on him 
 the justice of Aigline's remarks, and the folly of 
 thinking of pursuing Lord Chanceley to the con- 
 tinent with a challenge. I argued that the best 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 99 
 
 plan wotJd be to appear as much as possible in pub- 
 lic, observing that in a week or two the London 
 season would be at its height, and that although 
 Aigline's engagement had been much spoken of, 
 still in Lord Chanceley^s absence the subject 
 would be soon forgotten, for with her youth, 
 beauty, and accompUshments, she might expect 
 to make even a superior match. He thanked me 
 for my advice, which seemed to soothe his wounded 
 pride. We continued up conversing till a late hour. 
 He then retired to rest looking very sad but more 
 tranquil. I must have been callous to all good 
 feeling if I had not sympathized in the Tennants' 
 disappointment, and I watched impatiently for an 
 interview with Aigline. 
 
 F 2 
 
100 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The following morning I entered the breakfast 
 parlour earlier than usual. Mr. Tennant had gone 
 out, and Aigline, I understood^ had ordered coffee 
 in the music room ; there I followed, and tapping 
 gently at the door playfully demanded, " May 
 I come in ?'' 
 
 " Oh ! certainly, Freville,'^ she answered, open- 
 ing it. 
 
 I observed she was much flushed, and her dark 
 eyes actually sparkled like brilliants. 
 
 "Sit down," she said, pointing to a couch, 
 " till we talk over my rejection : positively — 
 though I foresaw its probability, and traced its 
 source, — I am mortified beyond endurance.'^ 
 
 I took her hand in mine, and in soft accents 
 said, — " Dear Aigline, may I hope that no ten- 
 derer feelings than offended pride agitate you 
 thus ?^^ 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. ]01 
 
 She answered passionately, " Really, Freville, 
 you provoke me. So many months in London, 
 entering into its dissipation, and still remaining 
 in your pastoral style ? Never was there so incon- 
 gruous a being : why you might as well expect to 
 see flowers spring up in the middle of Bond 
 Street, as love among the Beletrieve set. If such 
 a lusus natura occurred, both, flowers and love 
 would be instantly crushed/' 
 
 ^* Then, Aigline, if you were ever so angry, I 
 cannot feel as deeply for the wounds of mortified 
 vanity as 1 would for those of true afl'ection ; and 
 much as I despise Lord Chanceley, I do not half 
 so much condemn his desertion/^ 
 
 " Admirable speech, Freville ! Your wisdom has 
 but one fault — you do not exercise it in your own 
 case, but let us not quarrel on the subject. I be- 
 lieve I am in a bad humour, so excuse me. 
 As to blaming Lord Chanceley, who ever thought 
 of that but my father ? Not I, surely; I never was 
 deceived. Did I not, from the beginning, assure 
 you that his attachment to me merely originated 
 in the admiration I elicited from others, and that 
 my fate was in Lord Beletrieve's hands ? You 
 thought me fanciful, but the result has proved my 
 discernment.'^ 
 
 " Is it possible,'' I demanded, " that Lord 
 Beletrieve has interfered r" 
 
102 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 " Unquestionably/^ she answered, " and only 
 that it might encroach too much on your time, I 
 would explain the diplomatic manner in which his 
 Lordship persuaded, or rather tempted my worthy 
 lover, Lord Chanceley, to desert me." 
 
 " Aigline, interested as I am in all that concerns, 
 you, how can you speak of my time ; it is never 
 better engaged than when attending to matters 
 which affect your welfare/' 
 
 " It is kindly said, Freville, more particularly 
 as I have been somewhat petulant ; but this disap- 
 pointment to my hopes grieves me to the soul. If 
 it was a vain ambition to look forward with plea- 
 sure to be a Countess, I admit the impeachment; 
 yet that is not my deepest regret; but the. en- 
 chantment Lord Beletrieve has cast around me 
 cannot now be broken. I both dislike and fear 
 that man, and as much as you are pleased with 
 him, you will admit I have reason, when I explain 
 how he broke off my match. In the first place, 
 Freville, you must remember what I have before 
 mentioned, that my attendant, Ellen, is sister to 
 Pat Mulcahy, who by his cajoling Irish flattery, 
 ready wit, and obliging temper, has become such 
 a favourite with Lord Beletrieve that he attends 
 him at breakfast and lunch ; in short, though not 
 his valet, he is always about his person. It 
 appears that although Lord Beletrieve never spoke 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 103 
 
 of my engagement with Lord Chanceley, and in 
 his happy manner always eluded the subject, 
 from the commencement he watched its progress, 
 and when it was mentioned at the club or else- 
 where, gave his inimitable shrug or odious sneer, — 
 the first expressive of doubt, the latter of scorn. 
 Though aware of his power, and from some 
 motive — to me at least impenetrable — resolved 
 that I should not be married to Lord Chanceley, 
 he took no steps to prevent our union, but must 
 have been on the watch ; for last night, while we 
 were at the theatre. Lord Chanceley arrived from 
 Devon, and, as you already know, called here 
 instantly. This was reported to Lord Beletrieve, 
 who wrote him an invitation to an early breakfast 
 on the following morning. The note was sent by 
 Pat, who first posted off to acquaint Ellen, and 
 who met Lord Chanceley just returning from this 
 house, and heard him mutter, ^Rather unfortunate, 
 I hoped to spend the morning with Aigline^ — 
 however, he accepted the invitation. Still every- 
 thing proves that he had returned from Devon 
 full of our union, and apparently more impatiently 
 in love than ever; but the heart of a fool is as 
 empty as his head. So much for my preface, 
 Freville : let us now enter Lord Beletrieve's 
 boudoir, in which he seldom receives male visi- 
 tors, and I may say, en passant, that it is coijfii- 
 
104 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 dered to be one of the most unique and luxu- 
 riously fitted up apartments in London. Wrapped 
 in a Polish pelisse of puce coloured satin, all 
 furred with sables, — for in spite of the heat of the 
 weather the morning air blew too fresh for his 
 exhausted frame, — Lord Beletrieve reclined on a 
 splendid couch, his gouty foot supported on an 
 embroidered cushion, near to which, on another, 
 but of larger dimensions, rested his two pet Blen- 
 heims, Sappho and Anacreon, their eyes fixed on 
 his Lordship's face, and their long ears cocked to 
 watch his pleasure. Near to him stood a table of 
 ebony and silver, with its rich appointments of 
 Sevre china and gold plate ; and a few steps 
 beyond, on his left knee, knelt Pat, while on his 
 right he supported a massive tray covered with 
 the more substantial viands to woo his Lordship^s 
 sickly appetite, which, like the lean kine of Pha- 
 raoh's dream, shrank and withered almost to 
 loathing amid the offered abundance. At the 
 other side of the couch was placed a large table 
 covered with papers, pamphlets, and periodicals ; 
 over this the full light was admitted to fall, for 
 observe, in the rest of the apartment it was 
 allayed by the rose-coloured curtains so as to suit 
 his Lordship's faded complexion. At this table 
 sat a youth of an interesting appearance, whose 
 occupation was to read out paragraphs from the 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 105 
 
 papers or books. One more object is worthy of 
 observation, a fine Newfoundland dog of the 
 larger size, called Rochester, kept guard at the 
 door, and never admitted any person to enter 
 without his master's command, and in his ab- 
 sence was so ferocious that Blue Beard's wife, with 
 all her curiosity, would not have dared to approach. 
 As the hour appointed for Lord Chanceley's 
 coming was much earher than Lord Beletrieve's 
 usual one for rising, Pat observed the compressing 
 of his brow, and the peevish pish, as he turned over 
 with his fork the delicacies he could not enjoy — 
 more violent symptoms of anger he was too 
 refined to display. At that instant a deep 
 growl from Rochester announced approaching 
 steps. 
 
 " ^ Is that Chanceley?' his Lordship called out 
 languidly. An affirm.ative was given. * Here, 
 Rochester, let him in.' The dog obeyed, and 
 Lord Chanceley entered, but started as Rochester 
 stood before him. 
 
 " ^ No fear, Chanceley,' exclaimed Lord Bele- 
 trieve, ^ you are an expected guest ; but I have 
 such a perfect horror of intrusion, that I take every 
 means to guard against it. 
 
 " ' Do you know, Chanceley,' said his Lordship, 
 as he observed the keen appetite with which he 
 discussed the delicacies, * I almost envy you having 
 
 F 3 
 
106 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 an appetite for your breakfast. My epicurean 
 system is greatly upset without one. After all, 
 of what advantage is a luxurious table when a 
 man cannot enjoy it ? I am thinking that a short 
 sojourn in the country might be useful to me ; the 
 life we Cosmopolites lead is not healthy, and I 
 require renovation.' 
 
 " Chanceley stopped eating to reply, and Lord 
 Beletrieve continued : 
 
 " ' I understand that you have got a pretty 
 lodge on the south coast of Devonshire, and that 
 you have lately fitted it up in good taste, excellent 
 taste, gentlemanly taste, though some of the Club 
 would have disputed the point. But to return to 
 the lodge, could you let me have it for a month or 
 two — your own terms — or if you did not consider 
 me an incumbrance^ and had no object in view 
 that my going might interfere with, I would 
 gladly accompany you there as a visitor. Cer- 
 tainly it would be against my usual habits, for in 
 general 1 hate to be a visitor, — home or an hotel 
 for me ; but, Chanceley, when you are in question, 
 there is no sacrifice, for you are an excellent fel- 
 low, and a most agreeable companion.' 
 
 " Lord Chanceley was perfectly astounded ; in 
 his vainest moment he had never dreamt of being 
 considered excellent or agreeable. It certainly was 
 a new discovery. So, looking very foolish, he 
 
THE DEEBHURSTS. 10/ 
 
 poured out a torrent of gratitude for the compli- 
 ment, adding, 'how honoured he would feel by his 
 company.' 
 
 " ' Then am I to consider the thing settled ? 
 How soon shall we set off for Devonshire ?^ in- 
 quired Lord Beletrieve.' 
 
 '' ' Oh ! really, my Lord, I am greatly honoured 
 by your intention of coming to me, and your 
 high opinion of my merits, which, when once 
 known, will at once bring me into distinction, still 
 I venture to solicit you would carry your kind- 
 ness still further, and have me balloted for at 
 the Cosmopolite Club — one word from your Lord- 
 ship, and I should be admitted/ 
 
 '' ' Of course you would,' haughtily retorted 
 Lord Beletrieve, ' but this is an after considera- 
 tion ; what has it to do with my going to Devon- 
 shire ?' 
 
 '• ' Oh ! true, my Lord, but I am so confused, so 
 flattered. Aigline — you admire her so much, you 
 would perhaps rather consider her an acquisition, 
 if not, I can postpone my marriage until after you 
 return. No girl of common delicacy could press 
 a man to hurry his union.' 
 
 " With well acted surprise Lord Beletrieve 
 replied : * Positively, Chanceley, you rave ; have 
 you got a fever, or was your chasse de cafe too 
 strong? For myself, I never take one in the 
 
108 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 morning. I asked your leave to go to Devonshire 
 either as your tenant or visitor, and you burst 
 forth into a wild rhodomontade about admiration, 
 marriage, and Lord knows what/ 
 
 " * Oh ! my Lord, it is quite true ; but I am so 
 confused, so miserable till I obtain your full ap- 
 probation of my taste. Of course had I not 
 been certain of it, I would not have gone so 
 far ; if you recollect, I have frequently told you 
 that I had something of the utmost consequence 
 to consult you about, but you always shunned the 
 explanation, and our relationship is so distant, I 
 had no right to press my affairs on your notice.' 
 
 " ' Connexion, Lord Chanceley, if you please,' 
 rephed Lord Beletrieve, with a sneer; * but in 
 regard to inattention, of which you seem to 
 complain, forgive me if I say that it must have 
 proceeded from want of tact on your side. It 
 may be that you addressed me while I was dis- 
 cussing my wine, or engaged at whist, or ecarte, 
 or flirting with a pretty girl, or soothing the 
 wounded feelings of one unreasonable enough 
 to reproach me for a change of sentiment 
 towards her — the mere result of my consti- 
 tutional inconstancy. But now I am at leisure 
 to act as confidant: you will not, however, be 
 prolix — the hour for my bath is approaching.^ 
 
 "After much stammering, blushing, nay, trem- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 109 
 
 bling, Lord Chanceley said : ' You must have 
 observed my attention to Miss Tennant, and, if 
 you have not already learned it from report, I 
 wish to acquaint you that I have proposed for 
 her, am accepted, and that I hope we shall soon 
 be united ; and, if your Lordship would accom- 
 pany us to Devonshire, just fitted up for her 
 reception, she and I would do all in our power to 
 amuse you/ 
 
 " Without noticing the latter part of the speech, 
 assuming a look of wonder. Lord Beletrieve ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " ' Chanceley, can you be serious ? Propose for 
 Aigline Tennant, the shipbuilder's daughter !' 
 
 "Almost electrified. Lord Chanceley cried out: 
 
 " ^ My Lord, it was yourself first introduced her 
 to me ! — extolling her so highly, that I concluded 
 you were the intimate friend of her family.' 
 
 " ^ Friend !' emphatically repeated Lord Bele- 
 trieve, with his shrug, and look of ineffable 
 scorn. 
 
 " With more energy than he seemed capable of. 
 Lord Chanceley continued : 
 
 " ' Yes, friend ; and permit me to say, that it 
 was your notice, and the Prince's admiration, 
 which first attracted me to Miss Tennant : you 
 both said that she was beautiful, and a first-rate 
 musician. Then half the young men in London 
 
110 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 spoke in raptures of her^ toasted her, danced with 
 her ; so I thought if I could obtain her in mar- 
 riage, I should gain a prize, and that you, my 
 Lord, would approve of my taste, and the Prince 
 perhaps notice her, and say that Lady Chanceley 
 was one of the most beautiful women in England; 
 nay, in spite of her youth, he might fall in 
 love with her. What other motives could have 
 led to my proposal? I am no judge of beauty 
 — almost dislike music, and was a little afraid of 
 Miss Tennant's ready wit ; and as to money, I do 
 not require it,' he paused, for want of breath. 
 
 " ^ Be calm — not so vehement,^ said Lord Bele- 
 trieve, playfully, ' all this heat of temper, more 
 particularly when no one disputes your opinion, 
 is in bad taste ; and, if known, would for ever 
 exclude you from the Cosmopolite Club. Now, 
 hear my opinion : Aigline Tennant is young, 
 beautiful, accomplished ; as to her position, 
 her father was lately a shipbuilder in the city 
 of Cork, in Ireland; as to her wealth, he is 
 squandering it in every direction, for the delecta- 
 ble purpose of forcing himself and his daughter 
 into a society to which they are not entitled, and 
 which is likely to prove as unfortunate, as it 
 is expensive.' 
 
 " ' Then, as she possesses so many advantages, 
 and as her union with me will give her station. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. Ill 
 
 perhaps, after all, I was fortunate in my choice/ 
 said Lord Chanceley, timidly. 
 
 " Lord Beletrieve raised himself on the couch, 
 and fixing his eyes on Lord Chanceley, in a proud, 
 measured tone, said : 
 
 '^ ' Did / ever marry ? — Did I, because I saw 
 many a girl of inferior rank, young, beautiful, 
 and accomplished, think it necessary to raise 
 them to my position ? Can you suppose such a 
 thing possible ? , Bah !' and his Lordship took a 
 long pinch of snuff. 
 
 " ' I was not aware/ said Lord Chanceley, with 
 a sigh, ^ that you had any objection to marriage ; 
 on the contrary, I have heard you speak on the 
 subject as if you considered it as a respectable 
 institution.^ 
 
 " ' And so I do — for my friends,' said Lord 
 Beletrieve, with his sickly smile. ' Let those 
 who will, enter into the indissoluble bonds of ma- 
 trimony ; for me, my philosophy refines on plea- 
 sure, and, consequently, though no versifier of 
 words, or publisher of rhymes, I am fanciful and 
 classical enough to know that the blaze of Hymen's 
 torch shines so brightly, that the illusions of the 
 imagination disperse before it, — then vanish the 
 Graces, Love flutters awhile, and flies off. To 
 supply their place, enter household economy and 
 prudence, and, to crown, or rather to destroy all 
 
 VOL. I, F 4 
 
112 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 satiety supervenes. Bah I' and he took another 
 pinch of snufF. ' Now, Chanceley, the question is, 
 whether it is better for a man to be respectable or 
 happy/ 
 
 " ' The Prince is married !' exclaimed Lord 
 Chanceley, with emotion ; ' and, independent of 
 royalty, he is allowed to be the finest, most 
 fashionable man in England.' 
 
 " * The Prince is married !' reiterated Lord Be- 
 letrieve, in a slow, monotonous tone, ' a happy 
 illustration of the advantages of marriage. Chance- 
 ley, your hits are so piquant, that I must intro- 
 duce you to the Club, as a bel-esprit ; yet, perhaps, 
 it were as well not; people might laugh at 
 Lord Chanceley looking to royalty as his guiding 
 star ! Psha I but vanity makes fools of us all.^ 
 
 " * Good Heaven !' exclaimed Lord Chanceley, 
 in a tone of unaflfected distress, ' what am I to 
 do ? Oh ! that I had known your sentiments, 
 even a month since i I have ordered the equi- 
 pages, jewellery ; fitted up my residences — ' 
 
 " ' All,' interrupted Lord Beletrieve, with a 
 forced laugh, ' for the shipwright's daughter ! By 
 the bye, Chanceley, will you call the mechanic 
 papa, or father ? — I think the former sounds very 
 sheepish and affected.' 
 
 " ^ Lord Beletrieve, da not with your scorn 
 drive me out of my reason!' cried Lord Chanceley; 
 
& 
 
 THE DEERHURSTS. 113 
 
 * I would rather have all London hold me in con- 
 tempt than your Lordship/ 
 
 "A complacent smile passed over the features 
 of the great prototype of fashion at the sincere 
 devotion of his votary; his self-love was so 
 gratified, that it soothed his caustic humour, and 
 he resolved to carry his point in a gentler 
 manner. 
 
 "^Chanceley, how far have you gone in this 
 business ? And do you really love the girl, Aigline 
 Tennant ?' he inquired. 
 
 " ' All was settled for our union before I went 
 to Devonshire ; but I did not fix the day : first, 
 I was in no hurry, for my bays were not broken 
 in properly, and I had lent some of the diamonds 
 to my dowager aunt, who was in Rome ; then 
 there was a delay caused by their re-setting ; in 
 short, I wished to introduce my bride with eclat, 
 and consequently was resolved not to celebrate 
 our nuptials till all was prepared. As to loving 
 Miss Tennant, I really think I do ; indeed, I am 
 quite sure I do,^ and as he made the assurance 
 he looked, if possible, more vacant and unmean- 
 ing than ever. 
 
 " Lord Beletrieve smiled, and his eyes glittered 
 with suppressed laughter, as he said : ^ Chanceley, 
 mark my experience ; your case is not desperate; 
 
114 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 no fever in the blood — no oppression of the 
 heart : you will survive the loss of Miss Ten- 
 nant/ 
 
 *' ' That is not the danger I apprehend/ said 
 Lord Chanceley, with his wisest look; ^ but the 
 poor girl is desperately in love with me, so much 
 so, that when I showed her the designs for her 
 diamonds and equipages, she scarcely noticed 
 them, saying, ^My Lord, my ambition is to be 
 your wife ; on all the minor preparations consult 
 your own taste — what pleases you must meet my 
 approval/' 
 
 " ' A very pretty set speech,^ said Lord Bele- 
 trieve, with a sneer, ' and better again, true, if 
 she had merely substituted the word lady for 
 wife/ 
 
 " ^ If I break off our match, I shall pity her 
 from my souV said Lord Chanceley, with a sen- 
 timental sigh. 
 
 "'And so shall I,'' retorted Lord Beletrieve, 
 ' for the prize of a coronet to one so ambitious 
 is a loss not easily supplied. A-propos, the next 
 ship Tennant builds, we may expect to see an 
 Earl's coronet in front, and the Chanceley arms 
 flaming on the flag. I hope the fellow v/on't have 
 the impudence to have it on some trading vessel, 
 a cargo of Munster pigs; only think, arrived 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 115 
 
 at Wapping, yesterday, the trading vessel. Chance- 
 ley, Cargo — Pigs, Master — Tennant/ 
 
 " ' Damnation !^ exclaimed Lord Chanceley, 
 stamping. ^ I would hang myself first !' 
 
 " ' A swinging way of ending your romance,' 
 said Lord Beletrieve ;' as to me I would prefer 
 some gentler method.' 
 
 " ' Oh, my Lord 1' cried Lord Chanceley, in a 
 tone of entreaty, 'if you would deign to assist 
 me out of this infernal scrape, you would confer 
 the greatest obligation.' 
 
 " ' Excuse me,' he coldly answered, ' but I 
 never intermeddle in other people's business ; 
 that, indeed, would be lessening my dignity ; but 
 probably some disagreement relative to the set- 
 tlement may arise to relieve you.' 
 
 " ' No hope, then !' sighed his Lordship, ' all 
 has been concluded : Mr. Tennant left every 
 thing to my arrangement. I must say that he 
 acted in the most gentlemanly manner.' 
 
 " ' Thanks to the shipwright/ contemptuously 
 repUed Lord Beletrieve, ' so he permitted his 
 patrician son-in-law to manage his own fortune 1 
 Certainly love is stupid as well as blind, when 
 you consider his doing so a condescension.' 
 
 " ' Could your Lordship suggest any other 
 method ?' demanded Lord Chancelev. 
 
116 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 "^Suggest ! why, Chanceley, I suggest nothing, I 
 merely remark ; and now I think on it, I ought to 
 sympathize with you, for, many years ago^ so 
 long that I sincerely wish my mother had post- 
 poned my birth some twenty years, in place of 
 which she set the good town of Norwich and its 
 neighbourhood nearly on fire to publish the 
 birth of her heir — never was there such an ab- 
 surdity ! I fell desperately in love with a pretty 
 maiden, a baronet^s daughter. She proved wilHng, 
 arrangements for our marriage were being pre- 
 pared, I went to the races of Ascot, and saw a 
 prettier girl, at least a more novel one. I changed 
 my mind about the first, and candidly told her 
 friends so. Well, her brother challenged me ; we 
 fought ; I got a slight graze of his ball across my 
 left shoulder ; I then fired my pistols in the air ; 
 seconds interfered ; I explained my constitutional 
 inconstancy ; the brother saw his folly, — we shook 
 hands, and I retired from the field freed from the 
 incumbrance of a wife, and crowned with laurels 
 as a duellist.' 
 
 ^' Lord Chanceley's agitation increased, he paced 
 up and down, then turning to Lord Beletrieve, 
 exclaimed : — ' I am not a dueUist, I condemn it 
 on principle.' 
 
 *" ^ On what principle, may I ask ?^ retorted 
 Lord Beletrieve. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 117 
 
 " ' On many/ exclaimed Lord Chanceley ; ^ and 
 then I am a bad shot, and Mr. Tennant is an ex- 
 cellent one, for one day when we sailed down to 
 Greenwich, just for his amusement he was firing 
 at some sea-gulls, and brought as many as he 
 fancied down, whereas, I could not hit one.' 
 
 " ' If he is so clever at knocking down gulls, you 
 certainly would be in danger, and do perfectly 
 right to avoid him,' drily answered Lord Bele- 
 trieve ; ' and fear being a principle not easily 
 overcome, I conclude I may as well now pay you 
 my congratulations on your marriage. It is pro- 
 bable, when once it takes place, I shall not see 
 much of you.' 
 
 " Saying these words, he rose from the couch, 
 and, addressing the youth, who sat near the table, 
 said, ' See if my bath is in readiness.' 
 
 " ' For Heaven's sake, Lord Beletrieve, do not 
 retire till you help me out of this scrape,' cried 
 Chanceley. ' I repeat that it was your admiration 
 of Miss Tennant which first led me on. Last night 
 I supped with some of the Guards, and mentioned 
 my engagement. Several of them toasted her, 
 saying she was the loveliest girl in England ; and 
 Denby, and Morely said they always thought you 
 would be the happy man, as you seemed quite 
 devoted to her ; positively at the time I was so 
 
118 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 elated at all this, I considered myself the luckiest 
 being alive/ 
 
 " ^ And, Chanceley, what is your opinion this 
 morning ?^ demanded his Lordship, smihng. 
 
 " ' That I am a damned fool, and a most unfor- 
 tunate fellow.' 
 
 "^No contradiction, Chanceley ; but what do 
 you mean to do ?' 
 
 " ' Alas ! I fear I have no choice, I am bound 
 by honour . . . / 
 
 "^ Honour and a shipwright/ sneered out Lord 
 Beletrieve. 
 
 '^' Oh I my Lord,' he replied, ^you are so 
 able, so experienced, that if you pleased you 
 could assist me.' 
 
 " ^ Impossible, Chanceley ; why should I stand 
 between a pretty clever girl and her good for- 
 tune ? It is against my principle, as much as 
 duelling is abhorrent to yours. Now, were I your 
 uncle or guardian, it would be quite a different 
 thing, for I have known matches when the day 
 was fixed, the trousseau purchased, the parson 
 engaged, nay, the ring fitted, broken off by the 
 interference of a father or an uncle.' 
 
 •' ' I have a step-uncle, but the old man neither 
 has or ever had any authority over me,' answered 
 Lord Chanceley. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 119 
 
 '•' ^ Pish !' exclaimed Lord Beletrieve, as he mut- 
 tered, * what an incorrigible logger-headed fool !" 
 then aloud he said, 'Chanceley. other young men 
 so entangled as you are would be quite satisfied 
 with making use of the uncle's name, and, having 
 written a letter of regret on his interference to 
 the lady^s guardian or father, if she had one, 
 would be off to the continent, and so avoid expla- 
 nations, challenges, &c., and — but I trust you 
 have too much honour to act that way by the 
 shipwright's daughter,' and he gave a scornful 
 laugh. At the instant his valet entered to attend 
 him to the bath. 'One word more, my Lord,' cried 
 out Lord Chanceley. 
 
 " ' Excuse me, but I have already innovated on 
 my usual habits, so good bye, and when I am 
 gone have a care of Rochester, he is as fond of 
 tricks, and as dangerous as his celebrated name- 
 sake. Here, Rochester, show Lord Chanceley 
 out.' 
 
 "This was said sarcastically j the well- trained dog 
 wagged his tail, growled, then looked so fierce 
 that, making a hasty salute, his Lordship hurried 
 from the apartment. 
 
 " Freville," added Aigline, with a sigh, " so 
 closed the scene that ended my projected mar- 
 riage. From my father you have learned the manner 
 in which Lord Chanceley, acting upon Lord Bele- 
 
120 THE DEERHUttSTS. 
 
 trieve's hints, threw me off. Would I never had 
 been engaged to him, for I fear his jilting me in 
 so cold a manner will prove a serious disadvan- 
 tage V 
 
 " Aigline, can all this be true ? And can the 
 word of a servant be relied on ? Does it appear 
 probable that Lord Beletrieve would speak in this 
 confidential manner before domestics likely to 
 repeat what he said ?'' 
 
 ^^ It is quite in character with his incalcu- 
 lable vanity. He feels that he is on the decline, 
 and he is proud of every circumstance or report 
 which proves his influence, even over fools. The 
 tribute formerly offered to him by love or admi- 
 ration, he now commands by fear. What mother 
 who wants to marry her daughters will not try 
 to conciliate him, or what girl not listen to his 
 fulsome flattery, if by so doing she could turn 
 aside his well-practised weapon of scorn ? No ; 
 every word I repeated is correctly true, and I 
 only rejoice that my honourable-minded, though 
 not titled father, remains in ignorance of what 
 I have confided to you.'^ 
 
 "There, Aigline, I quite differ with you. I 
 think you should fully acquaint him with the cir- 
 cumstance, and tell him never again to admit 
 Lord Beletrieve; indeed, I think none of us 
 should acknowledge him." 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 121 
 
 She gave her merry laugh, as with her usual 
 vivacity she exclaimed : 
 
 ^* Positively, Freville, you are distrait. What ? 
 Show the man of highest fashion in England, the 
 companion of Princes, * the admired of all admirers,^ 
 our proud indignation ? Shut our door against 
 him, and shun his acquaintance ? Who would do 
 this ? Mr. Tennant and his pretty daughter, the 
 nouveaux riches, the Paddies from Cork ! Excellent ; 
 why it would be like the fly on the lion's mane, 
 with this diflference, the noble lion would not 
 crush the fly, but the noble Lord Beletrieve would 
 hold us up as objects of derision/^ 
 
 " You speak," said I, angrily, " as if you were 
 pigmies, and he a giant/^ 
 
 " And such in the hemisphere of fashion are 
 our relative positions," she replied. 
 
 " Then quit it, dear Aigline. Remember how 
 cheerful and admired you were in Cork ; how happy 
 and respected your father was ; and now, if with 
 your increase of wealth you returned, you would 
 be esteemed of the first consequence.^^ 
 
 '^ Your remarks appear just,*' she answered, 
 sadly : " but I feel the impossibility of either my 
 father or myself following your advice." 
 
 "And why so, Aigline? What prevents your 
 going to Ireland ?" 
 
 VOL. I. G 
 
122 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 ^^ Nothing ; and I have no doubt that we could 
 get back our pretty house or villa on Glan- 
 mire Water, and find all the features of the land- 
 scape the same as when three years since we 
 quitted it. But, Freville, reflect on the alteration 
 wrought in our minds : think you that I, after 
 being a London belle, and a Countess in ex- 
 pectancy, could fall back to my homely habits and 
 acquaintances? Impossible! And without the sti- 
 mulant of gaining an independence ? Think you, 
 my father could resume his habits of patient in- 
 dustry ? And even were these points gained, would 
 the grave give back its dead ? No, no ; there is 
 no retrogression for us. Let it lead to weal or woe, 
 onward we must go in the path we have chosen ; 
 and now, Freville, ere we join my father, promise 
 not to show in your manner the least resentment 
 or indignation towards Lord Beletrieve. In the 
 first place it would be absurd, in the next it would 
 only compromise our respectability ; for, as you 
 justly observed, our best plan is to appear in 
 company as if nothing had occurred, though I 
 much doubt whether we shall have that opportu- 
 nity. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 123 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Previously to Lord Chanceley's departure, Mr. 
 Tennant had sent out cards for a dinner-party. 
 Lord Beletrieve promised to come, and, as usual, 
 all was arranged under his auspices ; not only 
 Aigline but Mr. Tennant looked forward to this 
 party as an event of consequence. '^ It will,'^ she 
 observed, '' determine the line of society, and how 
 far LordChanceley's insolent desertion has injured 
 me." As the day approached, Mr. Tennant's 
 anxiety increased, for he heard that a hundred 
 reports had been circulated to his disadvantage 
 by Lord Chanceley's friends ; but what wounded 
 him most was the sarcasms thrown out about 
 his having been a shipwright, and the soubriquet, 
 the mechanic's pretty daughter, being attached to 
 Aigline, who, to soothe him, affected to laugh, and 
 be amused, though she was seriously annoyed. 
 "You go to the Opera this evening with Lady 
 G 2 
 
124 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Mainstoun?'^ said Mr.Tennant to Aigline, as they 
 sat at dinner. 
 
 ^^ I hope so," she repUed; "there is a new piece 
 coming out ; it was so arranged by her Lady- 
 ship last week/' 
 
 A few moments after, a servant entered to 
 say, that Lady Mainstoun presented compli- 
 ments, and regretted she could not call for Miss 
 Tennant. 
 
 Mr. Tennant looked miserable. Aigline co- 
 loured, but, smiling, turned to him, saying, 
 
 " Dear father, I have got the music of the new 
 opera, so cheer up ; and if you remain at home, 
 Freville and I will practise it for you. I, at 
 least, can feel no regret.'^ 
 
 He kissed her forehead, exclaiming, " My 
 lovely, beloved child, I should have been your 
 guardian ; but, influenced by a weak pride, have 
 led you into danger. Should your happiness 
 suffer, I shall be miserable beyond expression/' 
 
 She answered affectionately, and we spent the 
 evening cheerfully enough. Thursday morning, 
 as we sat at breakfast, Mr. Tennant received a 
 note : opening it, he read, 
 
 " Lord Beletrieve regrets he cannot have the 
 pleasure of dining with Mr, Tennant. 
 
 " Thursday, 9th." 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 125 
 
 "This is most unfortunate/^ he said, as he 
 handed it to Aigline. 
 
 " Still, we might have expected it," she re- 
 plied ; " is he not laid up with the gout }" 
 
 " No, Aigline," he answered, " for I saw him 
 yesterday riding in St. Jameses Park with the 
 Prince. The awkward part of the business is, 
 that at his instigation I invited Lord Proudly and 
 Colonel Arganza, two of the haughtiest men in 
 England, and who, I understand, before they sent 
 their answers, inquired particularly whether Lord 
 Beletrieve would come. Now in our rank of life, 
 the forms of good breeding must be observed ; 
 but when we are mad enough to run after the 
 aristocracy, if they are annoyed, there is no check 
 to their insolence." 
 
 " My dear father, do not be uneasy about 
 Colonel Arganza and Lord Proudly. Just half 
 an hour before dinner they will send their 
 excuses." 
 
 " Impossible,'' he answered, petulantly, " it 
 would be unlike gentlemen.'' 
 
 " Yes," said Aigline, " but it would be stylish, 
 a mark of self-consequence, to show a perfect 
 indifference to the convenience or feelings of 
 others. In short, it would be fashionable." 
 
 The event proved Aigline's discernment. Just 
 as dinner was announced, excuses, for they 
 
126 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 offered no apologies, from Lord Proudly, Colonel 
 Arganza, and three or four more of the Cosmopo- 
 lite set, were sent ; so seven persons sat down to 
 a dinner laid for twelve. All was sumptuous, and 
 in good taste ; but it was a triste business. The 
 company were disappointed, Mr. Tennant was 
 oppressed, Aigline the only lady at table, for 
 Lady Mainstoun, and two other ladies, had sent 
 their excuses. Before ten o^clock the party broke 
 up, and so ended an entertainment attended with 
 great expence, for, originally, eighteen had been 
 expected. 
 
 " What is to be done }" said Mr. Tennant, 
 despairingly. " It is quite evident that Lord 
 Chanceley^s business has given us the ap- 
 pearance of adventurers, and I have gained no- 
 thing by my forbearance. Would to heaven I 
 had challenged the fellow ! That would have been 
 some satisfaction. Even if I could leave London 
 at present, which circumstances forbid, I would 
 not fly, as if we were conscious of being disgraced. 
 But were it possible for you, Aigline, once more 
 to enter into society with your former eclat, 
 then when the season is over, we could quit 
 London without giving rise to invidious re- 
 marks. On my side, I can answer that unless 
 some unforeseen advantage occur, we shall never 
 again return to its scenes of frivolity and dissipa- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 127 
 
 tion. Say, can your woman^s wit suggest no 
 means ?" 
 
 '^ I am afraid not," she answered despond- 
 ingly. 
 
 " If Lord Beletrieve countenanced us," rejoined 
 Mr. Tennant, " we might still stem this torrent 
 of impertinence. I am surprised that he who 
 boasts so much of his independence and origi- 
 nality of sentiment, should be influenced to 
 desert us by the dishonourable jilting of a puppy, 
 or the false reports originating in it. Aigline, 
 you always appeared a favourite of his ; can you 
 not devise some plan to draw him back to visit 
 here ? Then you might explain about Lord 
 Chanceley. I would not suppress a circumstance 
 to spare the dastard who so richly deserves con- 
 tempt.^' 
 
 "Lord Beletrieve never listens to explana- 
 tions,^' replied Aigline mildly ; " and besides, 
 twice yesterday he rode by at the time I chanced 
 to be standing at the window, and saluted him, 
 but he did not deign to return the politeness; 
 he affected not to see me." 
 
 " He appears too refined for intentional rude- 
 ness," remarked Mr. Tennant. "Aigline, your over 
 vivacity sometimes renders you too brusque ; it 
 may be, however, unintentionally that you have 
 offended his Lordship." 
 
128 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 " Impossible, my dear father/' she answered. 
 Then turning to me, in an under tone said, ^^ Fre- 
 ville, mark me, Lord Beletrieve has some scheme 
 in wishing to overwhelm us with mortifications. 
 Still, all my woman's wit, as papa terms it, cannot 
 fathom his object." 
 
 *' Aigline,'' called out Mr. Tennant, " his Lord- 
 ship was a great admirer of this little enamelled 
 painting of Jeptha's daughter, though very valu- 
 able, and I am loath to part with it, still, if 
 you think he would receive It as a compliment, 
 and call to return thanks, I would give you per- 
 mission to send it to him.'' 
 
 She replied with vivacity, " Not for worlds, my 
 dear father. In our graspings after fashion we 
 have parted with sufficient treasure not to cast 
 away such a beautiful gem. That, however, would 
 not deter me so much as the triumph to his vanity 
 after so wantonly injuring us 5 so do not think of it." 
 " What do you mean ?" he answered angrily. 
 "To what injury do you allude? Nay, do not look 
 so distressed ; you were thinking of that fool 
 Chanceley. My dear child, you should have too 
 much spirit to cast away a thought on such a 
 passionless, vapid coxcomb." 
 
 She blushed with confusion at her own giddi- 
 ness ; then, to divert his thoughts from the sub- 
 ject, started up, exclaiming. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 129 
 
 " I have just thought of a plan that may win 
 back Lord Beletrieve ; at all events, if it fail, 
 though there is some flattery, there is no mean- 
 ^ness in it. So saying, she approached the 
 writing-table, and in a few moments returned 
 with a note, elegantly written, and directed to 
 Lord Beletrieve. 
 
 " You must read it to me,^' said Mr. Tennant, 
 with a smile. She obeyed. 
 
 " Miss Tennant's compliments to Lord Bele- 
 trieve, having just received from Paris some 
 music as yet not published in London, which she 
 thinks will suit his Lordship^s taste, would feel 
 gratified by his fixing a day to accompany her 
 with his violoncello, and hopes he will excuse her 
 making this request ; but independent of the 
 pleasure of his company, parts of the music are 
 so difficult that she could not execute them with- 
 out his assistance.^' 
 
 " Shall I send it, papa ?'^ she demanded. 
 
 " Certainly, my love, it may succeed, and can 
 do no possible injury .^^ So saying, he quitted the 
 apartment. 
 
 " Do not, Aigline,'' I cried impetuously. 'What 
 possible advantage can you gain by the society of 
 Lord Beletrieve, to compensate for thus paying 
 
 G 3 
 
130 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 court to one, who as you justly remarked, so wan- 
 tonly destroyed your prospects with Lord Chance- 
 ley, besides being the cause of the slights you 
 have since received ? Then it is not treating your 
 father well to keep him in ignorance and tempt 
 him to entertain in hospitality one who acted an 
 enemy^s part. Really, Aigline, you are pro- 
 vokingly inconsistent. You say that you have a 
 presentiment this man will draw evil on you ; and 
 now that you have escaped his influence, you 
 are trying to attract him back. I have no 
 patience — '^ 
 
 "Nor I with you, Freville,^^ she gaily inter- 
 rupted ; " you are so ridiculously contradictory. 
 Whenever I found fault with Lord Beletrieve, 
 you were wont to quarrel with me, and now when 
 I wish to conciliate him, you are in a downright 
 passion. Certes, you men are very unreason- 
 able." 
 
 "No, Aigline, the fault is yours. When I 
 thought your dislike fanciful, I took his side of the 
 question ; but his interference between you and 
 Lord Chanceley proves to a demonstration that, 
 in spite of his bland manner, he is as ill-natured 
 and interfering as an old maid ; except, indeed, 
 what I strongly suspect, that being desperately in 
 love, he has resolved to propose, when, according to 
 the opinion of the worthies of all ages, stratagems 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 131 
 
 are admissible. Besides, x\igline, when united to 
 you, he becomes the arbiter of your destiny; 
 thus you will not only be a lady bright, but an 
 inspired prophetess/* 
 
 "Never shall I be Lady Beletrieve," she hastily 
 answered : " first, because his Lordship would not 
 disarrange his bachelor habits by the introduction 
 of a wife; next, powerful as I admit ambition, 
 nature is still more unconquerable, and I abso- 
 lutely loathe Lord Beletrieve/' 
 
 '* Come, come, Aigline, no affectation. You 
 held Lord Chanceley in contempt, and still would 
 have married him/' 
 
 *' Yes, Freville, but that sentiment is more 
 easily conquered — subdued, I should say/' 
 
 " Did not the Melanche, of whose death you 
 told me, reside with Lord Beletrieve ?'' I de- 
 manded. 
 
 " Certainly, but the position of a wife is far 
 different. He owed poor Melanche no duty, no 
 respect. None of his self-consequence was to be 
 supported by her. The moment he was weary of 
 the connexion he could dissolve it ; there was no 
 tie to prevent him, and, as the event proved, no 
 honour or feeling ; but, thanks to England, her 
 Christianity and laws, a wife cannot be so treated, 
 no, not by the greatest profligate." 
 
 " Then if you really have no design to lure his 
 
 VOL. I. G 4 
 
132 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Lordship on to a marriage, which certainly would 
 ennoble you, let me ask, Aigline, where is the in- 
 ducement to desire his society ?" 
 
 *^ Fashion/' she answered. *^ I see its corrup- 
 tion, I feel its insufficiency, but 
 
 Bigoted to this idol, we disclaim 
 
 Rest, health, and ease, for nothing but a name. 
 
 There is a poetical confession '/' she continued, 
 more gaily, " though really, Freville, you are not 
 entitled to it, for there is a presumption and self- 
 delusion in your playing the Mentor to me on the 
 very point where your own good sense failed. 
 Forget you how often I have condemned your 
 devotion to Lord Beletrieve ?'' 
 
 "I avow my admiration,^' I answered, "and 
 would, if possible, in some degree imitate the 
 graces of his manner and address ; but, Aigline, 
 men and women are quite different. There was no 
 danger to my peace or character by associating with 
 him. Then, hitherto, he has acted so generously, 
 not only trying to obtain my commission in the 
 regiment I selected, but introducing and recom- 
 mending me to the notice of the Commander-in- 
 Chief, who has since honoured me with a salute. 
 Accustomed as I have been from boyhood to the 
 army, I can well appreciate this kindness.^' 
 
 " Freville,^' she replied, laying her hand on my 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 133 
 
 arm and looking archly in my face, "Mr. La 
 Franck, your pedagogue, was wont to say that 
 every woman found a ready excuse for her mis- 
 demeanours by proving that her neighbours com- 
 mitted greater. Now your observations testify 
 that the ingenuity of self-defence more properly 
 belongs to you lords of the creation. However, 
 being resolved on this question to have my own 
 way, I shall no further argue the point." 
 
 With these words, she hastily rang the bell. 
 Guessing her purpose was to send the note, I tried 
 to snatch it, but she sportively escaped from my 
 grasp, and, ere I was aware of her intention, 
 bounded out of the room, locking me in. There 
 was no being angry with one so beautiful, so I 
 quietly submitted to the imprisonment. In about 
 an hour she released me, observing that, her 
 note having been delivered, my interference 
 was useless ; and to restore my good humour, 
 she proposed going to the music room. Though 
 still assuming displeasure, I obeyed, and as she 
 sat down to the piano, brought over the violon- 
 cello —which, by the way, was a remarkable fine 
 instrument. 
 
 " Oh ! no, Freville, have mercy, and bring your 
 flute; for should Lord Beletrieve obey my request 
 and come, how could I ever endure his scrape after 
 your master-touch r^' 
 
134 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 " And yet/' I exclaimed, indignantly, " in your 
 note you complimented his knowledge of music. 
 How tan you stoop to such flattery ?" 
 
 She replied : " The fault lies with your own 
 sex, Freville, who never can be managed without 
 it. I never saw one of you care for a guileless, 
 simple-minded girl. What woman dares point out 
 a man's faults until she is married to him ? And 
 then, oh ! then he is not spared. However, let 
 us commence this opera.'' 
 
 We had scarcely done so when the door was 
 thrown open, and Lord Beletrieve was announced. 
 We both started, and I whispered Aigline : 
 
 ** Your flattery succeeded." 
 
 She smiled, and blushing deeply, advanced 
 to meet his Lordship, who, in spite of his air 
 of gallantry, looked ill and languid. Still his 
 manner was both dignified and gentle, as he 
 said: 
 
 " Miss Tennant, I felt so obliged by your note, 
 that though I had promised to accompany the 
 Prince to Windsor, I declined the honour to have 
 the pleasure of answering it personally." 
 
 She expressed her gratitude. I then stepped 
 forward and would have spoken, but affecting to 
 be angry he waived me off^, saying : 
 
 " Mr. Deerhurst, T am really ofl'ended. Ten 
 days confined to my room, and for the last seven 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 135 
 
 you never even called to inquire after me. Is that 
 the way you treat your friends ?" 
 
 Awkwardly enough I stammered out my apolo- 
 gies, which were gracefully accepted ; then his 
 Lordship, in his happy manner, told all the on 
 dits of the Court. While we were thus engaged, 
 Mr. Tennant entered. Lord Beletrieve saluted 
 him quite affectionately,^ saying : 
 
 " Mr. Tennant, as the only excuse for Mr. 
 Deerhurst^s neglect, I shall expect on Friday next 
 (it was then Tuesday) that he will dine with me, 
 to meet a few particular friends; perhaps you 
 would be so obliging as to join us.'' 
 
 Much gratified, Mr. Tennant accepted the invi- 
 tation. Then turning to Aigline he continued, in 
 a sportive manner : 
 
 ^^ Miss Tennant, I do not include you ; but, 
 lest you might be offended at the exclusion, will 
 give a concert expressly for your amusement. 
 And there, Mr. Tennant, except you can play 
 the harp, I must forbid your entrance." 
 
 Mr. Tennant, who never saw through the 
 finesse of throwing him off in a polite way, 
 was explaining that he could play the violin 
 tolerably well, when Lord Beletrieve carelessly 
 said : 
 
 '' Well, Mr. Tennant, you do not play the harp, 
 so I am not to have the honour of your company 
 
136 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 at my concert. However, Mr. Deerhurst, I shall 
 expect you." 
 
 The dark eyes of AigUne flashed at the easy 
 superiority of his manner, but, as she often ob- 
 served, the manacles of folly were too powerful 
 for her reason. A little after he said : 
 
 '^ I am quite exhausted, shall I ring for 
 refreshments }" 
 
 '^ Certainly,^^ said Aigline, and Mr. Tennant 
 stepped out to order them. 
 
 " Not one song have we had as yet," said Lord 
 Beletrieve, leading Aigline to the piano. As he 
 arranged her music he observed, in a negligent 
 manner, " Do you know, Miss Tennant, I had 
 some idea of going to Devonshire for a short 
 time to conquer my cold. Only fancy my being 
 in the country for three months in quest of 
 health, with no companion but Chanceley — for 
 he was to have been my host. Don't you think, 
 Aigline, that however salubrious the air, I must 
 have fallen into a mental atrophy ? Undoubtedly, 
 Chanceley is the most insipid person I ever met.^^ 
 
 She coloured violently, her fingers trembled on 
 the keys, but she was too confused to speak. 
 
 Affecting not to notice her emotion, he pro- 
 ceeded : 
 
 " At present Chanceley is on the continent 3 no 
 loss ! At all events, I would not have invited him 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 137 
 
 to my concert : it is given expressly for you, Aigline^ 
 and I shall not admit a single bore — all shall be 
 worthy of its fair inspiration/' 
 
 There was no resisting such flattery, she thanked 
 him with animation. 
 
 "By the way, Aigline," he observed, "how 
 came it that Mr. Tennant's last dinner was a 
 failure ? These circumstances, however trivial they 
 appear, have their influence. Beautiful as you 
 are, Aigline, it would not do just now to have you 
 out of fashion, so, positively, you must have a 
 ball; — observe, it must be very exclusive, none 
 but persons of the first fashion shall be admitted. 
 To-morrow I will call to arrange the music for 
 my concert : you, Aigline, shall be my prima donna, 
 then we can conclude on the ball; so prepare to 
 be very industrious next week ; numberless lists, 
 notes, and orders are to be written." He rose to 
 take leave. 
 
 " My Lord, will you not wait for the refresh- 
 ments?'^ — at the moment they entered, and Mr. 
 Tennant followed. 
 
 " Just a jelly, and a glass of Constantia,'' he 
 answered. Then to me, he said, " Mr. Deerhurst, 
 should we not cite Miss Tennant for a witch ? 
 In her presence, every thing is forgotten, even thirst 
 and hunger ; and now, farewell." 
 
 As Mr. Tennant opened the door for him, he 
 
138 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 said, "I have advised your daughter to give a 
 baUj it is quite indispensable ; of course you will 
 engage the first artists to make the necessary 
 preparations. I expect that the ball will be one 
 of the most select and brilliant of the season. I 
 wish, Mr. Tennant, your dancing room was some 
 twenty feet longer; however, on the whole, your 
 house is admirably well fitted up. By the bye, 
 Aigline,*' again advancing towards her, "to-morrow 
 evening you must go to the Opera. My box, 
 I regret to say, is engaged to some of my 
 country friends, — a sad bore these same coun- 
 try friends ! however, you can go with Lady 
 Mainstoun." 
 
 Aigline again blushed deeply, and was stammer- 
 ing out an excuse, when interrupting her, he 
 rejoined, " I know what you would say of her 
 neglect, rudeness, and so forth ; but you had better 
 make a convenience of that trifling woman, who 
 may be classed with the ephemerals of society. 
 However, to soothe your Irish pride, she shall call 
 on you, and as an amende honorable request your 
 company as a favour. And observe, my dear 
 little girl, to be perfectly elegant you must 
 conquer this quick sense of injury, these fancied 
 slights to your dignity, this trembling sensibility 
 to the thousand mortifications to which all who 
 would rise above their sphere are ever subject : 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 139 
 
 bah ! it is much ado about nothing/^ With these 
 words, accompanied by smiles and shrugs, he 
 bowed his adieus, and hurried down stairs. 
 This time he had the lameness in his left leg. 
 Aigline touching my arm whispered : 
 
 " Freville, I tremble for your tendon achilles j 
 you positively must be lame for my ball.^' 
 
 "What ball are you all talking ofr^' demanded 
 Mr. Tennant staring. 
 
 " Papa, Lord Beletrieve insists upon my giving 
 one ; he says there is no other method for my re- 
 entering fashionable life." 
 
 *^ I tell you," said Mr. Tennant, '^ all these ex- 
 penses would ruin a larger fortune than mine ; 
 however, as Lord Beletrieve says it, of course it 
 must be ; but, Aigline, remember, when—as your 
 fashionables term it — the season ends, we quit 
 London for ever." 
 
 Aigline rejoined with vivacity, " Before the next 
 opens, our very existence will be forgotten. And 
 thus, Freville," she added in an under tone, 
 " we shall by oblivion escape the sneers and 
 sarcasms of our London friends, the only meed 
 of our folly and extravagance. Did you observe 
 how his Lordship inadvertently let out, that he had 
 watched all my movements ? How could he other- 
 \vise know of Lady Mainstoun's put off about the 
 Opera ; or that our dinner was a failure ? I tell 
 
140 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 you, Freville, he is the guiding star of my 
 destiny/^ 
 
 " And will lead you to the altar to swear, love, 
 honour, and obey,^^ I whispered in the same low 
 tone. 
 
 " The two former," she answered, " are impos- 
 sibilities ; so adieu, for all this time my father is 
 waiting/' 
 
 •^ -Uf -ttf -^ -^ 
 
 -7* -TV" •vv tT "TV 
 
 Lord Beletrieve's dinner and concert went off 
 exactly as he wished ; the former without obser- 
 vation, the latter with great eclat, and was at- 
 tended by the Prince and his royal brothers. It 
 was for the time being the caprice of his Lord- 
 ship, for he was too passionless to be guided by a 
 stronger motive, to humour the Tennants. Thus, 
 he invited a few men of science, who sought his 
 patronage, to meet Mr. Tennant. Not one man of 
 rank or fashion that day dined at his table, still, 
 not amidst royalty had he ever acted the host 
 more gracefully ; and with a tact which few could 
 acquire, he at once displayed his own informa- 
 tion, which, however superficial, was imposing, 
 and by his address drew forth that of Mr. Ten- 
 nant, with whom he was so pleased, that I after- 
 wards heard him observe, 
 
 ^' I wish this Tennant had formerly belonged to 
 a higher grade in society ; if so, I would have 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 141 
 
 classed him among my set, for he is one of the 
 cleverest men I ever met, and quite vain enough 
 for a CosmopoHte.'^ 
 
 Such was his Lordship's quaUfied praise ; but, 
 indeed, it was usual whenever he spoke well of 
 any person to conclude his remarks by some 
 sarcasm. 
 
 Aighne's ball was the next event of interest. In 
 spite of the agitation she suffered, lest her noble 
 acquaintances should even at the last hour pour 
 in apologies, and after all the splendid prepara- 
 tions and vast expence, lest her party should 
 prove a failure, she looked exquisitely beautiful. 
 Lord Beletrieve arrived early, as he expressed it, 
 to review the apartments, and the supper, and the 
 fair hostess. All met his approbation, and he 
 stood near Aigline as she received her guests. 
 This lessened my pleasure, for being less excited 
 and engaged than either she or her father, I per- 
 ceived that it awakened much observation, 
 evinced by sneers and whispers. As Mr. Tennant 
 afterwards observed, politeness was by no means 
 practised by the Beletrieve clique. However, 1 
 reconciled my mind to the annoyance by the per- 
 suasion that she would be Lady Beletrieve. Am- 
 bition and vanity, I thought, were idols, and at 
 their shrine she will sacrifice herself to a man she 
 detests. However, it is but the exchange of 
 
142 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 youth and beauty for rank and title, and is of 
 daily occurrence. 
 
 The result of the ball exceeded Aigline's ex- 
 pectation. Her rooms had been crowded by rank 
 and talent, and for the next month her table was 
 covered with invitations ; she was in the very 
 zenith of her fashion. Justly imputing her suc- 
 cess to Lord Beletrieve, she began to view him 
 with more complacency, and exerted herself more 
 than ever to please, making an excuse for him, in 
 respect to Lord Chanceley, in the belief that, in 
 spite of his prejudices, he really intended to pro- 
 pose for her. Had he done so, I have Uttle doubt 
 that she would have accepted of him, for she bore 
 my quizzing on the subject with far better temper 
 than formerly ; and though she still declared the 
 impossibility, the declaration was not accompanied 
 by the same bitterness of sarcasm. 
 
 On his side, he paid her the most marked at- 
 tention. Few days elapsed that he did not call 
 at Mr. Tennant's, sometimes remaining for hours, 
 at others, but for a few instants ; and when he did 
 not come, he usually sent fruit, flowers, music, 
 or books. Mr. Tennant naturally remarked on 
 all this, but I must do him the justice to say that, 
 although launched into the vortex of fashion, he 
 abhorred the very idea of Aigline's being married 
 to Lord Beletrieve, satisfying himself by saying, 
 
THE DEERHURStS. 143 
 
 "Freville, though Lord Beletrieve must cer- 
 tainly propose for AigUne, she has too much sen- 
 sibUity and principle ever to unite herself to a 
 man considerably older than her father, and of 
 such libertine principles,^' 
 
 Yet by some strange and inexcusable infatua- 
 tion he took no steps to check the intimacy. 
 Indeed, from the period of his unexpected wealth 
 and Mrs. Tennant's death, his whole conduct had 
 been a tissue of folly. Good-natured and gene- 
 rous to enthusiasm, he was as unsuspicious and 
 guileless as a child. Perfectly adoring Aigline, he 
 humoured her in all her follies, and unreflect- 
 ingly exposed her to every danger. Even his 
 admitting me to be the inmate of his house, her 
 sole and intimate companion, was a criminal 
 neglect of his duty. 
 
 From this period, though I still continued a 
 votary of the Beletrieve system, I no longer 
 worshipped its great original. Independent of 
 his treachery towards the Tennants, he did not 
 improve on intimacy ; and as I discovered that 
 he entertained a jealousy of Aigline, and that his 
 motive in exerting himself about my commission 
 was to separate her from my society, I felt the less 
 grateful. In addition to this, although the bland 
 smile seldom quitted his rigid lips, and the mellow- 
 ed tones of his voice were never raised in anger, 
 
144 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 stillj from the refinement of his taste, he was 
 frequently annoyed by trifles ; and then, in de- 
 spite of his courtly manners, became captious and 
 sarcastic. Of this the following is an instance. 
 
 A day or two after the ball, he was sitting in 
 the drawing-room with Aighne and me, for, at 
 her request, I never left them to a Ute-a-Ute, 
 Once or twice she proposed adjourning to the 
 music-room, but he languidly declined, saying 
 he preferred conversation. Consequently, she 
 exerted all her powers to amuse ; he appeared 
 pleased, when the loud knock of a footman was 
 heard — another, and still another succeeded. 
 
 " I can endure this no longer," he exclaimed, 
 rising, " it shatters my nerves. Is it not provoking 
 that the peace of a family, nay, of a whole street, 
 is to be disturbed by this vulgar unmeaning 
 custom ? It has not even antiquity to recommend 
 it, for the sound of a horn at a noble^s gate, 
 softened by distance, and the thick walls of a 
 castle fell musically on the ear \ but here in these 
 shells, which we now call houses, up rolls a car- 
 riage, down jumps a footman, and then by the aid 
 of a bronzed knocker strikes up a noise that might 
 rouse deaf Lord Wonsley from his slumber. By 
 Heaven, I wish that all who did so had their own 
 brains knocked out P^ 
 
 He looked fearfully pale and wicked as he spoke. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 145 
 
 but, instantly recollecting himself, with his usual 
 mildness, said : — 
 
 " Miss Tennant, forgive this coarse expression ; 
 I should have been more guarded in your pre- 
 sence." 
 
 Not a little surprised at his violence, to soothe 
 him she answered : — 
 
 " I do not wonder at your Lordship's displea- 
 sure, even my father has often termed it a 
 most injudicious custom. I cannot imagine in 
 what it first originated ; surely a porter would as 
 readily attend to a gentle knock or ring ?'^ 
 
 " Strange enough ! Aigline, the Prince put the 
 same question to me about three or four years 
 ago. He was sitting in my boudoir with Lord 
 Portland and General Sir John Irvine, — the latter 
 allowed to be one of the most finished gentle- 
 men in Europe. We were engaged secretly dis- 
 cussing a political question of the deepest interest, 
 when knock after knock resounded from my door, 
 * This noisy interruption is intolerable,' exclaimed 
 his Royal Highness, with a heat of temper he 
 seldom displayed : — ^ Lord Beletrieve, how can a 
 person of your refinement suffer it, and in what 
 folly could such a barbarism have originated ? ' I 
 expressed my ignorance, and, to mark my disap- 
 probation, rang the bell, and ordered my porter 
 
 VOL. I. H 
 
146 THE DEERHURSTS, 
 
 to have the knocker instantly removed. ' Your 
 Royal Highness/ said Sir John Irvine, smiling, 
 'there is a legend attached to the custom^ but 
 I cannot vouch for its veracity. Some hundred 
 years ago, ages it may be, for the date is not 
 accurate, a blacksmith realized a large fortune ; 
 so he purchased a fine carriage and fine horses, 
 and with his golden wand turned his Cyclopses 
 into footmen, and wooed and won a noble lady 
 for his wife. Now, what availed all this, if his 
 neighbours, who had so often heard the merry 
 sound of his anvil, did not witness his grandeur ? 
 Day after day he dashed up and down Ludgate 
 Hill, where he had formerly resided. Alas, for 
 the malice of this world ! His neighbours, envious 
 of his prosperity, resolved not to see what they 
 were grieved to know ; so whenever the fine 
 equipage, with its fine horses and fine lady drove 
 by, they all ran from their doors and windows. 
 Thus by lessening Smithy^s triumph, they excited 
 his anger, and he swore a big oath, for gold 
 had not refined his manners, that his friends 
 and acquaintance should both see and hear his 
 carriage. With that he called for his coachman 
 and tall footman, and ordered the coachman to stop 
 at the door of every person of whom he. Smithy, 
 could claim any knowledge, and the footman to 
 descend, and give a thundering knock. Ac- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 147 
 
 customed to the lusty strokes of the anvil, and as 
 proud as their master of his new chariot, the live- 
 ried Cyclopses obeyed. Soon, there was not a per- 
 son on Ludgate Hill who did not hear and dread 
 the approach of Smithy's equipage. But now, your 
 Royal Highness, in referring to the injury to the 
 peace of society, I come to the saddest part of 
 my legend. The great mass of the people being 
 essentially vulgar, love show and noise. Thus 
 Smithy^s example was soon followed on Ludgate 
 Hill ; thence it spread to the City, and, strange to 
 say ! gradually extended to the West end ; and, oh ! 
 horror of horrors, the nuisance has become so pre- 
 valent that, here, on this day, nay this very hour, 
 within the hallowed sanctuary of Lord Beletrieve's 
 boudoir, your Royal Highness's secret conference 
 has been disturbed. Truly there is something 
 noisy in the state of London \" 
 
 " This sally of Sir John Irvine,^' continued 
 Lord Beletrieve, " which in the repetition seems 
 dull enough, was given with so much humour 
 and dramatic effect as to amuse the Prince. His 
 anger was diverted, and we spent our morning 
 agreeably.'^ 
 
 Just as Lord Beletrieve finished speaking, came 
 another succession of knocks ; his smile continued, 
 but his pallid brow darkened. 
 
 H 2 
 
148 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 *' My "Lord" said Aigline gently, " would you 
 approve of my ordering our porter to remove the 
 knocker ?^' 
 
 Out of temper all the morning, for an instant 
 his self-command was lost, and he cast on her a 
 look of ineffable scorn, which rendered him perfect- 
 ly hideous — it merely crossed his countenance and 
 vanished — but, as Aigline afterwards remarked, it 
 was a peep at the cloven foot and could never be 
 forgotten. Recovering himself he rose, saying : — 
 
 " Miss Tennant, will you allow me to ring for 
 my carriage ?" 
 
 Abashed by his haughtiness, she stammered out^ 
 " Freville, will you be so obliging as to call for 
 it?'' 
 
 Lord Beletrieve's quick eye observed her vexa- 
 tion ; every circumstance which proved his power, 
 gratified him ; his complacency was restored, and 
 as he rose to depart, he took her hand; — as he did 
 so I saw her cheek pale — and in his usual bland 
 manner he said : 
 
 " Apropos, I have not answered your question 
 relative to the knocker ; my dear little girl, observe, 
 and let not the observation offend — that to attempt 
 any innovation on the established customs of 
 society, be they ever so absurd, nay corrupt or 
 destructive, requires a certain station and influence 
 such as your father, however respectable, does not 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 149 
 
 at present possess ; so let your knocker remain on, 
 and I shall take care not to call again upon a day 
 you expect company." 
 
 Mortified at the covert insolence of his speech, 
 Aigline drew away her hand, while her eyes 
 flashed and her cheeks glared with indignation. 
 Looking at her with undisguised admiration, he 
 said : 
 
 '' Mr. Deerhurst, she is positively in a passion ; 
 but we must excuse the fair daughter of Erin, 
 for such beauty as hers is privileged,'^ and with 
 a low bow he retired. 
 
 " I positively hate that man," said Aigline, as 
 she heard the door close after him, '* so insulting 
 is his pride, a pride founded on corruption, on 
 the adoption of every ignoble and selfish senti- 
 ment, on the indulgence of every low gratifica- 
 tion. His obtuse mind despises all the discoveries 
 of science, and mocks at the revelations of Chris- 
 tianity ; yet both were necessary to the gratifica- 
 tion and security of his luxurious existence. To 
 such men France owed her revolution. Freville, 
 you say I am a prophet, hear then my belief : 
 if the Cosmopolite influence increase, by les- 
 sening all respect for law and religion, it will sap 
 the very foundation of England's constitution; 
 and the bloody scenes of France will be enacted 
 in this now happy land." 
 
150 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 On the following week I was gazetted for my 
 ensigncy in the — Light Infantry, and, to add to 
 my pleasure I received a letter of congratulation 
 from Clara, including an invitation from Mr. 
 Arnheim to spend a month or two at the Par- 
 sonage, before I joined my regiment. 
 
 5jC ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 " I can scarcely wish you joy on an event 
 which causes me so much regret,'^ said Aigline, 
 sadly. " Freville, you have been to me as a brother, 
 and now when you are gone I shall stand alone in 
 this peopled solitude.'^ 
 
 I tried to quiz her respecting Lord Beletrieve, 
 but she grew excessively angry : to change the 
 subject I spoke of the propriety of calling to 
 acquaint his Lordship w^ith my promotion, and to 
 thank him for his attention to my interest. Both 
 she and her father advised me to do so ; accord- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 151 
 
 ingly on the following morning I proceeded to his 
 residence. 
 
 It was about mid-day — I was ushered into his 
 boudoir, that temple of luxury. He was recUning 
 on his silken couch ; he received me with stately 
 politeness, but with a look of inquiry, which 
 seemed to say — presumptuous fellow, what brings 
 him here ? I felt confused, and answering to his 
 countenance, rather than address, said, " My 
 Lord ! after the lively interest you have so fre- 
 -quently expressed about the event, I took the 
 liberty of calling to acquaint you with the news, 
 that—" 
 
 " Ha !" he exclaimed with vivacity, " from your 
 excitement, Mr. Deerhurst, something extraor- 
 dinary must have occurred. I know the Prince 
 was ill ; good heaven ! can he be dead — or, per- 
 haps, Bonaparte is taken — or it may be, the 
 Russians have declared war against England ; 
 but no ! I have it now : the Parliament have at 
 length resolved on appointing his Royal Highness 
 to the regency, and you, Mr. Deerhurst, aware of 
 the lively hiterest I have taken in this subject — 
 indeed, in every thing connected with his Royal 
 Highness, have kindly waived all ceremony and 
 have come at this early hour to be the first to 
 communicate it; — and yet,"he continued, yawning, 
 "it seems strange that you, Mr. Deerhurst, 
 
152 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 should be the first to acquaint me. I had expected 
 that compUment from the Prince.^* 
 
 No words can express my embarrassment ; I 
 was quite at a loss to determine whether he had 
 really mistaken, or was merely gratifying his 
 captious temper by sarcasm. However, although 
 he had resumed his recumbent position, as his 
 eyes were fixed steadily on mine, I felt the neces- 
 sity of a reply : so plucking up my courage, or 
 rather impudence ; I said, " My Lord, the intel- 
 ligence to which I alluded, to me is of a deeper 
 interest; — I have been gazetted for my ensigncy.'' 
 He sneered, shrugged his shoulders, and in his 
 monotonous tone said : 
 
 *' This then is the mighty news. Freville 
 Deerhurst, gentleman, is promoted to a pair of 
 colours in the British army \" 
 
 Well might I be agitated ; though the joke was 
 rather against me, I could not but see how absurd 
 it was to display my excitement before his Lord- 
 ship, or expect that he could be interested^ so I 
 answered gaily, " Yes ; my Lord, a step necessary 
 to the taking of Bonaparte : — I expect to have that 
 honour.^' This good-humoured reply to his 
 peevish manner, pleased his fickle humour. 
 
 "You are better tempered,^' he said, raising 
 himself on his elbow, "than your beautiful 
 cousin, Aigline 5 however, I like her all the better 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 153 
 
 for being ardent ; and now, Mr. Deerhurst^ let me 
 ask, was it not ridiculous to expect that I was to 
 be rejoiced at your promotion ? However, I must 
 not be too severe ; all young men, when they enter 
 the array, and all young misses when they enter 
 the holy bonds of matrimony, are so elated that 
 they fancy themselves of sufficient consequence to 
 interest society in general : the delusion seldom 
 lasts. The roaring of cannon or of children is 
 a stimulus that rouses them to realities ; and 
 they find the only importance attached to their 
 new position, consists in the additional duties 
 with which they have encumbered themselves." 
 
 Being at a loss to determine whether his 
 Lordship expected me to laugh, or to look wise 
 at this speech, I made no direct reply ; but, 
 bowing as gracefully as I could, said, " I shall no 
 longer trespass on your Lordship^s time — it is 
 probable I may not again have the honour of 
 seeing you ; but, though you will not allow me 
 to express my gratitude, I shall not forget your 
 kindness.^^ I was going, but he called me back, 
 saying : 
 
 " How can you support your separation from 
 Miss Tennant }" 
 
 AVishing to remove all jealousy, I replied, " I shall 
 certainly regret the loss of her and herfather^s socie- 
 ty» I class them among my dearest friends ; but, my 
 
 H 3 
 
154 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Lord, I am going to the house of the only girl I 
 ever did, ever can love, and this pleasure lessens 
 the sorrow of parting/^ He looked pleased, and 
 in a tone of gallantry said : 
 
 "At some future period I shall hope to see 
 your paragon. Do you know/' he added, with a 
 natural sigh, "Lord Beletrieve almost envies 
 ensign Deerhurst his fresh youth and passionate 
 feelings?'" He then bade me farewell. 
 
 My pleasure at the prospect of a military career 
 increased, by finding that my old friend and 
 school-fellow, Charles Mellish, was in the — light 
 infantry. 
 
 On the morning of my departure, Aigline 
 seemed much affected, but playfully said : 
 
 '^ Freville, in a few weeks you will return to bid 
 us a last adieu;-— -and then, the Tennants will be 
 obliterated from the gay soldier's mind.'* 
 
 I chided her for the thought ; sincerely thanked 
 Mr. Tennant for his hospitality, and hurried off 
 to disguise regrets which could only tend to 
 increase her emotion. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 155 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 In after life, I have often tried to bring back to 
 memory, what " manner of man *' I was at the 
 period I quitted Mr. Tennant's splendid residence 
 and fashionable acquaintance to proceed to the 
 peaceful Parsonage. If I have previously dwelt 
 upon my personal advantages and musical talents, 
 it is, because at the period I valued them beyond 
 more sohd attainments. I was perfect master of 
 the French and German languages 3 a good 
 draughtsman, and well acquainted with military 
 tactics; but of the higher pursuits of literature 
 my knowledge was very superficial. On all re- 
 ligious subjects my principles were unfixed ; 
 unhappily, from a few perverse circumstances, I 
 had adopted the mistaken idea that in general its 
 professors were either enthusiasts or hypocrites; — 
 a chivalrous idea of honour I nourished, almost to 
 a romantic degree. My passions were violent, but 1 
 
156 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 was not constitutionally dissipated, and had a 
 perfect abhorrence of intemperance. 
 
 I did not reach the Parsonage until the fourth 
 evening after I had left London ; as I approached 
 it, my memory turned on the rapturous thought of 
 again meeting Clara. One circumstance alone 
 checked that pleasure. In her letter of invitation, 
 she had mentioned that a Mr. Hilton, who acted as 
 Curate, resided with them ; and independent of 
 an incipient jealousy, I felt displeased that our 
 intercourse should be interrupted by a stranger^s 
 presence. On reaching the gate that opened on 
 the parterre, I alighted, and walking up the well- 
 known spot, stopped at a glass door that opened 
 into the reception room. 
 
 Mr. Arnheim sat reclining back in his anti- 
 que chair ; the evening light falling on his face, 
 threw it out in full relief, and I started as I dis- 
 covered its ghastly expression. Leaning over 
 him like a ministering spirit, was Clara, the 
 fulness of her youth and beauty contrasting 
 strongly with the sad old man^s faded strength. 
 While with passionate admiration I gazed on her, 
 I perceived by her directing some coffee into his 
 hand that his sight was quite gone. Affected at 
 what I saw, a sigh escaped me. Clara sprung 
 forward, exclaiming, 
 
 " It is Freville I" 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 157 
 
 Affectionately embracing me, she led me for- 
 ward to Mr. Arnheim, who expressed pleasure at 
 my arrival, and strove to cheer me by measuring 
 my height with his hands, and feeling my beard 
 and whiskers ; but my heart was oppressed by 
 witnessing the change in his appearance. How- 
 ever, I experienced satisfaction on learning that 
 Mr. Hilton was an old man with a large family, 
 and, for the time, was staying at PlinUmmon 
 Castle with a Mr. Aylsbury. 
 
 The latter gentleman was a fellow of Christ- 
 Church, and distinguished no less for his abihties 
 than the stern piety of his life, the more remark- 
 able as he had yet hardly reached the prime of 
 manhood. He was the valued friend of Lord 
 PlinUmmon, and through that means he became 
 acquainted with the Arnheims, and, as will appear 
 in the sequel) was regarded at the Parsonage with 
 feelings of affection and esteem, in which, how- 
 ever, I at first by no means participated. 
 
 Again established at Cader Idris, though I 
 could not be indifferent to Mr. Afnheim^s rapid 
 decline, my days passed rapturously. His intel- 
 lect was beginning to waver, and he became rest- 
 less and nervous, except when in the open air. 
 Mounted on his old pony, with Clara and me 
 walking by his side, he would ride through all 
 those scenes his darkened vision could no longer 
 
158 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 distinguish, but on which his memory still loved 
 to dwell. And oh ! how far dearer to me were 
 these moonlight scenes and wanderings, than the 
 pomp, and glare, and flashing of artificial life. How 
 frequently have I returned from the crowded 
 saloons of fashion without a wish to return to 
 them, except what might spring from lassitude or 
 habit. Whereas, in the days of my brightest 
 enjoyments, amidst the classic scenes of Italy, 
 the romantic forests of Germany, or the luxuriant 
 East, there was not a pride or pleasure I would 
 not have gladly forfeited to be again at Cader 
 Idris, with Clara for my companion. 
 
 Mr. Arnheim's illness increased,- and he became 
 solely confined to his apartment. Mine was re- 
 quired for the physician, who was obliged to sleep 
 in the house. Consequently, at Clara^s request, 
 communicated to me by Mrs. Waller, a person 
 who from having been nursery governess at the 
 Parsonage then acted as its housekeeper, I took 
 up my abode with Mr. Alysbury. This was most 
 unfortunate, for I experienced a mad jealousy at 
 the preference I fancied Clara showed to him, 
 and in our constant t^tes-a-tete, for Mr. Hilton was 
 seldom with us, I indulged my irritable feelings 
 by upholding Lord Beletrieve and the Cosmopolite 
 doctrines which were abhorrent to his pure and 
 manly principles. At first he strove to argue the 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 159 
 
 point, but, with boyish petulance, though I could 
 not controvert his reasoning, I supported Lord 
 Beletrieve's false, immoral principles, merely 
 with the view of annoying him. One evening, 
 he rose from the table, and sternly said, 
 
 "Mr. Deerhurst, I am shocked to find that 
 you entertain such ideas. As a clergyman, I am 
 not justified in listening to boasted immorality; 
 may I request that in future you will not press 
 this subject." 
 
 After this rebuke, he seldom remained in the 
 room with me, except when other company was 
 present. This not only mortified, but grieved 
 me, for I felt that I was in the wrong, yet was 
 too haughty to make any apology. 
 
 Another week, and Mr. Arnheim was released 
 from his suffering, and in all directions I heard of 
 Clara^s affliction, which was tempered, however, 
 by submission to the will of Providence. The 
 physician departed, and on the following day I 
 remarked to Mr. Aylsbury, at breakfast. 
 
 " I conclude I may now return to the Par- 
 sonage, and no longer trespass on your hospi- 
 tahty.'" 
 
 He laid down his paper with a look of surprise, 
 and said, 
 
 '^ Mr. Deerhurst,'^ do you forget that at pre- 
 sent it belongs to Mr. Hilton, who, as soon as 
 
160 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 the last respects are paid to the deceased, will be 
 inducted into the living ? And now, if you permit 
 me, I shall acquaint you with the arrangements 
 made by poor Arnheim, previously to your arrival ; 
 and if any of them are hostile to your feelings, 
 let me entreat of you to suppress your expres- 
 sion of anger, for I cannot, Mr. Deerhurst, always 
 submit to them patiently/^ 
 
 I knitted my brow, and then, in a subdued 
 voice, said, 
 
 " I regret, Mr. Aylsbury, that you should con- 
 sider this caution necessary.^' 
 
 He bowled coldly, saying, " You are aware that 
 at one period^ Mr. Arnheim did not approve of 
 your coming hither from London. I was with him 
 at the time, and he confided his sentiments to me. 
 He apprehended that an attachment might be 
 formed between you and Clara, which, from many 
 causes, he considered would be imprudent. He 
 entertained a great prejudice, if it be one, to such 
 near relatives marrying. He dreaded Clara's living 
 in the army, which he knew must be your profes- 
 sion, and his mind dwelt on all the misery to which 
 your mother, Mrs. Deerhurst, had been exposed. 
 Then he considered you both too poor, for he 
 placed little hopes in Sir Roger's wealth .'' 
 
 Mr. Aylsbury paused for a reply, but I was too 
 much agitated to speak. Clara must love me, 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 161 
 
 else why her father's fears, I thought ; and the 
 idea was so rapturous that I could not dwell on 
 the barriers which separated us. 
 
 Mr. Aylsbury continued, " You must remem- 
 ber, Mr. Deerhurst, that the observations I am 
 now making are not my own ; and, as far as I can 
 recollect, I shall repeat the words of our departed 
 friend. ^Freville,' he said, ^is a fine spirited 
 youth, and, had his education been attended to, 
 I have no doubt that he would have proved 
 a superior person ; but it has been cruelly 
 neglected. Of this, however, I shall not 
 speak, as it casts a reflection on his father. 
 As it is, he is romantic, generous, and a great 
 favourite of mine, but by no means the person to 
 whom 1 would entrust Clara^s happiness. Brought 
 up in retirement, in domestic love, and strong 
 rehgious faith, and possessed of the finest sensi- 
 bilities, she will place all her best affections in her 
 husband, and should he prove unworthy, she will 
 be miserable, more particularly if his religious 
 sentiments accord not with her own. And on 
 sacred subjects I much fear Freville thinks too 
 lightly ; however, this may be but fancy, or the 
 result of an over anxiety about my beloved child. 
 I feel, Mr. Aylsbury, I have not long to live, and 
 as I would by no means speak on the subject to 
 Clara, who I well know would respect my lightest 
 
J 62 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 wish, I have pressed it on your notice. Should 
 Freville and Clara become sincerely attached, 
 after she attains the age of one-and-twenty, if in 
 other respects circumstances admitted of their 
 union, I would not that my voice rose from the 
 grave to interfere with their happiness. But 
 when I am gone you will be her guardian, and 
 should you think him unworthy, in the name of 
 that God whose minister you are, I entreat of you 
 to respect my sentiments, and to tell her as she 
 respects my memory not to unite herself to 
 Freville Deerhurst.'* 
 
 Again Mr. Aylsbury paused. In atone choked 
 with passion I exclaimed, 
 
 ^' Mr. Aylsbury, do you mean to interfere be- 
 tween me and my cousin ?" 
 
 " That,^^ he coldly replied, " shall depend upon 
 circumstances. As this evening Mr. Arnheim's 
 testament is to be read, you shall then perceive 
 that I am invested with full power over Clara till 
 she is of age, and I think she wants nearly two 
 years of that period.'^ 
 
 "And were she of age, and I independent, 
 would you give your consent to our union ?^^ I 
 vehemently demanded. 
 
 He sternly replied :— " Never while you boast 
 of being the imitator of Lord Beletrieve, the sup- 
 porter of the Cosmopolite system, originating as 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 163 
 
 it did in the fatal scepticism which was the 
 source of the French revolution^ shall I ever 
 consent to intrust so precious a charge to your 
 care ?^' 
 
 I answered furiously : — " Mr. Aylsbury, I am 
 not deceived; there could be but one motive why 
 Mr. Arnheim consigned his daughter to the care 
 of so young a man as you are." 
 
 " The cause," he replied, sternly, " rose from 
 the want of a nearer friend, and this, till his 
 reason faded, caused the old man much re- 
 gret." 
 
 " Did Lady Plinlimnon then refuse the charge ?" 
 I demanded, petulantly. 
 
 " Mr. Deerhurst, it is right that so near a 
 relative as you should be satisfied on the sub- 
 ject. Lord Plinlimmon's eldest son, who is very 
 wild, at present resides with his family ; and, 
 much as his Lordship admires Clara, he would 
 not consider her a match for his heir, and he be- 
 lieves it impossible that his son should be in the 
 house with her and not be captivated ; on this 
 account he considered it his duty not to expose 
 either to the temptation. At present Miss Arn- 
 heim is to be placed under the care of my step- 
 mother, the Dowager Lady Aylsbury, and in a 
 year, or thereabouts, I hope to have a home to 
 offer that will in every respect suit her taste, 
 
164 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 where nothing that can constitute her happiness 
 shall be neglected." 
 
 I struck my forehead with agony, and uttered a 
 deep groan. 
 
 "Then you really love Clara?" he said, in a 
 mild tone. 
 
 " To distraction/^ I exclaimed, '^ beyond all 
 the earth, nay, — beyond my souFs salvation !" 
 
 He shuddered, and was going to reply, when 
 Mr. Hilton entered, and, although I afterwards 
 made several attempts to renew the subject of my 
 love, he always evaded it. 
 
 In his will, Mr. Arnheim bequeathed to me 
 a legacy of one hundred pounds, his watch, and a 
 valuable ring. I was much affected by this proof 
 of his regard ; I wished to decline the money, as 
 all he had to leave Clara only amounted to eight 
 hundred pounds ; but she insisted on my accept- 
 ance with an energy that set denial at defiance. 
 This, however, did not occur till several days after 
 the opening of the testament, at which she did 
 not attend. 
 
 Preparations were being made for her depar- 
 ture, which was fixed for the 22nd of October. 
 Mr. Aylsbury and Mrs. Waller were to accom- 
 pany her to Bath, where Lady Aylsbury resided. 
 
 By letters I received, I understood that the 
 
 Light Infantry were under orders to be in 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 165 
 
 readiness to join the service companies then in 
 Malta. Thus in a few days I should be separated 
 from Clara, perhaps, for ever ! and even during 
 that short interval I had no opportunity of speak- 
 ing to her, for Mrs. Waller had positively refused 
 my entreaties to let me see her, nay, even to 
 bear any messages, excusing herself by saying, 
 " Indeed, Mr. Deerhurst, it is cruel in you from 
 any selfish motives to wish to aggravate Miss 
 Arnheim's deep affliction for her father, and her 
 regret at leaving the Parsonage, the happy home 
 which she is now quitting to live among total 
 strangers, for even I am not to continue with her 
 at Lady Aylsbury's, but return to a situation 
 Mr. Aylsbury has given me in the castle.^' 
 
 Still 1 hovered about the house, and in my 
 frenzy — for my passions almost amounted to 
 madness — would have forced myself into her pre- 
 sence ; but Mr. Hilton and Mr. Aylsbury were 
 eternally at the Parsonage, making arrangements 
 about papers, furniture, stock, &c. All these, in 
 the excited state of my mind, appeared such 
 trifles, that I felt a contempt for those who could 
 devote their time, or take any interest in them. 
 It grieved me, too, to see Mr. Hilton occupy the 
 antique velvet chair, once so exclusively Mr. Arn- 
 heim's, and sit at his desk, and take quiet and 
 unconcerned possession of all the household gods 
 
166 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 of the Parsonage, so associated in my memory 
 with the departed, and which in my enthusiasm I 
 considered as nearly sacred. But when on Sun- 
 day I saw him mount the old pony, and ride to 
 church, I felt an impulse to rush forward and 
 drag him off. 
 
 Unable to assume any composure, I no longer 
 attended Mr. Aylsbury's hours, but continued 
 wandering through every scene which I had visited 
 with Clara. The result of such constant excite- 
 ment was a slow fever ; I grew fearfully thin and 
 haggard, could find no rest, and my appetite was 
 gone. At this period I must do Mr. Aylsbury the 
 justice to say, that nothing could exceed his kind- 
 ness. Whenever I chose to return to the castle I 
 found a dinner in readiness, and every attention 
 was paid to me ; and frequently he entered into 
 my apartment, and strove to win me into conver- 
 sation. But, oppressed with the idea of his being 
 engaged to Clara, I either preserved a sullen 
 silence, or gave abrupt unmeaning answers. 
 
 It was the 19th of October, I sat at the 
 breakfast-table with Mr. Aylsbury, for I felt too 
 weak and languid to pursue my wanderings. Nei- 
 ther spoke ; and to avoid conversation we affected 
 to be engaged reading the papers, when a servant 
 entered with a note — it was from Clara, saying : 
 —"Dear Freville, I purpose dining below stairs 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. ^ 167 
 
 to-morrow for the first time since we last met. 
 
 let me then hope for the j)leasure of your 
 company. You shall find me composed, and I 
 know that, for my sake, you will be cheerful at 
 this, probably our last, meeting in the dear Par- 
 sonage. Waller says you were very solicitous to 
 see me. I regret she did not acquaint me of this 
 before, as it w^ould have afforded me pleasure ; for 
 now, Freville, you are my nearest, I may say,, my 
 only relative." 
 
 This short note filled me with rapture : I 
 was again to see Clara, and that at her own 
 request; it was owing to the interference of 
 others we had been so long separated ; and she 
 had recognised me as her nearest relative ! I was 
 hurrying away to write my answer, when Mr. 
 Aylsbury said, " Mr. Deerhurst, I conclude that 
 note is from Mr. Hilton, to invite you to dinner 
 on Thursday. I have just received an invita- 
 tion ."' 
 
 "Not from Mr. Hilton," I answered, coldly, 
 " but from Clara." 
 
 " Ha ! that is right," he replied, with vivacity, 
 " in all things she has good taste, under any cir- 
 cumstances she considers the feelings of others. 
 She guessed it would afflict you to dine at the Par- 
 sonage as the guest of another ; nor do I Avonder, 
 as even to myself, a comparative stranger, it is a 
 severe trial." 
 
168 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 The dinner hour was four; in the hope of 
 seeing Clara I went to the Parsonage at three ; 
 but was disappointed, for she did not enter the 
 drawing-room until a few minutes before dinner 
 was announced, and then Mr. Aylsbury and Mr. 
 Hilton were there on her entrance. The latter 
 merely bowed, and continued to read a pamphlet. 
 Mr. Aylsbury rose, and, handing a chair, said 
 carelessly : " I hope, Miss Arnheim, you will not 
 consider this fire too large, but the evenings are 
 growing cold." She smiled, without speaking ; 
 when, springing forward, I caught her hand, with 
 an exclamation of sorrow. She attempted to answer, 
 but her lips quivered, the blood rushed to her face 
 for a moment, dyeing her pale complexion with the 
 brightest hue. Mr. Aylsbury, darting at me a 
 look of displeasure, drew her arm under his to 
 lead her to the dining-room. This simple action 
 aroused my jealousy ; I fancied that I saw him 
 press her hand, and that her blue eyes — those 
 eyes I so passionately loved — beamed on him a 
 look of unutterable gratitude. My temper rose to 
 fury; and, forgetting her just sorrow, I only 
 thought of my own selfish feehngs. 
 
 From the time of her mother's death, Clara, 
 though then a child, sat at the head of her father's 
 table, and there Mr. Aylsbury now placed her ; 
 but alas! the old man's place at the foot was 
 vacant, for all dreaded to agitate her by filling it ; 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 169 
 
 we felt that it rendered his absence more observa- 
 ble; she grew suddenly pale^ but struggling to 
 conquer her emotion, forced a smile, and then 
 asked Mr. Hilton, would he take some fish. He 
 hemmed, and though not much given to wine, 
 drank off a bumper. The next moment she 
 uttered a deep sigh, and would have fallen, had 
 not Mr. Aylsbury, who anxiously watched, started 
 up, and supporting her fainting form in his arms, 
 borne her out of the room. I would have rushed 
 after, but turning towards me, in a commanding 
 voice, he said : 
 
 " Mr. Deerhurst, she must not be agitated ; I 
 merely go to consign her to the care of Waller, 
 and will return presently.^' 
 
 My feeUngs of disappointment and jealousy 
 were so poignant, that I perfectly hated him, and 
 as I returned to my seat, breathed a curse against 
 his officiousness. 
 
 Mr. Aylsbury returned, and proposed walking 
 down to the village; Mr. Hilton started up to 
 join him. In a decided voice, I said : 
 
 ^^ I shall remain till Miss Arnheim awakes. I 
 have much to say, and may not again, at least 
 for some time, have an opportunity.'^ 
 
 Mr. Hilton stared with his great grey eyes 
 through his spectacles, as if surprised at my pre- 
 
 VOL. I. I 
 
170 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 sumption; but Mr. Aylsbury, in a mild tone, re- 
 marked : 
 
 "Mr. Deerhurst, do not^ I entreat, awaken 
 Clara ; I engage that your conversation shall 
 not be interrupted," so saying, he quitted the 
 house, accompanied by Mr. Hilton. 
 
 For some time I strolled through the ^parterre ; 
 but my impatience could not be curbed, so I 
 entered the drawing-room, and approached the 
 couch where Clara slept. Her deep mourning 
 robe contrasted beautifully with her glossy hair, 
 but rendered her complexion too pale ; and as 
 she lay there in perfect repose, but for her long 
 dark lashes and brows, she might have been 
 taken for a statue. It were a vain attempt to 
 account for our impulses, but I do believe, at 
 least from my own experience, that when the 
 mind is excited by any violent passion, more 
 particularly of grief or love, that it has a pre- 
 disposition to superstition: as I now gazed on 
 that pale form of feminine loveliness, an idea 
 flashed on my soul, that she would not long 
 survive ! Yielding to it, I fell on my knees, 
 with a sentiment of perfect idolatry ; and, in spite 
 of my effort to control my emotion, a sigh burst 
 forth ; it awoke her. For an instant she looked 
 around, then, rising gently, said : 
 
 " Oh ! Freville, I am so glad it is only you.^' 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. I7l 
 
 *' Lie down again, Clara, and rest/* I exclaimed, 
 in a husky voice, " and I will watch by you as I 
 was wont to do in the days of our childhood. 
 Oh ! Clara, even then, when instinct alone guided 
 me, my greatest bliss was to sit by your cradle, 
 and rock it; and those dear friends, now departed, 
 smiled to see and encourage our infant love ; and 
 now that we are thrown, as I may say, alone 
 on this heartless world, should we not console 
 and support each other }" 
 
 ^^Most certainly, Freville, as far as circum- 
 stances admit; but why agitate yourself? — what 
 is your sorrow to mine ? Yet I try to command 
 it ;" as she spoke she leant her head against my 
 shoulder, and wept bitterly; then, raising herself, 
 continued : " How grateful I ought to be towards 
 you all, for being so indulgent and considerate. 
 I thought to have shown more strength of mind ; 
 but oh ! it is so hard to forget those we loved ?' 
 and again she wept, adding, " the sitting up so 
 many nights, and want of appetite, have shaken 
 my nerves ; but have patience with me for a few 
 days, and I shall be again myself.'^ 
 
 '' Lean your head against my shoulder once 
 more, dear Clara,'^ I cried. " Oh ! that you 
 would take me to be your safe-guard and support 
 through all the trials of life \'' 
 
 From agitation my speech was inarticulate, I 
 
 I 2 
 
172 THE DEERHUHSTS. 
 
 do not think that she comprehended me, for 
 clasping her hands together, she exclaimed : 
 
 "No — no; nothing can ever compensate me 
 for the loss of my father — my kind, indulgent 
 father ! — for years my companion — my friend — 
 my guide ! And now we are, in this world, 
 separated for ever \" and she gave vent to a 
 burst of passionate sorrow. 
 
 Shocked at a vehemence so unlike her usual 
 gentleness, and which convulsed her whole frame, 
 I sat beside her, and soothingly spoke of his 
 broken health, loss of vision, and the still sadder 
 fact that his intellects were fading, — representing 
 what a burthen he must have become. 
 
 " Speak not in that way, Freville/^ she inter- 
 rupted, " say that he has been translated to 
 Heaven, and then, through the inspiration of 
 religion, I shall find comfort ; but talk not of his 
 being a burthen to me, for much as I mourned 
 over his debilitated frame, a thousand times 
 would I rather have him here, than lying in 
 his cold grave. In this very room, even since 
 he lost his sight, how many cheerful evenings 
 have we not spent together ! — but now, sight, 
 hearing, speech, knowledge, all are gone ! Oh, 
 my God ! teach me to support this bitter sorrow, 
 and not to murmur at thy will !'^ and flinging 
 herself on her knees, she buried her face in the 
 pillow. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 1/c, 
 
 I did not venture to interrupt her; in about 
 ten minutes she arose, looking greatly exhausted. 
 I sat down on the couch beside her ; in a languid 
 voice she said : 
 
 " Freville, from our intimate friendship, I can 
 indulge my feelings unrestrained before you, and 
 it affords relief. Waller, though so kind, still 
 acts the governess, and would chide away my 
 sorrow ; before Mr. Aylsbury^s superior intellect, 
 I blush to betray the weakness of my soul ; and 
 Mr. Hilton, though meaning well, seems to con- 
 sider that in offering me an asylum here, he wipes 
 off all tears. Alas ! that the Parsonage should 
 pass into the hands of the stranger, and I its best 
 beloved, be but a dependant in the house so long 
 my own ! Freville, I do not think the heart of 
 man can fully comprehend the desolation of a 
 woman when deprived of a father's or husband's 
 support — I speak not this in repining, or in 
 disbelief of human virtue,— far from it; I know 
 that I possess many sincere and amiable friends, 
 ready to receive and console me ; but they shall 
 not be my anchor. In this solemn season I recol- 
 lect my father's advice, often impressed on my 
 mind, to seek my hope in heaven." 
 
 She continued to converse in this manner for 
 some time. Her sentiments I could not but 
 approve, though burning with impatience to speak 
 
174 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 of my own mad passion; at length finding an 
 opportunity, I commenced by saying, ^^I know 
 you are, for the present, going to reside with 
 Lady Aylsbury : — have you ever seen her }" 
 
 " Yes ! 1 knew her intimately, when I was in 
 Bath ; she is a relation of Lady Plinlimmon^s, and 
 her Ladyship wrote to her, to pay my poor father 
 and myself every attention/^ 
 
 " And, Clara, is she a person you like, and with 
 whom you expect to be happy ?" 
 
 " I will not deceive you, Freville, she is not. 
 Lady Aylsbury is one of the hundred dowagers 
 to be met with in Bath, or, as I am told, in every 
 great town — you know my own experience is very 
 limited. She is respectable, from possessing a 
 good fortune, a high position, and from having 
 never outraged morals ; but is a person of com- 
 mon-place habits and manners. In consequence 
 of my poor father having refused to let me ac- 
 company him to London, where he went to 
 the oculist, who was to perform an operation on 
 his eyes, I spent the month of his absence 
 with Lady Aylsbury, and thus had an oppor- 
 tunity of forming an estimate of her character, 
 which differs from that of any person I had before 
 known. She is so totally devoid of sensibility, 
 that she positively doubts its existence in others^ 
 and imputes its expression either to weakness or 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 1/5 
 
 affectation. Devoted to going out, which she 
 terms pleasure — though my heart was actually- 
 breaking with thinking of my beloved parent's 
 sufferings and danger, she insisted on my accom- 
 panying her to parties — for she devotes every 
 evening to cards ; — and when I timidly ventured 
 to say, ^ Lady Aylsbury, in the present state of 
 my spirits, I am unequal to society, and under 
 any circumstances would prefer retirement/ she 
 would answer : — ^ Nonsense ! nonsense ! — in the 
 first place what have you to grieve at ? Is it the 
 illness of a half-blind old man, who, if he lives, will 
 be a burthen to you and to himself? His living 
 may indeed be a loss, for two or three hundred a 
 year is better than nothing ; but then if you cheer 
 up, and dress well, while with me you have an 
 opportunity of making conquests. — I never saw a 
 girl more likely to marry well, for all that romance 
 and nonsense, like yours, goes down with men.^ 
 Then when wounded by her harshness, the 
 tears rushed to my eyes, she would add, ' Well, 
 well, you are offended at my candour ; but I 
 assure you, Miss Arnheim, all your sighs and fine 
 sentiments are out of fashion ! and so they ought 
 to be, for every one must die, and if the living go 
 on grieving for the dead, there will be no end to 
 trouble. I can answer for myself : though I lost 
 my husband and two children, no one ever saw 
 me shed a tear.^ Freville, if such are Lady 
 
]'J6 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Aylsbury's views of my most natural sorrow, 
 think of her contempt if she could penetrate my 
 regret after the Parsonage, the village, Cader 
 Idris, and all these scenes of my youth ? Why, 
 she would consider me demented/' 
 
 '^ And is it possible, Clara, that you can recon- 
 cile your mind to live with such a heartless 
 being ?'' 
 
 " Alas ?' she replied sadly, " I have no alterna- 
 tive : her inviting me under my present emergency 
 is a generous act, for which I shall ever be grate- 
 ful. If she had not invited me, I am at a loss to 
 know what would have been my fate. Like my 
 departed mother, I might have been cast on the 
 world.'' 
 
 " Oh !" I exclaimed, sinking on my knees 
 before her, " consent to unite your fate to mine. 
 Supported by the blessed hope, there is no diffi- 
 culty I could not surmount! — Nay, listen," I 
 exclaimed, as she would have spoken, '* I only 
 demand a promise, an engagement, not to be 
 performed till Sir Roger Deerhurst's death ; not 
 even then if I am not independent. Clara, I 
 would perish by the most painful death to serve 
 you ; but would not for my soul's weal injure you, 
 my friend, my beloved, my adored 1" 
 
 " You grieve and offend me by this address," 
 she answered coldly, and rose to depart. 
 
 Rendered frantic by her calmness, I grasped 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 177 
 
 her hand, vehemently exclaiming, " You that are 
 so good, so pious, pause ere you refuse. Remem- 
 ber, I warn you : my fate, nay, my immortal soul 
 is in your keeping, Clara. A word from you may 
 save or condemn me — say you will be mine, and 
 mould my future conduct, nay, my thoughts to 
 your wishes. ^^ 
 
 " Rise,'^ she answered in a stern tone, and 
 looking displeased. ** I know not what effect this 
 violence might have on others; but, Freville, it 
 lessens my love, and destroys my confidence." 
 
 I was too much agitated to speak, but I struck 
 my head with violence, and would have fled ; 
 gently detaining me, in soft accents she cried : 
 
 " Forgive me, if I have been too severe ; but 
 loving you as an only brother, a declaration of 
 passion sent a shudder through my soul. Oh ! 
 Freville, waive the subject for ever, and be my 
 friend.'^ 
 
 I turned away my head, and she continued : 
 
 ^' Freville, my present glorious hope is the high 
 mark of heaven, the rigid fingers of death have 
 impressed on my heart the fleetness and uncer- 
 tainty of human happiness. Pray to God to 
 strengthen me in these holy thoughts : for mark 
 me, Freville, my sojourn on earth will not be 
 long ;^^ saying these words she rushed from the 
 apartment. 
 
 I 3 
 
178 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Next morning I learned Clara was so ill as to 
 require a physician, who pronounced that she was 
 threatened with brain fever, the result of over 
 excitement. 
 
 Any description of my despair, as I reflected 
 that I was the cause, and admitted the probability 
 of her death, must fall short of my suff^erings. 
 Recollecting her regret at the declaration of my 
 passion, in my distraction I stooped to a subter- 
 fuge. Oh heaven ! could I have then foreseen the 
 future evil to which my deviation from the truth 
 was to lead, sooner would I have submitted to the 
 most painful death; but impulse, not principle, 
 has^ever been my guide. While my heart throbbed 
 to bursting, while drops of agony rolled down my 
 forehead, and my hand trembled till I could 
 scarcely direct my pen, in words as calm as 
 they were false I addressed her with a solemn 
 assurance that I entertained towards her no 
 warmer sentiment, but that of an affectionate 
 brother ; nay, to give a colour to the damning lie, 
 insinuated that my heart was devoted to Aigline 
 Tennant; but, that I would willingly have sacri- 
 ficed my own views to save her, the child of him 
 to whom I owed so much from infancy. The pure 
 soul of Clara, incapable of hypocrisy, doubted 
 not my word. 
 
 A week passed and I received no answer 3 but 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 179 
 
 though Mr. Aylsbury and I scarcely spoke, pity- 
 ing my anguish, he hourly sent me word of her 
 progress, till all danger was past. In this state 
 I was to join my corps the following week. 
 They were under orders for immediate embarka- 
 tion. So, again, I wrote to Clara, entreating 
 her to grant me a last interview, and the words of 
 this letter too were calm. But who can sound the 
 depths of the human heart ? Well, she could not 
 write from very weakness, but she sent Waller to 
 desire that I would spend the following evening 
 with her, and as Waller had known me from 
 infancy, and enjoyed Clara's confidence, I began 
 reiterating to her the insinuation of my love for 
 Aigline. 
 
 It was on a Sunday evening that I went to take 
 leave of Clara ; she lay on a couch placed near 
 a window which commanded an extensive view 
 bounded by Cader Idris. She was very thin and 
 pale, but lovely as a Madonna. 1 tried to be 
 composed ; but when I saw around the toys of our 
 childhood, our books, the little cradle in which 
 I had rocked her, and the tiny yacht she so 
 admired — I was quite unmanned, and tears started 
 to my eyes. She did not perceive them, for, 
 probably, affected by the same recollections, she 
 had buried her face on the pillow. Waller 
 entered with coflfee and a tray covered with fruit 
 and sweetmeats. 
 
180 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 " See, Freviile/^ said Clara cheerfully, " ill as I 
 was, I did not forget the old habit of celebrating 
 events by a little f^te.'' 
 
 I tried to smile and partake of them, but my 
 emotions were too powerful. I allude to these 
 circumstances, apparently so trivial, because they 
 serve to show the purity and simplicity of her 
 habits, afterwards so cruelly misconstrued. After 
 a while we became more composed, and as 
 none of us could partake of the delicacies, she 
 desired Waller to pack them for me in a basket. 
 Though I smiled at the idea of a young officer 
 traveUing with sweetmeats, I would not mortify 
 her by a refusal ; she then presented to me a 
 locket' with her hair, and a very handsome writing 
 desk. 
 
 '^And here, Freville,'' she added, "as the 
 Tennants have been so kind to you, bear this 
 parcel to your beautiful Aigline, with my kindest 
 regards, and say, I hope at some future period to 
 claim her acquaintance and friendship as a sister." 
 
 I coloured with vexation at her having so 
 readily received the false impression ; but either 
 not noticing my agitation or imputing it to some 
 other motive, she continued : 
 
 " It is valuable Lisle and Brussels lace which 
 Lady Plinlimmon sent me; as I have a long 
 mourning, do oblige me by taking it to Miss Ten- 
 nant.^^ 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 181 
 
 I was going to reply, and probably would have 
 betrayed myself, but the physician entered, hastily 
 saying, 
 
 " Can it be possible my patient is still up ? I 
 must be very angry, particularly with you, Mrs. 
 Waller, who should have been more attentive to 
 my instructions.'^ 
 
 She apologized by saying, that I was going off 
 next morning to Malta, and that Miss Arnheim 
 wished to prolong our interview. 
 
 "Hem!^^ he drily replied, "the very reason 
 why you should have shortened it ; but Mr. 
 Deerhurst is too reasonable to injure the health 
 of his fair cousin, so must now bid good night — 
 and the shorter the adieus the better.'^ 
 
 There was no resisting this command, while 
 my very heart quivered at the agony of parting. 
 I rose, and took Clara^s hand, but could not utter 
 a word ; with all the naivete of her pure nature, 
 she laid hers on my shoulder, affectionately kissed 
 me, and sobbed out, 
 
 " God bless you, my own dear cousin Freville.^' 
 
 I pressed her convulsively in my arms, and 
 without speaking, rushed from the apartment. 
 Next day, after taking a polite leave of Mr. 
 Aylsbury, I quitted for ever the beloved scenes 
 of Cader Idris and the Parsonage, and proceeded 
 on my rapid route to London. 
 
182 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 It was on the fifth of November that I arrived 
 in London, and nothing could appear more deserted 
 and triste than that great city. The short day 
 had closed in, but as I had so many preparations 
 to engage my attention, on the following morning 
 after partaking of some refreshments I drove off 
 to the Tennants'. The hall, as usual, was brilli- 
 antly lighted. I sprung from the carriage and 
 entered with the famiharity of an old friend, when 
 the servants told me Mr. Tennant was from home, 
 and, for the last week. Miss Tennant had been 
 confined to her apartment by a cold. This was a 
 severe disappointment. To depart from England 
 without bidding Aigline adieu seemed impossible, so 
 I wrote on my card, "Dear Aigline, the day after 
 to-morrow I leave London, and next week quit 
 England for an indefinite period ; if possible then 
 let me see you this evening. Think how wretched 
 I must be if you are too ill to receive me !'^ In a 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 183 
 
 few moments the servant returned with an answer : 
 it was a request that I would adjourn to the music- 
 room where she would soon join me. Although 
 I did not experience the deep emotion I always felt 
 at the prospect of seeing Clara, I was a good deal 
 excited, and waited impatiently for her entrance. 
 She had retired to rest, but hurried on a loose 
 morning robe, and as her hair was folded up, still 
 retained her night-cap. Neither painting nor poetry 
 could do justice to Aigline's exquisite loveliness, 
 as panting from haste she rushed into the room 
 exclaiming, '^ Oh ! Freville, I was afraid you might 
 not have leisure to wait, and I am so happy to see 
 you again, and have so much to relate." The ser- 
 vant now brought in lights, for before there was 
 but a solitary lamp; and we were left alone. 
 I know not how it occurred, our intercourse for 
 years had been so intimate — the intimacy com- 
 menced in childhood — but we both felt abashed and 
 remained silent ; at length she said : ^^ Freville, 
 you are looking miserably ill. Is anything the mat- 
 ter y I spoke of my uncle's death, and my 
 separation from Clara. She sighed, and emphati- 
 cally said ; " Loving her as you do, how can you 
 endure this parting, uncertain when you will 
 meet again ?'' 
 
 I replied, " Aigline, we are beings of a strange 
 mysterious destiny ; the heart which struggles with 
 
184 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 possibilities yields to necessity. Clara and I for 
 the present must separate/^ I gave this evasive 
 answer, for I was too vain to admit that her cold- 
 ness rendered my love almost hopeless. There 
 was another pause, and then Aigline said sadly, 
 " And yet I envy you both : for when you are 
 sincerely attached to any one, it is desolate to 
 stand alone in the world." 
 
 To cheer a dejection so unusual to her lively 
 spirits, and which I imputed to illness, in a tone 
 of gaiety I cried, " Aigline, where is the gay, 
 the gallant Lord Beletrieve ?" 
 
 She started up, and clasping her hands, ex- 
 , claimed : " Speak not of the monster 1 I told you 
 he was my destiny, and that it must be evil." 
 Uttering these words she flung herself with an air 
 of distraction, that perfectly shocked me, on 
 the couch. I waited till the first paroxysm of her 
 passion passed off*, and then sitting down near her, 
 entreated she would acquaint me with the cause of 
 such agitation. 
 
 She replied, " You say that the day after to- 
 morrow you depart from England, if so, probably 
 we never meet again.'* She sighed, " of course 
 you dine here to-morrow — you could not desert 
 us the last day. I know my father has an engage- 
 ment for the evening, and I shall have an oppor- 
 tunity of confiding to you the cause of my 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 185 
 
 unhappiness, for indeed, Freville, I am very 
 wretched,'^ 
 
 " And why not now ? Aigline/^ I exclaimed, as 
 I sat beside her and pressed her hand within 
 mine. Here we are alone — with no fear of inter- 
 ruption.'^ 
 
 She withdrew her hand in confusion^ again 
 sighed, and then in a hurried accent exclaimed, 
 " It is a very late hour, my father is from home, 
 and not even acquainted with your arrival ; latterly, 
 more than once, he has accused me of being 
 giddy, perhaps with too much cause. Come to- 
 morrow, Freville, and I shall my tale unfold/^ So 
 saying, in spite of my eflforts to detain her she ran 
 out of the room. 
 
 On the following day I had so much to do, that 
 Mr. Tennant^s dinner was nearly over when I 
 arrived; however he received me and my apo- 
 logies with his usual affectionate politeness, and 
 Aigline said she began to fear that I had forgotten 
 my engagement. After the fuss of re-ordering the 
 soup, &,c., was over, I observed with regret 
 that both Aigline and Mr. Tennant looked very 
 ill. There was something forced in their cheerful- 
 ness ; and their manner to each other, which was 
 wont to be so playful and engaging, appeared 
 restrained. All this gave me uneasiness, and I 
 anxiously longed for an explanation. When the 
 
186 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 dessert was laid on the table, after hastily swallow- 
 ing a few glasses of wine, Mr. Tennant rose say- 
 ing, ^' Freville, I have an engagement which can- 
 not be postponed ; however, I shall return in a 
 couple of hours to join you and Aigline at supper. 
 Cheer up^ my love/^ he said tenderly stooping over 
 her, and pressing his lips to her forehead. She 
 started up, threw her arms round his neck and 
 kissing him affectionately, called out, " Oh ! my 
 dear, dear father.^' He returned her embrace and 
 darted oflf. 
 
 " Let us adjourn to the music-room, Aigline, '^ 
 I cried. " Something has happened to render you 
 unhappy. Am I to be denied your confidence ?" 
 
 " Oh ! no," she replied, ' my heart is breaking to 
 tell you all that has occurred since you left us'^ — 
 and unable to proceed she burst into tears. I 
 pressed her to take a glass of wine, and then led 
 her to the music-room ; but she appeared so agi- 
 tated, that to relieve her, I began to talk of Clara, 
 handing her the parcel of lace ; — this had the 
 desired effect. Without looking at the lace, she 
 expressed her gratitude, asking me numerous 
 questions. ^When I mentioned that Clara was 
 going to reside with Lady Aylsbury, and her 
 regret on the occasion, she replied sadly, " Is it 
 not a strange fact that every thing iii this world 
 goes contrary to our wishes ? There is Miss Am- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 187 
 
 heim, who would prefer retirement, going to be 
 launched into fashionable life, under the auspices 
 of one of its highest members ; for though Lady 
 Aylsbury is in herself nothing remarkable, she 
 belongs to the Piinlimmon party, and that is suf- 
 ficient to ensure her consequence ; and, here am I, 
 who sacrificed so much to please the Beletrieve 
 set — driven in disgrace from their society — dis- 
 graced because I cannot copy their vices.'^ 
 
 It was long before I could persuade her to be 
 more explicit. At length, after having obtained 
 from me a solemn promise of secresy, and that 
 I would not resent the insult she had received, 
 in hurried accents she said : " Freville, the subject 
 is so exciting to my temper that I must be brief 
 in my recital. In pity^s sake do not interrupt 
 me, as I dread that my father may return before 
 I have told you what I wish to confide to you.^^ I 
 promised all she requested, and with much agita- 
 tion she began : 
 
 "Freville, for about a month after you left 
 London, things went on much as usual; I was 
 constantly engaged in a round of fashionable 
 amusements, chaperoned not only by Lady 
 Mainstown, but by other ladies of even higher 
 rank ; in short, I was all the rage. And now that 
 my sun is set, I may admit the proud truth of 
 being a belle.'' She sighed deeply. " One drawback 
 
188 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 there was to my enjoyment. Lord Beletrieve was 
 ever at my side doing the agreeable. I strove in vain 
 to elude the vigilance of his attention, he was the 
 very realization of the fable ; there was no shak- 
 ing the old man off. If I danced, he stuck at my 
 elbow in the set, until the movement began, and 
 then when I got to the end I was sure to find 
 him ready to receive me. When I played he 
 leant over the piano to arrange my music; or, 
 if it was the harp, he would insist on accom- 
 panying me ; and when, to foil him, I chose airs 
 too difficult, he would stay near to beat time 
 with his foot. Freville, you know the unbounded 
 vivacity of my temper; sometimes I was so 
 provoked that I would try to get rid of him 
 by being actually rude; but he played me off 
 with his usual calmness, or made me shrink be- 
 fore him by one of his shrugs or ghastly sneers ; 
 or he would say, ' Aigline, you are fond of quo- 
 tations, so let me assure you, much as you 
 despise me, that I am the magician on whom 
 all your present consequence depends.^ Well, 
 Freville, at other times his attentions, especially 
 when I was at the piano and harp, appeared so 
 ludicrous that I could scarcely command my 
 laughter. To all this he appeared perfectly insen- 
 sible : yet there was not a thought of my soul 
 he did not study for his own dark purpose. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 189 
 
 ^' A month passed thus. His Lordship was then 
 confined to his apartment by the gout. To disguise 
 the painful fact, his domestics, as usual, reported 
 that he had retired to the country. Oh vanity ! 
 what mortal would despise your power, when 
 even the tortures of disease are secondary to your 
 influence ? But, Freville, you look impatient — 
 know then, that removed from the Beletrieve^s 
 engrossing attentions, I made a conquest of Sir 
 Henry Lyndmere ; you have met him at Lady 
 Mainstown's, so no need of description. My 
 father was in perfect delight when he proposed, for 
 though inferior in rank and fortune to Lord Chan- 
 celey, in every other respect he was far preferable. 
 I looked forward to my nuptials with a composed 
 but rational — most rational, expectation of happi- 
 ness. Henry Lyndmere, a man of great refine- 
 ment, and who passionately loved me, proclaimed 
 his good fortune : all seemed prosperous, when 
 Lord Beletrieve, by anonymous letters, cruel 
 representations, smiles, sneers, shrugs, and the 
 vilest insinuations, cast the foulest calumnies 
 upon me. You may well start, Freville ; my 
 brain burns when I reflect on this injury. Let 
 me then be brief: Sir Henry Lyndmere broke off 
 our intended marriage. Oh ! the bitterness with 
 which he accused — scorned me ; the very excess 
 of his love taught him to deride my protestations 
 
190 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 of innocence !. , , .Worse than all, this has nearly 
 broken my father's heart, and so irritated him 
 against me, that though I was ill, dangerously ill, 
 since Sir Henry's departure until this evening, he 
 has scarcely deigned to speak to me/' 
 
 She wept hysterically : I attempted to soothe 
 her. 
 
 " Good heaven, Aigline 1'' I cried, " surely it is 
 not possible that you mean to let Lord Beletrieve 
 triumph over you in this manner ?" 
 
 " What am I co do ?" she answered. " Were I 
 capable of bringing his conduct before the public, 
 I have no proofs, although in my heart I am fully 
 aware that all the insults and neglect I have 
 received originate in him : still, he is too politic 
 to place himself in any one's power. I tell 
 vou, Freville, he is a perfect Belial, and under the 
 soft words of compliment and praise, I have heard 
 him destroy the reputation of women probably 
 as innocent as myself." 
 
 " I never thought of bringing the business 
 before the public," I answered, " it would be a 
 ruinous measure ; but why not let me your friend 
 and connexion challenge him ?" 
 
 She interrupted me hastily : 
 
 " I demand that you give me a solemn pledge 
 not to interfere in this business." 
 
 "Listen patiently, I entreat, just while I re- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 191 
 
 present one circumstance that you seem to over- 
 look. Aigline, it were madness in you to tell your 
 father 3 the fury that must animate him, if he 
 knew you were so insulted, would naturally 
 deprive him of all calmness and discretion ; but 
 it is not so with me. Aigline, I would not kill Lord 
 Beletrieve, but if we meet, you shall be amply 
 revenged; and should he refuse my challenge, 
 he shall be branded throughout England as a liar 
 and a coward .^^ 
 
 Far from entering into my views, Aigline, (who 
 with all her levity was perfectly timid and 
 feminine) threw herself on her knees, accusing 
 me of betraying her confidence, insisting on my 
 solemn promise not to interfere : so, what with 
 tears, entreaties, and my dread of her committing 
 some act of violence, I at length consented to 
 take no notice of Lord Beletrieve's insult ; indeed 
 I had no opportunity, for he had left London, 
 and was not expected back for some weeks, and I 
 must either forfeit my commission, or join my 
 regiment within a few days. Yet I was bitterly 
 mortified and provoked to think that such a vil- 
 lain should go unpunished, and expressed so 
 much vexation, that poor Aigline, forgetting ,she 
 was the one injured, began to soothe me ; and to 
 change the subject, said : — 
 
 " I suspect, Freville, it is my father^s intention 
 to dispose of our house, and leave England.'^ 
 
192 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 I demanded had she any idea where he was 
 likely to settle ? 
 
 '^ Not the least/^ she answered ; " but I sin- 
 cerely hope not in Cork, where former friends 
 might receive him coldly. 
 
 I then intreated of her to write to me con- 
 stantly. 
 
 She sighed deeply, saying, " It would afford me 
 much pleasure ; but, Freville, without my father^s 
 permission I dare not promise ; latterly I have 
 offended him, and you know how I respect and 
 love him ; besides,^^ she added, " I have suffered 
 so much from thoughtlessness, which, indeed, is 
 the source of all my errors, that I am resolved 
 never again to act indiscreetly, so, when you re- 
 turn from distant lands you shall find me a grave, 
 prudent, demure, domestic girl, perhaps matron,^^ 
 and she gave one of her- brilliant laughs : Alas ! 
 poor Aigline, when next we met how difi'erent 
 was your lot ! 
 
 Mr. Tennant returned soon after ; he appeared 
 dejected, remarked it was very cold, and ringing the 
 bell, ordered the refreshments to be brought to the 
 music-room. None of us had inclination to par- 
 take of them ; but, forcing a glass of wine on 
 Aigline, he kissed her cheek, and in an affec- 
 tionate tone said, " Freville, does she not look 
 very ill ?" My reply was lost by Aigline throwing 
 her arms round his neck, and sobbing hysterically. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 193 
 
 "Go to rest, my dear child/' he said. She 
 turned towards me, reaching out her hand. " No 
 leave-takings,'^ he exclaimed, " you are already 
 too much excited,^' and he was hurrying her 
 away. 
 
 ^' Aigline, you must write to me,^' I exclaimed. 
 She looked beseechingly at her father, who gravely 
 answered : — " No, Freville, you are the be- 
 trothed of another, as such, I cannot counte- 
 nance your correspondence. '^ I heard a sigh from 
 Aigline, the next minute the door closed after 
 her. 
 
 Mr. Tennant returned and sat down near the 
 fire, with forced gaiety saying : — " Freville, draw 
 over the small table, and place the glasses and 
 decanters on it. The parting of friends is always 
 sad ; let us cheer ourselves with wine." I obeyed, 
 and we began to converse, but were both absent, 
 and after a few moments sunk into silence. Half 
 an hour might have passed when I arose, and, 
 taking him by the hand, said, ^^ Mr. Tennant, in 
 leaving England as a military man, it is hard to 
 say whether we shall ever again meet. Receive, 
 then, my grateful thanks for all the kindness and 
 hospitality you have shown me, and, rest as- 
 sured, that with life only can I cease to remember 
 it/' 
 
 He started up, looking perfectly wild, then 
 
 VOL. I. K 
 
194 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 striking his forehead, in a smothered voice he 
 said ; — " Freville, I have loved you almost as a 
 son, and I now place in you a confidence which I 
 would blush to intrust to my noble-minded 
 George, who since his mother is gone is the best 
 and wisest of us all. Freville, I am a ruined 
 man ! ruined by my own inexcusable folly ! Yet 
 though I do not despise the advantages of that 
 fortune I have so wantonly cast away, still, if the 
 misfortune fell solely on myself, I could bear it 
 with fortitude/^ He paused, overcome with emo- 
 tion, then added, ^-Happily George, by my 
 friend's legacy, is independent of me, and my 
 only uneasiness respecting him arises from the 
 mortification of losing his good opinion ; for, dis- 
 guise it as he may, the heroic noble-minded 
 youth must in his soul despise me/' He groaned 
 aloud again, striking his forehead. 
 
 I felt so shocked and grieved, that I was 
 unable to reply. I must, indeed, have been dead 
 to all good feeling, if I had not regretted any 
 misfortune that fell on my generous, hospitable 
 friend. 
 
 Too much agitated to notice my silence, he 
 resumed his conversation, saying, "Freville, I 
 feel that the consciousness of my own folly 
 will shorten my Hfe. Gambling is a terrible 
 propensity, one to which I have always been 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 195 
 
 addicted, although while in business I deceived 
 myself and others by calling it speculation ; but 
 these regrets and observations are out of place. 
 Freville, you say that you owe me some kindness, 
 have it so. Now, mark me, if amidst the vicissi- 
 tudes of this life, my poor Aigline should ever 
 want a friend, or protector, promise to be to her 
 as a brother. She is a noble-minded, high-spirited 
 girl, generous to a romantic degree, but vain, 
 thoughtless, yielding, and inexperienced. Oh ! 
 you know not how cruelly since her mother's 
 death I have neglected her, and squandered away 
 the fortune that by right should be her's, yet she 
 loves me with filial tenderness. I wander from 
 my subject. Swear, Freville Deerhurst, swear 
 that when I am gone and George absent, should 
 circumstances require it, that you will be to Aig- 
 line as a guardian, holding her honour sacred, as 
 if she was, indeed, your sister; thus will you 
 amply requite any kindness I may have shown 
 you.^' 
 
 I fell on my knees, and, calling to Heaven to 
 witness, exclaimed, " I swear ; and, as I hold my 
 oath sacred, may God reward me.'^ He pressed 
 my hand, muttered some words of thanks, and 
 then bade me a hasty adieu. 
 
 K 2 
 
196 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 As the next six years of my life were totally 
 unconnected with her, in justice to whose memory 
 I have written this Memoir, I shall hasten over 
 them, merely alluding to a few circumstances 
 necessary to the understanding of future events. 
 I joined my corps at Dover, and in the July of 
 1805 sailed for Malta, to join the service compa- 
 nies. 
 
 My reception by my corps, and to which my 
 father had formerly belonged, was at first flat- 
 tering ; for as the son of Lionel Deerhurst, I was 
 expected to be a good and generous fellow ; but 
 my popularity soon vanished, for I not only had 
 a perfect abhorrence of intemperance, but when 
 influenced by example to indulge, the excess far 
 from enlivening, only stupified me. Conscious 
 of this, I resisted all entreaties to partake in their 
 revels with a pertinacity very offensive to the 
 merry companions of the Light Infantry, which. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 19/ 
 
 amidst all its changes and chances, still retained 
 its ancient character for good fellowship. Then 
 as the grandson, and supposed heir of Sir Roger 
 Deerhurst, I was expected to be rich, and, being 
 too vain to explain away the mistake, the economy 
 I was obliged to practice was imputed to close- 
 ness, and far from gaining merit for my prudence, 
 I was dubbed a stingy, niggardly, good-for- 
 nothing fellow, the very reverse of my father. 
 Again, I was vain of my person ; and, though I 
 utterly despised Lord Beletrieve's villany, I re- 
 tained my admiration for his graceful address, 
 which I strove to imitate. In truth, he formed a 
 pleasing contrast to the roughness of some of 
 the officers, who, by an awkward mistake, seemed 
 to associate noisy, coarse habits and manners with 
 gallantry of conduct, so that my politeness, far 
 from eliciting admiration, was considered as pup- 
 pyism. However, I soon estabUshed for myself 
 the character of being an admirable officer, was 
 strictly attentive to my military duties, and by 
 my knowledge in music improved the band, which 
 since my father's time had fallen off rapidly ; all 
 this gained for me the notice of my commander, 
 and taught the other officers to treat me with re- 
 spect ; so after a period the first feeUng against 
 me abated, and on the whole, my time passed 
 agreeably enough, though, except to a young 
 person, our pleasures must have appeared triffing. 
 
198 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Our principal amusement was to ride from St. 
 Elmos into Villetta, where we generally lunched 
 on partridges, then wandered through the town 
 in quest of adventures, after which most of the 
 officers rode back to their quarters roaring drunk. 
 There was also much gambling going forward. I 
 seldom played deep, for, like my father, if the 
 emergencies of the moment were supplied, I had 
 no taste for money ; however, except on the sub- 
 ject of drink, my companions had no cause to 
 complain of my prudence. 
 
 I remained upwards of twelve months in Malta, 
 when our corps were sent to Messina, and from 
 thence we accompanied General 'Mc Kenzie^s 
 squadron to Egypt, with the view of capturing 
 Alexandria, and were so fortunate as to succeed ; 
 we afterwards made an attempt to take Rosetta, 
 but from events I shall not pause to relate, were 
 defeated. There the English met with immense 
 loss, and I received a wound in my right wrist, 
 which for the time disabled me. However, I was 
 honoured by the compliments of General Mc Ken- 
 zie, for my gallantry in leading on a party of my 
 men to the storming. I also obtained my lieu- 
 tenancy. Soon after, negociations of peace were 
 entered into, and the Turks having restored the 
 prisoners they had captured from us at Rosetta, 
 we set off for Sicily. 
 
 Upwards of two years had passed since I 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 199 
 
 quitted England, and from that period I received 
 no intelligence of my friends. This was a serious 
 annoyance during the first six months. I had 
 written to Mr. Tennant and to Mr. Moneymore, 
 but neither of them had replied ; it afterwards ap- 
 peared that the neglect was owing to the chances 
 of war in which at the time all Europe was en- 
 gaged, and our regiment being celebrated for its 
 gallantry — as I have already remarked — was sent 
 from one post of danger to another. 
 
 When I had been about a month in Sicily, two 
 letters that had been directed to Egypt reached me. 
 The one was from the West Indies, announcing that 
 my father, from whom I had been so long parted, 
 had fallen a victim to yellow fever ; the other — 
 let me confess it— -afflicted me still more severely, 
 being from Lady Aylsbury, containing the intelli- 
 gence of Clara's marriage. 
 
 Lady Aylsbury's letter, though written on a 
 subject generally considered joyful, to me was 
 even more agonizing than my father's death ; for 
 it announced that Clara was going to be married to 
 a Mr. Lascelles, a nephew of her Ladyship's, and 
 of whom she spoke with all the pompous egotism 
 of her character, representing him as a person of 
 graceful manners, superior accomplishments, and 
 noble principles. After this tirade, she added : 
 
 " Mr. Deerhurst, I consider it my duty, as the 
 present guardian of Miss Arnheim, and the aunt 
 
200 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 of Mr, Lascelles^ to explain that he is a person 
 very fastidious in his ideas of women ; indeed, to 
 what I term a foolish degree ; but this error, — for 
 it amounts to error, — is excusable in him, as some 
 years since a very awful tragedy occurred in his 
 family, owing to the indiscretion of one of its 
 members. Observe, Mr, Deerhurst, my name was 
 Lascelles, so that the unfortunate lady to whom 
 I allude, though connected by marriage, was no 
 blood relative. No, no ! all the women of our 
 family were uniformly chaste and prudent. But 
 to return to Mr. Lascelles, knowing this weakness 
 of character, I have, though with difficulty — pre- 
 vailed upon Clara — whose mind is replete with 
 old-fashioned ideas of candour, ingenuousness, 
 and such stuff" — no doubt acquired from her 
 father, who from his position could know little of 
 the conventions of good society — never to allude 
 to your name ; for I know my son, the Rev. 
 Mr, Aylsbury suspected you to be greatly 
 attached to each other; and wei'e she to speak of 
 you, what with your being the grandson of Sir 
 Roger Deerhurst, and her nearest relative, Mr. 
 Lascelles would naturally make inquiries, and 
 when he learned that you were a friend of Lord 
 Beletrieve^s — a frequenter of the Cosmopolite Club 
 — now held so infamous, why the result would 
 be, Mr. Lascelles instantly breaking off" his 
 And if the business was bruited 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 201 
 
 about, though I am perfectly aware of Miss 
 Arnheim^s purity. I certainly could not extend 
 my protection to her ; for after all, except in 
 a few flagrant instances, every one's character 
 depends upon report. Then reflect, what would 
 become of Clara ? For the PUnlimmons, her best 
 friends, are residing on the continent ; besides, 
 she is too beautiful to introduce to their sons. 
 Clara has argued the point with me: in the 
 first instance, she credits nothing to your disad- 
 vantage, then she insists that all mysteries are 
 bad, and that if Mr. Aylsbury were in England, 
 he would disapprove of her keeping any secret 
 from Mr. Lascelles, to whom she declares herself 
 sincerely attached. She asserts that you and she 
 from childhood, viewing each other in the light of 
 brother and sister, never entertained a warmer 
 sentiment; and that if she really loved you, no 
 earthly power should induce her to falsify her 
 solemn vows at the altar by giving her hand to 
 another. Now, Mr. Deerhurst, all this sounds well, 
 and I by no means condemn Miss Arnheira for the 
 little artifice— it is her sex's province — and, if she 
 expressed herself otherwise, I should consider her 
 indiscreet, as your candid Misses are always 
 accused of eff'rontery. However, as the prepara- 
 tions for- her nuptials are advancing rapidly, I 
 shall soon be relieved from my charge; for I 
 assure you, Mr. Deerhurst, the guardianship of a 
 
 K 3 
 
202 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 young lady is a very serious obligation ; moreover, 
 to me, as I propose going to Italy, and Clara is to 
 accompany me there, it would, of necessity, add 
 much to my expense. This was one of the 
 reasons why, from the commencement, I eircou- 
 raged Mr. Lascelles' passion ; for, impressed with 
 the memory of his mother's guilt, and being a 
 person of powerful sensibilities, he from boyhood 
 has encouraged a presentiment that, if he ever 
 married he should be unfortunate. Consequently, 
 though now past three and thirty, and much ad- 
 mired, he resisted all temptations, resolved to die 
 a bachelor, till he met Clara, whose gentleness, 
 want of showy accomplishments, retired, and 
 religious education, all suited his views. Now, 
 Mr. Deerhurst, admire my generalship, — knowing 
 that Mr. Lascelles and Mr. Aylsbury were attached 
 friends, indeed, to what I consider an absurd and 
 romantic degree, I never told the former of 
 Clara^s intimacy with Mr. Aylsbury or the Plin- 
 limmons until every thing for her union was 
 arranged ; then I wrote off to acquaint tliem, and 
 to ask, as her guardian, Mr. Aylsbury^s consent, 
 adding we all know how fastidious Mr. Lascelles 
 is. Consequently, Clara, who tenderly loves him, 
 and has been much shocked at receiving various 
 accounts of Mr. Deerhurst^s dissipation (who, 
 fortunately, is now out of Europe) has resolved 
 not to mention his name, as she really is ashamed 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 203 
 
 of her relationship to him. So, my dear friends, 
 she and I mutually request that in your letters 
 you will not allude to him ; and then, I added, 
 I really think that when by the order of Nature 
 w6 possess no control about who shall or shall 
 not be our relatives, it is very hard we should be 
 accountable for their faults. However, there is 
 no use in setting up opinions, however justly 
 formed, against the custom of ages. Well, Mr. 
 Deerhurst, in due time came letters from Mr. 
 Aylsbury and the Plinlimmons, expressive of 
 their dehght at Clara^s happy prospects, and con- 
 gratulating Mr. Lascelles on his choice, eulo- 
 gizing Clara and her old father up to the skies : 
 better than all, they took my hint, and never 
 alluded to your name. Then there were innume- 
 rable presents to the bride elect — I must admit, 
 very rich ones ; and, as the Plinlimmons cannot 
 come over to England, the Lascelles (I speak in 
 the plural, for long ere you receive this Clara 
 will be married) are to pay their first bridal visit 
 to Italy, and then Lady Gertrude Plinlimraon's 
 long-projected nuptials with Mr. Aylsbury are to 
 be consummated. So you see, Mr. Deerhurst, I 
 have provided nobly for my protegee, whom, in de- 
 spite of some old-fashioned, prosy, countrified 
 ideas, I tenderly love, for, during a long and 
 tedious illness with which I was afflicted this 
 winter, she paid me the most indefatigable atten- 
 
204 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 tion. Night after night she sat up by my couch, 
 and, when you consider how destructive late 
 hours are to a girPs looks, it was a wonderful 
 proof of kindness. However, I am happy to say 
 that, though she grew rather thin and delicate, 
 her beauty did not suifer, for, as Mr. Lascelles 
 observes, it is the expression of her countenance 
 which renders her so lovely. Mr. Deerhurst, 
 I shall now conclude, and, as an antidote to any 
 offence my candour may have given, I inclose a 
 short letter from Clara^ which I permitted her to 
 write, on obtaining her promise of never again 
 addressing you. 
 
 " I have the honour to remain, 
 " Yours, &c., &c. 
 
 " Louisa Aylsbury." 
 
 Frantic with jealousy and rage, without even 
 opening Clara's letter, I crushed it under my 
 feet, and, tearing it into atoms flung it away. 
 I felt that the hope of being married to her 
 was fled, and with it the brightest charm of 
 my existence. In vain I called to mind her 
 dependent position and my poverty ; the re- 
 flection, far from soothing, only awakened my 
 darker passions, and led me to curse Sir Roger, 
 whose injustice and cupidity had left me in 
 poverty. It may be said, was not Clara^s indiffe- 
 rence so often expressed, and the attachment she 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 205 
 
 professed for Mr. Lascelles sufficient to reconcile 
 me to our separation ? Could a passion such as 
 mine exist without sympathy, return, or hope ? To 
 this I can only answer, that led on by some fatality, 
 or, to speak more correctly, by inordinate vanity, 
 I persuaded myself that Clara ardently loved 
 me, though obliged to deny it from timidity, or 
 policy, or some other motive, for my heart always 
 found a plausible excuse to nourish this fatal 
 mistake. Again, it may be said, how did this 
 supposition agree with my knowledge of the 
 simplicity and truth of her character ? Alas ! it 
 is in vain to argue, passion is ever made up of 
 contradictions ; and it is so terrible to think 
 that the person whom we love beyond all earthly 
 things, for whom we would sacrifice our very 
 being, feels no reciprocal sentiment, that we 
 wilfully deceive ourselves into the vain belief. 
 
 It is impossible to say to what results my 
 melancholy might have led, had not my distrac- 
 tion been somewhat reheved by the arrival of 
 my old friend Charles Meliish in Sicily, who had 
 been gazetted to an ensigncy in my regiment, 
 and now arrived to join his corps. 
 
206 THE DEERHURSTS, 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 After my long sojourn abroad — during which 
 the active duties of my profession left me little 
 leisure to reflect on the past, or form schemes for the 
 future, I returned with my regiment to England, 
 in the May of 1811. Finding that the Tennants had 
 left Grosvenor Square, and filled with misgivings 
 as to their fate, I resolved to seek out Mr. Money- 
 more, in hopes of his being able to resolve my 
 doubts. I succeeded in finding him at home, and 
 on entering his presence was struck with the 
 change in that peculiar person's outward man, 
 occasioned by the absence of his cherished wig. 
 Thinking that I had surprised him in dishabille, I 
 could not refrain from maliciously inquiring after 
 my old acquaintance, the perruque a la Belet7'ieve, 
 
 "Mr, Deerhurst,'' he replied quite seriously, 
 "the Beletrieves are out of fashion, and these 
 hideous crops — touching his head — all the go. 
 Mr. Deerhurst, nothing but your long residence 
 abroad could have left you in ignorance of these 
 interesting facts." 
 
 " Is it possible,'^ I exclaimed, " that that great 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 20} 
 
 cynosure of London fashion. Lord Belctrieve, is 
 dead ?^^ 
 
 " To all intents and purposes," he replied with 
 vivacity, " though in the actual sense of the word 
 he still lives, nay, breathes the air of London, 
 and sometimes forces himself into those societies 
 where he was once sought for as the greatest 
 charm/* 
 
 "You surprise, but do not grieve me,'^ I 
 answered ; " for I despise the man." 
 
 " Every one despises him now,^* coldly retorted 
 Mr. Moneymore, " for his fortune and health are 
 broken, and worse than all the Prince has quar- 
 relled with him." 
 
 " May I ask for an explanation ?" I demanded 
 hastily. " I sincerely hope it is owing to his 
 false assertions about Miss Tennant, whom you, 
 Mr. Moneymore, may recollect, as I have seen 
 you at her father's }" 
 
 " Can you be in earnest/* he exclaimed, gazing 
 on me with surprise, "to suppose for a moment 
 that our Royal Prince would turn champion to all 
 the pretty and giddy misses in London ? Positively, 
 Mr. Deerhurst, the notion is quite Egyptian, that 
 is, if the once learned Egyptians have turned fools 
 or madmen ; but I know nothing of them." 
 
 " If you did," I answered tartly, " you would 
 as soon accuse yourself of romance or chivalry ; 
 but you mistook me, I did not suppose his Royal 
 
208 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Highness had heard of the reports circulated 
 against Miss Tennant, far less would he interest 
 himself on the occasion. I merely meant to sug- 
 gest that Lord Beletrieve^s conduct to her, which 
 I have no hesitation in pronouncing infamous, nay, 
 I would say so to his face, might have thrown 
 such obloquy upon his character, that his Royal 
 Highness declined his acquaintance/' 
 
 " Why, Mr. Deerhurst, that is a very big speech, 
 and as an Irishman would say — you looked very 
 big entirely while you spoke it ; — but to end all 
 the suggestions, by which you make a heroine of 
 that fool Tennant^s daughter^ in a few words I shall 
 solve the mystery— observe, I say in a few words, 
 for it was a political business ; and being no poli- 
 tician, it is a subject I always avoid ; first, because 
 I feel no interest in it, except as it may effect 
 stock — next, I consider it dangerous, as it leads to 
 quarreUing. Now, to come to the point, when Lord 
 Beletrieve tired of his liaison, or as he delicately 
 termed it, his familiarity with Miss Tennant — " 
 
 Here I interrupted him by standing up and 
 vehemently declaring Miss Tennant's innocence, 
 and my resolve to challenge any one who pre- 
 sumed to doubt it. This violence, which certainly 
 bordered on rudeness, offended Mr. Moneymore, 
 and it was some time before I could persuade him 
 to renew the subject. He then in a peevish tone 
 demanded : 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 209 
 
 " What term shall I use, Mr. Deerhurst, least 
 likely to rouse your temper ? And as you choose 
 to be so very abrupt in your manner, you must 
 excuse my candour in saying, that your sojourn 
 abroad has not improved your politeness." 
 
 I made some blundering apology ; and after a 
 time he proceeded, first in a sullen voice, but 
 gradually, however, he became more cheerful and 
 communicative. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Deerhurst, whatever was the cause, 
 on Lord Beletrieve's breaking oflf his intimacy 
 with the Tennants, he insinuated that he had 
 found this Aigline, with whom you appear so 
 much in love, so insufferably vain and ill-tem- 
 pered, that in spite of her beauty and musical 
 talents, he had quitted her in disgust." 
 
 I became enraged at this. The man^s insolence 
 and self-sufficiency were enough to provoke a 
 saint, and I never professed to be one. 
 
 " What do you mean, Mr. Moneymore," said 
 I, " by speaking of persons with whom I was in- 
 timately acquainted in this manner ? I am deeply 
 interested in knowing what has become of them. 
 You can be a man of few words when you please, 
 especially when money matters are in question. 
 Suppose that I am to pay you for your informa- 
 tion, and be concise." 
 
 He was oflfended at this, for the wretched 
 fellow was, as the world goes, honest, and he re- 
 plied somewhat sharply, 
 
 VOL. I. K 4 
 
210 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 " My dear Sir, if I must call you so familiarly, 
 what do you mean by the insult your words 
 seem to put upon me ? I was telling you of the 
 Tennants/' 
 
 " Indeed you were not,'^ I interrupted ; " it was 
 of them, and of their present abode I wished to 
 be made acquainted/' 
 
 " Sir/' said Mr. Moneymore, " I wish it were 
 possible to do what the old proverb tells us 
 cannot be done, namely, to put old heads on 
 young shoulders. Could that have been done, 
 and had it been done in your case, I should have 
 heard a very diiFerent speech from you. Now, 
 Sir, Lord Beletrieve '^ 
 
 Aware of Mr. Money morels prolixity on the 
 Beletrieve subject, I interrupted him by exclaim- 
 ing, " Excuse me, but it is of the Tennants of 
 whom I would speak.^^ 
 
 He answered peevishly : 
 
 " It is in bad taste, Mr. Deerhurst, to tease me 
 about these people, — nobodies, who would never 
 have been noticed but for Lord Beletrieve^s weak 
 passion for the daughter ; however, to satisfy your 
 impatience, I shall acquaint you that some years 
 since — soon after you first joined your regiment 
 — Tennant, who was neither more nor less than a 
 vain gambler, was finally done; and his fine 
 house, stud, &c., to none of which was he entitled, 
 went to the hammer. By-the-bye, I attended the 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. ' 211 
 
 sheriff^s sale, and picked up some good bar- 
 gains/' 
 
 Smothering my regrets, I said, '^ And what of 
 his daughter ?'^ 
 
 He repUed carelessly : 
 
 " I heard some report of her having married an 
 old Scotch Highlander of ancient family, a General, 
 Mc Misserton ; indeed, I understood he was old 
 enough to be her grandfather/* 
 
 " Good heaven !'^ I exclaimed, " is it possible 
 that Aigline could so sacrifice herself?'^ 
 
 " Excuse me, Mr. Deerhurst, his marrying her 
 is the wonder ; for when a young lady is minus 
 O^if both cash and character, she is glad to patch 
 both up by a marriage of convenience." 
 
 I sighed bitterly at the idea that a little 
 thoughtless levity should have so humbled Aigline, 
 as to entitle every fellow to speak ill of her ; her 
 marriage too grieved me, for though I had never 
 loved her with the ardour and devotion I expe- 
 rienced for Clara — still from the period the latter 
 was united to Mr. Lascelles, a distant hope of 
 Aigline's yet being mine had pressed on my fancy. 
 Observing the sneering expression of Mr. Money- 
 more, as he rather rudely stared at me, I command- 
 ed my emotion, and said in a negligent manner : 
 
 *^an you tell me, has Miss Tennant's match 
 proved fortunate ?'^ 
 
 " No ! her union proved unfortunate : the old 
 
212 ' THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Highlander was prudent and domestic — she gay 
 and extravagant ; however, they struggled on 
 together till Mr. Tennant, who had returned to 
 London and resumed his gambling habits, became 
 so involved that he was seized, and thrown into 
 the King's Bench prison. Now mark her extreme 
 folly ! She immediately quitted her husband to 
 share with him his imprisonment, and there con- 
 tinued till Tennant's death. By the by, soon 
 after his decease, all London was in a blaze about 
 some battle gained, I think at a place called 
 Suholt, in which his son, George Tennant, had dis- 
 tinguished himself. To say truth, I feel so little 
 interest in what you call England's glory, I never 
 inquired the particulars.'' 
 
 I sighed deeply, and asked him, did he know 
 what had become of Mrs. Mc Misserton, after her 
 father's death ? 
 
 ^' I never heard,'^ he replied ; " but conclude 
 she returned to her Scotch Laird, who, I believe, 
 was very much attached to her." 
 
 " Are you acquainted with his direction ?" I 
 demanded, for anxiety to hear about Aigline 
 conquered my dislike to his cavalier manner of 
 answering. 
 
 " No, Mr. Deerhurst ; but any letter directed 
 to the Mc Misserton, of Glenlow Castle, in the 
 Highlands, is sure to reach him, even without the 
 shire. Don't forget to put the— /^e," and again 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 213 
 
 Moneymore gave his provoking self-satisfied 
 smirk, 
 
 I bowed and said : ^' Mr. Moneymore, I must 
 trespass still further on your patience, while I 
 inquire whether Sir Roger has made any com- 
 munication to you relative to a letter I wrote to 
 him some months since, requesting that he would 
 authorize you to give me money to purchase a 
 troop. x\t present, through the interest of General 
 Mc Kenzie, I have the opportunity ; and really, 
 it would be as cruel as unjust to deprive me 
 of the advantage. These stirring times, it is 
 painful to a military man to have his sword lying 
 idle in its scabbard ; and our regiment has been 
 so long abroad, and is so exhausted from sick- 
 ness, that there is no chance, I hear, of our being 
 sent to the Peninsula.^^ 
 
 '^ I can assure you, Mr. Deerhurst, when your 
 name was announced, I concluded it was on that 
 subject you called, so, though pressed with busi- 
 ness, admitted you ; and here you have wasted 
 my time with fruitless gossip, about persons in 
 whom I never felt any interest ; though, I fancy, 
 Mr. Deerhurst, in that we diifer, — for you seem 
 to have a very lively interest for Mrs. Mc Mis- 
 serton.^' 
 
 I oifered some apology ; then, with more kind- 
 ness than he had ever before addressed me, he 
 said : 
 
214 THE DEERHURSTS. ' 
 
 "Mr. Deerhurst, Sir Roger has written to 
 me on the subject; and, though my employer, 
 I must admit that he is unjust, and, I may add, 
 inexplicable. He excuses himself for not pur- 
 chasing your troop, under the plea of a present 
 fall upon East India Stock — writes as if his very 
 existence depended upon accumulation ! and 
 then, boasts of the splendour with which his 
 son Etienne is surrounded ; indeed, he expresses 
 himself towards him with the weakness of do- 
 tage.'' 
 
 I sighed as I reflected on Etienne's briUiant 
 prospects, while my poor father had died in 
 obscurity ! And then inquired of Mr. Money- 
 more, what kind of youth he was reported 
 to be. 
 
 He answered : " My Pondicherry correspon- 
 dents represent him as of noble form, but proud, 
 impatient of control, and violent in his temper ; 
 moreover, wild and dissipated to a degree.'' 
 
 " Good Heavens !" I cried, " can Sir Roger 
 be aware of this ? And if so, can he endure 
 patiently such faults, when he disinherited 
 my father, his eldest son, for errors compara- 
 tively venial 1" 
 
 " He both knows of Etienne's faults, and ex- 
 cuses them. And now, Mr. Deerhurst, I must 
 bid you good bye, for I am obliged to go to the 
 Exchange. However, should you feel inclined 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 215 
 
 again to address Sir Roger^ I shall forward your 
 letter, and should be happy at receiving his com- 
 mands to purchase your troop.'^ 
 
 I thanked him graciously, we shook hands, and 
 I retired. 
 
 On returning to the hotel, I wrote to Aigline, 
 in an affectionate, but distant style; congratu- 
 lating her on her brother's gallantry and success, 
 but avoiding all allusion to her father^s death ; in 
 a careless manner I mentioned, that as soon as 
 the grouse shooting commenced, it was my in- 
 tention to go to Scotland, when I promised my- 
 self the pleasure of visiting her in her Highland 
 home, and also of being introduced to the 
 Mc Misserton. I then mentioned that I hoped 
 soon to purchase my troop ; observed that her 
 early friend, and my Cork school-fellow, Charles 
 Mellish, was in the same corps with me, and 
 would accompany me to Scotland. In short, 
 I wrote in a manner which I considered the 
 most jealous husband could not object to : — 
 all the time anticipating what fun Aigline and 
 I should find, in bringing our Irish humbug into 
 requisition, at once to deceive and humour the 
 old General. 
 
 Next day I quitted London for Bath, hoping 
 to find the dowager Lady Aylsbury there, and 
 through her, learn something of the Lascelles. 
 
216 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 It was strange, that every allusion to Clara filled 
 me with sadness, whereas, even when I heard 
 that Aigline was unhappily married, I could only 
 associate her image with gaiety ; but, again, I was 
 disappointed : Lady Aylsbury had not been in 
 Bath for three years, and all I could learn re- 
 specting her or Clara was, that immediately after 
 the nuptials of the latter, they had all set off for 
 Italy. 
 
 This was a severe disappointment. My chief 
 pleasure in returning to England, was the hope 
 of seeing Clara — overlooking her union with 
 another, and the ties which then probably ce- 
 mented it, and which should have taught me 
 to conquer my passion. I nourished her ideas, 
 priding myself on the strength of a hopeless 
 attachment. Charles Mellish was my confidant, 
 and I was sure of his sympathy, for he judged of 
 my sentiments for Clara, by his own romantic 
 feelings of devotion to AigUne, for whom his 
 boyish love continued in all its force — I may add, 
 purity ; for while he execrated and mourned over 
 her union with the Mc Misserton, he declined 
 the proposal of accompanying me to Scotland. 
 
 " No/^ he said, " why should I revive a love 
 now criminal ? And I esteem Aigline too much 
 to indulge a single wish derogatory to her 
 honour.'^ 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 217 
 
 In every respect Mellish was a fine specimen 
 of an Irish gentleman : intelligent, liberal, and 
 courageous ; honourable to romance in his ideas, 
 he was slow to credit meanness or deceit in 
 others ; but these noble traits were shaded by 
 a wild and thoughtless love of adventure — a 
 readiness to oblige even those unworthy of the 
 kindness ; thus he was eternally involving him- 
 self in scrapes, and the ready ingenuity, and playful 
 wit, with which he managed to get out of them 
 amused his corps, with which he was a general 
 favourite. 
 
 After waiting with some impatience for Gene- 
 ral Mc Misserton^s answer to my letter, I re- 
 ceived the following : 
 
 " The Mc Misserton, of Glenlow Castle, has 
 opened a letter directed to a lady called Mrs. 
 Mc Misserton alias Aigline Tennant, a ship- 
 wright's daughter ; of her he shall make no 
 remark, or give any information to Lieutenant 
 Deerhurst, who, from the style of his address, 
 the Mc Misserton has no doubt, considers him- 
 self an extremely knowing, agreeable fellow, 
 ready to make love to any man's wife, if she 
 suit his fancy, and reward the husband for 
 the liberty, by shooting on his manors. All 
 excellent fun, no doubt, to Lieutenant Deerhurst, 
 and his military companion ; but far too refined 
 
 VOL. I. L 
 
218 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 for the honest, and somewhat patriarchal habits 
 of the Scottish Highlanders. Now, my young 
 gallant, for such, no doubt you, Lieutenant 
 Deerhurst, consider yourself, in love or idleness, 
 I grant you my permission to travel through 
 the Highlands or Lowlands, as may suit your 
 taste; but if you presume to come poaching 
 within the precincts of Glenlow Castle, I fore- 
 warn you, that in spite of modern improvements, 
 you shall find it guarded by a warhke race, 
 jealous of their master's honour ; and who would 
 think as little of cutting you down, as you, 
 my sporting Lieutenant, would of shooting my 
 game, or seducing my wife. Now act as you 
 please. 
 
 " MC MlSSERTON, 
 
 '' Of Glenlow." 
 
 Although greatly provoked, I could not help 
 being amused at the manner in which my gallant 
 intentions were refuted. MelUsh joined in my 
 sincere regret, that Aigline should have been 
 so unfortunate; however, we both agreed that 
 any attempt to visit Glenlow Castle would 
 not only be useless, but might expose her to 
 persecution, and ourselves to danger ; so, after 
 indulging in the bitterest invectives against the 
 old sawney, we dismissed the subject. Thus 
 these two lovely women, in truth the only ones 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 219 
 
 towards whom I ever entertained a sincere at- 
 tachment, seemed for ever separated from me. 
 Would to Heaven it had been so, and that we 
 had never again met ! 
 
 The winter passed off pleasantly enough. Our 
 corps were quartered between Chatham and 
 Sheerness, and in the former neighbourhood, 
 some of our officers were paid much attention; 
 but Mellish and I, being but Subs, had few in- 
 vitations ; however, we made frequent parties 
 to London, and formed several agreeable ac- 
 quaintances among the Navy. Early in Feb- 
 ruary, Colonel Chilli, who commanded, gave 
 me leave of absence, and I accompanied a brother 
 officer to Cumberland, on a visit to some of his 
 friends. While luxuriating amidst its romantic 
 scenery, I received intelligence that my father had 
 left me some property in St. Domingo. It would 
 have been very acceptable, for, still speculating on 
 Sir Roger's rupees, I had incurred several debts. 
 Through the interest of my Colonel T obtained a 
 renewed leave, but my voyage to the West was un- 
 fortunate. I was attacked by yellow fever, involved 
 in a law-suit — in short, the bequest did not liqui- 
 date the expences incurred ; so, after much hard- 
 ship and a long absence, I returned to England 
 more involved than ever, and immediately joined 
 my corps then quartered in York. 
 
 L 2 
 
220 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XV, 
 
 Mellish was truly rejoiced at my return, 
 and in talking over some Chatham adventures, 
 mentioned^ that after my leaving it he had, 
 through some of his navy friends, formed an ac- 
 quaintance with a Mrs. Onslow, a pretty little • 
 black-eyed Welshwoman, a merchant's wife, who 
 was always inquiring after me, and said she had 
 known me intimately in Wales. This surprised 
 me, as I had no recollection of the name ; how- 
 ever, I began to banter Mellish about her, but 
 he assured me that though rather pretty, Mrs. 
 Onslow was very homely, and worse, in his 
 opinion, very saintly. 
 
 ^^ Then,'' I inquired, " what could have in- 
 duced you to spend so many evenings at her 
 house, as you have just confessed ? Was her 
 husband a very good fellow ? — I know, Mellish, 
 in point of after-dinner good-fellowship, you are 
 perfectly Irish,"' 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 221 
 
 "On the contrary," he repHed, '' Onslow was 
 as stupid a commercial man as you ever met — not 
 one idea out of his store-house ; but our old school- 
 master's son, Thomas La Franck, was a constant 
 visitor there, and though he has become a perfect 
 saint, as w^ell as divine, for he has entered into 
 holy orders, still he is a most agreeable person ; 
 very musical, and as partial as ever to you, Deer- 
 hurst ; and then he and I chatted over old times 
 — Cork, the Tennants, &c., &c., and, in short, 
 though La Franck and I had a few squabbles, or 
 I should say that I wrangled with him for trying 
 to make me as good as himself, for his meek 
 spirit would not resent my brusquerie, I found 
 him a most pleasing companion. After all, Deer- 
 hurst, a little intellect and a high tone of feeling 
 give a zest to conversation ; and, to acknowledge 
 a truth, except when our mess converse of the 
 Peninsular War, and its probable results, they 
 talk as confounded nonsense as one could expect 
 to hear from a set of school-girls." 
 
 I sneered, and sarcastically observed : " Then 
 the charm of Mrs. Onslow's house lay in La 
 Franck's preaching ! He was always a prosy, 
 tiresome youth ; though I must admit, obliging, 
 good-natured, and moral. Pray, Mellish, how far 
 have you advanced in your saintly progress ?" 
 
 Colouring up to the eyes, he refuted the charge 
 
222 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 of growing devout, as if the accusation was dis- 
 graceful, exclaiming with vivacity : — '^ So far, 
 Freville, from liking the eternal preaching about 
 religion, I should not so frequently have attended 
 Mrs. Onslow's parties, but in expectation of 
 meeting the beautiful Lady Eastville, her particular 
 friend." 
 
 '^ And who is the beautiful Lady Eastville }'^ 
 I demanded ; " I never even heard the name 
 before." 
 
 " Oh ! true,'' he answered, " though she was 
 staying in the neighbourhood of Chatham all the 
 time you were quartered there, with some old 
 dowager, whose name I quite forget, but who had 
 a very pretty place on the banks of the Medway. 
 However, owing to delicate health. Lady Eastville 
 did not go into company until after you left for 
 Cumberland ; had she, you must have heard of her, 
 for nothing was spoken of at the mess but her 
 beauty." 
 
 " iVnd was she so beautiful ?" I inquired. 
 
 He answered, " I never saw her except once 
 on horseback, and then she was veiled, but her 
 figure appeared fine, and she rode in good 
 style." 
 
 " I thought, Mellish," said I, laughing, " that 
 she was your attraction at Onslow's. A saint, 
 too 1 I conclude by a person of her rank forming 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 223 
 
 an intimacy with Mrs. Onslow. Forgive 
 me, Mellish, but I rather fancy La Franck was 
 her Ladyship's inducement. I have always heard 
 that these Methodistical fellows are very insinua- 
 ting among women — ^it belongs to their voca- 
 tion/ — and if La Franck has not disappointed the 
 promise of his youth, he must be a pleasing- 
 looking person.'* 
 
 " Well meant on your side to annoy me," re- 
 plied Mellish, in the same tone of badinage, " but, 
 as the fates were against my meeting Lady East- 
 ville, the point of your wit is lost. Twenty times 
 at least I went to Mrs. Onslow's to see this 
 beauty, but alas ! for my hopes, I was either too 
 late, or she had sent an excuse ; in short, some- 
 thing always occurred, fortunately, perhaps, as 
 from description I had made up my mind to fall 
 desperately in love." 
 
 " But, answer, did La Franck know her ?" I 
 demanded. 
 
 " Intimately," was the answer, " and he lauded 
 her as a saint. By the by, Freville, I forgot to 
 mention that Mrs. Onslow one evening in speak- 
 ing of you, said : " I am sorry Freville Deer- 
 hurst is not in Chatham now; however, as he is 
 absent, I shall not mention his name to Lady 
 Eastville, though were he here, I most certainly 
 would." 
 
224 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 " And what inquiries did you make, Mellish, 
 relative to this observation ?'^ 
 
 «^ None/^ he replied, looking vacantly at me ; 
 " what could I have made ?" 
 
 " A thousand/^ I said ; " first, who is this Mrs. 
 Onslow that so familiarly called me — who never 
 before heard of her — by my christian name ? 
 next, why should she speak of me to Lady East- 
 viUe ?^' 
 
 " I really don't know,'' said MelUsh, carelessly ; 
 " except that as you were both beauties, Mrs. 
 Onslow might think it right to extol you to each 
 other without any compliment. Freville, you 
 were considered the handsomest fellow in Chat- 
 ham, all crowded as it was with the gallant sans 
 of Mars and Neptune." 
 
 Pleased at this flattery, I changed the subject, 
 and dismissed it from my mind, until it was 
 afterwards brought back to my recollection under 
 
 circumstances the most painful. 
 
 ^ :i« * *: * 
 
 Being in the command of a detachment at some 
 distance from York, I was surprised one morning 
 by Mellish, who possessed all the levity and 
 ardour of his country, entering my room, and, 
 abruptly exclaiming, " Deerhurst, as I rode out 
 here to breakfast, preparatory to bidding you 
 farewell, as to-morrow I set off for Cork, (I 
 
THE DEERHURSTS, 225 
 
 grieve to say, on account of my poor mother's 
 illness) guess the discovery I made/^ 
 
 " You must give me some clue first/' I an-- 
 swered ; " is it any thing that concerns my- 
 self?'^ 
 
 "That is all a matter of taste/^ he replied, 
 gaily ; " but, to end surmise, that noble-looking 
 residence overhanging the romantic dell, with its 
 extensive lawn sloping down in a fine bold sweep 
 to the river's bank, and the well-stocked deer 
 park at the left, are Sir Egbert Eastville's. Why 
 look so stupid, Freville ? Don't you recollect our 
 stopping the other day near the gate to look in at 
 the pheasants who were stalking about as graceful 
 and proud as so many demoiselles in a ball-room, 
 and in as much security as if they had never 
 heard a sportsman's shot, and you and I wishing 
 to have one or two good ones at them ? Now, 
 Freville, do you remember ?" 
 
 " Perfectly," I repUed. " Has this Sir Egbert 
 given us permission to shoot on his premises?" 
 
 '^ He would see us to the devil first,'' cried 
 MeUish, impatiently ; " but he is husband to the 
 beautiful Lady Eastville I mentioned to you as 
 being Mrs. Onslow's friend," 
 
 "True," I said, languidly; "and now, may 
 1 ask, what is all this to me ? Has Sir Egbert left 
 his card at our mess ? Or has he only visited old 
 
 L 3 
 
226 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Chilli, — a safe companion for his lady, but a 
 bad specimen of our corps ?'^ 
 
 ^' He has done neither/' said Mellish, " for at 
 present his lady is from home. Besides, I under- 
 stand he seldom visits the military, and when he 
 does, merely gives them one or two stately 
 dinners, repulsing all intimacy. Shoot on Sir 
 Egbert's manors, indeed — what an absurd idea !'' 
 
 " Don't be angry, Mellish,^' said I ; " but really 
 you appeared so excited, I concluded something 
 pleasant had occurred. However, I will ride 
 into York with you.'' 
 
 *' I thought," he replied, good-hum ouredly, 
 "that you would be delighted at being in the 
 neighbourhood of the beautiful Lady Eastville. 
 Of course, as a single officer, within three or four 
 miles of him. Sir Egbert must call on you, and 
 they say, when he pleases^ that he can be very 
 agreeable and hospitable.'' 
 
 '^ And, your head being full of Irish romance 
 and adventure, you expect I am to fall in love 
 with her Ladyship. Is Sir Egbert a second Mr. 
 Mc Misserton ?" 
 
 " As yet I know nothing about him ; but we 
 can inquire from Chilli, who seems to know all 
 the Yorkshire people." 
 
 I dined that day at the mess ; some strangers 
 were present, so Mellish and I feared to draw out 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 22/ 
 
 Chilli's wit, at times very gross, and by no means 
 attic ; but in a negligent way I inquired of a gen- 
 tleman who sat next to me if he knew Sir Egbert 
 and Lady Eastville. He replied intimately, that she 
 was a very lovely woman, but grave, religious, 
 and so domestic, that she seldom entered into 
 society, being devoted to a family of young 
 children. On hearing this last remark, Mellish, 
 who was attentively listening, shrugged his shoul- 
 ders, muttering, " When a woman has a pack of 
 children, away with all romantic ideas — they 
 destroy the illusion ; — so, Freville, waive the lady, 
 and stick to the pheasants. Any chance of a 
 shot there ?" 
 
 Smiling at Mellish's notion of the non-romantic, 
 I again addressed the gentleman, by remarking 
 what a quantity of game appeared to be on Sir Eg- 
 bert's demesne, inquiring was he liberal with 
 it? 
 
 " Not particularly so,'' he answered ; " though 
 he keeps a fine pack of hounds, and often treats 
 his friends to a stag hunt, to which he invites the 
 whole neighbourhood, and generally entertains 
 them sumptuously ; but on the whole. Sir Egbert 
 is a man of literary and domestic habits, one 
 who enters company as a duty he owes to society, 
 more than from any pleasure he finds in it.'' 
 
 " Is he not a very old man ?" I remarked. 
 
228 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 " By no means/^ was the answer ; " on the con- 
 trary, I should say that he is scarcely eight and 
 thirty, and, though not critically handsome, is 
 generally considered so. I can assure you, 
 Mr. Deerhurst, that he is one of the most 
 esteemed and influential men in our country, 
 though, I must admit, not the most popular, as 
 his manners are cold and stately, besides, he 
 rather shuns than seeks popularity/^ 
 
 Mellish again gave me one of his knowing 
 looks, muttering, " No chance of any game in that 
 quarter/^ 
 
 Soon after the gentlemen retired from the mess, 
 and I then learned that the person I had been 
 conversing with was Doctor Jerold, the most in- 
 timate friend of the Eastvilles. 
 
 On the following morning Mellish set off for 
 Cork, having first — being hard up for cash — sold 
 me a bargain his favourite horse, called Red 
 Bess, a famous huntress. On selling her to me 
 he explained her excellence on all points but 
 leaping, at which she was somewhat awkward, 
 giving me advice how to manage on such occa^ 
 sions. This I ridiculed, for, though MelUsh was 
 considered the best horseman in our corps, indeed 
 one of the most active and graceful I ever met, 
 still I was too vain to acknowledge his supe- 
 riority, and longed for an opportunity of proving 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 229 
 
 mine. One soon offered : Sir Egbert Eastville 
 returned to his place for a few days, and was 
 accompanied by some friends and a foreigner of 
 rank, and, though the season was unfavourable, 
 desirous of entertaining them, he invited the 
 whole neighbourhood to a dejeuner, to witness the 
 enlargement of a stag, and several of the party to 
 dine with him after the hunt. On this occasion 
 he sent cards of invitation to Colonel Chilli and 
 the other officers of our corps ; but, as he did not 
 pay the compliment of caUing in person, we 
 somewhat haughtily dechned his hospitality ; 
 still, a few of us, impatient for the sport, rode to 
 the hunt. 
 
 Even at this distant period I can recal to 
 memory the enlivening scene which led to such 
 sad results. The morning^s sun, though too 
 warm for the exercise, shed its brightest hues 
 over the wide expanse of country through which 
 we galloped. The stag was the largest and swiftest 
 I had ever followed ; the hounds in excellent 
 order, and the Yorkshire gentlemen mounted 
 and equipped in a style that would have graced 
 a royal cortege ; yet even amidst them I flattered 
 myself Red Bess and I were worthy of notice. 
 Always speculating on the prospect of coming in 
 for some of Sir Roger's rupees, I had fallen into 
 the destructive habit of running bills and borrow- 
 
230 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 ing money ; and priding myself on good taste, 
 always turned out in what I considered a superior 
 style. 
 
 It was a splendid run ; the stag bounded over 
 hill and dale, not leaving a trace of its light foot- 
 steps. Men, horses, dogs, united for the moment 
 by the universal sympathy of destruction, rushed 
 impetuously after him. Now the doomed animal 
 dashed through a narrow branch of the Ouse, then 
 rushed up the overhanging hills; again hearing 
 the hounds at his feet, after running through a 
 wide sweep, it fled down to the lowlands, where 
 some fields of corn well enclosed, gave a hope of 
 eluding its unrelenting pursuers. The excitement 
 now became too powerful for resistance. The 
 fences were very high, and in some places over- 
 topped by quickset hedges. These afforded little 
 impediment to the dogs, who burst through them ; 
 but the hunters were obUged to ride round to 
 seek for the best spots for leaping. As to me, in 
 "my hurry, forgetting Mellish's advice, T attempted 
 to spring Red Bess over a ditch ; but she breasted, 
 fortunately for me. Although under mental ex- 
 citement, I became weak, almost to imbecility ; 
 in personal danger I preserved the greatest pre- 
 sence of mind ; so feeling the brute rolling back- 
 wards, I made a powerful effort to dash myself to 
 one side, so as to escape her weight falling on 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 231 
 
 and crushing me. This, probably, saved my hfe, 
 ])ut I met with a severe accident : my head coming 
 in contact with the stump of a tree growing out 
 of the ditch, received a shght contusion ; and my 
 left leg, over which the haunches of the animal 
 rolled, was broken. 
 
 These accidents caused me considerable pain, 
 and in some degree confused my senses ; still I 
 retained an apprehension of my danger, and, 
 dreading every moment to be trampled on, I 
 struggled to roll myself down into the gripe of the 
 ditch, but was unequal to the attempt. I then 
 called aloud for help, but my voice was lost in the 
 loud cry of the hunters — ^' The stag is at bay — the 
 stag is at bay.^^ It seemed that, finding itself ex- 
 hausted, faint, and unequal to continue its flight, it 
 had turned proudly round to face its pursuers, 
 and all panting as it was, and hopeless of escape, 
 struggled to revenge itself on the yelping hounds, 
 which had conquered its nobler nature. Already two 
 of them had been gored to death ; the boldest of 
 the huntsmen then galloped forward to see to the 
 safety of the pack, while others, more timid, 
 attempted to rein in their steeds. At the instant 
 I heard a horseman approach towards the place 
 where I lay ; I made an effort to rise and warn 
 him off, but fell back in the effort, and for some 
 moments objects became indistinct ; but I after- 
 
232 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 wards learned that Sir Egbert Eastville, who was 
 riding to the very spot where Red Bess had 
 breasted, seeing me on the ground, and finding it 
 impossible to check his hunter, had at no small 
 risk sprung from its back, and, giving it the whip, 
 it bounded over me, clearing the ditch. He then 
 raised me in his arms, and called loudly for help. 
 I was now sufficiently restored to be conscious of 
 what was passing. In a few moments a gentleman 
 came up, exclaiming : — " Ah ! Sir Egbert, how is 
 this? I saw your horse dash by alone, and 
 guessed you had fallen ; not seriously hurt, I 
 hoper 
 
 Sir Egbert in a pecuharly mild voice explained 
 that he had alighted to afford assistance to a gen- 
 tleman whom he feared had received a serious 
 injury. 
 
 " Ah ! I am glad it was not you," observed 
 the other, carelessly ; " positively the hunt was 
 worth a man's life. I have been hunting for 
 upwards of thirty years, and have never witnessed 
 such a famous run. But d — n it. Old Dick Collet, 
 as usual, beat us all. But this time he has suffered 
 for it, for, just as he alighted to give the coup- de- 
 grace — a custom he would not neglect to save 
 his estate — his favourite hunter. Wildfire, fell 
 down dead; and there is Old Dick blubbering 
 like a schoolboy over the carcase, and swearing at 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 233 
 
 the dogs, vowing they shall never feast on Wild- 
 fire, and Doctor Jerold in his dry jocose way 
 advising liim/^ 
 
 " Doctor Jerold, do you say ?^' cried Sir Egbert, 
 interrupting him : ^^how fortunate his being at 
 the chase 1*' 
 
 " Catch him at that !" replied the other, '^ more- 
 over, this confoundedly warm weather ! No ; but 
 just as the stag was stalked — for there was no 
 other way of getting the animal down — he drove 
 up in his gig on his way to York/^ 
 
 " How very fortunate!" repeated Sir Egbert, in 
 the same mild voice ; " would you be so kind as 
 to ride over to wherever he is, and desire him to 
 hasten here, for I much fear this gentleman, who 
 appears a stranger, has broken his leg/' 
 
 '' A d d awkward horseman he must have 
 
 been ; for when he first entered the field, Collet 
 and I were struck with the strength and beauty 
 of a bay mare he was mounted on. I fancy he is 
 one of the officers quartered in York/' 
 
 '^ All this time he is suflfering," said Sir Egbert, 
 in an altered tone ; " and, as it might fatigue you 
 to call Doctor Jerold, if you promise to remain 
 here till my return, I will run myself for him." 
 
 This had the desired efi^ect : the Nimrod of 
 thirty years' standing, humming Bright Chanti- 
 cler, rode off, and in a few moments returned 
 
234 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 with Doctor Jerold. Explanations again took 
 place, I made an effort to thank Sir Egbert, and 
 give some account of myself, but the Doctor, 
 who was examining the contusion on my head, 
 which he pronounced to be trifling, prohi- 
 bited me from speaking. He then, even on the 
 spot, bled me and set my leg, after which, in that 
 familiar tone which proved how intimate he was 
 with the proud Baronet, told him in a low voice — 
 but which I overheard — that he had met me at the 
 mess, considered me a very gentlemanly, agreeable 
 person, and that he understood from my com- 
 manding officer that I had been in Egypt, and had 
 distinguished myself at the storming of Alexandria. 
 This, no doubt, gave Sir Egbert a favourable 
 impression, for he instantly said, " If you think 
 removing him to York would be attended with 
 pain or danger, let him be brought to my house. 
 By going through the orchards we are scarcely 
 half a mile from it ; there he will be more conve- 
 nient to you, Jerold, and during our absence his 
 being at the Terrace can be no inconvenience. 
 Lady Eastville does not propose returning for a 
 month, and by that time I should suppose he will 
 be quite recovered." 
 
 " Not quite," answered the Doctor ; " how- 
 ever, Sir Egbert, I really think removing him to 
 York might be attended with danger, nor do \" 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 235 
 
 he added, in a friendly voice, " consider that the 
 noise of a barrack-room would tend much towards 
 his recovery." 
 
 '' Then/' replied Sir Egbert, " I shall ride 
 forward, and give orders to prepare for his re- 
 ception ; and remember, Jerold, you dine with 
 me.'' 
 
 He answered gaily, " I never forget venison 
 and claret.'' 
 
 Sir Egbert laughed, and, mounting a horse his 
 groom led, rode off. Soon after I was laid on a 
 litter, and conveyed with much care to his 
 splendid residence. Arrived there, I was placed 
 in a chamber situated in the left wing ; but, 
 though the most distant from the dining-room, 
 as the evening advanced, every now and then my 
 slumbers were broken by the loud merriment of 
 the hunters. 
 
 Early on the following morning Doctor Jerold 
 entered my apartment. I was much pleased with 
 him ; to scientific knowledge and skill he 
 united a happy humour, and great kindness of 
 manner. After examining my head and broken 
 limb, he gave me numerous directions, to which 
 he begged I would carefully attend, adding, he 
 hoped to see me next day, but was then obliged 
 to attend his patients, several at a consider- 
 able distance. " By the by," he continued. 
 
236 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 " I must not forget to give you Sir Egbert^s 
 polite message, requesting that you will order all 
 things here as if it was your own house. He 
 would have paid his compliments personally be- 
 fore he went ; but I prohibited him, as quiet is 
 downright necessary to your restoration.'^ 
 
 " Has Sir Egbert departed so early ?'' I de- 
 manded. 
 
 '' Ay, two hours ago/' he answered. " Lady 
 Eastville has had a shght cold, and he is such an 
 uxorious husband, that he is quite miserable 
 till he returns to her. Good encouragement to 
 bachelors like you and me, Mr. Deerhurst, to 
 marry !'^ 
 
 I smiled, observing, ^' I understand Lady East- 
 ville is very beautiful — at least when she was 
 staying in the neighbourhood of Chatham she 
 was considered so. However, I had not the good 
 fortune to see her, as I was in Cumberland on 
 leave." 
 
 ^' She can scarcely be termed beautiful," he 
 answered ; " indeed, it is injustice to call her so, 
 for then when people see her they may be dis- 
 appointed; but Lady Eastville is lovely, for an 
 angePs goodness shines through her every feature.^' 
 At the instant the servant announced that his gig 
 was at the door, so, shaking me by the hand, he 
 departed. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 23? 
 
 The next three weeks passed drearily enough. 
 The contusion on my head proved more trouble- 
 some than the Doctor had anticipated; my leg 
 was greatly swollen, and I was very feverish. 
 This affected my nerves, which were weakened to 
 such a degree that the slightest noise startled 
 me, and worse, my mind became haunted with 
 frightful dreams and presentiments. I am par- 
 ticular in mentioning this, because it helps to ac- 
 count for a scene which otherwise must appear 
 affected or over- wrought ; and still in this detail of 
 myself, far from any exaggeration, I will try to 
 control the full expression of my feelings. 
 
238 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 As soon as the fever, resulting from the irritation 
 of my broken limb, had abated, by the orders of 
 Doctor Jerold, I was laid on a couch, which was 
 gently rolled into a small, but elegant apartment 
 adjoining the sleeping room into which, on my 
 first arrival, I had been carried. No place could 
 be more happily adapted for an invalid : its large 
 windows, reaching to the ground, opened on a 
 wide terrace, commanding an extensive view. 
 Near the house it was adorned by the most 
 fragrant and richest plants : roses and flowering 
 myrtles forced their way through the opened 
 sashes, contending for the prize of beauty with 
 foreign plants — many of which I did not know 
 even by name — their more delicate perfume yield- 
 ing to the scent of the climates, whose white 
 blossoms, intermingling with the bright scarlet 
 of the trumpet-honeysuckle, hung in fantastic 
 drapery above them. The front of the terrace 
 sloped off towards the lawn, its vivid green 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 239 
 
 relieved by small knots of American shrubs, 
 or baskets of geraniums, removed from the con- 
 servatories at that genial season ; some of the 
 most precious of these were placed near my 
 window. Below, lay the noble river, its clear 
 waters thrown into relief by the wooded hills 
 that rose almost perpendicularly from its edge, 
 their rugged sides enlivened by deer and nume- 
 rous rabbits. Near the couch on which I re- 
 clined, stood a dumb-waiter, weighed down with 
 every delicacy Doctor Jerold could suggest as 
 likely to please my waning appetite, and with 
 which my noble and hospitable host took care 
 I should be supplied ; at the other end was placed 
 a small table covered with books, pamphlets, 
 papers, prints, &c., &c. ; and, as the night closed 
 in, the small glowing wood fire, and the soft 
 light of lamps, in vases of the purest alabas- 
 ter, replaced, and not ineffectually either, the 
 bright morning sun, and the elaborate bowers of 
 myrtle and roses. 
 
 This description may appear trivial and un- 
 called for ; but I would, if possible, convey to the 
 reader^s mind the peace and happiness of that 
 mansion — of that family of whom I was the fell 
 destroyer ! Oh ! God, infinite in thy v»-isdom, 
 unbounded in thy goodness, how surpassing — 
 beyond man's comprehension, is thy mercy, when 
 
240 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 such a wretch as I dare even in penitence ap- 
 proach thy footstool ! But Thou, my Redeemer, 
 who rejoices t not at the death of a sinner, but 
 rather that he should turn from his wickedness 
 and live, hast not disdained to hear my prayer. 
 These memories of the past are too painful, I 
 cannot proceed. 
 
 'f^ *7^ <f^ ^V 
 
 Again I resume my narrative. About a month 
 might have elapsed since my accident, and in 
 despite of every attention I suffered from nervous 
 fever, whose effects led to an event apparently 
 unworthy of notice, but which subsequently, in 
 concatenation with others, helped to work out the 
 evils which I once impiously imputed to the irre- 
 versible decrees of an unrelenting destiny. Alas ! 
 even to the righteous it is sad to think on what 
 mere trifles our worldly prosperity depends ; the 
 calculations of human wisdom are but dust in the 
 balance against the tide which drives us on to 
 fortune, be it for weal or for woe ; and this, which 
 on a casual view may appear unjust or mysterious, 
 is solved by the great truths that in heaven alone 
 can we anchor our hopes of happiness. To quit 
 my digression, though willingly would I loiter, — 
 so much do I dread the detail of coming events ; 
 —I received a letter from Charles Mellish, in 
 which, with all the enthusiasm of his warm aflfec- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 241 
 
 tions, he entered into a description of his grief for 
 his mother's death, — repeated many proofs of 
 her self-denial, practised to enable him to pur- 
 chase a lieutenancy, to which he would be 
 appointed in the next Gazette ; he then alluded 
 to our school-boy days in Cork, and all the 
 changes which had since taken place. This 
 letter deeply affected me, and increased the 
 fever under which I laboured. I sunk into a 
 kind of uneasy slumber : fearful dreams haunted 
 me. I thought I was hurling Clara down a steep 
 precipice at Cader Idris ; that she grasped at my 
 knees, calling on me to save her. I awoke from 
 the torture of my leg: a gentlemanly, stately- 
 looking person, holding up a child in his arms, 
 was standing at my bed-side ; the face of the 
 child was bent over me, as the curtains were 
 nearly closed ; the light was dubious, it appeared 
 to my confused and troubled fancy, that it was 
 Clara, of whom I had been dreaming. Yielding to 
 a sudden impulse, starting up, I clasped the child 
 in my arms, muttering : " Clara — beloved Clara 1" 
 
 Terrified at my vehemence, with a cry, the 
 child escaped, nearly rolhng off the bed; while 
 Sir Egbert Eastville — for it was he — inquired, 
 proudly : 
 
 "Mr. Deerhurst, what is the cause of this 
 strange emotion?" 
 
 VOL. I. M 
 
242 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Ashamed of my childish folly in yielding to 
 a delusion, I was muttering some excuse about 
 dreaming, raving, and so forth, when my embar- 
 rassment was relieved by the entrance of Dr. 
 Jerold, who, on feeling my pulse, expressed his 
 vexation at finding me so ill. Here, Sir Egbert 
 joined in his regrets. To be brief, a few days passed 
 on, and during these, the proud Baronet paid me 
 unremitting attention. My fever passed off. It 
 was the fourth evening, when entering my sitting- 
 room, at an unusually late hour, he said : 
 
 " Mr. Deerhurst, I have a request to make of 
 you — it is quite a nursery tale. I have just 
 received an account from Lady Eastville, who 
 is staying with her two elder children at a friend's 
 house, some miles distant, that they have been 
 seized with measles of a virulent description; 
 under these circumstances, she will not permit 
 Herbert — her pet,^' and he smiled, and pointed 
 to the boy who had caused my emotion, "to 
 join her. Unfortunately, I am obliged to attend 
 some magisterial business in York. Now, as 
 a conclusion to my most unromantica^ tale, I 
 must acquaint you that Lady Eastville disap- 
 proves of the nurse now in charge of Herbert : 
 her being so for the last few days was a mere 
 chance'. Should I be presuming too far, Mr. 
 Deerhurst, to request, that during my absence. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 243 
 
 you will sometimes permit Herbert to remain 
 with you ? It will be a protection ; and you will 
 find him useful to fetch and carry. Won't you, 
 Herbert ?'^ he exclaimed, leading the bright child 
 towards me. As he did so, for the first time, 
 I remarked Sir Egbert^s appearance. He was 
 above the middle size, slight, but of very erect 
 carriage. His hair was of a light brown, with a 
 tinge of yellow ; — his complexion fair to delicacy, 
 but relieved by full whiskers. On the first view 
 his countenance was tranquil, but more closely 
 examined, the deep set eyes were expressive of 
 subdued passions, and at times there was an ex- 
 pression of scorn in the indenting of his short 
 upper lip. His manners were pleasing though 
 distant ; he impressed one with the idea of a 
 person possessed of fine sensibilities, fastidious to 
 refinement, attentive to all the forms of politeness 
 and etiquette, surprisingly so for a man of his 
 extensive information. 
 
 Reaching out my hand to Herbert, who bounded 
 towards me with the most engaging familiarity, I 
 assured Sir Egbert that I would pay him every 
 attention, and that I would prove an excellent 
 nurse. I then expressed my grateful sense of 
 all the kindness I had received. He seemed 
 pleased with my ready acceptance of Herbert 
 whom he charged to be a very good boy, and 
 then departed for York. 
 
 M 2 
 
244 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 In a thousand little ways Herbert won on my 
 affection. It was pretty to witness his love and 
 care of my broken leg ; he would lay his hand so 
 gently on it, kiss it so tenderly, shake his head 
 with such solemn pity ; then fixing his intelligent 
 eyes on mine make me tell him of the naughty 
 horse that had thrown me. But I need not 
 explain the thousand ways by which infancy en- 
 twines itself to the heart ; the most callous cannot 
 remain insensible to the sincerity and warmth of 
 childish affection, yet alas ! in this sinful world, 
 even this pure sentiment is alloyed by the reflec- 
 tion, that often in after-years the heart of the 
 parent is wounded by the indifference, the dis- 
 obedience, the selfishness of the once beloved 
 child. 
 
 About a week had passed since my first intro- 
 duction to Herbert ; every day I became more 
 attached to the little fellow. In the interval 
 Doctor Jerold had twice called at the Terrace, to 
 examine my leg. He acquainted me that Sir Eg- 
 bert's daughter was out of immediate danger, but 
 continued very delicate, and that Lady Eastville 
 suffered much from anxiety about her. At the 
 end of the week Sir Egbert again came, and re- 
 mained for a few days. He said it would be-some 
 time before he returned, for he was going to Lady 
 Eastville, and then that an imperative necessity 
 obliged him to proceed to London, but he hoped 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 245 
 
 on the following month his family would be well 
 enough to accompany him back, when they would 
 all be so gay and happy ; and even if I were quite 
 recovered, that I should remain to partake of their 
 pleasures. My attention to Herbert had won his 
 gratitude, and I found him one of the most 
 pleasing companions I had ever met. In general, 
 from the stateliness of his carriage and the studied 
 politeness of his address, he appeared to strangers 
 proud and distant ; far from it, his mind was too 
 exalted, too dignified for pride or affectation ; but 
 he possessed a tone of high feeling which rendered 
 his opinions of honour and of women perfectly 
 chivalric. Aware that his ideas on most subjects 
 were too highly wrought for general society, and 
 might expose him to ridicule, from which his 
 sensitive mind shrank with horror, he became 
 reserved, except to the favoured few who ever 
 found his conversation unique, interesting, and 
 instructive ; for he was a man of letters and 
 acquainted with almost every Court in Europe. 
 His love for Lady Eastville and his children was 
 perfectly enthusiastic ; never was any person more 
 calculated to enjoy domestic love, or render his 
 home a terrestrial paradise ; — but the awakening 
 of one fell passion blighted all. 
 
246 THE DEERHURSTS- 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 On the following morning Jerold joined us, 
 and we spent two days agreeably. In taking 
 leave, Sir Egbert again commended Herbert to 
 my care ; and the Doctor, after giving numerous 
 directions about my health, observed, ^' that, as 
 he was going to visit a distant patient, he would 
 not be able to see me until the following week/* 
 It was then early in August, the weather ex- 
 quisite, and my leg so far recovered, that I was 
 able to hobble out on the walk beneath my 
 window, which opened to the ground. Charmed 
 by my crutches, Herbert insisted on getting a 
 pair, and I found amusement in observing his de- 
 light at imitating my lameness. Thus we con- 
 tinued until about the 15th, and in three days 
 more Jerold was expected. It chanced that the 
 day was unusually hot, and Herbert complained 
 of head-ache, and appeared oppressed, imputing 
 it to the weather; this caused me no anxiety, 
 and in the afternoon when a breeze got up, I took 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 24/ 
 
 him out. At first he appeared cheerful, collecting 
 blossoms, or bounding forwards, as he observed 
 the gambols of the fawns on the distant hill, or 
 clapping his little hands as he heard the screams 
 of the rooks, who were flying towards a distant 
 grove. Suddenly he threw himself on the grass, 
 complaining of fatigue ; with difi&culty I got him 
 to return, and, placing him on a couch, again re- 
 sumed my walk, but had not proceeded far, when 
 I was alarmed by hearing him utter the most 
 piercing cries. I hastened back in an alarm, 
 which was increased by perceiving his attendant 
 lying on the ground with her clothes on fire. I 
 concluded she had fallen down in a fit, but soon 
 discovered it was the result of intoxication. 
 Having extinguished her dress, I rung the bell 
 violently ; it was answered by a footman equally 
 intoxicated ; this was the more provoking as I 
 found that Walter the butler, the person to whom 
 Sir Egbert had entrusted the care of his place, 
 had gone to York. I ordered that an express 
 should be sent after him, for I was ignorant of 
 Sir Egbert's address. 
 
 Though these measures somewhat calmed my 
 fears, I spent a restless night ; the exertions I had 
 been obliged to use inflamed my broken limb, 
 and Herbert was very feverish, which I solely im- 
 puted to the terror he had suffered. 
 
248 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Early on the following morning Nelly Dudgeon, 
 his attendant entered, to offer many apologies for 
 her intoxication of the past evening, entreating 
 that I would not expose her by sending off for 
 Walter; but, as on inquiry I learned it was her 
 constant habit, and that beside she was a woman 
 of a violent, cruel, temper, I received her overtures 
 sternly, declaring my resolution the moment 
 Doctor Jerold, or any other person who had 
 authority in the family arrived, that she should be 
 dismissed. Even then she tried to conciliate me ; 
 but, provoked at the annoyance and danger which 
 had resulted from her inebriety, I treated her 
 with the utmost severity, commanding her not to 
 approach Herbert, who should remain solely in 
 my apartments until another attendant was pro- 
 cured. Then she yielded to a fury, which con- 
 vinced me the accoimts I had received of her 
 temper were not exaggerated, and I found some 
 difficulty in getting her to leave the apartment. 
 Having done so, I dismissed her from my thoughts 
 as a being too insignificant to awaken more than 
 a momentary anger. 
 
 The day passed heavily, Herbert continued 
 very ill ; we had no attendant but the footman, 
 who was troublesome from his officiousness and 
 apologies. Towards evening Herbert became 
 alarmingly worse, raved incessantly of being on 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 249 
 
 fire, calling in lisping accents for his mamma ; my 
 position was very embarrassing, when I found some 
 rehef in the arrival of Walter. He had lived with 
 Sir Egbert for several years, and in his absence had 
 full control over the other servants. He told me 
 that Nelly had been recommended by Lady Ayls- 
 bury, and for that reason, though not approved, Sir 
 Egbert did not wish to part with her ; but that 
 except on emergencies she was never entrusted 
 with the care of the children. He then offered 
 to set off immediately for Dr. Jerold, and, in the 
 event of missing him, to procure some other 
 physician. Afterwards we consulted on the pro- 
 priety of acquainting Lady Eastville, and at length 
 concluded on doing so, since, should Herbert 
 die, it would in some degree prepare her for the 
 shock, and relieve us from the responsibiUty. 
 Soon after AValter departed, and I sat down by 
 the couch in a very melancholy mood, for I 
 thought poor Herbert was dying, and he had so 
 gained on my affections, that I felt a father^s 
 anxiety about him. 
 
 Thus I continued with little intermission till 
 about nine in the evening; by that time his sleep 
 appeared more calm, and, as the air of the room 
 was very sultry, I resolved to take a few turns on 
 the terrace, and had just arranged my crutches 
 for the purpose, when I heard a chariot drive up 
 
 M 3 
 
250 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 the avenue a moment after, and the door of my 
 apartment was gently opened, and through the 
 dubious light I saw a female form glide rapidly 
 forward, cast a wild look around, and then rush- 
 ing to the couch, kneel beside it, and with sup- 
 pressed sobs press the hands of Herbert to her 
 lips. This, of course, must be Lady Eastville, 
 and I rejoiced at her arrival, and looked to 
 Jerold's entering, but he did not come ; and 
 there I continued standing in the recess of the 
 window, considering what I should do. 
 
 I heard Lady Eastville in a low subdued voice 
 utter a prayer; after which she arose, and, as 
 she approached the bell, her figure looked tall and 
 graceful. I was aware that my remaining un- 
 known to her was awkward, and to step forward 
 might be an intrusion, so I made an effort to 
 push open the glass door, purposing to go out on 
 the walk; in doing so my crutch fell, and I was 
 obliged to look for support. Startled at the 
 noise, she advanced, exclaiming aloud : — '^ Who 
 is there ?" I made no answer, and, shaded by the 
 drapery of the curtain, she saw me not ; but, as 
 the evening light fell upon her face I had a full 
 view, and, merciful Heaven ! in Lady Eastville I 
 beheld Clara Arnheim, my first, my only love, 
 she from whom neither absence, nor circum- 
 stances, nor time, could wean my thoughts. Had 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 251 
 
 I obeyed the impulse of my soul, I should have 
 sprung towards her, and casting myself at her feet 
 worshipped my souFs idol ; but my emotion was 
 too violent for my exhausted frame ; the current of 
 my blood rushed to my head, then retreated to my 
 heart ; — a dizziness seized me, and for some 
 time I was incapable of moving, then catching at 
 the furniture for support, I staggered forward. She 
 was again kneeling by the couch, her head buried 
 in the pillow, but I saw her bosom heave as Her- 
 bert's slumber grew more feverish ; yet, even 
 then I only thought of myself, and stooping over her 
 I whispered " Clara — but no, pardon me, I should 
 address you as Lady Eastville ; after the lapse of 
 so many years may Freville Deerhurst hope to be 
 still remembered ?'' She started up exclaiming : — 
 " Do my senses deceive me, or is it indeed my own 
 dear cousin Freville who is here ?'' 
 
 Aw^are of my deep feelings, I had addressed her 
 with studied coldness ; not so Clara, her counte- 
 nance brightened with pleasure, and she took my 
 hand with friendly warmth. I was too much 
 agitated to speak, but she was quite calm, and as I 
 persevered in my silence, she said tremulously : 
 "You look very sad, Freville, do you think my 
 angel child in danger V and she burst into tears. 
 Her natural emotion roused me to a sense of my 
 selfishness. I strove to reassure her by imputing 
 
252 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Herbert^s illness to terror; I recapitulated the 
 scene that had occurred, speaking of Nelly Dud- 
 geon^s intoxication and insolence with the utmost 
 asperity, and concluded by expressing my surprise 
 that such a person should be retained in the family. 
 She answered mildly, " The fact is, Freville, 
 Lady Aylsbury, who you must know is in many 
 respects a very whimsical person, for a long time 
 kept this Nelly as a kind of confidential servant ; 
 and afterwards, as I strongly suspect, finding her 
 an incumbrance, and wishing to get rid of her, 
 pressed her into my service, requesting I would 
 retain her in it until she returned from Frankfort 
 whither she was going. There is so much low dis- 
 simulation in Lady Aylsbury's character, that in 
 spite of her position, I believe her capable of 
 any meanness ; heretofore I thought Nelly 
 of so little consequence, that I would not run 
 the risk of offending Lady Aylsbury by dis- 
 missing her ; but after the scene you have just 
 described, on Sir Egbert's return, she shall quit 
 the Terrace.^' I was strenuously advising her to 
 that effect, when to my astonishment, Nelly stood 
 before us ; it appeared that she had followed Lady 
 Eastville to the door, with the intention of making 
 excuses, but not finding the opportunity, had re- 
 mained there, closely observing and listening. 
 Being no longer able to command her fury, she 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 253 
 
 cried out : " My Lady, only listen to me ; it is 
 a shame for you,'^ she added, addressing me, 
 " after all the trouble you have given in the house, 
 to be finding fault and abusing a poor servant 
 who has no other dependance/' 
 
 " This is intolerable,^' exclaimed Clara, rising 
 and commanding her to retire. 
 
 " Let her first hand me my crutch," said I, who 
 was rather amused at witnessing Nell's fury. As 
 she handed it to me she muttered between her 
 teeth, " I wish your leg might break in two ; and so 
 you are my Lady's cousin ? Well that is strange 1" 
 
 " Still loitering here," said Lady Eastville, " go 
 instantly and send Mrs. Waller/' She retired 
 grumbling, and Clara again resumed her place 
 near the couch ; she sat on a low seat so as to 
 watch more attentively Herbert's breathing. I 
 placed myself on a chair opposite to them, then 
 with the simple benevolence that had ever marked 
 her character, she arranged cushions to support 
 my leg, after which for some time we remained 
 silent. She had cast aside her bonnet and pelisse, 
 and as she half reclined against the arm of the 
 couch, with her long hair thrown back, her soft 
 eyes anxiously fixed on Herbert, and her cheeks 
 glowing with maternal affection, methought I had 
 never seen her look so lovely, and I turned my 
 
254 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 head aside that she should not observe my gaze 
 of rapture. 
 
 After a time she broke silence, saying : '^ Fre- 
 ville, will you not be glad to see Waller again ? 
 When my marriage took place I sent for her to 
 Wales, and it would be hard to say which of us 
 felt most happy at the reunion.'' 
 
 " Is it possible, Lady Eastville/' I answered, 
 " that it is your old nursery governess or house- 
 keeper that has now the care of your children ? 
 Strange that when I heard the name it did not 
 occur to me ; and how kind of you in your pros- 
 perity to think of past friends V 
 
 " Kinder than you, Freville !'' she answered in 
 a playful tone, " when you call me Lady Eastville 
 and not Clara. But in remembering old friends 
 the kindness is to myself, for it promotes my hap- 
 piness, for they are associated in my mind with 
 my dear father, Cader Idris, and all the bright 
 hours of childhood. No, I never can forget the 
 friends of my youth ; and then you know, Fre- 
 ville, or you ought to know, that my ideas of 
 happiness were always domestic, and amidst the 
 prosperity to which you allude, I find my great- 
 est charm in my affections, for Egbert's love is 
 more valuable to me than all his treasures of fine 
 places, houses, and their adjuncts.'' 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 255 
 
 I bit my lips to smother a sigh, and as I 
 must say something, observed, " I thought it 
 was a Mr. Lascelles you married so soon after 
 my departure from England/' I laid a great 
 emphasis on the words so soon, but she did not 
 notice it, and merely replied, " Sir Egbert and 
 Mr. Lascelles are one and the same ; some other 
 day you shall have the particulars. And now 
 let me ask where is your beautiful and beloved 
 Aigline Tennant ? 
 
 " Married like yourself, Clara,^^ I replied in a 
 tone of agitation. 
 
 " Oh ! dear Freville, I am sorry/^ she said 
 soothingly, " I feared you were unhappy from 
 your looks." 
 
 I interrupted her, petulantly, exclaiming, " For 
 Heaven^s sake, do not again speak to me in this 
 manner of Miss Tennant — she never was my 
 love." She smiled incredulously, and put her 
 finger to her lip to imply silence ; at the instant 
 Mrs. Waller entered. I greeted her with much 
 pleasure, and in an under voice we talked and 
 laughed at Clara^s being a mother, "And this little 
 fellow," said she, " is the pet.'' 
 
 " I fear so," answered Clara. " And now. Wal- 
 ler, carry him to my room." 
 
 " I would not, on any account, disturb him 
 from that sleep," was the answer ; " besides, my 
 
256 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 Lady, as you are resolved not to separate from 
 him, I must arrange his httle bed next to yours/' 
 so saying she retired. 
 
 Then Clara began to speak of the inhabitants 
 of her native village, of whom she gave me a full 
 account. Poor Clara, her nature was so affec- 
 tionate that neither circumstances nor time ever 
 taught her to forget a friend or neglect a charity. 
 About two in the morning the child awoke, he 
 was then removed, and I retired to my chamber, 
 but not to rest — my spirits were in a tumult, in 
 a perfect ecstacy at being under the same roof 
 with Clara, and seeing her so happy and so nobly 
 settled ; the last few hours had been full of 
 interest, and I strove to find my happiness in 
 reflecting on hers ; but towards morning self 
 again predominated, and I felt grieved and jealous 
 as I reflected that she was the wife of Sir Egbert. 
 At length I fell into a slumber from which I was 
 roused by the entrance of Doctor Jerold, he told 
 me Herbert was dangerously ill, and his only 
 hope of him was that meazles began to appear. 
 
 I was sincerely sorry at this intelhgence. That 
 night the doctor remained, and for the next three 
 days was in constant attendance ; during this time 
 I only saw Clara twice as she entered to make 
 some inquiry of Jerold, who sat with me. At 
 these periods she was much agitated by her 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 257 
 
 aj^prehensions, but spoke kindly, and said she 
 feared that from the confusion and anxiety that 
 reigned in the house, I must be cruelly neglected. 
 Well, two days more passed, and Herbert was 
 pronounced out of danger, and Jerold ordered 
 that on the following day he should be removed 
 to my sitting room for change of air. 
 
 " Besides," said he, " now that from my long 
 sojourn at the Terrace I shall be so hurried, having 
 my two patients together will save time — nothing 
 like kiUing two birds at one throw/' 
 
 Thus, without any effort on my part, by circum- 
 stances the most simple and natural, and over 
 which I had no control, I was thrown into the 
 society of my beloved Clara, — our intercourse 
 rendered more interesting by the sympathy we 
 mutually felt for the child. 
 
 Days passed quietly on. Oh ! how impatiently 
 I watched for the hour when Clara, carrying a 
 basket and her work, followed by Waller and 
 Herbert, came to take up her station in my room, 
 generally remaining with me till the dinner hour ; 
 occasionally she would be called away to receive 
 the numerous visitors who came to inquire after 
 the children. This was a sad annoyance, but 
 I was consoled when I heard her pronounce 
 such constant intrusion a great bore. I often 
 pressed her to dine in my apartment, but this 
 
258 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 she declined, observing that Sir Egbert was so 
 particular in the regulations of his establishment, 
 that he never permitted the least innovation in 
 the forms of etiquette, and that even when alone 
 she sat down to table surrounded with the style 
 of a duchess, and had the comfort of a fat butler 
 and a pair of tall footmen observing with what 
 appetite she ate. Once or twice she invited me 
 to join her and abscond from my cell, as she 
 playfully called my apartment; but I declined, 
 for if once I went through the house I knew I 
 should have less of her company, and so persisted 
 that Doctor Jerold had advised me not to move ; 
 however, inconsistently enough, I admitted that 
 I was able to walk upon the Terrace, though I 
 still required the assistance of my crutch. 
 
 The autumnal evenings were delicious, and 
 when Herbert sunk into sleep, Clara would 
 accompany me, pluck for me the most beautiful 
 flowers, and with her father's skill explain their 
 properties ; but all this she did with the simple 
 tenderness she used to shew her reverend parent ; 
 all idea and recollection of my past love seemed to 
 have faded from her memory. Alas ! these days — 
 these walks — this solitary intercourse, revived 
 in my mind the passion of my early years. Aware 
 of its hopelessness I sunk into a profound melan- 
 choly, which communicated itself to my manners 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 259 
 
 and appearance. She was not slow in observing 
 the alteration ; imputing it to ill health, the result 
 of my broken limb, she exerted a thousand little 
 arts to cheer and amuse me, thus innocently 
 increasing my cursed passion; and now my 
 imagination, always so vivid, began to busy itself. 
 I was curious to discover whether her union with 
 Sir Egbert had been one of convenience or affec- 
 tion, and I indulged the hope that it might have 
 been the former, and that the love which I flat- 
 tered myself she had from childhood experienced 
 for me, was only subdued, not conquered. 
 
 In personal advantages I considered myself far 
 superior to Sir Egbert, and overlooking his high 
 intellectual powers, of which to say truth I was 
 then very incompetent to form a just estimate, 
 I plumed myself up with the recollection that 
 many women of taste had been captivated by 
 my fashionable manners and easy address, and 
 that Mellish and others of my brother officers, 
 had termed me the irresistible. I ought to blush 
 to acknowledge such folly; but as I have not 
 shrunk from exposing the faults of my parents, 
 it would be a culpable weakness to suppress my 
 own. 
 
 I frequently led Clara on to give me an account 
 of her marriage, and what her feelings were at the 
 period ; at first she laughed, saying, I should be 
 
260 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 tired of her company if she turned egotist ; and 
 when I persisted in my importunities, with an 
 honest simphcity, which for the time confounded 
 all my hopes, she avowed her strong affection for 
 Sir Egbert at the period of her union, adding, 
 
 "That affection has daily increased from my 
 knowledge of his many noble qualities, and,*^ she 
 sportively added, "from what you, Freville, will 
 consider a capricious cause, that in a hundred 
 trifling ways, which admit of no description, he 
 reminds me of my ever to be remembered and 
 respected father. Then, in his carriage and address, 
 both of which I know are too formal for your 
 fancy, he is so like Mr. Aylsbury, who, until my 
 marriage was my beau-ideal of manly perfection ! 
 Nay, Freville, do not look so fierce, you know 
 Lady Gertrude was my friend, and many a night 
 she kept me from my rest while she expatiated 
 on his perfections, so, perhaps, I only admired 
 him by reflection.'^ 
 
 I felt provoked and mortified, and sarcastically 
 observed, "Mr. Aylsbury, no doubt, is an ex- 
 cellent person ; but positively, Clara, your beau- 
 ideal of manly beauty is perfectly absurd, the 
 man is downright plain in his appearance ; even 
 Sir Egbert is better-looking.'^ 
 
 " Even,'' she repeated gaily ; " but you were 
 ever saucy, Freville, it may be bad taste, but I 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 261 
 
 always admired Egbert ; however, I was not 
 thinking of personal beauty, and if I dwell upon 
 mind and all that, you will call me a saint or 
 say I am prosy — so we will, with your leave, 
 change the subject.'^ 
 
 " And yet/' said I, pointing to Herbert who 
 was playing about, "you are proud enough of 
 that child's appearance.'^ 
 
 She saw I was out of humour, and without 
 penetrating the cause, wished to soothe me, so 
 playfully pointing her finger, she answered : 
 
 " Oh I you vain man, it was but yesterday that 
 Waller said to me, ^ Well, my Lady, surely never 
 was a child so like a father as Master Herbert is 
 to Mr. Deerhurst, and he is so unlike you and 
 Sir Egbert.'" 
 
 "And do you think him like me, Clara?" I 
 demanded with emotion. 
 
 " I do," she exclaimed, and raising him in her 
 arms she stroked his head, saying, " This hair is 
 as black as the raven's, and these eyes are so like 
 yours," and she pressed her lips to them. 
 
 This conversation afforded me little pleasure, 
 not that I had any premeditated plan of gaining 
 upon Clara's affections ; but I was jealous of the 
 praise she had given Mr. Aylsbury, and dissatis- 
 fied at the indifference she displayed for personal 
 advantages, when put in competition with mental 
 
262 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 acquirements. I wished, indeed, to construe the 
 kisses she lavished on Herbert, at the moment 
 she commented on his resemblance to me, to 
 incipient feelings of regard ; but, alas ! even my 
 egregious vanity could not be so self- deceived. 
 
 The morning after this conversation had 
 occurred, Doctor Jerold came to the Terrace, 
 and remained until evening. Clara, as was usual 
 with her, was very cheerful, but I felt dissatisfied, 
 languid, and depressed ; the Doctor imputing my 
 too evident dejection to the solitary life I led, 
 benevolently requested of me to accompany him 
 back, observing that as he was a bachelor he 
 would allow me to make his house my own, and 
 entertain as many of my brother officers as I 
 pleased, on the condition that I kept my leg quiet. 
 A pang of anguish shot through my heart at the 
 idea of leaving Clara, still I was going lo accept 
 the invitation, when she abruptly said : 
 
 " At all events, Mr. Deerhurst, do not think of 
 going until Sir Egbert returns. I will write to him 
 to-morrow to hasten back; you must not quit 
 the Terrace with a gloomy opinion of it ; now 
 that you and Herbert are well, I purpose being 
 very gay ; besides, I must introduce you to my 
 little girl and elder son," on saying these words 
 she quitted the apartment. 
 
 " I see there is no chance of your accompanying 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 263 
 
 me now," said Jerold ; " nay, I will not even 
 press you, for it would be uncourteous to the 
 Eastvilles ; however, when you do leave them, I 
 shall put in my claim ; and now, farewell ; when- 
 ever I come here, I am sure to loiter away my time. '^ 
 
 It is needless to say with what pleasure I con- 
 tinued my stay, enhanced as it was by the secret 
 belief that Clara's invitation proceeded from a 
 warmer feeling than mere hospitality. In a few 
 days Sir Egbert's answer arrived ; he said it would 
 be impossible for him to return to the Terrace for 
 two or three weeks, but requested that I would 
 not think of removing, and then expressed his 
 thanks for my attention to Herbert, of which he 
 had received an account from Jerold; he also 
 desired that Lady Eastville would not bring 
 home the other children until his arrival. 
 
 Thus, again, I was left to the uninterrupted 
 enjoyment of Clara's company ; but the pleasure 
 was bhghted by the knowledge that when Sir 
 Egbert came back, I could not with any propriety 
 intrude myself any longer as an inmate in his 
 family ; so following my father's reckless maxim 
 of enjoying the present, I yielded myself without 
 an effort to my passion, till it obtained a complete 
 mastery over me. Then came compunction and 
 something like remorse, and shame at the hopes 
 
264 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 I was nourishing ; but these sentiments were soon 
 absorbed in schemes for the attainment of my ob- 
 ject, and the hours of rest were devoted in calculat- 
 ing by what means I could most delicately insinuate 
 to her how much I loved, without startling her 
 prejudices — for such, in the profundity of my 
 folly, I considered her exalted views of Chris- 
 tianity. Surely mine was then a demon^s part, 
 to try by every artifice to seduce the confiding, 
 noble-minded Clara from her husband — her 
 children — her God — to hurl her from her high 
 state to the abyss of shame, and misery, and guilt! 
 And for what ? Merely to gratify my own selfish 
 views ; and yet I dared to shelter my wickedness 
 under the name of sentiment — of an early and 
 unconquerable passion ; and to defend it by 
 dwelling on the frequency of the crime, which 
 argument, except to my unreflecting folly, was 
 the strongest proof against it, as it demonstrated 
 the terrible effects of evil example, and the neces- 
 sity of checking such licentiousness. 
 
 Although I was sufficiently well to quit my 
 apartment, I still continued in it under the plea 
 of illness, for I could there better enjoy Clara^s 
 society than in the saloon, which during the 
 mornings was generally crowded with company. 
 Yet, in truth, my illness was not affected, for my 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 265 
 
 health faded from the violence of my uncon- 
 trollable feelings, and the terrible conflict of my 
 mind. My sufferings were depicted in my coun- 
 tenance ; Lady Eastville perceived it, as she now 
 marked my pallid cheeks, and then saw them 
 flush with scarlet ; a pang shot through her heart, 
 for she was attached to me with a sister's love, — 
 and knowing that consumption was hereditary in 
 my mother's family, she apprehended I was 
 threatened with it, and privately sent oflf an 
 express for Doctor Jerold. When I discovered 
 this, I was much annoyed, even the proof it gave 
 of her interest did not reconcle me, for I began 
 to suspect that every one must observe my 
 passion, and as the Doctor was very quick and 
 apprehensive, I dreaded his discernment; how- 
 ever, on this point I had nothing to fear. He 
 arrived that very evening at the Terrace : pro- 
 nounced me to be in a slow nervous fever ; 
 desired that I might be kept as quiet as possible, 
 but still amused ; ordered the windows of my 
 sitting-room to be kept open till the close of the 
 evening ; then gaily observed to Lady Eastville, 
 that as he could not spare his time to humour 
 hypochondriacs, he deputed the care of me to 
 her and Herbert. Being about going to York, 
 from whence he could not return for a week or 
 
 VOL. I. N 
 
266 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 two, and considering me worse than I really was, 
 he privately gave Lady Eastville many directions, 
 admitting that my illness showed some symptoms 
 of hectic fever ; above all things he requested my 
 spirits might be supported. Thus circumstances 
 combined to nourish my passion, and propel the 
 unfortunate Clara on to ruin. 
 
 There is no possibility of conveying to the mind 
 of another the numerous devices by which I strove 
 to inspire the pure mind of Clara with my detest- 
 able love. I assailed her through her best and 
 noblest affection : — I would aifect head-ache, and 
 speak of approaching consumption, that with 
 trembling fingers she might bathe my temples 
 with sal- volatile, or bring me some cooling 
 draught. I would hush Herbert to sleep on my 
 bosom, entwining his arms round my neck, that 
 when her anxious tenderness wished to remove 
 him from the air without awakening, she should 
 stoop over me and disengage him from my 
 embrace. All this time, rechning on the couch, 
 I would appear quite passive as if overcome with 
 lassitude, though truly "the strong blast of hell 
 with restless fury drove my spirit on." Often 
 would I engage her in long conversations about 
 her father — a theme her filial heart never tired of. 
 Good old man, thy hallowed memory was drawn 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 267 
 
 from the silent tomb to assist towards the ruin of 
 thy beloved daughter ! 
 
 When the night closed in, and the beautiful 
 landscape without was lighted by the harvest 
 moon, knowing the powers of music, I would 
 breathe forth from my flute the softest, most im- 
 passioned airs, or sing the songs of infancy till the 
 tears streamed down her eyes ; and sometimes 
 she would beg of me to desist, for the memory of 
 her father, and the Parsonage, and old Cader Idris 
 became painfully vivid. If any of the attendants 
 entered I complained of irritation of my nerves, 
 and peevishly observed, that I was aware of being 
 an incumbrance or intruder. Accustomed from 
 childhood to attend upon and soothe the suffer- 
 ings of others, incapable under any circumstances 
 of selfishness, with an angeFs goodness she 
 humoured all my whims. Still she sometimes 
 gently rebuked me for indulging my irritable 
 temper, as she apprehended, if not controlled in 
 time, it might become habitual, and render me 
 less amiable. Viewing me as the companion of 
 her youth, her near relation, and my being the 
 only person who was connected in her mind 
 with past days, she treated me with all the 
 tenderness and confidence of an affectionate sister. 
 Guileless as one of her own children, the very idea 
 
 N 2 
 
268 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 of guilt or passion never occurred to her. My 
 hand trembles as I record another of my contri- 
 vances for keeping her in my room. On many 
 an evening when she was about to visit some 
 of Sir Egbert's tenantry in the immediate village, 
 to which she was very attentive — on quitting 
 the room, I would call her back, and gravely 
 ask her to read some passages in the Bible. Oh ! 
 the look of delight with which she waived every 
 other employment in the blessed hoffe of win- 
 ning me to holy thoughts. Although she had no 
 voice for singing, her reading was quite melodious ; 
 and when speaking upon religious subjects there 
 w^as an expression of enthusiasm in her counte- 
 nance which lighted up her delicate features to the 
 very perfection of beauty. Of all the persons I 
 have ever seen, Clara was the most truly sublime. 
 She seemed the very creation of heaven. Her 
 spirit was of God — was with God ; how could it 
 be otherwise, for from the source of revealed re- 
 ligion she imbibed the waters of life ! Hour after 
 hour she would read to me, commenting on every 
 passage she thought most likely to awaken me to 
 a sense of piety. Among the many little atten- 
 tions she paid, was the preparing of delicacies 
 with her own hands, thinking they would please 
 my palate. With her bewitching smile she would 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 269 
 
 say, " See, Freville, I do not forget my old 
 employment of housekeeping, so I rose early 
 this morning to have this jelly seasoned in the 
 manner you were wont to approve of at the 
 Parsonage. There, Freville, do you remember 
 how carefully I was obliged to lock up all 
 my sweetmeats, lest they should suddenly disap- 
 pear when you came in hungry from the keen 
 air of the mountains ?" She would then playfully 
 force me to eat, and remind me of all the assist- 
 ance I had, in boyhood, given her in domestic af- 
 fairs and in catechizing the children. To my 
 distorted imagination, these reminiscences of our 
 past pleasure seemed to result from a deep, though 
 hidden passion. 
 
 Lady Eastville was still more beautiful as a 
 matron than she had been in her girlish days ; 
 for the proportions of her frame were more fully 
 developed, and the expression of her countenance 
 was more intellectual. In dress she was much the 
 same — the materials might be finer, the fashions 
 different ; but still the white robe and blue ribbons 
 were the constant costume ; and the luxuriant hair 
 worn in the same Madonna fashion. When at my 
 request she would by night kneel at the side of my 
 couch to pray, with her bright child beside her, I do 
 think the genius of sculpture or painting never im- 
 agined a more perfect spectacle ; and yet so great 
 
270 THE DEERHURST. 
 
 a wretch was I, that my sole ambition was 
 to usurp the place of all goodness in her pure 
 bosom. My conduct at this period seemed to 
 illustrate the strange belief entertained by some of 
 the earliest Christians, that the rebellious spirits 
 who had been degraded from angels, were occa- 
 sionally permitted to roam upon earth, assuming 
 the forms of sinful men, and thus endpwed with 
 terrible power to seduce the virtuous from their 
 trust in heaven. 
 
 The most sublime of Enghsh poets has repre- 
 sented Lucifer as being so over-awed by the 
 graceful innocence of Eve, as to hesitate in the 
 dire work of destruction; but the baser spirit 
 that rules the libertine, bent on its own sensual 
 gratification, pauses not in its dire purpose. 
 What to him is the breach of hospitality, the ruin 
 of innocence, or the disgrace of a family when 
 put in competition with his grovelling passion ? 
 Perhaps my profound selfishness cannot be placed 
 in a stronger light than by acknowledging that, for 
 several evenings I had caught glimpses of some 
 of the servants, among whom I recognised the 
 bloated visage of Nelly Dudgeon, peeping at 
 night-fall through the blinds. There was also a 
 sneering expression on the lips of the footman 
 who brought in my meals, when he would some- 
 times say : " My Lady requests, Mr. Deerhurst, 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 271 
 
 that you will partake of these," handing me some 
 rarity. 
 
 I was not at a loss to construe all this. It 
 fretted me to think Clara was suspected by the 
 menial crew; still, far from acquainting her with 
 my observations, I trembled lest she might dis- 
 cover the suspicions of her servants. I knew her 
 delicacy would be shocked and alarmed, and that 
 no arts, no sophistry would influence her to con- 
 tinue our intercourse, which on her side was the 
 result of early habit, and a purity of sentiment 
 unacquainted with guilt; besides, she had too 
 much sense to despise opinion. She knew she 
 owed a duty to society at large, more especially to 
 those who formed her family, and might be in- 
 fluenced by her example. 
 
 It may be asked if my knowledge of her virtue 
 was so exalted, and her conduct so irreproachable, 
 upon what hope I founded my plans of seduction? 
 To this I can give no reasonable answer, so repeat 
 the well known lines : 
 
 None without hope ere loved the brightest fair. 
 But love will hope where reason would despair. 
 
 One day Clara said to me : " Freville, if I 
 thought you were sincere in the affection you ex- 
 press for my dear father's memory, I would shew 
 you a miniature I have painted of him.'' 
 
272 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 I reproached her for doubting my candour. 
 
 " Oh ! Freville/' she answered, in a tone 
 between gay and serious, " latterly you have in 
 some degree lessened my confidence, and de- 
 stroyed much of the pleasure I find in your com- 
 pany by your eternally tormenting me with your 
 compliments. No doubt they are very gallant and 
 soldier- like ,* but between such near relations, to 
 say the least, they are very absurd. Flattery is 
 a bad, nay, a vulgar substitute for the exchange 
 of our natural sentiments. And now, Freville, as 
 usurping a sister's authority, and a matron's wis- 
 dom" — and she gave one of her angel smiles — " I 
 am lecturing you, believe me that the bold look 
 which you so often assume destroys the effect 
 of your naturally fine eyes. I assure you, that I 
 have been frequently quite uncomfortable from 
 your fixed regards." 
 
 As she spoke, a sickness passed over me, for I 
 felt that the least advance would be the breaking 
 off of our intimacy ; and so madly did I love her, 
 that the most painful death' conveyed not an idea 
 of such despair as living to be separated from 
 her. 
 
 The ghastly expression my countenance as- 
 sumed, shocked her. Full of the noblest sensi- 
 bility, she shrank from inflicting pain. "Nay, 
 Freville," she said in a tone of gentleness, " I did 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 273 
 
 not mean to wound your feelings ; forgive me for 
 having done so.'^ 
 
 I tried to laugh, and answered : " Clara, you 
 make no allowance for a military air ; however, in 
 future I will school my looks to the primness of 
 a miss in her teens, if it so please you. Now say 
 how you, who I thought had never been taught 
 to draw, could from your memory paint a miniature 
 of your father ?^^ 
 
 She replied with vivacity : " Love performs 
 miracles ; you know how tenderly I always loved 
 my poor old father, and when it pleased heaven to 
 deprive him of sight, his patience, his piety, his 
 cheerfulness under the terrible affliction, doubly 
 endeared him to me." 
 
 She paused to recover her emotion, for tears 
 fell down her face. " Freville," she then said, 
 " it has ever been my good fortune to be blessed 
 in my immediate friends. Sir Egbert, having fre- 
 quently seen me attempt a likeness of my father, 
 from a masterly sketch your mother had drawn in 
 the old family bible, and being always solicitous 
 to gratify my every whim, advised me to take 
 some lessons in painting, and generously took me 
 to London for the purpose. My master, who, 
 like you, Freville, could flatter, vowed I was born 
 to be a first-rate artist ; apd when you see minia- 
 tures I have taken of Sir Egbert and the children, 
 
 N 3 
 
274 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 you must admit that there was a small spark of 
 genius in Clara Arnheim, who, when you were a 
 boy, you often saucily said possessed the first of 
 charms — that of having no pretension to excel- 
 lence in any pursuit/' 
 
 " I was not a gallant soldier then, Clara," I 
 answered gaily ; " but shew me the pictures ere I 
 recal my praise." 
 
 " Oh, they are kept by Sir Egbert as his dearest 
 treasures. You must know, though a husband, 
 he retains all the romance of a lover.'' 
 
 I sighed from very envy and jealousy, making 
 no reply. 
 
 " But, Freville, be a saucy boy again, and out 
 with the plain unvarnished truth 5 and say what do 
 you think of this ?" — with these words she drew 
 from her bosom a miniature, fastened round her 
 neck with a chain of my mother's hair. It was 
 an admirable and highly-finished likeness; but 
 what cared I for the old man's memory ? The 
 picture, however, I pressed to my lips passion- 
 ately, for it was warm from her bosom. Consider- 
 ing this as a comphment to her father, she seemed 
 much pleased. Hastening from the apartment, 
 she returned in a few moments with Mr. Arn- 
 heim's old Bible. 
 
 I could not mistake its tarnished morocco cover 
 and broad silver clasps. Opening the valued relic. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 275 
 
 she showed me the sketch taken by my mother. 
 She then pointed out all the marginal notes, some 
 of them written at the period of her own mother^s 
 death, and others dictated by Mr. Arnheim, after 
 his loss of sight. They were full of genius and 
 poetry — the sublime poetry of true piety. Well 
 my hypocrisy now brought into play this holy 
 volume, as another auxiliary for detaining Clara in 
 my chamber, — for my hope of gaining her love was 
 quickly fading. 
 
276 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Another week passed on in the usual manner, 
 and then a letter arrived from Sir Egbert, to say 
 he hoped to be at the Terrace on the following day 
 but one. He was then staying in the house with 
 his little girl, who Doctor Jerold considered might 
 with safety accompany him back, and hoped 
 change of air would recruit her strength, which 
 was much debilitated. 
 
 On receiving this letter, Clara bounded into my 
 room with a look of brilliant happiness. "Con- 
 gratulate me, Freville ; my beloved and my dear 
 little girl will be with me to-morrow. The three 
 first days must be exclusively devoted to them ; 
 we shall have so much to say after our long 
 absence ; and then, Freville, I shall assume a 
 command over you, and insist upon your quitting 
 your cell, and joining us.^^ 
 
 Horror-struck at Sir Egbert's expected return, 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 277 
 
 frantic at her undisguised rapture, a momentary 
 madness seized me. I uttered a cry, made a 
 spring towards her. As well as I can now recal 
 the fearful sentiment, I had some idea of crushing 
 her to death ; anything to keep her from my rival* 
 Fortunately, most fortunately, I staggered, and 
 fell back in a fit. 
 
 She knelt by my side, called loudly for assist- 
 ance, and in a few moments I was restored, but 
 languid and exhausted from my mind's agony. 
 My illness awakened no suspicion, for the pre- 
 ceding evening I had complained of being very 
 feverish, and spoke of my death as a coming 
 event, just to detain her near me ; and yet, in 
 saying 1 was ill, there was no deception, for the 
 constant agitation of my mind was attended with 
 a hectic, which was rapidly undermining my 
 strength. When restored from my fit I cried out : 
 
 " Leave me. Lady Eastville, leave me ! prepare 
 for your Lord's return. I am ill, and dying, and 
 cannot be expected to join in your transports of 
 love and happiness.'' 
 
 " Oh ! Freville," she said, and her tears fell on 
 my burning face, " mar not my joy by the grievous 
 idea of your being in danger. Doctor Jerold will 
 be here, and then you will soon be well again." 
 
 " Leave me," I exclaimed fiercely, " if you 
 would not drive me to madness — to hell !" 
 
 She shuddered and retired ; in a quarter of an 
 
278 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 hour after Mrs. Waller entered with a composing 
 draught, which poor Clara, thinking I raved, had 
 prepared. She found me more calm. At her 
 urgent request I took the anodyne. She settled 
 me on the couch, drew the window curtains, and I 
 soon fell into a slumber, from which I awoke more 
 tranquil, but exquisitely miserable. Mrs. Waller 
 that day attended with my dinner, consisting of 
 light delicacies, and soon afterwards Clara entered 
 with Herbert. Tortured by my miserable jealousy, 
 I was peevish and ill-tempered. At first she strove 
 to soothe me, and then gravely rebuked my want 
 of patience. 
 
 " My dear Freville,^^ she said, " now that Sir 
 Egbert is returning, I shall have less opportunity 
 of lecturing, for when he is here our tastes are so 
 similar we are constant companions ; so, profiting 
 by the present opportunity, I must tell you how 
 much I both condemn and grieve at the irritability 
 of your temper. Formerly, Freville, although a 
 little too ardent and opiniated, you were prover- 
 bial for good humour and a sportive manner ; but 
 now you are so capricious there is no possibility 
 of pleasing you ; and then, when not pleased, you 
 become peevish and desponding. Let me, with 
 all a sister^s love, entreat of you to conquer 
 these defects, which otherwise will mar the many 
 noble qualities you possess.'^ 
 
 I answered fiercely : " Lady Eastville, you lay 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 279 
 
 a great stress on a sister's love ; thank heaven, no 
 such relationship exists between us/^ 
 
 Mistaking my object, with her usual gentleness 
 she replied : *' Our mothers were sisters, so the 
 relationship is only one step removed. Freville, 
 I did not think you would refuse to acknowledge 
 me.^' 
 
 Abashed by her look of reproach, I answered : 
 " But, Clara, fortune has now placed an impassible 
 gulf between us. You are the lady of a proud 
 Baronet, mistr«6S of this noble mansion, and all 
 its adjuncts of fine carriages, servants, &c, &c., and 
 I am but a poor Lieutenant, who probably must 
 quit even that position for want of means to liqui- 
 date debts incurred by stern necessity." 
 
 " Freville, I blush for you," she repUed, in a 
 tone of indignation I had never before heard her 
 use ; ^^ I blush for you, to lay such a stress on the 
 possession of fortune, setting aside all the nobler, 
 more exalted gifts of nature and religion. Think 
 you, Freville, had Sir Roger Deerhurst appointed 
 you the heir of his oriental treasures, and that 
 Clara Arnheim had remained the dependent and 
 orphan daughter of Mr. Arnheim, that she would 
 have felt herself degraded below you ? Such was 
 not the doctrine we learned from our departed 
 mothers. Descended from the noble houses of 
 Vermani and Villemont, when they were reduced 
 to poverty and compelled to subsist by industry. 
 
280 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 they still preserved their independence and dig- 
 nity, and in the eyes of the truly noble, such as 
 Lord Plinlimmon and his family, were as much 
 esteemed and respected as if surrounded by all the 
 attributes of state/' 
 
 The general expression of Clara's face was 
 mildness, but on rare occasions, when she was 
 awakened into enthusiasm, she was surpassingly 
 lovely. At that moment I could not have retained 
 my self-command had I continued to gaze on her. 
 Leaning my face over the table, I disguised its 
 expression ; but a convulsive sigh escaped from my 
 overburthened bosom. 
 
 Again her too quick sensibility regretted having 
 wounded me. " Dear Freville,'' she said, " I am 
 too hard on you ; I do not make sufficient allow- 
 ance for your faded health, or the privations to 
 which Sir Roger's persevering cruelty exposes 
 you. Alas! it is a sinful world: with all my 
 efforts to be virtuous, to guide my whole being 
 by religion and the precepts of my pious father, I 
 constantly err. Prosperity has hardened my heart, 
 and in the fulness of my happiness I forgot your 
 less fortunate destiny. Forgive me, Freville, and 
 credit me, my spirit yearneth after heaven, but 
 my flesh is weak. You do not answer," she con- 
 tinued, with emotion, "and I cannot forgive 
 myself for fretting you ; but when I saw you so 
 fond of prayer, of detaining me to read this holy 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 281 
 
 volume (and she laid her hand on it), I expected 
 you would soon be a perfect saint. Then I came 
 here to have a little confidential chat, and to ask 
 your advice; I was disappointed, and then, forsooth, 
 accused you of the very irritability I experienced 
 myself. Say you excuse me," and she reached 
 out her hand. 
 
 I caught it in a transport of passion, and 
 pressing it between mine, actually sobbed with 
 the vehemence of a school-boy. 
 
 " This is terrible,'^ she said, sitting down on a 
 low stool at my feet; "Freville, I am positive 
 some secret grief oppresses you. This idea has 
 often suggested itself to me, and Dr. Jerold has 
 sanctioned my opinion, by saying much of your 
 late illness proceeded from some mental cause. 
 I will not press for your confidence; circumstances 
 of affliction may have occurred that you would not 
 wish to relate. It may be that the secrets of 
 Aigline Tennant are in connection with your own, 
 and it would not be just or honourable to betray 
 them. But I claim the office of a sincere friend, 
 who would sacrifice much to soothe— to serve 
 you." 
 
 I looked sadly in her face, and pressed her soft 
 hand against my throbbing breast, muttering some 
 words of gratitude. She withdrew her hand, and 
 in a voice of touching tenderness continued : 
 
 " Freville, you will not permit me to call you 
 
282 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 brother, but still I am your nearest relation, your 
 playfellow in infancy, your companion through 
 many an hour of joy and sorrow. Think you that 
 Lady Eastville can forget the kindness that Clara 
 Arnheim received ? Well do I remember, when I 
 lost my father, how, out of your small means, you 
 would have supplied all my wants ; and would 
 you not, to save me from a dependence which 
 your prouder spirit deemed insupportable, to the 
 ruin of your fortunes and to the disappointment 
 of your love, have united your fate to mine ? And 
 can you now think so slightingly of me as not to 
 demand, nay, command my services ? Oh 1 Fre- 
 ville, how cruelly you misjudge me, or, perhaps, 
 for your mother often said, when you were a 
 child that you inherited a spice of her father, 
 of Signor Vermani^s vindictive spirit, you resent 
 my not having invited you to my wedding, and for 
 keeping our relationship secret from Sir Egbert, 
 and declining your correspondence. Now, Freville, 
 this is, in point of fact, the only act of my life 
 which I severely condemn and regret; but you 
 know at the period I was solely under the pro- 
 tection of Lady Aylsbury, Sir Egbert's aunt, 
 and weakly submitted to her guidance ; in short, 
 I had no choice of action.^' She sighed deeply, 
 and said, " and it is on this very subject I wanted 
 your advice when I came here this evening/^ 
 " Let me then, Clara,^^ I exclaimed, with viva- 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 283 
 
 city, ^^ entreat your forgiveness for my unmanly 
 Tiolence, and your confidence ; as to the sincerity 
 of my love for you, methinks you cannot doubt it." 
 " I never did, Freville," she answered, with 
 perfect naivete, "and now I must turn egotist, and 
 speak of myself. It matters not what my 
 sentiments were towards Sir Egbert when first 
 I knew him. They bordered a little too much 
 on respect, and a conscious inferiority, for 
 Lady Aylsbury, who had just sense enough to 
 appreciate his value, and was most proud of having 
 such a nephew, for months ere 'he returned to 
 England had been amusing her friends with an 
 account of his superior talents, the court he was 
 paid in all the first societies in Europe, the mag- 
 nificent collection of paintings and articles of virtii 
 he had collected ; and for this she prudently con- 
 demned him, as he had incumbered his fortune — 
 at the period not exceeding fifteen hundred a 
 year — to gratify his taste for the fine arts. Ob- 
 serve, I had been married two years when Sir 
 Egbert, by the death of three persons, all younger 
 than himself, came in for his baronetcy and the 
 large estates now in his possession, with no obli- 
 gation but that of taking the name of Eastville. 
 To return to myself. As you may conclude, I 
 considered the much-vaunted nephew of Lady 
 Aylsbury as a very great personage. So im- 
 pressed was I with this idea, that on our first 
 
284 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 acquaintance I felt a restraint in his presence 
 actually amounting to awe. However, when Lady 
 Aylsbury got seriously ill, he was so attentive 
 to her, and showed so much real good feeling, 
 that I soon ceased to fear, and learned to love 
 him. Not to tire your patience, the proud, 
 the fastidious, the accomplished Mr. Las- 
 celles, to the surprise of all who knew him, 
 proposed for Clara, Lady Aylsbury's humble 
 dependent ; it is needless to say I accepted 
 him. So far all was well ; but I shall ever look 
 back with regret for having yielded to Lady Ayls- 
 bury's request, and never mentioned your name 
 to him — you, who were my nearest, I might say, 
 only relative ; for, until I became Sir Egbert's 
 bride, the haughty Villemonts never deigned to 
 notice me.'* 
 
 " Then, Clara," I said, " it was at Lady Ayls- 
 bury's request you declined all correspondence 
 with me. What could be her motive ?" 
 
 Blushing scarlet, she answered ; " Lady Ayls- 
 bury, who is a strange compound, is a great 
 romancer, and delights in imagining love scenes 
 for others. She had heard a vast deal of you from 
 the Plinlimmons, and chose to fancy that you 
 and I must of a necessity be lovers. Insincere 
 to a degree in her own manners, she places little 
 belief in the truth of others. In vain I assured 
 her all the attachment we experienced towards 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 285 
 
 each other was that of a brother and sister ; and 
 that you had been impelled to propose for me, 
 not from passion, but a noble wish to reUeve me 
 from dependence. She insisted on knowing my 
 sentiments better than I did myself; and, as she 
 really behaved in the most friendly and generous 
 manner, on Sir Egbert's, then Mr. Lascelles's, pro- 
 posal, I weakly yielded to her advice, and for the 
 first time stooped to the meanness of deception/' 
 
 I replied coldly, " I should think there was no 
 great deception in not speaking to Sir Egbert of 
 a person he never knew, nor do I see any cause 
 of regret/' 
 
 ^' It was a want of confidence,^' she repHed 
 with vivacity ; " and see the result. By his letter 
 of to-day I perceive Sir Egbert is surprised and 
 evidently annoyed at hearing, for the first time, 
 that I have so near a relative." 
 
 " You then wrote him word of our relation- 
 ship ?" I exclaimed. 
 
 " Yes, in my last letter. In my two first I 
 alluded to nothing but Herbert^s danger ; the sub- 
 ject was so engrossing I could think of nothing 
 
 else.^^ 
 
 I made no reply, and she continued to speak 
 
 with an energy very unlike her usual tranquil 
 manner. 
 
 " Lady Aylsbury was perfectly right in forbid- 
 ding our future correspondence. It was also kind 
 
286 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 of her to advise me to assume a grave and more 
 distant manner than was natural to me, and to 
 acquaint me with the proud and jealous temper 
 of Sir Egbert. To say truth, Freville, the pure 
 and simple manners of my early friends in the 
 neighbourhood of Cader Idris were little calculated 
 to make me suppose any evil passions could be 
 imputed to a free and friendly intercourse with 
 our acquaintances. Alas ! for the corruptions of 
 society, how much of good it deprives the inno- 
 cent.'" 
 
 " Sir Egbert then/' I demanded, "is of a jea- 
 lous temper }" . 
 
 ^' Beyond belief,^^ she answered. " It is the dark 
 shade that dims his character, in other respects so 
 exalted. But for this there is every excuse : — 
 in the first instance he is so ardent in his attach- 
 ments, which are concentrated in a few, that his 
 whole happiness is placed in those he loves. Next, 
 the ill conduct of his own mother who, after being 
 ten years married, eloped from his father with the 
 profligate John Fitzwilliam, so famous on the 
 turf, has left an evil impression of our sex's truth 
 on his mind." 
 
 " Clara, I was not aware of the circumstance/^ 
 
 " It is seldom spoken of,^' she answered. *^ The 
 deserted husband, the criminal wife, and profli- 
 gate seducer, are all dead — it was a terrible tra- 
 gedy. I will not speak more fully of it. Lady 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 287 
 
 Aylsbury, who confided the fearful secret to me, 
 has obtained my promise on that head/' As she 
 spoke she turned deadly pale, and shuddered. 
 After a time she added : " Lady Aylsbury, though 
 but his step-aunt, and so many years his senior, 
 on Egbert being left an orphan, acted towards 
 him as the most judicious and best of parents/^ 
 
 1 said I should not have supposed that possible 
 from what I heard of the frivoUty of her manners 
 and pursuits. 
 
 ^^It is hard to judge of others," she replied 
 carelessly. " She has some fine qualities, though 
 they are nearly lost in the multitude of contemp- 
 tible ones ; however, I could overlook all but her 
 deception." 
 
 " Was Sir Egbert ever jealous of you ?" I de- 
 manded. 
 
 She answered indignantly, " What an idea ! 
 Knowing his temper, even had I been the vainest 
 coquette, I would instantly have adapted my man- 
 ners to his views ; duty, independent of affection, 
 would have impelled me to it. Jealous of me ! 
 Why,Freville, since we married I was never so long 
 separated from him as now, except once ; I think 
 about three years ago, when I spent some months 
 in the neighbourhood of Chatham with Lady 
 Aylsbury. And a melancholy time I had of it, 
 for she was confined for nearly the whole period 
 with rheumatism. Sir Egbert was obliged to go 
 
288 THE DEEHHURSTS. 
 
 to Scotland, on account of a law-suit. Posi- 
 tively though little used to indulge ennui, I 
 should have died of the vapours, for my little 
 ones were not with me, but for Janet Owen; 
 you remember the Doctor's pretty daughter who 
 lived in Plinlimmon, and was such a playfellow of 
 ours ? Well, she married a Mr. Onslow, a mer- 
 chant ; and though I knew Sir Egbert's ancestral 
 blood would rise at the very idea of his lady form- 
 ing an intimacy so little aristocratic, still I spent 
 many an evening with Janet/^ 
 
 " Then,^' said I smiling, " you kept a second 
 secret from Sir Egbert ?" 
 
 " No, Freville. On his return I told him, and 
 although he took some capricious dislike to Janet, 
 he assisted in getting her husband, who was very 
 poor, some situation in America ; and Janet is 
 now residing in New York, and gaily mentioned 
 in her last letter, that she liked it better than 
 England's more ancient city — '' 
 
 She paused, for we heard a noise as if some 
 person had stumbled near the door. " Who 
 waits ?" called out Clara. There was no answer. She 
 rose, and opened the door. I saw a form flit past 
 the window. Clara returned, and said carelessly : 
 
 " Do you know, Freville, I have a very ill 
 opinion of Nelly Dudgeon. Waller never ven- 
 tures to speak to me without first looking whether 
 she is in the passage leading to my apartment. I 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 289 
 
 hope she did not hear what I said of Sir Egbert's 
 mother ; for, however guilty or unfortunate, her 
 memory is so dear to him he cannot endure to 
 have her mentioned. Indeed, all connected with 
 her is now buried in oblivion." 
 
 While she was speaking, the dressing bell rang. 
 Taking Herbert by the hand she retired, observ- 
 ing with great gentleness : " You must not ex- 
 pect me this evening, Freville, for I must walk 
 down to the hamlet to see about orders Sir Eg- 
 bert is solicitous to have executed.'' 
 
 I was going to speak, but playfully waiving her 
 hand, she hurried off, saying : " I will not be 
 coaxed." 
 
 I did not see her again imtil the following 
 evening. Twice during the day she sent Herbert 
 with kind messages to say I must excuse her, as 
 she was engaged preparing for Sir Egbert and her 
 little girl. I knew the former, although in many 
 respects so amiable, was fastidious to peevishness 
 in his tastes. The morning passed away slowly 
 and sadly. I felt that Sir Egbert's return would 
 deprive me of Clara's company. I knew that if 
 any incipient jealousy was awakened, I could on 
 no pretence prolong my stay ; my separation then 
 from Clara, was certain, immediate ; the thought 
 was accompanied by a depth of anguish to which 
 no expression can do justice, and to which the 
 
 VOL. I. O 
 
290 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 regret I felt, when obliged to part from her at 
 Cader Idris, was but as a shadow, for then I 
 hoped circumstances would again bring us near, 
 perhaps, unite us. Even my grief, when I heard 
 of her marriage, was calm to the sufferings to 
 which my guilty and hopeless passion now doom- 
 ed me. But in this detail it is not my intention 
 to dwell upon the struggles I endured — it would 
 answer no object. Human sympathy — even if I 
 could awaken it — would afford no consolation 
 to my wounded spirit. One by one my heart's 
 idols have crumbled to dust before me ; for years 
 one object has been the only tie which united me 
 to earth, and my reason tells me, although he 
 may be the source of my happiness, that he 
 will seek and find his in other objects. All this 
 is as it should be, and drives on the desolated 
 heart to seek its only anchorage in heaven. 
 
 It was about six in the afternoon, when Lady 
 Eastville, accompanied by Herbert, entered my 
 apartment ; — '^ I am come to spend the evening 
 with you, Freville,'' she said, in a tone of touching 
 softness ; and methought her countenance looked 
 sad and subdued. 
 
 "AVhile I thank you for your condescension. 
 Lady Eastville," I answered, in a proud, cold 
 tone, '^ forgive me if I say it was not sisterly to so 
 entirely neglect the heart-broken invalid, who, 
 probably, will never again spend a day in your 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 291 
 
 society; for, even were I to intrude here any 
 longer, you will be too happily engaged with Sir 
 Egbert and your children, to spare your time to 
 me, who, in truth, may be said to be merely an 
 object of your charity/' 
 
 " This, to me, Freville,^^ she said, soothingly ; 
 "but I will not reproach you, for you are un- 
 happy, nor will I deceive you, as I before re- 
 marked. Sir Egbert acts the lover, and in all his 
 rides and walks I accompany him ; however, 
 I hope to enjoy much of your society. Doctor 
 Jerold is to attend my little girl here, and I have 
 no doubt that he will exert his authority, and 
 oblige you to quit your cell, and join us in the 
 general sitting-rooms.^' 
 
 I felt miserable and dissatisfied, and haughtily 
 answered: — "No, Lady Eastville, I feel that I 
 am an intruder. Thrown by circumstances on 
 Sir Egbert's hospitality, it is my intention to 
 accept of Doctor Jerold's invitation, and quit the 
 Terrace to-morrow ; for, to say truth, I do not 
 feel able to join my corps.'' Angels of mercy ! 
 why did she, then, with that melodious voice, 
 whose every tone sunk into my heart, commiserate 
 my illness ? Why did she press me to stay, and 
 add to the happiness of her domestic circle by my 
 presence ? And how could I for a moment impute 
 the tenderness that emanated from benevolence 
 
 o 2 
 
292 THE DEERHURSTS, 
 
 and affection, to a passion furious as that which 
 consumed me ? But all originated in my execrable 
 and deeply-cursed vanity." 
 
 " Mamma, Lady Cora is come/' lisped out 
 Herbert, bounding in through the window. 
 
 " Freville, come and look at Sir Egbert's favou- 
 rite," said Clara, as she stepped out on the Ter- 
 race walk ; ^' I assure you this is the only lady I 
 am jealous of," and she pointed to a splendid 
 mare of dappled grey. 
 
 I had never seen any horse of such a perfect 
 form. Supported by my stick, I stepped forward 
 to admire it, and speak to the groom, who told 
 me it was a famous racer, and that Sir Egbert 
 had refused nine hundred guineas for it, and 
 that it was so obedient to his hand, that he might 
 guide it with a silken rein, but that few others 
 could venture to ride it. Soon after I re-entered 
 the room, and observed Clara sitting on the sofa, 
 and looking very pensive. She started up, and 
 without speaking hurried away. An hour elapsed, 
 and she returned with her bonnet and shawl 
 on. 
 
 " You must accompany me, Freville," she said, 
 " to see some beautiful plants Sir Egbert, who 
 knows my love for flowers, has forwarded from 
 London all strangers to Britain's clime; so we 
 must be very tender of them." 
 
 I rose to accompany her. 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 293 
 
 ^' I am so glad you can move without crutches/' 
 said she, smiUng. " As to your stick, you look 
 quite graceful with it.^' 
 
 We passed through a spacious hall hung with 
 fine pictures, representing sylvan scenes, and 
 from that into a magnificent saloon opening into 
 the conservatories. Every thing bespoke wealth, 
 directed by good taste. 
 
 '^ The library is the most elegant apartment in 
 the house,'' said Clara, who was pleased at my 
 admiration ; " but as it is up stairs, I will not 
 permit you to see it, lest it might fatigue your 
 leg to ascend. Then I have a boudoir, Freville, 
 that would suit an Eastern Princess. Strange 
 vicissitude to place Clara Arnheim, who thought 
 it a fine thing to get a few yards of blue ribbon, 
 at the head of all this grandeur, and with nothing 
 on earth to recommend her !" 
 
 "Nothing on earth to recommend you ?" I ex- 
 claimed, as I gazed on her exquisite beauty. 
 
 " No fine speeches," she added, as she passed 
 through the conservatory to the Terrace walk, 
 which extended to a great length. 
 
 For some time we observed silence. Clara 
 appeared embarrassed by it, and attempted to 
 enter into general conversation; spoke of the 
 pictures, the exotics, of Lady Cora, in short, 
 every subject she could think of, and looked 
 
 o 3 
 
1294 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 disappointed when in reply I uttered some 
 monosyllables. For the life of me I could not 
 converse on topics of indifference, while my 
 whole being was engrossed with my ill-fated love. 
 However, as we strolled up and down — for she 
 refused to quit the walk — I occasionally stopped 
 to remark on some of the plants, then she would 
 pluck their blossoms, and present them to me ; 
 and thus another hour passed, and the depression 
 of my spirits every moment increased. My 
 melancholy seemed infectious, and Clara's cheer- 
 fulness gradually faded away. She became almost 
 as sad and pensive as myself. Complaining that 
 the dew was falling, she proposed returning to 
 my apartment, and I readily assented. 
 
 On entering we found Herbert jumping about 
 in high glee, which I perceived originated in my 
 table being covered with some rare fruit and 
 sweetmeats, in addition to my usual coffee and 
 biscuits. 
 
 ^' I could see no just cause, Freville," said 
 Lady Eastville, gaily, ^^ why you should not come 
 in for some of the good things. Do not all 
 these rustic preparations, and the vases of flowers 
 remind you of the dear Parsonage ? Come, re- 
 cline on the couch, you look fatigued. Herbert 
 shall be the attendant page, and 1 the Lady Para- 
 mount, doing the honours^ of my banquet.'^ 
 
 I tried to look pleased, said I was too well to 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 295 
 
 require the couch, and, sitting down beside her, 
 attempted to partake of the delicacies before me, 
 and to speak on general topics. In this effort I 
 was assisted by Herbert, who now twined his 
 arms round his mother's neck; then bounding 
 from her, caressed me, and so on, till exhausted 
 by the flow of his spirits, he nestled his dark 
 head into her bosom, and fell into a deep sleep. 
 For some time she remained silent, fondly gazing 
 on him ; then in a low voice, as if apprehensive 
 of awakening him, she said : — 
 
 " Now, Freville, I must renew the subject I 
 commenced yesterday. I do not ask why you are 
 unhappy, but I request, nay entreat of you to 
 acquaint me, can I be of the least service to you ? 
 I need not again expatiate on your claims or my 
 feehngs ; credit me when I say, that to have it in 
 my power to alleviate your present sorrow, from 
 whatever source it originates, would confer upon 
 me the greatest pleasure. Nay, do not interrupt 
 me with thanks. On this head I am selfish ; for 
 how could Clara Arnheim be at rest while Fre- 
 ville Deerhurst was in afiliction }" 
 
 I pressed the hand she had laid upon mine, 
 to prevent my speaking too passionately, to my 
 lips. She started, flushed scarlet, then grew 
 deadly pale. I should think some suspicion of 
 my sentiments towards her, for the first time, 
 flashed across her mind, and she bent her head 
 
296 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 lowly over the sleeping child, to disguise her con- 
 fusion. Witnessing all this, I fancied it argued 
 well to my hopes of meeting a return, and I 
 gloried at the wild thought of yet conquering her 
 virtue. Still supporting Herbert in her arms, 
 she rose from her seat, and, before I was aware of 
 her intention, rung the bell. A footman entered. 
 
 " Remove the coffee,^' she said, " and light the 
 lamps ; but if Mr. Deerhurst does not apprehend 
 the night air, you need not close the curtains. 
 The twilight is beautiful,'^ she added, as she 
 stood by the open casement. 
 
 The attendant retired. 
 
 '^ I shall put Herbert to bed," she said, ap- 
 proaching the door. 
 
 I felt that I had alarmed her delicacy, and that 
 her countenance and manners were unusually 
 grave; wishing to re-assure her, and draw her 
 back, even for a few solitary moments, in a tone 
 of as much indifference as I could assume, I said, 
 " Will you not delay a few moments, Clara, till I 
 explain the cause of a dejection, which willingly I 
 would never have betrayed to your notice.^' She 
 hesitated, looked doubtful. I proudly exclaimed : 
 "Nay, Lady Eastville, let me not detain you. 
 Yet it was ungenerous to press for my confidence, 
 and then deride it. But, alas ! no human mind 
 ever yet withstood the influence of prosperity. 
 Our different lots have destroyed your sympathy ; 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 29? 
 
 it has pleased Heaven to shower upon you all the 
 blessings of this life, health, beauty, wealth, 
 children, while I am left to struggle with all the 
 pangs of disappointed affection, and to the morti- 
 fication of being reduced, by poverty, to appear 
 mean and shabby in my regiment, like my poor 
 father. Although the lawful heir of unbounded 
 wealth, by the unnatural cruelty of Sir Roger I am 
 deprived almost of the means of existence. Worse 
 again ! • I am involved in debts incurred by the 
 necessary expenses attending on change of quarters, 
 and being sent at the caprice of the Horse 
 Guards from one clime to another. However, 
 regrets are unavailing; our regiment is under 
 orders for India, and I hope soon to find beneath 
 a tropical sun that grave I now so ardently wish 
 for. If, under these circumstances, for a moment 
 I forget the respect due to Lady Eastville, I can 
 only humbly entreat pardon for my presump- 
 tion.'^ 
 
 I saw her hesitate, but her gentle forgiving 
 nature could not long retain anger or suspicion ; 
 so, laying Herbert on the couch, she laid her 
 hand on my shoulder — for I sat with my elbows 
 resting on the table, and my face buried in my 
 hands — and addressed me in a voice full of 
 compassion : 
 
 '^ Freville, I cannot endure that you should 
 yield to this melancholy. I am certain you will 
 
298 THE DEERHURSTS. 
 
 yet be a rich man. It is not possible that Sir 
 Roger can live much longer ; and credit me, he is 
 not so barbarous as to leave you unprovided for. 
 Perhaps I was too irritable in feeling, too angry 
 with you; but, indeed, your manner was too 
 ardent. Let us mutually forgive each other; 
 you know at the Parsonage we often had affronts, 
 and so forth, and soon made up again— am I 
 forgiven ?" 
 
 Had I obeyed the impulse of the moment, I 
 should have flung myself at her feet, and kissed 
 the ground she trod ; but I affected to be sublime, 
 just to hear her pleading accents. Heaven is my 
 witness at the instant I had no other motive. 
 Raising my head, I looked coldly at her, and in a 
 tone of dignity said, " How could the proud 
 Lady Eastville offend the humble Deerhurst, who 
 again apologises for daring to presume too much 
 on her kindness? However, to-morrow I shall 
 quit the Terrace ; in a few days join my regiment ; 
 
 so ,'^ the thoughts of parting from her were 
 
 too painful; my affected composure fled again. 
 Burying my face in my hands, a groan escaped 
 me. I saw her shudder, then she drew a chair, and 
 sat beside me, and in low impressive accents said : 
 
 " Freville, I no longer press your stay ; per- 
 haps . . . ." and she certainly sighed, "it is as 
 well for us all that you should go. Your temper 
 is very ardent, and I think irritable ; and it now 
 
THE DEERHURSTS. 299 
 
 occurs to me that, considering you as a brother, 
 pitying your misfortunes, and, chance having 
 thrown you under my protection, perhaps, I 
 have devoted more of my time, and been more 
 famiUar with you than Sir Egbert would approve. 
 The very idea of annoying him frets me, for I 
 love him to excess — more, I think, than I ought 
 to love any created being. Altogether, Freville, 
 I feel restless and unhappy when Sir Egbert asks 
 why I never mentioned you to him. If I say 
 Lady Aylsbury, from a suspicion of our being 
 attached, prevented me, it will fire his jealous 
 temper to madness ; in short, a presentiment of 
 coming evil has cast its shadow over my soul ! 
 Pray with me to heaven to avert it !^' 
 
 I was too much agitated to reply. After a 
 time she proceeded : — 
 
 "You can quit here with Doctor Jerold to- 
 morrow : he is one of the most amiable of men, 
 and will treat you with all hospitality. In a 
 short time, when you are quite recovered, I am 
 certain Sir Egbert will seek your company ; and 
 if you are fond of hunting, you can command any 
 of his hunters — all famous, except my Lady Cora, 
 her I do not promise." 
 
 My unreasonable temper was provoked at her 
 advising my departure, though I had resolved on 
 it, and I hastily answered, " You are very good, 
 polite, I should say ; but, if my embarrassments 
 
300 THE DEERHURSTS 
 
 do not compel me to sell my commission — when 
 I see no other alternative but listing as a private 
 soldier — I hope, ere the hunting season, to be far 
 on my way to India/^ 
 
 She looked reproachfully at me, and said: — 
 " Oh ! Freville,'' and burst into tears. At that 
 moment we heard a servant approach ; she caught 
 up Herbert, and hurried to the door. " In pity's 
 sake, Clara,'* I exclaimed, springing after her, 
 " say you will see me again this evening. We 
 must forgive each other ere we part — perhaps for 
 ever. Sir Egbert will be here early to-morrow : 
 then adieu to all chance of speaking to you ! 
 Leave, oh ! leave me not to the remorse of thinking 
 that my ill-temper has displeased, offended you !" 
 
 She hesitated, and I placed myself between 
 her and the door. 
 
 " Let me pass, Freville, and I will see you this 
 evening, an hour hence, if but for a moment." 
 
 " You promise ?" 
 
 "I do!" 
 
 " Enough, Clara Amheim never broke her 
 word," before I finished the last sentence she had 
 vanished. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed by Schulze & Co., 13, Poland Street. 
 
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