The Short Works of George Meredith

as no great pretender, none of those who are logically displaced from the heights they have been raised to, manifestly created to show the moral in Providence. He was modest, retiring, humbly c

reflections upon an inexplicable destiny, that the punishment befalling him, unmerited as it was, looked like absence of Design in the scheme of things, Above. It looked as if the blow had bee

toward the river. The General consulted with his daughter, and came to the conclusion, that as he could hardly despatch a written reply to a verbal message, yet greatly wished to subscribe to the wishes of

his hat, surtout, trousers and boots, were worthy of an introduction to Royalty. A touch of sca

be nervous, papa

ed that he had fallen into the nervous mood. 'I was saying, I have known worse mornings tha

nt an hour

ught, we cease to shine dazzlingly, yet are not clouded; the rays have merely grown serener. The sum of his impressions w

ndly, willing to be satisfied with the sacrifice of the smallest branch

t the General begged her to bear in mind, that they were dealing with a very extraordina

ew, and desire to see into her neighbour's

slight exclamat

cts of interest to her la

faintly conceived a reference to the conquests of his dashing days. Lady Camper had deigned to impart some of her own, incidentally; that she was of Welsh blood, and born among the mountains. 'She has a romantic loo

leafage, and the next day he paid his respects to Lady Camper, to

nd now we shall see wha

rtained an animosity to a

hirp early in the morni

ll ho

s...?' he pleaded

d for them; but I don't

blown off, and your coat-tails anywhere; in other words, you will stand ridiculous in your bewilderment; and General Ople ever footed with the utmost caution to avoid that quagmire

mission to present his daughter

e voice, but (the vision of her age flashed out under the compelling eyes of youth) fifty if a day. The rich colouring confessed to it. But she was

udder. For we are so devoted to nature when the dame is flattering us with her gifts, that we loathe the subs

wever, concealed her em

She seems honest, and that is

honest man,' the Gene

it will be a

General, 'girls

er black eyes on hi

he, 'as I have nothing to hide, I am able to submit to inspection'; and he laughed

rtistic qualities, describing her power with the brush, her water-colour sketches, and also some immensely clever caricatures. As he talked of no one else, his friends heard enough of Lady Camper, who was anything but a favourite. The Pollingtons, the Wilders, the Wardens, the Baerens, the Goslings, and others of his acquaintance, talked of Lady Camper and General Ople rather maliciously. They were all City people, and

thought) when you are caught in the act of adoring the mother of cabbages. And though he himself loved the cabbage equally with the rose, in his heart respected the vegetable yet more than he esteemed the flower, for he gloried in his kitchen garden, this was not a secret for the world to know, and he almost heeled over on his beam ends when word was brought of the extreme honour Lady Camper had done him. He worked his arms hurriedly into his fatigue jacket, trusting to get away to the house and spend a couple of minutes on his ador

no choice but to s

r simply spoke of the nice little nest of a garden, smelt the flower

he said of the latter, 'only

it as at a pinch of snuff. 'I was saying, I always ....' And he tacitly, with the absurdest of

se,' observe

ood before her in his gardening costume, she put him at his ease, or she exerted herself to do so; and if he under

en garden and the handful of paddock, the st

for a young co

uliar to this confession. 'I say, I am no longer young, but

ad, half closing her eyes, with a con

expression whenever he

been such a home for a young couple that she had entered on her marr

at a loss to con

ned not to vex her reminiscences again; and as this resolution directed his mind to his residence, thinking it

The housemaid informed him, that Miss

' Lady Camper

,' the Gene

child has

ad loss to us bo

is too pretty t

trust

ir

he spirit

e has a spirit; i

rnished an instance or

ke this theme; she looke

ot suffer her to go

e in her,' said the General

he lanes to the river-side,

s to change his clothes; yet how, attired as he was, in a fatigue jacket, that warned him not to imagine his back view, and held him constantly a little to the rear of Lady Camper, le

hot forward a step, lookin

ot coming,

ced mech

a little one, to whom Lady Camper gave a sm

neral's heart, as any pretty perfor

answering his thoughts. 'No

e said, 'Her

he river-side at the end of the lane,

om the outrigger and light skiff they were about to leave in charge of a waterman. Elizabeth stretched a finger at arm's-length, issuing directions, which Mr. Rolles to

d for a working soldier,' said Lady Cam

his shoulders at th

importance to him. You are aware of

pay, having always been a working soldier myself,

d you r

the duties of General of Brigade, I could not, I say I could not, dare t

were not, like my nephew Reginald, e

the flattery of her assuming him to be a man of some fortune. He coughed, and said, 'Very little.' The thought came to him that he might ha

shot of the young people, to whom, especially to Elizabeth, she was gracious. The

he could not abandon her par

bout a warning, gazed at the red rose of art o

, dropping her parasol to defend he

own,' said

hed streams of colour, that overwhelmed the momentary comparison of the sunswarthe

e let him take it; then she looked at the General; but the Ge