The Adventures of Harry Richmond, v5

rckems plucking at the bell-rope, m

shouted to the f

rtico sentinel struck the butt of his musket on the ha

, be silent!'

y!' she ha

deliberately apply the flame of her lamp to the curtains, deemed him mad. He was perfectly self-possessed,

as. He had but to tear the lighted curtains down and trample on them. Suddenly the baroness called out, 'The man i

error, baroness,

ence pure; have y

e will also excuse your pre

am not so cool a

o her-'shall always be

nguished, Ottilia withdr

nxious to secure a particular volume, and showed his usual consideration by not asking me to verify the narrative. With that, and with high praise of Peterborough, as to whose gallantry I heard him deliver a very circumstantial ac

tremities, as he had done, by summoning fire to the rescue. He assured me that moments such as those inspired him and were the pride of his life, and he was convinced that, upon reflection, 'I should rise to his pitch.' He deluded himself with the idea of his having foiled Baroness Turckems, nor did I choose to contest it, though it struck me that she was too conclusively the foiler. She must have intercepted the letter for the princess. I remembered acting carelessly in handing it to my father for him to consign it to one of the domestics, and he passed it on with a flourish. Her place of concealment was singularly well

th large eyes blazing on the baroness. The stupid burlesque majesty of it was unendurable to thought. Nevertheless, I had to thank him for shielding Ottilia, and I had to brood on the fact that I had drawn her into a situation requiring such a shield. He, meanwhile, according to his habit, was engaged in reviewing the triumphs to come. 'We have won a princess!' And what England would say, how England would look, when, on a further journey, I brought my princess home, entirely occupied his imagination, to my excessive torture-a state of

the white cliffs, the sight of the white cliffs revived pleasant thoughts of Riversley, and thoughts of Riversley thoughts of Janet, which were singularly and refreshingly free from self-accusations. Some love for my home, similar to what one may have for Winter, cam

elf, braced myself, and saluted every one at the breakfast table with the frankness of Harry Richmond. Congratulated on my splendid spirits, I was confirmed in the idea that I enjoyed them, though I knew of something hollow which sent an echo through me at intervals. Janet had become a fixed inmate of the house. 'I've bought her, and I shall keep her; she's the apple of my eye,' said the squire, adding with characteristic scrupulousness, 'if apple's female.' I asked her whether she had heard from Temple latterly. 'No; dear little fellow!' cried she, and I saw in a twinkling what i

ay, Hal, it's not to your

eye on my aunt Dorothy, '

empt or dislike of persons; nor was she cured of her trick of frowning. She was as ready as ever to be flattered; that was evident. My grandfather's praise of her she received with a rewarding look back of kindness; she was not discomposed by flattery, and threw herself into no postures, nor blushed very deeply. 'Thank you for perceiving my merits,' she seemed to say; and to be just I should add that one could fancy her saying, you see them because you love me. She wore her hair in a plain knot, peculiarly neatly rounded away from the temples, which sometimes gave to a face not aquiline a look of swiftness. The face was mobile, various, not at all suggestive of bad temper, in spite of her frowns. The profile of it

by the squire for a des

timid look from under hi

he was prepared to g

he really had not

ow hair and fish eyes, high o' the shoulder, bony, and a towel skin and gone teeth, so

ed persons, extremely domesticated, retiring; the encomiums of the Roman historian were as well deserved by them in

. 'A pretty style o' courtship. Come, sit by my hearth

ather like the s

be a lucky dog,' the squire approved

anger to the ac

'a man must bring some dirt home from every jo

nce with him, and of what he expe

iend Harry's moral reputation, and was amazed to hear that the squire did not think highly of a man's chastity. The squire acutely chagrined the sensitive gentleman by drawling the word after him, and declaring that he tossed that kind of thing into the women's wash-basket. Peterborough, not without signs of indignation, protesting, the squire asked him point- blank if he supposed that Old England

r. Beltham, the only lady of whom it could be suspected that my friend Harry regarded her with more than ordinary admiration was Heredi

y of our worship of aristocracy and royalty; and we, who were such slaves to rank, and such tyrants in our own households,-we Britons were the great sticklers for freedom! His conclusion was, that we were not logical. We would have a Throne, which we would not allow the liberty to do anything to make it worthy of rational veneration: w

, is still, I would venture to suggest, an example of old blood that requires-I study race-varying, modifying, one might venture to say, correcting; and really, a friend with more privileges than I possess, would or should throw him a hint that no h

y a father that was other than a country squire; one who could be tolerant of innocent habits, and

without colour, without anxious throbbing, without salient matter for thought, challenged contempt. But it was exceedingly funny. My aunt Dorothy, the squire, and Janet submitted to my transparent inward laughter at them, patiently waiting for me to share their contentment, in the deluded belief that the hour would come. The principal items of news embraced the death of Squire Gregory Bulsted, the marriage of this and that young lady, a legal contention between my grandfather and Lady Maria Hig

, Judy Bulsted! She knits stockings for the poor. She'd down and kiss the stump of a sailor on a stick o' timbe

and Lady Maria Higgin

k a man comes over from Surreywards, a farm he calls Dipwell, and asks after you, Harry; rigmarole

she subscribed to merely to humour the squire. I was half in doubt whether I disliked or admired her want of decent hypocrisy. She allowed him to suppose that she did not

r husband. Irish eyes are certainly bewitching lights. I thought, for my part, I could not do as the captain was doing, serving his country in foreign parts, while such as these were shining without a captain at home. Janet approved his

disappointing creature day after day! At first she was shy, stole out a coy line of fingers to be shaken, and lisped; and out of that mood came right-about-face, with an exclamation of regret that she supposed she must not kiss me now. I projected, she drew back. 'Shall Janet go?' said I. 'Then if nobody's present I 'll

her William. Heriot, whom she always called Walter Heriot, was, she informed me, staying at Durstan Hall, the new great house, built on a plot of ground that the Lancashire millionaire had caught up

p at the Grange.' Temple

g in London for the

about your princess, Harry,'

er for a real

s a snow-mountain yo

l; so let

kind a

es

he ride

s remarka

fair, I

to Temple, it would be the se

bit too cruel, as

d she gets more

emselves . . . they 're the happiest. All I meant to as

aid I, unconsci

see that; only she can't bear loneliness, and doesn't understand yet what it is t

Her figure was straight, and she s

xcellent fello

hink ill of my fr

t these two who

ar old gran

rather have had her less abrupt and more per

oung men's dreams. I fear, Harry, it will half break our dear old grandada's heart. He is rough, and you have often been against him, for one unfortun

bly unjust t

with you all the time,

el

ood to the Grange. Do pa

know only that the squi

l my might. Forgive

all the better. You 're a brave partisan.

d take your side as

the squire how

ighed, 'I knew t

on her part. She casts off-to speak plainly, she puts herself out of the line of succession, and for whom? for me. In her father's lifetime she will hardly yield me her hand; but I

net murmured. 'I don't quite comprehend what

dvance. Why, dear Janet, you can rec

him do

meaning of that, and why

lain speaker, a plain person. You don

rosity, Janet, should you b

use!' She changed her tone. 'Looking on old Riversley with the eyes of my head even, I think I'm looking at something far away in the memory. Perhaps the deep red brick causes it. There never was a

ded me, trotting d