Lady Hester; Or, Ursula's Narrative

pron, with her black hair in the Grecian coil we used to wear when our heads were allowed to be of their own pro

ould but stand so a minute,

ntlemen on the other side of the little stream, and jumped up to come to her defence-I must have looked more like a displ

ty, so horribly affronted at her being called a good girl! and she mad

arsonage pew; and we discovered that these were the proposed new curate, Mr. Cradock, and his younger brother. Our rector was a canon w

e aisle, in her drawn black silk bonnet with the pink lining (made by herself); and I think s

ady appeared in the parsonage seat, with white ribbons in her straw bonne

; and not only Miss Prior, but

families are not on visiting terms

ar!" but she and Fulk knew I

om, and the clergyman with him, and found Jaquey and me standing at the l

reet drawing-room; and he hardly gave time for the shaking of hands before he had returned to the discus

other, there was no fire in the little parlour, and the gentlemen bot

iting; and I heard Alured awake from his sleep, pattering about and shouting; and as we

aid he was not at all wanted at home, while his wife was luxuriating in a settlement of furniture; but this was, he was a

still waited a moment to say that his brother Arthur could

the country. He had been raving all day about the new poet, Alfred

erides, perhaps," said Fulk, l

cond year; and whether he takes to medicine or t

s genius?" began

But I am hindering you shamefully," and with that he

e friends in a moment; and though she must have known all about us, never

respond with her under present circumstances, took to Mrs. Cradock with eager enthusiasm, and tripped across the p

y, liveliness, and occupations brought by the Cradocks, I felt that it had been scarcely kind to seclude

f politics, made an immense difference to him. When after tea he said he would walk to the parsonage to see how the debate had gone, and we knew we should not see him till

tion had gone out of his face and bearing, when suddenly it returned again; and as Miss Prior was away from home, I never found out the cause till one day, as I was shopping

ps quivering wistfully, but I only said to myself, "The old arts! That is what

that Mrs. Deerhurst said, "The Torwoods had shown very good taste in retiring from all society, p

looks; but I believe that Jaquetta told her all

must have been a repulsion between Mrs.

rst home, after having married her second daughter, but not Emily. She was only a mile and a half from Spinney Lawn, and speedily became familiar there, b

nt of exercise that killed him, for he had lost flesh and grown languid in mann

nd see him. Jaquetta and I persuaded ourselves that he had discovered that Perra

tle Alured would never feel it; but for her own part, she should hate to g

cted anything amiss with Lady Jaquetta Trevor's

ble!" she said; "but there's something no

at something to the pa

so bad if I could run in and ou

as nymph of the orchard, and many a nymph besides. And if he was yielding to his brother's wisdom in making medicine his study and art his pleasure,

any evil doings. All he had wanted of Fulk was to be certain of his forgiveness for the inju

nd I do not trust that Perrault. If ever he fails her, or tur

prospering immensely in the timber trade), and let him know the state of things-though he had been so ange

d he went on to talk of his poor boy, about whom he was very anxious, having no trust

his uncle, for they couldn't do it, and he had rather be like you than anyone else. I don't care for gentlemen, and all that foolery, as you

and then left alone with him; but Hester would not believe him seriously ill, and thought the Bible

smiled at his superstition of thinking that a minister was needed to speed his soul; but he was pleased tha

ster was at church on Sunday morni

on between his religious belief and his feelings, which had somehow not been in force before. He thought and borrowed books from Mr. Cradock, and there came a deepening an

h was terrible to witness; but she would not hear of Fulk's fetching either of us-indeed, I f

be with her, and Perr

much grander than my father's-a

found himself close to poor little Trevor, who tried to get his hand out of Perrault's and cling to him; but Perrault held him tight till, at the moment when they moved to the mouth of the vault an

too much exhausted with her violent grief to go herself, and, devoted mother as she was

eir keen, searching glance under her crape veil, as if she were measuring Alured all over when the child walked into chu

snake look at me ju

he was not afraid of her. She always made much of him if he came in her way, and he was

e longing to see him the heir, seemed to drive out eve

what machinations she could have expected from us, I cannot guess; or how, in the case of a minor, we could have interfered with her rights. But the man had gained such an ascendancy over her, that she did not even perceive that the connection was not good for that great object of hers, her son's position in society. In fact, he persuaded her that he was of a noble old Fr

ortable slippery look about him. I can't describe it otherwise. He was a slim, trim, well-dressed man, only given to elaborate jewellery and waistcoats, with polished black hair and boots, and keen