Lady Hester; Or, Ursula's Narrative

had never been ill at all, but was as fi

the old tendency was entirely outgrown, and that Lord Trevorsham w

fear hanging over us any longer! We felt settled, that was one thing; no

st time, more than enough to clear his rent. He had a great ox in the Smithf

ld soon cease to need me, and Jaquetta wou

d face driving in the park by the side

it were, dropped into the hands of a weak, extravagant girl, who had long been using all t

things. Mine could never have been real love for him, and the refusal could n

was the beginning of my hating myself, and I have hated myself more and more ever since I have take

a great share in cherishing him into strength and health, I had managed him badly, I had indulged him over much,

estrained, he had no notion of minding any of us, still less of learning. Trevor Lea could read, write, talk Fre

was tame for three days, but then came idleness, wilfulness, anger, punishme

le less shamefully backward. The Cradocks offered to teach him, b

onscience as to obedience; and Fulk would not have the other two mot

re the less able to enforce it that he had come to a knowledge of our mutu

und him galloping his pony in the field laid up for hay, and ordered him out, he retorted that "You a

ed by the shoulder without one word, then took hi

r and her husband had made him understand, so far as such a child could do, that there was some disgrace connected with us; that Fulk had once been in his place, and only wanted

e was the poison sown-to rankle and grow and burst out when he was opposed. He had full faith and trust in Fulk, and accepted his history, owning, indeed, from a boy, that he had been

ver did any harm. Poor Joel Lea had trained him well, and he was a conscientious, good boy, who often hindered Alured from insubordination; but t

since he was learning nothing properly at home

placed nearly at the top and Trevorsham at the bottom of the little preparatory school. They held together just as

He had made some fortunate speculations, and had come on to be a me

seemed to be, and Perrault had certainly been wise in

est about him; successful beyond all his hopes, and full of activity

Deerhurst. The gentle lady-like girl impressed the backwoodsman in a wondrous manner. It

t off Fulk, and there was a pale changed look about her; and the rich Canadian

was all the cause of the utter withdrawal, was it not the

s to be done to please an English lady, and whether he was too rough for her; and Fulk stood it all. He even knew when the young lady herself was brought forward-and r

kept his counsel, even though Mr. Dayman told him that the mother declared it to be a fool

oy the confidences in a bitter-sweet fashion. It was just

t thought that the chance of seeing Farmer Torwood ride by to market had a bad effect. It was the Easter holidays, and both boys were at home; always trying to be toge

tching for him at the same time, when, to my surprise, I saw, coming over the fields from the park, a lady with a quick, timid, yet wearied step

e out-"You haven't come to say there's a

now; but I wanted to tell you,

and make her rest; but she would only sit down on the st

dreadful scarlet f

keep Trevorsham away," I said, wondering she had come all this

I walked back to Spinney Lawn with them. But," as I began to thank her,

ew

ew it qu

oing it on

wrong; but I can't help thinking it. I had told her only yesterday how bad the fever was in that st

was past seven years old. They always have said that the first illness would go to his head and carry him off. And when people do wish things very much-" And then she grew frightened at herself, and began blaming herself for the horrible fancy, but saying it haunted her

ve the boy still in the woman's power, to which she answered that she had walked them back to Spinney Law

him off from that, by a promise of getting one from an old fisherman whom she knew. So there was not much fe

ked four miles, and she must get back as fast as she c

ost that timid thing to ven

nd when I entreated her to wait till I could get the gig to drive her part of the way, she held me fast, and insisted, with all the terror o

o bad, when nothing wo

d too ill; he can't care for

hat she disclaimed the least possibility of his affection continuing, and felt it an outrage o

ng home my boy; but in the midst of my perplexity and her struggle with her tears, who should appear on the scene

me! Emily came to warn us!" the accusation began to seem so monstrous and horrible that I could not go on with it before Emily. She too, perhaps, found it harder to utter to a man than to a woman, and between the strangeness of speaking to one another again, and her shyness and his

, I believe all they both wanted was to get out of my way; but they pacified me by Fulk's undertaking, if Emily did not object to the cart, to drive her acro

poor Mr. Dayman had told him, whereas she, poor child, only knew that he had been

vehicle Fulk now regards as a heavenly

us were real; and so, when the crash really came, and she told the poor girl with floods of tears that it was impossible, and a thing not to be thought of, for a right-minded woman to unite herself to a man of such birth. And poor Emily, with the conscious ignorance of eighteen, believed, and was the sort of gentle creature who could easily be daunted by the ter

nd, and obedience to abused filial co

cientious struggle and self-denying submission, and besides grew older and had more experience; while Mrs. Deerhurst, no doubt

would not have been persuaded to ignore. But coming home, two years later, and meeting my cold eyes and Fulk's ceremonious bow, and hearing on all parts th

more and more of the veil she had tried to keep over her eyes; and as her youngest sister grew up into bloom, and into the wish for society, E

again, and Emily's foremost defence against him, her blushing objectio

ed who Francis Dayman was, or where he came from. Henceforth Emily's shame at the usage of Fulk had been double-or rather it turned into indignation. Reports that he was to marry a rich

jection to the man's own face. So Mrs. Deerhurst encouraged him, and trusted to London reports of the grazi

how did

nse in Miss Deerhurst to have bothered about scarlet fever, Hester herself had said

armer Torwood. She meant to tell her mother thus much, that she had seen him, and that they loved each other as much as ever; and as Mrs. Deerhurst had waived the objection to Dayman, it could not hold in the other case. It would be, in fact, a tacit compact-scarc

h bliss he could not quite scorn it, but he did not, could not believe in it as we did. It was culpable carelessness in Hester, but colonial people had been used