Vellenaux A Novel, Edmund William Edmund William [reading a book .TXT] 📗

In No Way

Connected With Our Story,  It Would Be Needless To Particularize Them.

 

On The Vessel Reaching Her Destination,  The Gallant Captain Mastered Up

Courage,  And Boldly And In a Straightforward Manner,  Asked Mrs.

Grenville To Become His Wife. The Lady Listened To Him With Polite

Attention,  And Said In Reply:

 

"Captain Hanstein,  I Should Be Very Sorry If Any Act Of Mine Has Led You

To Believe That I Looked Upon You In any Other Light Than That Of A

Friend,  From Whom I Have Received Many Acts Of Kindness. I Regret To

Pain You By A Refusal,  But It Must Be So,  For I Now Tell You In Strict

Confidence That I Am Engaged To Sir Lexicon Chutny." Then With A Smile

And A Graceful Bend Of The Head,  She Left The Bewildered Captain To His

Own Reflections; And Shortly After,  Attended By Sir Lexicon,  Quitted The

Ship.

 

After A Sufficient Time For Procuring All The Necessary Paraphernalia

Considered Indispensable On Such Occasions Had Elapsed,  The Marriage Was

Celebrated In The Cathedral At Madras,  And The Ambitious Views Of The

Mercenary Woman Were At Length Realized. "She Could" She Thought "Play

The Great Lady In Pallamcotta,  And Somewhat Astonish The Good Folks At

The Capital By The Brilliancy Of Her Entertainments Periodically,  For

Sir Lexicon,  Although Self-Indulgent,  Was By No Means Of A Miserly Turn,

And Would,  For A Time At Least,  Feel A Certain Pleasure At The

Admiration That Would Be Excited By The Splendour Of Her Ladyship'S

Assemblies."

 

Their Stay At The Capital,  On This Occasion,  Was But Of Short Duration,

As Sir Lexicon Was Anxious To Return To Pallamcotta To Finally Arrange

The Business That Had Taken Him To Hamburg. To This Arrangement Her

Ladyship Made No Objection,  It Suited Her Views Exactly; Her Idea Was,

That Her Advent In India Should Become Known To The Gay And Fashionable

Butterflies Of The Presidency As Quietly And Gradually As Might Be. It

Was Necessary That They Should Be Aware There Was Such A Person As Lady

Chutny In existence; But For The Present She Would Be Heard Of Only And

Not Seen,  So That When She Appeared Among Them And Threw Open Her

Splendid Rooms For Balls And Other Entertainments It Would Be Considered

A Matter Of Course,  A Thing To Be Expected From The Wife Of So Wealthy A

Man As Sir Lexicon Was Reputed To Be. Her Ladyship'S Theory Was The

Correct One,  For By Acting In This Manner She Would Be Relieved From The

Hubbub And Cry Of "Who Is She?" And "Where Does She Come From?" That

Would Consequently Follow,  Should She At Once Rush Into The Vortex Of

Fashionable Life. She Had No Intention Of Burying Herself At

Pallamcotta,  Now That She Had Attained The Position For Which She Had

Risked So Much. She Had Played Her Cards Boldly And Unscrupulously,  And,

During The Shuffle Had Twice Nearly Come To Ruin; But She Had Now,  She

Believed,  Won The Odd Trick That Would Secure Her The Game,  And She

Resolutely Determined To Hold On To The Stakes Thus Acquired. From The

Retrospect Of Her Past Life She Turned Herself Steadfastly Away,  And

Looked Only Into The Brilliant Future,  Which She Fancied Was Opening

Before Her. What Was There To Fear? There Was No One In India Who Could

Recognize Her,  Or Knew Anything Of Her Antecedents. Edith And Arthur Had

Returned To England; Restitution Had Been Made And Justice Done Them By

The Unlooked For Death Of Sir Ralph Coleman. He Was The Chief Culprit;

She Merely An Accessory,  Acting Under His Direction And Guidance; And,

Now That She Had Placed Oceans Between Her And The Scene Of Their Crime,

Nothing,  She Argued,  Could Transpire To Mar Her Triumph,  And,  Laying

This Flattering Unction To Her Soul,  Her Ladyship Prepared For Her

Journey With A Buoyancy Of Spirit That Astonished Even Herself.

 

Lady Chutny Found The Establishment At Pallamcotta Very Different From

What She Had Anticipated. So Unlike The Bungalows Of Rich Civilians At

The Capital,  Where All Was Order And Quiet,  And The Gardens Well Kept.

Here Everything Was Slovenly And In confusion,  Only A Small Quantity Of

The Furniture That Had Lately Arrived From Madras Had Been Unpacked,  And

This Was Strewn About The Drawing-Room And Sleeping Apartments Without

The Least Attempt At Arrangement. The Bungalow Had Been Originally A

Very Handsome One,  But From Indolence And Carelessness Had Been Allowed

To Fall Into A Partially Dilapidated State. The Only Covering To The

Floors Of The Large,  Handsome Apartments Was The Common Matting Of The

Country. The Same Was The Case In The Broad And Spacious Verandahs,  Up

To Which The Rank Vegetation Of The Compound--For Garden There Was

None--Spread Their Creeping Fibres In Wild Luxuriance. But Her Ladyship

Offered No Ungracious Remark On The State Of Things,  But Simply

Requested Her Husband To Summon The Whole Of The Servants And,  In Her

Presence,  Inform Them That She Was Their Mistress,  And To Be Obeyed In

Everything,  Without Remark Or Hesitation. This Was Done,  And In

Forty-Eight Hours She Had Completely Revolutionized The Whole

Establishment.

 

Fifty Of The Plantation Hands Were Employed In clearing Up The Compound,

Forming A Garden And A Lawn,  While The Edges Of The Verandah Were Lined

With Pots Of The Most Magnificent Plants And Fragrant Flowers That Could

Be Obtained,  And Before She Had Been In Her New Home One Week,

Everything Was In complete Order.

 

She Had Heard It Reported Previous To Her Leaving The Capital That Sir

Lexicon Had Several Native Mistresses At His Different Plantations,  And

By Her Ayah Or Lady'S Maid,  A Madrasse Who Could Speak English,  These

Stories Were Confirmed,  And She Determined To Govern Herself

Accordingly,  Fully Believing That Her Husband Would Have The Good Sense

To Remove Any Such Persons As Might Be At The Bungalow In Pallamcotta

Before Her Arrival. Caring Nothing Personally For Sir Lexicon,  It Gave

Her Little Or No Concern Whether He Chose To Keep Native Ladies At The

Other Plantations Or Not,  But She Certainly Did Not Intend That Any Of

Them Should Reside Under The Same Roof With Herself,  Therefore She Was

Much Annoyed And Disgusted To Find That Her Husband Had Not Thought It

Necessary To Give Any Orders Concerning Their Removal,  And She Had Only

Been A Few Days At Pallamcotta,  When She Learned That There Were Three

Circassian Beauties Sumptuously Cared For And Absolutely Residing In

Apartments Fitted Up For Them; Though Not Actually In The Bungalow,  They

Communicated With It By Means Of A Short Covered Way Leading From The

Back Drawing-Room.

 

Taking Advantage Of Sir Lexicon'S Absence Shortly After,  She Sent For

The Head Servant,  Who Dared Not Disobey Her Orders,  And Desired Him To

Have The Ladies Turned Out Of Their Quarters And Expelled From The

Premises,  And Their Rooms Put To Another Use.

 

This Was Accordingly Done And They Were Afforded Shelter And Protection

At The House Of The Overseer Of The Plantation,  But At Some Distance

From The Bungalow.

 

The History Of These Circassian Girls Was Anything But An Uncommon One

In Many Parts Of The Country Thirty Or Forty Years Ago.

 

Their Father,  A Horse-Dealer,  Had Been Lured By The Glowing Accounts Of

The Fortunes That Were To Be Made At The Different Presidencies Of

India,  By A Traffic In Horses,  And He Determined To Test The Truth Of

The Reports,  And,  If Possible,  To Enrich Himself By Means Of His

Beautiful Steeds,  Of Which He Had Several; But This Proved A Ruinous

Speculation,  For Ere He Reached Bombay He Lost Two Of The Most Valuable,

And Being Totally Unacquainted With The Tricks And Chicanaries So

Frequently Resorted To By Europeans And Others In The Racing Stables And

On The Turf,  He Fell An Easy Prey To Some Of The Sharpers That Usually

Infest The Race Course,  So That By The End Of The Season He Had Not Only

Lost Every Horse That He Brought With Him,  But Likewise Every Rupee He

Possessed. There Were Few Of His Countrymen On The Island,  And They

Either Could Not Or Would Not Assist Him To Return To Circassia. He Had

Brought With Him,  To See The Wonders Of The Chief Cities Of The Three

Presidencies,  His Wife And Three Daughters,  The Eldest Only Seventeen,

The Youngest About Fourteen. In His Extremity He Turned To The Old

Eastern Custom,  Still Prevalent,  That Of Selling His Children; He Had

Applied To Several European And Native Gentlemen,  With Whom He Had

Become Acquainted On The Turf,  But Without Success. At Length He Fell In

With Sir Lexicon Chutny,  To Whom He Had Lost Large Sums Of Money During

That Gentleman'S Visit To The Island. Here He Found No Difficulty,  Sir

Lexicon Having Seen The Beauty Of The Girls,  And Being Assured By Them

That,  Under The Circumstances,  They Did Not Object To The Transaction.

He Used This Precaution,  Well Knowing,  Although They Did Not,  That He

Could Not Hold Them To Their Bargain One Moment After The Purchase Money

Was Paid,  Should They Claim The Protection Of The Police Authorities;

Besides,  The Poor Girls Had Heard Of Similar Cases To Their Own,  In

Their Far Distant Home,  And Thought It Must Be So Elsewhere. So The

Arrangement Was Quickly Completed,  The Horse Dealer And His Wife Having

Accepted The Twenty-Four Hundred Rupees,  The Price Agreed Upon For Their

Children,  Departed Homeward. Nor Did Sir Lexicon Delay An Hour Longer

Than Was Actually Necessary In The Presidency Of Bombay,  But Hastened

With All Speed Towards His Estate At Pallamcotta,  In Madras,  Taking His

Fair Bargains With Him.

 

Here They Dwelt In Perfect Harmony,  Their Lives Embittered By No Petty

Jealousies,  And Wonderfully Attentive To Their Lord And Master,  Over

Whom They Possessed Considerable Influence When They Chose To Exert It.

There Was Not A Servant On The Plantation But Would Have Been Discharged

Had They Dared To Disobey Any Orders Given By Either,  Whether Their

Master Was At Home Or Abroad. For Nearly Four Years This State Of Things

Had Existed,  When Lady Chutny'S Arrival Totally Altered The Aspect Of

Everything,  And Created Quite A Hurricane Of Passion In The Hitherto

Quiet Household,  By Driving The Favorites Forth With Flashing Eyes,

Hatred In Their Hearts,  And Thirsting For Vengeance On Their Hated

Rival.

 

Lady Chutny Had Resided At Pallamcotta Some Six Or Seven Weeks,  And

Began To Think That The Term Of Her Probation Had Lasted Quite Long

Enough For The Purpose For Which She Had Immured Herself In The Country,

And At Length Determined To Visit The Capital. Her Husband Had

Successfully,  Though Unwittingly,  Paved The Way For Her Reception Among

The _Cream De La Cream_ Of Society; Being A Man Of Wealth,  And Likewise

A Sporting Character,  He Had The Privilege Of The Entree To Many Of The

Best Houses In The City,  And Was Always Hand And Glove With Most Of The

Staff And Other Officers,  Both Military And Naval,  Who Were Glad To

Welcome Him At Their Mess-Room Or Club-Houses. Like A Child With A New

Doll,  He Was Proud Of His Handsome Wife,  And Could Not Refrain From

Dropping A Word Here And There Concerning Her. The Old Bungalow Had,

Under Her Direction,  Been Restored To Its Ancient Splendour. It Was Her

Ladyship'S Intention To Come Up To Town Shortly,  And Give A Series Of

Balls And Receptions,  When She Would Be Much Pleased To Receive His

Friends; And By This Means Lady Chutny'S Advent Among The Big Bugs At

Madras,  Was Quietly Heralded Without The Slightest Effort Or Ostentation

On Her Part.

 

 

 

Chapter 19

 

 

The Firm Of Deeds,  Chancery And Deeds,  Of Gray'S Inn Lane,  The

Solicitors Employed By Horace Barton,  On Behalf Of Miss Effingham,  And

Who Had Caused To Be Inserted In The _Times_ Newspaper The Advertisement

Alluded To In a Previous Chapter,  Had Not Long To Wait For The

Information Sought After. For On The Following Morning Mr. Septimus

Jones,  Mr. Crowquill And The Firm Clerk,  Presented Themselves At The

Office In Gray'S Inn Lane. The Rough Draft Was Produced,  And The Will Of

The Late Sir Jasper Coleman,  Brought To London By Arthur Carlton,  And

Now In The Hands Of The Gray'S Inn Lawyers,  Compared With It,  And After

Careful Scrutiny