Elster's Folly, Mrs. Henry Wood [ebook reader with built in dictionary .txt] 📗
- Author: Mrs. Henry Wood
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The Rain Excepted, It Was A Fair Vision That He Looked Out Upon. The Room
Faced The Back Of The House, And Beyond The Lovely Grounds Green Slopes
Extended To The River, Tolerably Wide Here, Winding Peacefully In Its
Course. The Distant Landscape Was Almost Like A Scene From Fairyland.
The Restless Dowager--In A Nondescript Head-Dress This Morning, Adorned
With An Upright Tuft Of Red Feathers And Voluminous Skirts Of Brown Net,
A Jacket And Flounces To Match--Betook Herself To The Side Of Lord
Hartledon.
"Where D'you Get The Boats?" She Asked.
"They Are Kept Lower Down, At The Boat-House," He Replied, Puffing At His
Cigar. "You Can't See It From Here; It's Beyond Dr. Ashton's; Lots Of
'Em; Any Number To Be Had For The Hiring. Talking Of Dr. Ashton, They
Will Dine Here To-Day, Ma'am."
"Who Will?" Asked Lady Kirton.
"The Doctor, Mrs. Ashton--If She's Well Enough--And Miss Ashton."
"Who Are They, My Dear Nephew?"
"Why, Don't You Know? Dr. Ashton Preached To You Yesterday. He Is Rector
Of Calne; You Must Have Heard Of Dr. Ashton. They Will Be Calling This
Morning, I Expect."
"And You Have Invited Them To Dinner! Well, One Must Do The Civil To This
Sort Of People."
Lord Hartledon Burst Into A Laugh. "You Won't Say 'This Sort Of People'
When You See The Ashtons, Lady Kirton. They Are Quite As Good As We Are.
Dr. Ashton Has Refused A Bishopric, And Anne Is The Sweetest Girl Ever
Created."
Lady Maude, Who Was Drawing, And Exchanging A Desultory Sentence Once In
A Way With Val, Suddenly Looked Up. Her Colour Had Heightened, Though It
Was Brilliant At All Times.
"Are You Speaking Of My Maid?" She Said--And It Might Be That She Had Not
Attended To The Conversation, And Asked In Ignorance, Not In Scorn. "Her
Name Is Anne."
"I Was Speaking Of Anne Ashton," Said Lord Hartledon.
"Allow Me To Beg Anne Ashton's Pardon," Returned Lady Maude; Her Tone
This Time Unmistakably Mocking. "Anne Is So Common A Name Amongst
Servants."
"I Don't Care Whether It Is Common Amongst Servants Or Uncommon," Spoke
Lord Hartledon Rather Hotly, As Though He Would Resent The Covert Sneer.
"It Is Anne Ashton's; And I Love The Name For Her Sake. But I Think It
A Pretty Name; And Should, If She Did Not Bear It; Prettier Than Yours,
Maude."
"And Pray Who _Is_ Anne Ashton?" Demanded The Countess-Dowager, With As
Much Hauteur As So Queer An Old Figure And Face Could Put On, Whilst
Maude Bent Over Her Employment With White Lips.
"She Is Dr. Ashton's Daughter," Spoke Lord Hartledon, Shortly. "My
Father Valued Him Above All Men. He Loved Anne Too--Loved Her Dearly;
And--Though I Don't Know Whether It Is Quite Fair To Anne To Let This
Out--The Probable Future Connection Between The Families Was Most Welcome
To Him. Next To My Father, We Boys Reverenced The Doctor; He Was Our
Tutor, In A Measure, When We Were Staying At Hartledon; At Least, Tutor
To Poor George And Val; They Used To Read With Him."
"And You Would Hint At Some Alliance Between You And This Anne Ashton!"
Cried The Countess-Dowager, In A Fume; For She Thought She Saw A Fear
That The Great Prize Might Slip Through Her Fingers. "What Sort Of An
Alliance, I Should Like To Ask? Be Careful What You Say, Hartledon; You
May Injure The Young Woman."
"I'll Take Care I Don't Injure Anne Ashton," Returned Lord Hartledon,
Enjoying Her Temper. "As To An Alliance With Her--My Earnest Wish Is, As
It Was My Father's, That Time May Bring It About. Val There Knows I Wish
It."
Val Glanced At His Brother By Way Of Answer. He Had Taken No Part In The
Discussion; His Slight Lips Were Drawn Down, As He Balanced A Pair Of
Scissors On His Forefinger, And He Looked Less Good-Tempered Than Usual.
"Has She Red Hair And Sky-Blue Eyes, And A Doll's Face? Does She Sit In
The Pew Under The Reading-Desk With Three Other Dolls?" Asked The Foaming
Dowager.
Lord Hartledon Turned And Stared At The Speaker In Wonder--What Could Be
So Exciting Her?
"She Has Soft Brown Hair And Eyes, And A Sweet Gentle Face; She Is A
Graceful, Elegant, Attractive Girl," Said He, Curtly. "She Sat Alone
Yesterday; For Arthur Was In Another Part Of The Church, And Mrs. Ashton
Was Not There. Mrs. Ashton Is Not In Good Health, She Tells Me, And
Cannot Always Come. The Rector's Pew Is The One With Green Curtains."
"Oh, _That_ Vulgar-Looking Girl!" Exclaimed Maude, Her Unjust Words--And
She Knew Them To Be Unjust--Trembling On Her Lips. "The Grand Sultan
Might Exalt Her To Be His Chief Wife, But He Could Never Make A Lady Of
Her, Or Get Her To Look Like One."
"Be Quiet, Maude," Cried The Countess-Dowager, Who, With All Her Own
Mistakes, Had The Sense To See That This Sort Of Disparagement Would Only
Recoil Upon Them With Interest, And Who Did Not Like The Expression Of
Lord Hartledon's Face. "You Talk As If You Had Seen This Mrs. Ashton,
Hartledon, Since Your Return."
"I Should Not Be Many Hours At Hartledon Without Seeing Mrs. Ashton," He
Answered. "That's Where I Was Yesterday Afternoon, Ma'am, When You Were
So Kindly Anxious In Your Inquiries As To What Had Become Of Me. I Dare
Say I Was Absent An Unconscionable Time. I Never Know How It Passes, Once
I Am With Anne."
"We Represent Love As Blind, You Know," Spoke Maude, In Her Desperation,
Unable To Steady Her Pallid Lips. "You Apparently Do Not See It, Lord
Hartledon, But The Young Woman Is The Very Essence Of Vulgarity."
A Pause Followed The Speech. The Countess-Dowager Turned Towards Her
Daughter In A Blazing Rage, And Val Elster Quitted The Room.
"Maude," Said Lord Hartledon, "I Am Sorry To Tell You That You Have Put
Your Foot In It."
"Thank You," Panted Lady Maude, In Her Agitation. "For Giving My Opinion
Of Your Anne Ashton?"
"Precisely. You Have Driven Val Away In Suppressed Indignation."
"Is Val Of The Anne Ashton Faction, That The Truth Should Tell Upon Him,
As Well As Upon You?" She Returned, Striving To Maintain An Assumption Of
Sarcastic Coldness.
"It Is Upon Him That The Words Will Tell. Anne Is Engaged To Him."
"Is It True? Is Val Really Engaged To Her?" Cried The Countess-Dowager In
An Ecstacy Of Relief, Lifting Her Snub Nose And Painted Cheeks, Whilst A
Glad Light Came Into Maude's Eyes Again. "I Did Hear He Was Engaged To
Some Girl; But Such Reports Of Younger Sons Go For Nothing."
"Val Was Engaged To Her Before He Went Abroad. Whether He Will Get Her Or
Not, Is Another Thing."
"To Hear You Talk, Hartledon, One Might Have Supposed You Cared For The
Girl Yourself," Cried Lady Kirton; But Her Brow Was Smooth Again, And Her
Tone Soft As Honey. "You Should Be More Cautious."
"Cautious! Why So? I Love And Respect Anne Beyond Any Girl On Earth. But
That Val Hastened To Make Hay When The Sun Shone, Whilst I Fell Asleep
Under The Hedge, I Don't Know But I Might Have Proposed To Her Myself,"
He Added, With A Laugh. "However, It Shall Not Be My Fault If Val Does
Not Win Her."
The Countess-Dowager Said No More. She Was Worldly-Wise In Her Way, And
Thought It Best To Leave Well Alone. Sailing Out Of The Room She Left
Them Alone Together: As She Was Fond Of Doing.
"Is It Not Rather--Rather Beneath An Elster To Marry An Obscure Country
Clergyman's Daughter?" Began Lady Maude, A Strange Bitterness Filling Her
Heart.
"I Tell You, Maude, The Ashtons Are Our Equals In All Ways. He Is A Proud
Old Doctor Of Divinity--Not Old, However--Of Irreproachable Family And
Large Private Fortune."
"You Spoke Of Him As A Tutor?"
"A Tutor! Oh, I Said He Was In A Measure Our Tutor When We Were Young. I
Meant In Training Us--In Training Us To Good; And He Allowed George And
Val To Read With Him, And Directed Their Studies: All For Love, And Out
Of The Friendship He And My Father Bore Each Other. Dr. Ashton A Paid
Tutor!" Ejaculated Lord Hartledon, Laughing At The Notion. "Dr. Ashton An
Obscure Country Clergyman! And Even If He Were, Who Is Val, That He
Should Set Himself Up?"
"He Is The Honourable Val Elster."
"Very Honourable! Val Is An Unlucky Dog Of A Spendthrift; That's What Val
Is. See How Many Times He Has Been Set Up On His Legs!--And Has Always
Come Down Again. He Had That Place In The Government My Father Got Him.
He Was Attache In Paris; Subsequently In Vienna; He Has Had Ever So Many
Chances, And Drops Through All. One Can't Help Loving Val; He Is An
Attractive, Sweet-Tempered, Good-Natured Fellow; But He Was Certainly
Born Under An Unlucky Star. Elster's Folly!"
"Val Will Drop Through More Chances Yet," Remarked Lady Maude. "I Pity
Miss Ashton, If She Means To Wait For Him."
"Means To! She Loves Him Passionately--Devotedly. She Would Wait For Him
All Her Life, And Think It Happiness Only To See Him Once In A Way."
"As An Astronomer Looks At A Star Through A Telescope," Laughed Maude;
"And Val Is Not Worth The Devotion."
"Val Is Not A Bad Fellow In The Main; Quite The Contrary, Maude. Of
Course We All Know His Besetting Sin--Irresolution. A Child Might Sway
Him, Either For Good Or Ill. The Very Best Thing That Could Happen To Val
Would Be His Marriage With Anne. She Is Sensible And Judicious; And I
Think Val Could Not Fail To Keep Straight Under Her Influence. If Dr.
Ashton Could Only Be Brought To See The Matter In This Light!"
"Can He Not?"
"He Thinks--And I Don't Say He Has Not Reason--That Val Should Show
Some Proof Of Stability Before His Marriage, Instead Of Waiting Until
After It. The Doctor Has Not Gone To The Extent Of Parting Them, Or Of
Suspending The Engagement; But He Is Prepared To Be Strict And Exacting
As To Mr. Val's Line Of Conduct; And I Fancy The Suspicion That It Would
Be So Has Kept Val Away From Calne."
"What Will Be Done?"
"I Hardly Know. Val Does Not Make A Confidant Of Me, And I Can't Get To
The Bottom Of How He Is Situated. Debts I Am Sure He Has; But Whether--"
"Val Always Had Plenty Of Those," Interrupted Maude.
"True. When My Father Died, Three Parts Of Val's Inheritance Went To Pay
Off Debts Nobody Knew He Had Contracted. The Worst Is, He Glides Into
These Difficulties Unwittingly, Led And Swayed By Others. We Don't Say
Elster's Sin, Or Elster's Crimes; We Say Elster's Folly. I Don't Believe
Val Ever In His Life Did A Bad Thing Of Deliberate Intention. Designing
People Get Hold Of Him--Fast Fellows Who Are Going Headlong Down-Hill
Themselves--And Val, Unable To Say 'No,' Is Drawn Here And Drawn There,
And Tumbles With Them Into A Quagmire, And Perhaps Has To Pay His
Friends' Costs, As Well As His Own, Before He Can Get Out Of It. Do You
Believe In Luck, Maude?"
"In Luck?" Answered Maude, Raising Her Eyes At The Abrupt Question. "I
Don't Know."
"I Believe In It. I Believe That Some Are Born Under A Lucky Star, And
Others Under An Unlucky One. Val Is One Of The Latter. He Is Always
Unlucky. Set Him Up, And Down He Comes Again. I Don't Think I Ever Knew
Val Lucky In My Life. Look At His Nearly Blowing His Arm Off That Time In
Scotland! You Will Laugh At Me, I Dare Say; But A Thought Crosses Me At
Odd Moments That His Ill-Luck Will Prevail Still, In The Matter Of Miss
Ashton. Not If I Can Help It, However; I'll Do My Best, For Anne's Sake."
"You Seem To Think Very Much Of Her Yourself," Cried Lady Maude, Her
Cheeks Crimsoning With An Angry Flush.
"I Do--As Val's Future Wife. I Love Anne Ashton Better Than Any One
Else In The World. We All Loved Her. So Would You If You Knew Her. In
My Mother's Last Illness Anne Was A Greater Comfort To Her Than Laura."
"Should You Ever Think Of A Wife On Your Own Score, She May Not Like This
Warm Praise Of Miss Anne Ashton," Said Lady Maude, Assiduously Drawing,
Her Hot Face Bent Down To Within An Inch Of The Cardboard.
"Not Like It? She Wouldn't Be Such An Idiot, I Hope, As To Dislike It. Is
Not Anne Going To Be My Brother's Wife? Did You Suppose I Spoke Of Anne
In That Way?--You Must Have Been Dreaming, Maude."
Maude Hoped She Had Been. The Young Man Took His Cigar From His Mouth,
Ran A Penknife Through The End, And Began Smoking Again.
"That Time Is Far Enough Off, Maude. _I_ Am Not Going To Tie Myself Up
With A Wife, Or To Think Of One Either, For Many A Long Year To Come."
Her Heart Beat With A Painful Throbbing. "Why Not?"
"No
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