A Strange World: A Novel. Volume 1 (of 3)Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth)
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A Strange World: A Novel. Volume 1 (of 3)
Braddon, M. E. (Mary Elizabeth)
English fiction -- 19th century
'Not a bit of it, sir. It came to our knowledge, somehow, that the
Squire wanted Mr. George to marry her, and had some reason to believe
that the young lady would say "yes," if he asked her. But Mr. George
didn't like her. She wasn't his style, he said; at which the Squire
was desperately angry. "Join Penwyn and Morgrave, and you'll have the
finest estate in the county," he said, "an estate fit for a nobleman. A
finer property than the Penwyns owned in the days of James the First."
Mr. George wouldn't listen. "I see what it is," the Squire cried, in
a rage, "you want to disgrace me by some low marriage, to marry a
shopkeeper's daughter, like your brother Balfour. But, by heavens! if
you do, I'll alter my will, and leave the estate away from my race!
It didn't matter so much in Balfour's case, neither he nor his are
ever likely to be masters here, but I won't stand rebellion from you!
I won't have a pack of kennel-born mongrels rioting here when I'm
mouldering in my grave!"'
'What a sweet old gentleman!'
'Mr. George swore that he had no thought of making a low marriage, no
thought of marrying at all yet awhile. He was happy enough as he was,
he said, but he wouldn't marry a woman he didn't like, even to please
his father. So they went on pretty quietly together for a little while
after this, the Squire grumpy, but not saying much. And then Mr. George
went up to London, and from there he went to join his regiment in
Ireland, where they were stationed after they came from India, and he
was about at different places for two or three years, during which time
Miss Morgrave got married to a nobleman, much to the Squire's vexation.
But I'm afraid I'm tiring you, sir, with such a long story.'
'Not at all. I like to hear it.'
'Well, Mr. George came back one summer. He was home on leave for a
little while before he went on foreign service, and he and the Squire
were pretty friendly again. It was a very hot summer, and Mr. George
used to spend most of his time out of doors, fishing or idling away
the days somehow. The Squire had a bad attack of gout that year, and
was kept pretty close in his room. You couldn't expect a young man to
sit indoors all day, of course, but I've often wondered what Master
George could find to amuse him among these solitary hills of ours, or
down among the rocks by the sea. He stayed all through the summer,
however, and seemed happy enough, and at the beginning of the winter
he went away to join his regiment, which was ordered off to Canada. I
was thankful to remember afterwards that he and the Squire parted good
friends.'
'Why?' asked Maurice.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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