Godolphin, Volume 1.Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
General
Godolphin, Volume 1.
Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
"Droll enough!" said Saville, languidly, and more than a little
displeased at this generosity to Godolphin from another; for, like all
small-hearted persons, he was jealous; "droll enough! Hem! and you never
knew him but once, and then he abused me! I wonder at that; I was very
obliging to his vulgar son."
"What! he had a son, then?"
"Some two-legged creature of that sort, raw and bony, dropped into London,
like a ptarmigan, wild, and scared out of his wits. Old Johnstone was in
the country, taking care of his wife, who had lost the use of her limbs
ever since she had been married;--caught a violent--husband--the first day
of wedlock! The boy, sole son and heir, came up to town at the age of
discretion; got introduced to me; I patronised him; brought him into a
decent degree of fashion; played a few games at cards with him; won some
money; would not win any more; advised him to leave off; too young to
play; neglected my advice; went on, and, d--n the fellow! if he did not
cut his throat one morning; and the father, to my astonishment, laid the
blame upon me!"
Godolphin stood appalled in speechless disgust. He never loved Saville
from that hour.
"In fact," resumed Saville, carelessly, "he had lost very considerably.
His father was a stern, hard man, and the poor boy was frightened at the
thought of his displeasure. I suppose Monsieur Papa imagined me a sort of
moral ogre, eating up all the little youths that fall in my way! since he
leaves you twenty thousand pounds on condition that you take care of
yourself and shun the castle I live in. Well, well! 'tis all very
flattering! And where will you go? To Spain?"
This story affected Percy sensibly. He regretted deeply that he had not
sought out the bereaved father, and been of some comfort to his later
hours. He appreciated all that warmth of sympathy, that delicacy of
heart, which had made the old man compassionate his young relation's
unfriended lot, and couple his gift with a condition, likely perhaps, to
limit Percy's desires to the independence thus bestowed, and certain to
remove his more tender years from a scene of constant contagion. Thus
melancholy and thoughtful, Godolphin repaired to the house of the now
famous, the now admired Miss Millinger.
Fanny received the good news of his fortune with a smile, and the bad news
of his departure from England with a tear. There are some attachments, of
which we so easily sound the depth, that the one never thinks of exacting
from the other the sacrifices that seemed inevitable to more earnest
affections. Fanny never dreamed of leaving her theatrical career, and
accompanying Godolphin; Godolphin never dreamed of demanding it. These
are the connections of the great world: my good reader, learn the great
world as you look at them!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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