Lady Maclairn, the victim of villany : $b A novel, volume 1 (of 4) — John Shaqi
Lady Maclairn, the victim of villany : $b A novel, volume 1 (of 4)Hunter, Mrs. (Rachel)
General
Lady Maclairn, the victim of villany : $b A novel, volume 1 (of 4)
Hunter, Mrs. (Rachel)
English fiction
Mr. Cowley, father of Miss Cowley, was, at an early age, left an orphan,
with an ample inheritance in Jamaica, the place of his birth. He was
consigned by the will of his father, who had survived his mother, to the
guardianship of a gentleman who resided in London, and who, in his
commercial concerns, had for a course of years evinced an integrity,
founded on the liberal principles of an enlightened mind and a
cultivated understanding. The care of his estate was left in the hands
of a friend, not less qualified for this more subordinate office. He
lived on the spot; and was enriched by the vigilance and honesty with
which he discharged his duty. His first care after his benefactor’s
decease, was to send the young heir to England, for the purpose of his
improvement; and his London guardian, not only placed him within the
reach of the attainments requisite for his future happiness, but by his
truly parental care and tenderness, gave him the fairest example of the
influence and benefits resulting from a conduct governed by virtue and
solid wisdom. Thus secured on all sides by a gracious Providence, Henry
Cowley lived to reach his twenty-first year; when, by the sudden death
of his benevolent friend, he found himself master of his time, his
fortune, and his amusements. But love had provided an armour of defence
against the seductions of the world; and the difficulties he had to
surmount in attaining the object of his affections, gave to his youthful
ardour pursuits far remote from the dangers of dissipation. To conquer
the reluctance of Mrs. Dawson, the young lady’s mother, to her
daughter’s marrying him, or any other pretender to her favour, was a
trial, not only of his patience and perseverance, but also of her
daughter’s health and spirits; for she had long since given her heart to
young Cowley, and well knew that the only impediment in the way to her
union with the man she loved, was the excessive and fond attachment of
her mother to her society, and the wish of having no competitor for a
heart which she conceived to be made only for herself. The young lady’s
declining spirits, and the arguments urged by her lover, at length
gained a cold consent, to which were annexed conditions that Cowley
cheerfully agreed to. These were principally confined to the young
couple’s residence under her roof, and a promise, never to hazard a
voyage to Jamaica without her concurrence. Satisfied on these essential
points, she hastened the nuptials, in order to expedite her removal with
her daughter to Bristol Hot-Wells, whither she was ordered by her
physician; and entirely regardless of procuring settlements, her
daughter being an only child, the party proceeded from the altar to
their destined abode at Clifton; where health, peace, and gaiety met the
happy pair. Mrs. Dawson’s apprehensions for the life of her beloved
daughter had not long subsided before she became alarmed for herself:
the honey-moon continued longer than her forbearance; she imagined
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