Women -- Social conditions -- 19th century -- Fiction
We return to Longfield and to Mrs. Elizabeth Fitzhenry. The glory of
summer invested the world with light, cheerfulness, and beauty, when the
sorrowing sister of Lodore visited London, to receive her orphan niece from
the hands of the friend of Mrs. Greville, under whose protection she had
made the voyage. The good lady folded poor Ethel in her arms, overcome
by the likeness she saw to her beloved brother Henry, in his youthful
days, before passion had worn and misfortune saddened him. Her soft,
brown, lamp-like eyes, beamed with the same sensibility. Yet when she
examined her more closely, Mrs Elizabeth lost somewhat of the likeness;
for the lower part of her face resembled her mother: her hair was
lighter and her complexion much fairer than Lodore; besides that the
expression of her countenance was peculiar to herself, and possessed
that individuality which is so sweet to behold, but impossible to
describe.
They lingered but a few days in London. Fanny Derham, who accompanied
her on her voyage, had already returned to her father, and there was
nothing to detain them from Longfield. Ethel had no adieus to make that
touched her heart. Her aunt was more to her than any other living being,
and her strongest desire now was, to visit the scenes once hallowed by
her father's presence. The future was a chaos of dark regret and
loneliness; her whole life, she thought, would be composed of one long
memory.
One memory, and one fatal image. Ethel had not only consecrated her
heart to her father, but his society was a habit with her, and, until
now, she had never even thought how she could endure existence without
the supporting influence of his affection. His conversation, so full of
a kind penetration into her thoughts, was calculated to develop and
adorn them; his manly sense and paternal solicitude, had all fostered a
filial love, the most tender and strong. Add to this, his sudden and
awful death. Already had they schemed their future life in a world new
to Ethel: he had excited her enthusiasm by descriptions of the wonders
of art in the old countries, and raised her curiosity while promising to
satisfy it; and she had eagerly looked forward to the time when she
should see the magical works of man, and mingle with a system of
society, of which, except by books, he alone presented any ensample to
her. Their voyage was fixed, and on the other side of their watery way
she had figured a very Elysium of wonders and pleasures. The late change
in their mode of life had served to endear him doubly to her. It had
been the occupation of her life to think of her father, to communicate
all her thoughts to him, and in the unreflecting confidence of youth,
she had looked forward to no termination of a state of existence, that
had began from her cradle. He propped her entire world; the foundations
must moulder and crumble away without him--and he was gone--where then
was she?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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