Margaret Capel: A Novel, vol. 1 of 3Wallace, Ellen
General
Margaret Capel: A Novel, vol. 1 of 3
Wallace, Ellen
English fiction -- 19th century
A recollection of his adventures induced Margaret to regard him with
some attention, now that she was able to do so unseen. He would not have
been generally considered handsome. His forehead was remarkably massive,
and his eyes a dark hazel, capable of every variety of expression: he
was, to say the truth, very much sun-burned; and he wore his black hair,
not long, indeed, but turned inwards like a scroll, after the fashion
of some of our early Kings. There was an expression of discontent and
disdain on his face which Margaret thought very disagreeable; but at any
rate he was just as much discontented with himself as he was with other
people, and no doubt with equally good reason.
Mr. Grey came down, and received Margaret with his usual affection, and
seeing Mr. Haveloc walking at a little distance, he called to him, and
bade him come in, saying to Margaret as he returned from the window,
"That young man now, is the only one who reminds me of what they used to
be in my young days. They are quite altered now, my dear; they are much
more selfish and calculating; they don't neglect their own interests so
much, but they neglect other people's feelings a great deal more. There
was some vice certainly; they drank hard, my dear, but they told the
truth, and that is a great blessing. I think when I was young, a man
would be ashamed to tell a falsehood. It could not be done, my dear;
they do it now every day."
Margaret said, "Yes, Sir," to every clause in this speech, and wondered
to herself whether all the young men used to look so gloomy and
distracted as Mr. Haveloc looked when he entered the room. He bowed to
her, and she thought he said "good morning." She returned the
salutation, but not the words; and then he turned to Mr. Grey and
offered to banish his dogs, which had followed him into the room.
"By no means," Mr. Grey said, "he liked animals about him, unless
Margaret was afraid of them."
"Oh, Sir! I am afraid of nothing," said Margaret, smiling at Mr. Grey
under shelter of the urn.
Whether the sentiment, or the delightful voice in which it was uttered,
struck Mr. Haveloc, is uncertain; but he moved his chair with the
intention of gaining a better view of the fair speaker. The urn was,
however, unfavourable to him, and she afforded him little more
opportunity of hearing the sound of her voice during breakfast. As soon
as breakfast was over, Mr. Haveloc asked Mr. Grey how soon it would be
possible for him to call on Mr. Warde. He had yet to learn, he said, how
these things were managed in England.
Mr. Grey was certain that Mr. Warde would be glad to see him at any
time, such an old friend as he was.
Mr. Haveloc asked if Mrs. Somerton and her daughters were staying at the
vicarage?
"No," Mr. Grey said; "they had been on a visit to one of their relations
for some months."
Margaret thought she heard Mr. Haveloc mutter a thanksgiving as he
turned away. He walked to the window and began caressing his dogs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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