Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Paula Franzini and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Transcriber's Note: Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=. MITCHELHURST PLACE A Novel BY MARGARET VELEY AUTHOR OF "FOR PERCIVAL" "Que voulez-vous? Hélas! notre mère Nature, Comme toute autre mère, a ses enfants gâtés, Et pour les malvenus elle est avare et dure!" IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. I. London MACMILLAN AND CO. 1884 _The Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved._ Bungay: CLAY AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS. TO BARBARA'S BEST FRIEND _ELFRIDA IONIDES_ HER STORY IS MOST AFFECTIONATELY AND GRATEFULLY INSCRIBED. CONTENTS OF VOL. I. CHAPTER I. PAGE TREASURES DROPPED AND PICKED UP 1 CHAPTER II. AN UNEXPECTED INVITATION 19 CHAPTER III. "WELCOME TO MITCHELHURST PLACE" 48 CHAPTER IV. DINNER AND A LITTLE MUSIC 73 CHAPTER V. AN OLD LOVE STORY 95 CHAPTER VI. REYNOLD'S RESOLUTION 124 CHAPTER VII. A GAME AT CHESS 160 CHAPTER VIII. BARBARA'S TUNE 192 CHAPTER IX. OF MAGIC LANTERNS 209 CHAPTER X. AN AFTER-DINNER DISCUSSION 237 MITCHELHURST PLACE CHAPTER I. TREASURES DROPPED AND PICKED UP. "Dans l'air pâle, émanant ses tranquilles lumières Rayonnait l'astre d'or de l'arrière-saison."