"I cannot say," replied Mrs. Wilson, musing, "yet it is odd, Chatterton
told me of his acquaintance with Lady Harriet Denbigh, but not with the
Duke."
As this was spoken in the manner of a soliloquy, it received no answer,
and was in fact but little attended to by any of the party, excepting
Emily, who glanced her eye once or twice at her aunt as she was
speaking, with an interest the name of Denbigh never failed to excite.
Harriet was, she thought, a pretty name, but Marian was a prettier; if,
thought Emily, I could know a Marian Denbigh, I am sure I could love
her, and her name too.
The Moseleys now began to make their preparations for their departure to
L----, and the end of the succeeding week was fixed for the period at
which they were to go. Mrs. Wilson urged a delay of two or three days,
in order to give her an opportunity of meeting with the Earl of
Pendennyss, a young man in whom, although she had relinquished her
former romantic wish of uniting him to Emily, in favor of Denbigh, she
yet felt a deep interest, growing out of his connexion with the last
moments of her husband, and his uniformly high character.
Sir Edward accordingly acquainted his uncle, that on the following
Saturday he might expect to receive himself and family, intending to
leave the hall in the afternoon of the preceding day, and reach Benfield
lodge to dinner. This arrangement once made, and Mr. Benfield notified
of it, was unalterable, the old man holding a variation from an
engagement a deadly sin. The week succeeding the accident which had
nearly proved so fatal to Denbigh, the inhabitants of the hall were
surprised with the approach of a being, as singular in his manners and
dress as the equipage which conveyed him to the door of the house. The
latter consisted of a high-backed, old-fashioned sulky, loaded with
leather and large-headed brass nails; wheels at least a quarter larger
in circumference than those of the present day, and wings on each side
large enough to have supported a full grown roc in the highest regions
of the upper air. It was drawn by a horse, once white, but whose milky
hue was tarnished through age with large and numerous red spots, and
whose mane and tail did not appear to have suffered by the shears during
the present reign. The being who alighted from this antiquated vehicle
was tall and excessively thin, wore his own hair drawn over his almost
naked head into a long thin queue, which reached half way down his back,
closely cased in numerous windings of leather, or the skin of some fish.
His drab coat was in shape between a frock and a close-body--close-body,
indeed, it was; for the buttons, which were in size about equal to an
old-fashioned China saucer, were buttoned to the very throat, thereby
setting off his shape to peculiar advantage; his breeches were buckskin,
and much soiled; his stockings blue yarn, although it was midsummer; and
his shoes were provided with buckles of dimensions proportionate to the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account