Great Britain -- History -- Civil War, 1642-1649 -- Fiction
Early in the month of November, Dorothy received a letter from Mr.
Herbert, informing her that her cousin, Henry Vaughan, one of his late
twin pupils, would, on his way from Oxford, be passing near Raglan, and
that he had desired him to call upon her. Willing enough to see her
relative, she thought little more of the matter, until at length the day
was at hand, when she found herself looking for his arrival with some
curiosity as to what sort of person he might prove of whom she had heard
so often from his master.
When at length he was ushered into lady Glamorgan's parlour, where her
mistress had desired her to receive him, both her ladyship and Dorothy
were at once prejudiced in his favour. They saw a rather tall young man
of five or six and twenty, with a small head, a clear grey eye, and a
sober yet changeful countenance. His carriage was dignified yet
graceful--self-restraint and no other was evident therein; a certain
sadness brooded like a thin mist above his eyes, but his smile now and
then broke out like the sun through a grey cloud. Dorothy did not know
that he was just getting over the end of a love-story, or that he had a
book of verses just printed, and had already begun to repent it.
After the usual greetings, and when Dorothy had heard the last news of
Mr. Herbert,--for Mr. Vaughan had made several journeys of late between
Brecknock and Oxford, taking Llangattock Rectory in his way, and could
tell her much she did not know concerning her friend,--lady Glamorgan,
who was not sorry to see her interested in a young man whose royalist
predilections were plain and strong, proposed that Dorothy should take
him over the castle.
She led him first to the top of the tower to show him the reservoir and
the prospect; but there they fell into such a talk as revealed to
Dorothy that here was a man who was her master in everything towards
which, especially since her mother's death and her following troubles,
she had most aspired, and a great hope arose in her heart for her cousin
Scudamore. For in this talk it had come out that Mr. Vaughan had studied
medicine, and was now on his way to settle for practice at Brecknock. As
soon as Dorothy learned this, she entreated her cousin Vaughan to go and
visit her cousin Scudamore. He consented, and Dorothy, scarcely allowing
him to pause even under the admirable roof of the great hall as they
passed through, led him straight to the turret-chamber, where the sick
man was.
They found him sitting by the fire, folded in blankets, listless and
sad.
When Dorothy had told him whom she had brought to see him, she would
have left them, but Rowland turned on her such beseeching eyes, that she
remained, by no means unwillingly, and seated herself to hear what this
wonderful young physician would say.
'It is very irksome to be thus prisoned in your chamber, sir Rowland,'
he said.
'No,' answered Scudamore, 'or yes: I care not.'
'Have you no books about you?' asked Mr. Vaughan, glancing round the
room.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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