E-text prepared by Suzanne Lybarger, Mary Meehan, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) THE DUCHESS OF WREXE Her Decline and Death A Romantic Commentary by HUGH WALPOLE Author of "Fortitude," etc. New York George H. Doran Company Copyright, 1914, By George H. Doran Company TO MY MOTHER A SMALL EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE BEYOND WORDS "And we'll have fires out of the Grand Duke's Wood." _Letter to Maria Gisborne_ THE RISING CITY: I THE DUCHESS OF WREXE _NOTE: This is an age of Trilogies and Sequels. The title at the beginning of this book, "The Rising City: I," may lead nervous readers to fear yet another attempt in that extended and discursive direction_. _To reassure them I wish to emphasize this point--that_ The Duchess of Wrexe _is entirely a novel complete and independent in itself. It is grouped, with the two stories that will follow it, under the heading of "The Rising City" because the three novels will be connected in place, in idea, and in sequence of time. Also certain of the same characters will appear in all three books. But the novels are not intended as sequels of one another, nor is "The Rising City" a Trilogy.--H. W._ CONTENTS BOOK I: THE DUCHESS I Felix Brun, Dr. Christopher, Rachel Beaminster--They Are Surveyed by the Portrait II Rachel III Lady Adela IV The Pool V She Comes Out VI Fans VII In the Heart of the House VIII The Tiger IX The Golden Cage X Lizzie and Breton XI Her Grace's Day XII Defiance of the Tiger--I XIII Defiance of the Tiger--II BOOK II: RACHEL I The Pool and the Snow II A Little House III First Sequel to Defiance IV Rachel--and Christopher and Roddy V Lizzie's Journey--I VI All the Beaminsters VII Rachel and Breton VIII Christopher's Day IX The Darkest Hour X Lizzie's Journey--II XI Roddy Is Master XII Lizzie's Journey--III BOOK III: RODDY I Regent's Park--Breton and Lizzie II The Duchess Moves III Roddy Moves IV March 13th: Breton's Tiger V March 13th: Rachel's Heart VI March 13th: Roddy Talks to the Devil and the Duchess Denies God VII Chamber Music--A Trio VIII A Quartette IX Rachel and Roddy X Lizzie Becomes Miss Rand Again XI The Last View from High Windows XII Rachel, Roddy, Lord John, Christopher XIII Epilogue--Prologue BOOK I THE DUCHESS CHAPTER I FELIX BRUN, DR. CHRISTOPHER, RACHEL BEAMINSTER--THEY ARE SURVEYED BY THE PORTRAIT. I