The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., a Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen AnneThackeray, William Makepeace
History
The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., a Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen Anne
Thackeray, William Makepeace
Great Britain -- History -- Anne, 1702-1714 -- Fiction; Historical fiction
Harry Esmond got off the horse to run to his mistress, as did little
Frank, and one of the grooms took charge of the two beasts, while the
other, hat and periwig in hand, walked by my lord's bridle to the front
gate, which lay half a mile away.
“Oh, my boy! what a fright you have given me!” Lady Castlewood said,
when Harry Esmond came up, greeting him with one of her shining looks,
and a voice of tender welcome; and she was so kind as to kiss the young
man ['twas the second time she had so honored him), and she walked into
the house between him and her son, holding a hand of each.
CHAPTER XIV.
WE RIDE AFTER HIM TO LONDON.
After a repose of a couple of days, the Lord Mohun was so far recovered
of his hurt as to be able to announce his departure for the next
morning; when, accordingly, he took leave of Castlewood, proposing to
ride to London by easy stages, and lie two nights upon the road. His
host treated him with a studied and ceremonious courtesy, certainly
different from my lord's usual frank and careless demeanor; but there
was no reason to suppose that the two lords parted otherwise than good
friends, though Harry Esmond remarked that my Lord Viscount only saw
his guest in company with other persons, and seemed to avoid being alone
with him. Nor did he ride any distance with Lord Mohun, as his custom
was with most of his friends, whom he was always eager to welcome and
unwilling to lose; but contented himself, when his lordship's horses
were announced, and their owner appeared, booted for his journey, to
take a courteous leave of the ladies of Castlewood, by following the
Lord Mohun down stairs to his horses, and by bowing and wishing him
a good-day, in the court-yard. “I shall see you in London before very
long, Mohun,” my lord said, with a smile, “when we will settle our
accounts together.”
“Do not let them trouble you, Frank,” said the other good-naturedly, and
holding out his hand, looked rather surprised at the grim and stately
manner in which his host received his parting salutation; and so,
followed by his people, he rode away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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