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
The Lady Castlewood's mind was greatly relieved in the last few days of
this well-remembered holiday time, by my lord's announcing one morning,
after the post had brought him letters from London, in a careless tone,
that the Lord Mohun was gone to Paris, and was about to make a great
journey in Europe; and though Lord Castlewood's own gloom did not wear
off, or his behavior alter, yet this cause of anxiety being removed from
his lady's mind, she began to be more hopeful and easy in her spirits,
striving too, with all her heart, and by all the means of soothing in
her power, to call back my lord's cheerfulness and dissipate his moody
humor.
He accounted for it himself, by saying that he was out of health; that
he wanted to see his physician; that he would go to London, and consult
Doctor Cheyne. It was agreed that his lordship and Harry Esmond should
make the journey as far as London together; and of a Monday morning, the
11th of October, in the year 1700, they set forwards towards London on
horseback. The day before being Sunday, and the rain pouring down, the
family did not visit church; and at night my lord read the service
to his family very finely, and with a peculiar sweetness and
gravity--speaking the parting benediction, Harry thought, as solemn
as ever he heard it. And he kissed and embraced his wife and children
before they went to their own chambers with more fondness than he was
ordinarily wont to show, and with a solemnity and feeling of which they
thought in after days with no small comfort.
They took horse the next morning (after adieux from the family as tender
as on the night previous), lay that night on the road, and entered
London at nightfall; my lord going to the “Trumpet,” in the Cockpit,
Whitehall, a house used by the military in his time as a young man, and
accustomed by his lordship ever since.
An hour after my lord's arrival (which showed that his visit had been
arranged beforehand), my lord's man of business arrived from Gray's Inn;
and thinking that his patron might wish to be private with the lawyer,
Esmond was for leaving them: but my lord said his business was short;
introduced Mr. Esmond particularly to the lawyer, who had been engaged
for the family in the old lord's time; who said that he had paid the
money, as desired that day, to my Lord Mohun himself, at his lodgings in
Bow Street; that his lordship had expressed some surprise, as it was not
customary to employ lawyers, he said, in such transactions between men
of honor; but nevertheless, he had returned my Lord Viscount's note of
hand, which he held at his client's disposition.
“I thought the Lord Mohun had been in Paris!” cried Mr. Esmond, in great
alarm and astonishment.
“He is come back at my invitation,” said my Lord Viscount. “We have
accounts to settle together.”
“I pray heaven they are over, sir,” says Esmond.
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