Produced by David Edwards, Dianne Nolan, Louise Setzer and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) THE MODERN STUDENT'S LIBRARY EACH VOLUME EDITED BY A LEADING AMERICAN AUTHORITY This series is composed of such works as are conspicuous in the province of literature for their enduring influence. Every volume is recognized as essential to a liberal education and will tend to infuse a love for true literature and an appreciation of the qualities which cause it to endure. _A descriptive list of the volumes published in this series appears in the last pages of this volume_ CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS _THE MODERN STUDENT'S LIBRARY_ THE ORDEAL OF RICHARD FEVEREL THE ORDEAL OF RICHARD FEVEREL A HISTORY OF A FATHER AND SON BY GEORGE MEREDITH EDITED WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY FRANK W. CHANDLER PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE AND DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS NEW YORK CHICAGO BOSTON ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO DALLAS COPYRIGHT, 1896, 1917, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS Printed in the United States of America _All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of Charles Scribner's Sons_ CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I.--THE INMATES OF RAYNHAM ABBEY 1 II.--SHOWING HOW THE FATES SELECTED THE FOURTEENTH BIRTHDAY TO TRY THE STRENGTH OF THE SYSTEM 9 III.--THE MAGIAN CONFLICT 16 IV.--ARSON 21 V.--ADRIAN PLIES HIS HOOK 30 VI.--JUVENILE STRATAGEMS 35 VII.--DAPHNE'S BOWER 42 VIII.--THE BITTER CUP 47 IX.--A FINE DISTINCTION 55 X.--RICHARD PASSES THROUGH HIS PRELIMINARY ORDEAL, AND IS THE OCCASION OF AN APHORISM 60 XI.--IN WHICH THE LAST ACT OF THE BAKEWELL COMEDY IS CLOSED IN A LETTER 67 XII.--THE BLOSSOMING SEASON 72 XIII.--THE MAGNETIC AGE 83 XIV.--AN ATTRACTION 92 XV.--FERDINAND AND MIRANDA 97 XVI.--UNMASKING OF MASTER RIPTON THOMPSON 106 XVII.--GOOD WINE AND GOOD BLOOD 115