The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 6 — John Shaqi
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 6Meredith, George
General
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel — Volume 6
Meredith, George
Domestic fiction; England -- Fiction; English fiction -- 19th century; Fathers and sons -- Fiction
It was a cry from Mrs. Berry that told him others were in the room
besides Austin. Lucy stood a little behind the lamp: Mrs. Berry close to
the door. The door was half open, and passing through it might be seen
the petrified figure of a fine man. The baronet glancing over the lamp
rose at Mrs. Berry's signification of a woman's personality. Austin
stepped back and led Lucy to him by the hand. "I have brought Richard's
wife, sir," he said with a pleased, perfectly uncalculating, countenance,
that was disarming. Very pale and trembling Lucy bowed. She felt her
two hands taken, and heard a kind voice. Could it be possible it
belonged to the dreadful father of her husband? She lifted her eyes
nervously: her hands were still detained. The baronet contemplated
Richard's choice. Had he ever had a rivalry with those pure eyes? He
saw the pain of her position shooting across her brows, and, uttering-
gentle inquiries as to her health, placed her in a seat. Mrs. Berry had
already fallen into a chair.
"What aspect do you like for your bedroom?--East?" said the baronet.
Lucy was asking herself wonderingly: "Am I to stay?"
"Perhaps you had better take to Richard's room at once," he pursued.
"You have the Lobourne valley there and a good morning air, and will feel
more at home."
Lucy's colour mounted. Mrs. Berry gave a short cough, as one who should
say, "The day is ours!" Undoubtedly--strange as it was to think it--the
fortress was carried.
"Lucy is rather tired," said Austin, and to hear her Christian name thus
bravely spoken brought grateful dew to her eyes.
The baronet was about to touch the bell. "But have you come alone?" he
asked.
At this Mrs. Berry came forward. Not immediately: it seemed to require
effort for her to move, and when she was within the region of the lamp,
her agitation could not escape notice. The blissful bundle shook in her
arms.
"By the way, what is he to me?" Austin inquired generally as he went and
unveiled the younger hope of Raynham. "My relationship is not so defined
as yours, sir."
An observer might have supposed that the baronet peeped at his grandson
with the courteous indifference of one who merely wished to compliment
the mother of anybody's child.
"I really think he's like Richard," Austin laughed. Lucy looked: I am
sure he is!
"As like as one to one," Mrs. Berry murmured feebly; but Grandpapa not
speaking she thought it incumbent on her to pluck up. "And he's as
healthy as his father was, Sir Austin--spite o' the might 'a beens.
Reg'lar as the clock! We never want a clock since he come. We knows the
hour o' the day, and of the night."
"You nurse him yourself, of course?" the baronet spoke to Lucy, and was
satisfied on that point.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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