The Royal Regiment, and Other NovelettesGrant, James
History
The Royal Regiment, and Other Novelettes
Grant, James
Scotland -- Fiction; Scotland -- History, Military -- Fiction
Arthur Tresilian took his girl-wife to the Continent, as he could
then with a safe conscience write home for remittances.
Amid these wanderings two boys were born to them--Arthur and Ralf,
whom she so named after her father, and each boy seemed a
reproduction of either parent: for the eldest had all the personal
attributes of the father--was bluff, bold, and manly; while the
latter had all the dark beauty and gentleness of his mother. On the
education of these boys Arthur Tresilian spared nothing, and both
were already highly accomplished. Everywhere they had the best
masters money could procure; but no profession was decided on for
Arthur, the eldest, as the _false name_ and the expected wealth
raised alike doubts and objections as to what should be done.
Diana Lydiard was the daughter of a tradesman--true; but amid the
love she bore her husband, and the luxuries by which his wealth
enabled him to surround her, she had ever felt her position to be
anomalous, and with it the pride that struggled against shame--a
shame that at times became blended with vague fear and sorrow for the
future.
And now for the last three years the secret family of Arthur
Tresilian had been settled in a little sequestered spot named Carn
Spern, near Trevose Head, a rocky cape that juts into the sea
westward of Padstow, and some thirty miles or so distant from
Restormel Court. There he was known simply as Mr. Lydiard, and by
the frequency of his absence was supposed to be a commercial
traveller; but as the little family lived quietly, made few
acquaintances, and incurred no debts, their lives glided by unnoticed
and uncared for by all save the poor, to whom the charity of Mrs.
Lydiard was a proverb, and something more solid too.
Through some unseen agency a whisper of an alleged improper
connection formed by Arthur did reach the ears of Basset Tresilian,
and through him, those of old Sir Launcelot, and in the fury and
indignation of the latter, his lofty and aristocratic scorn, he had a
foretaste of what awaited him, and the three beings he loved most on
earth, if the reality became known.
And now the proud old man was dead, and all necessity for concealment
was at an end. Arthur Tresilian succeeded to Restormel Court, with
thirty thousand pounds a year; Basset to eight thousand pounds, the
baronet's gold repeater, and all the legal works in his library.
"It is well the boys have gone to fish, I have so much to say to you,
Diana darling," said Arthur, as he flung his hat away, and clasped
his little wife to his breast. "And about the resumption of our
name, Diana, they must simply be told that I have succeeded to an
estate which requires a change in our designation."
"Excellent, Arthur."
"To-morrow I must start for St. ----."
"For Jersey?"
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