[IMAGE: images/img_000_th.jpg CAPTION: “She stood up--how pretty she was!--looking on her work.”] THE WYVERN MYSTERY A Novel. BY J. S. LE FANU, AUTHOR OF “UNCLE SILAS,” “GUY DEVERELL,” ETC. _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY B. S. LE FANU._ London: WARD AND DOWNEY, 12, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 1889. CONTENTS. I. ALICE MAYBELL II. THE VALE OF CARWELL III. THE GRANGE IV. THE OLD SQUIRE AND ALICE MAYBELL V. THE TERRACE GARDEN VI. THE OLD SQUIRE UNLIKE HIMSELF VII. THE SQUIRE’S ELDEST SON COMES HOME VIII. NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH IX. IN WHICH THE SQUIRE LOSES HIS GOLD-HEADED CANE X. THE DRIVE OVER CRESSLEY COMMON BY MOONLIGHT XI. HOME XII. THE OMEN OF CARWELL GRANGE XIII. AN INSPECTION OF CARWELL GRANGE XIV. A LETTER XV. HARRY ARRIVES XVI. A PARTY OF THREE XVII. MILDRED TARNLEY’S WARNING STORY XVIII. THE BROTHERS’ WALK XIX. COMING IN XX. HARRY APPEARS AT THE GRANGE XXI. HARRY’S BEER AND CONVERSATION XXII. THE TROUT XXIII. THE VISITOR XXIV. THE SUMMONS XXV. LILLY DOGGER IS SENT TO BED XXVI. THE LADY HAS HER TEA XXVII. THROUGH THE HOUSE XXVIII. THE BELL RINGS XXIX. TOM IS ORDERED UP XXX. THE OLD SOLDIER GROWS MORE FRIENDLY, AND FRIGHTENS MRS. TARNLEY XXXI. NEWS FROM CRESSLEY COMMON XXXII. AN UNLOOKED-FOR RETURN XXXIII. CHARLES FAIRFIELD ALONE XXXIV. AWAKE XXXV. RESTLESS XXXVI. THROUGH THE WALL XXXVII. A MESSENGER XXXVIII. UNREASONABLE BERTHA XXXIX. AN ABDUCTION XL. PURSUIT XLI. DAY--TWILIGHT--DARKNESS XLII. HATHERTON XLIII. THE WELCOME XLIV. THE WYKEFORD DOCTOR XLV. SPEECH RETURNS XLVI. HARRY DRINKS A GLASS AND SPILLS A GLASS XLVII. HOME TO WYVERN XLVIII. A TWILIGHT VISIT XLIX. THE HEIR OF THE FAIRFIELDS L. BERTHA VELDERKAUST LI. SERGEANT-MAJOR ARCHDALE LII. A TALK WITH THE SQUIRE LIII. HARRY FAIRFIELD GROWS UNEASY LIV. A DRIVE TO TWYFORD LV. HOW FARES THE CHILD? LVI. THE OLD SQUIRE LEAVES WYVERN LVII. MARJORY TREVELLIAN LVIII. THE ENCHANTED GARDEN LIX. AN OLD FRIEND LX. TOM ORANGE LXI. THE HOUR AND THE MAN LXII. THE MARCH TO NOULTON FARM LXIII. A SILENT FAREWELL LXIV. THE MARCH BY NIGHT CONCLUSION THE WYVERN MYSTERY. CHAPTER I. ALICE MAYBELL. In the small breakfast parlour of Oulton, a pretty girl, Miss Alice Maybell, with her furs and wrappers about her, and a journey of forty miles before her--not by rail--to Wyvern, had stood up to hug and kiss her old aunt, and bid her good-bye. “Now, do sit down again; you need not be in such a hurry--you’re not to go for ten minutes or more,” said the old lady; “do, there’s a darling.” “If I’m not home before the sun goes down, aunt, Mr. Fairfield will be so angry,” said the girl, laying a hand on each shoulder of kind old Lady Wyndale, and looking fondly, but also sadly, into her face. “Which Mr. Fairfield, dear--the old or the young one?”