Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Volume 1Scott, Walter
History
Waverley; or, 'Tis sixty years since — Volume 1
Scott, Walter
Historical fiction; Jacobite Rebellion, 1745-1746 -- Fiction; Scotland -- History -- 18th century -- Fiction
Accordingly, the next letter which Edward opened was from Sir
Everard. His brother's disgrace seemed to have removed from his
well-natured bosom all recollection of their differences, and,
remote as he was from every means of learning that Richard's
disgrace was in reality only the just as well as natural
consequence of his own unsuccessful intrigues, the good but
credulous Baronet at once set it down as a new and enormous
instance of the injustice of the existing government. It was true,
he said, and he must not disguise it even from Edward, that his
father could not have sustained such an insult as was now, for the
first time, offered to one of his house, unless he had subjected
himself to it by accepting of an employment under the present
system. Sir Everard had no doubt that he now both saw and felt the
magnitude of this error, and it should be his (Sir Everard's)
business to take care that the cause of his regret should not
extend itself to pecuniary consequences. It was enough for a
Waverley to have sustained the public disgrace; the patrimonial
injury could easily be obviated by the head of their family. But
it was both the opinion of Mr. Richard Waverley and his own that
Edward, the representative of the family of Waverley-Honour,
should not remain in a situation which subjected him also to such
treatment as that with which his father had been stigmatised. He
requested his nephew therefore to take the fittest, and at the
same time the most speedy, opportunity of transmitting his
resignation to the War Office, and hinted, moreover, that little
ceremony was necessary where so little had been used to his
father. He sent multitudinous greetings to the Baron of
Bradwardine.
A letter from Aunt Rachel spoke out even more plainly. She
considered the disgrace of brother Richard as the just reward of
his forfeiting his allegiance to a lawful though exiled sovereign,
and taking the oaths to an alien; a concession which her
grandfather, Sir Nigel Waverley, refused to make, either to the
Roundhead Parliament or to Cromwell, when his life and fortune
stood in the utmost extremity. She hoped her dear Edward would
follow the footsteps of his ancestors, and as speedily as possible
get rid of the badge of servitude to the usurping family, and
regard the wrongs sustained by his father as an admonition from
Heaven that every desertion of the line of loyalty becomes its own
punishment. She also concluded with her respects to Mr.
Bradwardine, and begged Waverley would inform her whether his
daughter, Miss Rose, was old enough to wear a pair of very
handsome ear-rings, which she proposed to send as a token of her
affection. The good lady also desired to be informed whether Mr.
Bradwardine took as much Scotch snuff and danced as unweariedly as
he did when he was at Waverley-Honour about thirty years ago.
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