Detective and mystery stories; Inheritance and succession -- Fiction; Missing persons -- Fiction
It is a copy of this, which, in very splendid colouring, fills the window
that lights the Brandon state seat in the chapel. The gules and gold were
reflected on the young man's head, and with a vain augury, the attorney
read again the solemn words from Holy Writ, _'Princeps induetur
maerore.'_ The golden glare rested like a glory on his head; but there
was also a gorgeous stain of blood that bathed his ear and temple. His
head was busy enough at that moment, though it was quite still, and his
sly eyes rested on his Prayer-book; for Sparks, the millionaire clothier,
who had purchased Beverley, and was a potent voice in the Dollington
Bank, and whose politics were doubtful, and relations amphibious, was
sitting in the pew nearly opposite, and showed his red, fat face and
white whiskers over the oak wainscoting.
Jos. Larkin, like the rest of the congregation, was by this time praying,
his elbows on the edge of the pew, his hands clasped, his thumbs under
his chin, and his long face and pink eyes raised heavenward, with now and
then a gentle downward dropping of the latter. He was thinking of Captain
Lake, who was opposite, and, like him, praying.
He was thinking how aristocratic he looked and how well, in externals, he
became the Brandon seat; and there were one or two trifles in the
captain's attitude and costume of which the attorney, who, as we know,
was not only good, but elegant, made a note. He respected his audacity
and his mystery, and he wondered intensely what was going on in that
small skull under the light and glossy hair, and anxiously guessed how
vitally it might possibly affect him, and wondered what his schemes were
after the election--_quiescere faciam superbiam potentium_; and more
darkly about his relations with Mark Wylder--_Princeps induetur maerore_.
His eye was on the window now and then it dropped, with a vague presage,
upon the sleek head of the daring and enigmatical captain, reading the
Litany, from 'battle, murder, and sudden death, good Lord deliver us,'
and he almost fancied he saw a yellow skull over his shoulder glowering
cynically on the Prayer-book. So the good attorney prayed on, to the
edification of all who saw, and mothers in the neighbouring seats were
specially careful to prevent their children from whispering or fidgeting.
When the service was over Captain Lake went across to Mr. Sparks, and
asked him to come to Brandon to lunch. But the clothier could not, and
his brougham whirled him away to Naunton Friars. So Stanley Lake walked
up the little aisle toward the communion table, thinking, and took hold
of the railing that surrounded the brass monument of Sir William de
Braundon, and seemed to gaze intently on the effigy, but was really
thinking profoundly of other matters and once or twice his sly sidelong
glance stole ominously to Jos. Larkin, who was talking at the church door
with the good vicar.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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