■b 
 
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 ^ I" 
 
 p 
 
 LI B R.AR.Y 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVLRSITY 
 
 or ILLINOIS 
 
 82-3 
 E)532s 
 
 V. I
 
 STONEDELL LODGE 
 
 1 llobel. 
 
 BY 
 
 FREDERICK SPENCER BIRD, 
 
 AUTHOR OF "HARRINGTON." 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. L 
 
 SAMUEL TINSLEY & CO., 
 o, SOUTHAMPTON STREET, STRAND. 
 
 1879. 
 
 [A n Rights Reserved.']
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 4 
 
 ^ 
 
 8S3 
 vi 
 
 CONTENTS OF VOL. I 
 
 BOOK I. 
 USURP A TION. 
 
 (CHAPTER PACK 
 
 I. THE BELLE OF BAGSLEY - - - - 1 
 
 II. THE ARTIST AND HIS BRIDE - - - 16 
 
 III. A husband's confession - ■ - 32 
 
 IV. stonedell lodge - - - - 45 
 V. the brothers-in-law - - - - 63 
 
 VI. father and son - - - - - 81 
 
 VII. the foster-parents - - - - 97 
 
 VIII. the double bereavement - - - 113 
 IX. the baronet's successor - - - 126 
 
 ;;* X. THE UNWELCOME guest - - - - 142 
 
 ^ XI. A STARTLING DISCOVERY - - - - 159 
 
 ^ XIL THE STRANGER - - - - - 172 
 
 XIII. THE PARISH CLERK - - - - 190 
 
 '^^ XIV. ON THE TRACK ----- 207 
 
 ^
 
 STONEDELL LODGE. 
 
 BOOK L 
 
 usurpation: 
 
 CHAPTEK I. 
 
 THE BELLE OF BAGSLEY. 
 
 The morning sun ^as shining brightly on the 
 grey masonry of old Bagsley church, which 
 takes its name from the quiet little village on 
 the outskirts of which it is situated ; and the 
 cheerful rays, passing through the chancel 
 windows, fell on the yellow walls and white 
 marble slabs, the old stone font, and vacant 
 pews, making the dilapidations that tiine has 
 VOL. I. 1
 
 Stoned ell Lodge. 
 
 wrought on the interior of the building still 
 more conspicuous to the eye of the observer. 
 A truly venerable pile it is, with its moss 
 and lichen grown buttresses, partly concealed 
 by the ivy which seems inclined to take pos- 
 session of the whole building ; its arched 
 windows, here and there of painted glass ; its 
 rustic porch of time-worn oak, iji places rudely 
 carved with initials of villagers of a past 
 generation^ — many of whose names appear 
 inscribed in full by other hands on the crum- 
 bling tombstones around ; and, lastly, its old 
 belfry, surmounted by a pointed spire, in the 
 loopholes of which, from time immemorial, 
 jackdaws, unmolested, have built their nests, 
 keeping proudly aloof from the inhabitants of 
 a neighbouring rookery, and ever mingling 
 their discordant notes with the deep cawing 
 of their more sable brethren. A low stone 
 wall surrounds the green and well-filled 
 churchyard, where the lover of quaint and
 
 Usurpation. 
 
 <jurious epitaphs may, if he choose, cull a 
 few choice specimens to add to his collection ; 
 and at the farther extremity, a small wooden 
 gate leads into the village of Bagsley, at the 
 entrance of which stands the modest, low- 
 built vicarage, with its walled-in garden abut- 
 ting on the churchyard, and well-stocked with 
 aged fruit-trees, which for many years have 
 supplied the tables of the vicar and his pre- 
 decessors with a plain but wholesome dessert, 
 and seem still as prolific as ever. 
 
 A Httle farther on, there stood at the date 
 of our story, the village hostelry, yclept the 
 Blue Boar ; a spacious old building, abound- 
 ing with odd gables and lattice-paned win- 
 dows, and having a swinging signboard over 
 its wide doorway, through which latter, when 
 open, a glimpse might be obtained of a leafy 
 orchard at the back of the premises, where 
 also were situated fragrant rick-yards, stabling, 
 and other outbuildings — for the worthy land- 
 
 1 — 2
 
 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 lord combined the business of an innkeeper 
 with that of a farmer and cattle-breeder. 
 
 Although the hour was early, on the 
 morning to which we refer, there was an 
 appearance of bustle and animation in 
 and about the Blue Boar which was very 
 unusual. 
 
 Matthew Dodds^ the proprietor, a some- 
 what corpulent person of fifty, or thereabouts, 
 with hair just turning grey, and sparkling 
 black eyes w^hich contributed not a little to 
 the joviality of his rosy countenance, was 
 dressed in his best suit of clothes — a very 
 rare occurrence with him on a week-day ; and 
 his spouse, who possessed personal qualities 
 very similar to those of her husband, with 
 the difference that her eyes were blue and 
 her locks flaxen, wore likewise a costume 
 which was usually reserved for the village 
 church and the bar on Sundays. 
 
 The rustic servants of the inn exhibited
 
 Usuvpat 
 
 ion. 
 
 also that improvement in external appearance 
 which, in the class to which they belonged, 
 is usually an indication of a holiday ; though, 
 in truth, they seemed for a time more busily 
 employed than on other occasions ; and all 
 this, coupled with the fact that the spacious 
 assembly-room was decorated with evergreens 
 and flowers, and that a long table in its 
 centre, covered with a fair linen cloth, was 
 being arranged with everything necessary for 
 a handsome collation, pointed to the conclusion 
 that some interesting event, haply to be re- 
 corded as such in the future chronicles of 
 Bagsley, was about to take place ; and certain 
 it is, that the occasion referred to was one 
 long to be remembered by honest Matthew 
 Dodds and his wife; and in order to explain 
 why they should have been so deeply in- 
 terested and concerned in what was going 
 forward, it is necessary that we should relate 
 an incident in their history which occurred
 
 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 some ten years prior to the date at which 
 our story commences. 
 
 Having married late in life, and not having 
 any family of their own, the worthy couple — 
 as much out of kindness to the object of 
 their benevolence as from any other cause 
 — had adopted an orphan girl with whose 
 parents they had formerly been acquainted^ 
 with the design to educate and provide for 
 her as though she had ^ been their own 
 daughter. 
 
 Mary Vincent, as the child was called^ 
 was about eight years of age at the time 
 when she was so taken charge of, and was re- 
 markable for the grace and beauty of her 
 person ; and as she approached the period of 
 womanhood, there was certainly no diminu- 
 tion of the charms which, in earlier youth, 
 had constantly called forth the admiration of 
 all who beheld her. 
 
 Like the rosebud expanding into the full-
 
 Usurpation. 
 
 blown flower, she lost none of her sweetness 
 in the process of development ; and the honest 
 innkeeper and his wife had the gratification 
 to find that their protegee at seventeen was 
 acknowledged to be the belle of the village, 
 and, as far as personal appearance went, in- 
 comparably superior to any of her own sex 
 for fifty miles round. 
 
 That a person possessing such great at- 
 tractions should soon captivate the attentions 
 of the thriving young farmers and others in 
 the neighbourhood, was not surprising ; and 
 numerous would have been the offers made 
 for her hand, had not the disposition of the 
 maiden been of that kind which does not 
 readily encourage the attentions of admirers 
 of the opposite sex ; in short, she was of an 
 artless, retiring nature, which caused her 
 rather to shrink from those who would ad- 
 dress her in terms of affection, though her 
 coldness and reticence had more than once
 
 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 been attributed to the effect produced on her 
 own mind by the consciousness of her beauty, 
 which, some supposed, made her treat with 
 indifference the honest proposals of suitors 
 moving in her own sphere of hfe, in the hope 
 that she might ultimately obtain for her hus- 
 band some one occupying a higher social 
 position ; and, indeed, as if in corroboration 
 of this opinion, a stranger shortly appeared 
 on the scene, and afterwards became a candi- 
 date for her hand, whose exterior and manner 
 clearly indicated that he belonged to a class 
 superior in many respects to the rustics of 
 Bagsley. 
 
 The person alluded to was a young man of 
 about twenty, tall and well-built, and, although 
 not exactly handsome, sufficiently good-look- 
 ing to please the eye of one more fastidious 
 than a village maiden, and at the same time 
 possessing a frank and engaging manner, and 
 conversational powers which showed that,
 
 Usurpation, 
 
 young as he was, he had had an experience 
 extending far beyond the range of an agricul- 
 tural county, and that he was acquainted with 
 more abstruse matters than turnip -growing 
 and the price of corn. 
 
 His occupation was ostensibly that of an 
 artist, andy indeed, one of no mean a.bility, 
 judging from the many specimens of his 
 handiwork which filled his portfolio. On 
 more than one occasion he had appeared in 
 the neighbourhood, with his campstool, colour- 
 box, and sketch-book ; nor was it remarkable 
 that, having once been to Bagsley, he should 
 haye repeated his visit, for the surrounding 
 country abounded with those picturesque 
 spots and lovely bits of nature which the 
 landscape-painter delights to imitate, and the 
 representations of which, transferred to hot 
 and noisy cities, often lead us back in imagina- 
 tion to the fresh and peaceful country. 
 
 In the course of these sketching excursions
 
 10 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 he had always been in the habit of making 
 the Blue Boar his head-quarters, and thus he 
 soon became intimately acquainted with its 
 occupiers; and being apparently of a genial 
 and unreserved disposition, he was more fre- 
 quently to be found in the bar-parlour of the 
 inn, engaged in conversation with his host 
 and hostess or their pretty ward, than se- 
 cluded in the private sitting-room which was 
 usually placed at his disposal. 
 
 It was, however, more than probable that 
 the presence of the village beauty was the 
 chief cause of his spending so much of his 
 spare time in an apartment from which ordi- 
 nary visitors were excluded ; and although 
 Matthew Dodds and his wife must have 
 noticed that his attentions to Mary Vincent 
 were becoming daily more marked and fami- 
 liar, and that she did not appear to dislike 
 them, no doubt they reflected, that in her 
 interest it might be unwise to discourage his
 
 Usurpation. 11 
 
 visits, while there was a chance of her obtain- 
 ing a husband apparently so superior to the 
 rustic admirers whom she had hitherto ex- 
 perienced such difficulty in keeping at a 
 distance. 
 
 The result was, that in course of time it 
 became noised abroad that the landscape- 
 painter had succeeded in winning the affec- 
 tions of the coy and beautiful damsel whose 
 heart by many had been deemed so unimpres- 
 sible ; and it was not thought to redound 
 much to the credit of the youths of Bagsley, 
 that a strano'er should come amonsf them and 
 be permitted to carry off so fair a prize 
 without a strug^crle. 
 
 It was therefore to celebrate the marriage 
 of Frank Marshall^ the painter, with Mary 
 Vincent, the belle of Bagsley, that the Blue 
 Boar and its inmates presented the festive 
 appearance we have described ; and great 
 were the preparations being made for the
 
 12 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 wedding-breakfast, which was to be given by 
 the guardians of the bride, and to which the 
 vicar, as the officiating clergyman, and a few 
 select friends residing in the parish, had been 
 invited. 
 
 Some surprise was however occasioned 
 when it became known that no relation or 
 friend of the bridegroom would be present on 
 his behalf; he having alleged that the few 
 relatives he had, resided too far aWay to make 
 it an easy matter for any of them to attend, 
 and that he knew of no acquaintance whom 
 he would care to ask to become his grooms- 
 man. 
 
 As the hour appointed for the interesting 
 ceremony to take place drew near, small knots 
 of villagers assembled in the vicinity of the 
 old church, and within the building itself, to 
 see the happy pair on their way to and from 
 the altar ; and when Frank Marshall passed 
 by them, a few minutes before his betrothed,
 
 Usurpation. 1 3 
 
 many were the commendatory remarks made 
 respecting his personal appearance ; and not 
 a few of those present expressed an opinion 
 that Mary Vincent was a hicky girl to obtain 
 such a man for her husband. But the moment 
 his future bride, all smiles and blushes, drew 
 near, her hand resting on the arm of honest 
 Matthew Dodds — who, in spite of his radiant 
 countenance, felt that he was about to give 
 away the rarest of his treasures — all eyes 
 were fixed upon her, as the principal at- 
 traction ; and attired, as she was, in white 
 muslin, with orange-blossoms in her hair, her 
 beauty, heightened by the simple bridal cos- 
 tume she wore, became at once the topic of 
 conversation, and the general opinion of all 
 present might have been summed up in the 
 words, ' How fortunate the man to possess a 
 wife so lovely T 
 
 The marriage ceremony having been per- 
 formed, the bridal-party repaired to the
 
 ^^ Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 vestry, where the ancient parish register was 
 produced from its musty depository, and 
 entries made therein in proper form, and 
 afterwards duly signed ; then the happy 
 wedded pair, acknowledging with smiles and 
 nods the congratulations of the villagers who 
 pressed around them, walked arm-in-arm 
 through the sunny churchyard, in order to 
 return to the Blue Boar, which was but a 
 short distance off; there an ample, if not 
 sumptuous, wedding-breakfast awaited them ; 
 and, towards its close, the white-haired vicar 
 proposed the health of the bride and bride- 
 groom, and expressed a hope that they might 
 be happy and prosperous ; and the latter 
 having returned thanks in a few suitable 
 words, the repast was shortly afterwards 
 brought to a conclusion, and ere long the 
 small company turned out to see the smiling 
 couple take their seats in the lumbering 
 vehicle which was to convey them to the
 
 Usurpation. 15 
 
 nearest railway-station, a distance of five or 
 six miles. 
 
 At the moment of parting, old Matthew 
 Dodds embraced his adopted daughter and 
 kissed her with a fondness quite parental ; 
 and then shook hands warmly with her young 
 husband — two operations which were imme- 
 diately afterwards imitated by the buxom 
 landlady, with a still further display of affec- 
 tionate feeling — for the thought of losing one 
 whom she had reared from childhood, and 
 had taught to regard her as her mother, 
 brought the tears into her eyes, in spite of 
 her smiles, and gave to her heart a pang of 
 regret which remained there long afterwards. 
 Then, as the vehicle departed and the old 
 slipper was thrown after it, in the hope that 
 good-fortune might attend its occupants in 
 their journey through life, every one present 
 was of opinion that in losing Mary Vincent, 
 Bagsley had lost its brightest ornament.
 
 16 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 THE AETIST AND HIS BRIDE. 
 
 In a dull and quiet street of a flourishing 
 town, situated within a few hours' ride by rail 
 from London, there stood a row of spacious 
 and lofty houses, which were formerly the 
 mansions of wealthy and aristocratic fami- 
 lies ; but the district having become dingy and 
 unattractive, and the houses themselves too 
 antiquated to suit modern tastes, they had 
 been converted into offices for the use of pro- 
 fessional men and others ; and on a brass 
 plate of imposing dimensions, affixed to one 
 of the doors, the words, * Keen and BuUer, 
 Solicitors,' caught the eye of the pedestrian.
 
 Usurpation. 17 
 
 Although the death of Mr. Buller had long 
 ago dissolved the partnership formerly exist- 
 ing between himself and the first-named gen- 
 tleman, the brass plate in question remained 
 unaltered ; perhaps out of respecc for the 
 memory of the deceased, or from a desire to 
 preserve so time-honoured a relic of the past. 
 Be this as it may, the business for several 
 years, both before and after the death of Mr. 
 Buller, had been solely conducted by Mr. 
 Keen, who enjoyed the confidence of his 
 numerous clients fully as much as wlien he 
 was able to avail himself of the professional 
 assistance of his now defunct partner. 
 
 The surviving representative of the firm 
 was a wiry little man, considerably past the 
 prime of life, with a countenance indicating 
 that he possessed in no slight degree the 
 shrewdness and acumen so necessary to mem- 
 bers of his profession ; the thin, compressed 
 lips and the straight line of the mouth termi- 
 
 VOL. I. 2
 
 18 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 nating in a curve at eacli end, like a paren- 
 thesis, showed decision and firmness of 
 character ; the hard and piercing eye, which 
 was seldom moist, conveyed an idea of great, 
 acuteness; while the high forehead, appearing 
 still higher from the fact of the head being 
 bald on the top, would have led any one to 
 suppose that he possessed intellectual qualities, 
 of no mean order. He was withal the sort 
 of man to give one the idea that he carried 
 about with him the secrets of individuals and 
 families, and that had he chosen to do so, he 
 could have revealed many strange episodes 
 in domestic life, hushed-up scandals in high 
 quarters, matrimonial differences between 
 couples supposed to enjoy great conjugal 
 felicity, men and women living in grand style 
 who were on the brink of ruin, and others, 
 again, who, though passing their lives in 
 modest retirement, were rich as Croesus ; yet 
 no one who had the least claim to be con-
 
 Usurpation. 19 
 
 sidered a phrenologist could have studied the 
 countenance of Mr. Keen without feeling 
 that secrets confided to his keeping were as 
 safe with him as gold in a bank cellar. 
 
 The legal gentleman we have described 
 was assisted in his professional duties by a 
 managing clerk who bore the name of Mark 
 Checkers. This person was about thirty 
 years of age, and chiefly remarkable for pos- 
 sessino' a countenance which exhibited an 
 openness and candour by no means typical of 
 the profession to which he belonged ; and^ 
 beyond doubt, Mark's face was a true indi- 
 cator of the many amiable qualities he pos- 
 sessed ; for the mildness and kindness of his 
 disposition were frequently disclosed in the 
 course of his daily vocation, and had it not 
 been that he felt bound at times to sacrifice " 
 his own feelings in order to further the in- 
 terests of his employer and to maintain the 
 reputation of the office, many an advantage 
 
 2—2
 
 20 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 gained by sharp practice for the benefit of an 
 unprincipled or grasping client, would have 
 been suffered to pass by; and the rectitude of 
 his nature would have secured full justice for 
 many a poor and wronged plaintiff or defen- 
 dant. We have stated that Mark's age was 
 about thirty, and fully half that time he had 
 spent in the employ of the highly respectable 
 firm we have named. He had commenced 
 his career in the humble capacity of office- 
 boy ; his principal duties being to run on 
 errands, copy letters, announce clients, or re- 
 quest them to seat themselves in the waiting- 
 room until Mr. Keen or Mr. Buller was dis- 
 engaged. 
 
 As he grew older, he was occasionally 
 called upon to attend one of the partners to 
 the court-house, or elsewhere, carrying in his 
 hand a large red bag, containing books and 
 documents ; and then, for two or three hours 
 at a time, he would have to stand by while
 
 Usurpation 21 
 
 Mr. Keen or Mr. Buller cross-examined a 
 witness, or made impressive speeches in a 
 very mixed assembly. He was next entrusted 
 with the agreeable duty of serving writs and 
 notices on persons who were generally said 
 to be out of town when he inquired for them, 
 and for some of whom consequently he had 
 to wait in ambush in quarters they were 
 known to frequent, for hours together, with- 
 out receiving the slightest thanks for his ser- 
 vices. Finally, he learnt to engross and to 
 make out bills of costs, while almost all his 
 spare hours were devoted to reading the most 
 approved authors on legal subjects he could 
 find on the shelves of the office book- case ; 
 and thus in time he became really valuable 
 to his employers, who soon reposed in him 
 the utmost trust and confidence. 
 
 But although Mark Checkers had been so 
 long in the employ of Messrs. Keen and 
 Buller, and possessed so much ability, his
 
 22 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 income could hardly have been said to be 
 commensurate with the length of his service ; 
 and being a married man, he found, as is fre- 
 quently the case, that there was oftener an 
 increase in his family than in his salary. 
 Under these circumstances, after a consulta- 
 tion with his wdfe, he agreed with her that 
 rather than attempt the difficult task of re- 
 ducing the household expenditure, which was 
 already kept within somewhat narrow limits, 
 it Avould be preferable to let furnished a 
 parlour and bedroom of the house they occu- 
 pied, and stint themselves in space rather 
 than in those other creature comforts to 
 which they had been accustomed. 
 
 The result w^as, that a few days after this 
 conference an advertisement appeared in a 
 local journal (Mark and his wife were too 
 genteel to place a bill in the window), in- 
 timating that well-furnished apartments, 
 pleasantly situated in the suburbs of the
 
 Usurpation. 23 
 
 town, might be obtained on moderate terms 
 by applying by letter addressed to X. Y. Z., 
 at the office of the newspaper. 
 
 In the course of two or three days, a dozen 
 or more replies came ; and Mark Checkers 
 having attempted to form an opinion as to 
 the respectability of the various applicants, 
 by a careful study of the handwriting, word- 
 ing, and appearance of the letters — evincing a 
 marked preference for those who wrote on 
 whole sheets of paper, and made use of en- 
 velopes—selected three or four which seemed 
 the most promising, and wrote to the ad- 
 dresses given, appointing an interview with 
 each of the writers. 
 
 The first person who came to see the rooms 
 Avas a middle-aged gentleman of aristocratic 
 bearing and most affable manners, but his hat 
 and linen presented an appearance so deci- 
 dedly suggestive of insolvency, that although 
 he was willing to take them at once, and
 
 24 StonedeU Lodge. 
 
 was indifferent as to the rent required, so long 
 as lie was made comfortable, Mark Checkers^ 
 felt compelled to invent a story about the 
 apartments having been already let, in order 
 to get rid of him. 
 
 The next applicant was a maiden lady, wha 
 had evidently arrived at that time of life 
 when matrimonial ideas are abandoned, and 
 a partiality for domestic animals of the canine 
 or feline species is said to be engendered. 
 This lady, who was tall and angular, trusted 
 that if she took the rooms there would be no 
 annoyance caused by either Mr. Checkers or 
 the chimney smoking; and said that although 
 she was extremely fond of children — being: 
 herself one of a family of eight, who had 
 been brought up together in the same nursery,, 
 she did not regard it as a joke when they 
 were always running in and out of her room„ 
 touching everything with their dear little 
 sticky fingers.
 
 Usurpation. 25 
 
 There was also another matter she thousfht 
 it right to mention, which was that she pos- 
 sessed a favourite dog of the identical breed 
 to which Kins: Charles is said to have been 
 so partial ; and following the example set by 
 the merry monarch, she was in the habit of 
 allowing it to repose in her sitting-room in 
 the day-time, and in her chamber by night ; 
 but of course Mrs. Checkers would not object 
 to that. Mrs. Checkers, however, with rather 
 a feeble smile^ appeared to think that such 
 an arrangement would conduce more to tho 
 dog's comfort than to her own ; and when her 
 husband immediately afterwards made some 
 allusion to straw and an empty beer-barrel in 
 the back -yard, the visitor became evidently 
 alarmed, and hastily took her departure. 
 
 These early experiences were certainly not 
 very encouraging to Mark Checkers and his 
 wife ; but, on the following day, while the 
 former was absent fulfilling his duties at the
 
 2G Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 office, a cab drew up in front of the house, 
 and a young gentleman of prepossessing ap- 
 pearance, who for some seconds had been 
 ■consulting a note-book which he held in his 
 hand, stepped out and rang the door-bell ; 
 then accosting the small servant who an- 
 swered his summons, and who had been kept 
 in a state of special cleanliness in anticipation 
 of visitors, he inquired whether Mrs. Checkers 
 was within. 
 
 The girl having replied in the affirmative, 
 he desired her to convey his card to her mis- 
 tress, and request that lady to favour him 
 with an interview, which she accordingly did. 
 
 Mrs. Checkers, who by the way was a 
 pretty, bright-eyed, cheerful little woman, 
 some five or six years younger than her hus- 
 band — glanced at the card, and read thereon 
 the name of Mr. Frank Marshall, and a few 
 minutes later she was seated with her visitor 
 in the front parlour, and soon discovered that,
 
 Usurpation. 27 
 
 ■as she had expected, the object of his call 
 was to make inquiries concerning the apart- 
 ments which were advertised as being to let. 
 After viewino' the rooms and askino^ some 
 particulars relating to them, the gentleman 
 ■suddenly stated that his wife was seated in 
 the vehicle waiting outside, and that with 
 Mrs. Checkers' permission he Avould bring 
 her in to see them. 
 
 No objection being offered to this very 
 reasonable proposal, the lady soon afterwards 
 made her appearance, and Mrs. Checkers was 
 so struck with her youth and beauty and the 
 sweet expression of her countenance, that, 
 being also favourably impressed with the 
 unassuming demeanour of Mr. Marshall, 
 she inwardly hoped they would become the 
 •occupiers of her apartments. 
 
 It did not require any great discernment 
 to enable Mrs. Checkers to j^erceive that her 
 visitors were newly married ; and she soon
 
 28 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 learnt that they had just returned from the- 
 Continent, where they had been spending the 
 honeymoon, and desired to find some quiet 
 rural spot where they could live comfortably 
 for a few months, prior to commencing house- 
 keeping on their own account. 
 
 The rooms they had just inspected, and 
 the terms on which they were offered, ap- 
 peared to give them considerable satisfaction ;. 
 the result was, that after a few days had 
 elapsed, Frank Marshall and his wife took 
 up their abode under Mark Checkers* 
 roof 
 
 It soon became apparent that Marshall's, 
 profession was that of an artist, for he spent 
 the greater part of the day before the easel^ 
 making copies in oil of rough sketches which 
 he had previously taken from nature ; while 
 his young wife would stand or sit by his side, 
 watching with interest and admiration the 
 charming landscapes which seemed to grow
 
 Usurpation, 29 
 
 out of the canvas under the magic touch of 
 her husband's brushes. 
 
 But although he worked with an appHca- 
 tion and perseverance which showed his 
 fondness for art or a desire to excel in his 
 profession, he did not appear to have yet dis- 
 tinguished himself publicly as a painter, for 
 his stock of pictures never diminished, from 
 which circumstance it was to be inferred that 
 he experienced a difficulty in finding pur- 
 -chasers ; nevertheless, he always seemed well 
 provided with money, and made his payments 
 with a promptness and liberality which could 
 not have been otherwise than most satisfactory 
 to his landlady. 
 
 Two facts in connection with their lodofers 
 occasioned Mr. and Mrs. Checkers some sur- 
 prise — namely, that, no letters ever came to 
 the house for them, and no friends ever called 
 to see them ; indeed, they seemed to delight 
 in leading a quiet and secluded life, and
 
 30 Si on eel ell Lodge. 
 
 evinced no desire to make the acquaintance 
 of families in the neighbourhood. 
 
 Occasionally it happened that Frank Mar- 
 shall went from home, leaving his wife for a 
 whole week by herself; and at such times she 
 would take solitary rambles in the day-time 
 and spend her evenings chiefly in reading, 
 and when the expected hour of her husband's- 
 return drew near, she would look forward to 
 his coming Avith evident dehght. All these 
 matters were duly noted and commented 
 upon by Mark Checkers and his wife, and 
 various were the surmises they formed as to 
 the real position and history of their lodgers. 
 Was it a runaway match, and the lady a rich 
 heiress whom her husband was desirous of 
 concealing from her friends 1 or could it be 
 possible that Mr. Marshall, if such were his. 
 real name, had committed some offence which 
 rendered him amenable to the law, in conse- 
 quence of which he was endeavouring to
 
 Usurpation. 31 
 
 elude the pursuit of justice by living in strict 
 retirement ? 
 
 The former conjecture seemed the more 
 probable, for the countenance of the young 
 gentleman was certainly not suggestive of 
 fraud or dishonesty ; but it was useless to 
 form surmises without havins^ sufficient facts 
 to support them, and therefore Mark Checkers 
 and his wife abandoned for a time the at- 
 tempt to penetrate the air of mystery by 
 which the young couple were surrounded.
 
 32 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A husband's confession. 
 
 Although Mrs. Checkers doubtless pos- 
 sessed as much inquisitiveness as is usually 
 to be found in most natures, she would have 
 scorned to gratify it by resorting to mean 
 and dishonourable practices ; and notwith- 
 standing the fact that certain landladies, 
 when burning with the desire to discover the 
 private affairs or secrets of their lodgers, 
 have been known to steal on tip-toe to the 
 •doors of apartments and listen at keyholes to 
 the conversation of those within, it must not 
 be for a moment supposed that Mrs. Checkers 
 was the sort of woman to be guilty of con-
 
 Usurpation. 33 
 
 duct so base ; yet an occasion offered, when, 
 by adopting the simple expedient referred to, 
 she might have obtained an immediate in- 
 sight into the cause of the Marshalls leading 
 so secluded a life at the very outset of their 
 matrimonial career, and thus have rendered 
 further surmises respecting them unneces- 
 sary. 
 
 ^ Frank, dear,' said the young bride to her 
 husban,d one evening, as they sat together at 
 their window during the short interval of 
 twilight which in autumn precedes nightfall, 
 ' you appear to have painted a number of 
 pictures, but I have not heard of your dis- 
 posing of any lately. Do you find it difficult 
 to sell them ?' 
 
 ' No, my love,' replied the husband, snailing. 
 ' Not at all.' 
 
 * Then why do you allow so many to accu- 
 mulate V said Mrs. Marshall. 
 
 TOL. I. 3
 
 34 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ' Because no one offers to buy them/ re- 
 turned Marshall, still smiling. 
 
 ' Oh, then you do find it difficult to sell 
 them/ said the wife, looking up into her hus- 
 band's face with a puzzled expression. 
 
 ' No, dear, because I never try to sell 
 them/ said the other. 
 
 ' But if you never try to sell them, how 
 are we to live ? Our expenses here must be 
 very great, and if there is nothing coming in, 
 what shall we do in the future ?' asked Mrs. 
 Marshall, with some concern. 
 
 ' I'll tell you, my dear,' returned her 
 husband, endeavouring to look grave, ' we 
 will exhibit them as the collection of an 
 artist who is a promising painter, but a bad 
 salesman, and you shall be posted at the 
 door to receive the entrance fees, and I have 
 no doubt you will be regarded as the most 
 attractive picture in the exhibition.' 
 
 ' How silly you are !' exclaimed the
 
 Usurpation, 35 
 
 pretty wife, laughing, 'Do be serious, 
 Frank* 
 
 ' You little goose,' returned Marshall, 
 kissing her on the forehead ; ' do you sup- 
 pose that I married you in order to starve 
 you in a garret ? No, thank Heaven, I am 
 not entirely dependent upon my artistic 
 labours for a livelihood, and whether the 
 pictures I paint are sold or unsold, you 
 need not fear the grasp of poverty.' 
 
 ' Oh, Frank I why did you not tell me 
 before that you were so well off?' said the 
 other, looking up with a happy smile. ' I 
 always thought that you had nothing but 
 your profession to depend upon.' 
 
 ' Do not mistake me, love,' said Marshall ; 
 * although possessed of some private means, 
 I am far from rich ; yet one day I may 
 perhaps find a great improvement in my 
 circumstances.' 
 
 * You mean, I suppose, after your father's 
 
 3—2
 
 36 Stoiiedell Lodge. 
 
 death V said Mrs. Marshall. ' By- the- way, 
 when am I to be introduced to your father 1 
 I am longing to see him, and am sure I 
 shall like him ; and your sister, Frank — you 
 say she is married — when will she and her 
 husband come to see us V 
 
 ' I cannot tell you,' said Marshall, appear- 
 ing suddenly grave and thoughtful. * They 
 live a long way off, and my father, I think 
 I told you, is an invalid, and rarely goes 
 from home.' 
 
 * Then shall we not pay him a visit V said 
 the wife. * It seems unkind to leave him by 
 himself when he is in ill-health ; we might 
 be, able to cheer and comfort him.' 
 
 ' I must tell you, dearest, that my father 
 is a most pecuHar man,' replied Marshall, in 
 a serious tone. 'His manner at times — it 
 may be the result of his infirmity — is harsh 
 and unpleasant. He is full of crotchets, and 
 I do not think our presence would afibrd him
 
 Usurpation, 37 
 
 the slightest consolation — in fact I know it 
 would be just the reverse.' 
 
 ' But surely he must take an interest in 
 his son's marriage, and wish to see what sort 
 of a person his new daughter-in-law is V said 
 Mrs. Marshall, with a look of surprise. ' I 
 can make every allowance for the irritability 
 of one in ill-health, but it will be strange 
 indeed if he does not show some concern for 
 his son's happiness.' 
 
 ' Darling, let well alone,' said Mar- 
 shall, with a gloominess which was very 
 unusual with him. * You would derive no 
 pleasure from becoming acquainted with my 
 father. 1 tell you he is not at all the 
 sort of man you would like. It may 
 appear a harsh thing for a son to say of 
 his own parent, but it is true neverthe- 
 less.' 
 
 * Frank !' exclaimed his wife, with a 
 sudden look of alarm in her face, * why do
 
 38 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 you deceive me ? You have married without 
 your father's consent ? 
 
 ' I confess that I have done so,' replied 
 Marshall, colouring, *and — why should I hide 
 the truth from you ? — without his know- 
 ledge ; but, dearest, if you only knew my 
 father, you would not blame me for acting 
 as I have done ; besides, had he known that 
 I was engaged to you, and had I married 
 you contrary to his express commands, as I 
 must in that case have done, it would only 
 have made matters worse.' 
 
 ' I see it all now,' said the young bride, 
 tearfully. ' You have wedded me unknown 
 to your father, and — you have married 
 beneath you. You are ashamed that your 
 grand friends should know that your wife is 
 only a poor country-girl, reared and edu- 
 cated by the charity of a village innkeeper 
 and his wife ; and that is the reason why 
 you have brought me to this out-of-the-way
 
 Usurpation. 39 
 
 place. Oh, Frank ! why did you deceive 
 meV 
 
 ^My darling, do not distress yourself/ 
 said Marshall, with a look of ^reat concern, 
 as he gently caressed his wife. ^ I swear 
 you are as superior to me as the rose is to 
 the thistle, and were it not that my father 
 has such ridiculous notions about pedigree, 
 wealth, and all that, and if he were a man 
 one could reason with, I would at once 
 introduce you openly as my wife ; but as 
 matters exist at present, it would only 
 excite and anger him to hear of my 
 marriage, and any excitement, while he is 
 in his present debilitated state, might be 
 fatal to him; but have a little patience, 
 dear, and I promise that at some future 
 time you shall appear in your proper posi- 
 tion, and if every one does not then declare 
 that I have made an excellent choice, and 
 have married the sweetest and prettiest little
 
 40 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 wife in Christendom, you may call me a 
 rascal.' 
 
 * If I had known all this, Frank, when you 
 j)roposed to me/ said Mrs. Marshall, pouting 
 and turning aside, in spite of her husband's 
 affectionate embraces, ' I do not think I 
 should have accepted you. It is so dreadful 
 to feel that one is not welcome, and that one is 
 looked down upon by one's husband's relations. 
 I might have been very happy with Mr. 
 Smith, and have had a very comfortable home 
 under his roof, though he is only a farmer.' 
 
 * And I have no doubt you would have 
 made very excellent butter and cheese, 
 which I for one should have been delighted 
 to taste, knowing the fair maker/ said her 
 husband, jocosely ; ^ but I am sure those little 
 hands were never intended for dairy-work, 
 and the Belle of Bagsley was born to grace 
 something better than the kitchen or 
 parlour of a farmhouse/
 
 Usurpation. 41 
 
 * But what is the use of living among fine 
 people if one is thought nothing of, and 
 regarded as an intruder V said Mrs. Marshall, 
 by no means satisfied with her husband's 
 mode of reasoning. 
 
 ' My dear little woman, you begin to cry 
 out before you are hurt,' replied Marshall, 
 soothingly ; ' when I am once my own 
 master, no one will dare to look down upon 
 the wdfe I have chosen ; and should they do 
 so, they will very soon be struck off the list 
 of my friends, I assure you.' 
 
 * But supposing your father should heai: 
 by accident of your marriage, there would be 
 of course a dreadful commotion/ said the 
 other, thoughtfully. * It would be better for 
 you to tell him of it than that he should hear 
 of it from any one else. Are you not afraid 
 that he should find it out V 
 
 * I have taken every precaution to prevent 
 his doing so,' said Marshall. ^My father's
 
 42 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 place is nearly a day's journey by railway 
 from here, and his health being so bad and 
 our family so small, he sees little or no com- 
 pany; besides, as none of us mix much in 
 society, we are not well known out of our 
 own county, and consequently there is little 
 fear of a discovery taking place while we 
 remain here.' 
 
 * But how will you account for your con- 
 tinual absence from your father's house V said 
 the young wife, anxiously. ' Surely he will 
 think it very strange that you should be 
 away so often. Oh, Frank ! it makes me 
 miserable to think that you should have to 
 practise such deception upon your own 
 parent. Would it not be more manly, more 
 like yourself, openly to avow your marriage, 
 whatever the consequences may be, than to 
 live on, as you are now doing, under false 
 pretences V 
 
 ^ Had my father been a dijfferent sort of
 
 Usurpation, 43 
 
 man from what he is/ repHed Marshall, 
 sadly, ' I would not longer keep him in 
 ignorance of the step I have taken. As it is, 
 I know he would never forgive me for marry- 
 ing without his knowledge and consent — I 
 am sure of it — and why should I raise a 
 storm about my ears for no purpose 1 or why 
 should the last few years of his life be 
 embittered by a quarrel with his only son ? 
 At present I am happy in having secured 
 one that I love more than anything else on 
 earth, and he is undisturbed in mind, because 
 he is not acquainted with certain facts which 
 would only serve to agitate it. Then as to 
 my absence from home being remarked, my 
 propensity for roaming about the country 
 sketching is well known to him, and, indeed, 
 for the past three or four years I have been 
 seldom at home longer than a few weeks 
 at a time, so that matter will excite no 
 suspicion ; and to speak the truth, my father's
 
 44 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 house is so dull, and his temper at times so 
 unbearable, that I am glad to escape on any 
 pretext ; indeed, married or single, I could 
 never hve long under the same roof with 
 him ; so now, my fair inquisitor, you have 
 had a full and true explanation of my reasons 
 for acting as I have done ; and I trust you 
 will think that if my conduct is reprehen- 
 sible, there are sufficient extenuating circum- 
 stances in the case, as the lawyers say, to 
 reduce the charge, figuratively speaking, from 
 murder to manslaughter/ ^
 
 Usurpation, 45 
 
 CHAPTER IVJ 
 
 STONEDELL LODGE. 
 
 Stonedell Lodge was a large, square, brick- 
 built mansion, devoid of architectural beauty^ 
 yet stately and imposing in appearance. It 
 was situated about three hundred yards from 
 the public highway, on a rising ground form- 
 ing a portion of a moderately extensive park, 
 which was separated from the surrounding 
 arable and pasture lands by a ring fence. 
 The site on which it stood was lonely ; and 
 the building itself, being nearly enclosed by 
 tall elm trees which cast a perpetual shade 
 over it, and made its rooms look dark and 
 dreary even on sunny days, presented a
 
 46 StonedeU Lodge. 
 
 gloomy, prison-like appearance, which con- 
 trasted strangely with the bright and pic- 
 turesque country around. 
 
 The house was approached by a broad 
 carriage-drive, in many places green with 
 moss and tufts of grass, and bearing other 
 evidences of being Httle used, as well as of 
 neglect on the part of those whose duty it was 
 to keep the place in proper order ; the fences, 
 too, were here and there in want of repair, 
 and it was evident that the proprietor of the 
 premises did not exercise that supervision 
 over his property which was necessary to 
 prevent dilapidation and disorder; but Sir 
 Oliver Marshall, the owner and occupier, had 
 been too long an invalid to render him 
 capable of taking an active part in the 
 management of his affairs ; and as he kept no 
 steward, and as few domestics and other 
 servants as possible, with only an elderly 
 housekeeper to superintend them, it was not
 
 Usurpation. 47 
 
 surprising that such a state of things should 
 exist. 
 
 Besides^ it was found to be no easy matter 
 to induce those employed at Stonedell Lodge 
 to retain their situations for any length of 
 time ; and it often happened that the butler, 
 cook J or housemaid, gave notice to leave at 
 the end of the first quarter, alleging that the 
 place was dreadfully dull, so little company 
 was seen there, or that Sir Oliver's temper was 
 so trying, that he or she found it impossible 
 to remain. Under these circumstances it 
 would perhaps not have been judicious for 
 those in authority to be too exacting while 
 superintending the performance of the 
 various duties of persons engaged in and 
 about the^establishment; and this was another 
 reason why much was neglected, both inside 
 and outside the house, which ought to have 
 been done. 
 
 Sir Oliver was a widower of sixty or
 
 48 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 thereabouts, and bore evidences of having 
 been at one time a remarkably handsome 
 man : the well-moulded features were still 
 striking, but the large dark eyes had lost 
 their fire, and the once healthy ruddiness of 
 his complexion was entirely gone ; indeed, 
 his countenance was now yellow and 
 wrinkled, and wore an expression of mingled 
 care and pain; his cheek was sunken, and 
 his form, though still erect, much attenuated; 
 in short, his constitution had been under- 
 mined from the effects of Hving in a hot 
 chmate, the best years of his Hfe having 
 been spent in the military service of the 
 East India Company. He had been severely 
 wounded in the Burmese war, and had dis- 
 tinguished himself on several occasions in 
 engagements with the enemy ; in short, all 
 who knew him considered him a brave and 
 experienced officer ; but his health giving 
 way, he had retired on a pension, and by the
 
 Usurpation. 49 
 
 advice of his physicians had returned to 
 England, where he determined to hve on his 
 own estate, and consequently took up his 
 residence at Stonedell Lodge, which, with a 
 few hundred acres of land immediately ad- 
 joining, had previously been let on a short 
 lease to a gentleman fond of agricultural 
 pursuits. 
 
 Sir Oliver's family consisted of a son and a 
 daughter, both of whom, though born in 
 India, had been reared and educated in 
 England. The latter, who was the younger of 
 the two, in her seventeenth year had been 
 married to a gentleman named Horace 
 Blackburn, who was about ten years her 
 senior, and of very good family. Prior to 
 his marriage, and while yet engaged to Miss 
 Marshall, he was possessed of a considerable 
 fortune ; but having led rather a fast life at 
 college, after discharging the heavy debts 
 there incurred, his income was much reduced ; 
 VOL. I. 4
 
 50 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 nor did his marriage with the baronet's 
 daughter tend much to diminish the ex- 
 travagance to which he seemed naturally 
 prone : for he still occasionally indulged in 
 turf speculations, and although he had given 
 up running his own horses, he continued a 
 frequent visitor at racecourses, where a good 
 deal of his money often went into other 
 people's pockets, while sometimes, but less 
 frequently, other people's money found its 
 way into his own. He was also addicted to 
 card-playing, whist being his favourite game; 
 but unless each rubber represented a sum of 
 money considerably larger than is usually 
 considered sufficient to give an interest to 
 the cards, even whist had no charm for him ; 
 in short, although perhaps not exactly the 
 sort of man to work for money, he was cer- 
 tainly not above playing for it. These un- 
 fortunate propensities of Mr. Horace Black- 
 burn had long been a source of considerable
 
 Usurpation, 51 
 
 trouble and anxiety to his wife, and were 
 often the cause of much private bicker- 
 ing between them, for she naturally 
 dreaded his becoming again involved in 
 pecuniary difficulties, not only on her own 
 account, but also for the sake of their infant 
 daughter, who might one day require a 
 marriage portion, while it was quite within 
 the bounds of possibility that the young lady 
 referred to might be blessed with brothers 
 and sisters, who would also derive advantage 
 from some early provision being made for 
 them. But although, when smarting from 
 the effects of serious losses, Mr. Blackburn 
 made frequent resolutions to amend his ways 
 and to eschew pasteboard and horseflesh, as 
 he was wont to denominate his favourite 
 amusements, he found it no easy matter to 
 carry out his determination ; and when 
 temptation came in his way, with the pro- 
 verbial weakness of human nature, he could 
 
 4—2 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 ILLINOIS LIBRARY
 
 52 StonecMl Lodge. 
 
 never entirely resist it, but often fell into his 
 old courses, much to the disgust and uneasi- 
 ness of his wife, and to his o wn great detri- 
 ment. 
 
 Frank Marshall, Sir Oliver's son and heir, 
 v^as two years older than his sister, and had 
 received a liberal education at Oxford^ though 
 he had not much distinguished himself in the 
 course of his university career. His father 
 had destined him for the army — a profession 
 in which he was able to command some 
 interest — but Frank had so strongly ex- 
 pressed his aversion to becoming a soldier, 
 that Sir Oliver, after vainly expostulating 
 with him, in a fit of disgust at his want of 
 martial ardour, one day told him to follow 
 his own inclination, and that since he seemed 
 to wish to lead an idle life, instead of 
 honourably serving his country, he would 
 make him a fixed allowance, which he would 
 be expected not to exceed. The result was
 
 Usurpation. 53 
 
 that Frank began to devote himself ex- 
 clusively to drawing and painting, a pursuit 
 for which he had always had a strong 
 predilection and not a little natural talent. 
 He studied the art under the best masters, 
 and visited the most renowned Continental 
 galleries, where he spent much of his time in 
 copying the works of celebrated painters; 
 and after some reflection, having arrived at 
 the conclusion that landscape was the branch 
 in which he succeeded best, he returned to 
 England and searched the most picturesque 
 of its counties for suitable subjects for his 
 brush and pencil. His last excursion brought 
 him to the village of Bagsley, where, as the 
 reader will remember, he did not confine 
 himself exclusively to sketching from nature, 
 but devoted a portion of his time to the still 
 more fascinating art of love-making. 
 
 It was a fine summer's afternoon, and Sir 
 Oliver, seated in the Bath-chair in which he
 
 54 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 usually took the air in the grounds of Stone- 
 dell Lodge, had caused it to be placed in a 
 situation where he would derive full benefit 
 from the warm rays of the mid-day sun ; and 
 notwithstanding the heat of the atmosphere, 
 which any one in health would no doubt 
 have thought somewhat oppressive^ his 
 person was enveloped in a thick overcoat ; 
 while a woollen handkerchief was worn 
 round his throat, and a carriage-rug over 
 his knees. By his side stood his youthful 
 married daughter — tail and graceful in form, 
 her features bearing a marked resemblance 
 to those of the invalid on whom she attended, 
 but displaying all the delicacy and refinement 
 appertaining to feminine beauty ; while her 
 fair transparent complexion, rendered more 
 conspicuous by being brought into close 
 proximity to his brown and sunburnt skin, 
 presented as great a contrast as that occa- 
 sioned by a comparison of the light, cool,
 
 Usurpation, 55 
 
 summer garments she wore, with the heavy 
 winter clothing in which he was clad. She 
 held a large sunshade over her head, and 
 her right hand rested on the back of 
 her father's chair, while she conversed with 
 him from time to time in a low tone of 
 voice. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn, with their infant 
 daughter and nurse, were staying on a short 
 visit at Stonedell Lodge, where they usually 
 spent a few months every year, chiefly 
 because Mrs. Blackburn felt it a duty to 
 devote as much time as possible to the care 
 of her father while his health was so pre- 
 carious ; and Frank Marshall, who, in 
 a letter bearing the London postmark, 
 had written to say that he was on his 
 way home, was shortly expected to join 
 them. 
 
 The conversation between father and 
 daughter on the occasion referred to, turned
 
 56 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 on the subject of that young gentleman, 
 whose unsettled habits and roaming dispo- 
 sition had long been a source of vexation and 
 disappointment to his parent. 
 
 ' He is never at home,' said Sir Oliver, in 
 his querulous tone. ' Of what use is such a 
 son to me ? When I was his age, I had 
 already distinguished myself in India, in an 
 honourable profession ; but what can be 
 expected of one who, in spite of good advice, 
 throws away all his chances in order that he 
 may become a mere canvas-dauber? I 
 intended him for the army, though he had 
 also the choice of the Bar and the Church, 
 but nothing would suit him except wander- 
 ing about the country like a vagrant, taking 
 sketches which bring him neither reputation 
 nor money.' 
 
 ' It certainly seems a pity that Frank 
 should spend his time in the way he does,' 
 said Mrs. Blackburn, condolingly ; ' but after
 
 Usurpation. 57 
 
 all, papa, unless he had a liking for one of 
 the three professions you have named, he 
 might not have distinguished himself; for 
 what is more unenviable than the position of 
 a subaltern who gets no promotion, a briefless 
 barrister, or a clergyman whom no one cares 
 to listen to ? Fortunately, as your son, 
 Frank is not dependent upon a profession for 
 a hving.' 
 
 * What of that V exclaimed Sir Oliver 
 angrily. ' Because he is heir to a baronetcy, 
 and will have a good estate when I am gone, 
 is that any reason why he should do nothing 
 to uphold the family reputation ? Let him 
 follow the example of his ancestors, from old 
 Sir Reginald, in King James's time, down to 
 his own father — pshaw, child I don't talk 
 nonsense !' 
 
 Mrs. Blackburn was too well acquainted 
 with her parent's irritable temper to deem it 
 prudent to pursue the subject further, and
 
 58 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 therefore she became silent for a few moments. 
 At length she said : 
 
 ' Have the Altons been here to call lately, 
 l^ajoa V 
 
 * I believe Mrs. Alton and her daughter 
 left their cards the other day/ replied Sir. 
 Oliver ; ' but I felt too unwell to see them. 
 I don't often receive visitors — you know 
 that. Why they should come to call on a 
 broken-down creature like me, I can't 
 conceive/ 
 
 * Don't speak of yourself in that despond- 
 ing way, papa dear/ said Mrs. Blackburn 
 kindly. ' Doctor Ranee told me yesterday 
 that he saw a marked improvement in you ; 
 and I am sure you are looking better than 
 when we were last here, two months 
 ago.' 
 
 ' What does it matter what Doctor Kance 
 says, or how I look ?' replied the invalid, 
 testily ; * I only go by my own feelings.
 
 Usurpation. 59 
 
 All the doctors in the world would never be 
 able to persuade me that I shall be restored 
 to health — I know it is impossible. What 
 is the use of disguising the truth V 
 
 Again Mrs. Blackburn relapsed into 
 silence. She always made a point of 
 dropping a subject of conversation the 
 moment her father exhibited signs of irri- 
 tation. After a short interval she re- 
 marked : 
 
 ^ I have not seen Constance Alton for a 
 long time, and we used to be such great 
 friends before my marriage. No doubt, when 
 she knows that I am here, she will call to 
 see me.' 
 
 ^ Humph ! not unlikely !' said Sir Oliver 
 thoughtfully. * A good sort of a girl, that. 
 By-the-way, Beatrice, did it never strike you 
 that Frank used to be rather attentive to 
 Miss Alton V 
 
 ^Yes, I always thought he seemed to
 
 60 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 like being in her company,' replied Mrs. 
 Blackburn ; ^ but whether he meant any- 
 thing more than politeness I have never been 
 able to discover. I am pretty sure, however, 
 that she is fond of him.^ 
 
 ^ If Frank had a grain of sense in his 
 head he would marry that girl,' continued 
 the baronet, half-musing ; ^ she comes of a 
 good old county family — the Altons of 
 Alton Manor. She must eventually come 
 into the Pad wick estate, and as it adjoins 
 my own, the two combined would make a 
 property that any man might be proud of; 
 yet the fool no doubfc will let the chance shp 
 through his fingers, as all his other chances 
 have done.' 
 
 ^ You are rather hard on poor Frank, papa,' 
 said Mrs. Blackburn, who did not like to 
 hear her only brother disparaged by his 
 father. ^ No doubt she would be a good 
 match so far as birth and money go, but
 
 Usurpation. 61 
 
 there are other matters to be considered — 
 their dispositions and tempers, for instance, 
 might not be compatible ; and I am 
 sure she must be a httle older than 
 Prank.' 
 
 ' Fiddlestick !' replied her father in]- 
 patiently. ' A year older or younger, what 
 does it matter ? The first thing a man should 
 look for, should be a woman who is as nearly 
 as possible his equal in birth and station ; 
 if she has beauty, so much the better : but 
 good blood and a good estate are not 
 easily to be met with in these degenerate 
 days.' 
 
 ' Well, we shall see,' said Mrs. Blackburn, in 
 a quiet tone. ' I'm afraid, however, they don't 
 meet now so often as formerly — Frank is so 
 seldom at home. Perhaps if they like each 
 other something may come of it; as far as 
 she is concerned I feel sure there would be 
 no difficulty.'
 
 62 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ' If Frank doesn't secure her at once, he's 
 a fool/ said the baronet, very decidedly. 
 ' Call John to wheel me indoors ; I've been 
 out long enough.'
 
 Usurpation, 63 
 
 CHAPTER V, 
 
 THE BROTHERS-IN-LAW, 
 
 Mr. Horace Blackburn was about twenty- 
 nine years of age, above the middle height^ 
 and his form athletic and symmetrical. His 
 countenance was not ill-favoured, though 
 there was something about its expression 
 which did not please. His eyes were grey 
 and piercing, his nose thin and aquiline, and 
 a long silky moustache, the ends of which he 
 had a habit of stroking between his fore- 
 finger and thumb, partly concealed a scorn- 
 ful curve in his mouth. His hair, which was 
 of a light - brown colour, was cut short, 
 especially at the back of the head, where it
 
 64 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 was carefully parted in the middle and 
 brushed forward. About his dress there was 
 a tightness and compactness which bespoke 
 the man accustomed to ride to hounds or 
 in steeplechases ; but although his appearance 
 was on the whole somewhat ^ horsey,' there 
 was a total absence about it of anything 
 approaching commonness or vulgarity. 
 
 Only two days had elapsed since his 
 arrival with his wife and child at Stonedell 
 Lodge, yet Mr. Blackburn already began to 
 feel the place dreadfully dull and monoto- 
 nous, and it was quite a relief to him when it 
 was announced that Frank Marshall was ex- 
 pected there on the following day. 
 
 The latter^ on his arrival, was received by 
 his father with a greeting almost too cold to 
 be termed affectionate, and yet there was a cer- 
 tain subdued kindness about it which showed 
 that the wanderer, although out of favour, 
 was at all events welcome.
 
 Usurpation. 65 
 
 Sir Oliver's partial estrangement from his 
 son was undoubtedly caused in the first in- 
 stance by the refusal of the latter to adopt 
 his views with regard to the choice of a pro- 
 fession, and the breach was further widened 
 by Frank's frequent absence from home in 
 opposition to his father's wishes ; but al- 
 though the young gentleman was by no 
 means wanting in proper filial respect for his 
 parent, he was of too restless and impetuous 
 a nature to be able to remain at Stonedell 
 and endure with patience the baronet's irrit- 
 able and peevish temper, consequent upon 
 the debilitated state of his health — he could 
 not bear to hear his father repeatedly assert 
 that he (Frank) led an idle and useless life — 
 that he would never be anything better than 
 a second-rate artist, and that it was all very 
 well for a gentleman to have a taste for 
 pictures, but he should confine himself to 
 buying them, and should leave to others the 
 vol* I. 5
 
 G6 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 derogatory business of painting them for 
 sale ; thus he was glad to escape from his 
 father's presence and to seek elsewhere the 
 freedom and comfort which was denied him 
 at home. 
 
 His sister, on the other hand, being a 
 greater favourite with Sir Ohver, and there 
 being nothing in her conduct to call forth 
 his reproaches, spent most of her time, when 
 at Stonedell, in her father's company, attend- 
 ing to his wants, conversing with him or 
 reading to him, and ever indulging his 
 caprices with the greatest self-denial. Still 
 her case differed from her brother's, in so far 
 that each visit of herself and husband was 
 seldom extended beyond a week ; conse- 
 quently, if Mrs. Blackburn's duties were irk- 
 some, they were not of long duration ; but 
 as Frank usually made a longer sojourn 
 under the paternal roof, and, from the pecu- 
 liarity of his disposition, was more exposed
 
 Usurpation, Q7 
 
 to his father's sarcasms, his position was 
 more difficult to bear. 
 
 Horace Blackburn did not share his wife's 
 solicitude for Sir Oliver ; on the contrary, he 
 took advantage of every opportunity that 
 presented itself for getting out of his way, 
 and invented not a few excuses in order to 
 escape for a time the tediousness of his com- 
 pany. To him the baronet's society was ex- 
 tremely disagreeable and oppressive, al- 
 though he took care not to show too openly 
 by speech or action that he felt this to be 
 the case ; and the fact that the state of Sir 
 Oliver's health did not permit him to join in 
 any outdoor sport or amusement was in itself 
 a source of great dissatisfaction to Mr. 
 Blackburn, who could hardly exist without 
 some kind of pleasure and excitement ; in- 
 deed, had it not been that he felt it to be a 
 sort of duty, which was unavoidable, to ac- 
 company his wife to Stonedell on her pil- 
 
 5—2
 
 68 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 grimage, as he used to term it, and but for 
 the fact that he was certain his absence 
 would give dire offence, he would as soon have 
 thought of attending a Quakers' meeting as 
 of going to stay with his father-in-law ; at all 
 events he was never sorry Avhen their 
 periodical visits came to a close and he was 
 again at liberty to follow the bent of his own 
 inclination. 
 
 One evening, a day or two after Frank 
 Mg^rshall's arrival, while Sir Oliver and his 
 daughter remained indoors, the two brothers- 
 in-law strolled about the garden of Stonedell 
 Lodge, smoking their cigars and conversing 
 together in a low tone of voice. 
 
 ^ I am so glad you are here, Frank,' said 
 Mr. Blackburn, as if he really meant what 
 he said, ^ for, to tell the truth, this is not the 
 most lively spot in the world now that your 
 father is such an invalid. Between ourselves, 
 I don't wonder at your taking periodical
 
 Usurpation. 69 
 
 flights from home — a few months of this sort 
 of hfe I verily beheve would kill me. 
 What can a man do who is left to himself in 
 a place like this ? Your father has not a 
 horse in his stables that any one can ride, 
 and since he has left off shooting he doesn't 
 see the use of preserving game for his 
 friends ; fishing I don't care for, or no doubt 
 I might catch a few trout in the brook 
 yonder, so much for the outdoor amusements. 
 Indoors there's no such thing as sitting down 
 to a rubber at whist, or, so far as your father 
 is concerned, of standing up to a game of 
 billiards ; and as to music, tliat is quite out 
 of the question, for if Beatrice touches the 
 piano, it has about the same effect on Sir 
 Oliver's nerves as Galvanism is reported to 
 have on those of a dead frog. In short, one 
 can do nothing but read, and even then one 
 must be a bit of an antiquary to enjoy the 
 musty old books in the library. Ah I Frank,
 
 70 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 my boy ! all this must be altered when Stone- 
 dell is yours, or don't ask me to come and see 
 you.' 
 
 * I am not surprised that you think the 
 place dull,' replied the other ; ^ but what can 
 one expect when my father is such an invalid 
 and our family so small ? If you feel tired 
 of the life after only a few days' experience of 
 it, what must I have felt when I was living 
 here for months together, with no one but 
 my father and the servants to speak to ? 
 And now that I go away for a month or two 
 at a time, he is quite offended with me for 
 not staying at home.' 
 
 ' That I consider preposterous,' said Horace 
 Blackburn, puffing a column of tobacco- 
 smoke from his mouth and watching it 
 gradually disappear in the air. ^ I know if I 
 were Sir Oliver's son, and he refused to take 
 a house where there was some life stirrinof, or 
 where human beings congregated occasion-
 
 Usurpation, 7 1 
 
 ally, I should take a trip to Paris or Berlin 
 and stop there as long as I felt in- 
 clined/ 
 
 * Very fine talking, Horace,' replied Frank 
 Marshall ; ^ I have still some consideration 
 and respect for my father, though he doesn't 
 giYe me credit for having much ; besides, 
 you forget that I am dependent upon him 
 for the moderate income he allows me ; and 
 if I were to quit the paternal roof altogether, 
 he might stop the supplies, and I should find 
 that confoundedly awkward,' 
 
 ' Pooh r said his brother-in-law ; ^ as far 
 as that goes, you with your expectations 
 could get almost any advance you wanted, 
 without the least difficulty. I know a highly 
 respectable individual rejoicing in the Biblical 
 name of Moses, who I am sure would be 
 delighted to accommodate you with any 
 amount, in return for your signature to a bit 
 of stamped paper ; but if you want to play
 
 72 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 the dutiful son, of course that alters the case 
 entirely. Still I must say I think it is rather 
 selfish of Sir Oliver to wish to mew you up 
 here, at your time of life, when you might be 
 enjoying yourself elsewhere. I'll warrant he 
 didn't stay at home much when he was your 
 age.' 
 
 * I don't care for too much society/ said 
 Frank ; ' I like better to feel perfectly free. 
 My tastes are simple, and I am easily satis- 
 fied. I devote myself almost exclusively to 
 art, for I love it more than anything. Were 
 I like JOM, Horace, I should be doubly rest- 
 less and dissatisfied, for I know how fond you 
 are of excitement and sport as you call it. 
 The quiet life I lead would never suit 
 yoiL 
 
 ' Talking of sport, Frank,' said Blackburn, 
 lowering his voice to a whisper, ^ whose horse 
 do you think won the Bedford Plate at the 
 last Newmarket meeting 1 — guess.'
 
 Usurpation. 73 
 
 ^ Not yours, certainly,' replied Mar- 
 shall. 
 
 ' Why not V asked Blackburn, smiling. 
 
 ' Because I know you have given up keep- 
 ing race -horses,' said Marshall. ^ Besides, 
 you promised Beatrice that after your heavy 
 losses on the turf you would never run or 
 back a horse again.' 
 
 *Well, I've no doubt I did make some 
 promise of the kind,' returned Blackburn, 
 * just to keep her quiet, you know. Women 
 are such odd creatures, and if a man loses a 
 few times they think he is going to rack and 
 ruin — but listen, I'll tell you a secret. One 
 of the knowing ones recommended me to 
 invest in a two-year-old called Meteor. I 
 bought her and entered her for the Bedford 
 Plate ; ten horses ran — a splendid race — and 
 she won by a head ; she earned enough 
 money to recompense me for nearly all my 
 previous losses, and I sold her after the race
 
 74 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 for four hundred guineas. What do you 
 think of that V 
 
 ' I think, Horace/ said Frank Marshall, 
 who, instead of congratulating his brother-in- 
 law, became suddenly grave, ' that you had 
 better carry out the resolution you formed 
 some time ago, and give up racing and 
 betting. You promised Beatrice you would, 
 and at all events you should keep your 
 w^ord.' 
 
 ^ You are not going to make mischief 
 between Beatrice and myself, I hope V said 
 Blackburn, speaking somewhat sternly and 
 eyeing his companion with a curious 
 look. 
 
 ' Certainly not,' returned the other ; ' but I 
 think it a great pity that you cannot keep 
 faith with your own wife, at all events. You 
 should never make a promise you do not 
 intend to keep ; you are deceiving poor 
 Beatrice.'
 
 Usurpation. 75 
 
 * Did you never practise deception in your 
 life?' demanded Blackburn, turning on his 
 brother-in-law almost fiercely. * Did you 
 never deceive any one 1 Have you never 
 concealed anything from your father, for 
 instance ? Are you not at the present 
 moment hidinof somethino^ from him that he 
 ought to know V 
 
 ' What do you mean V asked Frank, 
 colouring visibly, and giving a short 
 start. 
 
 The flush and the start were not lost upon 
 Blackburn. 
 
 * Frank, my boy/ said he coolly, ^ those 
 who live in glass houses should never throw 
 stones ; we understand each other, I 
 think.' 
 
 * Why do you apply that remark to me V 
 inquired Marshall, with an uneasy look and 
 a faltering voice. ' To what do you allude ? 
 Speak plainly/
 
 76 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ' That should be best known to yourself/ 
 replied the other evasively ; * but come, I 
 don't want to pry into your affairs, and don't 
 you meddle with mine. I dare say if the 
 truth were known we are both very far from 
 being saints, and I certainly do not profess 
 to be one. Let me offer you another 
 weed.' 
 
 Marshall threw away the end of the cigar 
 he had been smoking, and drew a fresh 
 cheroot from the proffered cigar-case of his 
 brother-in-law ; and as he applied a lighted 
 fusee to it, his face wore an anxious expres- 
 sion, and for a few moments he seemed 
 plunged in deep meditation. 
 
 ^ Have you taken many sketches lately V 
 said Horace Blackburn, after a short pause, 
 as if desirous of changing the subject of their 
 conversation. 
 
 ' Yes, I have ten or twelve in my portfolio 
 indoors,' replied Frank in a conciliatory tone.
 
 Usurpation. 77 
 
 and with an effort to appear at his ease ; 
 * you shall see them when we go in. Of 
 course they are nothing more than rough 
 studies from nature, from which T ma.y make 
 more finished pictures in the studio.' 
 
 ^ The weather of late has been very favour- 
 able for outdoor sketching/ remarked Black- 
 burn ; ^ but I should think you must find it 
 warm work on such hot days as we have had 
 for the last few weeks.' 
 
 * Yes, one doesn't require an overcoat/ said 
 the other with a laugh. * My favourite 
 season for landscape-painting is the autumn, 
 when, besides having a more temperate 
 atmosphere to work in, one finds such a 
 variety of beautiful tints on the foliage of the 
 trees. Then is the time to study colour. By 
 the way, I have planned a little excursion 
 into Devonshire for next October ; the wood- 
 land scenery there is very fine, as I dare say 
 you know.'
 
 78 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 With the words Marshall drew from his 
 pocket a small diary, and referred to some 
 written memoranda it contained ; and while 
 turning over the leaves, something fell on 
 the gravel walk at his feet, and Blackburn 
 quickly stooped and picked it up. It was 
 the photographic likeness of Frank Marshall's 
 wife. 
 
 ' By Jove !' exclaimed Blackburn, with ex- 
 ultation, as his eye rested on the portrait ; 
 ' a perfect beauty and no mistake ! Frank, 
 you sly fox, who is it V 
 
 ^ Who is if? oh ! no one in particular,' 
 replied the other, looking annoyed and con- 
 fused as he took the photograph almost rudely 
 from his companion's hand ; ^ if you must 
 know, I brought it with me from Paris ; 
 there you may buy portraits of all the prin- 
 cipal French singers and actresses for about 
 a franc each.'
 
 Usurpation. 79 
 
 * A French singer or actress^ is she V said 
 Blackburn in a tone of feigned surprise, and 
 smihng provokingly. ' Really to me she 
 appears more English than French. No, no, 
 my good brother-in-law, I begin to suspect 
 an affaire du coeur ; I do, upon my word. 
 However, I'm not inquisitive, and if you 
 don't wish anything said;, I can hold my 
 tongue.' 
 
 * I hope you will, Horace,' said Frank, 
 pettishly ; * for your jocularity annoys me. 
 For goodness' sake, don't let any such foolish 
 notions get abroad, lest they should reach my 
 father's ears ; you know how ready he is to 
 believe everything he hears,' 
 
 * Do you take me for a madman V replied 
 Blackburn, coolly. ' Pooh ! don't be alarmed. 
 But one word, Frank— after this, don't let us 
 accuse each other of practising deception and 
 all that sort of thing, because there's no
 
 80 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 •foundation for such an accusation, you 
 know.' 
 
 Marshall bit his lip but made no reply, 
 and the two soon afterwards returned in- 
 doors.
 
 Usurpation, 
 
 CHAPTER YI. 
 
 FATHER AND SON. 
 
 The first Sunday after their arrival at Stone- 
 dell, Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn made tlieir 
 appearance at the parish church in the 
 baronet's large square pew, which for many 
 months had not been occupied ; and the fact 
 of their being on a visit at the Lodge be- 
 coming thus known, they shortly afterwards 
 received calls from members of the principal 
 families in the neighbourhood, with whom 
 Mrs. Blackburn had been on terms of 
 intimacy prior to her marriage. Among the 
 number were Mrs. Alton, whose husband 
 VOL. I. ^ 6
 
 82 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 was a member of parliament^ and the owner 
 of an estate adjoining that of Sir OHver; and 
 their daughter Constance, a young lady who, 
 without any pretension to be called beautiful;, 
 had so distinguished an air, and such refine- 
 ment of manner, and was withal so tastefully 
 dressed on every occasion, that wherever she 
 went she must have attracted a good deal of 
 attention ; while no doubt the fact of her 
 being the only child of very wealthy and 
 influential parents, made her still more an 
 object of interest to any fortune-hunters who 
 by chance might have obtained an introduc- 
 tion to her. 
 
 Miss Alton and Mrs. Blaxjkburn had long 
 been bosom friends, and therefore in past 
 years had spent much time in each other's 
 company — confiding secrets one to the other 
 with an unreservedness which in itself was 
 a proof of great friendship, and holding 
 private consultations together on matters
 
 Usurpation, 83 
 
 relating to almost every subject, from 
 millinery to matrimony. 
 
 The frequent visits of the j^oung lady to 
 Stonedeli Lodge had been the means of 
 throwing her a good deal into the company 
 of Frank Marshall — whose propensity for 
 roaming about the country did not disclose 
 itself so long as his sister remained at home 
 to share wdth him the monotony of the 
 paternal mansion — and in consequence many 
 little flirtations took place between them, 
 which might have led to an intimacy of a 
 deeper and more lasting nature had there 
 been on the part of the gentleman a greater 
 appearance of earnestness and sincerity 
 amidst the gallantry he displayed on those 
 occasions ; but Marshall's attentions were of 
 too light and trivial a character to be easily 
 mistaken for affection; while on the other hand 
 there was a great probability that Constance 
 Alton had more partiahty for Frank than he 
 
 6—2
 
 84 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 had for her; at all events, she certainly 
 showed in fifty different ways that his 
 society was anything but disagreeable to her, 
 and to judge by appearances, gave him every 
 encouragement to induce him to fall in love 
 with her. If the truth must be told, Mrs. 
 Alton had contributed not a little to the 
 state of her daughter's feelings towards 
 young Marshall, for many times she had 
 thrown out broad hints that he was a most 
 eligible young man, and well worthy of the 
 attention of any young lady anxious to 
 obtain at one stroke a good position in 
 society and the prospect of a title ; for what 
 could be more desirable than to secure a 
 husband whose accession to a baronetcy and 
 to a large estate was delayed only by the 
 existence of a father with a constitution so 
 feeble and decayed that no Insurance 
 Company, with a Board of Directors whose 
 names were not fictitious, would have
 
 Usurpation, 85 
 
 entertained any proposal for insuring his 
 life ? 
 
 But if Frank Marshall's heart was cold 
 and obdurate, nil desperandum was evidently 
 Miss Alton's motto ; for although she had 
 hitherto been unsuccessful in her attempts 
 to storm the citadel, she returned to the 
 attack with renewed vigour whenever an 
 opportunity offered ; deriving consolation 
 from the fact that she believed his affec- 
 tions to be disengaged, and that in all 
 probability she had no rival in the field ; 
 thus she would not relinquish the hope of 
 one day becoming Lady Marshall, so long as 
 there was the faintest chance of her ultimately 
 attaining that dignity. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn having returned 
 the visit of Mrs. Alton and her daughter, 
 the two latter shortly afterwards accepted an 
 invitation to dine at Stonedell Lodge. Mr. 
 Alton had also been invited, but had begged
 
 86 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 to be excused on the ground that parliamen- 
 tary business would necessitate his being 
 from home on the day in question. A 
 dinner-party at the baronet s residence had 
 become a rare occurrence, as the state of Sir 
 Oliver's health did not admit of his entertain- 
 ing company ; but when his married daughter 
 and her husband visited him, it sometimes 
 happened that a few friends were invited, 
 and on such occasions Mrs. Blackburn took 
 upon herself the whole responsibility of the 
 matter^ and if her father did not feel well 
 enough to appear at the dinner-table, she 
 and her husband did the honours in his 
 absence. 
 
 On the occasion alluded to, no other guests 
 than the i^ltons were invited, hence nothing 
 more than a quiet little party was anticipated ; 
 and although Sir Oliver naturally did not 
 care to see his house full of company when 
 he was not in e. fit state to entertain his
 
 Usurpation, 87 
 
 friends^ he never objected to the presence of 
 his nearest neighbours, with whom he had 
 always been on terms of friendly intimacy. 
 His partiality for the Alton family originated, 
 no doubt, in the favourite project he enter- 
 tained of one day connecting the Stonedell 
 Estate with that belonging to the Altons by 
 means of a union betw^een his son and the 
 heiress who so long had been the bosom 
 friend of his daughter. That his thoughts 
 had again been running on this subject was 
 evident from the fact that, on the morning of 
 the day on which Constance and her mother 
 were expected to dine at the Lodge, he took 
 an opportunity, when he and Frank were 
 alone together, of speaking in plain terms of 
 his fondly cherished scheme, thinking, ap- 
 parently, that the strong hints which he had 
 thrown out on many former occasions were 
 not sufficient in a matter of such importance. 
 'Frank,' said he, in a much more pro-
 
 88 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 pitiatory tone than he usually employed 
 when conversing with his son ; * you are 
 aware that the Altons dine here this evening, 
 I suppose ?' 
 
 * Yes ; Beatrice told me they were coming,* 
 replied Frank, inwardly wondering why his 
 father alluded to the circumstance. 
 
 ' Shut the door,' continued Sir Oliver ; ^ I 
 wish to speak with you privately. It has 
 not escaped my notice, Frank, that when 
 Miss Alton is here you generally pay her 
 considerable attention, and I am bound to 
 say that I consider it to be a sign of great 
 wisdom on your part, for she is a remarkably 
 nice girl, and would undoubtedly make you a 
 very suitable wife. As you are my only son, 
 and my life being so uncertain, I am naturally 
 anxious to see you settled ; and certainly, as 
 regards age, birth and fortune, Constance 
 Alton is all that can be desired, and I shall 
 be glad to receive her as my daughter-in-law,
 
 Usurpation, 89 
 
 as soon as you choose to make up your mind 
 to marry her. It rests entirely with your- 
 self; and where a valuable treasure may be 
 had for the asking, the sooner the word is 
 spoken the better.' 
 
 ' My dear father !' exclaimed Frank, red- 
 dening with surprise and annoyance^ 'yo^ 
 surely are labouring under a great delusion. 
 I cannot understand why you should fancy 
 that I entertain any affection for Miss Alton. 
 I assure you, I have no thoughts of making 
 her my wife, even supposing her to be willing 
 to accept me as her husband^ which is, I 
 think, extremely doubtful.' 
 
 An angry flush spread itself over the brown 
 and shrivelled countenance of the baronet, as 
 with a sudden start he half raised himself in 
 his chair, exclaiming, almost fiercely : 
 
 ' What, sir ! Do you mean to tell me that 
 you are such an idiot as to let a chance like 
 this escape you, when you know the girl has
 
 90 ' Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 set her affections on you ! Let mo tell you, 
 sir, Miss Alton is too good for you. She is 
 no ordinary person ; she is well-born, accom- 
 plished, and an heiress. At the death of her 
 parents she will become entitled to an estate 
 as fine or finer than my own — which must be 
 yours one day — and the two united would 
 make the most valuable property in the 
 whole county; think of that, sir, and don't 
 be a fool !' 
 
 ^ I should be the last man in the world to 
 marry for money only, father/ replied Frank, 
 looking nervous and uncomfortable ; ' besides, 
 Miss Alton is not at all the sort of person I 
 should care to select for my wife. No doubt 
 I am, as you say, unworthy of her, but that 
 only makes it less desirable that we should 
 be united.' 
 
 * Pshaw ! I have no patience with such 
 absurd reasoning,' ejaculated Sir Oliver, 
 eyeing his son with a look of deep dis-
 
 Usurpation, 91 
 
 pleasure. ^What man, save myself, was 
 ever cursed with such a son as you ! Ever 
 since you came of age you have been stand- 
 ing in your own light and have gone against 
 your own interests. I sent you to college, 
 but you never could pass an examination, 
 and came back nearly as ignorant as you 
 went. You had the choice of three honour- 
 able professions, but you declined to study 
 for either of them ; in short, nothing would 
 satisfy you except to become a paltry dauber 
 of canvas — a second or third-rate artist, if 
 the truth be told — unable to get a living 
 even at that, if you were thrown on your 
 own resources ; and now, when a splendid 
 opportunity offers for you to improve your 
 position and to add to your fortune, you 
 think one of the richest heiresses in the 
 county not good enough for you !' 
 
 * I have always been of opinion that in the 
 choice of a wife the attainment of domestic
 
 92 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 happiness should be the first consideration, 
 and that wealth without love means too often 
 grandeur with misery/ replied the young 
 man almost bitterly. ^ I am not ambitious, 
 nor yet extravagant in my tastes, and I may 
 truly say that I shall be contented with only 
 Stonedell as an inheritance/ 
 
 'A very philosophical gentleman, on my 
 word !' said the baronet with a sneer. ' I 
 have not the slightest doubt that if you were 
 driven to it you would be satisfied to live in 
 a garret on bread and water for the rest of 
 your days ; but let me tell you, sir, if you 
 wish to be regarded as my son, I would have 
 you at least possess the common ambition of 
 a gentleman, to be considered as one by the 
 world ; I would have you abandon low and 
 grovelling ideas. Fools only scoff at riches, 
 but by wealth alone can a man hope to obtain 
 an important position among his fellows ; 
 and there is no readier way of increasing
 
 Usurpation. 93 
 
 one's possessions than by a judicious mar- 
 riage.' 
 
 ' I can only repeat that in my own ca«e I 
 prefer happiness to wealth/ returned Frank 
 in a determined tone. ' I ' should scorn to 
 marry a woman for the sake of her money 
 alone. I say again, I have no affection for 
 Miss Alton, and I think you labour under a 
 great delusion in supposing that she entertains 
 any regard for me.' 
 
 ^ I happen to be better informed than you 
 suppose,' said his father pettishly; ' I tell you 
 she may be had for the asking — for the ask- 
 ing, do you hear V 
 
 ' Father, it cannot be,' said Frank, shaking 
 his head. * It is impossible. We should 
 make the most ill-assorted couple in the 
 county, and I must candidly say that I don't 
 see why so much pressure should be put 
 upon me in order to induce me to make an 
 offer of marriage to a girl for whom I have
 
 94 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 no affection. Really, sir, you are too exact- 
 
 ing. 
 
 ^ Go your own way !' sneered Sir Oliver. 
 ' You are wonderfully independent^ consider- 
 ing you are at present living upon me. Had 
 I the power, I would mark my sense of your 
 exemplary filial conduct by preventing Stone- 
 dell from ever being yours. By heaven, 
 sir ! if I had been able to cut you off with a 
 shilling, you would not dare to oppose my 
 wishes. As it is, I shall not soon forget the 
 way in which you disregard my counsels, and 
 the disrespectful tone of your remarks.' 
 
 'You wrong me — I never intended the 
 least disrespect towards you,' replied Frank 
 warmly. ' Your accusations are unjust and 
 unreasonable. You are continually finding 
 fault with me, and my life here, in conse- 
 quence, has become intolerable.' 
 
 * Then why stay here V said Sir Oliver, 
 with provoking coldness, ^ If Stonedell
 
 Usurpation, 95 
 
 Lodge is not comfortable, I wonder your in- 
 dependent spirit suffers you to remain. We 
 shan't miss each other if we part, go when 
 and where you please.' 
 
 ' I ivill go — this very day — this very 
 hour r exclaimed Frank, stung to the quick 
 by his father's taunting replies, ' This is no 
 home for me, nor do you treat me with the 
 kindness a son should expect from his father. 
 Yes, I will afflict you with my presence no 
 longer — I will go.' 
 
 Thus speaking, and without another word, 
 in a fit of angry impetuosity the young man 
 quickly left the room, and the baronet, partly 
 overcome with the exertion of sustaining an 
 irritatino' and excitino^ conversation, sank 
 back in his chair with a look of gloomy de- 
 spondency in his face. 
 
 That same evening the guests assembled 
 at the house were informed, to their surprise, 
 and to the great disappointment of one of
 
 96 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 them at least, that Frank Marshall had been 
 obliged to leave hurriedly for town. Sir 
 Oliver did not appear at the dinner-table, 
 having asked to be excused on account of his 
 not feeling so well as he had been in the 
 earlier part of the day ; and the meal passed 
 off without being enlivened by the cheerful 
 humour and sprightly conversation usual on 
 such occasions.
 
 Usurpatio7i, 97 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE FOSTER-PARENTS. 
 
 Months passed quickly away, yet Frank 
 Marshall, after the angry interview with his 
 father recorded in the last chapter, did not 
 again make his appearance at Stonedell 
 Lodge, nor did he communicate in any way 
 with Sir Oliver, or even with his sister, who 
 resided in a neighbouring county ; the latter 
 circumstance was the more surprising from 
 the fact that Frank and Mrs. Blackburn had 
 always been on affectionate terms, and he 
 had been accustomed to spend a few weeks 
 every year under her roof 
 Such being the case, his prolonged and inex- 
 
 VOL. I. 7
 
 98 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 plicable absence caused her, at least, great 
 perplexity and uneasiness. She had no 
 grounds for believing that he was offended 
 with her as well as with his father, as she 
 was quite unconscious of having at any time 
 by word or deed given him cause to be dis- 
 pleased with her, and their last meeting had 
 been as cordial and pleasant as usual. 
 
 Had Mrs. Blackburn been aware of the 
 true reason of her brother's disappearance 
 and silence, she would have known that 
 there was every excuse for his apparently 
 strange conduct, and she would have sympa- 
 thised with him to the utmost extent — nay, 
 more — she would have pitied him with her 
 whole heart. 
 
 After quitting, for the last time, his 
 father's house, a terrible and unexpected 
 grief had fallen upon Marshall, crushing him 
 with its weight both mentally and physi- 
 cally ; his young and beautiful wife — the
 
 Usurpation, 99 
 
 Belle of Bagsley, the sunshine of his life — 
 had died, leaving him a son, the future hero 
 of our story. 
 
 It would be useless to attempt to describe 
 the overwhelming sense of desolation, the un- 
 speakable anguish, which Marshall felt when 
 the sad tidings reached him. With the ex- 
 ception of Mark Checkers and his wife, who 
 were indefatigable in their endeavours to 
 soothe and console him, there was no earthly 
 being to whom he could turn for consolation 
 m the dark hour of his bereavement; for his 
 marriage having been kept from the know- 
 ledge of his relations, to inform them of the 
 death of his wife and of the birth of his son, 
 he felt, would be only to reveal the secret 
 which he had hitherto preserved with such 
 care ; and now that he was estranged from 
 his parent, he was still less desirous of dis- 
 closing the fact of his clandestine marriage, 
 for he dreaded the possibility of Sir Oliver 
 
 7—2
 
 100 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 experiencing a feeling of relief on being in- 
 formed that one whom he could never have 
 regarded with favour or affection, on account 
 of her humble origin, had ceased to exist, 
 more than he feared the anger his father 
 would probably exhibit on hearing the start- 
 ling news. 
 
 Marshall's secret and his grief ahke, 
 therefore, remained hidden in his own sad 
 breast ; and with a heedlessness as to what 
 became- of him, or whither he went, so long 
 as he escaped from the scene of his short- 
 lived happiness — the result of a sort of des= 
 peration caused by the poignancy of his 
 suffering — he resolved immediately to quit 
 his native land, and to live thenceforth on 
 the Continent; but before taking his de- 
 parture he saw, of course, that it would be 
 necessary to make arrangements for the care 
 and maintenance of his infant son, who had 
 been christened Vincent in memory of his
 
 Usurpation. J. 01 
 
 mother. This was not found to be a very 
 difEcult matter, for Mrs. Checkers was easily 
 induced to take charge of the child, especially 
 as Marshall offered to deposit with her a sum 
 more than sufficient to defray all expenses 
 for several months to come, and to send re- 
 mittances at stated periods when that was 
 expended, besides making her a liberal allow- 
 ance for her trouble in the matter. He also 
 promised to acquaint them with his where- 
 abouts from time to time, in order that they 
 might keep him informed as to how the in- 
 fant was progressing. 
 
 Mark Checkers and his wife were the 
 only persons to whom Marshall had inti- 
 mated his intention to reside abroad. As 
 already stated, his father and sister were 
 quite in ignorance of his movements ; and 
 although we have said he entertained a 
 brotherly affection for the latter, so constantly 
 gloomy and depressed had he now become
 
 102 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 that he could not summon resolution enough 
 to write and inform her of his leaving 
 England, and thus relieve her mind of its 
 anxiety. 
 
 Althouo^h Sir Oliver had at first affected 
 indifference as to his son's fate and move- 
 ments, as the period of the latter's absence 
 daily increased without any tidings of him 
 being received, the baronet began to get 
 restless and uneasy ; but having communi- 
 cated with his bankers, who had instructions 
 to honour the young gentleman's cheques to 
 a certain fixed amount, he gladly learnt 
 through them that Frank Marshall's signa- 
 ture continued to reach them at the usual 
 intervals, which was pretty conclusive proof 
 that he was still in the land of the living. 
 The cheques in question, it was stated, bore 
 at one time the indorsement of a French 
 firm, at another that of a German or Italian 
 house, which indicated that the drawer did
 
 Usurpation, 103 
 
 not remain long in one country, but was 
 continually travelling and changing his 
 whereabouts. 
 
 On receiving this assurance of his son's 
 safety, Sir Oliver relapsed into his former 
 affectation of indifference, and Frank's name 
 was rarely mentioned by him, or by others in 
 his presence. Meanwhile, Mrs. Checkers 
 continued faithful to her trust, and young 
 Vincent Marshall, under her skilful and 
 motherly treatment, grew stronger, and more 
 noisy every day. 
 
 The remittances sent to defray the cost 
 of his maintenance, and to recompense his 
 guardians for the time and care bestowed 
 upon him during the critical period of in- 
 fancy, arrived regularly at fixed intervals ; 
 and the letters in which they were contained 
 usually supplied an address on the Continent 
 to which information could be sent concern- 
 ing the health of the child, and an acknow-
 
 104 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 ledgment of the safe receipt of the money. 
 So matters went on for a considerable time ; 
 but near the close of the third year, to the 
 surprise and annoyance of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Checkers, the usual letter with its valuable 
 contents did not arrive. Unable to account 
 for so strange an occurrence, they waited 
 patiently for two months, expecting every 
 day when they saw the postman in the street, 
 that he would call and brinsf the lona*- 
 looked-for letter ; but in vain they waited 
 and expected — they were doomed to be dis- 
 appointed. 
 
 At length Mark Checkers determined to 
 write to Mr. Marshall at his last-known 
 address, informing him that the usual re- 
 mittance had not reached them. Again 
 there was an interval of anxious expectation, 
 but no reply came ; and in course of time 
 the letter, the address of which was half 
 obliterated by foreign postmarks, and direc-
 
 Usurpation. 105 
 
 tions in different lang^uaofes, was returned 
 to the writer through the London Post-office 
 w^ith an intimation that Mr. Marshall was 
 not to be found at any of the addresses given 
 on the envelope. 
 
 Here was a dilemma ! They had agreed 
 to take charo^e of the child of a strano^er in 
 consideration of the regular payment of a 
 sum of money, and now from some unex- 
 pected cause the remittances were discon- 
 tinued, yet the boy still remained on their 
 hands ; and to make matters worse they 
 were unable to communicate with his parent, 
 for the very sufficient reason that his where- 
 abouts could not be discovered. 
 
 Had Mark Checkers and his wife not been 
 blessed with offspring, it might have af- 
 forded them pleasure to adopt the child of 
 others ; but in their case nature had been 
 especially bountiful, for they had now five 
 children oF their own — unfortunately all girls
 
 106 Stoned ell Lodge. 
 
 — to feed, clothe, and educate ; so that any 
 addition to their family was clearly super- 
 fluous, not to say undesirable ; particularly 
 since there was a probability of extra expense 
 falling upon them. 
 
 But Vincent Marshall, now aged about 
 three years, had no idea that he had become 
 dependent on the charity of his guardians 
 for the necessaries of life ; he ate as heartily 
 played as lustily, and made himself as 
 thoroughly at home as though he had the 
 same right to food, raiment, and shelter as 
 his young playmates ; indeed he knew no 
 parents other than Mark Checkers and his 
 wife, and their children were to him sisters ^ 
 while any attempt to dispel the idea of this 
 imaginary relationship would have been 
 stoutly resisted on his part. 
 
 Still the matter, under the new aspect it 
 had assumed, involved very serious conse- 
 quences to the persons it most concerned.
 
 Usurpation. 107 
 
 Mark Checkers had long struggled to make 
 his yearly income cover the amount of his 
 annual expenditure, and at last, by means of 
 the liberal allowance hitherto made them 
 by Frank Marshall for the care of his son, 
 he had succeeded in doing so ; but now, that 
 allowance being suddenly discontinued, and 
 the burden of supporting, without recompense, 
 another person's child being, as seemed 
 too probable, thrust upon them, the chances 
 were that Mark would again get into debt, 
 and the thoughts of this caused him great 
 uneasiness. 
 
 ' My dear,' said he to his wife, one evening 
 after returning home, fagged and weary, from 
 the office, to find one or two tradesmen's 
 bills with a request for immediate payment 
 awaiting him, ^ this matter about little 
 Vincent Marshall is becoming very serious ; 
 it is now nearly nine months since we re- 
 ceived the last money for his support, and it
 
 108 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 appears to me that we are not likely to get 
 any more. His father is either dead or has 
 purposely deserted him ; the consequence is 
 that unless something be done, we shall have 
 to maintain the boy at our own expense, for 
 nobody knows how long. If I were well 
 off and could afford it, I shouldn't mind it so 
 much ; but as I'm not well off, and can't 
 afford it, I think it no joke.' 
 
 ' Is there no way of finding out "what has 
 become of Mr. Marshall ?' said Mrs. Checkers, 
 whose usually bright face was obscured by a 
 cloud ; for in addition to written demands 
 for money, being at home all day, she knew 
 of verbal applications having been made at 
 the house by disappointed creditors.' 
 
 ' If he had remained in England we might 
 have been able to trace him by means of ad- 
 vertisements,' said Mark, gloomily ; ' but it is 
 not so easy to find people abroad ; especially 
 when they do nob stop long in one place ;
 
 Usurpation. 109 
 
 and I might spend a lot of money in 
 making inquiries on the Continent, without 
 any good resulting.' 
 
 ^ Mr. Marshall did not appear the sort of 
 man to impose on people, I will say that for 
 him/ said Mrs. Checkers, thoughtfully. 
 ' He has always been straightforward in his 
 dealings with us, until now, so that I really 
 think it cannot be altogether his fault ; 
 besides, to judge from his letters, he always 
 took the greatest interest in Vincent, dear 
 little fellow as he is,' 
 
 *Dear in more than one sense,' muttered 
 Mark Checkers, with rather a grim smile. 
 
 ^ Well, after all, I'm sure if we had not 
 such a large family of our own to keep,' said 
 Mrs. Checkers, with a burst of motherly 
 warmth, ' I would never begrudge him any- 
 thing ; nor do I now for that matter, though 
 it ceitainly is hard on us to get nothing for 
 his support, when everything is so dear.
 
 110 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 Tve reared him from a baby, and I'm almost 
 as fond of him as of any of our girls, and 
 should be downright sorry to part with him, 
 though it is another mouth to feed, and a 
 pretty capacious one/ 
 
 ' I know of only one method of relieving 
 ourselves of the burden- for it is a burden- — 
 for all we are fond of the child and he is 
 attached to us,' said Mark Checkers, who 
 appeared to have been in deep thought while 
 his wife was speaking ; ' but I see little 
 use in mentioning it, because I don't think 
 either of us would like to pursue the course 
 that is open to us.' 
 
 * What course do you mean V asked Mrs. 
 Checkers, with a good deal of curiosity. 
 
 ' Why, the workhouse — to send the child 
 to the workhouse and let the parish maintain 
 him,' said the husband, gravely watching his 
 wife's face. 
 
 * Never !' exclaimed Mrs. Checkers, em-
 
 Vsmyation. Ill 
 
 phatically. ^ What ! send poor innocent 
 little Vincent to be herded with the children 
 of outcasts and beggars, and afterwards to be 
 dealt with by a board of unfeehng guardians ? 
 No ! before it should come to that I would 
 starve myself. Let him stop w^here he is, 
 that's what I say ; we will manage to main- 
 tain him somehow, and when he gets big 
 enough to work, perhaps he will repay us 
 our expenses.' 
 
 ^ Just what I w^as about to observe,' replied 
 Mark, more cheerfully, as he stood up to 
 kiss his wife. ' And so, my dear, it comes 
 to this, that whether the boy's father ever 
 returns to claim him or not, and although w^e 
 may never get repaid the cost of maintaining 
 him, Vincent is not to be turned adrift, but 
 takes his chance with our girls. It is only 
 simple division after all ; in future we divide 
 by six, instead of by five, and I don't think, 
 when the sum is done, there will be any
 
 112 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 remainder. In short, we must trust to 
 Providence for means to defray the extra 
 expense which such an arrangement will 
 entail on us ; I wish, however, I had not so 
 many confounded bills to pay T
 
 Usurpation, 113 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 THE DOUBLE BEREAVEMENT. 
 
 About the same time that the discussion 
 recorded in the last chapter took place, Sir 
 Oliver Marshall was again much disturbed 
 in mind on account of his absent son, by 
 reason of a communication he had received 
 from his London bankers, to the effect that 
 for the space of several months Frank had 
 not drawn his usual allowance, nor had any 
 cheque bearing his signature been presented 
 for payment during that period. This was 
 thought the more extraordinary from the 
 fact that, on previous occasions, he had 
 always exhibited a tendency to live beyond 
 VOL. I. 8
 
 114 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 his income than within it, and a balance was 
 never before known to be standing to his 
 credit at the end of a quarter. Under these 
 circumstances, the baronet for the second 
 time began to be seriously alarmed for the 
 safety of his son and heir ; so much so, 
 indeed, that, having ascertained that he had 
 last been heard of at Frankfort, Sir Oliver 
 had written to the British consul at that 
 place, requesting him to make inquiries 
 within his consular district with a view to 
 discover the whereabouts of the missing 
 young gentleman, and at the same time had 
 given certain particulars which might lead to 
 his identification. 
 
 In due course a reply came stating that 
 Frank Marshall had been staying there for 
 a few days at a certain hotel, the name of 
 w^hich was given, but had afterwards left by 
 train, expressing his intention of proceeding 
 northward, and nothing further was known
 
 Usurpation. 115 
 
 of him at that place. There was little that 
 was satisfactory in this intelligence ; and 
 three more weeks having elapsed without 
 any tidings of the wanderer having been 
 received, in the greatest anxiety and per- 
 plexity Sir Oliver determined to insert an 
 advertisement in the Times, offering a reward 
 to any person who should forward to him 
 information of his son's whereabouts, and 
 giving a full description of his personal 
 appearance. 
 
 Before he had time, however, to carry this 
 project into execution, the baronet received 
 by post one morning an official-looking letter 
 bearing the Hamburg postmark, and in the 
 handwriting of the British consul at that 
 port, from which he was horrified to learn 
 that the body of a young man, whose features 
 were much disfigured, had been washed 
 ashore on the beach some miles away, and 
 that in the pocket of his coat a leathern case 
 
 8—2
 
 116 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 had been found, containing, in addition to a 
 number of letters, bank-notes, and private 
 papers, a Foreign Office passport granted to 
 Frank Marshall, described as a British 
 subject travelling on the Continent; and as 
 that name also appeared on the envelopes of 
 the letters discovered on the body, the police, 
 who had communicated with the consul, 
 naturally concluded that Marshall was the 
 name of the deceased. It further transpired, 
 that on the said letters being read by the 
 authorities, in order that they might have 
 some clue to assist them in obtaining identi- 
 fication of the drowned man, and to enable 
 them to communicate with his relations or 
 friends, one was found bearing a crest, and 
 
 dated from Stonedell Lodge, shire, and 
 
 evidently written by a father to his son, the 
 signature at the end being that of Oliver 
 Marshall. Under these circumstances, the 
 consul stated that he had resolved to write
 
 Usurpation. 117 
 
 to Sir Oliver at the address given in the 
 letter, to ascertain whether any member of 
 his family were missing. 
 
 It further appeared that some time 
 previous to the discovery of the body, the 
 master of a steamer, trading between Ham- 
 burg and London, had reported at the con- 
 sulate a collision which had occurred between 
 his vessel and another, soon after leaving the 
 first named port, which accident had neces- 
 sitated his putting back for repairs. He also 
 stated that at the time of the casualty, one 
 of the passengers, doubtless fearing that the 
 steamer was about to sink, while endeavour- 
 ing to spring on board the other vessel, fell 
 into the water and was supposed to have 
 been drowned during the confusion, as 
 nothing was afterwards seen of him. That 
 the deceased was the passenger in question 
 seemed more than probable. 
 
 The sudden shock occasioned to Sir
 
 118 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 Oliver on receipt of this melancholy news 
 affected him so terribly that great fears were 
 entertained that in his debilitated state of 
 body he would not be able to survive it ; for 
 two or three days he lay in a state of com- 
 plete prostration, and totally unable to suggest 
 what action should be taken in the matter. 
 
 Mrs. Blackburn, who with her husband 
 had been hastily summoned to Stonedell, 
 was at first nearly as much overcome by 
 grief and consternation as her father ; while 
 Mr. Blackburn, although apparently much 
 shocked on hearing the painful intelligence, 
 was the only one of the three who retained 
 sufficient fortitude and self-possession to 
 enable him to decide as to what course it 
 would be best to pursue under the circum- 
 stances. 
 
 After considerable reflection he determined 
 to start off immediately for Hamburg, to 
 make inquiries on the spot, and to gather all
 
 Usurpation. 119 
 
 the information he could relating to the 
 finding of the body of his brother-in-law, the 
 place of its interment, and other important 
 matters, and to bring back with him the 
 papers and effects which had been deposited 
 with the British consul. 
 
 The result was that Horace Blackburn 
 departed on his journey with as little delay 
 as possible. A strange sort of excitement 
 now succeeded to the feeling of sorrowful 
 regret which he undoubtedly felt when the 
 sudden news of Frank Marshall's death first 
 reached him ; it was the effect produced 
 on his selfish nature by a firm conviction 
 that on the demise of Sir Oliver the Stone- 
 dell estate must descend to Mrs. Blackburn, 
 whom he naturally supposed to be the 
 next person who would be legally entitled to 
 it, as he was not aware of the existence of 
 Frank Marshall's infant son, who was really 
 the rightful heir.
 
 120 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 The reflection, therefore, that at some 
 future time he was Hkely to derive great 
 benefit from the death of his brother-in-law, 
 certainly caused him intense secret satisfac- 
 tion ; for through his wife he foresaw he 
 would have a handsome addition to an income 
 which had already been much reduced by 
 extravagant expenditure and mismanage- 
 ment. 
 
 On his arrival at Hamburg, Blackburn 
 proceeded at once to the British consulate 
 at that port to pursue his inquiries, and found 
 that the facts of the case were precisely as 
 stated in the letter which Sir Oliver had 
 received. 
 
 He afterwards attended at the book- 
 ing office of the steamer in which his 
 brother-in-law was supposed te have em- 
 barked, and there he learnt that a gentleman 
 giving the name of Marshall had taken a 
 passage-ticket, and had secured a berth on
 
 Usurpation. 121 
 
 board the vessel a few hours before she 
 departed. The booking - clerk could not 
 give a description of the gentleman, as he 
 stated he was generally too busy to be able 
 to take particular notice of those who en- 
 tered the office, but to the best of his re- 
 collection the Mr. Marshall in question spoke 
 English, and was a person apparently about 
 twenty-five years of age. 
 
 Nothing further was now left for Black- 
 burn to do except to return to England and 
 report to his distressed relatives the result of 
 his investigations ; before leaving Hamburg, 
 however, he took care to obtain possession of 
 such papers and articles as had been found on 
 the body of the deceased, and also properly 
 legalised certificates of the death and burial 
 of Frank Marshall, in case they might be 
 required at any future time. 
 
 On reachiniy home, he found Sir Oliver 
 still in a state of terrible prostration, and
 
 122 " Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 the doctors in attendance asserted that the - 
 baronet's nerves had received so rude a 
 shock that his recovery was. extremely doubt- 
 ful. Under these circumstances, Mr. Black- 
 burn could only inform his wife of the result 
 of his visit to Hamburg, as it would have 
 been dangerous even to mention the name of 
 Frank in the old man's presence. The double 
 affliction caused by her brother's death and 
 the critical state of her parent's health, as will 
 be readily supposed, weighed heavily upon Mrs. 
 Blackburn's mind ; but as soon as the first 
 burst of grief was over, she became more 
 resigned ; while the unremitting care and 
 attention which she was required to devote 
 to Sir Oliver, by keeping her constantly 
 employed, no doubt tended to prevent her 
 from being overcome by the painful recollec- 
 tions which filled her thoughts ; still, she went 
 about her duties with an anxious and tearful 
 countenance which fully disclosed the intensity
 
 Usurpation. 123 
 
 of her suffering, nor was she relieved by any 
 hopeful prospect of her father's ultimate re- 
 covery ; on the contrary, several weeks flew 
 by, yet the doctors only shook their heads when 
 asked how the patient was progressing, and 
 a day or two later they announced that Sir 
 Oliver was rapidly sinking, and advised her 
 to be prepared for the worst. Shortly 
 afterwards it was published to the world 
 th^ the baronet was dead. 
 
 The same evening on which the gloomy 
 event occurred, Horace Blackburn sat thought- 
 ful and alone, watching the expiring embers 
 in the grate of the dimly-lighted sitting-room 
 which he usually occupied. In spite of the 
 solemnity of the occasion, a faint smile of 
 satisfaction appeared for an instant in his 
 face, lit up at intervals by the flickering flame 
 on which his eyes were fixed ; and his 
 thoughts, as he sat there, might have been 
 expressed by the words :
 
 124 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 * Lucky again, by Jove ! Who would have 
 expected to hear of the death of both father 
 and son within a few weeks of each other ? 
 And what is stranger still, who would 
 have supposed that Stonedell would ever be 
 mine ?'
 
 Usurpation. 125 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE baronet's SUCCESSOR, 
 
 Sm Oliver Marshall and his only son 
 being dead, and the existence of the child 
 Vincent Marshall^ the lawful heir of the 
 latter, being unknown to the family, Stone- 
 dell Lodge, with its broad acres, passed into 
 the possession of Mrs. Blackburn, who was 
 supposed to be the only surviving representa- 
 tive of the late baronet's race ; but as her 
 marriage settlement contained no clause to 
 secure, in the hands of trustees, for her 
 own separate use and benefit, any property 
 of v/hich she might become possessed after 
 her union with Mr, Blackburn, the latter
 
 126 Stoned ell Lodge. 
 
 very soon evinced his intention to exercise a 
 husband's prerogative in such a case, and at 
 once took upon himself the sole management 
 of the estate, making such improvements and 
 alterations thereto as he deemed fit, and in- 
 troducing himself to the late Sir Oliver's 
 tenants as their future landlord. 
 
 Two years after the baronet's decease, 
 therefore, such changes had been made in 
 the house and grounds of Stonedell, that few 
 would have recognised the place as being the 
 same that he formerly occupied ; many of the 
 tall elms which for years had obscured the 
 light from the rooms of the mansion, and had 
 cast a gloomy shade over the building, were 
 cut down ; the grounds had been entirely re- 
 arranged by a person who called himself a 
 landscape gardener; ornamental flowerbeds 
 had been cut in the midst of the smoothest 
 lawns, and several hundreds of choice trees 
 and shrubs had been planted in localities
 
 Usurpation. 12' 
 
 where they would appear to the best advan- 
 tage. 
 
 Inside the house, the large drawing-room 
 had been rendered light and cheerful by the 
 construction of two bow-windows, in which a 
 selection of flowering plants from the green- 
 house flourished in the morning sun, while 
 doors, walls, and ceilings had been as much 
 embellished as painting, papering, and gild- 
 ing, executed by skilled workmen, could 
 make them. 
 
 A haudsome marble portico had been 
 erected in front of the principal entrance, 
 which was approached by a broad carriage- 
 drive, newly-gravelled and well-rolled ; in 
 short, nothing seemed to have been neglected 
 that could in any way contribute to stamp 
 the place as a suitable residence for a man of 
 taste and fashion ; and when all arrange- 
 ments were completed, including the refur- 
 nishing of the greater part of the house with
 
 128 Sionedell Lodge. 
 
 new and expensive furniture, Horace Black- 
 burn, notwithstanding the aversion to Hving 
 at Stonedell he had expressed in Sir OKver's 
 lifetime, removed thither with all his house- 
 hold. 
 
 The servants of his late father-in-law, with 
 the exception of the old housekeeper who 
 had lived so long, in the family, had all been 
 dismissed ; indeed, she would also have been 
 discharged with the others but for the inter- 
 position of Mrs. Blackburn, who insisted 
 upon her being allowed to remain, alleging 
 that it would be cruel to turn her out of 
 doors after she had been nearly twenty years 
 in Sir Oliver's employ ; but for all that, Mr. 
 Blackburn would have preferred a house- 
 keeper of his own selecting, and he did not 
 scruple to say so. 
 
 One bleak autumnal evening, when the 
 wind whistled dismally among the branches 
 of the trees, and a cold, drizzling rain pat-
 
 Usurpation. 129 
 
 tered against the windows of Stonedell 
 Lodge, Horace Blackburn sat in a mode- 
 rately-sized but extremely comfortable apart- 
 ment, which had been fitted up expressly for 
 his use and was by him denominated ' the 
 snuggery ;' a cigar was in his mouth, and his 
 little daughter, Adele, was seated upon his 
 knee, while opposite to him sat a gentleman 
 whose age might have been a year or two 
 less than his own, and whose countenance, 
 despite a certain rakish, dissipated air there 
 was about it, by the majority of persons 
 would have been thought decidedly hand- 
 some. His dress was somewhat too con- 
 spicuous to be strictly genteel, and his man- 
 ner rather too abrupt and oif-hand to be 
 deemed refined, while an occasional sly glance 
 from his eyes, and a peculiar expression 
 they had about them, conveyed an idea that 
 he was not a person to be implicitly trusted. 
 A cheerful fire blazed in the ample grate 
 
 vVOL. I. 9
 
 130 Stoned ell Lodge. 
 
 before which they sat, and its flickering re- 
 flection played upon the oak-panelled walls 
 of the room, which here and there were hung 
 with dark old portraits of the Marshall 
 family, including one of Sir Reginald, the 
 first baronet, in his feathered beaver and 
 cuirass, and one of the late Sir Oliver, evi- 
 dently taken when he was quite a young 
 man. Over the door of the apartment were 
 the stufl'ed head and the brush of a fox, which 
 had been killed on the Stonedell estate after 
 a hard run ; and on a carved oak sideboard 
 were ranged some silver cups and other 
 sporting trophies which served to commemo- 
 rate their owner's success on the racecourse 
 and at pigeon-shooting matches. 
 
 The table near which these gentlemen sat 
 was well supplied with decanters of wine, 
 and a box of choice cigars furnished an ele- 
 ment of enjoyment which was evidently not 
 despised.
 
 Usurpation. 131 
 
 Meanwhile, the two conversed together at 
 intervals, while the little girl, seated, appa- 
 rently happy and contented, upon her father's 
 knee, glanced from one to the other as they 
 sjDoke, as if deeply interested in their conver- 
 sation, though to one so young its purport 
 could hardly have been intelligible. 
 
 * What do you think of that port, Captain 
 Cringle?' inquired Blackburn, as his com- 
 panion raised his glass to his lips for the 
 twentieth time ; ' I selected it specially be- 
 cause I thought you would like it. My late 
 father-in-law always declared it was the best 
 he had in his cellars, and he was not a bad 
 judge of wine — far from it.' 
 
 ' I wish I had a hundred dozens of it/ 
 said Captain Cringle, smacking his lips ; ' or 
 even a tenth part of that number, that's all I 
 need say. By the way, Blackburn, I was 
 trying just now to remember when it was 
 that we last took a bottle together — I have 
 
 9—2
 
 132 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 it — it was one night after the Derby — yes, to 
 be sure, our positions ^Yere then reversed 
 — I was host, you were guest ; your circum- 
 stances then were hardly so good as now, eh, 
 Blackburn V 
 
 ' Scarcely, I regret to say,' returned the 
 other, in the tone of a man who has been re- 
 minded of something unpleasant. 
 
 ^ I shall never forget how down in the 
 mouth you were when you saw that the 
 favourite had lost,' continued Captain 
 Cringle with a smile, ^ and I shall always re- 
 member how grateful you looked when I 
 came to your assistance with my cheque- 
 book.' 
 
 ^ Find something pleasanter to talk about,' 
 said Blackburn curtly ; * what is the use of 
 reminding a man of his misfortunes ?' 
 
 ' There can be no harm in 2rlancinP' back at 
 the past when the present is so prosperous,' 
 replied Cringle coolly.
 
 Usurpation. 133 
 
 ' Why didn't you write and say you were 
 coming to see me, instead of dropping in un- 
 expectedly V inquired Blackburn, after a 
 pause, as if desirous of changing the subject. 
 ^ Not knowing you were coming, I might have 
 been from home.' 
 
 ' If I had written T expect you would have 
 been from home,' said Captain Cringle, ' or, 
 at all events, I should have got a letter 
 back to say that you were going from 
 home, which comes to about the same 
 thing.' 
 
 ^ What the deuce do you mean ?' demanded 
 Blackburn, with a look of astonishment. 
 
 ' I mean that when a man becomes sud- 
 denly prosperous he is apt to forget old ac- 
 quaintances who have been less fortunate, or 
 if he can't foro^et them he tries to avoid 
 them/ said Captain Cringle, whose face was 
 very red from the combined effects of the wine 
 and the fire.
 
 134 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 ' Listen to me, my friend/ said Blackburn, 
 looking intensely annoyed, ^ you cannot 
 justly say that I have been less friendly 
 towards you than formerly ; circumstances 
 have certainly prevented our being thrown 
 so much together as we used to be, but for 
 all that, it is a mistake for you to suppose 
 that I do not entertain the same good feel- 
 ing and respect for you as formerly.' 
 
 ' I am glad to hear it,' said Cringle, in the 
 same dry tone he had employed throughout ; 
 ' for to tell you the truth, I thought at first 
 you were inclined to give me the cold 
 shoulder.' 
 
 ^ Because we do not chance to meet so 
 often as we once did !' exclaimed Blackburn 
 with some irritation. 
 
 ^ Say rather because you have avoided me, 
 replied the captain bitterly ; ' you knew 
 where I was to be found, had you cared to
 
 Usurpation. 135 
 
 seek me out — even a letter would have 
 reached me at the old address.' 
 
 ' Humph !' said Blackburn, with growing 
 impatience ; ' if you are so convinced that I 
 intended to give you the cold shoulder, as 
 you call it, why the devil do you try to warm 
 it up by coming here V 
 
 ' Because the other day I happened to 
 hear of your good fortune,' returned Cringle, 
 
 ' and ' The speaker stopped short as he 
 
 ■glanced at the child on his companion's knee. 
 ^ Shall I speak out before her ?' he asked in a 
 low tone. 
 
 ' Go on,' said Blackburn, frowning. 
 
 ^ Well, I thought that as one good turn 
 deserves another, and as I have often put my 
 hand in my pocket to assist you, you might 
 do the same for me,' replied Captain Cringle, 
 fixing his eyes full on Blackburn's face. 
 
 ' Captain Cringle,' said Blackburn, draw- 
 ing himself up and assuming a haughty tone ;
 
 136 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ' enough of this. You trespass too far on my 
 patience. Since you have been in this house 
 I have treated you with all the kindness and 
 hospitality at my disposal, but I cannot 
 allow you to claim a right to participate in 
 any good fortune which may have fallen to 
 my lot since I last had the pleasure of enjoy- 
 ing your agreeable company.' 
 
 ' I think I am entitled to something:, at all 
 events,' returned Captain Cringle. ^ If I am 
 to speak plainly, I don't think I got all that 
 was due to me in the Warwick affair. 
 When your funds were low I never put any 
 pressure on you, as others did — I never asked 
 you for a shilling more than you chose to 
 give me ; but now that you are in a position 
 to clear off old scores, I think you should do 
 it.' 
 
 ' If you are foolish enough to imagine that 
 you have a claim on me, I refer you to my 
 solicitor,' said Blackburn, striving to restrain
 
 Usurpation. 137 
 
 his angry feelings ; ^ this is neither the time 
 nor place to make it. Come man, fill up 
 your glass, and let us have no more of this 
 nonsense ; your head is full of odd fancies to- 
 night. If you like, we will rejoin Mrs. 
 Blackburn in the drawing-room, and 111 get 
 her to give us some music ; perhaps that will 
 rouse you. Still, my dear fellow, if you 
 really require temporary accommodation to 
 a moderate amount, and my cheque for fifty 
 or a hundred will be of any service to you, 
 you shall have it ; but I tell you plainly, it is 
 of no use your trying to put the screw on me, 
 for it won't succeed.' 
 
 ^ Make it two hundred and I'll thank you,' 
 said Cringle, throwing away the end of his 
 cigar. 
 
 ' No ; as a favour I don't mind lending you 
 a hundred — that is, on your note of hand,' 
 returned Blackburn ; ^ beyond that I can't 
 go.'
 
 138 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ^ You forget/ said Captain Cringle, lower- 
 ing his voice, ' that I have it in my power to 
 resort to very disagreeable measures. If I 
 lose my money, you would gain nothing by 
 an exposure. To a man in your position, I 
 should have thought that the loss of a paltry 
 two or three hundred pounds would be 
 nothing compared with the damage done to 
 your reputation by revelations made — say — in 
 a court of justice.' 
 
 ' Your own reputation would suffer more 
 than mine,' replied Blackburn, reddening ; 
 ' while your pocket would be more empty 
 than ever. Once for all, Cringle, although 
 I've come into this property of Sir Oliver's, 
 I'm not so flush of ready cash as you may 
 imagine; had it been otherwise, I might 
 have felt inclined, for old friendship's sake, 
 to be more liberal ; but as it is I can't. You 
 have not the slightest claim on me, and as 
 for your threats of exposure, you will think
 
 Usurpation. 139 
 
 twice, I know, before you take steps which 
 would damage your own character more than 
 mine.' 
 
 ' For all that, it would be very awkward 
 for somebody if I were to speak out,' 
 said Captain Cringle, in an ominous 
 voice. 
 
 'Tha,t somebody is yourself,' said Black- 
 burn. ' I quite agree with you ; it ivould be 
 awkward — for you.' 
 
 ' Well, give rde the hundred, and say no 
 more about the matter,' said Cringle, after 
 a brief pause ; * when a man is hard 
 up, he is bound to accept whatever is 
 offered him, no matter how little it may 
 be.' 
 
 ' It must be distinctly understood that the 
 sum you receive from me is a loan, to be re- 
 paid at some future time,' said Blackburn, 
 rising, and lifting his little daughter off his
 
 140 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 knee ; ' and I shall require your receipt for 
 the same.' 
 
 ^ As you please/ said the other, in a tone 
 of indifference. 
 
 Blackburn then proceeded to a side table, 
 whereon stood an open desk, and sat 
 down to write. In a few minutes he re- 
 turned and presented a cheque to Captain 
 Cringle, who signed his name to a form of 
 receipt delivered to him at the same time, 
 and then placed the first-named document 
 safely in his pocket-book. 
 
 ' You'll excuse my mentioning it,' he said, 
 with a quiet smile, addressing his companion, 
 * but I suppose there is no fear of the bankers 
 returning this cheque marked ^' no account," 
 or ^' refer to drawer," or anything of that 
 kind V 
 
 'Not the slightest,' replied Blackburn, 
 without appearing in the least offended by
 
 Usurpation. 141 
 
 the insinuation ; ' those days are gone by, I 
 am happy to say/ 
 
 ' Glad to hear it/ said Captain Cringle ; ^ it 
 shows a far healthier state of things than 
 formerly.'
 
 142 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 CHAPTEE X. 
 
 THE UNWELCOME GUEST. 
 
 The gallant captain had that day arrived at 
 Stonedell Lodge, without having been in- 
 vited or expected, and although he was by 
 no means a welcome guest, Blackburn had 
 private reasons for wishing to treat him with 
 a show of kindness and attention, and had 
 felt bound to ask him to stay and dine with 
 them — an invitation which w^as readily ac- 
 cepted. 
 
 After dinner they had left Mrs. Blackburn 
 reading in the drawing-room, and had retired 
 to smoke their cigars in the apartment de- 
 scribed in the previous chapter, when, as
 
 Usurpation. 143 
 
 already shown. Cringle took the opportunity to 
 introduce the subject of money matters into 
 their conversation, with the result with 
 which the reader is acquainted. 
 
 As the evening advanced, Horace Black- 
 burn would have been only too glad had 
 Captain Cringle evinced a desire to take his 
 departure homewards ; but to the great 
 annoyance of the former, his companion ex- 
 hibited no signs of leaving, being, in truth, 
 by no means discontented with the comfort- 
 able quarters in which he found,himself He 
 had been driven from the railway station — a 
 distance of three or four miles — in a hired 
 conveyance, which having safely deposited 
 him at Stonedell, had returned whence it 
 came, without the driver halving been ordered 
 to come again to fetch him ; and Blackburn 
 now saw that if Captain Cringle intended to 
 catch the last train, there was but little time 
 to spare ; politeness, or rather the fear of
 
 144 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 offending his guest, however, forbade him to 
 throw out a hint on the subject; but he would 
 gladly have ordered the horses to be put to 
 his own carriage for the purpose of conveying 
 his obnoxious visitor away, had that gentle- 
 man made any allusion to taking his depar- 
 ture. But Blackburn greatly feared that 
 Cringle would delay so long, that it would 
 become absolutely necessary to offer him the 
 use of a bed ; and such proved ultimately to 
 be the case, the proffered accommodation being 
 accepted with as much alacrity as the invita- 
 tion to dinner had been some hours pre- 
 viously. 
 
 Perceiving that there was no chance of 
 getting rid of the captain until the following 
 day, Blackburn made some excuse for leaving 
 his visitor for a few minutes, and went in 
 search of his wife, in order to inform her of 
 Cringle's intention to stop the night, so that 
 she might order a room to be prepared for him.
 
 Usurpation. 145 
 
 Mrs. Blackburn appeared by no means 
 delighted on receiving this intelligence. She 
 had been introduced to Captain Cringle some 
 years before, and had always declared that 
 he was the sort of man she particularly ob- 
 jected to, though she admitted he was hand- 
 some, and that he could make himself agree- 
 able when he liked. 
 
 ' I wish he had not made up his mind to 
 stop the night,' she said, in a low tone, ' It's 
 very provoking. You know I don't like the 
 man. If all your old s^Dorting friends re- 
 semble him, I think the sooner you break off 
 the connection the better.' 
 
 ^ You are always so prejudiced, Beatrice,' 
 said Blackburn, frowning. ' Not that I care 
 for the fellow — deuce take him ! I wish he 
 were anywhere but here ; still it won't do to 
 show him any coldness ; we must pay him 
 some sort of attention, and make him com- 
 fortable while he's here.' 
 
 VOL. I.- 10
 
 146 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ' I hope you don't expect me to assist in 
 entertaining him/ said Mrs. Blackburn, in no 
 very amiable tone ; ' you must make some 
 excuse for me ; I had quite enough of him at 
 dinner.' 
 
 " ' You must really give us ten minutes at 
 the piano, for all that,' replied Blackburn. 
 * He may think it strange if you disappear 
 altogether.' 
 
 ' I don't care what he thinks,' said Mrs. 
 Blackburn, waywardly ; * I have no notion 
 of singing and playing before men of his 
 stamp. He will be infinitely more amused 
 by listening to your interesting anecdotes 
 about famous jockeys and race-horses.' 
 
 ^ Don't be absurd, Beatrice,' said the 
 husband, angrily. ^ I particularly desire you 
 to play for us. I have asked him to come 
 into the drawing-room expressly to hear 
 some music, and I can't go and tell the man 
 point-blank that you refuse to give us any.'
 
 Usurpation. 147 
 
 'You need not have made any such 
 proposal,' rephed Mrs. Blackburn, somewhat 
 ungraciously, as she paused for an instant 
 with her hand on the handle of the half- 
 opened door. ^ If you choose to have 
 •such men as Captain Cringle at your 
 house, you must entertain them yourself; 
 I am accustomed to society of a different 
 kind.' 
 
 Thus speaking, the lady, followed by her 
 husband, passed into the hall, and there^ to 
 her surprise, she found Captain Cringle 
 standing close by the door of the room they 
 had just quitted, holding the hand of her 
 little daughter Adele, who had evidently 
 acted as his conductor. The encounter was 
 so sudden and unexpected that she gave 
 •quite a start ; meanwhile, the child quitted 
 the captain and ran to her mamma, who 
 forced a smile in return for the rather stift' 
 how that gentleman gave her, and, as if 
 
 10—2
 
 148 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 desirous of avoiding a conversation with him^ 
 moved quickly away. 
 
 Mr. Blackburn, on the contrary, stopped 
 short and confronted his visitor, but not 
 without a slight show of embarrassment at 
 seeing him so close at hand. Captain 
 Cringle's face was very much flushed — 
 perhaps from the quantity of wine he had 
 consumed ; there was also an unpleasant 
 scowl visible in his countenance for a few 
 moments, but it rapidly disappeared as he 
 said, as if to explain the cause of his being 
 there : 
 
 ^ The child wanted to show me the way to 
 the drawing-room, and to please her I came. 
 Blackburn,' he continued, after a momentary 
 pause ; ' I have changed my mind — I shall 
 go back to town to-night. There is still 
 just time to catch the train if I make 
 haste.' 
 
 ' Nonsense !' exclaimed the other, with an
 
 Usurpation. 149 
 
 appearance of being both surprised and 
 annoyed; ^you promised to stop, and they 
 are now getting a room ready for you/ 
 
 ' For all that, I must go/ said Captain 
 Cringle, decisively. ^ I have no time to lose ; 
 let me get my hat and coat/ 
 
 *But, my dear fellow,' said Blackburn 
 persuasively, 'there is no occasion for your 
 hurrying off in this way. This is a very 
 sudden freak of yours. Stop till to-morrow 
 — make yourself comfortable where you 
 are.' 
 
 ' Impossible 1' replied the other, peremp- 
 torily ; ' I must go to-night — at once — this 
 moment.' 
 
 ' Well, if you are so determined,' said 
 Blackburn, looking much disconcerted, and 
 at the same time ringing a hand-bell which 
 stood on a marble table in the hall, ' John 
 shall harness the horses at once, and I will 
 go with you as far as the station.'
 
 150 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ' Oh, I can walk, for that matter,' rephed 
 Captain Cringle, in a tone of perfect indif- 
 ference. 
 
 ' What, walk four miles on a night like 
 this V exclaimed the other. * Nonsense I you 
 would never be in time ; besides, the carriage 
 will be at the door in five minutes ;' and a 
 servant coming up at the moment, he gave 
 instructions that the vehicle should be got 
 ready with all sj)eed. 
 
 The two gentlemen then, without further 
 remark, arrayed themselves in their out-door 
 habiliments : and Captain Cringle^ no sooner 
 had his hat and overcoat on, than he walked 
 to the front door, which he opened, and 
 notwithstanding the inclemency of the 
 weather, proceeded outside and stood under 
 the portico to await the arrival of the 
 carriage. 
 
 Meanwhile, Horace Blackburn, in a state 
 of wrath, went in search of his wife, whom
 
 Usurpation. 151 
 
 he discovered seated with Adele in one of 
 the sitting-rooms. 
 
 * Madam/ said he, with a face as dark as 
 midnight, ^ your infernal tongue has made a 
 vast deal of mischief Cringle evidently 
 overheard all you said, and the result is he 
 Avon't stoj) another moment in the house. A 
 fine thing for my friends to be insulted by 
 you in this manner !' 
 
 * If your friends are in the habit of listen- 
 ing at doors to private conversations, they 
 must expect to hear occasionally what dis- 
 pleases them,' retorted the lady, the colour 
 mounting to her finely-chiseled features, and 
 a strange light gleaming in her handsome 
 eyes. ^ Please not to use coarse language to 
 your wife in the presence of your child, Mr. 
 Blackburn.' . 
 
 * I suppose you think because you are a 
 baronet's daughter that I am not to be 
 master in my own house,' said Blackburn,
 
 152 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 vindictively; 'but let me tell you, madam, 
 I'll have my guests, whoever they may be, 
 treated with respect and politeness while 
 they remain under niy roof; they shall not 
 be thrust out of doors in consequence of your 
 •ill manners.' 
 
 Having thus expressed himself, the irate 
 husband hastened to rejoin the captain, 
 whom he found still waiting under the 
 portico ; and the carriage driving up shortly 
 afterwards, the pair took their seats inside it, 
 and were soon borne along the country roads 
 at a speed which indicated that their destina- 
 tion would be reached in the shortest possible 
 time. It was by no means a pleasant night 
 to be out in. The sky was dark with moving 
 masses of heavy cloud ; a cold north-west 
 wind sw^ept across the wet ploughed fields 
 and meadows ; and at intervals rain pattered 
 dismally against the rattling windows of the 
 brougham ; wdiile the light of the carriage
 
 Usurpation, ' 153 
 
 lamps lit up long lines of dripping hawthorn 
 hedges and roadside bushes, revealing Nature 
 under her most cheerless aspect. 
 
 ' You would have been wiser, Cringle, had 
 you stayed all night at my place, as you at 
 first determined to do,' said Blackburn, as he 
 buttoned his coat closer around him, and 
 ensconced himself in the opposite corner of 
 the vehicle to that occupied by his com- 
 panion. ' A cold wind and rain make 
 travelling disagreeable ; and you know there 
 was no real necessity for you to turn out 
 until to-morrow.' 
 
 ' Oh yes there was,' replied Captain 
 Cringle, sullenly ; ' I know when people 
 have had enough of me; and I'm not the 
 man to force my company on those who don't 
 care for it.' 
 
 'What do you mean? I never said I 
 didn't care for your company,' said Black- 
 burn.
 
 154 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 ^ Perhaps not/ returned the captain ; 
 * people don't always speak their minds. Of 
 course, when a man gets up in the world he 
 generally looks down upon his old chums 
 who have not been so successful — you are no 
 exception to the rule : but I wonder what 
 the fashionable world would say if they knew 
 that Horace Blackburn, Esquire, the man of 
 wealth and position, once bought a mare 
 called Lightning, that had won a race at 
 Newmarket — a black mare with a white star 
 on her forehead, and a white stocking on one 
 of her hind leos — that some time afterwards 
 he entered the same mare, under another 
 name, to run at Warwick in a race which 
 was only for horses that had never won a 
 prize, and to prevent the animal from being 
 recognised, he removed the white star on her 
 forehead and the white stocking on her leg, 
 by means of some chemical dye, such as 
 nitrate of silver, and also docked her mane
 
 Usurpation. 155- 
 
 and tail. Of course, being a better horse 
 than the rest that ran, she came in first, and 
 Horace Blackburn, Esquire, pocketed a good 
 round sum by the transaction. I wonder 
 whether his fine friends would say that was 
 an honourable stroke of business 1' 
 
 * Why, you confounded rascal,' said Black- 
 burn, fiercely ; 'is this the return you make^ 
 for all my kindness and liberality towards 
 you ? But for you I should never have 
 dreamt of doing such a thing. You first 
 suggested it, and I, like a fool, listened to 
 you. I have repented it ever since. You 
 got your share of the winnings, didn't 
 you V 
 
 ' No,' said Cringle ; ' I was to have had 
 half, but I only got a third — you took care 
 to have the lion's share, and the hundred 
 pounds you gave me to-night is a long way 
 short of the sum I ought to have had.' 
 
 * It is all you'll get out of me, I promise
 
 156 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 you/ replied Blackburn, savagely. ^ I am 
 sorry now that I gave you that.' 
 
 ^ I have a great mind to expose the whole 
 affair,' said Captain Cringle, gruffly ; ' 'pon my 
 word I have/ 
 
 ' You've too much consideration for your- 
 self to do that, as I told you before,' returned 
 the other, assuming 'an indifference he was 
 far from feelino*. 
 
 ^ Don't be too sure of that,' said Cringle. 
 * I have not so much to lose as you have, 
 remember. High soar, deep fall — you know 
 the proverb. Should my character be 
 blemished, I can go abroad, and no one will 
 be any the wiser — I have neither wife nor 
 establishment to detain me ; but you — a 
 landed proprietor, married and settled down 
 on your own property — would have to remain 
 in England, cut by all your friends, and 
 pointed out as a man who has obtained 
 money by false pretences !'
 
 Usurpation, 157 
 
 ' Captain Cringle/ said Blackburn, with 
 a great effort endeavouring to appear cool, 
 though his fingers itched to grasp the throat 
 of his companion ; ' I don't want to quarrel 
 with you. I know you would never talk in 
 the random way you do, if the wine w^ere 
 not in your head ; but let me ask you to be 
 careful what you say, or you may repent it 
 when too late.' 
 
 * Humph !' was the only reply ; and the 
 remainder of the journey was performed in 
 silence, each of the travellers being left to his 
 own disagreeable reflections. 
 
 At length the carriage stopped at the 
 railway-station. 
 
 * We part friends, I suppose V said Black- 
 burn, extending his hand towards his com- 
 panion as the latter prepared to leave the 
 vehicle. 
 
 * I don't know,' said Cringle, in an offended 
 tone. ^ You haven't treated me exactly as a 
 friend.'
 
 158 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ' Do you wish to shake hands or not V 
 demanded Blackburn, as the footman opened 
 the carriage-door for the captain to ahght. 
 
 By way of response the gallant officer 
 slightly pressed the tips of his companion's 
 fingers as he stepped into the muddy road ; 
 and then, with a short ' Good-night !' departed. 
 
 While Cringle sat in the cheerless waiting- 
 room of the country railway station, Black- 
 burn was being conveyed back to Stonedell, 
 his mind filled with gloomy and unpleasant 
 thouofhts which left him ill at ease, and made 
 him wish a thousand times that he had never 
 iDecome acquainted with his late companion.
 
 Usurpation. 159 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 A STARTLING DISCOVERY. 
 
 If the truth must be told, Horace Blackburn 
 and his wife were not the best assorted couple 
 in the world. They had been married about 
 seven years, during which period they had 
 liad numerous altercations and petty quarrels, 
 and the longer they lived together, the 
 more it would seem they discovered in each 
 other's dispositions to dislike and find fault 
 with. 
 
 While unmarried, and under her father's 
 roof, Mrs. Blackburn, as his favourite child, 
 had been to some extent petted and indulged. 
 In spite of her parent's uncertain temper, she
 
 160 Stonedell ijodge. 
 
 had undoubtedly possessed considerable in- 
 fluence over him, and in a quiet way had 
 contrived to manage him with a degree 
 of success which surprised every one who 
 was acquainted with his fitful and irascible 
 disposition ; but the gentle domination she 
 had exercised over Sir Oliver in his life- 
 time could not be brought to influence her 
 husband, who was by no means the sort of 
 man to submit to petticoat government, even 
 in its mildest form ; hence, both being dis- 
 posed to govern, and neither being Avilling 
 to be dictated to by the other, there arose 
 frequent angry dissensions between them, 
 which tended greatly to embitter their married 
 life. 
 
 But while husband and wife displayed no 
 very deep afibction for each other, it was 
 remarked that their little daughter Adele 
 was equally beloved by both parents, and 
 that her presence often exercised a soothing
 
 Usurpation. 161 
 
 influence over them, and, as it were, poured 
 oil on the troubled waters ; but no one could 
 have remained long at Stonedell Lodge with- 
 out becoming aware of the fact that Adele 
 disclosed a greater partiality for her father 
 than for her mother ; she would sit on his 
 knee or by his side for hours, and the 
 moment his voice or his footstep was heard 
 in the hall on his return home after a brief 
 absence, she would quit those in charge of 
 her, and run to meet him with the unre- 
 strained joyfulness of early childhood. 
 
 For a day or two after the angry words 
 which Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn had ex- 
 changed on the occasion of the visit of 
 Captain Cringle, whenever it was necessary 
 to answer each other they spoke as much 
 as possible in monosyllables, which was clear 
 proof that neither cared to be the first to 
 bring about a reconciliation, or to pursue any 
 course which mioiit be taken as an acknow- 
 
 o 
 VOL. I. 11
 
 162 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ledgment that he or she had been in the 
 wrong ; but a sudden elevation of spirits, oc- 
 casioned by the unexpected receipt of good 
 news, or by any similar cause, will often do 
 more to create a disposition to restore peace 
 and harmony than the mere dictates of 
 conscience or after feelings of regret ; hence 
 Mr. Blackburn, having, to his great relief, 
 received by post a private letter from Cap- 
 tain Cringle — in which that gentleman apolo- 
 gized for his conduct on the last occasion of 
 their meeting, and expressed a hope that the 
 offensive language he had made use of would 
 be considered unsaid — became for a time so 
 elated, that at the breakfast-table he ex- 
 hibited a cheerfulness and amiability which, 
 after his recent moroseness, quite took his 
 good lady by surprise. 
 
 The ice being thus broken, was soon en- 
 tirely dissolved by the genial rays of mutual 
 conciliations ; and once again, to the casual
 
 Usurpation. 163 
 
 observer, Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn would 
 have appeared to enjoy as much, conjugal 
 felicity as falls to the lot of most persons ; 
 but unfortunately the light-heartedness of 
 the former was of short duration, for on the 
 following day a circumstance occurred which 
 occasioned him far greater disturbance of 
 mind than that brought about by the pre- 
 sence and threats of Captain Cringle. 
 
 It was Mr. Blackburn's custom every 
 morning, after breakfast, to spend an hour or 
 two in the library of Stonedell Lodge, where 
 he wrote his letters and read the daily jDapers 
 free from interruption. In a dark corner of 
 one of the book-shelves there had lono^ stood 
 a mahogany writing-desk, which had caught 
 the eye of Mr. Blackburn on one or two 
 occasions when he was searching for a book 
 to read, but he had never had sufficient 
 curiosity to examine it to see whose it was 
 or what it contained, until the morning ro- 
 ll— 2
 
 164 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ferred to, when the object again coming 
 under his notice, he brought it into the hght, 
 and having brushed away the dust that 
 covered its surface, he at once saw engraved 
 on a small brass-plate^ let into the top, the 
 initials F. M. 
 
 These letters were sufficient to make it 
 clear to him that the desk in question had 
 belonged to his deceased brother-in-law, and 
 he became, all at once, extremely curious to 
 see its contents, but was compelled to post- 
 pone for a time the gratification of his cu- 
 riosity in consequence of the desk being 
 locked and no key being visible. 
 
 Determined not to be baffled, he had made 
 up his mind to pick the lock, when he sud- 
 denly bethought himself of a bunch of old 
 ke^^s of ^.11 sorts and sizes which he happened 
 to possess ; and having produced it, he tried 
 several without success, but at last was for- 
 tunate enough to find one that answered his
 
 Usurpation. 165 
 
 purpose, and having thus succeeded in open- 
 ing the desk, the first objects that met his eye 
 were several bundles of old and ^^ellow-looking 
 letters, tied together with faded red tape. On 
 examining these he found they were all 
 addressed to Frank Marshall, but the direc- 
 tions varied considerably, some having been 
 sent to him while he Avas staying at hotels 
 in various parts of the country, and others 
 having been left at different post-offices until 
 called for. 
 
 Among the divers specimens of penman- 
 ship brought to light, Blackburn recognised 
 that of his wife, and also that of the late Sir 
 Oliver ; but what most attracted his attention 
 and aroused his curiosity was a small enve- 
 lope addressed to his deceased brother-in-law 
 in the deUcate hand-writing of another lady 
 — a handwriting, moreover, that was perfectly 
 strange to him. So inquisitive did he be- 
 come to know what the letter contained, that
 
 166 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 he lost no time in opening it and reading as 
 follows : 
 
 ^ Bagsley, 
 
 ^Oct. ISth, 18—. 
 ^ My deakest Frank, 
 
 ' I have just received your kind and 
 •welcome letter. I am delio^hted to hear that 
 you intend so soon to visit Bagsley again, 
 and shall count the days and hours until I 
 see you. Although it really is not long 
 since we parted, I feel already as if we had 
 been separated for a year or more ; but when 
 we are married — as all being well, I suppose 
 we shall be next summer — I shall have you 
 always with me. What a joyful time that 
 will be, dear Frank ! I am, however, very 
 happy with Mr. and Mrs. Dodds, who, as 
 you know, have always been a good father 
 and mother to me ; and when the time comes 
 for me to part from them, I know very well
 
 Usurpation. 167 
 
 they will be very sorry to lose me. They 
 have had a frame made for the beautiful 
 picture you painted for them, and it is now 
 hung up in the parlour, and they are not a 
 little proud of it. I suppose you will have 
 some new sketches to show me when you 
 return ; but you must not work too hard, so 
 as to injure your health. I will not stop to 
 Avrite more, or I shall lose the post, so with 
 fondest love, dear Frank, believe me, 
 
 ' Ever your affectionate, 
 
 ' Mary Vincent.' 
 
 In the greatest consternation and surprise, 
 Blackburn read and re-read the letter a dozen 
 times. Could it be possible, he thought, that 
 Frank Marshall had really clandestinely mar- 
 ried this Mary Vincent, or had he been 
 merely trifling with her affections ? Cold 
 drops of perspiration stood on his forehead as 
 he thought of the consequences that might
 
 168 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 ensue should it transpire that his deceased 
 brother-in-law had left behind him a widow 
 or child. If such were really the case, he 
 knew full ^vell that his right and title to 
 Stonedell Lodge and its fair acres had gone 
 for ever. 
 
 The very thought of the possibility of such 
 a calamity appalled him ; yet soon afterwards^ 
 he derived consolation from the reflection , 
 that he had hitherto been left in undisturbed 
 possession of the estate, and that no one had 
 come forward on behalf of Mrs. Frank Mar- 
 shall — if such a person existed — to claim 
 Stonedell as her property, which would 
 hardly have been the case had his brother- 
 in-law left a widow behind" him; but then 
 came the thought that Frank, if married, 
 might not have informed his wife that he or 
 his heir would be entitled to a valuable 
 estate on the death of Sir Oliver ; indeed, he 
 might have kept her entirely ignorant of
 
 Usurpation. 169 
 
 everything concerning his family and expec- 
 tations. 
 
 Finally, Blackburn recalled to mind the 
 photographic likeness which Frank Marshall 
 had accidentally dropped from his pocket- 
 book when they were together in the garden 
 — the evident beauty of the lady it repre- 
 sented, his brother-in-law's confusion when 
 spoken to on the subject, and the clearly 
 evasive nature of his replies — and then 
 once more his fears and doubts re- 
 turned. 
 
 Having in vain looked carefully through 
 the remainder of the letters to see if there 
 were others in the same hand- writing which 
 would serve to throw more light on this 
 mysterious love affair, Blackburn placed 
 Mary Vincent's letter securely in his pockety 
 and then relocked the desk and returned it 
 to its old corner on the book-shelf Mean- 
 while, he had fully made up his mind to keep
 
 170 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 secret in his own breast the startHng dis- 
 covery he had that day made, and to lose no 
 time in commencing a private investigation 
 which he trusted would put him in possession 
 of the real facts of the case. 
 
 The letter in his pocket afforded him a 
 sufficient clue wherewith to begin his in- 
 quiries, for it was dated from Bagsley — 
 wherever that might be — and alluded to a 
 Mr. and Mrs. Dodds ; and from those 
 persons he naturally concluded he might be 
 able to learn all he wished to Icnow of Mary 
 Vincent's history, and of her connection with 
 his late brother-in-law ; but he was deter- 
 mined to act with great secrecy and caution, 
 and to avoid doing or saying anything that 
 might tend to disclose the deep interest he 
 had in the matter, or his relationship to 
 Frank; and at the same time he ardently 
 hoped that the result of his inquiries would 
 prove that the marriage he so much dreaded
 
 Usurpation, 171 
 
 liad never been solemnized, and that if 
 Mary Vincent had changed her name, she 
 had taken some other than that of Mar- 
 shall.
 
 172 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE STRANGER. 
 
 We must now beg the reader to accompany 
 us to the Blue Boar, at Bagsley, described in 
 the opening chapter of this history. The 
 business of that respectable village hostelry 
 is still conducted by Matthew Dodds and his 
 wife, with that care and attention which has 
 earned for the house the reputation of being 
 an establishment where the best accommoda- 
 tion may be found for man and beast, and 
 where the comfort of customers is especially 
 studied. 
 
 The personal appearance of the honest 
 couple has altered very little during the years
 
 Usurpation. 173 
 
 that have elapsed since the day when their 
 adopted daughter became a bride, except that 
 both have become if anything more corpulent, 
 a trifle more rubicund in the face, and de- 
 cidedly possessed of more silvery hairs ; 
 though, but for the last mentioned indica- 
 tion of advancing years, neither shows as yet 
 many signs of old age, while both retain to 
 a great extent the energy and activity which 
 usually belong to younger persons. 
 
 One afternoon in October, an unusual 
 number of farmers' gigs and other vehicles 
 might have been seen standing in the stable- 
 yard of the old inn, and also before its open 
 doorway, while many of their owners were 
 lounging about the premises, singly and in 
 groups, as if waiting their turn to transact 
 some important business inside the building. 
 
 Seated at a long table in the principal 
 parlour of the Blue Boar, the floor of which 
 was well sanded, the furniture highly polished,
 
 174 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 and where a brisk fire of oak -logs was burnings 
 in the large old-fashioned grate, was a middle- 
 aged gentleman of decidedly professional 
 appearance, dressed entirely in black, and 
 wearing a closely buttoned-up coat, in front 
 of which a gold eyeglass dangled at the end 
 of a black ribbon ready for immediate 
 use. 
 
 Lying open before him were two or three 
 large books ; also pens, ink, and paper, and 
 some wooden bowls containing gold, silver,, 
 and copper money ; while by his side sat an 
 assistant who was busily engaged in writing, 
 and adding up long columns of figures re- 
 presenting pounds, shillings, and pence. 
 
 A third person, evidently a clergyman, 
 and who, judging from his venerable appear- 
 ance, had long laboured in the vineyard, stood 
 a short distance from the table ; and while 
 enjoying the warmth of the fire towards 
 which his back was turned, he carried on a
 
 Usurpation. 175 
 
 desultory conversation with the gentleman 
 first described, chiefly in reference to the 
 business then on hand. 
 
 * I apprehend that the present high price 
 of corn will materially increase the value of 
 the tithe rent-charge this half year ?' said 
 the reverend gentleman, with something like 
 a smirk of satisfaction ; ' but unfortunately 
 an increase in value generally leads to an 
 increase of grumbling on the part of those 
 who have to pay the tithes. Are there likely 
 to be many arrears, Mr. Stone V 
 
 * Not very many, I think,' replied the 
 legal gentleman, who had been in the habit 
 of collecting the vicar's tithes and glebe-rents, 
 and transacting his law business for many 
 years. ' We generally manage in the long 
 run to obtain payment without having to go 
 to the length of distraining, except in the 
 case of one or two obstinate persons — to wit, 
 Mr. Chowk, the Dissenting minister, who.
 
 176 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 •when the collector last called on hmi, had 
 the effrontery to say that it was like your 
 impudence to require him to pay tithes for 
 the bit of church-land on which his house 
 stands — and Mr. Bliss, the Quaker, who, 
 acting on principle — or, I should say, from 
 want of principle — never pays cash, as you 
 are aware, but always forces us to distrain 
 on his goods for the sum due/ 
 
 ' Yes,' said the vicar, with a dissatisfied 
 air, ^ I regret that it should be so. It is 
 very unpleasant for me to have to resort to 
 extreme measures, but if I were to let one 
 off, I should have others resisting payment. 
 It makes matters still worse for me from 
 my having to sign the notices of distress, 
 as no doubt that creates additional ill-feel- 
 ing in the parish.' 
 
 ' Bliss already owes for four half-years,' 
 said Mr. Stone, ^ and as by the act we can- 
 not recover more than two years arrears, a
 
 Usurpation. 177 
 
 notice that we should distrain for the amount 
 was served on him a few days ago.' 
 
 ^ Dear me I I wish he would leave the 
 parish/ said the vicar, in great perplexity. 
 'It is a most disagreeable business, but 
 what else can be done, if the man won't 
 payr 
 
 At this moment a good-tempered, burly- 
 looking farmer, with a broad red face and a 
 waistcoat to match, entered the room and 
 advanced, hat in hand and smihng, towards 
 the pay 'table. 
 
 * Ah ! Mr. Barns !' exclaimed the vicar, 
 hastening to shake hands with him ; ' I need 
 not say how do-you-do to you — your appear- 
 ance sufficiently indicates the state of your 
 health.' 
 
 * Never felt better in my life,' replied Mr. 
 Barns, showing a set of teeth that a dentist • 
 might have envied for his show-case. ' I 
 hope you are well, sir, likewise Mr. Stone, 
 
 VOL. I. 12
 
 178 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 who, I see, is busy making preparations to 
 bleed us poor farmers, as he usually does 
 twice a year, ha ! ha ! ha !' 
 
 ' Well, if I bleed you and others like you,' 
 said Mr. Stone, with a grim smile, ' no doubt 
 you farmers bleed me, and all of us in return, 
 by combining with the butchers and bakers 
 to keep up the high price of beef and 
 bread.' 
 
 ^And yet I think I have heard it re- 
 marked,' interposed the vicar jocosely, with a 
 sly glance at the legal gentleman, ' that it is 
 impossible to draw blood from a stone' 
 
 ' Ha ! ha ! ha !' roared Mr. Barns, slapping 
 his thigh ; ' you had him there, sir. The 
 parson 'ull beat the lawyer yet ! Ha ! ha ! 
 ha!' 
 
 The honest farmer then produced a pig- 
 skin purse, from which he took out some 
 money and paid it to the clerk, who entered
 
 Usurpation. 179 
 
 the amount in his cash-book and afterwards 
 handed him a receipt. 
 
 ' We shall have the pleasure of seeing you 
 as usual at dinner, Mr. Barns ?' said the 
 vicar affably. *We dine at five sharp, re- 
 member.' 
 
 * Thankee, sir ; no fear of my forgetting,' 
 replied Mr. Barns, preparing to leave. ^ A 
 man with my appetite carries a pretty good 
 reminder about with him. I shall be there 
 afore the covers are taken off.' 
 
 * And I hope after dinner we shall hear 
 you sing your favourite song,' said the vicar ; 
 ' it has become quite an institution at our 
 tithe dinners.' 
 
 * Well, sir, I'm not much of a singer,' said 
 Mr. Barns modestly, ' but I always try to do 
 my best.' 
 
 ' That you do,' replied the reverend 
 gentleman, * and very well you succeed.' 
 As the farmer quitted the room another 
 
 12—2
 
 I'^O Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 person entered^ at the sight of whom the 
 vicar immediately began to follow in the 
 steps of Mr. Barns, being evidently desirous 
 of avoiding the new-comer^ who was a little 
 man wearing a broad-brimmed hat, and a 
 coat which instantly proclaimed him to be a 
 member of the Society of Friends ; he was^ 
 in facty. the identical Mr. Bliss to whom re- 
 ference had been made by Mr. Stone, when 
 in conversation with his patron, a short time 
 previously. 
 
 ^ *.I am come to see thee respecting certain 
 applications I have received for payment of a- 
 tithe-rent charge alleged to be due from me 
 in respect of a piece of land in my occupa- 
 tion/ said the Quaker, addressing the man of 
 law, ' and to say that with my views as to 
 the freeness of the Gospel ministry, I cannot 
 conscientiously consent to pay that, or any 
 other ecclesiastical demand.' 
 
 ' I am sorry we can't recognise such an ex-
 
 Usurpation. 181 
 
 cuse for non-pavment/ said Mr. Stone, 
 making a pendulum of his eyeglass. ' The 
 amount is legally due from you, and I trust 
 you will see the necessity for immediate 
 settlement,' 
 
 'The origin of tithes/ continued the 
 quaker, without having paid much attention 
 to Mr. Stone's remarks, 'was a voluntary 
 subscription — a little for the priest, a little 
 for the poor, and ' 
 
 ' Excuse me/ interrupted Mr. Stone im- 
 patiently, ^ I have no time to enter into any 
 discussion on the subject of the origin of 
 tithes ; if you refuse to pay, we must take 
 such steps as the law directs — we have no 
 alternative.' 
 
 ^ Which means, I presume, that thou wilt 
 distrain V said the Quaker. 
 
 ^Precisely — we shall distrain,' said Mr, 
 Stone. 
 
 ' Well, since I have explained the principle
 
 182 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 upon which I found my objection to make 
 the payment/ resumed Mr. Bhss, '■ I trust 
 thou wilt cause the law to be carried out 
 with as little oppression as possible. On the 
 last occasion, the unprincipled bailiffs took 
 my goods to a little public house in the neigh- 
 bourhood, where, getting drunk, they created 
 quite a disturbance, to the great annoyance 
 of myself and family/ 
 
 ^ We have but slight control over the 
 gentry you speak of when once a matter is 
 placed in their hands,' replied Mr. Stone 
 blandly, ^ but anything I can do to save you 
 unpleasantness shall be done.' 
 
 ' I thank thee,' returned the man of peace^, 
 as, without another word, he withdrew. 
 
 He had hardly left the room when a tall 
 gentleman, whose appearance was half sport- 
 ing and half military, and whose person was 
 enveloped in a long travelhng coat, entered 
 the apartment, and unceremoniously walking
 
 Usurpation. 183 
 
 up to the fireplace, commenced warming his 
 hands before the blazing logs with evident 
 satisfaction. He was obviously a man very 
 superior to the ordinary frequenters of the Blue 
 Boar, and his presence was likely to attract a 
 good deal of attention among the rustics who 
 assembled there to drink Mat D odd's ale and 
 hear the gossip of the day. 
 
 The lawyer and the stranger exchanged 
 glances in silence, each inwardly wondering 
 what business had brought the other to such 
 a quiet, out-of-the-way place as Bagsley ; bat 
 after some moments had elapsed — during 
 which the latter, noticing the books and 
 papers on the table at which Mr. Stone and 
 his assistant were seated, appeared to be sud- 
 denly inspired with the conviction that he 
 had no right to be there — the silence was 
 broken by the new-comer remarking that he 
 feared he had unintentionally intruded upon 
 the privacy of the two gentlemen ; 'I was
 
 184 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 told/ he continued, ' that I should find the 
 smoke room on the right hand side of the 
 passage, and, seeing the door open I came in 
 here.' 
 
 ' Well, sir, on ordinary occasions, I believe, 
 the landlord keeps this apartment as a public 
 room,' replied Mr. Stone, politely; 'but 
 to-day we happen to be holding our half- 
 yearly tithe audit, and consequently it has 
 been reserved for our private use ; but for all 
 that, your presence does not in the least 
 incommode me, and you are quite welcome 
 to remain here if you choose to do so.' 
 
 ' I am obliged to you,' said the stranger. 
 I was under the impression that a magis- 
 trate's meeting, or something of the kind, 
 was being held here ; so many people are 
 about, and there seems such a bustle in the 
 place.' 
 
 ' Yes, our tithe audits generally occasion a 
 considerable stir,' replied Mr. Stone ; ' but I
 
 Usurpation. 185 
 
 think the dinner which the vicar givBS in 
 the evening to the principal tithe payers is 
 the chief attraction. All who pay three 
 pounds and upwards are invited to dine, 
 while those who pay less than that sum get 
 tickets for refreshment at the bar; and let 
 me tell you, sir, there are many poor persons 
 whose tithes amount to only sixpence or 
 ninepence, who get a shillings worth of 
 sandwiches and beer at the vicar's expense.' 
 
 ^ Not a very profitable arrangement for 
 the vicar,' remarked the stranger, smiling. 
 
 ' Certainly not,' said Mr. Stone. ' Those 
 persons are among the few who pay punctu- 
 ally and never grumble — observe the soothing 
 qualities of beef and beer !' 
 
 ^ Pray who is the vicar of this parish V 
 inquired the stranger, standing with his back 
 to the fire, and with his hands behind him. 
 
 ' The Pveverend Mr. Kirk,' replied Mr. 
 Stone.
 
 186 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ' Has he held the living long V demanded 
 the other. 
 
 ' About a quarter of a century, I believe,' 
 replied the legal gentleman. 
 
 ^ So long!' exclaimed the stranger; ^why, 
 he must be one of the oldest residents in the 
 place. By the way, sir^ do you happen to 
 know any one about here of the name of 
 
 Dodds r 
 
 ^ Oh yes — the landlord of this inn is called 
 Dodds,' replied Mr. Stone. 
 
 * The deuce he is !' muttered the stranger 
 in a tone of surprise. ^ I merely asked,' he 
 added aloud, ^ because on my way here I 
 heard a person inquiring for some one of 
 that name.' 
 
 At this juncture the conversation was 
 interrupted by the re-entrance of the vicar, 
 who was somewhat surprised to see the tall 
 stranger in the room, and for some seconds 
 reflected as to whether it was possible that
 
 Usurpation. 1S7 
 
 he could have lately come to reside in the 
 parish. 
 
 ' Pardon me, sir,' said the reverend gentle- 
 man, as he acknowledged a polite bow which 
 the former made him ; ^ I do not think I 
 have the pleasure of addressing one of my 
 parishioners ; if so, your name has escaped 
 my memory/ 
 
 ^ No, sir, I am quite a stranger here,' 
 replied the other, making room for the vicar 
 to approach nearer the fire. 'My name is 
 Williams. I shall probably make but a very 
 short stay in the place. I believe I address the 
 Keverend Mr. Kirk ? Can you tell me, sir, 
 what are the principal objects of interest in 
 this neighbourhood ? Although not much of 
 an archaeologist, I am fond of anything that 
 is curious or antique. Your church here, I 
 am told, is a very quaint structure, and well 
 worthy of inspection.' 
 
 ' Yes, the building is certainly of ancient
 
 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 date, and contains several old monuments of 
 considerable interest,' replied the vicar. 
 * Its painted windows, too, are considered 
 very fine. If you would like to view the 
 interior, the clerk, who keeps the keys of the 
 church and lives not far from here, will be 
 very glad to point out to you what is w^orth 
 seeing, I've no doubt.' 
 
 ' Many thanks,' said the stranger. ' Now 
 that I have your permission, I shall probably 
 avail myself of your kind offer. I must 
 apologize for thus intruding, but really I 
 hardly know where else to go at present : 
 the landlord ordered a room ' to be prepared 
 for me, and a fire to be lighted, but all the 
 servants seem so busy that I expect I shall 
 have to wait a considerable time before 
 getting what I want ; as for the dinner I 
 have ordered, it is impossible to say when 
 that wdll be ready.' 
 
 ^ It is certainly very unpleasant to be kept
 
 Usurpation. 189 
 
 waiting, especially after a journey/ remarked 
 the vicar ; ^ but allowances must be made for 
 the increase of business occasioned by so 
 many people being here to-day. If, however , 
 you do not object to take your dinner with 
 us, in somewhat mixed but honest company^ 
 you will be heartily welcome, and I will step 
 out and tell Matthew Dodds not to provide a 
 separate meal for you^ which may save some 
 trouble on his side, and some delay on yours/ 
 The stranger resBjdily acquiesced in this 
 good-natured proposal, and expressed himself 
 greatly obliged to the vicar for his kind offer ; 
 and a waiter entering the room soon after, 
 the reverend gentleman took the opportunity 
 to desire him to inform his master that Mr, 
 Williams would be one of the guests at the 
 forthcoming tithe dinner.
 
 190 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 CHAPTEK XIIL 
 
 THE PARISH-CLERK. 
 
 By the time dinner was announced, Mr, 
 Stone had received all the tithe money he 
 was likely to get that day— had balanced his 
 book of receipts, and also deposited the bag 
 of cash in a place of safety, prior to convey- 
 ing it to the vicars bankers. The meal 
 provided at Mr. Kirk's expense was plain, 
 plentiful, and substantial, and thoroughly 
 suited to the tastes of the parishioners 
 present, the majority of whom might, with 
 propriety, have been described by the same 
 three adjectives. For a considerable time 
 after the commencement of the dinner there
 
 Usurpation. 191 
 
 was but little conversation ; for the company 
 were too busily occupied in the agreeable 
 operation of eating and drinking to care just 
 then to use their mouths for any other 
 purpose ; and consequently the perpetual 
 clatter of knives, forks and plates, and the 
 quick tread on the uncarpeted oak floor of 
 indefatigable waiters, were the chief sounds 
 which caught the ear for the first half-hour ; 
 but no sooner was the dessert brought on, 
 than a babel of voices arose — the result of 
 various discussions on the state of the crops, 
 the markets and politics, together with a 
 hundred other subjects. 
 
 Then Mr. Stone in a neat speech proposed 
 the vicar's health, and alluded to the liberality 
 with which they were being entertained, and 
 to the numerous glowing virtues of his 
 patron ; and the reverend gentleman, in re- 
 turning thanks, expressed the great pleasure 
 it afforded him to see his friends ^fathered
 
 192 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 around hinij and the hope he fostered that 
 they might all be spared to meet in the same 
 way for many years to come. 
 
 Various other toasts were afterwards 
 drunk, and then the rosy- faced farmer who 
 had laughed so heartily before dinner at the 
 vicar's pun in connection with the name of 
 his lawyer, was called upon for a song — his 
 own particular song — and accordingly, in 
 a stentorian voice, he favoured the com- 
 pany with a ditty which he had sung 
 regularfy at those festive - meetings for 
 five or six years, commencing : ' When 
 this old hat was new ;' but as he had 
 no article of the kind referred to, either 
 upon his head, or in his hand, at the time, 
 the allusion was somewhat obscure ; still, this 
 did not prevent the singer from being voci- 
 ferously applauded, or a demand being made 
 for an encore, which was readily complied 
 with.
 
 Usurpation. 193 
 
 At this stage of the proceedings, the 
 vicar rose and begged the company to excuse 
 his leaving them, as there were matters at 
 home which demanded his attention ; he 
 trusted, however, that Mr. Barns would oc- 
 cupy the chair in. his absence, and that the 
 guests would continue to enjoy themselves 
 and spare not. He then took his depar- 
 ture, followed by Mr. Stone, who pleaded 
 professional duties as the cause of his being 
 unable to remain longer in such pleasant 
 society. ^ 
 
 Others soon imitated the example of the 
 two principal gentlemen, and thus in time 
 the company became reduced in number to 
 the three or four choice spirits who usually 
 made a practice of continuing together long 
 after the rest of their companions had gone ; 
 and these drew their chairs in front of a 
 blazing fire, and devoted themselves with 
 
 VOL. I. 13
 
 194 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 renewed vigour to the pleasures of the pipe 
 and the bottle. 
 
 They were soon joined by Mr. Williams, 
 the stranger whom the vicar had so con- 
 siderately invited to the dinner, and who, 
 having arranged to stay the night at the 
 Blue Boar, naturally preferred spending the 
 remainder of the evening in cheerful society, 
 to shutting himself up alone in the solitary 
 apartment which he had engaged on his 
 arrival at the inn. 
 
 The small party had not long been seated 
 as described, when the room door was cau- 
 tiously opened a few inches, and a man's 
 head covered with grey hair, cut very short, 
 appeared through the aperture, while at 
 the same time a pair of sharp deeply-set 
 eyes scrutinized the little group round the 
 fire with evident interest. This sudden 
 apparition did not escape the notice of Mr. 
 Barns, who was one of the choice spirits
 
 Usurpation. 195 
 
 referred to — probably the choicest — and 
 before the owner of the head could retreat, 
 the rosy-faced farmer exclaimed in a loud 
 voice, and with great hilarity : 
 
 ' Why, if here isn't old Mudge, watching 
 us like a fox in a henroost ! Come in, man, 
 come in, and warm your ancient carcass with 
 a glass or two of brandy !' 
 
 Being thus exhorted, the individual ad- 
 dressed advanced boldly into the room, and 
 disclosed to view the attenuated form of a 
 man some sixty years of age — his face 
 wrinkled and yellow, his nose and chin 
 small and sharp-pointed — the former very 
 red at the tip, and the latter covered with 
 short grey bristles, like that of a man who has 
 newly formed a resolution to abandon the 
 razor and grow a beard. 
 
 He was dressed in a rusty suit of black, 
 which had evidently been previously worn 
 by some one of larger dimensions than him- 
 
 13—2
 
 196 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 self — probably no less a person than the vicar 
 — and had been altered to a certain extent 
 by the village tailor, with more regard to an 
 easy fit than to the prevailing mode or ele- 
 gance of appearance. Kound his neck he wore 
 an old black stock, unrelieved by the smallest 
 vestige of a shirt-collar, while in his hand 
 he carried a hat which was of so antiquated 
 a shape, and had been so long in use, that 
 it was a pity Mr. Earns had not borrowed it 
 to illustrate his song after dinner. 
 
 'You won't object, sir, to the parish clerk 
 joining our select circle ?' whispered the last- 
 named gentleman in the ear of Mr. Williams, 
 who sat next to him. ' He's an odd customer 
 — especially to look at — a bit of a miser, some 
 say, but he's passed the best part of his life 
 in Bagsley, and we like to be a trifle friendly 
 with him.' 
 
 ' Quite right,' said Mr. Williams, in a low 
 tone. ' I have not the slightest objection.
 
 Usuyyation, 197" 
 
 I hope my being here won't prevent you 
 from inviting whomsoever you please, or 
 doing anything you wish to do.' 
 
 ' Now, Joe Mudge, draw a chair up to the 
 fire and say what you'll take to drink — 
 brandy, gin, rum, or beer, give it a name !' 
 exclaimed Mr. Barns, in his jovial way, 
 ' Here's a long pipe for you — a regular 
 churchwarden, filled with the best Bristol 
 bird's-eye — and, mind you, it isn't every 
 parish clerk that's allowed to take the 
 churchwarden in hand as you are going to 
 do, ha ! ha ! ha 1' 
 
 ' No, Mister Barns,' replied the little man 
 in a wheezing voice^ ' you're right. It's 
 generally the other way. The church- 
 wardens generally meddle with me more 
 than I do with them. I wish they'd leave me 
 alone. I'll take a sip of brandy, Mister 
 Barns, smce you're so kind as to ask me.' 
 
 The refreshment named having been sup-
 
 198 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 plied in a tumbler, with hot water and sugar, 
 the old man drank a portion to the health of 
 those present, and then commenced to smoke 
 the long clay pipe with which he had been 
 presented, placing the end in a corner of his 
 mouth, where a groove had long been formed 
 by its numerous predecessors. 
 
 Mr. Williams, who sat on one side of him, 
 eyed the odd creature from time to time 
 with considerable curiosity, and while the 
 rest of the company were engaged in earn- 
 estly discussing a variety of interesting sub- 
 jects, he took the opportunity to ask him 
 several questions relating to himself, the 
 parish, and those who lived in it. 
 
 ^ Have you acted as parish clerk hero 
 long V he inquired, opening the conversa- 
 tion. 
 
 ' A matter of forty year, sir,' replied the 
 other. ' When I was first appointed I was 
 a young man, and now I'm an old 'un, as you
 
 Usurpation. 199 
 
 see. All ! forty years come midsummer. 
 It's a long time, ain't it V 
 
 ^ It is/ said the stranger. ^ You must have 
 had to do with a good many births, deaths, 
 and marriages during that time.' 
 
 ' I should say so too, sir,' replied the 
 parish clerk, sipping his bran dy-and- water. 
 ' Why, most of the young folks hereabouts 
 have had their names giv' 'em in my pre- 
 sence, with my reverend governor — him as 
 gave the dinner here to-day — officiating ; and 
 a good many of their parents I've helped to 
 join together, and let no man try to put 'em 
 asunder, say I. As for burials, I've seen a 
 good deal of earth put to earth and ashes to 
 ashes in my time.' / 
 
 ^ No doubt,' said the other. ^ Do you have 
 many strangers down here to be married, or 
 are they mostly couples living in the neigh- 
 bourhood V 
 
 ' Well, it's chiefly our parishioners as get
 
 200 Stonedell Lodge, 
 
 married at Bagsley,' replied Joe Mudge^ 
 after a moment's reflection. ' We're fonder 
 of each other than you might suppose. 
 There's lots of farmer's sons and daughters 
 as fall over head and ears in love going to 
 market, and at harvest homes and the like. 
 There's a good many birds, too, as pair in the 
 haymaking season ; but since a young swell 
 named Marshall came from London or there- 
 abouts some years ago, and wedded the 
 prettiest girl in Bagsley, we haven't married 
 much out of our own parish. Ah ! I shan't 
 forget Mister Marshall in a hurry. He was 
 a real gentleman ; he gave me a sovereign. 
 Other folks is always limited to half-a-crown 
 or five shillings.' 
 
 The countenance of Mr. Williams had be- 
 come dark as midnight. 
 
 'And pray whom did this Mr. Marshall 
 marry V he inquired, with an interest which 
 was unmistakable, although he spuke in a
 
 Usurpation. 201 
 
 quiet tone ; ^ what was tlie name of the 
 pretty girl you speak of ? Who was she, I 
 say?' 
 
 'Why, any body could tell you that/ 
 said old Mudge. ' Her name was Mary 
 Vincent. She was the adopted daughter of 
 Matthew Dodds, the landlord of this inn. 
 She's been in this room many a time — and 
 very fond he and his good lady were of her, 
 as well they might be.' 
 
 The stranger's face still wore a deep frown, 
 and for some seconds he bit his lips in 
 silence. 
 
 ' Was the girl you speak of the barmaid of 
 this place V he at length demanded. 
 
 ' Well, no, sir, I can't say as she was,' re- 
 plied the parish clerk. ' They tell me she was 
 too proud to draw the beer, though it's my 
 opinion that if she had drawn it, all the more 
 would have been sold. I'm told she used to 
 act the fine lady, but no doubt that was
 
 202 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 along of young Marshall a- courting her. 
 Some say as he was a duke in disguise, 
 though he gave out that he was only an 
 artist ; and certain it is, he had plenty of 
 money. Anyhow, he was a real gentleman, 
 for he gave me a sovereign, you know/ 
 
 ^ Where did they go to live, after they 
 were married V asked Mr. Williams, in a 
 tone that was almost surly. ' They didn't 
 remain in this neighbourhood I sup- 
 pose V 
 
 ^ No, sir ; they settled down, I'm told, 
 somewhere near London, the exact place I 
 don't know,' rephed old Mudge, puffing his 
 pipe. ' Matthew Dodds, or his missis would 
 be the best to answer that question, for they 
 know all about 'em ; but, for my part, I 
 shouldn't like to ask, 'em. The name of 
 Marshall is a tender subject with the old 
 folks, now that poor Mary is dead and 
 gone.'
 
 Usurpation, 203 
 
 ' Eh ! what ! who's dead and gone V ejacu- 
 lated the other^ in his earnestness seizing the 
 arm of his companion^ while his countenance 
 exhibited a strange animation ; ' what Mary 
 are you talking about ?' 
 
 * Why, Mary Vincent, to be sure !' replied 
 Joe Mudge, surprised at the sudden eager- 
 ness of his interrogator. ^ Ah, poor creature 1 
 to think that she should have died within the 
 first twelve months of her marriage, and me 
 as is three times as old as she was, to be 
 spared to sit here drinking brandy-and-water 
 at another man's expense !' 
 
 ' And do you really mean to say that this 
 Mary Vincent is dead V said Mr. Williams, 
 with a cheerfulness by no means appropriate 
 to the melancholy subject they were dis- 
 cussing ; • that she actually died within 
 twelve months after her marriage T 
 
 ' I do,' said the parish clerk. 
 
 * That is strangle !' muttered Mr. Williams,
 
 204 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 ' I call it sad/ said Joe Mudge, with his 
 eyes on the fire. 
 
 ' And what became of the poor young hus- 
 band V asked the other, in a tone of greater 
 commiseration than he had before employed. 
 
 ^ They say he went abroad to try and 
 drown his grief/ said the parish clerk, ' and 
 as far as I know nothing has been heard of 
 him since. I don't expect I shall ever get 
 another sovereign out of /wm.' 
 
 ^ Perhaps not/ said Mr. Williams, ^ but 
 you may out of some one else, for all that. 
 Allow me to make you a little present.' 
 
 With the words he quickly slipped a gold 
 coin into the parish clerk's hand, unobserved 
 by the rest of the company. 
 
 The old man's face brightened, and his 
 eyes sparkled as he held the money in his 
 bony palm for a moment, and afterwards 
 transferred it to his pocket with a grin of 
 satisfaction.
 
 Usurpation. 205 
 
 ' Really, I never expected anything from 
 you, sir,' he mumbled, '^ leastways, not a 
 sovereign. It is very handsome of you, sir, 
 very handsome indeed, and if I can do any- 
 thing at any time to prove my gratitude, 
 you may depend upon it I will.' 
 
 ^ Before I leave the neighbourhood per- 
 haps I may ask you to show me over the 
 church,' said Mr. Williams, whose spirits 
 seemed to have been wonderfully raised in a 
 short time. ^ I was speaking with the vicar on 
 the subject some hours ago, and he informed me 
 there were several interesting monuments to 
 be seen there, and as I'm a bit of an antiquary, 
 I may perhaps trouble you ; but I will now 
 say good-night to you and these gentlemen, 
 for I was up early this morning, and it seems 
 to me like bedtime.' 
 
 Then, rising abruptly from his chair, the 
 speaker gave old Mudge a friendly nod, and 
 having bestowed a similar mark of attention
 
 206 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 on the remainder of the small group, who 
 were still engaged in a hvely discussion, he 
 quitted the room without further cere- 
 mony.
 
 Usurpation, 207 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 ON THE TRACK. 
 
 After an early breakfast on the following 
 morning, Mr. Williams sought out the land- 
 lord of the Blue Boar, and found him seated 
 in the company of his wife in their snug par- 
 lour behind the bar. Having been politely 
 invited to enter, he soon got into conversation 
 with them, and while alluding to the tithe- 
 dinner of the previous day, he did not fail to 
 compliment both Mr. and Mrs. Dodds on the 
 excellent quality of the viands supplied on 
 that occasion, and the praiseworthy manner 
 in which they were served. 
 
 This gratuitous commendation coming from
 
 208 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 so gentlemanly a stranger as Mr. Williams, 
 was particularly gratifying to the worthy 
 couple, who, finding him to be of an affable 
 and sociable disposition, were encouraged to 
 converse with him on a variety of subjects, 
 with all of which he seemed perfectly 
 familiar, while it was clear he possessed a 
 fund of information and a knowledge of the 
 world which made him a very agreeable 
 companion. 
 
 During a lapse in the conversation, while 
 glancing round the room, Mr. Williams 
 caught sight of a small landscape painted in 
 oil colours, which, placed in a neat gilt frame, 
 was suspended against the wall opposite to 
 where he was seated. He rose from his 
 chair to examine it more closely. It was a 
 simple rustic scene, consisting of a thatched 
 cottage on which a. gleam of sunshine rested, 
 in the middle distance ; beyond, a range of 
 blue mountains, and in the foreground, a
 
 Usuiycttion. 209 
 
 group of tall trees covered with foliage rich, 
 in autumnal tints ; while, to give life to the 
 picture, the artist had introduced the repre- 
 sentation of a man driving some cattle. It 
 was a pretty subject, truthful to nature and 
 executed with considerable artistic skill, and 
 having no reason to be ashamed of his work- 
 manship, the painter had placed the initial 
 letters of his name in one corner, thus — F.M. 
 
 ' A charming little painting that,' said Mr. 
 Williams, viewing the landscape at various 
 distances in order to obtain the best effect. 
 ' May I inquire the name of the artist V 
 
 ' It was painted by a young friend of ours, 
 sir — a Mr. Marshall,' said Matthew Dodds, 
 with an uneasy glance at his wife; 'and a 
 promising fellow he was.' 
 
 ' Marshall, Marshall,' repeated the other, 
 as if trying to recollect something. ' I think 
 I have heard that name before in connection 
 with art. Do you ha])pen to know what 
 
 VOL. I. 14
 
 210 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 part of the country he conies from — or any- 
 thing of his family V 
 
 ' I never could learn particulars of his 
 history/ replied old Dodds ; ' I don't think 
 he had many relations ; leastways, he never 
 spoke much about them. Ah, sir I there's. 
 a melancholy story connected with his. 
 name.' 
 
 * Indeed/ said Mr. Williams, in a tone of 
 sympathy ; ' I'm sorry to hear that.' 
 
 ' Jane, my dear,' said the old man, address- 
 ing his wife, * I wish you would step out and 
 see how John is getting on with the beer- 
 bottling. I'll take care of the bar while you 
 are away.' 
 
 Mrs. Dodds, whose face had become very 
 grave, knew this was only an . excuse to get 
 her out of the room, but she went neverthe- 
 less. 
 
 ' I didn't like to say much before my wife,* 
 resumed the landlord, when she was gone ;
 
 Usurpation, 211 
 
 * for the truth is she takes the matter about 
 which I am going to speak very much to 
 heart. She can't hear the names of certain 
 persons mentioned without fretting herself 
 for hours afterwards. You must know, sir, 
 that this young Marshall I'm talking of 
 married an adopted daughter of ours — a 
 beautiful young creature we had reared from 
 a child — and about a year after her marriage 
 she died.' 
 
 ^ So soon !' said Mr. Williams. ' That was 
 indeed sad. And what became of the 
 husband : did he die too V 
 
 ' Well, I can't exactly say/ replied 
 Matthew Dodds ; * but I'm told that her 
 death nearly drove him out of his mind, and 
 that directly after it occurred he went abroad, 
 and we have never seen him since. Maybe 
 he killed himself there, or died of a broken 
 heart.' 
 
 ^ Not unlikely/ said Mr. Williams, in a 
 
 14—2
 
 212 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 low tone. ' And so his wife was very beauti- 
 ful, you say V 
 
 'Bagsley will never see the like of her 
 again/ said Matthew Dodds, with tears in 
 his eyes. ' I can show you a photograph of 
 her, if you care to see it, and then you can 
 judge for yourself whether she was beautiful 
 or not.' 
 
 With these words the old man went to a 
 book-case, which he opened, and produced 
 therefrom a small album, and after turning 
 over a few of its leaves, he placed it open in 
 the hands of his visitor, at the same time 
 pointing with his finger to a portrait it 
 contained. 
 
 ' I am quite of your opinion,' said Mr. 
 Williams, after gazing at the photograph for 
 some seconds in silence ; ' she must have 
 been beautiful — very beautiful. Would you 
 mind telling me her maiden name V 
 
 ' Mary Vincent,' replied Matthew Dodds,
 
 Usurpatio7i. 213 
 
 with a sigh. * Ah, poor Mary ! Her death 
 was nearly as great a blow to us as to her 
 husband, for you must know, sir, having no 
 children of our own, we looked upon her as a 
 daughter.' 
 
 * Did they live near here after they were 
 married V inquired Mr. Wilhams, with his 
 eyes still on the photograph. 
 
 * No, they went into lodgings nea,r London, 
 with a family w^hose name I forget,' said the 
 warm-hearted landlord, wiping his eyes with 
 an old red-silk handkerchief, which was 
 usually to be seen hanging half-way out of 
 the pocket of the shooting-jacket he wore. 
 ' My wife has the address on a letter she 
 received from poor Mary shortly after the 
 wedding, but the people they were staying 
 with have since removed, and we can't find 
 out where they have gone ; I wish we could, 
 for we should like to do something for poor 
 Mary's child, if he is still in their charge.'
 
 214 StonedeU Lodge. 
 
 * Child !' exclaimed Mr. Williams with a 
 startled look, as he turned round to confront 
 his companion. * What child ? Whose 
 child V 
 
 ' Oh, I ought to have told you that Mrs. 
 Marshall gave birth to a son, and that the 
 poor infant, on its mother's death, was left 
 by its father in charge of the persons who 
 let the apartments,' replied Matthew Dodds, 
 in some surprise at the altered manner of his 
 interrogator. 
 
 Had the landlord of the Blue Boar at this 
 moment carefully noticed the countenance of 
 his companion, he would have detected in 
 it unmistakable signs of a terrible mental 
 struggle taking place within his breast. The 
 old man, however, while speaking, had turned 
 aside to replace the album in the book-case 
 whence he had obtained it, and therefore did 
 not observe the stranger's agitation; but a 
 deep oath which the latter muttered between
 
 Usurpation. 215 
 
 Ms set teeth did not escape the ear of the 
 landlord, who could only attribute it to the 
 sympathy which he concluded Mr. Williams 
 felt for a helpless infant cast on the wide 
 world and abandoned to the care of strangers. 
 
 ' No doubt you think under all the circum- 
 stances that it would have been better had 
 the child never been born/ remarked Matthew 
 Dodds, ^ than to lose, as seems to have been 
 the case, both parents so soon after its birth. 
 I am inclined to think so too.' 
 
 ^ I am of opinion that it would have been 
 better — decidedly better, had the child never 
 been born,' said Mr. Williams, with visible 
 signs of inward perturbation. ' Had the 
 little wretch died an hour after its birth it 
 would have been the very best thing that 
 could have hap^^ened. I wish to heaven it 
 had died.' 
 
 ' You may be right,' remarked Matthew 
 Dodds, who began to consider Mr. Williams
 
 216 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 one of the most compassionate and easily- 
 excited men he had ever met with ; ^ but 
 after all, although I never heard that Mr. 
 Marshall had anything more to depend upon 
 than what he could earn as an artist, the 
 poor child may be better provided for than 
 we think ; and, for anything I know to 
 the contrary, he may be in very good 
 hands.' 
 
 'Where do you say these people — these 
 lodging-house keepers, or whatever you call 
 them — lived V suddenly demanded the other, 
 after a short silence, during which he paced 
 the room to and fro with rapid strides. 
 
 * I can't at this moment remember,' said 
 the landlord ; ' but my wife has the address 
 somewhere, and she shall give it you if you 
 want it ; but the last time she wrote to them, 
 the letter was returned, because it was stated 
 the parties had left the neighbourhood. 
 
 ' No matter,' said Mr. WilKams ; ' let me
 
 Ustirpation, 217 
 
 have the address all the same. If Marshall 
 can be traced I may perhaps give him a 
 commission to paint me a picture or two— 
 his style takes my fancy/ 
 
 ' It is very good of you,' said Matthew 
 Dodds ; ^ but I don't think he can have 
 returned to England, or most likely we should 
 have heard from him ere this, as we were 
 always on very good terms with him ; how- 
 ever, you shall have the last address of the 
 parties, and welcome ; and, perhaps, if you 
 should find out where they are at present 
 living, and should hear any tidings of the 
 poor little boy, you wouldn't mind being so 
 friendly as to send us a line V 
 
 * Not at all,' replied Mr. Williams, with an 
 air of abstraction. ^By-the-way, I am just 
 going out for a short stroll in the neighbour- 
 hood, and shall be back to luncheon about 
 two. You can let me have the particulars 
 you speak of on my return. One day when
 
 218 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 I have leisure I may cause some inquiries 
 to be made. 
 
 Having thus spoken, he passed through 
 the bar — which was a picture of neatness, 
 with its well-pohshed counter and pewter 
 tankards, its background of shelves on which 
 were arranged rows of shining glasses, with 
 here and there a decanter of ruby port or 
 amber sherry, or a bottle of transparent 
 spirit with its attractive green and gold label 
 — and made his way into the road, where 
 he stood for some seconds with his eyes 
 riveted on the ground at his feet, as if in 
 deep meditation. 
 
 Suddenly he resumed his walk, and, with 
 a gloomy countenance, proceeded through 
 the village, where, meeting with a small boy 
 in a smock-frock, with a bundle of straw 
 under his arm, he asked to be directed to 
 the house of the parish clerk. 
 
 The lad, not content with telling him
 
 Usurpation. 219 
 
 exactly where it stood, iasisted on accom- 
 panying him to the very spot, where, with- 
 out a moment's hesitation, he commenced 
 kicking the lower panels of the door with 
 his hobnailed boots, and then retired a short 
 distance, evidently in expectation of being 
 rewarded for his exertion ; but the parish 
 clerk, who at different times had been a 
 martyr to the practical joking of the village 
 youths, suddenly making his appearance at 
 the door with a threatening countenance, and 
 a thick stick in his hand, the frightened 
 guide took to his heels, without waiting to 
 receive the expected penny, and only stopped 
 running when he had placed such a dis- 
 tance between himself and the enemy as 
 made it impossible for the latter to overtake 
 him. 
 
 As soon as Joe Mudge perceived Mr. 
 Williams, his features lost their terrifying 
 expression — a smile appeared on his coun-
 
 220 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 tenance, and the cudgel was quickly slipped 
 out of sight. 
 
 ' What ! is it you, sir V he exclaimed, with 
 surprise. ' Bless me if I didn't think it was 
 one of them rascally boys that are always 
 playing their mischievous pranks on people ; 
 walk in, sir, walk in !' 
 
 ^ No, thank you, I won't come in,' said 
 the other ; * I merely came to ask you to 
 fulfil your promise to let me see the inside of 
 Bagsley church. I should have used the 
 knocker, which I see outside your door, had 
 not the boy who came Avith me to show 
 the road made such quick use of his foot 
 against your panels. Will it put you about 
 to accompany me now V 
 
 ' Not a bit, sir, not a bit,' replied Joe 
 Mudge, with a great display of alacrity ; ' if 
 you will have the goodness to wait half a 
 minute, I'll get my hat and the key of the 
 church, and we'll go there at once.'
 
 Usurpation. 221 
 
 The old man then disappeared for a short 
 time, and on his return, the two wended 
 their way towards the sacred edifice the in- 
 terior of which the stranger was so desirous 
 ot seeing. 
 
 A brisk walk soon brought them to the 
 wooden gate leading into the grassy church- 
 yard^ with its low stone boundary-wall and 
 rugged gravestones ; and having traversed 
 a broad pathway which led through it, they 
 at length stood under the weather-beaten 
 porch, where the old parish clerk produced 
 a huge iron key from his coat-pocket, and 
 inserted it into the lock of the church- 
 door. 
 
 At this moment footsteps w^ere heard ap- 
 proaching the spot, and directly afterwards 
 a young man, meanly clad^ with a vacant 
 expression of countenance, and an awkward 
 shuffling gait, made his appearance round a 
 corner of the building, muttering to himself.
 
 222 Stonedell Lodge. 
 
 and occasionally indulging in somewhat 
 ludicrous grimaces as he advanced. On 
 seeing Mr. Williams he stood still and 
 stared at him, mumbling some words which 
 were quite unintelligible. 
 
 'Now, Ned Tonks, we don't want you 
 here,' said the parish clerk, looking over his 
 shoulder at the new-comer, as he opened the 
 church door ; ' if you ain't off sharp, the 
 constable will lock you up, you know ; he's 
 been looking out for you a long time. We've 
 nothing for you.' 
 
 ' Who is he '? what does he want V in- 
 quired Mr. Williams, eyeing the odd creature 
 with more curiosity than compassion. 
 
 ' It's only silly Ned, as we call him,' ex- 
 plained Joe Mudge ; * he's off his head, but 
 he knows what sixpence is for all that^ and 
 he expects you'll give him one.' 
 
 ' Oh, that's it, is it V said Mr. Williams, 
 putting his hand in his pocket and producing
 
 Usurpation, 223 
 
 a shilling, which he presented to the man, 
 whose face brightened up with a momentary 
 gleam of intelligence as he examined it. 
 
 ' Now you've got what you want and more 
 than you deserve,' broke in old Mudge, ad- 
 dressing the idiot in a . sharp tone, ' take 
 yourself off, do 'ee hear, you avaricious 
 young rascal ? — you know we don't allow 
 begging in this parish.' 
 
 Whether the man understood what was 
 said to him or not, he moved slowly on- 
 wards, muttering to himself as he went, and 
 the parish clerk and his companion at once 
 entered the silent church, the former leading 
 the way. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
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