LI E) RAR.Y 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVLRSITY 
 
 Of ILLINOIS 
 
 8^3 
 
 V. 1
 
 f 
 
 THE POOR EELATIOK 
 
 A NOYEL. 
 
 BY 
 
 MISS PARDOE, 
 
 AUTHOR OP 
 
 "THE LIFE OF MARIE DE MEBICIS," 
 "THE CITY OF THE SULTAN," 
 
 &c. &c. 
 
 m THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I, 
 
 LONDOK: 
 HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHEES, 
 
 SUCCESSORS TO HENRY COLBURN, 
 
 13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 
 
 1858. 
 
 2'he right of Translation is reserved.
 
 8^3 
 
 THE POOE EELATIOK 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE ASHTONS. 
 
 It was a glorious evening in early Autumn ; 
 and the westering sun, as it slowly abdicated 
 its higher place in the cloudless sky, shed 
 gleams of gilded crimson and purple upon its 
 downward track, which turned the summits 
 of the forest trees into a galaxy of gems, and 
 tinged the waters of the lake with quick- 
 glancing tints that rivalled the hues of the 
 prism. And the scene was almost worthy of 
 the rich but transitory glory thus spread 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 2 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 above and about it. In no country save 
 England could such an one have been met 
 with. The house grim with time, vast, feudal, 
 and imposing in its aspect, stood midway of 
 an eminence whose summit was densely 
 wooded, and was approached by an avenue 
 of elms evidently coeval with its founda- 
 tion; while on either hand a grassy slope, 
 dotted with clusters of larches, interspersed 
 with solitary trees of immense girth, centenary 
 oaks and beeches, descended to the margin of a 
 noble sheet of water, alive with aquatic birds. 
 Along the facade of the building extended 
 one of those fine old terraces, tier above tier, 
 which were the pride of our ancestors, with 
 its noble vases laden with brilliant exotic 
 plants, its wide flights of shallow steps, its 
 trim-cut box-trees, and its stately peacock. 
 Over the park roamed a herd of deer ; here 
 browsing among the tall ferns, there reposing 
 beneath the shadows of some leafy tree ; while 
 the frolicsome squirrel leaped from branch to
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 3 
 
 branch above their heads, and wild birds 
 called to each other from copse to copse, or 
 darted by on rapid wing, disturbed by some 
 imagined intrusion. 
 
 Nor was the scene within Ashton Court less 
 attractive than that without. We will draw 
 aside a rich curtain of crimson silk, and 
 glance into the favourite apartment of the lady 
 of the house. It is of moderate dimensions, 
 although three noble w^indows open from it 
 upon the upper terrace ; nothing about the 
 room induces the impression that comfort has 
 been sacrificed to shew : it is half-morning 
 room and half-Ubrary ; there are musical in- 
 struments — a pianoforte by Broad wood, and 
 a harp by Erard ; a small chamber organ, and 
 a guitar ; an easel with a half-finished picture : 
 a sketching-stool and portfolio ; a carved oak 
 bookcase with the key in the lock; a wri- 
 ting-table with an open desk ; new music, 
 new pamphlets, and the leading journals 
 
 of the day Uttered over the table ; ana a 
 
 B 2
 
 4 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 tapestry frame and worsted-basket in the 
 bay of the upper window. There is home 
 written in every detail of that pleasant room. 
 
 On a sofa beside the high, carved mantel- 
 piece of white marble, reclined, as we in- 
 truded upon the privacy of the family, a 
 remarkably fine-looking woman of some 
 forty-five years of age. Hands white, small, 
 and aristocratically moulded ; a brow guilt- 
 less of a single wrinkle ; dark hair touched, 
 but not tinted by time ; we say touche 
 for it was easy to see that it had some- 
 what thinned about the temples, although 
 not a line of silver had yet intruded itself 
 among the sable braids that encircled her 
 small, and well-poised head ; large eyes, full 
 rather of decision and energy than of tender- 
 ness ; a delicately-shaped nose, with flexible 
 nostrils, like those of an Arab ; and a finely- 
 modelled mouth, save only that the brilliantly- 
 tinted lips were too thin, and too compressed, 
 for actual beauty ; combined with a majestic
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 5 
 
 figure, rather inclining as years had stolen 
 over her, to a certain embonpoint destructive 
 of the lightness and buoyancy of early woman- 
 hood; — were the personal characteristics of 
 Lady Harriette Ashton. 
 
 Immediately facing his wife sat Sir Hercules, 
 the representative and fourteenth baronet of 
 the Ashton family : a worthy, honourable, and 
 somewhat haughty, country gentleman ; proud 
 of his ancient descent ; proud of his marriage 
 with the brilliant daughter of an earl — penni- 
 less though she was ; and above all, proud 
 of his children, a fine boy of fifteen at Eton, 
 and two sweet girls, Florence and Matilda, at 
 home, under the care of Madame Despreaux, 
 their governess, and the superintendence of 
 sundry professors from the adjacent post 
 town. But proud though he was of all these 
 advantages and privileges, Sir Hercules Ashton 
 was a discreet man, and bore his honours 
 meekly at his own hearth. If he ever were 
 accidentally heard to boast, it was only of past
 
 6 THE POOH RELATION. 
 
 exploits — performed before his marriage, and 
 when he was responsible to no one for his 
 deeds or misdeeds, — since that event he had 
 assumed no independence whatever. All Her- 
 cules as he was, it was at once evident that 
 the Omphalian phase of his existence had 
 found him submissive to the distaff. The 
 baronet was gouty, moreover ; and what gouty 
 husband has ever, since the commencement of 
 the world, or rather of the disease, been able 
 to maintain, even if he were rash enough 
 to assert, his independence of those about him ? 
 A few, a very few years before we venture 
 to make his acquaintance. Sir Hercules Ash ton 
 had been a strikingly handsome man ; tall, 
 athletic, with shoulders like an Atlas, and a 
 will of iron — at least he thought so; but, 
 like many others of his sex, he somewhat 
 misjudged himself. An elder son, born to an 
 old title and a large estate, he had met with 
 few either able or inclined to thwart his wishes ; 
 and so he grew from youth to manhood,
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 7 
 
 firmly impressed with the conviction that he 
 was a person of strong mind and of strong 
 determination, as well able to preside over the 
 councils of the nation, as to convict a poacher 
 from the magisterial bench. At two and 
 twenty he had succeeded to the baronetcy on 
 the death of his father, who broke his neck 
 in the hunting-field ; and had found himself 
 master of eleven thousand a year, and guardian 
 of his younger brother Horace. Neither the 
 estate nor the funded property, which was 
 considerable, presented any difficulties to the 
 young heir ; but as regarded his brother, he 
 was soon compelled to admit that even lie 
 might find the task of government less easy 
 than he had previously imagined. 
 
 Originally intended for the church, in which 
 the Ashton family possessed considerable 
 patronage, Horace had been transferred from 
 Eton to Cambridge, where he had greatly dis- 
 tinguished himself; and had, moreover, ob- 
 tained a knowledge of the world which induced
 
 8 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 him to regard with a feehng bordering upon 
 contempt the less courtly breeding of his 
 brother, who had received his education from 
 a private tutor under the roof of his ancestors. 
 But while the tall, slender, elegant student 
 who when at home at rare intervals haunted 
 the music-room and the library, or carried his 
 favourite classic to some solitary dingle in the 
 park, marvelled at the coarse tastes which led 
 the country gentleman to stand breast-high 
 for hours in a marsh, in order to bag a brace 
 of snipes which might have been as skilfully 
 shot by a game-keeper ; or plodded across a 
 rough country, to hunt a score of rabbits from 
 their burrows with the assistance of a pack of 
 wiry, keen-eyed dogs; or scampered over 
 bush and brake after a frightened fox — Sir 
 Hercules on his side sneered at the boy-par- 
 son, with his books and papers ; his slow step, 
 his impassive featm^es, and his low voice. 
 
 Thus the lads had grown up, not together, 
 for they were, as we have already shown, al-
 
 THE POOE, RELATION. 9 
 
 most constantly separated ; but year by year, 
 without a feeling or a sympathy in common ; 
 and without ever being enabled to understand 
 each other. 
 
 It need scarcely be remarked that the old 
 baronet evinced a strong preference for his 
 elder son ; he was to be his heir ; he had 
 never left him from the hour of his birth; 
 and, moreover, while the dark-eyed and pale- 
 cheeked Horace was the living image of the 
 meek and gentle mother who had died in 
 giving him birth, the ruddy, stalwart, wilful 
 young gentleman, who at fifteen trolled a 
 drinking song, and took a hurdle with the 
 boldest member of the hunt — was, as all his 
 friends assured him, a second edition of him^ 
 self. No marvel, therefore, that when Mr. 
 Horace Westland Ashton was destined for the 
 clerical profession, his own tastes and wishes 
 were never consulted on the occasion. 
 
 " Lucky for him ;" had been the only obser- 
 vation of his father; '* that we have three
 
 10 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 livings in our gift, for we could have made 
 nothing of such a milksop as a county gentle- 
 man. Hang me if I believe that the fellow 
 would have spunk enough to clear a five-barred 
 gate if he were to be pursued by bailiffs." 
 
 And it was consequently decided that Mr. 
 Horace Westland Ashton should study for 
 Holy Orders. 
 
 The elder brother was in the hunting- 
 field with his father on the day of his 
 fatal fall : but he was mercifully spared the 
 appalling spectacle. He was " in at the death," 
 on the confines of the common ; and proudly 
 aflSxing the " brush" to his hunting-cap, when 
 the old sportsman, who had raised his last 
 view-halloo, was lifted from the ditch where 
 he lay beneath his struggling horse. It was 
 a pitiable sight to see the hale old man, struck 
 down in his strength, slowly borne towards 
 his proud home in the cart of a passing 
 peasant, escorted by the silent band who but 
 an hour before had filled the valley, and made
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 11 
 
 the hills echo with their wild and lusty shout- 
 inor : while in the midst walked his son — the 
 pride of his heart, and the hope of his house — 
 hot with sport, splashed with mud, sullied 
 with dust, and still bearing unconsciously 
 above his brow the drooping trophy of the 
 chase. 
 
 There was a pompous funeral ; and then 
 the iron gates of the family vault once more 
 closed ; and another generation ruled in Ash- 
 ton Court. 
 
 Horace had been summoned from Cam- 
 bridge immediately on the death of his father, 
 by which he was deeply, although undemon- 
 stratively, affected. It is true that he had 
 been, even from his boyhood, almost an alien 
 from that father's house ; but in his heart was 
 a deep well of hidden feeling, which was not 
 the less profound because no eye had been 
 permitted to penetrate below its surface. 
 He had made none of those college friendships 
 which so frequently act for good or evil over
 
 12 THE POOH UELATION. 
 
 the whole of a man's after-Hfe, and yet he was 
 universally popular ; he had contracted no 
 debts, but still no voice had been raised against 
 him either in taunt or reproach; with the 
 habits of a refined gentleman, and the tastes 
 of a scholar, he was guiltless of those petty 
 meannesses which revolt the improvident and 
 the reckless ; his shadow fell across no man's 
 path, and he forbore to walk in those of others. 
 There was about him also a melancholy, al- 
 most a morbidity, of temperament, which 
 enforced respect even in those who were 
 unconscious of its origin ; for Horace Ash- 
 ton, with a superstitious feeling which his 
 more worldly-minded brother would have 
 scouted, (all the more contemptuously that he 
 would have been utterly unable to comprehend 
 it,) had from an early age conceived himself to 
 be living a dual life ; for the worthy possession 
 of which he was, in his single visible existence, 
 fully and personally accountable ; the life of 
 the mother which had with her last sigh been
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 13 
 
 breathed into his own, and that original ex- 
 istence which he had inherited from both 
 parents. His old nurse never forgot, and 
 frequently related, how all his infant cares 
 could be soothed to rest by a glimpse of the 
 lovely portrait which hung, the last and the 
 fairest, near the right-hand door of the picture 
 gallery ; and how, despite all her efforts to 
 the contrary, the first word which his baby- 
 lips had ever uttered was the name of his dead 
 mother. True, she had herself whispered to 
 him as they stood before the graceful lady 
 with the soft dark eyes, and the clouds of raven 
 hair — " That is your mamma, Horace; your dear 
 mamma ;" but she had never anticipated that 
 the lesson would have been so well and so 
 quickly learned. And again : although when 
 the fiat was pronounced, he had made no 
 sign, uttered no word of expostulation or 
 dissent, Horace Ashton had from the early 
 period when he first began to reflect, and to 
 comment upon all that was passing about him,
 
 14 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 experienced the most decided distaste for the 
 profession which had been selected for him by 
 his father. Naturally energetic by nature, he 
 panted for an opportunity of exertion, of enter. 
 prise, of struggle with the world, which might 
 enable himtoowehis future fortunes, whatsoever 
 they should prove, to his own efforts ; but to be 
 seated down in a rich living, made a pluralist, 
 without even extending a hand to grasp the 
 purple and fine linen which was spread out at his 
 feet, while older, wiser, and better men were 
 pining with want, and sickening with blighted 
 hope around him ; to undertake the guidance 
 of other souls while as yet almost unconscious 
 of the existence of his own — such a prospect 
 depressed and saddened him — and he wept 
 hot and burning tears as he believed himself 
 powerless to contend against his destiny. 
 
 The death of his father, however, opened up 
 new views and new resolutions in the breast 
 of the long-enduring young man. He could 
 no longer disappoint the hopes, or thwart the
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 15 
 
 wishes of Sir Hugh ; for the doughty old 
 sportsman had now attained the goal where 
 neither wish nor disappointment could reach 
 him ; and accordingly his son had no sooner 
 assisted at the reading of the Will — where he 
 found himself (in addition, as his father had 
 beheved and intended, to the three snug livings 
 which were sooner or later to become his,) 
 with a younger brother's provision of three 
 hundred pounds a year — than he at once de- 
 clared to the new baronet that he was at per- 
 fect liberty to dispose of his church patronage 
 as he had resolved to abandon all idea of a 
 profession for which he felt himself to be alto- 
 gether unsuited. 
 
 Sir Hercules expostulated in vain. He 
 offered no argument, it is true, affecting his 
 brother's personal happiness or preference ; 
 but he talked of the " honour of the family ;" 
 inquired how Horace expected to live like a 
 gentleman upon the income of a man-cook ; 
 and, in short, after the manner of elder sons,
 
 16 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 who have been taught from the cradle to think 
 only of themselves and their own interests, he 
 did everything in his power to controvert the 
 views of his brother, save offer to increase the 
 income at which he sneered. 
 
 " Do not be alarmed either for the honour 
 of the family, or my own respectability, Sir 
 Hercules ;" was the proud reply of Horace to 
 the verbose declamation of the young baronet ; 
 " my plans are already decided. What suf- 
 ficed to maintain me like a gentleman at 
 Cambridge, will, in hke manner, enable me 
 to live in India until I succeed in pushing my 
 fortune. You appear, moreover, to have for- 
 gotten that I inherit five thousand pounds 
 from my godfather Mr. Westland ; a sum 
 which will amply suffice to start me in the 
 world." 
 
 " Start you in the world ! Are you going 
 to degrade yourself by entering into com- 
 merce ?" 
 
 Horace smiled one of his cold, melancholy
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 17 
 
 smiles ; " I shall follow where my destiny 
 leads me," he said quietly. 
 
 " By heavens, sir, if you become a trader I 
 will disown you !" exclaimed Sir Hercules ; 
 " An Ash ton — the brother of the fourteenth 
 baronet — a man who might, at the expense of 
 two sermons a month, enjoy as many thou- 
 sands a-year. You must be a whig, sir; a_ 
 radical, sir ; a socialist, sir." 
 
 " I am no politician, " was the calm reply. 
 
 " No politician !" thundered out his bro- 
 ther ; " Of course, you are no politician. What 
 has a younger brother to do with politics ? I 
 never asked you to become a politician ; that 
 is my prerogative. What you have to do is 
 to become a parson." 
 
 " I have already told you that my mind is 
 made up upon the subject." 
 
 " So be it ; and my mind is made up also. 
 Until you are of age you are under my 
 guardianship, and you shall not go to dis- 
 grace yourself and your family in India." 
 
 ~ YOL. I. c
 
 18 THE POOR KELATION. 
 
 " Your authority, Sir Hercules ;" was the 
 tranquil rejoinder ; " will extend over thirteen 
 months. I will endeavour to submit myself 
 to it with patience." 
 
 '' You will do well, sir ; and, should you be 
 as good as your word, I will undertake to pay 
 your college debts." 
 
 " I have none," said Horace, as he lifted a 
 newspaper from the table, and settled himself 
 in his chair. 
 
 The baronet gazed at him for a moment in 
 utter astonishment. Even he, under the roof 
 of >his father, with ample means, had contrived 
 before he was of age to involve himself to an 
 extent which rendered him somewhat apprehen- 
 sive of the elasticity of paternal indulgence ; 
 and he had consequently carefully guarded the 
 secret of his improvidence until he suddenly 
 found himself irresponsible. 
 
 Such was the position of the two brothers 
 on the untimely death of Sir Hugh. A brief 
 visit to Cambridge sufficed to Horace for the
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 19 
 
 cordial leave-taking which separated him proba- 
 bly for ever from his former tutors and asso- 
 ciates; and then, without a murmur, or an effort 
 at self-emancipation, he took up his residence 
 at Ashton Court, which soon resumed its ac- 
 customed aspect of noisy enjoyment, and indis- 
 criminate hospitalitality. 
 
 No change, however, took place in the 
 calm and retired habits of the young Cantab, 
 save that, superadded to his quiet studies, a 
 continuous correspondence was maintained 
 between himself and some friends in the 
 metropolis, which greatly excited the curi- 
 osity, and even the uneasiness, of Sir Her- 
 cules ; who for several months flattered him- 
 self that his brother would weary of what 
 he called his "wild-goose chase," and settle 
 down in the fat livings which had been 
 nursing for him for years ; but, tolerably 
 obtuse though he was, the baronet could not 
 avoid a conviction that the voluminous con- 
 tents of the A^iton Court letter-bag, which 
 
 c2
 
 20 THE POOH BELATION. 
 
 had until the domestication of Horace under 
 the ancestral roof enjoyed a comparative 
 sinecure, was connected with the darling 
 project to which he was himself so heartily 
 averse. The event proved the justness of 
 his reasoning. The thirteen months gra- 
 dually went by ; and on the morning of the 
 day which marked the majority of Sir Hugh's 
 younger son, he descended to the breakfast- 
 room calm and placid as usual, but wdth 
 a settled purpose which invested him with 
 a manliness of look and demeanour that 
 he had never before worn in his brother's 
 eyes. 
 
 Sir Hercules, after the usual brief salutation 
 habitually observed between them had been 
 uttered, began to feel fidgetty ; his very 
 appetite forsook him ; but Horace pursued 
 his meal while looking over the letters which 
 were placed beside his plate, as quietly as was 
 his wont. 
 
 At length the repast came to an end ; an
 
 THE POOH RELATION. 21 
 
 as the baronet, anxious to escape, rose from 
 his seat to leave the room, Horace extended 
 his hand. 
 
 " Hercules ;" he said ; " you are no doubt 
 aware that, since sunrise, we have ceased to 
 be guardian and ward; and that we are at 
 length simply brothers. I am glad of this, 
 for so better we should part, particularly as 
 our parting to-day will, in all probability, be 
 a final one. May you be happy. You have 
 the proud task before you of upholding the 
 honour of our house; I have no such duty 
 before me ; neither am I essential to the hap- 
 piness of any one on earth. Our separation 
 will involve no suffering on either side, for we 
 know little or nothing of each other ; nor do 
 I ask you to forget me, for I have already read 
 the human mind and heart deeply enough to 
 be aware that, where there exists no tie of 
 feehng, the memory of mere adventitious re- 
 lationship is by no means tenacious." 
 
 " But you do not mean to say," interposed
 
 22 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 Sir Hercules ; " that I am never to hear of you 
 again r 
 
 " By no means ; I am not so presumptuous 
 as to be ignorant that circumstance is fre- 
 quently stronger than will; I simply meant 
 to imply, that I should not voluntarily in- 
 trude upon you with details of my own 
 proceedings, or appeals to your remembrance. 
 It might diminish your zest in the hunting- 
 field were you to be informed on some 
 occasion, that while you were pursuing a fox, 
 I had been devoured by a tiger." 
 
 " But suppose that anything should happen 
 to me ?'' persisted the baronet. 
 
 " Oh, the public prints would duly herald 
 your demise \' was the sHghtly bitter retort \ 
 " or your marriage, or the birth of your heir ; 
 and beyond these events, I could not expect 
 to know more than I have done while residing 
 under your roof. You see, therefore, that I 
 merely seek to spare you the unaccustomed 
 toil of letter- writing."
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 23 
 
 " As you please ;'' said Sir Hercules coldly ; 
 while to hide his embarrassment he affected 
 to be carefully examining the lock of his fowl- 
 ing-piece. " You know best ; all I hope is, 
 that you will never repent the step that you 
 are taking. You might have been a rich man 
 without an effort. As it is — " 
 
 " As it is/' repeated his brother ; " I am 
 about to become an exile from my country, 
 with my fortune to make ; but of this rest 
 assured, Sir Hercules, that should I fail, you 
 will only learn my failure by the accumulation 
 of my modest income at the banker's. I may 
 sink in the struggle, but I shall never receive 
 alms from the master of Ashton Court. Let 
 us part like friends and brothers, with clasped 
 hands, and mutual good wishes. May all 
 happiness attend you, Hercules. That we do 
 not love each other as some brothers may do, 
 is probably not our own fault — in any case it 
 is too late to explain, or to regret, the fact. I 
 shall leave for town by the mid-day mail."
 
 24 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " At least have the family coach and the 
 team of greys to the post-town ;" urged the 
 baronet. 
 
 " You are merry, my good brother," said 
 Horace, as a momentary flush passed over his 
 features ; '* Have you forgotten that you pro- 
 pose to me an honour which I have never yet 
 enjoyed ? No, no ; I will make no false start 
 on my journey through life. In an hour the 
 mail will stop for me at the east lodge ; and 
 by this day week I trust to have left En.gland, 
 if not for ever, at least for a long term of 
 years." 
 
 And thus, coldly and indifferently, parted 
 the two last members of an ancient house, 
 never to meet again on this earth.
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 25 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 A MARKIAGE, 
 
 It was a strange sensation with which Sir 
 Hercules Ashton awoke on the morning that 
 succeeded the departure of his brother. He 
 had thought but Httle, if at all, about him 
 during the previous day; for after having 
 walked with him across the park, as he might 
 have done with any other guest leaving his 
 house by the same conveyance, shaken hands 
 with him at the lodge gate, and seen him 
 comfortably seated on the roof of the vehicle 
 which was to bear him to London, he whistled 
 his dogs to his side ; and, accompanied by a 
 gamekeeper, spent the afternoon in shooting ;
 
 26 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 returned to a solitary dinner, worn and wearied 
 by over-exertion, drank more wine than usual, 
 fell asleep in the easy-chair which had once 
 been sacred to the portly person of Sir Hugh ; 
 and, finally, sought his bed — not because he 
 so much needed further rest, as because 
 he really did not know how to occupy his 
 evening. 
 
 On the morrow, however, as we have said, 
 he had more time for reflection, and was con- 
 sequently far from feeling at ease with himself. 
 His solitary breakfast was swallowed, for the 
 first time in his life, without rehsh ; the grave 
 but handsome face which had lately become 
 famihar to him no longer looked out from the 
 opposite chair, which, either by chance or for- 
 getfulness, had been drawn to its accustomed 
 place ; while the low but melodious voice, that, 
 even though he affected to his jovial companions 
 to call it missish and maudlin, had made un- 
 conscious music to his ear, no longer broke 
 the silence of the spacious room, which now
 
 THE POOR RELATION. ^7 
 
 only echoed the footfalls of the busy servants. 
 In spite of his pride and his selfishness, the 
 baronet was compelled to admit to himself 
 that something was wanting to his comfort ; 
 and that the something in question was the 
 presence of his only brother. 
 
 And how had he parted from that brother ? 
 Had he expressed one feeUng of affection to- 
 wards him ? — one sentiment of regret at his 
 departure ? — one anxiety as to his fate ?— 
 Above all, had he opened to him, if not his 
 heart — he was probably not the master of so 
 supreme a movement as that — but even his 
 purse ? Had he, the heir to eleven thousand 
 a year, offered to share with his less well-por- 
 tioned brother even the income of a few 
 months ? Horace was proud, and would pro- 
 bably have refused such aid ; but still it might, 
 and should, have been tendered. And they 
 might never meet again. — Had Sir Hercules 
 possessed his brother's address in town at that 
 moment, he would assuredly have started off
 
 28 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 instantly in pursuit of him ; but no such in- 
 formation had either been asked or given ; and 
 now — the gulf which Horace had foretold 
 already yawned between them ! 
 
 For a time Sir Hercules, with the assistance 
 of the neighbouring squires — for he was by no 
 means addicted to female society, and seldom 
 made his appearance even at a hunt -ball — 
 contrived to endure his solitary splendour with 
 something like philosophy ; but as he could 
 not always command the society even of his 
 favourite associates, he found the evening hours 
 especially hang heavily upon his hands ; and 
 at length, in a paroxysm of more than usual 
 weariness, he resolved to spend a season in 
 town. The Ashtons had good connections in 
 London with some of whom he had become 
 acquainted, when, during the sporting season, 
 they came down to thin the preserves of 
 Ashton Court, but he had never hitherto pro- 
 fited by the invitations which had been ex- 
 tended to him by these far-off relatives. Now,
 
 THE POOK RELATION. 29 
 
 however, he remembered with considerable 
 complacency that he should not be altogether 
 a stranger in the great metropolis; and ac- 
 cordingly he made the necessary preparations 
 for what was to be, little as he contemplated 
 such a sequel to his journey, one of the great 
 events of his life. 
 
 Sir Hercules was right : he was not destined 
 to be long a stranger in London. He estab- 
 lished himself at a first-rate hotel, left his cards 
 at half-a-dozen doors, sported his thorough- 
 bred bay in Rotten Row, and ere long found 
 himself a welcome guest in many a brilliant 
 drawing-room, and a member of two or three 
 of the leading clubs ; while he discovered with 
 secret astonishment that he was especially 
 popular in those houses where the "olive 
 branches " were of the feminine gender. Shy, 
 ill at ease, and even awkward in the society 
 of ladies, the wealthy young baronet was ut- 
 terly at a loss to account for the flattering 
 attentions that were lavished upon him by
 
 30 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 high-born mothers and fascinating daughters. 
 That their sons and brothers should find a 
 certain pleasure in riding his horses, and win- 
 ning his money at billiards or ecarte, was 
 natural enough ; but that a score of the 
 prettiest girls in London should select him 
 as their chosen escort to balls, exhibitions, and 
 operas, surprised him beyond measure. He 
 could not be induced to stand up in a quad- 
 rille — waltzes and polkas were, of course, en- 
 tirely out of the question — he had no ear for 
 music save in the hunting field — he could not 
 distinguish a Rubens from a Teniers — a Rey- 
 nolds from a Landseer — yet still the fair young 
 creatures fluttered about him, listened to his 
 ponderous compliments with smiles and blushes, 
 and deferred to his opinions with as much 
 reverence as though he were entrusted with 
 the utterance of the divine oracles. No wonder 
 that Sir Hercules began to look upon London 
 in a few brief weeks as an earthly paradise ; 
 and himself as a paragon of perfection, which
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 31 
 
 had been too long hidden from the gaze of an 
 admiring world. The natm^al consequence en- 
 sued ; and the Leicestershire baronet gradually 
 became a heavy fop. With too much of the 
 innate feeling of a gentleman to degrade him- 
 self by showy dress or pompous self-assertion, 
 he was nevertheless too weak-minded to retain 
 the calm dignity which had hitherto been ha- 
 bitual to him ; he never once reflected on his 
 social position, and the importance which he 
 derived from it ; he attributed all the attention 
 and courtesy of those by whom he was sur- 
 rounded to his personal qualities ; and ere long 
 he found himself receiving as a just tribute the 
 homage which was lavishly poured out upon 
 him. 
 
 He returned home rich in new acquaint- 
 ance, who made his wide halls ring with 
 revelry throughout the hunting season ; who 
 were enchanted with the old place, delighted 
 with the sport which he provided for them, 
 and lavish of their professions of friendship.
 
 32 THE POOR UELATION. 
 
 There had not been so joDy an autumn at 
 Ashton Court within his memory. Even the 
 merry times of good Sir Hugh were out- 
 done, for he had confined his hospitality to 
 his country neighbours and his family con- 
 nections ; whereas his son had been almost 
 indiscriminate in his invitations, and had 
 filled the spacious mansion from roof to foun- 
 dation. Nor was the Christmas season less 
 gaily passed. Sir Hercules was enchanted 
 with his guests, and the guests were en- 
 chanted with Sir Hercules ; and accordingly, 
 many among them lingered until the swelling 
 buds upon the trees, and the violets and 
 primroses in the shady recesses of the woods, 
 warned them that another London season was 
 about to commence. Then, indeed, they bade 
 farewell to the old hall, but not to its hospi- 
 table master ; who, consistent to the last, 
 conveyed the tardiest of his guests to town 
 in a drag, drawn by the team of greys whose 
 services his brother Horace had so pererapto-
 
 THE POOR RELATIO]^. 33 
 
 rily declined, and driven by his own skilful 
 hand. 
 
 At the close of this second season the baro- 
 net once more returned to Ashton Court, and 
 if not as before accompanied by a troop of 
 newly-made friends, still he did not return 
 alone. He had been preceded by upholsterers, 
 decorators, and an establishment of town-bred 
 servants ; notice had been given to the tenantry 
 of the change which had taken place in his 
 destiny ; and as he passed through the gates 
 of the noble park, rich in all the lavish vege- 
 tation of midsummer, flowers were strewed 
 upon his path ; triumphal arches spanned the 
 road which led to the mansion ; masses of 
 brightly-tinted flowers decorated the terraces ; 
 rows of liveried menials lined the steps of the 
 portico, and thronged the entrance-hall; and 
 crowds of his tenantry, in holiday dresses, rent 
 the air with their vociferous cries of welcome. 
 Sir Hercules Ashton had brought home his 
 bride ! 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 34 THE POOfl RELATION. 
 
 Many were the comments made upon the 
 tall, stately lady, who, as the baronet assisted 
 her to alight, bowed and smiled on every side 
 ere she entered the house. She was very beau- 
 tiful, whispered some, though it was not with 
 the meek, soft beauty of the last Lady Ash ton ; 
 there was no blush upon her cheek, no flutter 
 in her manner ; she was calm and self-possessed 
 to a miracle ; but then, added others, no won- 
 der that she is not overcome by the splendour of 
 her new home, for she is an earl's daughter, 
 while our former lady was born in the Rec- 
 tory. And such was, in fact, the case. Old 
 Sir Hugh cared little for any title prouder 
 than his own ; loved rather to confer benefits 
 than to receive them ; and, above all, had a 
 shrewd conviction of the importance of a man's 
 supremacy in his own house. He affected no 
 sentiment, and consequently did not profess 
 to marry for love, although he had never failed 
 either in regard or in respect towards the 
 gentle and submissive wife who was the mo-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 35 
 
 ther of his children. The rector had been 
 his tutor ; and he readily made up his mind to 
 marry the rector's daughter, who had been 
 the playmate of his boyhood, and the friend 
 of his youth. 
 
 The Reverend Doctor was delighted ; the 
 fair bride grateful and affectionate ; and when 
 she was early snatched from him by death, he 
 mourned for her as deeply as such a nature 
 as his could mourn for any wife, and vowed 
 never to contract a second marriage ; a vow 
 which he religiously fulfilled. 
 
 Sir Hercules had been more ambitious ; 
 and his self-gratulation was excessive when 
 he grafted on the family tree of the Ashtons 
 a daughter of the lordly house of Disborough. 
 It is true that the earl was nearly bankrupt, 
 and that he would with equal readiness have 
 bestowed the fair hand of Lady Harriette 
 upon a far less eligible suitor ; while the young 
 lady herself, after four seasons in town, had 
 become far less exacting than at the period of 
 
 J)2
 
 36 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 her Presentation. These, however, were cir- 
 cumstances altogether unguessed at by the 
 exulting bridegroom ; whose total indifference 
 to her want of fortune, and magnificent mar- 
 riage settlements, made many a fond mother 
 sigh, and many a man of fashion smile. 
 
 The honeymoon had scarcely waned ere Sir 
 Hercules became aware that the days of jol- 
 lity were over for Ashton Court ; at least 
 during the reign of his own wife. Lady 
 Harriette was afflicted with weak nerves. She 
 could not support the noise of the hare- 
 hounds, and the pet pack became the pro- 
 perty of a county neighbour. She burst into 
 tears when informed of the frightful death of 
 old Sir Hugh, and extorted from her hus- 
 band a solemn pledge that he would hunt 
 no more. The scent of a cigar poisoned her; 
 and it was in vain that poor Sir Hercules 
 stole out into the park or the stable to indulge 
 in the forbidden luxury ; detection followed 
 upon every trangression ; and he was com-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 37 
 
 pelled to forego his oldest and most familiar in- 
 dulgence. Nor was this all ; with a perseverance 
 which would have sufficed to level mountains, 
 the pertinacious Lady Harriette combated, 
 one after the other, every taste and pursuit 
 of her bewildered husband ; contemptuously 
 branding some among them as vulgar, and 
 others as undignified and inexpedient ; until 
 the once self-willed Sir Hercules, driven from 
 entrenchment to entrenchment, and finally be- 
 leaguered in the very citadel of his old asso- 
 ciations and habits, fairlv surrendered at dis- 
 cretion \ and subsided from the dictatorial and 
 boisterous representative of an ancient family, 
 into a quiet and purposeless country gentle- 
 man, who was compelled to smother his pride 
 and his disappointment in the recesses of his 
 own heart, and meekly to obey the behests of 
 his more consistently energetic helpmate. 
 
 In two years, — two brief years of struggle 
 — Lady Harriette Ashton remained master of 
 the field ; and all was as dull, as pompous, and
 
 38 THE POOR RELATION, 
 
 as properly-conducted at Ashton Court as even 
 an earFs daughter could desire. In one par- 
 ticular she acted admirably ; and that was in 
 entreating Sir Hercules — and we have already 
 shown the influence of her entreaties — never 
 to lend her father money. "You received 
 nothing from him j" she said composedly ; 
 " and he has consequently no right to expect 
 anything from you. Moreover, help him as 
 you might, it would avail little; for a man 
 who has been unable throughout life to take 
 care of his own money, is not likely to be 
 more provident of yours." 
 
 Sir Hercules promised obedience ; and was 
 so true to his pledge, that ere long Lord 
 Disborough sought and found a pretext for a 
 rupture, which fortunately relieved his son-in- 
 law from all further importunity. 
 
 As years wore on, the baronet became still 
 more decidedly Lady Harriette Ashton s hus- 
 band, and nothing more ; save indeed, as we 
 have already mentioned, the father of a fine
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 39 
 
 boy and two lovely girls, upon whom he 
 positively doated; for, very naturally the 
 children, one and all, poured out upon him 
 the full flood of that affection which the 
 cold stateliness of their mother chilled, if 
 it did not actually repel. On one occasion — 
 the only one since his marriage — Sir Hercules 
 had stood firmly to his marital prerogative, and 
 carried his point. As Lady Harriette, a few 
 weeks after the birth of the family heir, was 
 proudly exhibiting the baby to a visitor, a 
 question was casually put by her guest, and 
 as unhesitatingly answered. 
 
 "What a fine fellow! What a splendid 
 infant !" had been the exclamation of Mrs. 
 Lorimer ; " and what is to be the name of 
 the darling ?" 
 
 " Oh, Reginald, of course ;" was the smiling 
 reply of Lady Harriette ; " He is every inch a 
 Disborough, and can bear no name but my 
 father's." 
 
 The nurse curtseyed and simpered as she
 
 40 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 carried off the earl's grandson ; and Master 
 Reggy was at once christened in the nursery. 
 
 " My dear ;" said the baronet, after he had 
 bowed out their guest ; " I am sorry that you 
 should have decided on naming our boy 
 Reginald, because it is impossible.'' 
 
 " What is impossible, Sir Hercules ?" 
 
 ** That my son and heir should introduce a 
 strange name into the family." 
 
 " I do not understand you. It is the name 
 of his maternal grandfather." 
 
 " I am quite aware of that, my love ; but 
 for the last four centuries the Ashtons have 
 been Hughs, Horaces, and Hercules's; and 
 the family honour demands that no change 
 should be made in this respect." 
 
 "Do you consider it, then, as a degrada- 
 tion that our child should bear the name of 
 the Earl of Disborough ?" 
 
 " By no means ; but at the same time I see 
 no reason why he should do so. We have no 
 communication whatever with your father ; no
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 41 
 
 tie, of either interest or affection, binds us to 
 him ; we are become strangers to each other ; 
 while the family tradition is sacred to me, and 
 I feel pledged to follow the example of my an- 
 cestors. You must excuse me therefore if upon 
 this point I am firm. I do not ask you to 
 christen the boy after me, — indeed, I would 
 rather that it should not be so ; but Hugh or 
 Horace it must and shall be." 
 
 *' Must and shall !" echoed the lady, as the 
 hot blood mounted to her brow. 
 
 '' It is not often, my dear Lady Harriette ;" 
 said Sir Hercules deprecatingly ; " that I in- 
 terfere with your arrangements ; but upon the 
 subject under discussion I claim the privilege 
 of a husband and a father." 
 
 His listener shghtly shrugged her shoulders : 
 there was a world of meaning in the gesture. 
 '* Pray proceed," she said coldly. 
 
 " There are melancholy associations con- 
 nected with the name of my father ;" pursued 
 the baronet with more firmness than could
 
 42 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 have been expected from him ; *' which dis- 
 iiichne me to bestow it on my boy ; but I 
 have a brother, and it will be pleasant to me 
 to call him after that brother." 
 
 " I was not aware that your fraternal affec- 
 tion was so strong, Sir Hercules." 
 
 " I can readily believe it ;" said the baronet 
 sadly ; " for one of the most bitter regrets of 
 my whole existence has arisen from the fact 
 that I never knew how to appreciate my brother, 
 until we were separated. Enough, however, 
 on this subject, which is always a painful one 
 to me. The heir of the Ashtons must bear 
 the name of Horace." 
 
 " Is a mother to have no voice in what 
 concerns her child. Sir Hercules ?" 
 
 " It is with extreme reluctance that I op- 
 pose your wishes, my dear Lady Harriette. 
 Do me the favour to remember that it is for 
 the first, and may possibly be for the last 
 time." 
 
 And in order to avoid all further argument
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 43 
 
 upon the subject, the baronet, agitated by his 
 own audacity, hastened to leave the room. 
 
 The heir of the Ashtons, at his pompous 
 christening, accordingly bore the name of 
 Horace. 
 
 Meanwhile, no tidings reached England of 
 the fate or fortunes of that other Horace who 
 had gone to seek a home in a far-off land. 
 In vain did Sir Hercules question the banker 
 from whom twice in the vear the self- con sti- 
 tuted exile regularly drew his income ; all 
 that he could ascertain was the bald fact, that 
 it was remitted through a great mercantile 
 house in Calcutta, and that the principals of 
 the house had declared themselves ignorant 
 alike of the residence and the pursuits of their 
 client. 
 
 Thus there was consequently nothing to 
 be done save to wait with patience : and to 
 hope almost against hope, that some fortunate 
 circumstance might induce the wanderer either 
 to return to his native country, or, at all
 
 44 THE POOR RELilTION. 
 
 events, to open up a communication with his 
 relations. 
 
 Such, however, was not the case. The 
 laughter of three merry little hearts rang 
 through the leafy shrubberies and along the 
 stately terraces of Ashton Court, and still the 
 uncle Horace in India was a mere family tra- 
 dition. The boy grew rapidly, alike in stature 
 and in inteUigence, and was struggling his 
 way through the fagdom of Eton ; while the 
 gazelle-eyed Florence and the fair-haired Ma- 
 tilda were studying the virtues and the graces 
 of girlhood under the skilful care of Madame 
 Despreaux and her assistants, at the period 
 when this tale commences ; but not a word 
 of greeting from the brother of Sir Hercules 
 had yet reached the home of his infancy.
 
 THE POOH RELATION. 45 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 A CONSIGNMENT. 
 
 Sir Hercules Ashton — neither allowed to 
 hunt because it v\'as dangerous ; nor to play 
 cricket because it was vulgar ; nor to receive 
 his country neighbours more than twice a 
 year because it was ungentlemanlike and 
 plebeian to drink toasts, and to make the old 
 halls ring with the " hip, hip, hurrah !" by 
 w hich such banquets had been terminated from 
 time immemorial, — finished by resigning him- 
 self to his fate. He shot occasionally it is true, 
 but he soon lost all zest for an amusement at 
 w^hich he had almost scoffed in his earlier
 
 46 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 days ; and as the number of his gamekeepers 
 was diminished at the request of Lady Har- 
 riette, who talked philanthropically of the 
 waste of human life of which preserving game 
 had been the idle and iniquitous cause for 
 centuries, and the amount of poachers on 
 her husband's estate necessarily increased in a 
 corresponding degree, it followed, as a matter 
 of course, that from year to year there was a 
 gradual and sensible diminution in the party 
 which assembled at Ashton Court in the last 
 days of August to enjoy the sports of the 
 field ; and which dwindled away, " small by 
 degrees, and beautifully less," until, at the 
 time which must occupy our attention, the 
 long-standing and general invitation to which 
 so many had once cheerfully and eagerly re- 
 sponded, had not been accepted by a single 
 individual; and the formerly-active Sir Her- 
 cules who was on foot from sunrise to sunset, 
 thwarted in all his habits, and driven as a last 
 resource to the disorganising pleasures of the
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 47 
 
 table for relaxation and enjoyment, had grown 
 prematurely gouty and decrepit. 
 
 All had become so orderly and so methodical 
 at Ashton Court, that a violent ringing at the 
 gate of the stable-yard caused Lady Harriette 
 almost to bound upon her chair. 
 
 " Really, Sir Hercules ;" she said pettishly ; 
 " your people have grown so disorderly of 
 late that they take the most unwarrantable 
 liberties. — Did you hear that bell ?" 
 
 " Yes, my love ; yes ;" replied the baronet, 
 yawning fearfully as he stroked down his 
 throbbing ancle ; " and no doubt something 
 unusual has occurred." 
 
 " What can have occurred ? — Such a sup- 
 position is absurd." 
 
 Sir Hercules was spared all reply by the 
 entrance of the venerable butler, who handed 
 to him a packet of most portentous dimensions. 
 
 " A special messenger from the post-town 
 Sir Hercules. He has ridden hard ; shall I 
 direct him to refresh his horse ?"
 
 48 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 Certainly, Andrews, certainly ; and himself 
 too !" cried the baronet, with his eyes rivetted 
 on the bulky dispatch which he held in his 
 hand ; " and be careful to let me know before 
 he leaves the house, as I may have to entrust 
 him with a reply." 
 
 Lady Harriette took up a review, and was 
 soon apparently absorbed in its perusal. 
 
 Meanwhile Sir Hercules rose with an un- 
 steady step, and approached the window ; then 
 he hurriedly tore open the letter, grasped 
 a chair that stood near to him, into which 
 he sunk with a gasping sigh, passed his hand 
 over his eyes for an instant, and finally read 
 what follows : 
 
 " Calcutta, 
 "August 10th, 18 — 
 *'' Sir Hercules Ashton, 
 " Sir, 
 
 '' I herewith have the honour to 
 apprise you that, on my departure from Cal- 
 cutta on the fourteenth of May last, I was
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 4^ 
 
 entrusted by Messieurs Trueraan and Braveby, 
 (merchants of that city,) with the care of Miss 
 Ella Ashton your niece, and her native Ayah ; 
 and that the same have been safely disem- 
 barked in London, where they await your 
 orders. Your brother, Mr. Horace Westland 
 Ashton having, on his decease (which occurred 
 on the 9th of the preceding month), given 
 orders that they should be consigned to your 
 care. The young lady and her attendant are 
 now awaiting your pleasure at the Blue Boar, 
 in Holborn, together with their effects, which 
 you will find all correct, as per invoice ; their 
 passage paid, and all expenses discharged, 
 save such as they may be compelled to incur 
 at the said hotel. 
 
 " 1 have the honour to be, 
 '' Sir, 
 " Your obedient Servant, 
 
 "John Henuy Burton. 
 *' On board the Eastern Star, 
 " East India Docks." 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 50 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 Dead ! His only brother — the Horace whom 
 he had almost driven from the home of his 
 fathers — for whose return he had looked and 
 longed year after year — was then lost to him 
 for ever. — Dead ! their hands were never to 
 meet again — their voices never again to utter a 
 mutual greeting. All was over ! For a moment 
 every thing was a blank to poor Sir Hercules ; 
 and as the letter fell from his unnerved hand, 
 he fell back with a groan upon the cushions 
 of his chair. 
 
 Lady Harriette, who despite her presumed 
 occupation had not lost sight of his slightest 
 movement, instantly rushed to his side. 
 
 " My dear Sir Hercules !'' she exclaimed 
 anxiously ; " what ill news have you received ?" 
 
 " He is dead !" was the gasping reply ; " I 
 shall never see him more." 
 
 " Dead ! Who is dead ?" 
 
 "He whom I loved so well — more, far 
 more, than either he or I ever suspected : my 
 poor, poor Horace !"
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 51 
 
 " Horace !" shrieked his wife ; " My own 
 my noble boy ? — When ? — where ? — how ?" 
 
 " Calm yourself, my love, calm yourself,' 
 faltered the baronet appalled by the wdldness 
 of her looks ; "it is not our boy ; it is my 
 brother, my poor exiled brother, who is no 
 more." 
 
 Lady Harriett e sank upon a sofa in a state 
 of mental collapse. The proud woman had 
 experienced for one brief moment that sorrow 
 and disappointment might reach even her ; 
 but she soon raUied ; and again approaching 
 her husband, she laid her hand softly upon 
 his shoulder ; and while still thrilling through- 
 out her whole frame from the effect of the 
 shock w^hich she had undergone, she never- 
 theless found strength to utter the common- 
 place words of consolation which those who 
 have escaped suffering are ever so prompt to 
 lavish upon such as suffer. 
 
 " Come, come, my dear Sir Hercules ;" she 
 said, in her blandest accents ; " do not allow 
 
 E 2 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 ILLINOIS LIBRARY
 
 52 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 yourself to be thus unmanned by a misfortune, 
 which, after all, is purely imaginary. Re- 
 member that you have been parted from your 
 brother for years : that you have not even had 
 tidings of him ; that, in point of fact, he has long 
 ceased to exist for you. Surely you are not 
 to blame if he persisted in carving out his 
 own fortune in his own way, when it was 
 already secured to him in one much more 
 ehgible. This is really a weakness at which 
 you should be the first to blush. Besides, you 
 are in the last position in the world to justify 
 so violent an emotion as that to which you are 
 now yielding. Have you not a wife and chil- 
 dren? Are you not blessed with station, 
 affluence, and all the goods of this world? 
 Must I remind you — " 
 
 " You need remind me of nothing ;" inter- 
 posed the conscience-stricken man ; " It was 
 too great a confidence in my own strength 
 which led me to abuse my authority over poor 
 Horace. I have but one consolation for the
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 53 
 
 past — but one — and that is, that he has be- 
 queathed to me the guardianship of his child." 
 
 " His child l" echoed Lady Harriette, lifting 
 her hand by a spasmodic movement from his 
 shoulder; ** Has Mr. Horace Ashton left a 
 child?" 
 
 " I am thankful to say that he has. But 
 you had better read that letter — aloud, if you 
 please, for I have not yet thoroughly mastered 
 its contents." 
 
 Lady Harriette complied. 
 
 " Poor child ! poor child !" groaned the 
 baronet ; " an orphan she must be, for there 
 is no mention made of her mother. But we 
 must not lose an instant in claiming her. I 
 would myself take the mail at once, but that it 
 would be no fitting conveyance for a delicate 
 girl, just released from a long sea-voyage, and 
 cast among strangers. Think for me, my 
 dear, think for me, for my poor brain is quite 
 bewildered ; and of late I have been so unac- 
 customed to act for myself."
 
 54 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " Surely Mr. Horace Ashton must have 
 left proper instructions," commenced Lady 
 Harriette. 
 
 " No doubt he has, ray love ; no doubt he 
 has ;" broke in the agitated Sir Hercules ; 
 " but it will be time enough to ascertain his 
 wishes when his child is safe under our own 
 roof. I will order post horses, and start for 
 town to-night." 
 
 " You will oblige me by doing nothing of the 
 kind, Sir Hercules ;" said his lady in an accent 
 to which he was only too well accustomed ; 
 " You have as yet by no means overcome 
 your last fit of gout, and you are in no condition 
 to travel. If you really consider it necessary 
 to send the carriage to town for Miss Ella 
 Ashton, I cannot think it equally so that you 
 should be made the victim of a false and morbid 
 feehng of duty, by exposing yourself to a re- 
 lapse. No doubt my woman could take all 
 necessary care of the young lady ; and, in so 
 extreme a case, I am quite willing to put up
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 55 
 
 for a few days with the services of the children's 
 maid." 
 
 Sir Hercules was profuse in his expressions 
 of gratitude. It is true that even suffering as 
 he was from latent gout, he would have pre- 
 ferred, had he been permitted to exert his own 
 will, to have escorted his niece in his proper 
 person to her future home, for such he had 
 already resolved that Ashton Court should 
 be ; but he felt totally unable to resist so 
 unwonted a display of tenderness and self- 
 abnegation on the part of his wife ; and 
 accordingly it was arranged that early on 
 the following morning the family coach should 
 be dispatched with post-horses. Mademoiselle 
 Sophie, and a liberal cheque upon his banker, 
 to settle the hotel-bill, and convey the little 
 stranger and her attendant to Leicestershire. 
 
 Gradually, as certain probabilities presented 
 themselves to her mind, Lady Harriette be- 
 came more and more reconciled to the in- 
 trusion of her unknown niece into the family
 
 56 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 circle; and while Sir Hercules, who "had 
 suffered persecution and learnt mercy/' was 
 thinking only of the helpless child ; and con- 
 gratulating himself that he should at last be 
 enabled to redeem his shortcomings towards 
 the father by affection and care to the inter- 
 esting little being who had been so confidingly 
 entrusted to his protection, his wife was 
 building castles in the air, each more lofty 
 and more brilliant than the last. 
 
 In the good old times, when railroads were 
 not, and the pagoda tree had not yet been 
 shaken to its very roots, the idea of India was 
 associated with stupendous visions of wealth 
 in the minds of the home- staying people of 
 England ; and it is consequently not surprising, 
 that, as she sat and pondered over the oc- 
 currence which had just taken place. Lady 
 Harriette soon succeeded in convincing her- 
 self that the orphan daughter of her brother- 
 in-law must of necessity be a nabob's heiress. 
 Horace Ashton was possessed of a few
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 57 
 
 thousands when he left England; and how 
 many colossal fortunes had been made by 
 individuals who had landed in the East, 
 absolutely penniless ! He had, moreover, 
 been in the receipt of a regular income, 
 although it was of limited amount ; and, 
 above all, he had never applied to his elder 
 and more wealthy brother for pecuniary aid. 
 All these circumstances were marvellously in 
 favour of her hypothesis ; and she at last 
 actually began to ask herself whether the 
 advent of the richly-endowed orphan might not 
 militate against the matrimonial prospects of 
 her own daughters, who could scarcely aspire to 
 more than ten thousand pounds a-piece. Still, 
 on the other hand, the residence of a wealthy 
 relative and ward under the roof of her 
 husband offered advantages enough to coun- 
 terbalance even this objection ; and then the 
 girls were still so young, that it was impos- 
 sible to speculate upon contingencies. A 
 vague idea even floated over her mind,
 
 58 THE POOR llELATION. 
 
 although she endeavoured to banish it, of 
 the fatal effects frequently produced upon 
 weakly constitutions by a sudden cliange of 
 climate, diet, and habits. She wished that 
 she already knew the precise age and tem- 
 perament of the little girl ; and then she 
 lost herself in a host of conjectures, which 
 made the hours fly past with a rapidity quite 
 unusual. 
 
 It was not that Lady Harriette really hoped 
 to find the orphan sickly and ailing, and to 
 see her droop and die under the grey skies 
 and chilly fogs of England ; by no means ; 
 she would have shuddered at the very thought; 
 but she had been sufficiently initiated into the 
 value of money before her marriage, to estir 
 mate it at something more than its just 
 value ; and — in short — our thoughts are 
 vagrants who will wander hither and thither 
 in spite of us; and so, having no other 
 occupation, those of the mistress of Ashtpn 
 Court overran a vast extent of country, and
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 59 
 
 lost themselves more than once in cross-roads 
 and by.paths into which they had no right to 
 penetrate. 
 
 In the school-room alone did the antici- 
 pated arrival of the young wayfarer excite 
 unmitigated delight ; and Florence and Ma- 
 tilda were never wearied of assailing their 
 indulgent governess with questions about 
 India; its natives, its productions, and its 
 extent. One thing only threw a damp upon 
 their joy. Madame, in order to satisfy their 
 curiosity by every means in her power, 
 brought from the library an illustrated work, 
 in which, to their dismay, they discovered 
 that " the human face divine" was pain>ted 
 in darker colours in that far-off land than in 
 their own. 
 
 " But can it be possible, Madame," asked 
 Florence, " that our little cousin will be black, 
 or even copper-coloured ?" 
 
 ** Do not alarm yourself, my dear child ;" 
 was the smihng rejoinder ; " you must re-
 
 60 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 member that her papa was an European ; and 
 that it is very improbable that Mr. Horace 
 Ash ton would marry a black woman." 
 
 " But suppose — " ventured Mat'lda. 
 
 ** I can suppose nothing so absurd. I am 
 quite prepared to see our new inmate with 
 eyes as black as your sister's, and with hair 
 perhaps even darker ; for it is a singular fact 
 that children born of European parents in 
 that climate are frequently influenced by it ; 
 but rely on what I tell you, that you have no 
 further cause for alarm. Let us rather feel 
 anxiety as to the temper and disposition of your 
 little cousin than with regard to her personal 
 appearance; and even should she prove less 
 amiable than we have every reason to hope, 
 we must never forget that she is an orphan, 
 fatherless and motherless, torn from all the 
 associations of her childhood, and dependent 
 upon us for her future happiness. Remember 
 this always, my dear children ; and let the poor 
 little girl prove what she may, you, who have
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 61 
 
 been surrounded from your birth with affection 
 and indulgence, will find it an easy task to 
 bear with her, and love her." 
 
 Such was the state of feeling in Ashton 
 Court as the orphan Ella journeyed towards 
 her new home.
 
 62 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 CHAPTER IV, 
 
 AN ARRIVAL. 
 
 " Ha !" joyfully exclaimed Lady Harriette, 
 a day or two after the startling news of the 
 advent of their new relative had reached 
 Ashton Court ; *' A letter from Horace, I de- 
 clare ! I scarcely expected to hear from him 
 again before the holidays." 
 
 " And what says the boy ? " asked Sir 
 Hercules. 
 
 Lady Harriette read aloud — 
 
 " My dear Mother, 
 " You, who can do anything and every- 
 thing with the good governor (to whom I
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 63 
 
 send my best love, as well as to the girls), 
 must ask liim, if you wish to be particularly 
 agreeable to your dutiful son, to write and 
 invite my very intimate friend Frank Hather- 
 ston to spend the Christmas holidays with 
 me, or all my fun will be spoilt. I am his 
 fag, and he is the best fellow in the world — a 
 regular trump. Don't be afraid, my dear 
 lady-mother, he's all right; got two aunts 
 peeresses ; and being an orphan, is the adopted 
 darling of a rich old uncle, an East India 
 Director. He really is a prime fellow ; and as 
 his uncle is going to Scotland for the winter 
 to see some laird or another who was his 
 college chum a century ago ; and as Frank 
 has a respectable horror of heather and moun- 
 tain-dew, he wants a good excuse for not 
 travelling the same road ; so I volunteered 
 Ash ton Court, and the fellow likes the idea 
 vastly. Tell the girls to get their best bibs 
 and tuckers ready ; not that we shall trouble 
 them much, but as they are my sisters, why, I
 
 64 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 want them to look as well as possible. No- 
 thing new here, except that old Fuzbos has 
 had the gout pretty sharply on, and off, this 
 last half; tell this to the governor, as it may 
 be a consolation. 
 
 '' Now, there is another suggestion which I 
 would humbly venture to make ; and that is, 
 that should the said worthy old governor be 
 just now firm on his legs, he should bring the 
 invitation instead of writing it. Hatherston 
 and I will undertake to show him the lions, 
 and to dine with him every day at the hotel, 
 so that he could not be dull ; and the acquaint- 
 ance would be made with ' the head of the 
 house,' in the pleasantest way in the world 
 for Frank. By the-bye, I forgot to tell you 
 that he is rising eighteen, a capital Grecian, 
 and one of our best cricketters. And won't 
 we row the girls about the lake, and shoot 
 the wild-fowl ! Let me know soon if we may 
 expect the governor. 
 
 " Your affectionate Horry.'*
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 65 
 
 " What an excessively thoughtless arrange- 
 ment !" said Lady Harriette as she refolded 
 the letter, in an accent which betrayed the 
 impossibility of disputing the will and pleasure 
 of her son and heir. " Just as your niece is 
 coming too, it seems scarcely correct to in- 
 troduce a youth of eighteen into our family 
 circle ; nor do I quite like it on account of our 
 own girls. Two strangers domesticated in the 
 house will interfere terribly with their studies." 
 
 " Never mind their studies for a few weeks, 
 my dear ;" said the peace-loving baronet, who, 
 hke his wife, did not appear to have the most re- 
 mote idea of contradicting the young Etonian ; 
 " and, as to any other consideration, rely on it 
 that Madame Despreaux will take good care, 
 not only of our girls, but of the little Creole 
 into the bargain." 
 
 " Little Creole, Sir Hercules !" almost 
 shrieked Lady Harriette. " You cannot surely 
 imagine that your brother — that Mr. Horace 
 Ashton — married a black woman ?" 
 
 VOL. L r
 
 66 TtlE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " Not quite so bad as that, I hope ;" said 
 the baionet, caressiiig his gouty foot ; " how- 
 ever, we shall see — Tve shall see. One thing 
 at least is certain. I cn.nnot go to Eton to 
 fetch the boys for two reasons : in the first 
 place, I am not in a state to travel : and, in 
 the next, I wish to ht at home to welcome 
 my niece on her arrival." 
 
 "Then jou. will write of course," said her 
 ladyship. 
 
 " Certainly ; by all means ; we cannot 
 thwart the lad in such a trifle — and it is only 
 natural that he should wish to have a friend 
 of his own age as a companion." 
 
 " Of his own age, Sir Hercules T' expos- 
 tulated his wife. " A youth of eighteen !" 
 
 " Well, near enough, near enough for all 
 purposes of amusement and companionship ;" 
 was the reply. " For my part, it appears to 
 me to be an excellent idea. Anything that 
 will make Horry fond of his home will 
 please me.'*
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 67 
 
 "But his parents — his: sisters — Surely they 
 should suffice to do tl;; /* said Lady Harriette. 
 
 "All very right, j dear: but a boy of 
 fifteen wearies of a gouty father, and three 
 sets of petticoats. Depend on it, if you would 
 make a man of hitiA, he must have com- 
 panions of his own sex 
 
 " I think that Eton is making a man of 
 him quite fast enough ;" said the mother 
 with all a mother's jealousy. "Look at 
 Florence, who is only his junior by a 
 year. She is still a perfect child : while 
 Horace — " 
 
 " Just as it should be — ^just as it should 
 be )' interposed the baronet. " Why, my lady, 
 you would be the last person on earth to wish 
 for a son who could be tied to the apron-string 
 of a governess. No, no ; we want no milksops 
 in the Ashton family. Horry is a fine, spirited 
 young fellow, and will do credit to his name. 
 What is the use of a public school, if it is not 
 to make boys manly and independent ; and to 
 
 F 2
 
 68 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 teach them to elbow their own way through 
 the world?" 
 
 ''Horace is certainly a fine, gentlemanlike 
 lad ;" said Lady Harriette complacently. " But 
 I wish we knew more of this bosom friend of 
 his — of this Mr. Frank Hatherston." 
 
 " Oh, we shall soon make acquaintance ;" 
 said the baronet. " And you see Horry has 
 been prudent enough to acquaint us with his. 
 family connexions, which appear quite satis- 
 factory. I confess that I am a vast deal more 
 anxious about my orphan niece than about 
 these two scapegraces from Eton." 
 
 " There can be no doubt, I suppose," ven- 
 tured Lady Harriette, " that your brother has 
 made a proper provision for his daughter." 
 
 " I imagine so ; I hope so ;" said Sir Her- 
 cules ; " but, as this is the first news which I 
 have had of him since we parted, all is of 
 course merely conjecture on my part." 
 
 " It is, however, fair to infer that such is 
 the case ;" pursued the lady ; " or Mr. Horace
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 69 
 
 Ashton, aware, as he must necessarily have 
 been, that you have a family of your own, 
 would surely never have so unceremoniously 
 burthened you with his daughter and her 
 attendant." 
 
 " Really, my love," said Sir Hercules, *' if 
 poor Horace did, by some unfortunate chance, 
 die poor, his only brother was the very 
 person to offer a home and a welcome to 
 his orphan girl. However, that is a ques- 
 tion which I do not think we need discuss. 
 People rarely come from India beggars. In 
 any and every case, my heart and arms will 
 be open to her : and so, I feel sure, will 
 yours." 
 
 "Of course any relative of yours will be 
 welcome to me ;" said Lady Harriette ; who, 
 as we have shown, had visions of her own 
 which she did not seek to dissipate. 
 
 " Should the poor child resemble her father," 
 said Sir Hercules musingly, and as if he had 
 neither awaited nor heeded the rejoinder of
 
 70 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 his wife, " she must be remarkably handsome ; 
 for Horace was a splendid fellow, six feet 
 high ; with eyes as black as sloes, and the true 
 Ashton nose and chin." 
 
 "In that case," smiled Lady Harriette, 
 " should she prove an heiress and a beauty, 
 we shall, perhaps, have to greet her some 
 years hence as a daughter-in-law. Stranger 
 things have happened." 
 
 " They have indeed ;" assented the baronet : 
 " and right glad should I be to make the child 
 of Horace really my own. It would do my 
 heart good to feel that we had become more 
 closely bound together after his death than 
 we had ever been w^hile he lived." 
 
 " I am actually becoming anxious to see 
 the little girl/' said Lady Harriette. "She 
 will probably be about the age of Matilda ; 
 and they will make charming playfellows." 
 
 Again and again, before the arrival of the 
 orphan, was the subject mooted by Lady 
 Harriette Ashton ; even the prospect of her
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 71 
 
 son's approaching return home lost something 
 of its usual importance in her mind; and, 
 when she had canvassed it on every side with 
 her husband, she carried her suppositions and 
 inferences to the school-room ; where, during 
 the hours of recreat^n, which Florence and 
 Matilda passed in the home-park, or driving 
 with their father, she held long conferences 
 with the amiable and right-minded Madame 
 Despreaux, who was thoroughly dazzled by 
 the golden prognostics of her excited com- 
 panion. 
 
 " This little girl will be a treasure to me /' 
 she said. " A new pupil will excite emulation : 
 and if she is docile and affectionate, we shall 
 soon become good friends." 
 
 " Sir Hercules thinks it probable that she 
 will be very handsome." 
 
 "Then I may fairly challenge the whole 
 county !" exclaimed Madame. " For I shall 
 be the mistress, if not the mother, of the 
 Graces 1"
 
 72 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 "And there seems little doubt," pursued 
 Lady Harriette with a gratified bow, " that 
 she is an heiress. I think, Madame, that we 
 will put her into the blue room. It has a 
 southern aspect, and her native nurse can oc- 
 cupy the octagon closet which opens from it. 
 I fear that she will suffer a good deal from 
 change of climate, poor child ! particularly as 
 she has reached England at so cold a season." 
 
 " Pauvre petite !" murmured Madame. 
 " But we will warm her with affection, with 
 love; and she will learn to forget her hot 
 skies and burning suns." 
 
 "To-morrow," said her ladyship, "we shall 
 put on our mourning. She must find us out- 
 wardly, as well as inwardly, sympathising in 
 her grief. The feelings of children are keen ; 
 and I am anxious that her first impression of 
 her new family should be a favourable one." 
 
 "Miladiis quite right;" said the French- 
 woman. " It will do her little heart good to 
 be so well understood."
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 73 
 
 On the morrow, accordingly, the family and 
 the whole establishment at Ashton Court ap- 
 peared in deep mourning : all invitations for 
 the ensuing month were declined ; and Sir 
 Hercules warmly expressed his gratitude to his 
 wife for the care and anxiety with which she 
 had superintended the arrangements that 
 were to secure the comfort and happiness of 
 his orphan niece. 
 
 And at length that niece arrived. The 
 carriage in which she had travelled, with its 
 four steaming posters, drew up before the 
 principal entrance of the mansion ; and in five 
 minutes more, a tall, muscular woman as 
 black as jet, with a head-dress and flowing 
 robes of white muslin, her wrists and ancles 
 encircled by ponderous gold bracelets and 
 anklets, entered the drawing-room, bearing in 
 her arms a shapeless mass, closely enveloped 
 in a bright scarlet shawl. 
 
 Her large flashing eyes rather glared than 
 glanced round her for an instant ; and then,
 
 74 THE POOH KELATION. 
 
 rapidly approaching Sir Hercules, she sobbed 
 rather than uttered ; "Massa Sahib ! please love 
 brother's piccaninny." 
 
 " I will, I will ; even as I love my own dear 
 children ;" exclaimed the baronet earnestly, as 
 he extended his arms towards the ayah ; still 
 in doubt whether it were a mere infant, or a 
 young girl, w^hom he was about to hold to his 
 bosom. 
 
 A bright smile flashed across the ebon 
 face of the Indian w^oman ; then murmuring a 
 few words in the melodious language of her 
 own land, she stooped softly down, and care- 
 fully withdrawing the ample cashmere which 
 had covered her charge, she placed upon her 
 feet a little creature, so small, so frail, and so 
 strange looking, that even Sir Hercules him- 
 self was betrayed into an exclamation which 
 savoured more of amazement than of welcome ; 
 while Lady Harriette fell back in her chair 
 positively sick at heart. There stood the 
 beautiful heiress of her dreams, chnging to
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 75 
 
 tlie dress of her nurse, and scowling from 
 under her long black eyelashes, not a scowl 
 of temper but of terror. It was impossible 
 even to guess at her age ; for all that could be 
 distinguished were eyes of such an extraordi- 
 nary size that they appeared to absorb one half 
 of her face, a sickly complexion of a pale yellow, 
 and an enormous mass of purple-black hair, 
 dragged, rather than bound about her small 
 head. She was dressed in the deepest mourn- 
 ing, from which her bare arms gleamed out 
 sallow, and immeasurably long : nothing, in 
 short, could be more piteous and repulsive 
 than the whole aspect of the poor little 
 orphan, to persons who had not yet learned 
 to love her, 
 
 A momentary pause ensued, during which 
 the ayah, who glanced angrily from Sir 
 Hercules to Lady Harriette, and from Lady 
 Harriette back to Sir Hercules, appeared as if 
 she w^ere about to snatch her darhng up 
 again, and to carry her away from the inhos-
 
 76 THE POOR KELATION. 
 
 pitable home where she had met with so cold 
 a welcome ; and doubtless, such was the first 
 impulse of the attached and faithful attendant; 
 but, in the next instant, a sense of her utter 
 helplessness in a strange land came over her, 
 and bending down until she held her nurs- 
 ling in her arms, she wept bitterly. 
 
 Her tears aroused Sir Hercules at once. 
 "Ella, my little Ella ;" he exclaimed gaspingly ; 
 " will you not come to me ? will you not love 
 the brother of your father ?" 
 
 " Papa, papa !" shrieked the child, resisting 
 the efforts of her nurse to lead her towards 
 her uncle : " take me to papa." 
 
 Again the ayah strove to soothe her, but in 
 vain ; she trembled like a bird in the hand of 
 the fowler. 
 
 " Lady Harriette,'*^ said the baronet, '' would 
 it not be well to send for Florence and Matilda ? 
 The sight of other children may perhaps 
 reassure this poor frightened dove." 
 
 " I will go myself and bring them here, if
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 77 
 
 you desire it, Sir Hercules ;" was the cold 
 reply ; " as I should not wish them to come 
 unprepared, and to be unnecessarily terri- 
 fied." 
 
 The Indian woman turned upon the speaker 
 another of her scorching glances as she left the 
 room, and again addressed the child ; but she 
 could produce no effect upon the shattered 
 nerves of her nursling, whose large eyes wan- 
 dered restlessly over the apartment, as though 
 seeking some means of escape. 
 
 The baronet was bewildered ; he felt like 
 one under a dark spell. Could this really be 
 the daughter of the magnificent Horace, whose 
 stately form and glorious countenance were at 
 that moment vividly before him' ? 
 
 " What age is this poor child ?" he asked. 
 
 The ayah extended six of her fingers. 
 
 " Is that possible ?" 
 
 '' True, sahib." 
 
 '' Poor little thing ! Poor little thing !" 
 sighed the disappointed uncle ; " she is a
 
 78 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 delicate plant, and must be carefully nursed. 
 — If she would only let us love her !" 
 
 " Ella much love," said the ayah. 
 
 " Try then to love me, Ella ;" whispered Sir 
 Hercules as he approached and took her 
 hand, which she instantly snatched away with 
 an imperious gesture. 
 
 At that instant Lady Harriette returned, 
 accompanied by her daughters. 
 
 " Go and kiss your new cousin, my dears ;" 
 she said, resuming her seat ; " for \i you cannot 
 succeed in making her sociable, the case ap- 
 pears to me to be hopeless." 
 
 The two girls obeyed; and they had no sooner 
 advanced with smiles upon their lips towards 
 their new guest, than tossing back her long 
 hair, she made a step forward, and stretched 
 out a hand to each with all the condescending 
 dignity of a baby-queen. As she did so she 
 smiled in her turn, and displayed teeth so 
 dazzlingly white, and so strongly contrasting 
 with the sallowness of her complexion, that for
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 79 
 
 an instant she appeared scarcely human, but 
 rather like some unearthly sprite or fairy- 
 changling. The smile died away, however, 
 almost instantaneously; and then, withdraw- 
 ing her hands from the clasp in which they 
 were held before the pre-ordained embrace 
 could be given, she turned appealingly to her 
 nurse, who nodded significantly in reply, and 
 took a small casket from her pocket. As the 
 child received it, an expression of melancholy, 
 painfully deep and concentrated for one of her 
 years, darkened over her face ; bnt she soon 
 overcame the emotion and drawing two massive 
 chains of gold from the case, she glanced 
 rapidly from one sister to the other, whisper- 
 ing almost inaudibly : " For Florence — for 
 Matilda — from papa." 
 
 " Do you not understand, my dear girls ?'* 
 said Lady Harriette, approaching the group : 
 " your cousin brings you each a present from 
 her home. Have you no thanks to offer for 
 so rich a gift ?'*
 
 80 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 ** Ah ! Ella, and I who asked only a kiss 
 have been refused ;" said the baronet reproach- 
 fully. The orphan fastened her wild weird- 
 like gaze on him for an instant ; and then, with 
 a timid and faltering step, walked slowly 
 towards him, raised one of his hands to her 
 hps, and "bowed her head over it. Sir Her- 
 cules clasped her fondly in his arms. " You 
 will learn to love us yet ;" he murmured, as 
 the little head rested on his bosom. 
 
 '' It is now my turn, dear Ella ;" said Lady 
 Harriette, in whose busy fancy the costly 
 offering made to her daughters had conjured 
 up anew the magniiicent visions of the pre- 
 vious week, which had for awhile been dis- 
 pelled by the extraordinary appearance of the 
 littl^ stranger; but the child, as if unconscious 
 of the invitation, after gently withdrawing 
 herself from the clasp of the Baronet, again 
 joined the sisters, and presented a cheek to 
 each. She had evidently been acting in obe- 
 dience to a lesson previously learnt, and her
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 81 
 
 overtaxed nerves could endure no more. She 
 hung her head for an instant, and then, with 
 a bound Hke that of a young panther, sprang 
 to the neck of her attendant. 
 
 " Poor Httle innocent !" said Sir Hercules. 
 " Let us not torture her further. Every thing 
 is so new and so strange about her ; and she 
 must be sorely wearied. Had she not better 
 rest for a-while in her own room ?'* 
 *' Sahib, yes," said the ayah. 
 The baronet rang the bell; and the three 
 children withdrew, accompanied by the Indian 
 woman. 
 
 " What a singular little being !" exclaimed 
 Lady Harriette, as the door closed behind 
 them : " What an extraordinary marriage your 
 brother must have made. Sir Hercules." 
 
 "She is certainly a strange " child ;*' was 
 the somewhat mortified reply ; " But we must 
 give her time. She is evidently terrified to 
 death." 
 
 "Terrified!" echoed his wife; ** I think it 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 82 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 is rather we who have a right to be terrified. 
 Whoever beheld such a little object ! Why 
 she scarcely looks human ! And only to 
 imagine that I was dreaming I should find 
 in her the future bride of my noble Horace I 
 It is well for the Ashtons, my dear Sir 
 Hercules, that she was not a boy ; or the 
 family type, of which you are so vain, would 
 have disappeared altogether." 
 
 " Time may do a great deal for her," ob- 
 served the baronet. 
 
 " Time is seldom a cosmetic for our sex ;" 
 said Lady Harriette ; " However, the subject 
 of her personal appearance is set at rest for 
 ever, poor thing ! And one fact is at least 
 consolatory, that, if she has a good fortune, 
 there will be little fear of her being left upon 
 our hands. Did you learn anything about 
 her circumstances from the avah after I left 
 the room ?" 
 
 "I asked no questions, my dear. I was 
 anxious to conciliate the child, and never
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 83 
 
 thought about her fortune. We have time 
 enough before us : and no doubt her nurse 
 has papers in her charge which will yield 
 us all necessary information.'* 
 
 " The chains which she has given to the girls 
 are superb ;" said the lady, lingering over the 
 subject ; " and are, of themselves, a satisfac- 
 tory earnest of the news which we are likely 
 to hear." 
 
 " Aye, those chains !" sighed Sir Hercules ; 
 " I was deeply touched by those chains. 
 They proved to me that, although so long 
 parted from my brother, I had never been 
 forgotten, for that he was even aware of 
 the names of my children. Did you not 
 remark, my love, that, as she offered them to 
 our darlings, she said, ^For Florence — for 
 Matilda — from papa ?' " 
 
 " Yes ;" said Lady Harriette ; " Yes, I re- 
 marked it : and it was certainly very grace- 
 ful of your brother, to remember such a cir- 
 cumstance at such a time." 
 
 g2
 
 84 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 Sir Hercules saw no more of his orphan 
 niece that day ; for she had no sooner taken 
 possession of the spacious guest-room which 
 opened to the south, than she cried herself to 
 sleep. Nor could she, when again awake, be 
 induced to leave it : while the ayah, on her side, 
 accepted the decision of her nursling without 
 one remonstrance ; and, as she crouched beside 
 the bed, her heart swelled, and her bosom 
 heaved with indignation against the stern and 
 haughty lady who had feared that the sight of 
 her own precious charge might terrify her 
 more beautiful cousins. Fearful was the ex- 
 pression which flitted across the sable face of 
 the faithful Indian as the offensive words rang 
 again and again in her ears. A bitter seed 
 was already sown, and in a soil where it was 
 not likely to lie dormant.
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 85 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE COUSINS. 
 
 Lady Harriette Ashton passed a restless 
 night. She was anxious and uncomfortable. 
 All that she had been able to ascertain 
 relating to her new niece, was the fact that 
 Mademoiselle Sophie had examined the lug- 
 gage of the travellers, which, she declared to 
 be enormous in amount. " Indeed, miladi ;" 
 she concluded ; " had this little demoiselle 
 come from my own dear Paris, instead of from 
 that barbarous India where she was born, she 
 could not have brought away more coulis, 
 even if she had emptied the magazins of the
 
 86 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 boulevard des It aliens ^ and the salons of 
 Madame Herbault." 
 
 This was something. But still Lady Har- 
 riette's nerves were excited, and her sleep was 
 disturbed. When she fell into an uneasy 
 slumber, she dreamt of plains enamelled with 
 Cachemire shawls : groves of trees such as 
 Aladdin saw in the enchanted cavern, where 
 every fruit and flower was a costly jewel : and 
 rivers of molten gold. 
 
 So far, all was pleasant enough : but, unfor- 
 tunately, this was not all ; for, over these plains, 
 among these groves, and along these rivers, 
 bounded, leapt, and glided, a strange, weird- 
 looking little being, half-child, half-imp, with 
 large, flashing, black eyes, a mass of disordered 
 hair, and limbs of unnatural length : while at 
 intervals those eyes glared and glittered as 
 they met her own, with an expression of 
 haughty defiance which thrilled to her very 
 soul. 
 
 Sir Hercules had his dreams also : but they
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 87 
 
 did not resemble those of his wife. Por 
 a while he was a boy again ; wild, haughty, and 
 impetuous ; and beside him moved a younger 
 and gentler brother, who sometimes became 
 invisible, and again and again reappeared in 
 his vision, only, on each occasion, more manly > 
 more sad, and more self-centred. Then they 
 were men — together, and yet parted — together 
 in person, but parted in spirit : and next he 
 stood alone, and gazed long and anxiously over 
 the sea : night fell, and morning rose, and still 
 he stood looking seaward, until at length, after 
 a weary watch, the tall figure of Horace was 
 visible in the distance, walking upon the water : 
 and, as his brother came nearer, the baronet 
 could discern that he carried a burthen in his 
 arms, from which he never raised his eyes 
 until he had approached within a yard or two 
 of the watcher upon the shore; when sud- 
 denly the waves parted with a loud crash, 
 and there was a deep gulf between them ; but 
 across that gulf the shadow stretched forth
 
 88 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 its arms with a bright smile, and placed in 
 those of the sleeper a little child. Sir Her- 
 cules instinctively bent down to press his lips 
 upon its cheek, and when he again looked 
 up the shadow had disappeared. He started 
 and awoke : but he felt that his wild dream 
 had still more endeared the orphan to his 
 heart : as though, in very truth, he had received 
 her from his brother's hands. 
 
 Morning dawned at last, and the sounds of 
 busy life were ere long audible throughout the 
 mansion. The sunlight lay warm upon the 
 glades in the park, and burnished the topmost 
 branches of the forest-timber ; the birds sang 
 their song of thanksgiving among the boughs : 
 the deer roused themselves from sleep, and 
 shook the dew-drops from their speckled 
 coats ; and in, through every open window, 
 streamed the pure breeze, perfumed with the 
 breath of a thousand blossoms. It was one of 
 those glorious autumn mornings which seem 
 to lavish all then* sweets without stint or
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 89 
 
 grudging, ere the first chill of winter withers 
 their scented blossoms. 
 
 The early hours went by ; and then the 
 breakfast-bell summoned the inmates of the 
 house to their morning meal. The glass doors 
 of the pleasant room which opened upon the 
 terrace were thrown back, and the sunHght 
 gleamed in, stretching its golden fingers over 
 the rich carpet, and playing upon the pannelled 
 walls. There was a bright fire in the grate 
 however, for Sir Hercules, who was rapidly 
 becoming a confirmed invalid, could not sup- 
 port the chill air of the morning ; and beside 
 this fire his chair was already placed. The 
 emotion of the previous day and night had 
 exhausted him, and he leant even more heavily 
 than usual upon the arm of his attendant; but 
 still there was a feeling of happiness at his 
 heart, which silenced every murmur. 
 
 Lady Harriette was by no means equally 
 placable. She had been harassed by her 
 dream, and as Mademoiselle Sophie had con-
 
 90 THE POOH RELATION. 
 
 fidentially declared to Madame Despreaux, 
 *' miladi etait sur les dents r Accustomed to 
 rale all and everything within the influence of 
 her will, she felt herself injured by the mystery 
 which had suddenly grown up about her. The 
 explanatory papers ought to have been forth- 
 coming when Mr. Horace Ashton's daughter 
 was so unceremoniously introduced beneath 
 her roof; she ought to have understood her 
 position in the family at once ; and her an- 
 noyance was the greater, as she could not 
 conceal from herself, that Sir Hercules had 
 exhibited in relation to the hideous little being 
 who was henceforward to be the companion of 
 her daughters, an independence of manner and 
 expression of which she had long believed him 
 incapable. Now all this was eminently pro- 
 voking to a nature like that of Lady Harriette ; 
 and her thin lips were consequently more 
 compressed than usual, when she joined her 
 husband in the breakfast-room. 
 
 " Our own dear girls are well, I hear ;"
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 91 
 
 said the baronet, as she seated herself at 
 table ; " but I have not as yet had any news 
 of our little ward/' 
 
 " Oh, there can be no doubt that she has 
 slept soundly;" was the reply; "she must 
 have found herself more comfortable here than 
 at her Holborn hotel. All I myself know of her 
 is, that she has declined the invitation of 
 Madame to breakfast in the schoolroom with 
 her cousins ; and that she remains shut up 
 with that frightful black woman." 
 
 " We must have patience, my dear. Her 
 little heart is heavy ; and all is strange about 
 her. After breakfast, however, I will question 
 the ayah, and learn whatever she may be able 
 to tell us." 
 
 Somewhat soothed by this assurance. Lady 
 Harriette took up the " Morning Post," and 
 trifled with her chocolate until the baronet 
 had also brought his equally frugal meal to an 
 end ; but this was no sooner the case than she 
 rano; the bell, and desired that Miss Ella
 
 92 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 Ashton's maid might be informed that Sir 
 Hercules desired to see her immediately. 
 
 The summons was shortly afterwards obeyed. 
 The ayah entered the room respectfully, but 
 with the quiet confidence of one who felt 
 the importance of her trust ; and awaited in 
 silence the pleasure of the master of the 
 mansion. 
 
 " Diana ;" said Sir Hercules ; " for such I 
 understand is your name — there can be no 
 doubt that my dear late brother must have 
 felt the most perfect confidence in your 
 fidelity and worth, or he would not have 
 entrusted his orphan daughter to your care." 
 
 " Sahib, yes," was the brief reply. 
 
 " You must consequently also have papers 
 of importance to deliver to me." 
 
 " Sahib, yes." 
 
 " Where are those papers ?" 
 
 The woman pointed towards the road by 
 which she had arrived.
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 93 
 
 " I understand you to mean that they are 
 with Miss Ashton's luggage." 
 
 *' Sahib, yes." 
 
 " That is unfortunate ;" said the baronet ; 
 " you would have done better had you brought 
 them with you. However, they will soon 
 arrive ; and meanwhile I should be glad to 
 hear all that you can tell me about my poor 
 brother — and his wife — and this unfortunate 
 child." 
 
 *' Not unfortunate, Sahib ;" exclaimed the 
 Indian woman indignantly; " my child." 
 
 "^er child !" cried Lady Harriette; "What 
 say you now, Sir Hercules, to the bequest of 
 your brother ? I need no longer refrain from 
 admitting that I suspected some such catas- 
 trophe as this. But you cannot, you mud 
 not, submit to such a degradation. The child 
 of a black mother is no fitting associate for 
 my daughters." 
 
 " Do not, 1 entreat of you ; do not forget 
 that she is still the orphan of my only brother ;"
 
 94 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 said the baronet trembling with emotion; 
 " but there must be some mistake." 
 
 " Mistake ! what mistake can there possibly 
 be ?" asked his wife hysterically ; " Do you not 
 understand that this slave-woman is the sister- 
 in-law of the daughter of the Earl of Dis- 
 borough ?" 
 
 " Are you indeed the mother of Ella Ash- 
 ton ?" asked Sir Hercules emphatically, as he 
 fixed his eyes searchingly on the Indian. 
 
 " No slave-woman ;" was the proud answer ; 
 " free- woman. When Begum modder die, 
 Dia modder to piccaniny — love him for child ; 
 Sahib say, Dia child ; Dia say die for child , 
 Dia rich, berry rich ; child Begum ; Dia not 
 care for gold, care for piccaniny." 
 
 "Yes, yes; when the child's mother died, 
 you became a second mother to her orphan ;" 
 hurriedly answered the baronet in his turn. 
 " But who was her natural mother?" 
 
 The ayah bowed her head upon her breast 
 for a moment, and heavy sobs burst from
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 95 
 
 her overcharged heart, but she soon rallied ; 
 " Modder of piccaniny great Begum ; proud 
 like her" — and she extended her arm towards 
 Lady Harriette : " but face not like her — face 
 like water-lily, white, w^hite, and soft, with sun 
 shining through ; and young, young ; not ole 
 like her ; child piccaniny, modder piccaniny ; 
 go down in grave like angel, and leave Sahib 
 alone with piccaniny, and with Dia/' 
 
 " But who was she ?" asked Lady Harriette 
 impatiently. The Indian woman folded her 
 arms across her breast, raised her tall figure 
 to its extremest height, and then rivetting her 
 eyes upon her questioner, she said almost with 
 an air of scorn — 
 
 " England good, but Dia hold him in her 
 hand. India great ; Dia live long, and not see 
 him all. Bibby Begum proud, but India 
 Begum prouder. She was India Begum." 
 
 " All this appears to me terribly absurd. Sir 
 Hercules;" said his wife ; " it is to be hoped 
 that when the papers arrive we shall obtain
 
 96 THE POOH RELATION. 
 
 something like a rational knowledge of the 
 truth." 
 
 " Are you aware whether your late master 
 left a will ; and, if so, who is in possession of 
 it ?" asked the baronet of the ayah. 
 
 The Indian woman only replied ; " Much 
 letter — Ashton Sahib, Braveby Sahib, Burton 
 Sahib." 
 
 "Very well, I will detain you no longer 
 from your charge. We shall hope to see her 
 ere long." 
 
 The ayah made her salaam, and withdrew. 
 
 " It is evident ;" said Sir Hercules ; " that 
 you are right, my dear Lady Harriette; and that 
 we shall obtain no further information until 
 the arrival of the luggage. This is annoying 
 enough, but we have no alternative save 
 patience. I should have been glad to know at 
 once my poor brother's wishes with regard to 
 his child; but as we cannot do so, we 
 must lighten the few hours of suspense by 
 making better acquaintance with Ella."
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 97 
 
 " If, as I am inclined to suppose ;" observed 
 his wife ; " Mr. Horace Ashton, after a long 
 and prosperous residence in the East, should 
 have formed very magnificent projects for his 
 daughter, we shall probably be called upon to 
 make a large increase in our establishment; 
 and, having three children of our own to pro- 
 vide for, this is a very serious consideration, 
 without mentioning that it will be productive 
 of much trouble to myself." 
 
 ** I hope not, my dear ;" said the baronet ; 
 '* At all events it is only a trouble in per- 
 spective, as Ella cannot for many years re- 
 quire more attendance than that of her 
 faithful Diana, and our own people. Her 
 Indian habits will soon wear off in this 
 country." 
 
 " I trust that it may prove so ;" tartly re- 
 plied Lady Harriette; "In any case, you 
 will, without doubt, have everything in your 
 own hands." 
 
 " I wish the ayah had brought the letters 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 9$ THE POOH RELATION. 
 
 with her;" remarked Sir Hercules, evading 
 the observation of his wife. 
 
 At that instant the rattling of a hack- 
 chaise rapidly approaching the main entrance 
 of the mansion, made itself harshly audible : 
 and Lady Harriette sprang from her 'chair 
 exclaiming ; *' Why, surely that can never be 
 Horry arrived already !" 
 
 She was wrong, however. It was Horry, 
 who was seen from the window of the break- 
 fast-room to jump from the vehicle, followed, 
 although somewhat less energetically, by his 
 friend : and in another instant he was folded 
 in his mother's arms. 
 
 "Why, this is indeed an agreeable sur- 
 prise, my dear boy ;" cried Sir Hercules, while 
 awaiting his own turn to press his idolised 
 son to his bosom ; '' We did not expect you 
 for three days to come.'' 
 
 "Never mind, my dear father;" was the 
 joyous rejoinder, as the lad, releasing himself 
 from the clasp of Lady Harriette, received and
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 99 
 
 returned the embrace of the baronet. " The 
 fatted calf can be killed as comfortably after 
 my return home as while you were only 
 looking forward to it : and, now, let me make 
 known to you my friend, Frank Hatherston, 
 Do jbu feel inclined to advise bis return to 
 his uncle?" 
 
 " Not particularly, I must confess," smiled 
 Lady Harriette, as she turned to welcome the 
 singularly noble-looking young man, who thus 
 introduced advanced a few paces into the 
 apartment; "I should, certainly, not have 
 done so in any case, and assuredly not in his." 
 
 A glorious specimen of English youth he 
 was, in truth. Tall and slight, but evidently 
 of considerable muscular strength and elas- 
 ticity ; graceful, self-possessed, and prepos, 
 sessing in person and manner. His large, 
 deep, long-cut dark eyes, and waving masses 
 of coal-black hair, gave a singular and softening 
 charm to his rather strongly-marked features, 
 while his smile was full of gentleness and 
 
 H 2
 
 100 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 feeling, and displayed teetli of the most daz- 
 zling whiteness. The contrast afforded by 
 his friend Horace was striking ; for there the 
 Saxon blood of the Ashtons asserted itself in 
 the bright blue eye, the somewhat prominent 
 nose, and the locks of golden chesnut which 
 had once distinguished Sir Hercules; and 
 which the worthy old gentleman considered 
 the true type of manly beauty. Both were 
 fine youths, full of life and vivacity : and the 
 baronet at once decided that so agreeable an 
 addition to the family circle had not been 
 made for many years. 
 
 While the two young men satisfied the 
 cravings of a hunger sharpened by several 
 hours of travel, Lady Harriette communicated 
 to her son the arrival of his newly-found 
 cousin, by which he was equally astonished 
 and amused. 
 
 "By Jove!" he exclaimed, "this is the 
 best fun that 1 have heard for months ! 
 What a menagerie ! I quite long to be in-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. iOl 
 
 troduced to this Indian importation. But 
 what do the girls say to the little blackamoor ?" 
 
 "Nay, nay, Horace;" expostulated his 
 smiling mother ; " The child is not black." 
 
 " I see ;" said the incorrigible boy ; " only 
 brown, or whitey-brown ; not a black rose, 
 but a tawny dahlia ! Well, we shall see if she 
 will bleach under an English sky. By the 
 bye, how does she like us ?" 
 
 **It is as yet difficult to say, as she only 
 arrived yesterday: and she is very shy and 
 frightened." 
 
 " Oh, we'll soon cure her of that nonsense ;'* 
 said the wild lad ; " Hatherston and I will act 
 as her gentlemen ushers, and introduce her 
 into polite society, if the girls cannot succeed 
 in taming her. And, by the way, talking of 
 the girls, does not Minerva intend to let us 
 see them to-day ?" 
 
 " They are still in the school-room, and ig- 
 norant of your arrival ;" said Lady Harriette, 
 *' But their studies are almost over for to-night,
 
 102 THE POOH RELATIOX. 
 
 and then, you may rely on it, they will lose 
 no time in bidding you welcome." 
 
 " And the young begum ? — " 
 
 " Oh, you shall see her also, if she can be 
 prevailed upon to leave her apartment ; but I 
 fear that she is a very wilful young lady, who 
 has already learnt to obey no authority save 
 that of her own pleasure." 
 
 " The deuce !" exclaimed Horace. " Well, 
 I am glad to find that she has a little pluck, 
 for I always fancied that these Oriental 
 productions were but poor, puny, languid 
 creatures ; but I suppose the Ashton blood, as 
 the governor calls it, has quickened her pulses. 
 So look out for a lark, Hatherston." 
 
 '* Poor child ! I'm afraid that you are not 
 likely to tranquillise her nerves," replied his 
 friend ; " And it would really be a pity to 
 torment her before she has had time to un- 
 derstand the somewhat rough demonstrations 
 of your affection." 
 
 *' Affection, Mr. Hatherston !" echoed Lady
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 103 
 
 Harriette: "I am sure that when once you 
 have seen Miss Ella Ashton, you will be one 
 of the last persons in the world to anticipate 
 that such a feeling as affection can ever exist 
 in the bosom of my son towards the daughter 
 of his father's brother." 
 
 Some more evil seed was sown.
 
 104 THE POOR RELATION, 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE FLIGHT, 
 
 " Upon my word, girls !" exclaimed Master 
 Horace, when he had hugged and kissed his 
 sisters with a vehemence which disordered 
 their curls, and made their cheeks glow like 
 hedge-roses, while the sunshine warms their 
 petals : " You are getting on famously ! If you 
 continue to improve, as you have done this last 
 half, I really think I shall have no occasion 
 to be ashamed of you. What say you, 
 Hatherston?" 
 
 " Not having before been fortunate enough 
 to make the acquaintance of these young ladies, 
 Ashton, I am, of course, unable to institute
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 105 
 
 any comparison between the present and the 
 past;" replied his friend; "but I should 
 scarcely imagine that you could ever have 
 incurred the risk at which you hint." 
 
 The girls blushed still more deeply as they 
 each stole a glance at their young cham- 
 pion. 
 
 " Come, come ;" said Sir Hercules, laughing 
 merrily; **This won't do at all, Horry. I 
 must not have my pets put out of countenance 
 by your Eton impudence. But why has not 
 some one been sent to summon your cousin ?" 
 
 " Aye, why indeed ?*' asked his son. 
 
 "Florence, ring the bell," said Lady 
 Harriette, glancing up from her embroidery 
 frame. 
 
 How pleasant the pretty morning room 
 looked at that moment, flooded with sunshine, 
 and gay with flowers : while in the midst 
 stood the graceful group beaming with youtli 
 and beauty, upon which the clear eye of 
 the happy baronet rested with a proud com-
 
 106 TEE POOH RELATION. 
 
 placency. It was a lovely picture, appro- 
 priately displayed in a framework of elegance 
 and comfort, to which it lent the culminating 
 charm. 
 
 And it was into this sunny apartment, and 
 among its gay and graceful tenants, that the 
 little Indian was led by her ayah, trembling, 
 shrinking, and almost weeping with terror ; 
 for during a disturbed and restless night she 
 had been haunted by the cold, stem eye, and 
 haughty tones, of the stately Lady Har- 
 riette; and, wholly unaccustomed to be ap* 
 proached save with deference and affection, she 
 felt as though a granite mountain had fallen 
 upon her little sensitive heart, and crushed 
 it. Her head was bowed upon her breast, 
 her long thin fingers clutched nervously at the 
 dress of her nurse, and her lips quivered 
 almost convulsively. 
 
 " Why, what have we here ?** exclaimed 
 Horace, as the child suddenly stopped upon 
 the threshold. ** By Jove ! this is rich ; I
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 107 
 
 never saw anything like it before. Is this 
 a specimen of the Ashton blood, Sir ?" 
 
 " That, Horace ;" said the baronet earnestly ; 
 *' is the child of my poor brother ; and I be- 
 speak for her your best and kindest offices and 
 affection." 
 
 " Leave the room, Diana,'* said Lady Har- 
 riette ; " Miss Ella Ashton will make acquaint- 
 ance with these young people much sooner if 
 you are not present to encourage her in her 
 very disagreeable shyness." 
 
 The ayah threw back at the speaker a look 
 as haughty and repellent as her own \ and 
 then, instead of retiring by the door at which 
 she had entered, she crossed the room, and 
 disappeared in the conservatory which opened 
 upon it on its southern side. Her movements 
 had been so sudden and impetuous, that her 
 young charge had no time to impede her de- 
 parture, and she now stood alone, looking 
 helplessly in the dkection where the woman 
 had vanished ; and at this moment Sir Hercules
 
 108 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 was summoned to the library, where he had 
 appointed to meet his steward. 
 
 As he reached the spot where the child 
 stood, he bent down and kissed her throbbing 
 brow, saying as he did so : " Why should you 
 be so terrified, my darling ? Do you not see 
 that your cousins all want to love you and 
 make you happy ? There now, give your hand 
 to Matilda, and she will tell you pretty stories 
 to amuse you, and when I come back you 
 shall talk to me of India and papa." 
 
 "Papa — " murmured the child, bursting 
 into tears ; but the baronet, having uttered 
 his words of encouragement, had already 
 passed on and left the room. 
 
 " Come, don't cry, little Ella ;" said Horace, 
 approaching her, and lifting her in his arms ; 
 " we are very funny folks, as you will find 
 when you know us better. Never mind our 
 colour ; you have only to imagine that we have 
 been skinned, and are waiting for the outside 
 coat of paint that will make us all right pre-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 109 
 
 sently. Do you know, I have taken quite a 
 fancy to you, and I think that you and I 
 couldn't do better than set up in business to- 
 gether. I'll be bound that I could grab an 
 old barrel-organ in the post-town ; and as I 
 have a natural ear for music, I could grind 
 away famously ; while you will make a capital 
 monkey, with your white teeth and long arms, 
 and w^e shall earn our fortune before we leave 
 the county/* 
 
 " Horace ! — Horace !" expostulated Frank 
 Hatherston. 
 
 But before Horace could reply, there was a 
 cry which echoed through the room like the 
 shriek of a wild animal ; a sudden rush of some 
 heavy body; and the child was forcibly snatched 
 from the arms of young Ashton with a violence 
 which caused him to stagger for an instant as 
 though he had received a heavy blow. 
 
 The ayah stood in the centre of the floor 
 grasping her nursHng ; lightnings flashed 
 from her eyes, her nostrils were dilated, and
 
 110 THE POOE RELATION. 
 
 her chest heaved; a deep anathema in her 
 native tongue broke upon the stillness, and 
 then, Hke a hunted panther, she sprang back 
 into the conservatory with her precious bur- 
 then, and was lost to sight. 
 
 *^ Upon my honour !" exclaimed the hope 
 of the house, while his terrified sisters clung 
 to their mother's side ; " a pretty tiger-cat you 
 have added to our family possessions, good 
 people ; but trust me for taming this she* 
 Beelzebub and her imp too," And so saying, 
 he rushed in pursuit of the fugitives. 
 
 '^ Horace ! Horace !" cried Lady Harriette ; 
 *^ your father will never forgive you if you 
 alarm or distress his niece." 
 
 Horace was, however, already far beyond 
 the reach of her voice, having dashed head- 
 long through the conservatory and into the 
 park. 
 
 ^' Believe me, when I gay that your Lady- 
 ship has not the slightest cause for any appre- 
 hension of the kind ;" exclaimed young Hather-
 
 THE POOR REI^ATION, 111 
 
 ston ; " Ashton is wild with spirits, but would 
 not wilfully give pain to any creature in ex- 
 istence; and however unpromising such a 
 prophecy may appear at the present moment, 
 I prognosticate that your little guest will come 
 to an understanding with her boisterous boy- 
 cousin long before she feels at ease with these 
 young ladies." 
 
 Lady Harriette shook her head doubtingly. 
 
 Ten minutes afterwards Horace re-entered 
 the room, his cheeks glowing, and his fair 
 curls disordered; he had not, as he stated, 
 succeeded in starting the game ; an assurance 
 which was particularly welcome to his mother, 
 who earnestly entreated that he would abstain 
 from all such experiments as those at which 
 he had hinted, and which could not fail to 
 wound Sir Hercules deeply. A promise to 
 this effect w^as easily obtained from the 
 thoughtless but kind-hearted boy ; and he was 
 soon seated at a table drawing caricatures for 
 Jlatilda, while his less volatile friend under-
 
 112 THE ^OOE RELATION. 
 
 . took to make a sketch for Morence of a noble 
 dump of timber which was visible from the 
 window of the apartment. 
 
 " Still I should like to know ;" said the lad, 
 looking up from the paper before which Matilda 
 was joyfully clapping her hands, as group after 
 group of fantastic and grotesque figures over- 
 spread its surface ; " where the queen of the 
 silver bow had earthed herself and her 
 attendant star ; whether they had jumped 
 into a watering-pot, or perched themselves 
 on one of the topmost leaves of the India- 
 rubber plant. It is really very myste- 
 rious !'* 
 
 '' Nonsense, Horry ;*' said Lady Harriette ; 
 " they will reappear shortly, and then it will 
 be of very little consequence where they took 
 refuge from your boisterous folly.'* 
 
 " But pray tell me, mother mine ;" resumed 
 her son ; " is this dark-eyed and long-limbed 
 young lady a nabobess ? Has she lacs of 
 rupees, and rivers of diamonds ? I am really
 
 THE POOK RELATION. 113 
 
 quite curious about her, as, should she turn 
 out to be a great heiress, I suppose that we 
 shall be sporting a palanquin with four black 
 bearers; or perhaps estabhshing a Leicester- 
 shire Elephant and Castle at the old sign of 
 the Ashton Court." 
 
 " My dear boy ;" replied Lady Harriette 
 sententiously ; " you know quite as much of 
 Miss Ella Ashton's affairs at the present 
 moment as we ourselves do. There are, how- 
 ever, papers on the way which the ayah ought 
 never to have lost sight of, and by which we 
 shall of course be put into possession of every 
 particular. It cannot meanwhile, at least so I 
 should suppose, be doubtful for one moment, 
 that in placing his child under the protection 
 of your father, and claiming for her a place at 
 his hearth, Mr. Horace Ashton would be care- 
 ful that she should not become a burthen upon 
 Sir Hercules, who has already a family of his 
 own." 
 
 " One thing, at least, is certain ;" said the 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 114 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 lad ; " that if she is to be a burthen, poor little 
 dun-coloured soul, she will be a very small 
 one." 
 
 Lady Harriette's brow contracted, but she 
 made no reply. The enquiries of Horace had 
 once more plunged her into the same wide sea 
 of speculation, hope, and inference, on which 
 she had floated during the preceding night ; 
 nor was it until the luncheon-bell rang that 
 she again roused herself from her reverie. 
 
 A servant was sent to summon Miss Ella 
 Ashton, and it was with considerable vexation 
 Lady Harriette ascertained that neither the 
 young lady herself, nor her attendant were 
 in their apartments, and that they had not 
 been seen by any of the household since they 
 entered the morning-room immediately after 
 breakfast. 
 
 " This is the consequence of your ill-judged 
 frolic, Horace ;" said his mother, with as much 
 severity in her tone as she could assume 
 towards her favorite child ; " but I hear your
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 115 
 
 father's step ; not a word to him of this silly 
 affair ; I will have the foolish woman sought 
 for as soon as we leave the table." 
 
 " So, so ;" said the well-pleased Sir Her- 
 cules, as he made his way across the floor ; 
 " I declare that you ought to feel very much 
 flattered, young gentlemen, by the presence of 
 my daughters at luncheon ; it is an indulgence 
 which my Lady Harriette rarely accords to 
 me. But where is httle Ella? Where is my 
 Eastern fairy ?" 
 
 " Somewhere in the park, T apprehend, Sir 
 Hercules ;" replied his wife ; " at least Diana 
 carried your niece off" through the conservatory 
 shortly after you left the room this morning, 
 and she has not since made her appearance." 
 
 '* Poor woman ! Poor woman !" said the 
 baronet, " she is jealous of her nursling. I 
 have often heard that those native ayahs are 
 the most faithful and affectionate creatures in 
 the world. You had better order some 
 luncheon in Ella's own room, my love ; we 
 
 I 2
 
 116 THE POOH RELATION. 
 
 must not startle her by any abruptness until 
 she knows us better and can understand our 
 motive." 
 
 The self-convicted Horace, who would, had 
 he not feared the displeasure of his mother, 
 have instantly confessed his delinquency, and 
 asked permission to resume his search at once, 
 could only fasten his eyes upon his plate, while 
 the blood mounted to his forehead. He had 
 a painful conviction that Lady Harriette had 
 been guilty of the meanness of equivocation in 
 order to screen his own fault ; and thus a 
 double sensation of culpability pressed upon 
 him, and kept him silent. 
 
 " And now% my boys, what are you going 
 to do with yourselves until dinner-time ?" 
 enquired Sir Hercules ; " you must not mope 
 in the house all day at your age. There are 
 horses for you in the stable ; or, if you prefer a 
 little sport, there are guns, if not dogs. It 
 will do my heart good to hear the popping of 
 the fowling-pieces; and though I fear that
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 117 
 
 you will find little or nothing in the preserves, 
 the lake will keep you busy enough." 
 
 And as he spoke, a half-suppressed sigh 
 rose to the lips of the old country gentleman ; 
 a sigh of humiliation that even a stripling 
 from Eton should be enabled to jest upon 
 the forsaken condition of the Ashton-Court 
 woods. 
 
 What might have been the decision of the 
 two young friends we are unable to determine, 
 as the Baronet had scarcely ceased speaking 
 when the butler announced the arrival of Miss 
 Ella Ashton's luggage ; and in an instant one 
 common feeling of interest and curiosity had 
 absorbed the whole party. 
 
 And meanwhile, where was Miss Ella 
 Ashton ?
 
 118 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE AYAH. 
 
 Rapid as a lightning-flash, this question 
 glanced through the brain of Lady Harriette. 
 Where was the child ? And, moreover, where 
 was the ayah, without whom it would be 
 impossible to obtain the information for which 
 she literally hungered, even although that in- 
 formation was already beneath her roof? In 
 an instant she was in the hall, and half-a- 
 dozen servants were dispatched in as many 
 directions to search park, grounds, and garden 
 for the runaways.
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 911 
 
 Meanwhile the female domestics were mar- 
 velling at the amount of Miss Ella Ashton's 
 luggage ; and examining each package as in- 
 tently and as curiously as though they expected 
 to see the Indian shawls and carved ivory, (with 
 which they doubted not that they were all 
 filled,) through the wood and leather of the 
 trunks and cases ; and still the owner of this 
 van-load of property did not reappear. 
 
 Lady Harriette became seriously alarmed; 
 while Sir Hercules, although ignorant of the 
 greater cause for fear which made his wife's 
 heart beat almost audibly, became himself excited 
 and uncomfortable at the protracted absence 
 of his niece and her attendant. As hour by 
 hour went by, a vague terror grew upon him 
 that the ayah had ventured beyond the 
 boundaries of the park, and lost herself in 
 the cross-roads by which the neighbouring 
 country was intersected. Alone, a stranger 
 in a strange land, speaking a strange language, 
 and, it might even be, entirely without re-
 
 120 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 sources, what might not be the fate of the 
 helpless wanderers ? Physically unable to 
 make any personal exertion, poor Sir Her- 
 cules at length became wretched. It is need- 
 less to say that Horace and his friend Hather- 
 ston had been foremost in the search, and 
 they were still absent ; while Lady Harriette, 
 overcome with terror, had no word of consola- 
 tion to offer to her suffering husband. 
 
 Suddenly a new horror grew upon her. 
 The lake ! Who could calculate to what 
 extremity the excited and illgoverned passions 
 of a semi-barbarian might lead her ? The lip 
 of Lady Harriette quivered, as, escaping from 
 the presence of the Baronet, she gave orders 
 that a strict search should be made all round 
 its banks. Vain, however, was this new in- 
 vestigation, which occupied a great amount of 
 time. Not a trace of the lost ones could be 
 discovered in the vicinity of the extensive 
 sheet of water, and the consternation of the 
 searchers and the watchers alike was terrible.
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 121 
 
 The two young men, in their innumerable 
 comings and goings, had walked over miles of 
 ground, and were becoming utterly exhausted. 
 Horace was as pale as death, and could scarcely 
 sustain himself, while even the more sturdy 
 Hatherston began reluctantly to yield to his 
 fatigue. 
 
 " Come, Ashton, my poor fellow ;" he said 
 at length ; " we are still at least four miles 
 from your house, and the twilight is gathering 
 rapidly ; we had better make the best of our 
 way home, and renew our search by daylight 
 in the morning. We shall have no chance in 
 the darkness." 
 
 " No, Hatherston ;" said his companion 
 gloomily ; " Never will I stand under my 
 father's roof again until his niece is restored 
 to him — that niece who, should she fall a vic- 
 tim to my mad folly, T shall have murdered. 
 Go to Ashton Court, Frank : it will be a com- 
 fort to them in their distress to see you return. 
 You have no sin upon your head in this un-
 
 122 THE POOH RELATION. 
 
 happy business ; nothing to conceal ; nothing 
 with which to reproach yourself : but it is far 
 different with me. I cannot, and I will not, 
 return without the poor, innocent child whom 
 I so wantonly outraged." 
 
 " Why, this is madness, Horace ;" expostu- 
 lated his friend ; " That you acted recklessly 
 and even unkindly to the little girl, I am 
 ready to admit ; but, after all, you have no 
 right to exaggerate a boyish prank into a 
 crime. Come, my dear fellow, follow my 
 advice, and accompany me home; for rest 
 assured, that should I return without you, 
 Sir Hercules and Lady Harriette would be 
 more wretched than ever. Moreover, I tell 
 you, once for all, that I will not leave you till 
 I see you safely housed.'' 
 
 "You torture me, Hatherston — I would 
 rather be alone ; and you forget that I know 
 every inch of the ground." 
 
 " It is useless to argue the point ;" said his
 
 THE POOR RELATIOK. 123 
 
 companion resolutely ; " we set forth together, 
 and together we will return." 
 
 At this period of their conversation the two 
 friends were skirting a small but dense wood 
 on the very confines of the park, when sud- 
 denly Horace paused. 
 
 " Hark !" he said, in a subdued voice ; 
 " What noise is that ?" 
 
 " It seems like the tapping of a wood- 
 pecker," whispered Frank in reply. 
 
 "It is no woodpecker; the birds are at 
 roost ; and listen — the blows, for blows they 
 are, fall heavier and yet with a more vibrating 
 sound than the bill of a bird. Tread softly, 
 Hatherston. I can trace the noise now; it 
 comes from an old roothouse, where I have 
 often rested myself after a long walk. There 
 — be careful/' pursued Horace, in a voice 
 which trembled with emotion ; " I feel a new 
 life within me. It must be them." 
 
 " Do not be too sanguine ;" said his less im- 
 pulsive companion ; " you have no rational
 
 124 THE POOH RELATION. 
 
 ground for such a supposition ; for it is folly 
 to suppose that a woman who has so skilfully 
 contrived to secrete herself during so many 
 hours, would be incautious enough to betray 
 her hiding-place by a noise, which must origi- 
 nate in mere wantonness." 
 
 " Let us ascertain the fact, at least :" said 
 poor Horace somewhat less confidently ; and 
 once more they moved cautiously forward, 
 guided by the noise, which became more 
 audible every instant. 
 
 At length they stood before the root-house. 
 The door was closed, but it was flung back in 
 an instant by the impetuous boy ; who the 
 next moment was at the feet of the ayah, 
 clinging to her with a force from which she 
 could not disengage herself. Sorely did the 
 enraged woman struggle to escape the clasp, 
 but it was in vain ; and ere long, Hatherston, 
 dreading lest the strength of his friend should 
 suddenly fail, and that the fury of the ayah 
 should lead her to some act of violence, also
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 125 
 
 threw his arms about her, while he implored her 
 to calm herself, and to listen to the entreaties 
 which Horace was hysterically pouring forth. 
 
 The ayah ceased to resist immediately she 
 became convinced that all resistance was 
 hopeless for the moment ; but her dark eyes 
 flashed Hke meteors in the dim light, and her 
 whole frame trembled with rage and hatred. 
 
 " Diana ;" faltered the exhausted boy, as he 
 meekly pressed his lips to the sable hand 
 which she vainly endeavoured to wrench from 
 him ; " Diana, I do beseech you to forgive me. 
 If you love your master's orphan, my father's 
 niece, only promise to forgive me. It was 
 cruel sport, Diana, but it was only meant in 
 sport ; Ella is my cousin ; from this day she 
 shall be dear to me as a sister. Believe me, 
 and trust in me, Diana ; never shall Ella want 
 a brother's affection or a brother's care while 
 I have a heart or an arm to love and to protect 
 her." 
 
 " Dia hates you, young Ashton sahib ;"
 
 126 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 growled the uncompromising Indian woman ; 
 " You strong arm, but bad heart " 
 
 Horace relaxed his hold upon her waist, and 
 buried his face in his hands, utterly crushed 
 and exhausted. 
 
 At that moment a low, rustling sound made 
 itself audible at the further extremity of the 
 hut ; and little Ella walked forward, and laid 
 her hand softly on the shoulder of her penitent 
 cousin. 
 
 " Dia forgives you ;" she said simply ; " Ella 
 forgives you. Papa forgives you." And theri 
 she drew back, and threw herself into the arms 
 of her nurse. 
 
 " An angel's errand told in an angel's voice;" 
 murmured young Hatherston, reverently re- 
 moving his hat; ''Diana, my good woman, 
 you will not surely now refuse to offer your 
 hand to my poor suffering friend. Can you 
 doubt how bitterly he has atoned his folly ? 
 Have you forgotten the excellent old man at 
 home, whose gray head is bowed in agony and
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 127 
 
 terror lest his brother's child should have come 
 to harm ? Have you not been yourself cruel 
 and selfish in your revenge ? Were you not 
 about to sacrifice your nursling to your own 
 feehngs ? A few hours more, and how can 
 you say that terror, exposure, and hunger 
 would not have done their work upon her 
 frail and delicate frame ?" 
 
 The ayah shuddered, but she did not stir a 
 limb. 
 
 " And we will suppose that she even en- 
 dured all this for a time," pursued the young 
 man earnestly ; " but how could you believe 
 it would end ? Where could you take her 
 when you had deprived her of her natural 
 home ?" 
 
 The woman writhed for an instant, but at 
 length she spoke : 
 
 " To Liverpool, Sahib." 
 
 " I understand you. You would have en- 
 deavoured to return with her to your own 
 country. This would, however, have been
 
 128 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 impossible, and you must never dream of such 
 an attempt again. Where could you have 
 found means to carry out your project ? How, 
 indeed, I should rather ask you, could you 
 even have contrived to exist without either 
 friends or money ?" 
 
 For all reply the woman snatched at the 
 hand of the speaker, forced it open, and laid 
 upon the palm a heavy mass of metal ; and, 
 while he stood uncertain of her meaning, and 
 bewildered by the impetuosity of her action, 
 she stretched forth her arms, and pointed 
 alternately to her wrists and ancles. Two 
 mysteries were solved at once : the nature of 
 her resources, and the origin of the singular 
 sound by which the place of her retreat had 
 been betrayed. 
 
 The young man was deeply moved. " I 
 see, I comprehend it all,'' he said, almost 
 reverentially ; " You have deprived yourself of 
 your cherished ornaments to secure the comfort 
 of your charge. From my heart I honour
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 129 
 
 you, Diana ! But you will not leave so noble 
 a work half accomplished. You can sacrifice 
 your interest ; can you not also sacrifice your 
 revenge? Look at that poor young man. 
 For weary hours he has sought to find you, 
 with a bleeding heart and a wounded spirit. 
 He is still a boy in years, but he has suffered 
 a manhood of agony during the day which 
 has been so cruel to us all. Remember, also, 
 that the feeble child you love so well has 
 fasted for hours ; that you, that Horace, and 
 that I myself, are exhausted with hunger, 
 anxiety, and fatigue. We all need the com- 
 forts, the affection of home, Diana. Give 
 your hand to my friend in peace ; and he will 
 remain here to watch over the safety of his 
 cousin, while I hasten to procure a carriage to 
 convey you all to Ashton Court. Look at your 
 nursling. She is utterly worn out. And who 
 shall dare to say what may be to her the con- 
 sequences of a longer exposure to the night- 
 air, and the want of proper nourishment ?" 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 130 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 The ayah raised the head of little Ella from 
 her breast, but it was already too dark for her to 
 distinguish her features. The languid weight 
 which fell back again upon her shoulder suf- 
 ficed, however, to convince her that her precious 
 charge could endure no further suffering ; and 
 she had no sooner arrived at this conviction, 
 than, instead of stretching out her hand to the 
 unhappy Horace, she wound her arms about 
 him, and drew him towards her, until she held 
 both the cousins in the same close embrace. 
 
 *' That is well, Diana;" said Frank 'Hather- 
 ston. "We are now richly repaid for all 
 our exertions. Another hour, and we shall 
 be once more a happy family under the roof 
 of Sir Hercules. Shelter Ella well from the 
 cold wind. Look you, Horace has already 
 flung his own coat about her. This is all as 
 it should be. And now, good-bye for the 
 present. Close the door after me, and huddle 
 together to keep yourselves warm until the 
 arrival of the carriage. I shall waste no time
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 131 
 
 on the way, and shall feel no more fatigue as 
 I remember that I shall be a most welcome 
 messenger." 
 
 As he spoke, Hatherston wrung the hand of 
 the silent ayah, pressed his lips softly to the 
 brow of the child, and whispered a few words 
 of comfort and encouragement to Horace. 
 Another moment, and he had disappeared 
 along his woodland path. 
 
 The young man's spirit was high and brave ; 
 and, wearied and footsore as he was, he 
 toiled onward, guided by the lights from the 
 windows of the mansion-house, and the shouts 
 of the numerous servants, who were by this 
 time seeking not merely the orphan niece of 
 their master, but also his only son, and that 
 son's chosen friend. 
 
 And the toilworn pilgrim reached his goal 
 at last. Paintly and falteringly, he made his 
 way to the apartment in which Sir Hercules 
 and his wife sat in agonising suspense, refusing 
 to be comforted. 
 
 k2
 
 132 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " Found ! Found !" he shouted, as he stood 
 upon the threshold. But it was the last effort 
 of his generous devotion. He was answered 
 by a shriek of thankfulness : and, as Lady 
 Harriette fell back swooning upon her cushions, 
 he sank upon a seat, even more unconscious 
 than his hostess. 
 
 He soon rallied, however, and told his 
 tale. Immediate orders were given for the 
 speedy conveyance of the absent ones to their 
 home. Warm blankets, reviving cordials, and 
 nourishing food, were rapidly packed into the 
 carriage ; and the grateful baronet forced his 
 young guest to occupy the warmest seat at his 
 hearth, and again and again overwhelmed him 
 with expressions of gratitude, as heartfelt as 
 they were profuse. But great was the con- 
 sternation of the little party, when, on ap- 
 proaching in her turn to grasp the hand of 
 her young guest. Lady Harriette perceived 
 that there were traces of blood upon his 
 clothes.
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 133 
 
 " My boy ! my boy !" exclaimed the agonised 
 mother; "tell me at once if any thing has 
 happened to my precious boy. What is the 
 meaning of this blood ? Look here, and here I" 
 
 " I solemnly assure you, madam, that your 
 son is safe; and suffering only from anxiety 
 and fatigue. I am as much at a loss as 
 yourself to understand the meaning of these 
 stains ;" said Prank. 
 
 " And my poor little niece — " faltered the 
 baronet. 
 
 " Do not agitate yourself, Sir Hercules. No 
 harm has happened to any of the party. In 
 a short time we shall probably be able to 
 account, in a very simple manner, for what is 
 at present as much a mystery to me as to 
 yourself." 
 
 " You would not deceive us, Hatherston ?" 
 
 " On my soul, I would not !" 
 
 Despite this declaration, the mother still sat 
 with blanched cheeks and quivering lips ; the 
 nttle girls wept silently in a corner, with their
 
 134 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 arms clasped about each other ; and the baronet, 
 only half reassured, remained gazing into the 
 fire, as though he dreaded to meet the eyes of 
 those about him. 
 
 Meanwhile, the comfortable and rapid equi- 
 page neared, and erelong reached, the dreary 
 little hut which had afforded a temporary 
 refuge to so much passion, hatred, penitence, 
 and remorse. 
 
 When the grey-haired butler, who was al- 
 most as much agitated as his master, and 
 who loved that master's son as warmly as 
 though he had been his own, entered the 
 roothouse, he found its three occupants seated 
 upon the ground. Ella was in the lap of her 
 nurse, but she had one arm about the neck 
 of her cousin. Overpowered by fatigue and 
 want, both the younger wanderers had fallen 
 into a heavy sleep. But the Indian woman 
 was broad awake, and watching over her 
 charge with as vigilant a zeal as ever. 
 
 A hasty repast was snatched in the hut by
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 135 
 
 the light of the carriage lamps ; and then, 
 carefully guarded from the cold, the party set 
 forth for Ashton Court. 
 
 As the sound of wheels was heard, every 
 individual beneath the roof of Sir Hercules 
 hastened to the hall to welcome the wanderers ; 
 and while Lady Harriette embraced her son, 
 tearless, but nearly convulsed by the heavy 
 sobs which she could not suppress, the baronet 
 had lifted Ella from the arms of her nurse, 
 and was pressing her, with a mental thanks- 
 giving, to his warm and loving heart. He 
 had not then betrayed his trust. The child 
 was still safe ; he had not forfeited his claim 
 to the confidence which his dead brother had 
 reposed in him. 
 
 At that instant, the attitude and expression 
 of the Indian woman were subhme. The 
 glare of defiance had faded from her eyes. 
 Nature had done its work. She read on the 
 quivering features of good Sir Hercules the 
 labourings of his spirit ; and she felt that
 
 136 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 henceforward her nursHng would have a second 
 father. She even glanced in the direction of 
 Lady Harriette without one symptom of hatred 
 or avoidance, for the young bright face of 
 Horace was hidden upon her bosom ; and there 
 is a holiness which speaks to every heart in the 
 spectacle of a mother's love. 
 
 The little girls had placed themselves beside 
 their brother, where they impatiently awaited 
 the embrace which was delayed by the close 
 and almost convulsive grasp in which Lady 
 Harriette held him : and Hatherston profited 
 by the general emotion to cast a scrutinizing 
 glance over the several individuals who had 
 been his companions in the root-house ; in 
 order, if possible, to discover the origin of the 
 blood which had so naturally excited the alarm 
 of his host and hostess. 
 
 The mystery was soon read. In attempting 
 to detach her heavy gold ornaments with a 
 coarse tool which had been forgotten by some . 
 workman, and which she had chanced to find
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 137 
 
 among the litter that encumbered the little 
 building, Diana had wounded herself severely 
 about the wrists and ancles ; and it was by the 
 blood which flowed from these self-inflicted 
 wounds that, as he immediately discovered, 
 all her three companions had been covered. 
 
 Young as he w^as, Frank Hatherston pos- 
 sessed a nature capable of appreciating the 
 noble and unselfish devotion of the ayah. 
 To deliver her nursling from what she had 
 evidently considered as the tyranny and insult 
 of her newly-found relatives, she had spurned 
 at the weakness of physical suffering, and 
 hewn into her very flesh to secure the means 
 of effecting her liberation ; and there she still 
 stood in the midst of that luxurious room, of 
 those family endearments, smarting with pain, 
 and utterly unheeded. 
 
 "That is the stuff" of which martyrs, are 
 made l" murmured the young man to himself, 
 as he made his way towards her, and with 
 respect and admiration unmistakeably beaming
 
 138 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 in his fine eyes, pointed to her swollen and 
 discoloured limbs, ere he placed his hand softly 
 upon her's. 
 
 The woman smiled a sickly smile, and shook 
 her head deprecatingly ; " 'Tis noting, noting, 
 sahib ;" she said softly ; " black 'oman's blood ; 
 more on Dia's heart." 
 
 " Yes ; I can understand that you wept tears 
 of blood in your great agony, Diana;" he 
 replied in the same tone, " but you will shed 
 no more for your young charge." 
 
 " You no tell — no say word, sahib — " ear- 
 nestly urged the Indian. 
 
 " I will not deceive you ;" said Hatherston ; 
 " I shall certainly inform Sir Hercules and 
 Lady Harriette of all that has occurred. I 
 must do so, Diana ; those fearful hurts should 
 be looked to, and that without loss of time." 
 
 It would be idle to describe the effect 
 produced upon the hearers when the tale 
 was told. In an instant the ayah became the 
 care and anxiety of the whole establishment ;
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 139 
 
 nor did the once more happy family retire to 
 rest until the Indian woman had been tended 
 with a care and tenderness to which, since the 
 death of the mistress whom she still mourned, 
 she had been a stranger.
 
 140 THE POOR RELATION 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BAY-DREAMS. 
 
 The excitement of the afternoon had totally 
 driven from the mind of Lady Harriette the 
 still undivulged mystery of her niece's position ; 
 and her first surmise upon the subject was so 
 coldly met by her husband after they had retired 
 for the night, that she wisely abstained from 
 dwelling upon it. Sir Hercules was thoroughly 
 prostrated by the trial through which he had 
 passed; and certain indications of a return 
 of the painful scourge to which he was a 
 martyr did not tend to rally his scattered 
 energies. 
 
 With her ladyship it was otherwise; the
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 141 
 
 danger and suspense being over, she began to 
 scorn herself, for having conceived the idea 
 that any evil could have happened to Iter son, 
 and the heir of the Ashtons ; and her mind 
 was consequently free to return to its old 
 field of speculation. Should the orphan girl 
 really prove to be as wealthy as she hoped ; 
 and that as she grew into girlhood she be- 
 came sufficiently presentable to remove all 
 repugnance on the part of her handsome 
 cousin, no family in the county would com- 
 mand a better position than themselves; as, 
 superadded to the ingots of the heiress, there 
 was a prospect — somewhat vague and misty 
 it is true, but the perspectives of dreamland 
 are seldom very clearly defined — upon which 
 she occasionally dwelt with more complacency 
 than, under the peculiar circumstances, she 
 cared to acknowledge even to herself. In 
 dafault of heirs male, the earldom of the 
 Disboroughs, with the royal sanction, de- 
 scended in the female line; and the family
 
 142 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 estates, without even that reservation. Now 
 my Lord Disborough had lived both fast and 
 hard ever since he attained to manhood, and 
 his particular friends were not slow to express 
 their wonder that he had "carried on the 
 war" so long ; while his only son Lord Comp- 
 ton was serving with his regiment in the 
 West Indies ; and the West Indies are not 
 proverbial for being conducive to longevity. 
 Moreover, human life is so precarious — we 
 all of us occasionally make the remark ; not 
 as affecting ourselves, but as matter of consola- 
 tion to our friends and relatives when they 
 are mourning the loss of one dear to them ; — 
 that should anything unfortunate occur to 
 either father or son in the case of the 
 Disboroughs, Lady Harriette, as the eldest 
 daughter of the house, would become the 
 representative of the family, and the coronet 
 iu due course encircle the golden curls of 
 her idolized Horace. Let us do justice to 
 her mother's heart, however; haughty as
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 143 
 
 she was, Lady Harriette had less ambition 
 for herself than for her boy ; and she keenly 
 felt how acceptably the gold of the orphan 
 Ella would negative the poverty of her lordly 
 house. With these waking dreams floating 
 over her pillow she at length fell asleep ; the 
 hours wore on ; and a new day broke over 
 Ashton Court. 
 
 The surgeon's report of the ayah was favour- 
 able ; and although her little charge could not 
 be induced to quit her side, a new spirit had 
 evidently been awakened within her ; the help- 
 lessness of her attendant had aroused her 
 energies, and she neither trembled nor quailed 
 when she was approached by any of the family. 
 The two youths, thoroughly recovered from 
 their fatigue, were well prepared to do justice 
 to the morning meal, although Horace was 
 unusually grave and taciturn. Lady Harriette, 
 having paid a passing visit to the school-room, 
 where she found Madame Despreaux and her 
 pupils already engaged in their studies, was
 
 144 THE POOE RELATION. 
 
 all smiles and urbanity, awaiting with confi- 
 dence the realization of her overnight's visions ; 
 and all would once more have been sunshine 
 in that pleasant room, had not the working 
 features of good Sir Hercules betrayed the 
 physical pangs by which he was tortured. 
 
 Not even his spasms of gout could, how- 
 ever, restrain his impatience to examine the 
 important papers of which the Indian w^oman 
 had announced the existence ; and he had ac- 
 cordingly no sooner pushed away from him 
 his almost untasted breakfast, than he sug- 
 gested to his wife the expediency of ascertain- 
 ing from the ayah the identity of the case 
 which contained them ; and of having it con- 
 veyed to her apartment, in order that she 
 might enable him to examine them without 
 further delay. 
 
 " Perhaps, my love ;" he added ; " you will 
 be kind enough to receive them from her 
 yourself, in order that they may not pass 
 through the hands of a servant. When other
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 145 
 
 interests than our own are intrusted to us we 
 cannot take too many precautions." 
 
 Never did the request of a husband meet 
 with a more ready and graceful compliance. 
 Lady Harriette rose from her seat with the 
 buoyant alacrity of a girl of sixteen, smiled 
 her acquiescence without uttering a word, and 
 was gone. 
 
 " Sincerely do I trust ;" said the baronet, 
 writhing upon his cushions, and grasping the 
 suffering leg with both hands ; " not only for 
 her own sake, Horace, but also for your 
 mother's, that our poor little girl may inherit 
 a good property, as I fear that should it prove 
 otherwise my lady will be seriously disap- 
 pointed. She has not taken to the child herself, 
 and it would be pleasant for all parties, should 
 she be independent of her relatives and 
 family connexions." 
 
 " I suppose it would, sir ;" was the Hstless 
 reply ; *' but the fact seems to me of very 
 small importance. The poor little thing will 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 146 THE POOR UELATION. 
 
 be SO minute an item in the sum total of your 
 establishment." 
 
 " You do not understand me, my dear boy ;" 
 retorted Sir Hercules somewhat nervously ; 
 " I am merely alluding to the child's own 
 feelings." 
 
 *' I should apprehend that she is as yet too 
 young to give a thought to her worldly' cir- 
 cumstances, Sir Hercules ;" said Hatherston ; 
 " and I am quite sure that, be they what they 
 may, she will not long have lived in the bosom 
 of your family before she will have forgotten 
 them altogether/' 
 
 The baronet acknowledged the remark by 
 a courteous bow, and even made an attempt 
 at a smile ; but, by some strange chance, a 
 sigh rose to his lips at the same moment, and 
 the intended smile degenerated into a grimace 
 v^hich the young man did not fail to attribute 
 to a fresh twinge of gout. 
 
 A late blackbird, the guest of many seasons, 
 who had become almost tame from long im-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 147 
 
 punity, was warbling out his song from the 
 topmost bough of an evergreen near the win- 
 dow, and it is possible that the little party in 
 the breakfast-room remained silently listening 
 to his wild melody ; it is at least certain that 
 not another word was spoken by any of them 
 until the lady of the mansion re-entered the 
 apartment with a packet of papers in her 
 hand. 
 
 " I have, as you see, faithfully done your 
 bidding. Sir Hercules ;" she said, as she placed 
 them before him ; " and I assure you that it 
 was no slight undertaking, for they were as 
 carefully concealed as the golden apple of the 
 enchanted princess in the Persian story. There 
 were no less than six shawls folded about them, 
 and I trust that they will prove worthy of so 
 costly an envelope." 
 
 " Did the poor woman evince any reluctance 
 to their being examined in her absence ?" in- 
 quired the baronet, evading all response to 
 the comment of his wife. 
 
 L 2
 
 148 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " Not the smallest ;" was the ready reply ; 
 " nor did she even for a moment endeavour to 
 induce little Ella to be present, as I suggested ; 
 and as the child was evidently unwilling to 
 leave her nurse, I did not think it necessary 
 to compel her to do so." 
 
 " Thank you, my dear Lady Harriette ;" said 
 Sir Hercules, as he proceeded to break the 
 seal of the packet which was immediately 
 under his hand ; " in any and every case, she 
 is better away." 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to say that, on the 
 return of his hostess to the apartment, Frank 
 Hatherston had disappeared. 
 
 Lady Harriette was in a tumult of agitation ; 
 the baronet grave and anxious ; and even 
 Horace, unimportant, as with the natural and 
 generous carelessness of youth he considered 
 the question of money, was still curious and 
 excited. 
 
 This packet proved to be that of Captain 
 Burton, in which the worthy seaman had en-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 149 
 
 closed a mass of receipts and other documents, 
 simply tending to prove that the amount with 
 which he had been entrusted by the firm of 
 Trueman and Braveby of Calcutta, for the 
 use of Miss Ella Ashton, had been conscien- 
 tiously and prudently expended. The letter 
 by which these were accompanied was brief 
 and business-like \ but it nevertheless contained 
 one passage which for an instant drove the 
 life-blood of Lady Harriette back upon her 
 heart. 
 
 Thus it ran : — 
 
 " In conclusion, I am sorry to be obliged 
 to inform you that the inquiries which I was 
 instructed by the firm aforesaid to make at 
 the Bank of England, were met by the reply 
 that no monies were, or had been, during the 
 last twenty years deposited there to the ac- 
 count of Mr. Horace Ashton." 
 
 " It is evident ;" remarked the baronet after 
 a pause ; " from the extreme vagueness of this
 
 150 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 information, that we have commenced our in- 
 vestigation unfortunately; we must turn to 
 our other correspondents for an explanation of 
 Captain Burton's meaning/' 
 
 " It is equally evident, however ;" said Lady 
 Harriette uneasily ; " that your brother pos- 
 sessed no funded property in England." 
 
 '' Such is, undoubtedly, the inference so far ;" 
 conceded her husband ; " but it may, never- 
 theless, be an erroneous one; or, as is ex- 
 tremely probable, poor Horace may not 
 have cared to send his money out of the 
 country. Ha !" he pursued, as his eye rested 
 upon the signature of the letter which he had 
 torn open while speaking, and sank back 
 heavily in his chair; "we v/ere indeed es- 
 tranged, when even his very writing had be- 
 come unfamiliar to me." 
 
 " Perhaps, Sir Hercules ;" said his wife ; " if 
 I am correct in supposing that the letter in 
 your hand is from your brother, I had better 
 read it aloud to you ?"
 
 THE POOR llELATION. 151 
 
 "Do, my love, do;" gasped the conscience - 
 stricken invalid. 
 
 There was a slight flutter in the voice of 
 Lady Harriette as she commenced her task, 
 but it soon disappeared, and the tones were 
 firm and sonorous in which she completed it ; 
 while her husband listened to the last with a 
 deep and strong emotion, totally unconnected 
 with the financial prospects of his orphan 
 niece. 
 
 " Hercules — brother — " thus ran the letter : 
 "I am on my deathbed — the world is fading 
 rapidly from me, with all its loves and hates, 
 its joys and sorrows. There is neither resent- 
 ment nor bitterness beyond the grave. We 
 have been long and sadly estranged, but 
 neither has forfeited the respect of the other. 
 I have as firm a trust in your honour and 
 integrity, Hercules, as though we were at 
 this moment seated opposite to each other, 
 mutually laying bare our hearts, as I have 
 heard that brothers sometimes do. I have
 
 152 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 wished, and I still most devoutly wish, that I 
 could have pressed your hand once more ; 
 but we are far asunder, and my days are 
 numbered. Meet me in the same spirit; 
 forgive the impetuous self-reliance of my youth ; 
 and remember only that we are the sons of one 
 father, grown to manhood in our turn ; and 
 that we have both attained an age when we 
 are compelled to look back upon the past as 
 a long pilgrimage, so near its close that we 
 must, in any case, soon have felt the staff 
 escaping from our grasp. For myself I do 
 not regret that it should be so, for my happi- 
 ness has long been buried in the grave of my 
 beautiful and idolised wife. I have but one 
 care, one anxiety on earth — my darling child — 
 my precious Ella. To your affection I confide 
 her, trustfully — fearlessly; and with her all 
 my worldly wealth ; for where I feel that I can 
 confidently rely for her happiness, it were idle 
 to ^itertain one apprehension as to the safety 
 of her fortune. Be to her a loving father ; I
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 153 
 
 need not ask you to be a faithful guardian. 
 'One condition only I desire to make : she 
 must be her own mistress at the age of nine- 
 teen ; her own unrestricted mistress ; and she 
 w411 be imworthy alike to be my child, and to 
 bear the time-honoured name of Ash ton, should 
 she fail in gratitude to those who have che- 
 rished her in her desolate youth. 
 
 " You accept the trust, Hercules. A solemn 
 conviction has grown upon me, that you will 
 comply with my last request. You are your- 
 self a father, and can appreciate the agony 
 with which I shall leave my only child, my 
 poor orphan Ella, in a foreign land, far from 
 all upon whom she has a claim of kindred or 
 of kindness. 
 
 ** Let me also entreat of you to cherish for 
 my sake the admirable and devoted woman 
 who will accompany my child to England. 
 Do not regard her colour ; there is no stain 
 upon her heart. She laid my angel wife in 
 her coffin ; she received the first embrace of
 
 154 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 ray poor little one ; she is my last support and 
 comfort on my dying bed. 
 
 " And now, I have little more to add. My 
 strength wanes, and I feel that I shall ere long 
 be at rest. Cherish my child — my poor, poor, 
 fatherless and motherless child. Ask for her 
 the love and tenderness of your wife and 
 children ; and may all the affection which you 
 show to her be repaid a thousandfold in bless- 
 ings upon you and all you love. 
 
 *' One word more, my brother, and I have 
 done. Had I for one moment doubted you, 
 I would have purchased for my infant girl the 
 services which I now only ask. It will be her 
 holy privilege to repay, in so far as she may, 
 the heavv debt which she will have incurred 
 towards you and yours." 
 
 There was silence for several minutes after 
 Lady Harriette had ceased to read ; but she 
 was too desirous to terminate the still-existing 
 mystery, to lose herself as Sir Hercules had
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 155 
 
 evidently done, in reminiscences of the 
 past. 
 
 " A most beautiful and affecting letter this 
 is, ray love ;" she said at length, as she slowly 
 refolded the paper ; " and it moreover offers a 
 convincing proof that whatever may have been 
 the career of your lamented brother in his 
 adopted country, he was a true Ashton to the 
 last, for no man of business could have written 
 in this tone ; and it is evident that the finan- 
 cial details which will determine the position 
 of his orphan daughter have been left to his 
 lawyer. There can, however, be no doubt, 
 from the manner in which he has alluded to 
 her circumstances, that they are perfectly 
 satisfactory." 
 
 " I am quite of your opinion ;" said the 
 baronet, rousing himself by a violent effort ; 
 " and now let us get over this painful affair 
 at once, for the remaining letter cannot fail to 
 give us all necessary information.'* 
 
 :\n immense sheet of paper written closely
 
 156 THE POOR KELATION. 
 
 over in a neat clerk-like hand was then drawn 
 from its envelope by Sir Hercules ; who, having 
 once more adjusted his spectacles, read aloud 
 in his turn : — 
 
 " Calcutta, I2th of May, 18—. 
 
 " Sir, 
 
 "It is my melancholy duty to 
 inform you that your brother, our esteemed 
 client Mr. Horace Westland Ashton, expired 
 at his residence in this city at half- past one 
 A.M. on the ninth of the current month, leav- 
 ing an infant daughter ; who, by his express 
 directions, will be embarked the day after to- 
 morrow, with her native attendant, for England, 
 on board the Eastern Star Indiaman, Captain 
 ^ Burton ; by whom she will on her arrival be 
 conducted to some respectable hotel in London, 
 until your pleasure may be made known as to 
 her further movements. 
 
 " I had not the honour to be in the confidence 
 of your respected brother, whose business
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 157 
 
 was transacted entirely by my partner John 
 Thomas Braveby for many years before I 
 entered the firm. Mr. Braveby is, 1 regret 
 to say, at the present time at Constantinople, 
 where I have written by this same opportunity 
 to apprise him of the melancholy death of his 
 friend; and to solicit his instructions. All 
 that I have been personally enabled to do 
 meanwhile has been to dispose as advan- 
 tageously as possible of such of the miscel- 
 laneous property of Mr. H. Ashton as was 
 least capable of removal; and which, at the 
 same time, sufficed to meet the necessary 
 expenses attendant upon his demise, and those 
 jncurred by the passage of his daughter and 
 her ayah to England. Before doing this, 
 however, I was careful to ascertain the credit 
 of Mr. Ashton in our books, which I found to 
 amount only to two hundred and forty-six 
 pounds, eleven shillings and ninepence in 
 English currency. Impressed, therefore, with 
 the idea that Mr. H. A. had invested his
 
 158 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 money in the English funds, I requested 
 Captain Burton, on his arrival in London, 
 to ascertain this fact, in order to save time ; 
 and to communicate the result of his inquiry 
 to you, which I trust that he will not fail 
 to do. 
 
 " A detailed account of the monies expended 
 since the demise of Mr. H. A. shall be duly 
 forwarded, immediately on the receipt of a 
 letter from my partner, from whom I await 
 instructions ; and, meanwhile, with most sin- 
 cere feelings of sympathy in your very severe 
 loss, and with an equally sincere proffer of 
 my services should you further require them 
 in this country, 
 
 " I have the honour to be, 
 
 " Sir, 
 ("For Braveby and Trueman), 
 
 "Richard Trueman." 
 
 " Was anything ever so vexatious !" ex- 
 claimed Lady Harriette in a tone of undis-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 15^ 
 
 guised irritation. " So here we are, literally 
 as much in the dark as ever. And the only 
 man who would seem to know anything of 
 Mr. Horace Ashton's affairs in Constantinople 
 of all places in the world, when he ought to 
 have been at Calcutta. What on earth can 
 an Indian banker want at Constantinople ! 
 AVhy, it may be months before this unpleasant 
 suspense is at an end." 
 
 " It may, and most probably will ;" said the 
 baronet ; " But, after all, my love, it is of 
 comparatively little consequence. The most 
 essential point is to know that the poor orphan 
 girl is safe beneath our own roof. Eor, had 
 she inherited the mines of Golconda, she 
 could do nothing with them at her age." 
 
 " Perhaps so ;" retorted his wife tartly ; 
 " But we should at least be enabled to define 
 her real position in the family !" 
 
 " Her real position in the family !" echoed 
 Sir Hercules in surprise : *' What position 
 can she occupy in the family save that of
 
 160 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 my brother's child, and my own adopted 
 daughter ?" 
 
 " Really, Sir Hercules, you astonish me !" 
 exclaimed his wife ; "Do you suppose that 
 the orphan child of an individual, who, at the 
 period of his decease, had the paltry balance 
 of — what was it? — two hundred and forty- 
 six pounds, eleven shillings and ninepence, if 
 I remember rightly, at his banker's, and the 
 heiress of thousands, can occupy the same 
 position at Ashton Court ? If such has really 
 been your very absurd idea of the fitness of 
 things, the sooner you rid yourself of such 
 a delusion the better. It is positively mon- 
 strous ! No one can, of course, feel more 
 grieved for the poor child than I shall — 
 but—" 
 
 "Surely my mother is quite right, sir;" 
 said Horace, eagerly. " With Miss Ella Ash- 
 ton, the great heiress, we could not have been 
 thoroughly at our ease, for as she grew older 
 she might have miscoustrued our n^^tives ;
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 161 
 
 but with little Ella the orphan, without a 
 home save our own, we can have no such fear ; 
 and shall be at liberty to love and pet her as 
 much as we please." 
 
 The baronet, reckless of his inflamed and 
 throbbing foot, leant forward abruptly in his 
 chair, and grasped the hand of his son. He 
 did not utter a word, but his eyes were moist. 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 IQ^ THE POOR RELATION, 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 RICH AND POOR. 
 
 "Well, madame, what inference do you 
 draw from these extraordinary letters ?" 
 
 "Really, Miladi;" said the governess; "you 
 ask me a very simple question, and yet 
 one which it is difficult to answer." 
 
 "I am not seeking a definite reply;" re- 
 torted Lady Harriette pettishly ; " I am merely 
 requiring from you, as a sensible woman, your 
 opinion of the probable result of this very 
 ambiguous affair." 
 
 "You see ;" said the Frenchwoman, reverting 
 to the letter of Mr. Ashton ; " that there is 
 positive mention made here of property, in a
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 163 
 
 manner which certainly implies that its amount 
 is far from contemptible ; and a man does not 
 seek to deceive upon his deathbed." 
 
 "True — true:" exclaimed her listener vvitii 
 sudden animation. 
 
 " And then ;" pursued madame ; " I should 
 say, since Miladi does me the honour to ask 
 my opinion, that a gentleman engaged in ex- 
 tensive commerce — for I think that I have 
 understood Mr. Horace Ashton to have been 
 a merchant " 
 
 " We know nothing whatever of his pur- 
 suits ;" hastily interposed Lady Harriette. 
 
 " Well, I still think that, in any case, I 
 should feel no surprise on finding that an 
 English capitalist did not intrust his capital to 
 the care of a foreign bank," said the governess. 
 
 " But you hear that there are no invest- 
 ments in his name in the Bank of England." 
 
 " That is singular, certainly." 
 
 " Rather say that it is suspicious ;" was the 
 emphatic rejoinder of the lady of the house ; 
 
 M 2
 
 164 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " If Mr. Horace Asbton has left money which 
 is neither here nor in Calcutta, where is it ?" 
 
 " You will probably be informed of that 
 fact by the promised letter from the partner 
 in Constantinople ;" replied madame. 
 
 " It is, at all events, a most harassing 
 business, and will require great caution on 
 my part ;" said Lady Harriette ; " for I shall 
 scarcely know how to act during the interval. 
 It is quite useless to discuss the subject with 
 Sir Hercules, who has already worried himself 
 into a fresh fit of gout about this wretched 
 child ; and even my son, who should have 
 known better where his own interests and 
 those of his sisters are at stake, is as wrong- 
 headed as his father. Had the brothers 
 never been parted, and Mr. Horace Ash ton, 
 instead of exiling himself for life, remained, as 
 for the honour of the family he was bound to 
 do, in his own country, and among his own 
 connections ; the incumbent of three or four 
 rich livings, which Sir Hercules has had the
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 165 
 
 mortification of giving away to comparative 
 strangers, I should be able to understand that 
 we were all bound, in justice to ourselves, to 
 regard his child as our own ; but as the case 
 stands we cannot be expected to have any 
 particular affection for a little impish creature 
 who evidently sets us all at defiance ; or 
 who will at least endeavour to do so. Now, 
 madame, you are a woman of the world ; and 
 you must be perfectly aware that I owe a duty 
 to myself, and to my children, which I cannot 
 in common justice neglect for a penniless gir^ 
 who has been forced upon us as Ella has been ; 
 and that I ought not, by indulging her in 
 habits of extravagance and luxury, to mislead 
 her into a false estimate of her own importance 
 in the family. If I were only aware at once 
 how the matter will terminate, I could decide 
 upon the course which it would be proper 
 for me to pursue ; but under existing circum- 
 stances I really know not how to act." 
 
 Lady Harriette paused at last, almost out of
 
 166 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 breath ; for, although Madame Despreaux 
 had listened with the most respectful attention 
 to her harangue, and even succeeded in re- 
 pressing every indication of the astonishment 
 and scorn which she felt at the great lady's 
 unmitigated worldliness and egotism, she had 
 not uttered a syllable. The gentle governess 
 had already opened her own warm and ample 
 heart to the little orphan, unprepossessing as 
 she was ; and she consequently could not reply 
 to the arguments of her companion in the spirit 
 of sympathy which was evidently expected of 
 her. 
 
 " There are so many things to be con- 
 sidered ;'* pursued the mistress of Ashton 
 Court, apparently unconscious that her pre- 
 vious reasoning had elicited neither comment 
 nor acquiescence ; " In the event of the child 
 being wealthy, I should of course wish her to 
 participate in all the advantages enjoyed by 
 my own daughters ; the benefit of your tui- 
 tion and superintendence, my dear madame,
 
 THE POOR RELATION, 167 
 
 not being the least among them ; and this 
 new demand upon your time and energies 
 would naturally induce a considerable aug- 
 mentation in your salary." 
 
 " Believe me, Miladi — " interposed the go- 
 verness eagerly. 
 
 " Not a word, I request, on such a sub- 
 ject ;" interrupted Lady Harriette in her turn, 
 with a gesture at once haughty and courteous ; 
 " I trust that I am aware of what is due alike 
 to myself and to you. I was simply about to 
 add that I presume this additional responsi- 
 bility will be entailed on you, madame, in any 
 case ; and indeed it is only correct that the 
 child of Sir Hercules Ashton's brother should 
 receive the education of a gentlewoman ; but 
 all beyond this must, of course, depend upon 
 the result of the present most irritating busi- 
 ness, as expensive accomplishments would be 
 altogether out of place should she be por- 
 tionless. There is nothing in the world 
 more ridiculous than to spend a fortune
 
 168 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 upon the education of a girl who cannot 
 aspire to any better fate than to become the 
 wife of a village curate, or a country apothe- 
 cary." 
 
 " But surely, Miladi, those very accom- 
 plishments would help to make Miss Ella 
 more independent of the assistance of her 
 family ;" urged the good-hearted French- 
 woman. 
 
 " I trust that I do not understand you cor- 
 rectly, Madame Despreaux ;" said Lady Har- 
 riette ; " you must be well aware of the very 
 great respect which I have always evinced 
 towards yourself; it was no more than 
 what you had a right to claim, after having 
 so admirably formed the three charming 
 and graceful daughters of the Duchess of 
 Belburton; but I do not affect to extend 
 that feeling to all persons of your pro- 
 fession ; and sooner than see the cousin of 
 my daughters working for her bread, I 
 would—'*
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 169 
 
 " Pardon me, Miladi !" exclaimed Madame 
 Despreaux with considerable animation ; " T 
 had forgotten for the moment, that, although 
 when I was deprived by the revolution, of my 
 rank, my name, and my place about the person 
 of my royal and unfortunate mistress, I con- 
 sidered it more dignified to avail myself of the 
 little talent which I might possess, in order 
 rather to suffice to myself than to become a 
 burthen upon the charity of my friends, I had 
 no right to assume any dictation as to the feel- 
 ings of others." 
 
 "The cases are widely different, madame/' 
 Lady Harriette hastened to reply, while the 
 colour mounted to her cheek ; " there is some- 
 thing grand in the misfortunes caused by so 
 tremendous a calamity as a national convul- 
 sion ; but something petty and paltry in hav- 
 ing been driven to poverty by the ill-judged 
 speculation of a bankrupt-merchant, or the 
 reckless prodigality of a spendthrift. It is, 
 however, perhaps very idle to waste more
 
 170 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 words upon the subject, until we have it in 
 our power to discuss it upon sure and rational 
 premises." 
 
 The conversation was here interrupted by 
 the entrance of the two little girls from their 
 mid-day walk in the park ; which, missing the 
 accustomed companionship of their indulgent 
 preceptress, they had considerably curtailed ; 
 but not even their return, fresh and blooming 
 as twin roses, could dispel the unpleasant 
 impression produced upon the mind of the 
 Frenchwoman by the confidential interview 
 just terminated. Having resolved, when driven 
 from her own land, to look her reverse of for- 
 tune steadily in the face, and to accept, as its 
 natural consequence, all the privations, and 
 even humihations, to which it could not fail 
 to subject her, so long as they did not affect 
 her self-respect, the emigrant countess, for 
 such in truth she was, had meekly borne the 
 " proud man's contumely \' and with a smile 
 of pity, not for herself, but for those who su-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 171 
 
 perciliously overlooked the gentlewoman in 
 the governess, had seen herself banished from 
 the drawing-room to the school-room, and 
 rendered dependant for all society on her 
 pupils. Fortunate was it for the much-en- 
 during lady that her nature was essentially 
 genial and kindly; and that when not sad- 
 dened by old memories, she could find, or 
 make her happiness in the pure, priceless love 
 of the young, trusting hearts that eagerly re- 
 sponded to her affection. 
 
 " May we go to Ella's room, and enquire 
 after her nurse, mamma, when we have taken 
 off our bonnets ?" asked Matilda. 
 
 " Certainly, my love ; I can have no pos- 
 sible objection to your doing so ;" said Lady 
 Harriette graciously ; " for, however ill the 
 woman behaved in the first instance — and she 
 certainly did behave extremely ill in rushing 
 from the house in so disgraceful a manner — 
 still I am quite ready to admit that her devo- 
 tion to your little cousin, mistaken as it was,
 
 172 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 nevertheless proved her to be faithful and 
 trustworthy ; and, by-the-bye — " she pursued, 
 as if a sudden thought had struck her ; " you 
 may as well mention that Ella's luggage, 
 which was very absurdly deposited in the ser- 
 vants' hall is greatly in the way, and that Mrs. 
 Brooks has complained to me of the incon- 
 venience it has occasioned. The sooner, 
 therefore, that the cases can be examined, and 
 put into their proper places the better, as 
 it is impossible that any arrangement can be 
 made until we have ascertained the nature 
 of their contents ; which it is, moreover, 
 highly necessary that your papa should do at 
 once." 
 
 " And may we bring back Ella with us to 
 the school-room?" asked Florence in her 
 turn. 
 
 " If she thinks proper to come ; indeed, 
 you can tell her it is my wish that she should 
 do so. A child of her age can be of no pos- 
 sible use in a sick-room ; and the sooner she
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 173 
 
 conforms to the rules of the family, the better 
 it will be for all parties. At six years' old, 
 children ought to be under proper control and 
 guidance; and it can certainly be no hardship 
 or sacrifice for your cousin to exchange the 
 companionship of her black nurse for yours ; 
 or the ignorant and misjudging indulgence of 
 an uneducated Indian for the enlightened 
 kindness of madame." 
 
 " But they really do love each other very 
 much, mamma ;" said little Matilda, looking up 
 into her mother's face with her large, sunny, 
 loving eyes,. 
 
 " No doubt of it, my dear ;*' was the ma- 
 ternal reply ; " too much, I fear, for the welfare 
 of your cousin. All will, however, no doubt, 
 come right in time. And now, away with 
 you, children, and do not forget to say what 
 I have told you to Diana." 
 
 The little girls once more disappeared ; and 
 it was immediately evident to the governess 
 that some new idea had fastened upon the
 
 174 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 mind of Lady Harriette ; that " a change" had 
 come " o'er the spirit of her dream." Nor 
 was her penetration at fault ; the recollection of 
 the enormous amount of luggage, which had 
 for a time escaped her memory, had set her 
 castle-building again ; and it was with a smile 
 which was almost radiant, that she turned to 
 Madame Despreaux as she was about to leave 
 the room, and said in her blandest and most 
 genial tone : 
 
 " After all, my dear madame, it would not 
 at all astonish me if our little Creole should 
 ultimately turn out a great heiress ; certainly 
 her travelling accessories have been most ele- 
 phantine in their proportions. The baggage 
 of a regiment upon its march could scarcely 
 exceed that which has been unloaded in my 
 servants' hall." 
 
 " I trust that it may prove as valuable as it 
 is bulky ;" was the quiet rejoinder of the 
 Frenchwoman. 
 
 " I trust so myself — for the child's sake ;"
 
 THE POOR RELATION. ]75 
 
 said the mistress of the mansion, as with a 
 gracious bend of the proud head which always 
 appeared as though it mentally bore the weight 
 of the Disborough coronet, she withdrew from 
 the room. 
 
 When she found herself alone the gentle- 
 hearted exile leant her head upon her hand, 
 and fell into a deep and sad reverie. She had 
 hitherto almost derived amusement from the 
 cold haughtiness of Lady Harriette ; for she 
 was at once too meek and too noble-minded to 
 feel any resentment at an assumption which 
 degraded only the individual by whom it was 
 indulged. She honoured her patroness for the 
 devoted affection which she bore to her children, 
 even although it was somewhat partially dis- 
 played. She had striven to believe that it was 
 the head, not the heart, of Lady Harriette 
 which was in fault ; but she could so delude 
 herself no longer. 
 
 Had she not coldly and insultingly admitted 
 that the respect which she found herself, almost
 
 176 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 reluctantly, compelled to yield to the pre- 
 ceptress of her children, was not elicited 
 by her worth, her integrity, or her zeal 
 in fulfilling conscientiously all her duties 
 towards her pupils/ but to the accidental fact 
 that she had "formed" the daughters of a 
 duchess ? 
 
 In Lady Harriette's earnestness to unbosom 
 herself to some one on the subject by which 
 she was absorbed, Madame Despreaux had 
 been favoured with an amount of condescension 
 and confidence entirely new to her from the 
 wife of Sir Hercules Ashton ; but her experi- 
 ence of the world — and it had been so stern, 
 that it was beautiful to reflect how little it had 
 embittered her frank and generous nature — 
 taught her at once to feel that the proud woman 
 who had thus laid bare to her the dark work- 
 ings of her spirit, had merely done so from 
 the consciousness that there was less degrada- 
 tion in asking the advice and opinion of her
 
 THE POOP. RELATION. 177 
 
 children's governess than that of her own 
 waiting-maid. " Would that she had decided 
 otherwise ;" mused the Frenchwoman ; " for 
 henceforward she has forfeited all claim to my 
 respect. I can read her very soul. Let this 
 unhappy child be tricked out in jewels, and 
 mistress of thousands, and she will have no 
 warmer, no more enthusiastic friend, than 
 Lady Harriette Ashton ; she wdll be all in all 
 to her ; indulgent, forbearing, and considerate ; 
 she will refuse her nothing, not even the hand 
 of her idolized son, should the heiress see fit 
 to smile upon him ; but woe, and double woe 
 upon the orphan, should she have no tie upon 
 her tenderness but that of kindred. — Well, 
 well — " (thus the tide of thought flowed on 
 through that earnest bosom ;) " it must be my 
 task in that case to smooth her thorny path, 
 and to throw some few cheering gleams of 
 sunshine upon her clouded way. It will be 
 pleasant to both of us to have something to 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 178 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 love without fear of coldness or of change. 
 These other dear girls, good and affectionate as 
 they are, will forget me in the brilliant fate 
 which awaits them a few years hence ; they are 
 both lovely, and the world will claim them as 
 its worshippers ; but the strange, wild-looking, 
 unprepossessing child upon whom the eye of 
 fashion would fasten scornfully, should she not 
 be able to purchase its smile, wdll not be thus 
 separated from me in spirit when she has 
 ceased to need my care. The flowers will be 
 scattered, but the leafless stem will remain 
 upon the branch unheeded. I am still young, 
 and who knows what may be reserved for me 
 in the far future ? We may each be one day 
 left alone — and then — but shame upon me ! 
 Am I not beginning almost to indulge the 
 selfish hope that such may be the case ? What 
 right have I, because I am desolate — yes, very 
 desolate — to contemplate such a fate for a 
 fellow creature with any feeling but one of
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 179 
 
 sincere and unmitigated terror? Ah! Ce- 
 cile de Montluc, sorrow has sadly changed 
 you !" 
 
 And the self-convicted woman wept over 
 her involuntary fault. 
 
 N 2
 
 180 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 The orphan did not return to the school- 
 room with her cousins ; and the only reply 
 made by the ayah to the message of Lady 
 Harriette was an immediate attempt to leave 
 her bed. In vain did the frightened children 
 expostulate ; and although it was evident that 
 the effort was attended with considerable pain, 
 the Indian woman did not utter a complaint ; 
 she removed the wrappings from her still un- 
 healed hands in order to use them more freely ; 
 and having at length succeeded in arranging 
 her dress, she took her nursling in her arms,
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 181 
 
 descended to the offices as rapidly as her 
 lacerated limbs would permit. 
 
 Once in the servants' hall, she placed the 
 child carefully on a seat, threw a large shawl 
 about her ; and then taking a key which hung 
 upon a chain about her neck, she proceeded 
 to open a large chest which she selected from 
 a number of others. 
 
 The task before her had been lightened of 
 much of its difficulty and tedium ; for, by a 
 happy foresight which was highly creditable to 
 her. Lady Harriette had already caused all the 
 cords to be removed, and every faciUty afforded 
 for the investigation for which she yearned. 
 
 With a rapidity which not even the physical 
 suffering that it caused sufficed for an instant 
 to diminish, the ayah flung back successively 
 the Ud of every box, and the covering of every 
 case. Indignation flashed from her eyes, and 
 quivered through her frame. She could not 
 mistake the motive of the eagerness betrayed 
 by Lady Harriette to ascertain the probable
 
 182 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 value of the property deposited beneath her 
 roof, and she resented it as an insult to her 
 beloved charge. 
 
 " Fetch Begum ;" she said contemptuously, 
 as she tossed out armful by armful a mass 
 of costly stuffs and gorgeous shawls upon 
 the floor, to the astonishment and dismay 
 of several of the upper servants who were 
 curiously watching her movements : " Heart 
 of Begum gladder for shawl and turban dan 
 for poor moderless piccaniny. Begum take — 
 piccaniny laugh, — Begum poor, piccaniny rich, 
 — sahib rich. Go, fetch Begum." 
 
 " Well, upon my word, I think that we can't 
 do better;" said portly Mrs. Brooks, whose 
 dignity was strangely disturbed by the splendid 
 confusion amid which she stood ; " for never 
 did I expect to see anything so awful as this 
 in a Christian country, and far less at Ashton 
 Court ! Sarah, beg Mr. Andrews to send one 
 of the footmen to her ladyship, to explain to 
 her what is going forward; for, as I said
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 183 
 
 before, I never did see such a sight in all my 
 Ufe." 
 
 The authoritative housekeeper was obeyed ; 
 and Lady Harriette, duly appreciating the im- 
 portance of the emergency, condescended to 
 descend to the offices. 
 
 All her anticipations, bright as they had 
 occasionally been, were, however, exceeded by 
 the spectacle that met her eyes as she reached 
 the door of the room which was the theatre of 
 the extraordinary scene we have described. 
 The ayah was still busily employed in empty- 
 ing case after case upon the uncarpetted floor ; 
 and even the haughty Lady Harriette could 
 not suppress an exclamation of horror. 
 
 "Are you deranged, woman?" she cried 
 vehemently, as she clutched with no gentle 
 grasp the arm of the Indian ; " Are you mad, 
 I ask ? Desist immediately ! Do you not see 
 that you are destroying, by your reckless haste, 
 treasures almost beyond price ?'* 
 
 The ayah desisted from her task, and
 
 184 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 measured the speaker with the glance of an 
 empress. 
 
 " Dem !" she said contemptuously, as she 
 pointed towards the parti-coloured heap of 
 shawls mingled with embroideries in gold and 
 silver, which encumbered the apartment ; 
 " Dem noting ! Piccaniny rich, sahib rich, rajah 
 rich. — Take, wear, give, — pay for piccaniny." 
 
 This taunt, which, at another time, would 
 have roused the ire of the proud lady of the 
 mansion, passed totally unheeded. Her whole 
 soul was in the scattered treasures before her. 
 The value of hundreds, it might even be o^ 
 thousands, had transformed her servants' hall 
 into a scene of oriental magnificence ; and there 
 was no room in the heart of Lady Harriette 
 Ashton at that moment for either resentment 
 or displeasure. 
 
 After giving hurried orders for the collection 
 and proper re- arrangement of the desecrated 
 wealth which she found herself at that moment 
 utterly unable to appreciate justly, but upon
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 185 
 
 which she nevertheless based the most splendid 
 anticipations with regard to the colossal for- 
 tune that was to follow, she reascended to the 
 morning room, where the baronet was deeply 
 engrossed by the leader of the Times. 
 
 ** My dear Sir Hercules ;'* she exclaimed, 
 almost breathless from excitement ; "I have 
 just witnessed the most extraordinary scene ! 
 I was, as you know, very properly requested by 
 Brooks to descend to the offices ; and in the 
 servants' hall I found the attendant of your 
 niece — who, by the bye, must be most un- 
 equivocally deranged, and a very improper and 
 unsafe companion for the poor dear child — 
 standing in the middle of the floor, upon which 
 she had flung, without the slightest care or 
 precaution, a mass of shawls, silks, and mus- 
 lins, which appear to me to be almost beyond 
 price. You may easily believe that I at once 
 put a stop to so frantic a proceeding, and 
 ordered immediate measures to be taken for 
 restoring every thing to order ; after which the
 
 186 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 cases must, without further loss of time, be 
 removed for greater security to the strong- 
 room, until we decide upon their final appro- 
 priation." 
 
 " It appears to me, my love ;" was the quiet 
 reply ; " that we, meaning of course you and 
 myself, have no right whatever of decision in 
 the business ; the property, be its nature 
 or value what it may, belongs clearly to my 
 niece." 
 
 " And what on earth. Sir Hercules, do you 
 imagine that your niece, should her fortune 
 even prove to be colossal, can want with 
 shawls and dresses enough to supply a coun- 
 ty ?" asked Lady Harriette with some warmth. 
 
 " Really, my dear, I cannot say ; but one 
 thing at least is certain " replied the baronet 
 good-humoredly ; *' that if she be a great 
 heiress, she alone has the right to dispose of 
 them : while, if the contrary should prove to 
 be the case, it will be my duty to impress 
 upon her the propriety of turning them into
 
 ^ THE POOR RELATION. 187 
 
 money, in order that when she quits our roof 
 for a home of her own, as most young ladies 
 do when they reach a marriageable age, she 
 may not leave us quite penniless, or be indebted 
 to our generosity for her modest marriage- 
 portion !" 
 
 "You really astonish me, Sir Hercules;" 
 retorted his wife ; "by even giving utterance 
 to such a supposition ! Is it commonly rational 
 to believe that a young lady with a trousseau 
 worthy of an imperial princess, can have suc- 
 ceeded to no other inheritance than the con- 
 tents of her trunks ? The idea is positively 
 too ridiculous !" 
 
 " Well, my dear, I trust that your judgment 
 may prove a correct one. I can desire nothing 
 so much as the welfare and happiness of my 
 poor brother's orphan." 
 
 Lady Harriette made no reply; but the 
 abruptness with which she seated herself at 
 her embroidery-frame, contrasting as it did 
 so forcibly with her habitually stately demea-
 
 188 THE POOR RELATION. ' 
 
 nour, betrayed her vexation at the calm indif- 
 ference of the baronet to a subject which she 
 had allowed to absorb her feehngs so entirely. 
 
 Another consideration, moreover, conspired 
 to heighten her annoyance. Until the arrival 
 of the little orphan among them, Sir Hercules 
 had for years been both the most compliant 
 and the most pliant of husbands ; but upon 
 the subject of his brother's child he evinced 
 a will and a despotism fully equal to her own, 
 and so much the more formidable that they 
 were never enforced by arrogance or temper ; 
 nor was it long ere his wife perfectly under- 
 stood that, however yielding he might still 
 prove in every other respect, he would assume 
 and maintain his right to the sole guardianship 
 of his niece. 
 
 And she was right ; for in the bosom of the 
 baronet there existed not only a feeling of 
 regretful affection towards that brother, but 
 also a sentiment of remorse that probed his 
 spirit to the quick. It is probable that had
 
 THE POOH RELATION. 189 
 
 Horace Asliton parted from him in amity and 
 affection, the baronet would have received the 
 orphan into his house with kindness and wel- 
 come ; but that after having so done, he would 
 have taken all else for granted, and have con- 
 tented himself with talking of his three girls, 
 and treating them alike as his children ; now, 
 however, it was far otherwise ; he was con- 
 scious that he had much to repair, many short- 
 comings to expiate ; and thus his care of the 
 fatherless child was with him not only a duty, 
 but a principle ; while all the old sturdy leaven 
 of his nature, awakened for a higher and a holier 
 purpose than any which had hitherto called it 
 forth, unconsciously, but most efficiently, en- 
 abled him to display an amount of self-asser- 
 tion and self-reliance which Lady Harriette had 
 fondly flattered herself he had long ceased to 
 possess. 
 
 As the parti-coloured worsted was drawn 
 through the canvas upon which she was en- 
 gaged her reflections were consequently any-
 
 190 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 thing rather than satisfactory. We none of 
 us like to see the effort of years overthrown 
 by the event of an hour, and that too one of 
 apparent insignificance ; for, after all, what 
 was this puny child that she should come 
 between herself and her long-acknowledged 
 supremacy ? Had not Lady Harriette been a 
 gentlewoman she would fairly have lost her 
 temper. Everything appeared to thwart and 
 baffle her ; it was a perfect domestic conspi- 
 racy ; for not only had the baronet raked up 
 the smouldering ashes of revolt which she had 
 so thoroughly (as she supposed) extinguished 
 in the first year of their married life, but even 
 Horace, the pride of her heart, her petted 
 favourite, the life and joy of the family circle, 
 to whom her wishes and her opinions should 
 have been a law, had openly declared himself 
 the champion of the ungainly child ; and 
 Madame Despreaux, her dependent, had 
 dared tacitly to rebuke her for speculations 
 which she regarded as perfectly natural, and
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 191 
 
 prudent ; and sentiments which she considered 
 that she had an undoubted right to express. 
 All this was very provoking, very tormenting, 
 very, unpardonable ; and Lady Harriette was 
 rapidly elevating herself into a martyr when 
 the carriage was announced, and she found her- 
 self compelled to assume her wraps, and to ac- 
 company Sir Hercules, as had been previously 
 arranged, to pay a morning visit to a county 
 neighbour. 
 
 We will not intrude upon their tete-a-tete, 
 as it produced no apparent effect upon the 
 feelings or actions of Sir Hercules, even if it 
 were devoted to the one subject by which 
 their thoughts were mutually, but so very 
 differently, engrossed. 
 
 The carriage had not long driven off when 
 a light foot in the passage leading to the school 
 room, and a low tap at the door, attracted the 
 attention of Madame Despreaux and her 
 pupils ; and to their surprise and pleasure little 
 Ella stood upon the threshold.
 
 192 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " Welcome, my dear child ;" said the 
 Frenchwoman extending her hand ; while the 
 two girls sprang forward to lead her across 
 the floor ; " may I hope that I am to have 
 another good little pupil ?'* 
 
 *' If you please, ma'am ;*' murmured the 
 child, fixing her large eyes, half confidingly, 
 half fearfully, on the kind face which bent 
 over her ; "I think, I hope, I will try to be 
 good; Dia says I must try that; for papa 
 wished it very much — Poor papa !" 
 
 " I am sure you will try, Ella, and I am 
 sure that you will succeed ;" smiled madame ; 
 " and we shall love you so sincerely that you 
 Avill find it very easy to love us in return. Do 
 you not see how joyful your cousins are to 
 have you here ?" 
 
 " But I am six years old, and I know no- 
 thing : nothing ;" said the child with a quiver- 
 ing lip. 
 
 " Oh, never mind that, dear ;" exclaimed 
 little Matilda, patronisingly, as she put her
 
 THE POOK RELATION. 193 
 
 arms about her neck ; " we will all teach you, 
 and you will soon learn. Not that I know 
 half so much as Florence, or a quarter so 
 much as Horace, because Flory is older than 
 me, and Horry is almost a man ; but I can 
 help you a little at first ; and then raadame, 
 who knows everything, will make you as 
 clever as all of us, before you are a grown-up 
 woman." 
 
 Ella, as a natural consequence, gazed with 
 increased awe upon the gifted governess who 
 knew everything. 
 
 " It must be very hard ;" she whispered, 
 with a low sob. 
 
 " Do not alarm yourself, my dear child ;" 
 said madame ; " a day now appears to you 
 very long, but hour by hour it goes by ; and 
 so you will find your studies. It would be a 
 terrible thing if all were to be learnt at once ; 
 but Httle by Httle you will learn, like your 
 cousins, a great deal before you are aware of 
 it." 
 
 VOL. I. O
 
 194 THE POOR KELATIOK. 
 
 " And will you teach me to pray for dear 
 papa?" asked the child eagerly; "Dia has 
 tried, but she can only pray in Hindostanee ; 
 and papa was Enghsh, you know — poor 
 papa !" 
 
 " We wdll all pray for your poor papa to- 
 gether ; you, and your cousins, and myself ;" 
 said the Frenchwoman with a moisture in her 
 eyes which was instantly detected by Ella, 
 who seized her hand, and kissed it convul- 
 sively. 
 
 "And you must tell us all about India, 
 dear ;" said Matilda, who had decidedly appro- 
 priated to herself the office of patroness ; " It 
 will be such fun ! Did my uncle Horace keep 
 elephants ? and did you ride in a palanquin ? 
 and oh, Ella ! did you ever see a tiger ?" 
 
 '* You are asking too many questions at 
 once, my love ;" expostulated madame ; " you 
 will quite bewilder your little cousin. Besides, 
 Matilda, you are at home, and therefore, be-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 195 
 
 fore you seek amusement for yourself, you 
 must endeavour to amuse her." 
 
 " I don't like to talk of India ;" faltered 
 the orphan; "beautiful India. I had papa 
 there — poor papa !" 
 
 " Well then ;" said Florence cheerfully ; 
 " school will be over very soon now, and then 
 we will tell you all sorts of pretty stories ; 
 and in the meantime you shall have a book 
 full of pictures to amuse you." 
 
 " Are there monkeys in it ?" asked the child, 
 as the hot blood mounted to her cheek and 
 brow ; " don't show me any monkeys." 
 
 "Oh, I love monkeys !" cried little Ma- 
 tilda ; " they are so droll and amusing. Why 
 don't you like them, Ella?" 
 
 The child shuddered. " If Dia saw them 
 she would carry me away again ;" she whis- 
 pered ; " and hide me in that dark house in 
 the wood." 
 
 "No, no, darling;" said Madame Des- 
 preaux, pressing her tenderly in her arms ; 
 
 o 2
 
 11; 6 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 '' Dia will soon know us all better, and then 
 
 she will not want to leave us, as she did 
 
 at that time." 
 
 "The great boy will not hurt me, I am 
 
 sure ;" whispered Ella, as she laid her head 
 
 upon the shoulder of her new friend ; " but 
 
 Dia is afraid of the great boy." 
 
 '' Then I will never love Dia ;" exclaimed 
 
 Matilda with flashing eyes, as she clenched 
 
 her tiny hand, and swelled with indignation ; 
 
 " for Horace is the dearest, kindest, funniest 
 
 brother in the world." 
 
 Ella only repHed by an approving and ad- 
 miring smile ; but madame was less edified by 
 this little exhibition of temper, and poor Ma- 
 tilda's fit of enthusiasm terminated in a few 
 tears. 
 
 The unexpected apparition of the orphan 
 had, however, produced its effect ; and from 
 that moment the cousins were fast friends.
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 197 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 HOPES AND FEARS. 
 
 Time passed rapidly enough with every 
 member of the Ashton Court family except 
 Lady Harriette, to whom each hour appeared 
 a century until the arrival of the promised 
 intelligence from Constantinople. The self- 
 inflicted wounds of Diana were healed, and 
 she herself almost reconciled to the partial 
 solitude occasioned by the studies of her 
 beloved charge. Horace and his friend had 
 returned to Eton, to the regret of old and 
 young alike ; and the usual calm and stately 
 routine of the household was no longer invaded 
 by bursts of boyish glee and the outbreaks of
 
 198 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 boyish wilfulness. Frank Hatherston had won 
 golden opinions from his new friends, and was 
 only suffered to depart under promise of a 
 second visit to Leicestershire ; while a tear 
 had glistened in the eye of little Ella as she 
 received her cousin's farewell kiss, for she had 
 long ceased to shrink from his embrace. 
 
 The orphan was the pet of the school-room ; 
 and her progress was so rapid that the kind 
 heart of Madame Despreaux exulted in her 
 new pupil, who was soon far beyond the 
 voluntary teaching of Matilda. The young 
 intellect suffered to lie fallow, until reason, 
 like sunshine lighting up an arid landscape, 
 lent clearness and beauty to what would other- 
 wise have been bleak and gloomy, eagerly 
 grasped at all within its reach, and retained 
 the treasures thus secured. But while the 
 mind and heart of the child thus ripened; 
 while she richly repaid the zeal of her precep- 
 tress, and responded to all the kindly affection 
 which was poured out upon her, in person
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 199 
 
 she remained as unprepossessing, and even 
 more ungainly than ever. Her complexion 
 continued dark and sallow, and her meagre 
 limbs, exceeding in their growth that of her 
 frail body, gave to her movements an awk- 
 wardness and want of grace which tortured 
 the spirit of the courtly Frenchwoman ; and 
 frequently brought a sneer to the lip of 
 Lady Harriette, as she contrasted the ap- 
 parently hopeless gaucherie of her husband's 
 niece with the natural ease and polish of her 
 own blooming daughters. 
 
 The girls themselves, however, were totally 
 unconscious of any deficiency in " dear Ella," 
 whose school-room triumphs were to them all- 
 important ; and whose wild tales of her native 
 land, of w^hich she had gradually come to 
 speak without effort, were a never faihng source 
 of interest and amusement. The memory 
 of the orphan was one of exceeding tenacity ; 
 and when by chance it failed, an appeal to the 
 ayah, who was her oracle in all things, and
 
 200 THE POOH RELATION. 
 
 whom she loved with all the strength of her 
 young pure heart, always supplied the missing 
 link, and enabled her to complete her legend. 
 And marvellous enough were the tales 
 she told, partly derived from her own recollec- 
 tions, partly drawn from those of her nurse 
 before her birth ; and it was occasionally with 
 a flushed cheek and quivering eyelids that 
 Lady Harriette listened to fragments of these 
 wondrous stories as they were repeated to her 
 by her daughters ; for Ella still retained her 
 old awe of the mistress of Ashton Court, and 
 was silent and uneasy in her presence. There 
 001 lid be no doubt of the fact that Ella was a 
 great heiress ; she talked of almost unheard- 
 of splendour with an unconscious simplicity 
 which thrilled to the very heart of the Earl's 
 daughter, who could not view it in the same 
 common-place light, and thus Mr. Horace Ash- 
 ton's little girl, despite her long arms, and her 
 shock of unmanageable hair, became a very 
 important personage in her eyes 3 and many
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 201 
 
 were the unnecessary injunctions which she 
 gave to the Frenchwoman with regard to her 
 niece; many the emphatic declarations with 
 which she favoured her on the necessity of so 
 forming her mind — she said nothing of her 
 heart — and so perfecting her in every social 
 accompHshment, that she might do honour to 
 the high position which she would one day 
 occupy in the world. 
 
 "She is unfortunately' plain it is true, my 
 dear madame ;" she said with a sigh at the 
 close of one of these anxious and impressive 
 monologues, for she seldom awaited any com- 
 ment or reply from her listener; "but that, 
 you know, is neither your fault nor mine ; 
 we cannot control nature, make what efforts 
 we may to do so ; and, after all, a well-edu- 
 cated and immensely wealthy girl like my lit- 
 tle niece, can afPord to dispense with beauty ; 
 and we must hope that, as she grows oMer, 
 the refinement of the mind will produce its 
 effect upon the body."
 
 202 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 And as she occasionally overheard remarks 
 of this description Ella would shrink away 
 Math a painful consciousness of her inferiority 
 to her little cousins, and wonder that such 
 being the case they should love her so dearly ; 
 and that madame, and even Sir Hercules 
 should bestow upon her as much care and 
 affection as upon Florence and Matilda them- 
 selves. That she should be the one thought 
 and happiness of her faithful Diana excited 
 no astonishment in her guileless mind, for 
 what to her were all the world beside com- 
 pared to her ayah ? But that these new friends 
 should smile on her, and carets her, and be to 
 her precisely as they would have been had she 
 been beautiful and graceful as themselves, 
 awoke in her a wonder which, as she never 
 gave it utterance, afforded her constant matter 
 for reflection. 
 
 "I must strive to be good, and kind, and 
 grateful, as papa bade me ;" she would whis- 
 per to herself; " and I must learn, learn, till
 
 THE POOH RELATION. 203 
 
 I know everything like madame, or perhaps 
 they will get tired of me, and all talk of my 
 ugliness and my awkwardness like Lady Har- 
 riette. I do not cry when Lady Harriette 
 says so, but it would break my heart if 
 Florence and Matilda, and madame, and my 
 kind uncle laughed at me, and despised me. 
 I wonder what Horace thinks" — and then 
 the dark brow grew still darker, and the spe- 
 culative light which had made the deep eyes 
 gleam with the rich lustre of a carbuncle, 
 died out ; for the child remembered the first 
 greeting of the reckless boy-cousin ; and her 
 self-proposed question was inaudibly answered, 
 
 "Well, I suppose I am very ugly — " ran 
 on the train of thought — " Very ugly here in 
 this proud England, where their cheeks are so 
 bright and fresh, and their hair so smooth 
 and shining — and so perhaps when I have 
 grown to be a woman, I had better go back 
 with Dia to our own dear home." 
 
 Poor child ! She did not yet understand
 
 204 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 that she no longer possessed a home on earth 
 save the stranger-one in which she was then 
 abiding. 
 
 Thus were things situated when an Indian 
 letter once more reached Sir Hercules Ashton. 
 Theorphan had resided nearly two years beneath 
 his roof, and his large heart had found ample 
 space to admit her beside his own children. 
 Horace had come and gone ; on each occasion 
 more manly, more subdued, and more eager 
 for his translation to Cambridge, whither his 
 friend Hatherston had preceded him. Florence 
 had increased in beauty ; and even Matilda 
 began to consider herself on the verge of 
 womanhood, and to talk of " little Ella " with 
 an amusing assumption of matronly superi- 
 ority and wisdom. The baronet was a shade 
 more gouty than ever, and a little more irri- 
 table under his sufferings ; but with Lady 
 Harriette time appeared to have stood still, 
 as is frequently the case with persons whose 
 constitutional egotism saves them from all
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 205 
 
 share in the trials of others ; and whose sym- 
 pathies have so narrowed as to centre solely 
 upon themselves. 
 
 To all which affected her own comfort, her 
 own importance, and her own interests, Lady 
 Harriette was, however, keenly alive; and it 
 was consequently with very considerable emo- 
 tion that, in compliance with the request of 
 her husband, who was at the moment most 
 unphilosophically writhing under the torture 
 of a fiercer series of twinges than usual, she 
 proceeded to break the seal of the all-import- 
 ant letter. 
 
 Thus it ran : — 
 
 " Dear Sir ; 
 
 " It is with the most sincere 
 regret that I announce to you the death of 
 my excellent friend and partner Mr. Braveby, 
 which melancholy event took place at Con- 
 stantinople on the 14th of September last. 
 The plague having broken out with consider-
 
 206 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 able virulence, my lamented friend was pre- 
 paring to leave the city, when he was un- 
 happily attacked by the disease, to which he 
 fell a victim after eight-and-forty hours of the 
 most frightful suffering. As I need scarcely 
 explain, this fatal event necessitated so vast 
 an amount of labour in our establishment that 
 I have hitherto been compelled to postpone my 
 present communication ; which, however, I 
 regretted the less ^s I have absolutely nothing 
 satisfactory of which to inform you. Not a 
 trace of any property appertaining to Mr. 
 Horace Ashton, in which our house was con- 
 cerned, exists in the private papers of Mr. 
 Braveby, the whole of which are now in my 
 possession ; nor can either of our confidential 
 clerks give me the slightest information upon 
 the subject. It is therefore to be presumed 
 that if any such property should in fact exist, 
 Mr. Horace Ash ton must have negociated its 
 transfer to England through some other house ; 
 a presumption, however, for which I frankly
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 207 
 
 confess that I see no possible foundation when 
 I consider the strong and long-standing friend- 
 ship which existed between himself and Mr. 
 Braveby." 
 
 Lady Harriette paused. Her breath came 
 thick and fast, and her voice failed. She had 
 for months past built up her pasteboard castle 
 with none but court-cards — she had mentally 
 spurned all less gorgeous material, — and now 
 the whole glittering fabric was strewed in ruins 
 at her feet ! 
 
 "Poor child! Poor little Ella!*' groaned 
 Sir Hercules. 
 
 "It is all an abominable conspiracy!" at 
 length gasped out his wife; "a swindling 
 transaction from beginning to end ; I am 
 sure of it. What could your brother have 
 done with his money ? What could he mean 
 by saying in his letter that he entrusted the 
 fortune of his daughter to you with perfect 
 confidence, if he knew that she was a beggar ?
 
 208 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 And here are we saddled with a girl who is 
 likely to be a burthen to us for the rest of our 
 days in the most shameful manner, when we 
 have children of our own to introduce into the 
 world in a style befitting their position." 
 
 Lady Harriette had lost her temper, and 
 with it all sense of courtesy and womanly 
 feeling. 
 
 ". Read on ;" said the baronet almost sternly, 
 for he had some difficulty in subduing the 
 indignation elicited by the coarse insinuations 
 of his wife. 
 
 Lady Harriette, with a supreme gesture of 
 contemptuous disgust, lifted the obnoxious 
 letter from the table upon which she had flung 
 it in her first moment of passion ; and, after an 
 instant's hesitation during which her curiosity 
 triumphed over her sense of personal injury, 
 she resumed her ungracious task. 
 
 "Under these circumstances — "it proceeded; 
 " there now only remains for me — as I learn
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 209 
 
 from the communication with which you fa- 
 voured me on the receipt ot my last that you 
 are totally unacquainted with your lamented 
 brother's Indian career — to give you all the 
 information which I possess on the subject. It 
 was originally Mr. Horace Ashton's intention to 
 enter into commerce, and he had accordingly fur- 
 nished himself with numerous letters of intro- 
 duction to the leading firms of several different 
 presidencies ; and among others he brought 
 one to Mr. Braveby from an old and most 
 esteemed correspondent. The acquaintance 
 thus formed soon ripened into intimacy, and 
 the two gentlemen became fast friends. I 
 find on a careful examination of our books 
 that heavy sums have from time to time been 
 entrusted to our firm by Mr. Horace Ashton? 
 but I also find notice of their removal from 
 the house ; all these entries are, however, of 
 old date ; and for the last ten years, his name 
 has disappeared from our books altogether. 
 I mention these facts as you may perhaps 
 
 VOL. I. p
 
 210 THE POOR KELATION. 
 
 consider it desirable to make further enquiry 
 among his friends in England. 
 
 " Having, unfortunately, nothing more either 
 to communicate or to suggest regarding the 
 financial afiairs of Mr. Horace Ashton, I will 
 now proceed to give you a broad outline of his 
 social career. I learnt from Mr. Braveby that 
 nothing but want of capital prevented his 
 friend from entering our firm ; and that, aware 
 of such being the fact, he actually made a pro- 
 posal of that nature to Mr. Ashton, feeling 
 that his high principle and great ability would 
 be of the utmost value to the house ; but the 
 ofl'er was firmly declined." 
 
 A low groan burst from the lips of the 
 baronet. 
 
 " During his residence in Calcutta ;" — read 
 on Lady Harriette in a hard unimpassioned 
 tone, as though she scorned to yield even to 
 her own feeling of bitter resentment ; " he 
 occupied himself most assiduously in per- 
 fecting his knowledge of the Oriental Ian-
 
 THE POOE RELATION. 211 
 
 guages, in which he had already made great 
 progress in England ; and it was while he was 
 thus employed that my late partner received 
 
 an application from the Rajah of , (with 
 
 whom he had been for many years in correspon- 
 dence,) to endeavour to induce some European 
 gentleman of education and station in his own 
 country, to become a resident at his court; 
 where he would be treated with the highest 
 consideration, and his services amply remune- 
 rated. Aware that the proposal was one which 
 merited every attention, Mr. Braveby at once 
 communicated it to Mr. Ashton. The idea 
 delighted your brother, opening as it did a 
 wide field of adventure and interest ; and ac- 
 cordingly he left Calcutta, and proceeded up 
 the country. 
 
 " As my partner had anticipated, he received 
 by every opportunity the most satisfactory 
 accounts of his friend's position ; and ere 
 long his letters reached him accompanied by 
 the heavy remittances to which I have already 
 
 p 2
 
 2J2 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 alluded, and which, as I also stated, were 
 subsequently withdrawn. This financial con- 
 nection between Mr. Horace Ashton and our 
 house continued until his marriage with the 
 daughter of his princely patron, which occurred 
 about ten years ago ; after which period, I find 
 no further trace of any business-transaction 
 whatever between us. 
 
 " It will, however, doubtless afiPord his 
 family considerable gratification to learn that 
 Mr. Ashton's position at the court of the 
 Rajah was one of the highest honour and 
 dignity ; and that, in bestowing upon him the 
 hand of his only child, the prince had made 
 him an alter ego, and consequently the second 
 personage in his dominions ; while the beau- 
 tiful young creature to whom he was united, 
 and whose mother had been an European lady 
 of good birth, and consequently a Christian, 
 completed by her afiection the happiness of a 
 life which was unfortunately too brief. The 
 birth of her infant involved, as you are already
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 213 
 
 aware, the death of the mother ; and Mr. 
 Ashton had no sooner become a widower 
 than he withdrew from the court of his father- 
 in-law, and once more estabhshed himself in 
 Calcutta, where he continued to reside until 
 the period of his decease. 
 
 " Whether the large sums once intrusted to 
 our house were exhausted by the necessities of 
 his splendid mode of life, or whether they were 
 otherwise disposed of, the melancholy fate of the 
 principal of our firm has deprived me of all means 
 of ascertaining; the letters of Mr. Ashton, found 
 among Mr. Braveby's private papers, never 
 alluding to the subject ; but I have considered 
 it a duty to the memory of my old and re. 
 gretted friend to place you in possession of all 
 the facts relating to your brother of which I 
 am cognizant; while I cannot moreover re- 
 frain from the avowal that, on due reflection, 
 I myself believe the former supposition to be 
 the correct one ; as, during the second resi- 
 dence of Mr. Ashton at Calcutta, he certainly
 
 214 THE POOR EELATION. 
 
 did not maintain such an establishment as 
 warranted a belief in his great wealth. 
 
 "Pardon my prolixity, which has been 
 caused by my desire to relieve, so far as I am 
 enabled to do so on such vague grounds, all 
 uncertainty as to the deceased gentleman's 
 ultimate circumstances ; and I need not say 
 how sincerely I regret the result of my in- 
 quiries for the sake of his orphan daughter. 
 Should she not have forgotten me, be good 
 enough to offer to her my kindest remem- 
 brances ; and believe me to be, 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 " Yours obediently, 
 
 " Richard Trueman." 
 
 Long ere the voice of his wife sank into 
 silence, the head of Sir Hercules had gradually 
 become bowed upon his breast ; but it was 
 no thought of his brother's want of wealth by 
 which the strong man had been subdued ; not 
 even a thought of his brother's portionless
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 215 
 
 child had obtruded itself in his great sorrow ; 
 he was crushed by the vision which pre- 
 sented itself of that brother bereft of the one 
 idol of his life, and in the utter desolation of 
 his spirit, abandoning the brilliant scenes with 
 which were associated the memories of her 
 whom he had loved and lost ; with no one near 
 him to sustain or to console, far away from 
 those of his own blood and his own name ; a 
 weary watcher for the repose which had come 
 at last. Poor Sir Hercules ! He would will- 
 ingly have bartered ten years of his own 
 existence to have called him back to life ; to 
 have urged his return to the home from 
 which he had so long been an alien ; and 
 to have held him once more to his heart with 
 a brother's grasp. 
 
 Vain and idle yearning ! The grave is too 
 jealous of its prey ever to yield up its dead. 
 We may mourn, and even murmur; but the 
 fiat which has gone forth is irrevocable, and 
 we have only to submit.
 
 21 G THE POOR RELATION, 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS. 
 
 " You are very kind, madame ; extremely 
 kind ;" said Lady Harriette Ashton, about a 
 week subsequent to the arrival of the Indian 
 letter which had set the final seal upon the 
 prospects of little Ella ; — but although the 
 words were flattering, the accent in which 
 they were uttered, invested them with a far 
 different meaning ; " I am convinced that your 
 intentions are excellent ; but you must pardon 
 me if I add that your judgment is in this 
 instance decidedly defective. Circumstances 
 have changed with the niece of Sir Hercules 
 Ashton ; and many things which were both
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 217 
 
 prudent and proper for Mr. Horace Ashton's 
 heiress, are totally unsuited to a hanger-on of 
 her uncle's family. I should be extremely 
 sorry to appear either harsh or unfeeling, but 
 I owe a duty to my own children, and that 
 duty I am resolved to perform." 
 
 The Frenchwoman bowed ; her heart was 
 throbbing almost to suffocation. 
 
 " It may be said ;" pursued the lady of the 
 mansion ; " that our income is large, and that 
 the introduction of a young relative into our 
 home-circle can involve little inconvenience or 
 outlay; that, however, is not the question. 
 Had the Ashton property been double what it 
 actually is, my rank would have enforced its 
 proper expenditure. We have also three chil- 
 dren to establish in the world, and they have 
 every right to exact on our part that their cir- 
 cumstances should be such as to accord with 
 their birth and expectations ; nor will I suffer 
 them to be disappointed for the sake of this 
 child who has been so shamefully thrust upon
 
 218 THE POOR IlELATION. 
 
 US. Until her arrival in England, Sir Hercules 
 and myself were of one mind and one opinion 
 in all tilings ; but since she has been beneath 
 our roof she has been a constant subject of 
 misunderstanding and annoyance." 
 
 ** I sincerely grie\e that such should have 
 been the case ;" mad^me Despreaux ventured 
 to say soothingly. 
 
 '* Such is, nevertheless, the fact ;" continued 
 her interlocutor ; " and if you really feel any 
 regret that Ella can no longer be allowed to 
 profit by the teaching of the professors who 
 are completing the education of my daughters, 
 you certainly do not owe that regret to me ; 
 for had Sir Hercules acceded to my sugges- 
 tion, — which I consider as perfectly rational 
 and reasonable — that the mass of finery which 
 as it now appears, forms the only fortune that 
 the child is ever likely to possess, should be 
 sent up to town to be disposed of, and the 
 proceeds appropriated to her necessary ex- 
 penses while residing with us, I should have
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 219 
 
 made no objection, had they sufficed for such 
 a purpose, to have still permitted the attend- 
 ance of the masters. But even upon this point, 
 simple as it is, I am again thwarted ; Sir Her- 
 cules indeed permits, and even approves, of the 
 idea of turning the said finery into money ; 
 but at the same time he insists that the whole 
 amount, be its extent what it may, shall be 
 invested for her use, and shall be suffered to 
 accumulate, capital and interest, until she is of 
 age. This notion is, I feel, quixotic to a 
 degree ; but I have striven in vain to argue 
 him into reason, and have fairly given up the 
 matter in despair." 
 
 A gleam of intense gratification passed over 
 the expressive face of the governess, but she 
 made no rejoinder. 
 
 " As I stated on a former occasion ;" went 
 on Lady Harriette, becoming more and more 
 heated as she pursued her subject ; " your own 
 valuable services cannot be dispensed with ; 
 and, of course, I shall consider it only just,
 
 220 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 even under these unfortunate circumstances, not 
 to withdraw the increase of salary which — " 
 
 " I do beg of you to believe, Miladi — " 
 
 " You already know my determination on 
 that point, madame ;" hastily interposed Lady 
 Harriette with an imperious gesture ; " there- 
 fore, pray do not let us discuss it again. What 
 I particularly wish to impress upon you is 
 the expediency of confining the future educa- 
 tion of Miss Ella Ashton to the simply useful. 
 It will be most ill-advised to persist in a course 
 of accomplishments totally incompatible with 
 her probable after-position ; and, indeed, all 
 possible competition with her cousins must be 
 carefully avoided. The sooner she is taught 
 to understand the difference in their prospects, 
 the more easily she will become reconciled to 
 what cannot be repaired." 
 
 " It is a sad pity !" sighed madame, half 
 sorrowfully, and half indignantly ; " for she is 
 full of talent and enthusiasm." 
 
 "I am sorry to hear it;" was the hard
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 221 
 
 reply ; " as neither the one nor the other is 
 Ukely to profit her in the world. Be that as 
 it may, however, you now know my sentiments 
 and feeKngs upon the subject, and you will 
 much oblige me by acting accordingly." 
 
 " It will be a terrible blow to the poor dear 
 child ;" said the Frenchwoman. 
 
 " You are all most astonishingly infatuated 
 with this plain ungainly girl ;" exclaimed Lady 
 Harriette with undisguised bitterness ; " I 
 confess I did expect that the members of my 
 own family would have felt for me^ and re- 
 membered the disappointment and vexation to 
 which I have been subjected ; instead of which 
 I find myself compelled to bear my burthen 
 without sympathy or support from any one. 
 This, however, matters little, as I shall, I doubt 
 not, be enabled to make such arrangements as 
 will effectually reduce its pressure. All beneath 
 my roof appear to have forgotten a fact which 
 I at least bear in remembrance, that in the 
 event of my son becoming one day Earl of
 
 222 THE POOE RELATION. 
 
 Disborough, the income of Sir Hercules will 
 be severely taxed ; and that we shall find it 
 worse than impolitic to lessen its capabilities 
 by the reckless adoption of needy relations. 
 
 " But milord Compton is young ;" observed 
 Madame Despreaux ; " and it is to be hoped 
 
 " My lord Compton is mortal, madame ;" 
 again interposed her irate ladyship ; " and 
 I know several instances of succession, where 
 two, and even three persons stood in the way 
 of the individual who ultimately became the 
 representative of the family. All this is idle, 
 however ; the proprieties of life must be ob- 
 served; and consequently Miss Ella Ashton 
 must receive such an education as may enable 
 her to do credit tx) the name she bears ; while 
 1 have a full reliance on your good sense, 
 when 1 say that I trust to yourself to bestow 
 it on her. Beyond this it is my determination 
 that she shall not be permitted to go, as any 
 weakness in this respect can only tend to her 
 future unhappiness."
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 253 
 
 " I will endeavour to obey, Miladi ;" said the 
 governess dejectedly. 
 
 " I expect no less from you, madame ; and I 
 am quite sure that on reflection you will appre- 
 ciate the prudence of my resolution both as re- 
 gards ray own family and the poor child herself 
 — And now I will absorb no more of your valu- 
 able time — " added Lady Harriet te, with a shade 
 more graciousness than she had hitherto exhi- 
 bited ; "I see your pupils returning from their 
 drive with their papa, and I am anxious to 
 learn how Sir Hercules has borne the exertion." 
 And, so saying, she bowed herself from the room. 
 
 On reaching her own apartments the stately 
 egotist walked to the window, and a dark 
 shadow passed over her brow as her eye fell 
 upon the watchful ayah, who was standing 
 beneath the portico, anxiously awaiting the 
 return of her idolized charge ; a few inarticu- 
 late sounds escaped her Hps, which were curved 
 into a smile of triumphant malice for an in- 
 stant, as though a sudden thought, over which
 
 224 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 she gloated, had flashed across her mind ; but 
 in an instant she was again cold and composed, 
 and not a line remained upon her haughty 
 forehead. 
 
 The three girls were full of joy and laughter 
 as they entered the house, and Lady Harriette 
 detected at a glance that the baronet was as 
 merry as his young companions. Good, worthy 
 man ! he forgot alike his years and his ailments 
 as their pure fresh voices sounded in his ears, 
 and their fond and innocent caresses gladdened 
 his heart; while even Ella herself, when re- 
 lieved from the presence of the dreaded Lady 
 Harriette, being the object of her uncle's espe- 
 cial tenderness, ventured to rival her cousins 
 in mirth and enjoyment. As her foot pressed 
 the threshold of the house, however, she be- 
 came suddenly silent ; and locking her hand 
 fast in that of Diana, she ascended with her 
 to her own room, while Sir Hercules and his 
 daughters proceeded to that in which Lady 
 Harriette was awaiting them.
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 225 
 
 " I have promised the girls that, with your 
 permission, they shall share our luncheon, my 
 love ;" said Sir Hercules, as, leaning upon his 
 crutch, he made his way to his accustomed 
 chair ; " do you ratify my pledge ?" 
 
 " If you wish it, certainly ;" was the reply ; 
 " although I confess that I cannot approve of 
 such an innovation upon their usual habits. 
 However, for once I will waive my objection ; 
 so go, my dears, and prepare yourselves, as I 
 am much occupied to-day, and it will incon- 
 venience me to wait." 
 
 " Oh, thank you, mamma ;'* exclaimed Ma- 
 tilda ; " we will make all the haste we can ; 
 and I will go and hurry Ella." 
 
 "You need not do anything of the kind, 
 my dear; your cousin will dine with her 
 governess." 
 
 *' And why so?" asked the baronet hastily. 
 
 " You are aware, Sir Hercules ;" replied his 
 lady, with one of her coldest and most deter- 
 mined smiles ; " that I have a great objection 
 
 VOL. I. Q
 
 226 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 to an odd number at table; it absolutely 
 makes me quite nervous." 
 
 The baronet knew only too well the result 
 of making her ladyship "quite nervous," 
 and he did not consequently venture to ex- 
 postulate. 
 
 Lady Harriette triumphed. She had, very 
 considerately, already commenced the system 
 by which she intended to preserve her niece 
 from the risk of future unhappiness. 
 
 An hour or two subsequently, the presiding 
 genius of the lower apartments was summoned 
 to the presence of her mistress. Sir Hercules 
 had fallen asleep in a well-cushioned chair 
 beside the dining-room fire; the girls were 
 once more at their studies ; and Lady Harriette 
 was seated in solemn state at her embroidery* 
 frame. 
 
 " Come in, Brooks ;" said her ladyship in 
 her blandest tone, as the important functionary 
 stood curtseying at the door; "I want to 
 speak to you on a matter of some importance !"
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 227 
 
 The housekeeper curtsied again, lower than 
 before. 
 
 " I know that I can trust to your good sense 
 and discretion ;'* continued Lady Harriette ; 
 *'and as I have unfortunately been hurried 
 by my feelings into a piece of folly which can- 
 not fail, sooner or later, to expose me to great 
 inconvenience, I shall be glad to understand in 
 how far you may be enabled to help me out 
 of the difficulty." 
 
 *'I am sure, my lady, if I can be useful 
 to your ladyship in any way;" said the ob- 
 sequious Mrs. Brooks; "you have only to 
 command me." 
 
 "I am convinced of your good-will and 
 attachment ;" smiled her mistress ; " and, in- 
 deed, I feel that I have a claim upon both 
 yourself and Andrews, for you may remember 
 the difficulties with which I had to contend 
 when I insisted on establishing you here." 
 
 " I do, and always shall, my lady ; and very 
 grateful we both are." 
 
 q2
 
 228 THE POOPv KELATION. 
 
 "Well, Brooks, I am about to treat you 
 confidentially ;" pursued Lady Harriette, with 
 a faint flush which betrayed that she was im- 
 molating her pride to expediency, and that 
 she did not do it without an effort ; " you will 
 also remember that when my husband's niece 
 arrived at Ashton Court, both Sir* Hercules 
 and myself were led to believe that she was a 
 wealthy heiress." 
 
 " To be sure you were, my lady ;" exclaimed 
 her listener energetically; "and I must say 
 that it was a shameful business altogether !" 
 
 " I quite agree with you, Brooks ; however, 
 the bubble has now burst, and we are no 
 longer deceived upon the subject ; while I am 
 greatly mistaken in your character if you have 
 not discrimination enough to feel that the 
 position of Miss Ella Ashton the heiress, and 
 that of a poor relation of Sir Hercules, is 
 widely different." 
 
 " I should think so indeed, my lady ;" was 
 the ready and scornful rejoinder ; ' ' there can
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 229 
 
 hardly be two opinions on that subject ; and 
 I can assure your ladyship that there was but 
 one voice in the servants' hall, particularly 
 as the under house- maids have had to wait 
 upon that outlandish black woman; which 
 as you know, my lady, they were never hired 
 to do." 
 
 *' True ;*' said her ladyship complacently ; 
 " we could not of course contemplate such a 
 contingency." 
 
 '* Certainly, my lady ; and therefore, and 
 for other considerations, they did not complain 
 to your ladyship ; but I cannot answer for the 
 matter now." 
 
 " At all events, my good Brooks, I shall not 
 suffer you to be inconvenienced by a change 
 of servants on account of Miss Ella Ashton's 
 nurse ;" was the rejoinder of Lady Harriette. 
 " The thing is totally out of the question. I 
 am obliged to you for having informed me of 
 the discontent of your subordinates. I have 
 a great dislike to anything like discontent in
 
 S30 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 my establishment, particularly where the feeling 
 is a legitimate one.'* 
 
 "I am sure your ladyship is very con- 
 siderate;" simpered the housekeeper. 
 
 "I have been thinking, Brooks;" pursued 
 Lady Harriette, with all the sententiousness of 
 a person who had devoted the greatest at- 
 tention to the subject upon which she was 
 about to speak ; " that we are likely before 
 long to have some resident guests in the 
 house : in which case, you know, we shall be 
 quite unable to dispense with the south room. 
 I am sorry, of course, to disturb the niece of 
 Sir Hercules, but I have no alternative. I 
 could not possibly put Lord and Lady Tre- 
 vethick into a sleeping apartment where there 
 is no cabinet de toilette; and, indeed, it is 
 preposterous to imagine that I should be so 
 discourteous to my friends as to allow them 
 to be inconvenienced for a little girl and a 
 negress." 
 
 " I should think so indeed, my lady : and
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 231 
 
 they the first people in the county too. 
 Your ladyship may rely on me; and if you 
 will be kind enough, my lady, to tell me 
 where you wish Miss Ella and the black 
 woman to be accommodated for the future, I 
 will take care that you shall have no more 
 trouble on the subject," said Mrs. Brooks 
 majestically. 
 
 "Well — Brooks — '' replied her mistress 
 after a pause ; and slowly, as though she 
 found some difficulty in giving utterance to 
 what she was about to say — " I don't know 
 — I may be wrong — but it strikes me that 
 the night-nursery, which is now you are 
 aware used only as a lumber-room, would be 
 precisely what we require. It is large, airy, 
 quite out of the way ; and, in every respect, 
 most eligible." 
 
 Even the housekeeper was taken by surprise, 
 and remained silent. 
 
 " You of course comprehend ;" pursued 
 Lady Harriette rather confusedly; "that
 
 232 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 some alterations and improvements will be 
 necessary. I would have given Miss Ella 
 Ashton the day-nursery, but I cannot disturb 
 Mademoiselle Sophie ; and [really, it strikes 
 me that with a comfortable carpet and cur- 
 tains — " 
 
 " I will do my best, my lady." 
 
 *' I am sure you will, Brooks, so that affair 
 is settled ; and when do you think the arrange- 
 ment can be made ?'' 
 
 " All shall be done as soon as possible, my 
 lady ; but as the place has not been used for 
 the last eight years, and is somewhat damp, 
 I think it will be near a month — '' 
 
 " A month ! Nonsense !'* angrily exclaimed 
 Lady Harriette ; " the idea is absurd ; a good 
 fire for a couple of days after the lumber is 
 removed, is all that can be requisite." 
 
 " Perhaps so, my lady ;" was the rejoinder ; 
 *' only as the shutters have remained closed ever 
 since the young ladies were removed to their 
 present suite, I fear that the window-frames
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 233 
 
 must be in a bad state ; indeed, I know that 
 they are so from their appearance outside; 
 and if your ladyship remembers, I mentioned 
 this to you, my lady, a year or two ago ; but 
 as they opened on the stable-yard, and could 
 not be seen from the grounds, you thought it 
 of no consequence." 
 
 " Now you mention it, I do recollect some- 
 thing of the kind ;" said Lady Harriette visibly 
 annoyed. " Well, you must send for the car- 
 penter, and order the necessary repairs to be 
 made. The room is large, and will accom- 
 modate both the child and her nurse. I do 
 not see that I can make a better arrange- 
 ment.'* 
 
 "I will attend to it immediately, my 
 lady.'' 
 
 '* Do so ; for I cannot dispense with the 
 south room." 
 
 A fortnight afterwards the orphan and her 
 ayah were installed in their new apartment. 
 JEUa the heiress had been pillowed on down,
 
 234 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 screened from the night air by draperies of 
 satin damask, surrounded by gilded mirrors, 
 carved oaken panels, and toys and trinkets of 
 all kinds ; and looked from her tall window 
 upon noble trees, and limpid water, and bright- 
 coloured blossoms ; Ella the orphan slept upon 
 a little bed curtained with dimity, in a room 
 whose walls were coldly covered with a faded, 
 time-worn paper, where no object of luxury 
 broke the weary monotony of the scene around 
 her; and when she wandered to her casement, 
 it was only to shrink back in disgust from 
 sights and scents to which she had hitherto 
 been a stranger. 
 
 She wept bitterly the first night, poor deso- 
 late child ! She wept herself to sleep, but she 
 did not murmur ; while the Indian woman, 
 sweeping the whole room with a glance as 
 bitter as hate could make it, cowered in a 
 corner, and covered her face with her hands, 
 as she murmured from time to time a few 
 sentences in her native tongue, which assuredly
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 235 
 
 called down no benison upon the relatives of 
 her idolised nursling. 
 
 The second phase of the orphan's European 
 existence had arrived.
 
 236 THE POOR RELATION, 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE MARCH OF TIME. 
 
 That Lady Harriette Ashton could effect 
 so serious a change in the position of her 
 niece without certain qualms of conscience, 
 no one will be prepared to believe ; and it was 
 doubtlessly owing to these disagreeable and 
 obtrusive sensations that she avoided all per- 
 sonal investigation of the new apartment which 
 had been appropriated to the use of Ella and 
 her attendant, and absented herself entirely 
 from the schoolroom, leaving to Madame Des- 
 preaux the task of releasing the professors from 
 their attendance on the orphan. 
 
 Nothing could have happened more fortu-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 237 
 
 nately, as the generous-minded Frenchwoman 
 had become so great a favourite with the 
 several masters, that when, having secured a 
 suitable opportunity, she explained to them 
 with the true eloquence of the heart, and 
 with a delicacy which admirably screened the 
 egotism of Lady Harriette, the altered pros- 
 pects of their little pupil, there was a general 
 declaration that the withdrawal of Ella from 
 the several classes would tend to discourage 
 her cousins, and to destroy the emulation by 
 which they were all three so greatly benefitted ; 
 and it was ultimately decided that, without 
 permitting the sensitive child to have a sus- 
 picion of the truth, her studies were to be 
 continued at a decreased rate of payment, to 
 be furnished by the kindhearted governess, 
 whose affection for her young charge had be- 
 come almost maternal. 
 
 Meanwhile Sir Hercules, who entertained 
 no suspicion of the domestic arrangements by 
 which his brother's child had been made to
 
 238 THE POOH RELATION. 
 
 feel that she had degenerated into a poor 
 relation, — the most onerous position upon 
 earth for a high spirit and a generous nature, 
 — was earnestly endeavouring to secure from 
 the remnant of the property which had so 
 mysteriously disappeared, but of whose former 
 existence he had never for an instant doubted, 
 a small fortune for Ella. Large as was his 
 own income, the claims upon it were so 
 numerous, and the jealousy of Lady Harriette 
 on pecuniary matters was so great, that he 
 shrank from any attempt to divert even the 
 smallest portion of it from herself and her 
 children ; and it was, consequently, with even 
 nervous anxiety, that he awaited the infor- 
 mation he sought relatively to the value of 
 the property which had accompanied Ella to 
 England. 
 
 Fortunately, just at this period Horace and 
 his friend Hatherston arrived at Ashley Court ; 
 and their surprise was extreme when they 
 learned the result of the brilliant expectations
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 239 
 
 in which the relatives of the orphan had in- 
 dulged. After their first astonishment had 
 somewhat subsided, Sir Hercules proceeded to 
 inform them of the steps that he was taking 
 to realise a small sum for his niece, which 
 might accumulate during her minority, and thus 
 afford a moderate provision for her after-life. 
 The replies which he had hitherto received to 
 his inquiries from the agents to whom he had 
 forwarded the articles of which he sought to 
 dispose, had, however, been so unsatisfactory, 
 from their discrepancy with his own idea of 
 their value, that he had hesitated to authorise 
 any sale ; and he no sooner mentioned this 
 circumstance than Frank exclaimed ear- 
 nestly : — 
 
 '* Leave the matter in my hands, my dear 
 sir ; and rely on it that the poor little girl 
 shall not be defrauded of a single shilling. 
 My uncle has so wide an Anglo-Indian con- 
 nection, that there is no man in Great Britain 
 more competent to enforce her interests. He
 
 240 THE POOR HELATION. 
 
 knows by long experience the actual value of 
 all Indian produce ; and will have no difficulty 
 in obtaining it for your niece, be the articles 
 what they may.'' 
 
 This offer was, of course, joyfully accepted ; 
 and ere long the baronet received the welcome 
 intelligence that the sum realised had been 
 four thousand pounds, which in ten or eleven 
 years would, with the compound interest ac- 
 cruing thereon, place the child of his brother 
 at least above w^ant. Hearty were his self- 
 gratulations on arriving at this conclusion, 
 but those of his wife were much less so. 
 
 "You cannot be serious, Sir Hercules/' 
 she said with considerable asperity. "Have 
 you not frequently regretted that you could 
 not, with justice to your son, give your daugh- 
 ters more than ten thousand pounds each? 
 And aie you prepared to place your niece — a 
 child who has been, I must say, most un- 
 handsomely thrust upon us — in nearly as 
 good a position as they will be ? The thing
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 241 
 
 is absurd ! What right have we to be bur- 
 dened with the education and maintenance of 
 Miss Ella Ashton while she possesses the 
 means of self-sustainment ? Were she totally 
 destitute, I should not, of course, have a word 
 to say; but under existing circumstances I 
 must be permitted to remark, that the duty 
 which you owe to your own family will not 
 permit so ostentatious an exhibition of mu- 
 nificence. We have to look forward to many 
 years of care and responsibility with this 
 child; and it appears to me that by ap- 
 propriating a moiety of the sum to her expenses 
 while under our roof, and investing the 
 remainder as you have just proposed, you will 
 act fairly, and even generously, to all parties." 
 "Surely, Lady Harriette;" exclaimed her 
 husband in an accent of offended dignity; 
 *' you do not wish me to understand that the 
 orphan of my only brother should be expected 
 to pay for her board and lodging under my 
 
 VOL. I. R
 
 242 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 roof? No, no; I must have misconstrued 
 your meaning." 
 
 " Not at all ;" retorted the lady, contracting 
 the lines of her mouth until the thin lips 
 almost disappeared ; " You appear to have 
 overlooked a probability which has, however, 
 never escaped me. The life of my father, 
 with his reckless and dissipated habits, is by 
 no means a good one; while that of my 
 brother, ailing as he has been from his birth, 
 is even still more insecure ; and, in the event 
 of their demise, you will do well to remember 
 that Horace — that your own son — will become 
 the representative of the Disboroughs with 
 barely a necessary income to support the honor 
 of the peerage." 
 
 " It is true that he will inherit little save 
 liabilities from his predecessors in the dignity ;" 
 observed the baronet, with a sarcasm unusual 
 to his frank and loyal nature. 
 
 "The more imperative, therefore, is the 
 necessity of husbanding all your resomccs
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 243 
 
 Sir Hercules ;" replied his wife steadily, and 
 without the quivering of an eyelid ; " and I shall 
 not, therefore, suffer the interests of my son to 
 be sacrificed to those of a stranger." 
 
 *' Lady Harriette Ashton ;" said the baronet, 
 suddenly sitting upright in his chair, and 
 drawing his tall figure to its utmost height ; 
 '* you have surely, in giving me" such an as- 
 surance, forgotten in your turn two rather 
 important circumstances ; allow me to remind 
 you of them. In asking your hand, I asked 
 and obtained nothing more ; though I believe 
 I am correct in asserting that your settlement 
 would have led a stranger to a very different 
 conclusion ; while Horace Ashton, although 
 he may — which I trust that he never will — 
 become one day Earl of Disborough, is my 
 son as well as your own ; and that should he 
 find his coronet encompassed by defective 
 title-deeds, mortgages, and other documents 
 of the same nature, he will at least not have 
 inherited them from me.'* 
 
 R 2
 
 244 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 The lips of Lady Harriette relaxed; she 
 drew a long, a very long breath ; and then 
 sat in silence gazing upon her husband. She 
 had never hitherto elicited a spark from the 
 flint of his nature, but now the steel of her 
 own had smitten upon it so sharply that the 
 hidden fire flashed out. And for this sudden 
 and unheard-of exhibition of self-will and self- 
 assertion she was indebted to his penniless 
 niece ! The conviction nearly choked her for 
 a time; but as Sir Hercules, writhing with 
 the pain occasioned by the abrupt movement 
 into which he had been betrayed, once more 
 leant back upon his cushions, and began to 
 pass his hand cautiously along the suffering 
 limb, she slowly rallied. 
 
 " I had yet to learn. Sir Hercules Ashton ;" 
 she said bitterly; "that you could be alike 
 unmanly and ungentlemanhke. I have never 
 reproached you with your inability to confer a 
 title on my son, and I certainly did not an- 
 ticipate that you would taunt me with my
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 245 
 
 want of power to enrich him. All further 
 altercation on this very unpleasant subject is, 
 however, idle. I now thoroughly understand, 
 that having indulged your vanity when a 
 young man by marrying the daughter of a 
 peer, you are now resolved to foster your 
 egotism as an old one by sacrificing her 
 interests and those of her children to a whim, 
 which, while it may possibly gain for you 
 a reputation for generosity throughout the 
 county, will certainly not insure to you one 
 for either justice or sanity." 
 
 " I am sorry to see you take so false a view 
 of my determination ;" replied Sir Hercules ; 
 "which has been, I can conscientiously de- 
 clare, partially based upon the conviction that 
 I have more than once heard you yourself 
 express, to the effect that so plain and un- 
 prepossessing a child as little Ella could never, 
 when she reached womanhood, aspire to an 
 eligible marriage, save through the medium of 
 a large fortune. For our own dear girls we
 
 246 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 need entertain no such apprehension : and I 
 therefore look upon it as my bounden duty, as 
 it assuredly is my earnest desire, to secure to 
 her at least a chance of forming such a match 
 as from the rank and position of her family 
 she is entitled to." 
 
 "Do you also remember how long a time 
 has elapsed since I uttered that opinion? 
 Sir Hercules ;" asked his wife, as a hot flush 
 rose to her brow, and burnt there ; " and can 
 you have been brought into almost daily con- 
 tact with your niece without remarking the 
 extraordinary and steadily-progressing change 
 which has taken place in her appearance? 
 Are you ignorant that Horace and his friend 
 did not even recognise her on their arrival? 
 and that if we are not very careful to prevent 
 it, she will in a few years prove a formidable 
 rival to Florence and Matilda ?" 
 
 " I never entertained such a notion for an 
 instant;" said the worthy baronet, elevating 
 bis bushy eyebrows in astonishment ; " but I
 
 THE POOE, RELATION. 247 
 
 am glad to hear it ; very glad to hear it. It 
 is a sign that the dear child is happy and 
 well-cared for ; and I can assure you, my dear 
 Ijady Harriette, that I am sincerely grateful 
 to you for all your kind and motherly affection 
 to the poor orphan girl. However, I trust 
 that she will one day repay it tenfold, while 
 your own heart will reward you meanwhile." 
 
 It is possible that the person thus addressed 
 might feel slightly embarrassed by so equi- 
 vocal a compliment, but it is at least certain 
 that she did not betray any symptom of con- 
 fusion ; on the contrary, she collected her 
 silks and wools about her, and settled herself 
 at her embroidery-frame as calmly as though 
 she had not, for the first time in her life, been 
 worsted in a war of will with her husband. 
 
 Here, therefore, terminated the contention, 
 but it left behind it, in the mind and heart of 
 Lady Harriette Ashton, a bitterness which did 
 not fail to increase her jealousy and dislike 
 of the helpless Ella ; but for a time she
 
 248 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 remained perfectly passive. There was still a 
 hope that Sir Hercules, on mature deliberation, 
 might rescind his ridiculous determination ; 
 but when at length she ascertained that the 
 four thousand pounds had actually been funded 
 by the family solicitor, she could not longer 
 restrain her indignation and annoyance. She 
 was, however, too wise to betray her feelings 
 in the presence of her husband ; the first 
 check sufficed; and she resolved that the 
 subject of Ella's position at Ashton Court 
 should never again be mooted between them. 
 
 There were, moreover, escape-valves enough 
 by which her angry feelings could evaporate, 
 and these were kept in constant play. When- 
 ever the baronet, (who, since he had been 
 incapacitated by the gout from pursuing his 
 former avocations, had become extremely me- 
 thodical in his money-matters,) remarked an 
 increase in his quarterly expenditure, and 
 examined the accounts to ascertain its cause, 
 he was perpetually compelled to trace it to
 
 THE POOH RELATION. 249 
 
 some considerable outlay consequent on the 
 residence of his niece and her attendant under 
 his roof. When the house failed to afford 
 sufficient accommodation for the guests whom 
 Lady Harriette now began to gather about 
 her, and that she found herself driven to the 
 necessity of engaging beds at the Ashton 
 Arms in the adjacent village, this inconvenient 
 arrangement was always accounted for, by the 
 fact that, Miss Ella Ashton and her ayah 
 occupied those which had formerly been 
 available on similar occasions. No opportunity 
 was lost of enforcing upon both the baronet 
 and his visitors the sacrifices to which his 
 unbounded affection for the orphan had sub- 
 jected his family and household ; while even the 
 under-servants, who had in the first instance, 
 merely declined to wait upon the Indian 
 woman, ultimately refused their services to 
 the young lady also, alleging that they were only 
 engaged to " do the work of the family ;" and 
 that as Diana was supposed to wait upon her
 
 250 THE POOB RELATION. 
 
 mistress, it was right and proper that she 
 should do so. All these complaints and 
 murmurs were carefully communicated to 
 Lady Harriette in the presence of the baronet, 
 by her obsequious ally Mrs. Brooks ; and as 
 they worried and unnerved him, he made no 
 comment when his wife at length declared 
 that she could not suffer her establishment to 
 be disorganised by any such consideration, 
 particularly as she was compelled to concede 
 that the objection was by no means an 
 unreasonable one ; and that she should, in 
 consequence of that conviction, authorise Mrs. 
 Brooks to explain to the ayah the necessity of 
 performing her duties to her charge without 
 extraneous assistance. 
 
 When the decision of her ladyship was 
 communicated to the Indian woman she 
 tossed her arms in the air, and displayed her 
 magnificent teeth in a smile of unmistakeable 
 delight. She was at last to be the sole 
 guardian of her nursling, when the latter was
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 251 
 
 emancipated from the demands of the study 
 and the drawing-room ! This conviction was 
 as a renewal of the past existence of devotion 
 which had been the very breath of life to 
 her ; while to Ella it was scarcely less welcome ; 
 for although the child had learnt to love her 
 gentle cousins and her adoring uncle, she had 
 more than once writhed under the reluctant 
 and almost disrespectful deportment of the 
 servants who had hitherto been supposed to 
 minister to her comfort. The two were to be 
 alone together — alone as they had been after 
 the death of her last parent — on the wide 
 ocean which they had traversed to reach their 
 present inhospitable home — as they had been 
 in the ruined hut in the wood — alone in 
 sorrow, in anxiety, and in suspense. They 
 might yet hope for many happy hours in 
 which to recal the past, and to speculate upon 
 the future.
 
 252 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 MISTRESS AND PUPIL. 
 
 Months passed on with little apparent 
 change in the family at Ashton Court, although 
 they brought their slow but unceasing effect 
 upon one individual of the domestic circle. 
 With the exception of the school-room, and her 
 own narrow and comfortless chamber, Ella 
 found herself an intruder everywhere. If she 
 chanced to be detected by Lady Harriette in 
 any healthy and active amusement with her 
 cousins, she was coldly desired to be less 
 boisterous in her movements, as her wardrobe 
 was too scanty to justify her in destroying her 
 clothes when she had no means of replacing
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 253 
 
 them ; when she was urged by her uncle, 
 (who still remained utterly unsuspicious that 
 Lady Harriette had long ago forbidden all 
 further attendance of the several masters upon 
 his niece, as their charges still appeared duly 
 registered in his quarterly accounts in order to 
 keep him in ignorance of the fact ;) to amuse 
 him in her turn when the girls were assembled 
 in the drawing-room, by exhibiting the pro- 
 gress which she had made in her music, her 
 wily enemy, apprehensive that the deficiency 
 of her victim in this respect — for of that 
 deficiency she had naturally no doubt — would 
 startle the baronet into inquiries which might 
 prove unpleasant to herself, was never at a 
 loss to discover some means by which the 
 display might be prevented — either the child 
 was not accustomed to any instrument save 
 that in the schooUroom ; or Madame Des- 
 preaux was anxious that she should complete 
 an unfinished task ; or she had over- fatigued 
 herself in the park, and had better not be
 
 254 THE POOE RELATION. 
 
 called upon to use any further exertion that 
 day ; or she herself, on some frivolous pretext 
 left the room, summoning Ella to accompany 
 her, and then dismissed her coldly, remarking 
 that she had better amuse herself in her own 
 way, as Sir Hercules was unequal to contend 
 against so much noise and excitement. 
 
 Deeply did the sensitive child feel these 
 perpetual mortifications, but with a strength 
 of character beyond her years she uttered no 
 word of complaint, either to her indulgent 
 governess or her idolizing nurse ; and thus, 
 neither the one nor the other suspected when 
 she returned from the drawing-room to share 
 their solitude, that her retreat was compulsory. 
 The Frenchwoman, whose existence was one 
 of almost unwearied monotony, was ever ready 
 to hail the appearance of her favourite, and to 
 devote the hours thus gained to the further 
 development of her mind and character ; w^hile 
 the ayah, towards w^hom her charge ever 
 turned when some more bitter persecution
 
 THE :pooe relation. 255 
 
 than usual had rendered her unable to encounter 
 even the kind smiles and encouraging praises 
 of the governess, desired no higher joy on 
 earth than to sit for hours upon her cushions, 
 with the head of her beloved one on her 
 knees, murmuring beneath her breath every 
 epithet of endearment of which her native 
 language was susceptible. 
 
 And so time wore on. Ella, while thanks 
 to her untiring friend Madame Despreaux, she 
 rapidly became a model of gracefulness and 
 talent, had ceased to contend against her des- 
 tiny. The shrinking shyness of the pampered 
 child, suddenly transplanted from a home of 
 luxury and indulgence to a strange and un- 
 genial world where all was new and startling, 
 and much thoroughly antagonistic to her 
 nature, grew almost imperceptibly into a re- 
 served and self-centred girl, inwardly defiant 
 of everything around her, but submissive 
 without even a murmur. 
 
 She began to comprehend her position ; and
 
 256 THE POOR EELATlbN. 
 
 who shall say how weary and hopeless a con- 
 viction was thus forced upon her? Her 
 memories of the past were becoming fainter, 
 it is true; and she still clung to her ayah 
 with feelings of the fondest affection, and to 
 the good Prenchwoman with earnest gratitude ; 
 but even in her young cousins she was con- 
 scious of a change which she could not ex- 
 plain even to herself; while she felt that her 
 uncle, amid his occasional endearments and 
 consistent kindness, was nevertheless un- 
 able or unwilling to replace to her what 
 she had lost. Of Lady Harriette she never 
 thought, save when some new severity for 
 which she could conjecture no cause, forced 
 the unwelcome memory upon her ; and thus 
 the present was wearisome and cheerless ; 
 while into the future she did not even attempt 
 to look. She was only upon the threshold of 
 life, but she was already subdued in spirit, and 
 careless of the path before her. 
 
 '* Courage, ma mignonne !" would Madame
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 257 
 
 Despreaux occasionally exclaim, when she saw 
 the lofty brow clouded, and the large eyes 
 dimmed by an unspoken suffering, doubly 
 touching at so tender an age ; " there are 
 bright days yet in store for you. Only do 
 yourself justice, Ella, and you may command 
 your own destiny. You have rare and bril- 
 liant talents, and ample opportunity for im- 
 proving them to the utmost. Turn all your 
 attention to this point; learn to suffice to 
 yourself; and beHeve me when I tell you 
 that there is no greater blessing on earth than 
 a conviction of personal independence." 
 
 And when these kindly words were uttered, 
 the orphan would listen with a sad and grateful 
 smile, and strive to profit by the anxious 
 counsels of her preceptress ; but the human 
 heart ever yearns for the sympathy which is 
 withheld from it ; and the character is moulded 
 from circumstances, before the education of 
 the world is fairly begun. 
 
 There was a change in Florence and Ma- 
 
 VOL. I. s
 
 258 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 tilda, a great moral change ; although neither 
 the one nor the other betrayed it by a word. 
 " Dear Ella " was still urged to join them in 
 all their amusements and pursuits ; but it was 
 with an air of patronage which at once bewil- 
 dered and estranged their timid cousin. Lady 
 Harriette was a rare tactician ! She never once 
 desired her daughters to slight or to neglect 
 the orphan, but she never became the subject 
 of discourse during her absence that she did 
 not allude to her in an accent of pity, as of 
 one whose existence was already blighted ; and 
 impress upon them the propriety of being 
 kind to the poor child who was indebted to 
 their father for the very roof that sheltered 
 her. 
 
 We all know how dearly the young love 
 to indulge in a feeling of patronage, neces- 
 sarily controlled by their elders ; how they 
 glory in becoming in their turn important, at 
 least in their own eyes; and thus the two 
 pure-hearted girls, unconscious of the injustice
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 259 
 
 of which they were guilty in thus visiting 
 upon their unfortunate cousin the disappoint- 
 ment that had befallen her, easily accus- 
 tomed themselves to take the tone of their 
 mother's mind, and to talk of "poor Ella" 
 as an inferior. They still loved her, even 
 more dearly perhaps than they were themselves 
 aware of; but mingled with their affection 
 there slowly and steadily grew up a feeling of 
 superiority, which sadly marred the sacredness 
 of the tie between them. 
 
 Florence, moreover, was rapidly ripening 
 into that first stage of blooming girlhood 
 when vanity begins to mingle with the calmer 
 and less self-centred temperament of earlier 
 years; and the extraordinory proficiency of 
 her portionless cousin in the several accom- 
 plishments which they pursued together, gra- 
 dually ceased to awaken her emulation, and 
 began to excite her jealousy. Her, cheeks 
 flushed and burnt as she was urged to imitate 
 the untiring study and consequent success of 
 
 s 2
 
 260 THE POOR RELATION . 
 
 her uncle's orphan ; and the hot tears of 
 mortification rose to her eyes as she listened 
 to the covert rebuke. In vain did Ella, with 
 all the zealousness of a young and eager heart, 
 strive to retain the waning affections which 
 she too plainly saw were fading from her ; the 
 beautiful Florence had taught herself to feel 
 aggrieved by so unequal a rivalry ; and the 
 suffering child soon wept in silence over another 
 heart lost to her. 
 
 Madame Despreaux, meanwhile, looked on, 
 and understood all ; but she was far too judi- 
 cious to interfere, even by a word. 
 
 She saw whence the blow came, and she 
 was jealous in her turn. The disposition of 
 her favourite pupil was her constant study. 
 ** She may not be beautiful in the eyes of 
 Lady Harriette ;" she mentally whispered ; 
 " but she is amiable and high-hearted ; she 
 has within her all the elements of good. As 
 she reflects upon what is taking place about 
 her, she may doubt, and even suspect, but she
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 2G1 
 
 cannot be convinced how deeply she is wronged. 
 Let her live on in this happy ignorance while 
 she can ; the truth will be forced upon her 
 only too soon ; and meanwhile she is all that 
 I have sought to make her ; guileless, loving, 
 and enduring. Her whole after-hfe will be 
 perfected by the trials of her youth." 
 
 Fortunate was it for the orphan that 
 she possessed so true and well-judging a 
 friend. 
 
 The effect of her mother's comments upon 
 the mind of the volatile Matilda was totally 
 different from that which they produced 
 on Florence. Naturally gay and laughter- 
 loving, the comments of her instructors made 
 httle or no impression upon her ; and the 
 ready exclamation ; '*' Oh, but you must see 
 that I am not so clever as Ella;" was the 
 reply to every expostulation. Unlike her 
 sister, she gratefully accepted the offers of 
 assistance volunteered by her cousin when any 
 apparently insurmountable difficulty presented
 
 262 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 itself in her studies ; but she was, at the same 
 time, more incautious than Florence ; and 
 occasionally betrayed a consciousness of Ella's 
 dependent position, which, had the orphan yet 
 learnt to dwell upon such a consideration, 
 must have awakened her to the truth. 
 
 And in this dreary way, month, as we have 
 said, succeeded month, in the girl-life of our 
 heroine ; who, if she ceased to yearn for a 
 brighter existence, had at least equally forgot- 
 ten that another and a sharper pang could 
 be added to her early suffering. That 
 pang was, however, fated to be felt, and to be 
 borne. 
 
 It has been hinted that it was a part of 
 Lady Harriette Ashton's poKcy to augment 
 the expenses of her household ; and to imply 
 wherever such an impHcation was practicable, 
 that the increase of outlay was consequent upon 
 the domestication of the orphan at Ashton 
 Court. The expenses of Horace at Cam- 
 bridge were considerable ; for, secure of the
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 263 
 
 support of his mother, the young man in- 
 dulged himself in all the pleasures of his age ; 
 and wrote fluently of the absolute necessity 
 of supporting the honour of his name. On 
 the plea of soon introducing Florence into 
 society, the grim old house once more opened 
 its long-inhospitable portals, and a steady 
 course of reciprocal visiting was resumed with 
 the country families ; consequently from one 
 cause or other, the baronet, whose malady al- 
 ready rendered him disincHned to the convivia- 
 lities which had been denied to him when he 
 could have heartily participated in them, soon 
 discovered, as he pored over his beloved account 
 books, that the annual sum which he had been 
 accustomed to economize in order to complete 
 the marriage-portion of his daughters, was 
 yearly absorbed in the expenses of his house- 
 hold. 
 
 To his periodical comments on this fact, 
 Lady Harriette had one stereotyped reply ; 
 " You must remember that our family has
 
 264 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 increased. Sir Hercules ;" and, as she knew 
 must be the case, her husband was silenced. 
 
 Still the fact rankled in the anxious mind 
 of the worthy old baronet. He felt satisfied 
 that he held his life on a very precarious 
 tenure; the Ashtons almost universally died 
 young ; and he was a martyr to gout, a disease 
 which is proverbially said never to kill, and 
 which probably never does so — when its 
 particular locality can be enforced; he had 
 always indulged the hope that he should be 
 able to bequeath the family property to his 
 son, absolutely unincumbered, save by the 
 jointure of his mother; and now, that he 
 found himself unable even to complete the 
 modest dowry of his daughters, he became 
 irritable and uneasy. 
 
 Still, however, no idea of visiting his dis- 
 appointment upon the orphan of his brother 
 ever crossed his mind for an instant; and if 
 he sometimes thought of her in connexion with 
 this new annoyance, it was to marvel how a
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 2 05 
 
 mere child — for, like most elderly people, Sir 
 Hercules forgot that children gradually grow 
 into men and women — how a mere child and 
 her nurse could make a difference of several 
 hundreds a-year in his income.
 
 266 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A NEW SORROW. 
 
 Such was the state of affairs at Ashton 
 Court when the letter-bag was one morning 
 brought into the breakfast-room by a servant, 
 just as Sir Hercules, 'after a sharper paroxysm 
 than usual, had fallen asleep in his chair, while 
 Lady Harriette was engaged with the county 
 paper. The opening of the door, cautiously 
 as it was effected, sufficed to disturb the 
 uneasy slumber of the baronet ; and he was 
 consequently in anything but a placid mood 
 when his wife turned the key in the lock of 
 the letter-bag, and proceeded to examine its 
 contents.
 
 THE POOH RELATION. 267 
 
 " There is no letter from Horry to-day ;" 
 she said half angrily; "he really appears to 
 forget that he has any interests or affections 
 beyond the walls of his college. — A packet for 
 Madame Despreaux from Paris ! That is 
 something unusual." She rang the bell, and 
 desired the servant who answered her sum- 
 mons to deliver it forthwith ; " and here. Sir 
 Hercules, is a letter for you. I think the 
 hand is familiar to me." 
 
 " I trust that master Horace has not drawn 
 another bill upon me already ;" was the im- 
 patient retort. 
 
 " In that case I should probably not 
 have recognised the writing ;" observed Lady 
 Harriette, still retaining the letter. *' Shall I 
 open it, and read it to you ?" 
 
 " If you please." 
 
 "It is from Captain Burton ; he may, 
 perhaps, have received some intelligence, Sir 
 Hercules ;" she said with considerable excite- 
 ment ; " and should it be so, it is a very polite 
 attention on his part."
 
 268 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " He has acted admirably throughout ;" was 
 the reply of the baronet ; " but what says his 
 letter?'' 
 
 " May I venture to hope ;" read Lady 
 Harriette ; " that Sir Hercules and Lady 
 Ashton will pardon this intrusion, when I 
 assure them that I venture upon it in the hope 
 of serving both parties by the proposition which 
 I am about to make, on the suggestion of a 
 lady of great respectability and high station 
 in Calcutta, who is, on my next voyage, to be 
 one of my passengers to India? This lady, 
 who has visited England for the purpose of 
 placing her two eldest daughters at school, is 
 about to return accompanied by the youngest, 
 a little girl of about six years of age, from 
 whom she has not had courage to part ; 
 and she is extremely anxious to procure a 
 native ayah, well recommended, who, should 
 she fulfil her duties satisfactorily while on 
 board, she is willing to retain in her 
 family after their arrival. As she applied to
 
 THE POOH RELATION. 269 
 
 me for assistance on this point, it struck me 
 that Miss Ella Ashton having now resided a 
 considerable time in England, you might per- 
 haps be glad of so eligible an opportunity of 
 restoring her attendant to her native country. 
 Should this prove to be the case, I shall be 
 happy to forward to you the most undeniable 
 references with regard to the lady under whose 
 protection she will make the voyage ; while 
 I beg to assure you that no exertion shall be 
 wanting on my part to ensure her comfort. 
 In the event of your wishing to retain her 
 in your establishment, I can only request that 
 you will be good enough to pardon my inter- 
 ference ; and to believe that I am always, 
 " Yours obediently, 
 
 " John Henry Burton." 
 " P.S. — We shall clear out from the East 
 India Docks on the fifteenth of the month, 
 and sail by the early tide of the following 
 morning."
 
 270 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " Why, this is absolutely providential !" 
 exclaimed Lady Harriette triumphantly, as she 
 refolded the letter ; " Nothing could have 
 happened better. Of course we can only be 
 too happy to profit by so excellent an oppor- 
 tunity.'' 
 
 ** But will the poor child consent to part 
 from her nurse ?" asked the baronet nervously. 
 
 " Consent !" echoed his vrife ; " Do you 
 imagine for one moment, Sir Hercules, that I 
 shall consult a mere girl upon such a subject ? 
 Is she not living under the roof of her nearest 
 relatives ? In the bosom of her father's family ? 
 What can she possibly desire more ? She has 
 friends of her own age ; protectors of her own 
 blood; and she would disgrace her name 
 should she, under such circumstances, cling to 
 a black woman ! You should remember also 
 that she is no longer a baby, and that an In- 
 dian nurse is a strange appendage to such an 
 establishment as ours."
 
 THE POOH RELATION. 271 
 
 " Still, Diana is the last link between Ella 
 and the land of her birth." 
 
 " I admit the pretty sentimentality of the 
 consideration ;" said Lady Harriette ironically ; 
 " but you appear to have forgotten, Sir Her- 
 cules, that your niece is too poor to indulge in 
 sentiment. I need not now point out to you 
 the immense increase of expense which her 
 residence with us has occasioned ; and I do 
 not hesitate to say that I consider it my duty, 
 both to myself and my children, to embrace 
 so eligible an opportunity of decreasing it." 
 
 " Nevertheless, you may remember that my 
 poor brother, in the letter written upon his 
 death-bed—" 
 
 " Pray, Sir Hercules ;" exclaimed his wife 
 pettishly ; " do not advert to that letter. It 
 has already sufficiently misled us ; and I have 
 occasionally suspected that Mr. Horace Ash- 
 ton could not have been altogether sane when 
 it was written, or he would never have in- 
 dulged in a mystification concerning his
 
 272 THE POOR RELATION, 
 
 property, which would have been absolutely 
 dishonorable had he been in his right mind." 
 
 "Is it possible, Lady Harriette — " com- 
 menced the baronet, in great agitation. 
 
 " Quite possible ;" was the calm rejoinder ; 
 " and I think extremely charitable. However, 
 we will not further discuss so very disagreeable 
 a subject. I will merely place the present 
 position of your niece in a common-sense 
 point of view. Have your own daughters — 
 the grandchildren of the Earl of Disborough — 
 each their personal attendant ? And are we 
 called upon to concede to Miss Ella Ashton 
 an indulgence which we deny to them ? The 
 mere idea of such an arrangement is prepos- 
 terous ! And when you come to reflect 
 calmly on the subject, you cannot fail to 
 admit it." 
 
 " Well, perhaps what you say is reasonable 
 and right ;" was the reluctant reply. " But still 
 we must not overlook the fact that this poor 
 woman was Ella's earliest friend; and that
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 273 
 
 the parting will be a very painful one to 
 both." 
 
 "I am sorry for it;" said Lady Harriette 
 coldly ; " but I confess that I see no remedy ; 
 and therefore, Sir Hercules, if you do not 
 feel well enough to reply to Captain Burton's 
 letter, I will do so myself without loss of time." 
 
 " Do you not think, my dear ;" asked the 
 old gentleman; "that before you proceed 
 any further, you had better communicate its 
 receipt to the parties more immediately con- 
 cerned ? Should the departure of her old 
 friend produce a bad effect upon the health 
 and spirits of the poor child, I " 
 
 " Make yourself quite easy on the subject, 
 Sir Hercules ;" said his wife, as she seated 
 herself at her writing-table ; " it is worse than 
 useless to get up two scenes where one will 
 suffice; and consequently it will be more 
 kind to say nothing whatever of the business 
 to your niece until she can be told that all is 
 definitively arranged." 
 
 VOL. L T
 
 274 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 The baronet sank back in his chair with a 
 sigh, while Lady Harriette cahnly and fas- 
 tidiously selected a pen from the tray beside 
 her; and, after having re- perused the letter 
 of Captain Burton, proceeded in the most 
 business-like manner to express how deeply 
 both Sir Hercules and herself ^vere indebted 
 to him for his considerate kindness ; and how 
 gladly they should avail themselves of so 
 excellent an opportunity of restoring the poor 
 exiled ayah to a home for which she had 
 been long pining, now they had convinced 
 themselves that her services were no longer 
 indispensable, or indeed even essential, to 
 their dear niece.
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 275 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A PARTING. 
 
 It would be worse than idle to attempt a 
 description of the feelings of Ella and her 
 nurse when they were abruptly informed by 
 Lady Harriette herself of the intended and 
 almost immediate departure of Diana. The 
 possibility of such a separation had never 
 occurred to either; and the effect of the 
 announcement was consequently terrible to 
 both. The orphan only cowered down, and 
 burying her face in her hands, remained silent 
 and motionless as though she had suddenly 
 been turned to stone; but the despair and 
 resentment of the Indian woman were fright- 
 
 T 2
 
 276 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 ful; and Lady Harriette rushed from the 
 room, terrified at the storm which she had so 
 recklessly raised. It was, however, too late 
 to rescind her resolution ; every arrangement 
 had been completed with Captain Burton; 
 and the new employer of the unhappy ayah 
 was already urging her arrival in London. 
 
 During the three days which preceded her 
 departure, the heartbroken and faithful creature 
 resolutely refused to take any nourishment; 
 and, when earnestly intreated by her equally 
 wretched nursling not to persist in so dan- 
 gerous a trial of her strength, she only grasped 
 her throat, and replied with a loathing gesture : 
 " I cannot ; I cannot ; the food is hers, and it 
 would choke me !" 
 
 At length the fatal moment came. Ella, 
 who had not uttered one word of expostulation 
 or entreaty, tore herself from the clinging 
 arms of the almost frantic Indian woman, and 
 shut herself up in her own room, where she 
 was found by the anxious Madame Despreaux
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 277 
 
 lying on the floor in a state of insensibility, 
 and tenderly placed upon her bed ; thus she 
 remained for upwards of an hour, unconscious 
 of the bitter trial through which she had just 
 passed ; and, on recovering her perception, 
 she found herself bathed in the tears of the 
 gentle governess who was watching over 
 her. 
 
 " Take comfort, my poor child ;" was mur- 
 mured tenderly in her ear; "the pang has 
 been a sharp one, and might perhaps have 
 been spared; but it is over now, and you 
 have still my heart to lean upon. Remember 
 too, Ella, that you are now more mine than 
 ever — my darling girl — my favorite pupil — 
 even, if you will, my adopted daughter. I 
 too, have Httle left in the world to love except 
 yourself; let us then be everything to each 
 other, and life may have some bright days 
 in store for us yet. Meanwhile, Ella, your 
 uncle and cousins are kind and affectionate ; 
 do not close your poor wounded heart against
 
 278 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 them, even although the influence of Miladi 
 may overpower their better sympathies." 
 
 " I make no complaint, madame ;" was the 
 calm and tearless reply ; " I have made none. 
 When the dying wishes of my poor father 
 were disregarded, I had no faith in my own 
 entreaties. You say well ; you are now indeed 
 all in all to me ; and the love of a grateful 
 heart, which will henceforth form a portion of 
 my existence, is all that I have to offer in 
 return ; but that shall never fail you." 
 
 "I feel it; I know it, Ella;" sobbed the 
 governess ; " and now, my dear child, promise 
 me that you will not resent the — ^yes, I must 
 say it, although it is wrong of me to do so — 
 the cruelty of Lady Harriette ; and that you 
 will be resigned until you can once more 
 become happy." 
 
 " I will do all and everything you wish, my 
 kind friend and comforter;" said the poor 
 girl, as she threw her arms about the neck of 
 the Frenchwoman ; " It is my duty to resign
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 279 
 
 myself to the will of Lady Harriette, whatever 
 that will may be ; for has she not taught me to 
 know and feel that I am a beggar, dependent 
 upon her charity almost for my daily bread ? 
 What right can I therefore have to rebel? 
 Do I shed a tear ? Do I utter a sigh ?" 
 
 "I wish from my very heart that you 
 did both, my poor lamb ;'* replied Madame 
 Despreaux ; " This calmness of yours is so 
 unnatural that it frightens me/' 
 
 " It need not ;" said the orphan with a 
 smile that was sadder than a groan ; " I have 
 borne much, and you shall see that I can bear 
 still more. I am young in years, madame, 
 but I am already old in experience ; and I am 
 quite aware of the intention of Lady Harriet te 
 in thus separating me from the faithful nurse 
 to whose affection I was confided by my 
 father on his death-bed." 
 
 " What can you mean, my child?" 
 
 "Perhaps I am wrong to explain my 
 meaning even to you, my kind friend/' said
 
 280 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 the orphan ; " and yet, into what heart save 
 your own can I now pour out my sorrows ? 
 Bear with me then, if I am wrong in ex- 
 pressing to you my conviction that the en- 
 forced departure of my poor Diana was intended 
 to throw me entirely into the dependence of 
 my uncle's wife. Lady Harriette is not aware 
 that in yourself I have still a warm and loving 
 friend—" 
 
 ** But Sir Hercules and your cousins ?" — 
 remonstrated Madame Despreaux. 
 
 **What can the affection of either Sir 
 Hercules or my cousins effect in my favor ?" 
 asked Ella with the cold calm of hopelessness ; 
 " Willing as they might be to do so, they are 
 powerless before the will of Lady Harriette. 
 No ; believe me it is far better that I should 
 at once look my actual position boldly in the 
 face, and resign myself to a destiny against 
 which it is vain to struggle." 
 
 " Ella, Ella, for your own sake you must 
 not give way to such feelings."
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 281 
 
 "Do not mistake me;" said the orphan; 
 " I will give you no cause for complaint ; No, 
 my beloved and generous friend, whatever 
 may be the will of Lady Harriette, I shall 
 never oppose it.'* 
 
 "But I should Hke to see you yield that 
 obedience in a better spirit ;" persisted Madame 
 Despreaux. 
 
 *'I will do my best; indeed I will;" mur- 
 mured the poor girl, as she suffered her weary 
 head to fall back upon the pillow; "but 
 to-day I am heartsore and bewildered. I can 
 scarcely persuade myself that my dear loving 
 Diana has really been taken from me — Perhaps 
 even yet ;" she added after a pause, once 
 more raising herself eagerly to a sitting pos- 
 ture, and endeavouring to trace the reflection 
 of her own hope in the anxious face which was 
 bending over her; "perhaps even yet Lady 
 Harriette may relent — perhaps my kind uncle ; 
 but no, no;" she concluded with a sigh, as 
 she felt how improbable it was that Lady
 
 282 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 Harriette Ashton should ever relent in a case 
 which involved her own views and interests ; 
 "No, no; we shall meet no more in this 
 world, my poor Diana." 
 
 Alarmed by the extreme mental suffering of 
 the orphan, Madame Despreaux hastened to 
 her room, whence she returned in a few 
 minutes with a soothing draught, which she 
 easily prevailed on her to swallow, for Ella 
 was passive in her hands ; and when she had 
 convinced herself that the narcotic had pro- 
 duced its effect, she quietly withdrew, and 
 turning the key in the lock, she carried it 
 away with her in order to prevent all intrusion 
 on the slumber of the unhappy girl. 
 
 Meanwhile another scene even more painful 
 had taken place in the morning-room of Lady 
 Harriette. It had been impossible to send 
 the Indian woman from the house without 
 a parting interview with the baronet ; a con- 
 viction which caused considerable anxiety to 
 his wife ; who, after the exhibition of violence
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 283 
 
 on the part of the ayah to which she had 
 been a witness in the apartment of Ella, trem* 
 bled at the effect of a similar outbreak in the 
 presence of Sir Hercules. 
 
 It was, in truth, most annoying that after 
 having so far carried her point, and almost 
 persuaded him that nothing could be more 
 simple or proper than the arrangement she 
 had made, she still ran the risk of seeing it 
 overthrown by the weakness of the baronet, 
 who would, as she well knew, be unable to 
 withstand the tears and entreaties of his niece 
 and her attendant. 
 
 Great therefore was her satisfaction on 
 finding that Ella made no attempt to see her 
 uncle, or to oppose the departure of Diana ; 
 and somewhat reassured by her non-appear- 
 ance, she at length sent to desire that the 
 ayah should be directed to take leave of Sir 
 Hercules before she commenced her journey. 
 
 Her summons was at once obeyed, and in a 
 few instants the Indian woman entered the
 
 284 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 room, and slowly made the way to the chair 
 of the baronet. 
 
 " I fear, my good creature ;" he said kindly, 
 as he extended his hand towards her, which 
 she slightly touched, and immediately relin- 
 quished ; " that you will be sorry to leave 
 us." 
 
 " Sahib, no ;" was the cold stern reply ; 
 " Dia is ready." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it ;" said Sir Hercules 
 with considerable astonishment ; " very glad ; 
 for I confess that I had apprehended — " 
 
 " You see that I understood the real merits 
 of the case better than yourself ;" hastily in- 
 terposed his wife, who was anxious to prevent 
 all explanation ; " What could be more natural 
 than that Diana, after an absence of so many 
 years from her own country, should be de- 
 lighted to return to it, particularly when her 
 young mistress no longer required her attend- 
 ance, and that she could leave her with a 
 quiet heart in her natural home ? Like Sir
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 285 
 
 Hercules, I am very glad to find, Diana, that 
 you do not wish to remain in England/' 
 
 Withering was the glance of contemptuous 
 scorn with which the Indian woman replied 
 to this address ; " It is well said ;" she mut- 
 tered huskily : " picanninny lost, all lost. 
 Dia's heart dead, all dead." 
 
 " Ah, yes, I understand ;" again broke in 
 the lady ; " now that your parting with the 
 dear child is over, you have no other tie to 
 England. And all has been arranged most 
 pleasantly and comfortably, Diana. Sir Her- 
 cules and myself have been careful that no- 
 thing shall be wanting, either during your 
 voyage, or after your arrival in Calcutta, to 
 make you perfectly happy." 
 
 " Dia can work;" was the sullen rejoinder. 
 " No doubt, no doubt :" smiled Lady 
 Harriette with a gracious and condescending 
 gesture ; " but still — " 
 
 " Still, my excellent Diana ;" interposed the 
 baronet in his turn ; " both her ladyship and
 
 286 THE POOH RELATION. 
 
 myself feel that we owe you a deep debt of 
 gratitude for your faithful and affectionate 
 care of my poor brother's child ; and we are 
 anxious to prove that we are not unmindful of 
 it. In this purse — " 
 
 " Sahib ;" said the ayah haughtily, as she 
 stepped back a pace or 'two, and folded her 
 arms upon her breast ; " Dia a freewoman — 
 no buy, no sell. Give life, breath, blood, for 
 piccaninny — no pay for heart-love." 
 
 " You are an extraordinary woman ;" said 
 Sir Hercules ; " but you must not be suffered 
 to injure your own interests. You will obhge 
 Lady Harriette — " 
 
 " Her bread choke — her gold burn — '* was 
 the indignant exclamation of the Indian, 
 shaking her garments as if to fling from her 
 some noxious reptile ; " let Dia go — her time 
 is come." 
 
 " She is right, my dear Sir Hercules ;" said 
 his wife ; " let her go ; it is useless to detain 
 her longer."
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 287 
 
 The baronet passed his hand across his 
 brow, and sank back heavily in his chair ; the 
 departure of the ayah seemed to him like the 
 rending away of another link between himself 
 and his dead brother; and for a moment he 
 was overpowered by the thronging memories 
 which rushed upon him. Lady Harriette 
 was agitated by other and less amiable emo- 
 tions ; while the Indian woman stood before 
 them apparently as cold and as impassive as 
 marble; the fire-flood burnt fiercely at her 
 heart, but not a pulse visibly quivered. 
 
 " Surely you will not refuse my last gift, 
 Diana;'' said the baronet at length, as he 
 again held the purse towards her ; " It is not 
 intended to pay you for services which no 
 gold could buy, but as a proof of my re- 
 gard." 
 
 The ayah hesitated for an instant, and then 
 with a low salaam, she extended her hand, 
 dehberately emptied the money upon the table, 
 and thrust the empty purse into her bosom ;
 
 288 THE POOE EELATION. 
 
 then, without even a glance towards Lady 
 Harriette, she repeated her obeisance to Sir 
 Hercules, and hastily strode from the room 
 without further leavetaking. 
 
 In a few minutes the carriage which was to 
 convey her to the post town, drove off; and 
 thus the devoted nurse of the orphan girl 
 quitted Ashton Court, carrying away with 
 her, after many years of faithful service, only 
 a lock of her darling's hair, an empty purse, 
 and the fragments of her broken bangles. 
 
 What passed between Ella and the ayah ere 
 they parted was never divulged ; and not 
 even to Madame Despreaux did the desolate 
 girl confide the means by which she had 
 calmed the frantic rage of the Indian woman 
 into a sullen and almost silent despair.
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 289 
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 A DEATH. 
 
 The years which had elapsed smce the 
 arrival of Sir Hercules Ashton's niece in 
 England had, as we have already said, pro- 
 duced a marked change in the appearance of the 
 once plain and ungainly child ; to whom even 
 her anticipated heirship could scarcely for a time 
 reconcile the fastidiousness of Lady Harriette. 
 Natura appeared, however, although tardily, re- 
 solved to revenge her upon Fortune ; and her 
 face and form began to give promise of a strange 
 and unusual, but still wondrous beauty. She 
 was no longer the timid shrinking Httle creature 
 who appeared to fear an enemy in all who ap- 
 
 VOL. I. u
 
 290 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 proached her ; and still less, after the departure 
 of the ayah, was she the mild but cheerful- 
 hearted girl who had been the life of the school- 
 room, and the idol of her instructress. Calm 
 and self-centred, she performed all the duties 
 required of her carefully and zealously; but 
 the quick eye of Madame Despreaux soon 
 detected that what had hitherto been pursued 
 as a delight had degenerated into a mere task ; 
 joyless and without attraction. Even her 
 extraordinary musical talents, of which she 
 had once been innocently vain, no longer 
 appeared to afford her the slightest gratifica- 
 tion, although she still meekly and obediently 
 followed up their development. As her slight 
 and elastic figure bent over the harp, it was 
 with a nervelessness of attitude painful to 
 witness in one so young; and not even the 
 praises of her master could now bring a light to 
 her large, deep, lustrous eyes, or a smile to 
 her finely-moulded lips. Her voice was no 
 longer heard out-carolling the lark in strength
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 291 
 
 and sweetness; for althongh she still sang, 
 there was a mournfulness of tone and a depth of 
 intonation in her voice, that fell upon the heart 
 like the echo of some unforgotten wail of sorrow, 
 and which saddene d the spirit of the anxious 
 governess. Her brilHant pupil was no longer 
 the formidable rival who had so lately threatened 
 to cast the less solid acquirements of her more 
 happy cousins into the shade; and her own 
 regret at this melancholy change was shared 
 by those who had, like herself, exulted in the 
 results of their teaching. Trusting, however, 
 to time and youth, those two marvellous 
 magicians ! they persevered, still unsuspected 
 by Lady Harriette; who, as she had not 
 deemed it expedient to confide to her daugh- 
 ters that their cousin was no longer to enjoy 
 the same advantages as themselves, and had 
 gradually but effectually banished the orphan 
 from the instrument in the morning-room, 
 was — as a natural consequence — utterly 
 ignorant of the extent of her progress ; while 
 
 v2
 
 292 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 of her other less conspicuous accomplishments, 
 she knew absolutely nothing. 
 
 Sir Hercules who, after his one great effort 
 in behalf of his niece, had quietly subsided 
 into his usual habit of non-interference with his 
 wife's will; and felt satisfied that the orphan girl 
 was happy beneath his roof, contented himself 
 by watching her daily-increasing beauty and 
 gracefulness ; while her gentleness of charac- 
 ter, her noiseless and gliding step, and her 
 growing likeness to his dead brother, delighted 
 him. The presence of Ella beside his gouty 
 chair never either disturbed or excited him ; 
 while the more buoyant and unrestrained 
 spirits of his own lighthearted girls occasionally 
 made him nervous for his suffering limb. A 
 bound across the floor, or a sudden peal of 
 ringing laughter, were torture to him ; and 
 Ella neither bounded nor laughed. It was 
 she who smoothed his cushions; moved the 
 swollen and throbbing leg into an easier po- 
 sition ; and read to him with unwearied
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 293 
 
 patience when he had not sufficient energy to 
 perform the office for himself. 
 
 It was singular that, as if by a tacit un- 
 derstanding, the subject of Diana's departure 
 was never once mooted between them; or 
 even her name pronounced. To the orphan 
 the subject was always a painful one ; while 
 the baronet shrank, although he could not 
 have explained wherefore, from broaching it. 
 As his increasing infirmities confined him for 
 weeks together to the house, and as Lady 
 Harriette declared that constant fresh air and 
 change were essential to her health, and 
 that she could not leave Sir Hercules to the 
 care of servants, it soon became understood 
 that during her drives and visits in the 
 neighbourhood, (in all which she was ac- 
 companied by her daughters,) Sir Hercules 
 was to be watched over and tended by Ella, 
 who gladly undertook so congenial an office ; 
 snatching her own hours of exercise after 
 the return of the carriage-party, in the park
 
 294 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 and grounds, with Madame Despreaux as her 
 constant companion. And if not absokitely 
 happy, still most welcome hours they were 
 to the orphan, who clung to her wise and 
 gentle friend with childlike confidence and 
 love; as well as to the warm-hearted French- 
 woman, to whom she was rapidly becoming 
 the first object in life. 
 
 None, therefore, beyond the boundaries of 
 Ashton Court, even guessed the change which 
 time had wrought in the extraordinarily-gifted 
 girl who had formerly been to them simply an 
 object of ridicule or avoidance. That Florence 
 and Matilda had from blooming children grown 
 into all the dazzling beauty of early womanhood, 
 the county families had every opportunity of 
 convincing themselves ; for Lady Harriette, if 
 not the fondest mother in the world to her 
 daughters, was nevertheless sufficiently vain of 
 their personal advantages to overlook, or to 
 disregard the fact, that they betrayed by their 
 presence the fast-coming failure of her own
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 295 
 
 attractions. She was, moreover, enabled by 
 securing the constant companionship of her 
 children, to escape that of Ella ; as well as to 
 compel her to descend without a word of 
 harshness, or an appearance of design, into 
 the subordinate position in the family which 
 she had long mentally assigned to her. 
 
 Had she, however, declared it to be her 
 pleasure that the orphan should thenceforward 
 regard herself only as an inferior, and assume 
 the tone and manner befitting her onerous 
 station, she would have met with no opposition 
 from Ella, who had become utterly careless of 
 the future. To her the present was everything ; 
 and as at the close of each succeeding day she 
 laid her weary head upon her cheerless pillow, 
 she did so with a deep feeling of thankfulness, 
 ill-suited to her years, that another night was 
 come. 
 
 Thus were things situated when intelligence 
 reached Lady Harriette Ashton of the death of 
 her only brother Lord Compton, who had, as she
 
 296 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 frequently mentioned to her husband, been from 
 his birth of so frail and delicate a constitution 
 that no hope of his enjoying a long life had 
 ever been entertained by his family ; yet still 
 his death, before he had completed his 
 thirtieth year, was an event that they had 
 certainly not anticipated ; and which they 
 were compelled to attribute to the fact 
 that when the selfish extravagance of his 
 father left him no alternative but to enter 
 the army, and to encounter the fatigues 
 and vicissitudes of a soldier's career, he had 
 fallen a victim to over-exertion and antago- 
 nistic climates. 
 
 To say that Lady Harriette did not mourn 
 over his untimely fate, would be to speak un- 
 truthfully; but her grief was so diluted by 
 complaints of the unbecomingness of mourning, 
 and the necessity of absolute seclusion, that it 
 may fairly be presumed her tears were not very 
 bitter ; while, moreover, there blended with her 
 murmurs the pleasant reflection that her beloved
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 297 
 
 and idolized Horace was one step nearer to a 
 peerage. 
 
 There is always consolation for the worldly 
 in any bereavement which entails a personal 
 benefit. 
 
 To the orphan alone the fatal event brought 
 no change, either of duty or of feeling. As 
 she had long been exiled from the drawing- 
 room when there were visitors staying in the 
 house, so she was suffered to absent herself 
 when the family were alone; although Sir 
 Hercules occasionally expressed his astonish- 
 ment that his little nurse, as he proudly called 
 her, should never be near him save when the 
 rest of the party were absent. 
 
 " She was a half-savage child, and she has 
 become a moody girl ;" would Lady Harriette 
 reply on these occasions ; " She is tractable 
 enough with you, because she is aware that I 
 would not suffer her to be otherwise ; but I 
 am afraid, to be candid with you, Sir Hercules, 
 that she is jealous of her cousins ; which, after
 
 298 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 all that we have done for her, is a most un- 
 amiable feeling. However, the best thing that 
 we can now do is to appear not to remark her 
 weakness, and perhaps as she grows older she 
 will grow wiser." 
 
 " But what can there be to excite her jea- 
 lousy ?" asked the baronet uneasily ; " she is 
 now as handsome as either of our own girls, 
 although in a totally different style. You may 
 remember, my dear, that you yourself first 
 drew my attention to the fact ; while she has 
 had equal advantages in every way, and 
 therefore is, or ought to be, equally accom- 
 plished. I cannot see, therefore, what pos- 
 sible cause there can be for any jealousy 
 among them." 
 
 " Oh, do not mistake me. Sir Hercules ;" 
 indignantly exclaimed his wife ; " neither Flo- 
 rence nor Matilda, young as they are, would 
 condescend to such littleness. I was speaking 
 only of your niece ; who is, poor thing, with- 
 out any exception, the most sullen and unin-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 299 
 
 teresting girl with whom I ever came into 
 contact." 
 
 " It is very extraordinary 1" said the puzzled 
 baronet ; " If I had been asked my opinion 
 on the subject, I should have pronounced a 
 totally opposite verdict ; for I confess that to 
 me Ella appears all that is gentle, affectionate, 
 and good." 
 
 " No doubt ;" was the curt rejoinder ; " The 
 result will, however, prove which of us is 
 right." 
 
 The next insult to which the orphan was 
 subjected was the refusal of Lady Harriette to 
 allow her to put on mourning, although all the 
 household had assumed the deepest sables ; on 
 the pretext that it would be inconsistent for 
 the daughter of Mr. Horace Ashton to appear 
 in black when she had not the slightest con- 
 nection with the Disborough family. 
 
 " I thought, Miladi ;'' ventured the gover- 
 ness, when she was informed of this extraordi- 
 nary resolution by Lady Harriette herself;
 
 300 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " that your ladyship might perhaps have pre- 
 ferred to see her dressed like her cousins, 
 particularly as her wardrobe is beginning to 
 require renewal/' 
 
 " Indeed !" was the reply ; *' I should have 
 imagined that such could not have been the 
 case for years, after the trouble and incum- 
 brance to which we were subjected on her 
 arrival by the amount of her luggage. How- 
 ever, I am obliged to you, Madame, for having 
 drawn my attention to the fact; and as my 
 daughters cannot lay aside their mourning 
 under a twelvemonth, and are growing very 
 rapidly, I will give directions that the 
 dresses which they now have in wear shall 
 be transferred to Miss Ella Ashton. Indeed 
 it would be impossible to make a better 
 arrangement ; as, if at the end of the year 
 they should not have actually outgrown them, 
 still they will have outgrown their fashion ; and 
 they have now reached an age when they can 
 no longer with propriety appear as mere school-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 301 
 
 girls ; and since I am indebted to you for the 
 hint, my dear Madame Despreaux, you will 
 perhaps still further obHge me by superintend- 
 ing the necessary alterations, with, of course, 
 a due attention to economy, for really it appears 
 to me that the young lady must have been very 
 careless to require any addition to her wardrobe 
 so soon." 
 
 " Miladi probably forgets ;" said the French- 
 woman, while a blush of honest indignation 
 burnt on her cheek ; " that every thing be- 
 longing to Miss Ella was removed except what 
 had actually been made up for her." 
 
 "I certainly recollect nothing of the matter ;" 
 was the cold rejoinder ; " save that the whole 
 affair was a gross absurdity. Sir Hercules 
 and myself naturally desire that while his 
 niece continues to be a member of our family, 
 she should do us no disgrace ; and for that 
 risk I have, as you see, provided. There will 
 be abundant material for all her wants by 
 adopting the means I have mentioned ; and I
 
 302 THE POOR RELATION, 
 
 am glad that so good an opportunity of sup- 
 plying them has occurred.'' 
 
 All reply was, of course, impossible; and 
 Madame Despreaux succeeded in controlling 
 the tears of mortification and disgust which 
 were flooding her heart until Lady Harriette 
 had left the room ; but she was no sooner 
 alone than she suffered them to flow unim- 
 peded. That the child of her adoption — the 
 gentle and unoffending girl who would, had 
 she been permitted to do so, have created an 
 atmosphere of love about her — should be so 
 recklessly injured and taught to feel her de- 
 pendence — that Ella, born to affluence and 
 nursed in luxury, should be condemned to 
 receive, as an act of reluctant charity, the 
 cast-off clothes of her more happy cousins^ — 
 stung her to the quick ; and as her eye fell 
 upon the mourning- dress which had been pre- 
 sented to her by her patroness with a request 
 that she would do her the favour to wear it as 
 a iiiark of respect for the Disborough family,
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 303 
 
 she fairly bounded upon her chair. The in- 
 sult to the orphan was keenly calculated and 
 complete. Even in the eyes of the very 
 servants she must become the pariah of the 
 establishment by this studied exclusion from 
 the privilege of those about her ; and Madame 
 Despreaux dreaded the effect of such a convic- 
 tion on the sensitive nature of her beloved 
 pupil. This last pang she might, however, 
 have spared herself, for Ella heard the deter- 
 mination of Lady Harriette as calmly as though 
 she had no personal interest in the matter. 
 
 " At my present age ;" she said, with perfect 
 composure ; " it would have broken my heart 
 had I lost my dear papa, and that proper 
 respect was not paid to his memory ; but as 
 regards myself I have no pride to wound. It 
 matters little that I am made a degree more 
 conscious than before that I am regarded as a 
 burthen rather than a relative. You will not 
 love me the less, my best friend ; and you only 
 will care to remember that the house in which
 
 304 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 I am sheltered has long ceased to be a home 
 to me." 
 
 "Ella!" exclaimed the governess, as she 
 threw her arms about her neck : " I am weary 
 of this life. Let us go and make a home 
 elsewhere." 
 
 The orphan shook her head. 
 
 " Poor papa sent me here ;" she said sadly ; 
 " and do you know, Madame, that I sometimes 
 think my uncle would not be so happy without 
 me.'' 
 
 " You are right, my child ; quite right ;" said 
 the Frenchwoman ; " and I was very weak to 
 give way to my indignation as 1 have done. 
 We will learn to make our own happiness, 
 Ella, and to look forward with confidence to 
 the future." 
 
 It was an admirable resolution, and each 
 acted upon it to the extent of her power; 
 but still they were neither happy nor hopeful. 
 Madame Despreaux resented every injustice 
 ofiered to the orphan more deeply than
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 305 
 
 she would have done had it been inflicted on 
 herself; while the thoughtful and long-suffer- 
 ing girl restrained her feelings in order to spare 
 those of her frieed, until her self-control almost 
 misled even the jealous eyes that watched over 
 her so tenderly. 
 
 VOL. I,
 
 806 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 CHAPTER XYIII. 
 
 A NEW TRIAL. 
 
 The result of the persevering management 
 of Lady Harriette may be readily guessed. 
 By slow and imperceptible degrees the af- 
 fections of her daughters were weaned, if not 
 entirely withdrawn, from their cousin ; and 
 when a couple of years subsequently, they were 
 almost emancipated from the thraldom of the 
 schoolroom, the estrangement became necessa- 
 rily greater; while Sir Hercules, whom his almost 
 unremitted sufferings rendered more and more 
 irritable and exacting, ceasing to remember 
 that a sick room was not the most genial at- 
 mosphere for a young and dehcate girl, no 
 longer urged Ella to leave him when he could 
 have dispensed with her gentle services ; and
 
 TRE POOR RELATION. 307 
 
 consequently nearly every hour which was not 
 devoted to her studies was passed beside him, 
 and occupied in administering to his comfort 
 and amusement. 
 
 The mourning of the family had been laid 
 aside at the appointed period ; but not until 
 it had long exhausted the philosophy of Lady 
 Harriette, who lost no time in redeeming the 
 dreary past by rushing into society with a zest 
 which she had never heretofore displayed. 
 Her own toilette and those of her daughters 
 were renewed in a style of elegance and 
 fashion which charmed as much as it asto- 
 nished the delighted girls ; while the discarded 
 sables were transferred, as a mere matter of 
 course, to the orphan. 
 
 It was fortunate for the poor girl that she 
 had readily flung off her habits of helpless- 
 ness, and learned to suffice to herself; for it 
 is needless to insist upon the fact that long 
 ere Ella had reached this deeper depth of mor- 
 tification and insult, the servants had began 
 
 X 2
 
 308 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 to assume towards her, gentle and unexacting 
 as she was, an air and manner which was 
 intended to imply that she was no longer in a 
 position to issue orders, or themselves pre- 
 pared to obey them. 
 
 The orphan bowed her head meekly before 
 the storm, with a power of endurance which 
 caused every nerve of the more volatile Ma- 
 dame Despreaux to quiver with astonishment. 
 Whence had this gifted, beautiful, and sensi- 
 tive girl derived the force of character which 
 enabled her to pursue her path without heed- 
 ing, or even appearing to remark, the thorns 
 and briars with which it was wantonly beset ? 
 What was to be the end of the mean and 
 narrow-hearted persecutions by which she was 
 overwhelmed, and by which she might ulti- 
 mately be rendered desperate ? The anxious 
 Frenchwoman shuddered as she asked herself 
 these questions. 
 
 Had the resignation of Ella grown out of 
 constitutional supineness, or moral subser- 
 viency, the riddle had needed no sphinx to
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 309 
 
 solve it ; but as the governess reflected on the 
 proud, self-sufficing nature of the orphau ; her 
 extraordinary control over her feelings and 
 impulses ; the wonderful powers of her mind ; 
 and her deep sympathy in the joys and sor- 
 rows of others, she almost shuddered. 
 
 " She can never bear on to the end !" she 
 murmured to herself ; " The dark day must 
 come, and I shall lose my darling — but how ! 
 alas ! alas ! who shall say ?" 
 
 The visits of Horace to his home had, 
 since his entry at Cambridge, been few and 
 short. The death of her brother had effected 
 a great change in the feehngs of Lady Har- 
 riette towards her son ; and maternal idolatry 
 had given place to womanly ambition. Sir 
 Hercules no longer had cause to complain of 
 the excess of expenditure which had, for se- 
 veral preceding years been attributed as we 
 have seen, to the domestication of his niece 
 at Ashton Court, although never since their 
 marriage had his wife so constantly filled the 
 house with guests. It was of course only at
 
 310 THE POOE HELATIOK. 
 
 rare intervals that the baronet could join the 
 dinner-party, or even make his appearance in 
 the drawing-room ; but as it was impossible 
 to anticipate the precise day and hour when 
 he would be in the full grasp of his hereditary 
 enemy, no one — of the invited — ventured to 
 comment upon the fact that their gracious and 
 graceful hostess should have suddenly become 
 accessible to all the visitable portion of the 
 county, just as her once jovial and free- 
 hearted husband had lost all zest for society, 
 or at least all power of enjoying it. 
 
 A few mammas with daughters of their 
 own to marry, and a few money-loving squires 
 with pedigrees as long as their acres, and 
 bashful, fox-hunting sons to establish in life, 
 looked wise, and nodded their sapient heads ; 
 the first with somewhat of misgiving as re- 
 garded their own speculations; and the last 
 with a grave and anxious conviction that the 
 noble blood transmitted from Lady Harriette 
 Ashton to her daughters, would scarcely serve 
 to swell their very moderate fortunes into an
 
 THE POOH RELATION. 311 
 
 amount equivalent to the value of the timber 
 upon the estate of Bramble Park, or the chalk 
 quarries of Stone Manor. 
 
 Still, all went on gaily and pleasantly at 
 Ashton Court. Florence and Matilda, some- 
 what precociously perhaps introduced into 
 society, were the charm and ornament of 
 every circle in which they were permitted to 
 appear by their cautious and watchful mother ; 
 who at once perceived that they had produced 
 a great sensation in the county. Overwhelmed 
 by her matronly anxiety and indulgence, the 
 two girls naturally thought of little save gaiety ; 
 and if they did once or twice venture to won- 
 der that "little Ella" was not occasionally 
 allowed to make her appearance in the gay 
 throng which crowded their reception-rooms, 
 they were soon silenced by the intimation that 
 she was not only too young to be introduced, 
 but that her presence and care were essential 
 to the comfort of her uncle ; while, in her 
 unfortunate situation, it could only give her 
 false ideas were she to be brought into contact
 
 312 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 with persons with whom she could not ulti- 
 mately hope to associate. Poor thing ! No 
 one could be more sorry for her than Lady 
 Harriette herself — at least she said so — It was 
 a thousand pities that she was not the heiress 
 they once believed her to be ; but, under ex- 
 isting circumstances, the responsibility was so 
 great that every precaution must be taken to 
 guard her from false impressions and from 
 fallacious hopes. 
 
 No word of unkindness — no bitter insinua- 
 tions — not one ; Lady Harriette was all suavity 
 and kindness, as she thus impressed upon her 
 daughters their social superiority over their 
 orphan cousin. 
 
 Many of the neighbouring families who 
 had, some half-dozen years previously, heard 
 the lady of Ashton Court animadvert with no 
 shght sarcasm on the extreme impropriety of 
 forcing young girls into the world when they 
 should still have been in the schoolroom, could 
 not refrain from expressing their surprise at 
 the early emancipation of Florence and Matilda;
 
 THE POOK RELATION. 313 
 
 for they were necessarily ignorant of the cause 
 which had impelled Lady Harriette to suffer 
 her practice to differ so widely from her theory. 
 They were not in the secret of the anticipated 
 peerage of her son, and her own anxiety that 
 on his accession to the title, he should not be 
 burthened, in the event of his father's decease, 
 with two unmarried and slenderly portioned 
 sisters. It was curious that in the strength 
 of her worldliness she never for a moment 
 permitted her natural feelings to interfere with 
 her prudential schemes ; but coolly calculated 
 casualties with as great a nicety as though the 
 lives of those nearest, even if not altogether 
 dearest to her, were not involved in their ulti- 
 mate issue. She was accused of bhnd and 
 imprudent compliance with the entreaties of 
 her daughters ; and even although her prudence 
 was doubted, every one gave her full credit for 
 her maternal affection. The world is so keen- 
 sighted in its own esteem, that it would be a pity 
 nine times out of ten to convict it of self-deceit. 
 And so the beautiful Miss Ashtons sang,
 
 314 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 and danced, and flirted unchidden ; and bore 
 their sixteen and seventeen years so gracefully, 
 that ere long they were the acknowledged 
 belles of the county. Their several masters 
 w^ere dismissed ; and Madame Despreaux could 
 not disguise from herself that even her presence 
 in the establishment was becoming unpalatable 
 to its mistress. Still, for Ella's sake, she af- 
 fected not to remark the chilUng tones, or the 
 occasionally slighting inferences of Lady Har- 
 riette. She dreaded for the orphan the mental 
 and moral isolation which must follow her own 
 departure ; and with an indignant heart, she 
 resolved to bear these covert insults rather 
 than expose her beloved pupil to sufferings 
 which might prove beyond her strength. 
 
 She was, however, no match for her antago- 
 nist; and accordingly one morning, when a 
 sharper attack of gout than usual had ren- 
 dered poor Sir Hercules so helpless and irri- 
 table that he would not dispense for an instant 
 with the attendance of his niece ; and her two 
 cousins, wearied with the dissipation of a hunt-
 
 THE POOH RELATION. 315 
 
 ball which had taken place on the previous 
 evening, were still sleeping off their fatigue. 
 Lady Harriette, greatly to the surprise, and 
 still more to the annoyance, of Madame Des- 
 preaux, entered the schoolroom with her most 
 stately step. As she had not so honoured it 
 for several weeks, the Frenchwoman instantly 
 comprehended that her visit boded no good 
 to Ella ; and she was right. 
 
 The education of her own children termi- 
 nated, Lady Harriette decided that the ser- 
 vices of an expensive French governess ought, 
 as a matter of prudence, to be dispensed 
 with ; but still she had acted with her usual 
 poHcy, and had forborne to announce this 
 decision to the admirable woman w^ho had 
 devoted all her energies to the full and con- 
 scientious discharge of her arduous duties for 
 ten long years beneath her roof, and had loved 
 her pupils with almost a mother's fondness, until 
 she was able also to inform her in accents of the 
 most condescending patronage, that she had 
 secured for her a most eligible situation in the
 
 316 THE POOR RELATIOK. 
 
 family of the Dowager-Countess of Bramble- 
 dyke, whose five daughters, varying from ten 
 years of age to eighteen, were to be confided 
 to her care ; and whose education having 
 unfortunately, been hitherto greatly neglected 
 owing to the weak health of their mother, 
 she was required to complete. It was with a 
 smile as calm and as bland as her own, that 
 Madame Despreaux when she had succeeded 
 in mastering her emotion, thanked her con- 
 siderate patroness for the great kindness which 
 she had evinced in obtaining for her so eligible 
 an off'er ; declaring, however, at the same time 
 her utter inability to accept it. 
 
 '* When I leave you, Miladi ;" she said, and 
 in despite of all her efi'orts the large tears 
 rose to her eyes ; " my task is ended, and I 
 shall live only for myself. For ten years this has 
 been my home ; I cannot now make another 
 under a stranger's roof. I thank you, but — " 
 
 " Oh, pray do not say another word, my dear 
 madame ;" interposed Lady Harriette ; " you 
 are of course the mistress of your own des-
 
 THE POOR RELATION. 817 
 
 tiny, and I can with great truth assure you 
 that Sir Hercules and myself will ever remain 
 your firm and sincere friends ; while the girls 
 will never, I am quite convinced, forget how 
 deeply they are indebted to you for your 
 unceasing care and kindness; and I know 
 that it will afford you pleasure to be assured 
 that you have won golden opinions throughout 
 the county by the admirable manner in which 
 you have completed their education." 
 
 " And your niece, Miladi ;" said the French- 
 woman, not even affecting to acknowledge 
 the tardy compliment ; " And Ella ?" 
 
 " Oh, Mademoiselle Sophie will superintend 
 her studies for the future, should I consider it 
 necessary for her to pursue them further;'* 
 was the cold reply. 
 
 " Mademoiselle Sophie ! The femme-de- 
 chambre of Miladi !" exclaimed Madame Des- 
 preaux, startled out of her assumed com- 
 posure ; " Miladi jests. I must have done my 
 duty but ill in her family if a soubrette can 
 improve upon my teaching."
 
 318 THE POOR RELATION. 
 
 " You are right ;" said Lady Harriette, as 
 she prepared to leave the room ; ** As you say, 
 madame, after several years passed under 
 your care, Miss Ella Ashton can need no 
 further instruction ; and thus, as you will 
 perceive, I have no pretext for urging your 
 longer residence beneath my roof; where, 
 however, I am delighted to repeat that your 
 great and acknowledged merits are appreciated 
 as they deserve to be." 
 
 Madame Despreaux coldly touched the hand 
 which was extended to her ; and after a few 
 more empty words of compliment and courtesy 
 Lady Harriette withdrew, well pleased to have 
 terminated an interview which could not fail 
 to prove unpleasant to both parties. 
 
 " Poor Ella ! Poor darling !" sobbed out 
 the excited Frenchwoman, as she threw herself 
 into a chair ; " I must kneel and pray for you, 
 for I dare not think." 
 
 END OF VOL. I 
 
 J. Billing, Printer, 103, Hatton Garden, London, and Guildford, Surrey.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOI9-URBANA 
 
 3 0112 055271545