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MISS FERRIER'S NOVELS 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 REGINALD BRIMLEY JOHNSON 
 
 IN SIX VOLUMES 
 
 VOL. III. 
 
 THE INHERITANCE 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
T.Ua/'UrXx'oid-'ff'/icSi: 
 
 ■/'i/t/ii 'i/u; '{n^t n-cru,-- Pri -i^/u^ ^uMfJ&urn^ o/^4{/}f''.X a^ 
 
THE 
 NOVELS 
 
 SUS^zjlS-ErDATONSIONE 
 
 •FERRIHR 
 
 IN • SIX • VOLUMEJS • 
 
 JNHETRlT/lTsr 
 
 VOL I 
 
 •WITH • INTRODUCTION • BY • R 
 
 BRIMEETJOHNSONS- HXUSTRBTIONS 
 BY- NEJJLY ■ ERJCHSSN ■ 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Bust of Miss Ferrier ... Frontispiece, 
 
 Gertrude comes in late for breakfast . page 27 
 
 Gertrude's INTERVIEW WITH Lewiston . „ 155 
 
 Gertrude and Colonel Delmour at the 
 
 riverside . . . . ,,214 
 
 87944 
 
THE 
 
 INHERITANCE, 
 
 Cl)apter j. 
 
 Strange is it, that our bloods 
 
 Of colour, weight, and heat, pour'd all together, 
 Would quite confound distinction, yet stand off 
 In differences so mighty. 
 
 AWs IVdl that Ends Well. 
 
 IT is a truth universally acknowledged, that there is 
 no passion so deeply rooted in human nature as 
 that of pride. Whether of self or of family, of 
 deeds done in our own bodies, or deeds done in the 
 bodies of those who lived hundreds of years before 
 us — all find some foundation on which to build 
 their Tower of Babel. Even the dark uncertain 
 future becomes a bright field of promise to the eye 
 of pride, which, like Banquo's bloody ghost, can 
 smile even upon the dim perspective of posthumous 
 greatness. 
 
 As the noblest attribute of man, family pride had 
 been cherished time immemorial by the noble race of 
 Rossville. Deep and incurable, therefore, was the 
 wound inflicted on all its members by the marriage 
 
 I. A 
 
2 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 of the Honourable Thomas St Clair, youngest son 
 of the Earl of Rossville, with the humble Miss Sarah 
 Black, a beautiful girl of obscure origin and no fortune. 
 In such an union there was every thing to exasperate, 
 nothing to mollify the outraged feelings of the Rossville 
 family ; for youth and beauty were all . that Mrs St 
 Clair had to oppose to pride and ambition. The usual 
 consequences, therefore, were such as always have, and 
 probably always will accompany unequal alliances, — 
 viz., the displeasure of friends, the want of fortune, the 
 world's dread laugh, and, in short, all the thousand 
 natural ills that flesh is heir to when it fails in its 
 allegiance to blood. Yet there are minds fitted to 
 encounter and to overcome even these — minds pos- 
 sessed of that inherent nobility which regard honour 
 as something more than a mere hereditary name, and 
 which seek the nobler distinction, open to all, in the 
 career of some honourable profession. But Mr St 
 Clair's mind was endowed with no such powers ; for 
 he was a man of weak intellects and indolent habits, 
 with just enough of feeling to wish to screen himself 
 from the poverty and contempt his marriage had brought 
 upon him. After hanging on for some time in hopes of 
 a reconciliation with his family, and finding all attempts 
 vain, he at length consented to banish himself and the 
 object of their contumely to some remote quarter of the 
 world, upon condition of receiving a suitable allowance 
 so long as they should remain abroad. The unfortunate 
 pair, thus doomed to unwilling exile, retired to France, 
 where Mr St Clair's mind soon settled into that state 
 which acquires its name from the character of its pos- 
 sessor, and, according to that, is called foititude, 
 resignation, contentment, or stupidity. There, too, 
 they soon sunk into that oblivion which is sometimes 
 the portion of the living as well as the dead. His 
 father's death, which happened some years after, made 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 3 
 
 no alteration in his circumstances. The patrimony to 
 which he expected to succeed was settled on his 
 children, should he have any, and a slender life annuity 
 was his only portion. 
 
 The natural wish of almost every human being, the 
 weakest as well as the wisest, seems to be to leave some 
 memorial of themselves to posterity — something, if not 
 to tell how their fathers thought or fought, at least to 
 show how they talked or walked. This wish Mr and 
 Mrs St Clair possessed in common with others ; but 
 year after year passed away, and it still remained un- 
 gratified, while every year it became a still stronger 
 sentiment, as death seemed gradually clearing the way 
 to the succession. At the time of his marriage Mr St 
 Clair had been the youngest of five sons ; but three of 
 his brothers had fallen victims to war or pestilence, and 
 there now only remained the present Earl and himself, 
 both alike childless. 
 
 At length, when hope was almost extinct, Mrs St 
 Clair announced herself to be in the way of becoming a 
 mother ; and the emigrants resolved upon returning to 
 their native land, that their child might there first see 
 the light. Previous to taking this step, however, the 
 important intelligence was communicated to Lord 
 Rossville, and also their intention of immediately pro- 
 ceeding to Scotland, if agreeable to him ; at the same 
 time expressing a wish that he would favour them with 
 his advice and opinion, as they would be entirely guided 
 by him in their plans. 
 
 Lord Rossville was a man who liked to be consulted, 
 and to overturn every plan which he himself had not 
 arranged ; and as Mr St Clair had spoken of taking 
 shipping from Bordeaux, where they then were, and 
 going by sea to. Scotland, Lord Rossville in his answer 
 expressed his decided disapprobation of such a scheme, 
 in Mrs St Clair's situation, and in stormy winter 
 
4 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 weather. But he enclosed a route by way of Paris, 
 which he had made out for them with his own hand ; 
 and directed them, upon their arrival there, to signify 
 the same to him, and there to remain until he had re- 
 solved upon what was next to be done, as he had by no 
 means made up his mind as to the propriety, or at least 
 the necessity, of their returning to Scotland. The 
 packet also contained an order for a sum of money, 
 and letters to some friends of his own at Paris, who 
 would be of service to Mrs St Clair. So far all was 
 kind and conciliating ; and the exiles, after much 
 delay, set forth upon their journey, according to the 
 rules prescribed by the Earl — but, within a day's journey 
 of Paris, Mrs St Clair was taken prematurely ill, and 
 there, at an obscure village, gave birth to a daughter, 
 which, as Mr St Clair sensibly remarked, though not so 
 good as a boy, was yet better than nothing at all. As 
 the salique law was not in force in the Rossville family, 
 the sex of the child was indeed a matter of little con- 
 sequence, save in the eyes of such as are sturdy sticklers 
 for man's supremacy. Its health and strength were 
 therefore the chief objects of consideration ; and, al- 
 though prematurely introduced into life, it was a remark- 
 ably fine thriving baby, which Mrs St Clair, contrary 
 to the common practice of mothers, ascribed entirely to 
 the excellence of its nurse. 
 
 They had been fortunate enough to meet with a 
 woman of a superior class, who, having recently lost 
 her husband and her own infant, had readily adopted 
 this one, and as readily transferred to it that abundant 
 stock of love and tenderness which those dealers in the 
 milk of human kindness always have so freely to bestow 
 on their nursling for the time. Mrs St Clair's recovery 
 was tedious, and her general health she declared to be 
 so much impaired that she could not think of encounter- 
 ing the severity of a northern climate. Instead of 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 5 
 
 prosecuting their journey, therefore, they retired to the 
 south of France, and, after moving about for some time, 
 finally settled there. This was not what the Earl had 
 intended ; for, although pride still opposed his brother^s 
 return to Scotland, he had, at the same time, wished to 
 have the family somewhere within the sphere of his 
 observation and control, — the more especially as, having 
 lately separated from his lady, his brother's child might 
 now be regarded as presumptive heiress to the family 
 honours. He had purposed, and indeed pressed, to 
 have the little Gertrude transmitted to him, that she 
 might have the advantage of being trained up under his 
 own eye ; but to this Mrs St Clair would not consent. 
 She declared, in the most polite but decided manner, 
 her determination never to part with her child ; but 
 promised that, as soon as her health was sufficiently re- 
 established, they would return to Britain, and that Lord 
 Rossville should have the direction and superintendence, 
 if he pleased, of the young heiress's education. But 
 some obstacle, real or pretended, always arose to prevent 
 the accomplishment of this plan, till at length Mr St 
 Clair was struck with a palsy, which rendered it 
 impossible for him to be removed. Dead to all the 
 purposes of life, he lingered on for several years, — 
 one of those melancholy mementos, who, with a 
 human voice and human shape, have survived every 
 thing human besides. 
 
 At length death claimed him as his own, and the 
 widow lost no time in announcing the event to the Earl, 
 and in craving his advice and protection for herself and 
 daughter. A very polite, though long-winded reply, 
 was received from Lord Rossville, in which he directed 
 that Mrs and Miss St Clair should immediately repair 
 to Rossville Castle, there to remain until he should have 
 time and opportunity fully to digest the plans he had 
 formed for the pupilage of his niece. This invitation 
 
6 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 was too advantageous to be refused, even although the 
 terms in which it was couched were not very alluring 
 either to the mother or daughter. With a mixture, 
 therefore, of pleasure and regret, they hastened to 
 exchange the gay vineyards and bright suns of France 
 for the bleak hills and frowning skies of Scotland. 
 
 Cljaptcr tj* 
 
 Hope well to have, hate not past thought ; 
 For cruel storms fair calms have brought : 
 After sharp showers the sun shines fair, 
 Hope comes likevsrise after despair. 
 
 Richard Alison. 
 
 MANY years had elapsed since Mrs St Clair had 
 left her native land, and those who had known 
 her then could scarcely have recognised her 
 now, so completely had the tout ensemble changed its 
 character. The blooming hoyden, with her awkward 
 habits and provincial dialect, had been gradually trans- 
 formed into the beautiful woman, graceful in her move- 
 ments, and polished, though elaborate in her manners. 
 Though now long past her meridian, she was still hand- 
 some, and to superficial observers could be captivating ; 
 but the change was merely outward, proceeding from no 
 innate delicacy of thought or ennobling principle of 
 action. It was solely the result of nice tact, know- 
 ledge of the world, and long intercourse with foreigners. 
 The mind remained the same, although the matter had 
 been modified. 
 
 In her early days her pride and ambition had been 
 excited by making what was considered a splendid 
 alliance ; and it was not till her understanding was 
 thoroughly ripened, that she made the mortifying dis- 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 7 
 
 covery that high birth, when coupled with personal 
 insignificance, adds no more to real distinction than a 
 showy sign does to an ill-kept inn. It was this dis- 
 appointment which, operating on a naturally proud and 
 violent temper, had brought into play all the worst 
 qualities of her nature, and made her look upon the 
 world as indeed a stage, where all the men and women 
 were merely players. To act a grand and conspicuous 
 part, and regain the station her husband's pusillanimity 
 had lost, was therefore now her sole aim. 
 
 It rarely happens that one artificial mind can succeed 
 in forming another — we seldom imitate what we do not 
 love. There is something in human nature which recoils 
 from an artificial character even more than from a faulty 
 one ; and where the attempt fails, the revulsion generally 
 produces a character of a totally different stamp. Mrs 
 St Clair had spared no pains to render her daughter as 
 great an adept in dissimulation as she was herself; but 
 all her endeavours had proved unsuccessful, and Miss 
 St Clair's mind remained pretty much as nature had 
 formed it — a mixture of wheat and tares, flowers and 
 weeds. There existed no sort of sympathy or con- 
 geniality of mind between the mother and daughter — 
 there seemed little even of that natural affection which 
 often supplies the want of kindred feeling or similar 
 tastes, and which serves to bind together hearts no 
 human process ever could have brought to amalgamate. 
 Without any point of resemblance in their characters 
 or ideas, there was consequently little interchange of 
 thought ; and when Gertmde did address her mother, 
 it was more from the overflowings of an open heart and 
 buoyant spirits than from any reciprocity of feeling. 
 
 " How I wish I had Prince Houssain's glass," ex- 
 claimed she, as they drew near the borders of Scotland, 1/ 
 " that I might take a peep at the people I am going 
 amongst — a single glance would suffice to give me some 
 
8 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 idea of them, or at least to show whether they are the 
 sort of persons it will be possible for me to love." 
 
 "You have formed very high and somewhat pre- 
 sumptuous ideas of your own powers of discrimination, 
 it seems," said Mrs St Clair with a disdainful smile ; 
 " but I should humbly conceive that my knowledge and 
 experience might prove almost as useful as your own 
 observations or theories are likely to do." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, mamma, but I did not know 
 you had been acquainted with the Rossville family." 
 
 " I am not personally acquainted with any of them — 
 I never was — T never would have been, but for you. 
 It is upon your account I now stoop to a reconciliation, 
 which otherwise I would have spurned as I have been 
 spurned." She spoke with vehemence ; then in a 
 calmer tone proceeded, " It is natural that you should 
 wish to know something of the relations with whom 
 you are henceforth to associate, since there is nothing 
 more desirable than a previous knowledge of those whom 
 it is necessary we should please. It is only from report 
 I can speak of the Rossville family, but even from 
 report we may form a tolerably accurate idea of people's 
 general character. Report then says, that Lord Ross- 
 ville is an obstinate, troublesome, tiresome, well-behaved 
 man ; that his sister. Lady Betty, who resides with him, 
 is a harmless, dull, inquisitive old woman : then there 
 are nephews, sisters' sons, to one of whom you are pro- 
 bably destined : there is Mr Delmour, a weak, formal, 
 parliamentary drudge, son of Lord Somebody Delmour, 
 and nephew to the Duke of Burlington ; and his brother, 
 Colonel Delmour, a fashionable unprincipled gamester ; 
 and Mr Lyndsay, a sort of quake rish, methodistical, 
 sombre person, — all, of course, brimful of pride and 
 prejudice. Nevertheless, beware how you contradict 
 prejudices, even knowing them to be such, for the 
 generality of people are much more tenacious of their 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 9 
 
 prejudices than of any thing belonging to them ; and 
 should you hear them run out in raptures at such a pro- 
 spect as this'' (pointing to the long bleak line of Scottish 
 coast), " even this too, you must admire ; even this cold y 
 shrubless tract of bare earth and stone walls, and yoni,/^ 
 dark stormy sea, you will perhaps be told (and you 
 must assent), are fairer than the lilied fields and limpid 
 waters of Languedoc." 
 
 Miss St Clair remained silent for a few moments 
 contemplating the scene before her ; at last she said, 
 " Indeed, mamma, I do think there is something fine 
 in such a scene as this, although I can scarcely tell in 
 what the charm consists, or why it should be more 
 deeply felt than scenes of greater beauty and grandeur ; 
 but there seems to me something so simple and majestic 
 in such an expanse of mere earth and water, that I feel 
 as if I were looking on nature at the beginning of the 
 creation, when only the sea and the dry land had been 
 formed." 
 
 " Rather after the fall, methinks/' said Mrs St Clair 
 with a bitter smile, as she drew her cloak round her ; 
 " at least, I feel at present much more as if I had been 
 expelled from Paradise, than as if I were entering it." 
 
 The scene was indeed a dreary one, though calculated 
 to excite emotions in the mind true to nature in all her 
 varied aspects ; and more especially in the youthful 
 heart, where novelty alone possesses a charki sufficient 
 to call forth its admiration. The dark lead-coloured 
 ocean lay stretched before them ; its dreary expanse 
 concealed by lowering clouds, while the sea-fowl 
 clamouring in crowds to the shore announced the 
 coming storm. The yet unclothed fields were black 
 with crows, whose discordant cries mingled with the 
 heavy monotonous sound of the waves, as they advanced 
 with sullen roar, and broke with idle splash. A thick 
 mist was gradually spreading over every object — an in- 
 
lO THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 describable shivering was felt by every human thing 
 which had bones and skin to feel — in short, it was an 
 east wind ; and the effect of an east wind upon the 
 east coast of Scotland may have been experienced, but 
 cannot be described. 
 
 " This is dreadful ! " exclaimed Mrs St Clair, as her 
 teeth chattered in her head, and her skin began to rise 
 into what is vulgarly termed goose-skin. 
 
 "You do look ill, mamma — you are quite a pale 
 blue, and I certainly feel as I never did before ; " and 
 Miss St Clair pulled up the windows, and wrapped her 
 roquelaure still closer. The French valet and abigail, 
 who sat on the dicky, looked round with pitiful faces, 
 as though to ask, " Quest-ce que cela P " Even the 
 postillion seemed affected in the same manner; for, 
 stopping his horses, he drew forth a ponderous many- 
 caped great coat, and buttoning it up to his nose, with a 
 look that bade defiance to the weather, he pursued his 
 route. The air grew colder and colder — the mist be- 
 came thicker and thicker — the shrieks of the sea-fowl 
 louder and louder — till a tremendous hail shower burst 
 forth, and dashed with threatening violence against the 
 windows of the carriage, and the undaunted driver was 
 compelled to bend his purple face beneath its pitiless 
 pelting, while he urged his horses as if to escape from 
 its influence. 
 
 " This is Scotland, and this is the month of May ! " 
 exclaimed Mrs St Clair with a groan, as she looked on 
 the whitened fields, and her thoughts recurred to the 
 smiling skies and balmy vernal airs of Languedoc. 
 
 " Scotland has given us rather a rude welcome, I 
 must confess," said her daughter ; " but, happily, I am 
 not superstitious ; and, see, it is beginning to smile upon 
 us already." 
 
 In a few minutes the clouds rolled away — the sun 
 burst forth in all his warmth and brilliancy — the tender 
 
THE INHERITANCE. II 
 
 wheat glittered in the moisture — the lark flew exulting 
 aloft — the sea-fowl spread their white wings, and 
 skimmed over the blue waters — the postillion slackened 
 his pace, and put off his great coat : such is Scotland's 
 varying clime — such its varying scenery ! 
 
 Cl)apter u|> 
 
 My father's house ! 
 -Send me not thence 
 
 Dishonour'd, but to wealth, to greatness raised. 
 
 Sophocles. 
 
 IT was on a lovely evening that the travellers reached 
 their destination near the western coast of Scot- 
 land. The air was soft, and the setting sun shed 
 his purple light on the mountains which formed the 
 back-ground of the Rossville domains. The approach 
 wound along the side of a river, which possessed all the 
 characteristic variety of a Scottish stream — now gliding 
 silently along, or seeming to stand motionless in the 
 crystal depth of some shaded pool — now chafing and 
 gurgling, with lulling sound, over its pebbly bed — while 
 its steep banks presented no less changing features. In 
 some places they were covered with wood, now in the 
 first tints of spring — the formal poplar's pale hue and the 
 fringed larch's tender green mingling with the red seared 
 leaf of the oak and the brown opening bud of the syca- 
 more. In others, grey rocks peeped from amidst the 
 lichens and creeping plants which covered them as with 
 a garment of many colours, and the wild rose decked 
 them with its transient blossoms. 
 
 Farther on the banks became less precipitous, and 
 gradually sunk into a gentle slope, covered with smooth 
 green turf, and sprinkled with trees of noble size. The 
 
12 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 only sounds that mingled with the rush of the stream 
 were the rich full song of the blackbird, the plaintive 
 murmur of the wood pigeon, and the abrupt but not 
 unmusical note of the cuckoo. Gertrude gazed with 
 ecstacy on all around, and her heart swelled with delight 
 as she thought this fair scene she was destined to inherit ; 
 and a vague poetical feeling of love and gratitude to 
 Heaven caused her to raise her eyes, swimming in tear- 
 ful rapture, to the Giver of all good. But it was 
 merely the overflowing of a young, enraptured, and 
 enthusiastic mind ; no deeper principle was felt or 
 understood — no trembling mingled with her joy — no 
 dark future cast its shadow on the mirror imagination 
 presented to her ; but visions of pomp and power, and 
 wealth and grandeur — visions of earthly bliss — swam 
 before those eyes which yet were raised from earth to 
 heaven. She was roused from her reverie by a deep 
 sigh, or rather groan, from her mother, who leant back 
 in the carriage, seemingly overcome by some painful 
 sensation either of mind or body. Miss St Clair was 
 accustomed to hear her mother sigh, and even groan, 
 upon very slight occasions, sometimes upon no occasion 
 at all ; but, at present, there was something that be- 
 tokened an intensity of suffering too sincere for feigning. 
 
 " You are ill, mamma ! " exclaimed she in terror, as 
 she looked on her mother's pale and agitated countenance. 
 
 It was some moments ere Mrs St Clair could find 
 voice to answer — but at length, in much emotion, she 
 said, 
 
 " Is it surprising that I should feel, at approaching 
 thai house from which my husband and myself were 
 exiled — nay, were even denied an entrance ? Can you 
 imagine that I should be unmoved at the thoughts of 
 beholding that family by whom we were rendered out- 
 casts, and whom I have only known as my bitterest 
 enemies ? " 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 13 
 
 Mrs St Clair's voice and her colour both rose as she 
 enumerated her injuries. 
 
 " Oh ! mamma, do not at such a time suffer your 
 mind to dwell upon those painful recollections ; it is 
 natural that melancholy thoughts should suggest them- 
 selves ; but ah ! there is the castle," cried the 
 
 young heiress, forgetting all her mother's wrongs as 
 the stately mansion now burst upon their view ; and 
 again her heart exulted as she looked on its lofty 
 turrets and long range of arched windows glittering in 
 the golden rays of the setting sun. In another moment 
 they found themselves at the entrance ; a train of richly 
 liveried servants were stationed to receive them. Mrs 
 St Clair's agitation increased — she stopped and leant 
 upon her daughter, who feared she would have fainted ; 
 but making an effort, she recovered her self-possession ; 
 and following the servant, who led the way to the pre- 
 sence of his lord, she gracefully presented her daughter 
 to him, saying, " To your lordship's generous protection 
 I commit my fatherless child." 
 
 Lord Rossville was a bulky, portentous-looking 
 person, with nothing marked in his physiognomy except 
 a pair of very black elevated eyebrows, which gave an 
 unvarying expression of solemn astonishment to his 
 countenance. He had a husky voice, and a very 
 tedious elocution. He was some little time in pre- 
 paring an answer to this address, but at last he 
 replied, — 
 
 " I shall, rest assured, madam, make a point of ful- 
 filling, to the utmost of my power and abilities, the 
 highly important duties of the parental office." cf 
 
 He then saluted his sister-in-law and niece ; and, 
 taking a hand of each, led them to a tall thin grey 
 old woman, with a long inquisitive-looking nose, whom 
 he named as Lady Betty St Clair. 
 
 Lady Betty rose from her seat with that sort of 
 
14 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 deliberate bustle which generally attends the rising up 
 and the sitting down of old ladies, and may be intended 
 to show that it is not an every- day affair with them to 
 practise such condescension. Having taken off her 
 spectacles, Lady Betty carefully deposited them within 
 a large work-basket, out of which protruded a tiger's 
 head in worsted work, and a volume of a novel. She 
 next lifted a cambric handkerchief from off a fat sleepy 
 lapdog which lay upon her knees, and deposited it on a 
 cushion at her feet. She then put aside a small fly 
 table, which stood before her as a sort of outwork ; and 
 thus freed from all impediments, welcomed her guests ; 
 and after regarding them with looks only expressive of 
 stupid curiosity, she motioned to them to be seated, and 
 replaced herself with even greater commotion than she 
 had risen up. Such a reception was not calculated to 
 call forth feelings of the most pleasurable kind; and 
 Gertrude felt chilled at manners so different from the 
 bland courtesy to which she had been accustomed, and 
 her heart sunk at the thoughts of being domesticated 
 with people who appeared so dull and unpleasing. The 
 very apartment seemed to partake of the character of its 
 inmates ; it had neither the solid magnificence of ancient 
 times, nor the elegant luxury of the present age ; neither 
 the grotesque ornaments of antiquity, nor the amusing 
 litter of fashionable baubles for the eye to have recourse 
 to. Lady Betty's huge work-basket was the only 
 indication that the apartment was inhabited — an air of 
 stiff propriety, of splendid discomfort, reigned through- 
 out. 
 
 The usual, and more than the usual questions, were 
 put by the Earl and his sister, as to time and distance, 
 and roads and drivers, and inns and beds, and weather 
 and dust ; and all were answered by Mrs St Clair in 
 the manner most calculated to conciliate those with 
 whom she conversed — till, in the course of half an 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 15 
 
 hour, Lord Rossville was of opinion that she was one 
 of the best-bred, best-informed, most sensible, ladylike 
 women he had ever conversed with — and his lordship 
 was not a person who was apt to form hasty opinions 
 upon any subject. 
 
 Lord Rossville's character was one of those whose 
 traits, though minute, are as strongly marked as though 
 they had been cast in a large mould. But as not even 
 the powers of the microscope can impart strength and 
 beauty to the object it magnifies, so no biographer could / 
 
 have exaggerated into virtues the petty foibles of his V, .- 
 
 mind. Yet the predominating qualities were such as 
 often cast a false glory around their possessor — for the 
 love of power and the desire of human applause were 
 the engrossing principles of his soul. In strong capa- 
 cious minds, and in great situations, these incentives 
 often produce brilliant results ; but in a weak, con- 
 tracted mind, moving in the narrow sphere of domestic 
 life, they could only circulate through the thousand 
 little channels that tend to increase or impair domestic 
 happiness. As he was not addicted to any particular 
 vice, he considered himself as a model of perfect virtue ; 
 and having been, in some respects, very prosperous in 
 his fortune, he was thoroughly satisfied that he was a 
 person of the most consummate wisdom. With these 
 ideas of himself, it is not surprising that he should have 
 deemed it his bounden duty to direct and manage every 
 man, woman, child, or animal, who came within his 
 sphere, and that, too, in the most tedious and torment- 
 ing manner. Perhaps the most teazing point in his 
 character was his ambition — the fatal ambition of 
 thousands — to be thought an eloquent and impressive 
 speaker, even on the commonest affairs of domestic 
 life : for this purpose, he always used ten times as many 
 words as were necessary to express his meaning, and 
 those too of the longest and strongest description. 
 
l6 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Another of his tormenting peculiarities was his desire 
 of explaining every thing, by which he always per- 
 plexed and mystified the simplest subject. Yet he had 
 his good points ; for he wished to see those around him 
 happy, provided he was the dispenser of their happiness, 
 and that they were happy precisely in the manner and 
 degree he thought proper. He was a sort of petty 
 benevolent tyrant ; and any attempt to enlarge his soul, 
 or open his understanding, would have been in vain. 
 His mind was already full, as full as it could hold, of 
 little thoughts, little plans, little notions, little pre- 
 judices, little whims, and nothing short of regeneration 
 could have made him otherwise. He had a code of 
 laws, a code of proprieties, a code of delicacies, all his 
 own, and he had long languished for subjects to execute 
 them upon. Mrs St Clair and her daughter were 
 therefore no small acquisitions to his family — he looked 
 upon them as two very fine pieces of wax, ready to 
 receive whatever impression he chose to give them ; 
 and the humble confiding manner in which his niece 
 had been committed to him had at once secured both 
 to mother and daughter his favour and protection. 
 Lady Betty's character does not possess materials to 
 furnish so long a commentary. She was chiefly remark- 
 able for the quantity of worsted work she executed, 
 which, for a person of her time of life, was considered 
 no less extraordinary than meritorious. She was now 
 employed on her fifth rug — the colours were orange and 
 blue — the pattern an orange tiger couchant picked out 
 with scarlet upon an azure ground. She also read all 
 the novels and romances which it is presumed are pub- 
 lished for the exclusive benefit of superannuated old 
 women, and silly young ones ; such as " The Enchanted 
 Head"— "The Invisible Hand"— "The Miraculous 
 Nuptials," &c. &c. She was now in the midst of 
 " Bewildered Affections, or All is not Lost," which 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I 7 
 
 she was reading, unconsciously, for the third time, with 
 unbroached delight. Lastly, she carefully watched 
 over a fat, pampered, ill-natured lapdog, and asked a 
 great many useless questions which few people thought 
 of answering. 
 
 These were the only members of the family who 
 appeared ; but Lord Rossville mentioned that two of 
 his nephews were on a visit in the neighbourhood, and 
 might be expected the following day. 
 
 " Since you are now, madam," said he, addressing 
 Mrs St Clair, " become as it were incorporated in the 
 Rossville family, it is proper and expedient that you 
 should be made acquainted with all its members. I do 
 not mean that acquaintance which a personal intro- 
 duction conveys, but that knowledge which we acquire 
 by a preconceived opinion, founded upon the experience 
 of those on whose judgment and accuracy we can rely. 
 I shall therefore give you such information regarding 
 the junior members of this family as observation and 
 opportunity have afforded me, and which, I flatter 
 myself, may not prove altogether unacceptable or un- 
 availing." The Earl paused, hemmed, and proceeded. 
 " The senior of the two juvenile members to whom you 
 will, in all probability, be introduced in the course of a 
 very short period, is Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick 
 Delmour, youngest son of the late Lord George Del- 
 mour, who was second son of James Duke of Burlington, 
 by the Marchioness of Effenford, widow of the deceased 
 Charles Chaloner, Marquis of Effenford, who died at 
 an early period, leaving one son, the present Augustus 
 Marquis of Effenford, married to the Lady Isabella 
 Cadrington, daughter of the Duke of Litchfield, and 
 one daughter, the present much-admired Countess of 
 Lymington ; — on the other hand, William Henry, the 
 present Duke of Burlington, espoused the only daughter 
 of that illustrious statesman John Earl of Harleigh, by 
 
1 8 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 whom he has issue one son, the Marquis of Haslingden, 
 now abroad on account of the delicate and precarious 
 state of his health. Thus it happens, and I hope I have 
 made it sufficiently clear, that certain members of this 
 family are at the same time united either by consan- 
 guinity, or by collateral connection of no remote degree, 
 with many — I might say with most — of the illustrious 
 families in the sister kingdom. 
 
 " My sister, the Lady Augustus Delmour, widow of 
 the late Lord George Delmour, at present resides in 
 the metropolis with her three daughters — one of whom 
 is, I understand, on the eve of forming a highly 
 honourable and advantageous alliance with the eldest 
 son of a certain Baronet of large fortune and extensive 
 property in the southern extremity of the island — but 
 of this it might not be altogether delicate to say more at 
 present. Colonel Frederick Delmour, then — the sub- 
 ject of our more immediate consideration — is in himself 
 a gentleman of figure, fashion, accomplishments, and of 
 * / very distinguished bravery in his highly honourable 
 V profession. He has already had the honour of being 
 twice slightly wounded in the field of battle, and in 
 being made very honourable mention of in the despatches 
 from the Earl of Marsham to his Royal Highness the 
 Commander-in-chief. In these respects, the dignity 
 and untarnished honour of the noble families to which 
 he belongs have suffered no diminution in his person ; 
 but it is to his elder brother " (and he now turned 
 towards Miss St Clair) " that we — that is, the Duke 
 of Burlington and myself — look as to one who is to add 
 still greater lustre to the coronets with which he is so 
 intimately connected. To all the natural advantages, 
 accomplishments, and acquirements of his brother, he 
 unites address and abilities of the highest order, by 
 means of which he has already acted a most distin- 
 guished part in the senate, and bids fair to become one 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 9 
 
 of the first, if not the first, statesman of this, or, indeed, 
 of any age." The Earl paused, as if overcome with 
 the prophetic visions which crowded on his mind. 
 
 " What time of night is it ? '' asked Lady Betty. 
 
 The Earl, recalled from his high anticipations, and 
 reminded of the lapse of time, resumed his discourse, 
 but in a less lofty tone. " The junior member of this 
 family, whom I have now to present to you, is Edward 
 Lyndsay, esquire, of Lynnwood, in this county, only 
 child of the late Edward Lyndsay of Lynnwood, 
 esquire, and my youngest sister, the deceased Lady 
 Jane St Clair. The late Mr Lyndsay was descended 
 from an ancient and highly respectable family, but, by 
 certain ancestral imprudences, was considerably involved 
 and embarrassed during his life, insomuch that he was 
 under the necessity of accepting a situation in one of 
 our colonial settlements, whither he was accompanied 
 by Lady Jane. Both, I lament to say, fell victims, in 
 a short period, to the pestilential effects of the climate, 
 leaving this young man, then an infant of three years 
 and a half old, to my sole protection and guardianship. 
 How these duties were discharged it is not for me to 
 say ; only, in justice to myself, I deem it right and 
 proper to state, that at the expiry of the minority, the 
 estate then was (I say nothing of the means or manage- 
 ment — let these speak for themselves — I simply deem it 
 due to myself to state that the estate was then) free ! 
 
 If it is so no longer " And the Earl bowed, and 
 
 waved his hands in that significant manner which says, 
 " I wash my hands of it." But his lordship took a 
 long time even to wash his hands ; for he still went on 
 — " Had Mr Lyndsay followed the path which, with 
 infinite consideration, I had marked out for him, he 
 might now, by means of those great and noble family 
 connections he possesses, have been on the high road to 
 honour, wealth, distinction, and self-approbation. As 
 
20 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 it is, he has chosen, contrary to my recommendation, to 
 decline the highly advantageous situation offered to him 
 in our Asiatic dominions, assigning as his sole reason 
 that he was satisfied with what he already had, and 
 meant to devote himself to the management and im- 
 provement of his own estate. A young man in his 
 situation in life, scarcely yet twenty-six years of age, 
 highly educated, as I made it a point he should be, and 
 possessed of an ancient family estate, by no means great, 
 and, I much fear, not wholly unincumbered, to refuse 
 a situation of such honour, emolument, and patronage ! 
 — Mr Lyndsay may be a good man ; but it was my 
 most anxious wish and endeavour to have made him 
 more — I would have made him had he submitted to my 
 guidance and control — I would have made him a great 
 man ! '' 
 
 The solemn and dignified silence which followed this 
 was happily broken by the announcement of supper. 
 The evening wore slowly away, for each minute seemed 
 like a drop of lead to Miss St Clair, who was more of 
 an age and temperament to enjoy than to endure. At 
 length it ended, and she retired to her apartment with 
 mingled feelings of pleasure and disappointment. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 21 
 
 Chapter it). 
 
 O life ! how pleasant in thy morning, 
 Young Fancy's rays thy hills adorning ! 
 Cold-pausing Caution's lessons scorning. 
 
 We frisk away, 
 Like schoolboys at th' expected warning, 
 
 To joy and play. 
 
 Burns. 
 
 THE following morning Gertrude rose early, im- 
 patient to take an unmolested survey of what she 
 already looked upon as her own. The suite of 
 public rooms engaged but little of her attention ; she 
 had already settled, in her own mind, that these must 
 be completely new furnished, and with this sweeping 
 resolution she passed quickly through them, merely 
 stopping to examine the few pictures they contained. 
 An open door, an almost dark passage, and a turnpike 
 stair, at length presented themselves as stimulants to her 
 curiosity, and tempted her to diverge from the straight 
 line she had hitherto followed. It was the original 
 part of the building, to which a modern Gothic front 
 had been affixed, and she soon found herself in all the 
 inextricable maze of long narrow passages, leading only 
 to disappointment, — steps which seemed to have been 
 placed as if on purpose to make people stumble — and 
 little useless rooms, which looked as if they had been 
 contrived solely for the pastime of hide-and-seek. At 
 length she entered one she guessed to be Lord Ross- 
 ville's study, and was hastily retreating, when her eye 
 was caught by an old-fashioned glass door opening upon 
 a shrubbery. She tried to open it, but it was locked ; 
 the prospect from without was alluring, and she felt 
 unwilling to turn away from it ; the windows were but 
 a little distance from the ground, and, having opened 
 
2 2 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 one, and smelt the perfume of the violets that grew 
 beneath, her next impulse was to spring lightly through 
 it into the garden. As she inhaled the fresh morning 
 air, fraught with the sweets of early summer, where 
 " the scent comes and goes like the warbling of music," 
 and looked on the lovely landscape as it shone in the 
 deep calm radiance of the morning sun, her heart, 
 glowing with all the joyousness of youth and health, 
 exulted in the brightness of creation. She wandered 
 to a considerable distance, till, having gained the top of 
 an eminence, she stood to admire the effect of some 
 cottages situated on the green shelving bank which 
 overhung the river. " What a pretty picturesque thing 
 a cottage is," thought she to herself; " how gracefully 
 its smoke rises from among the trees, and contrasts 
 with the clear atmosphere around. When this is mine, 
 I will certainly have some pretty cottages built in sight 
 of the castle, and have the good people to dance on the 
 green sward before their doors in an evening when their 
 work is done. O, how easy it must be to be good, 
 when one has the power of doing good ! " 
 
 Ignorant of herself and of the nature of the human 
 heart, Gertrude believed that to nvill and to do were 
 one and the same ; as yet untaught that all vague base- 
 less schemes of virtue, all vain romantic dreams of bene- 
 volence, are as much the cobwebs of imagination as the 
 air-built castles of human happiness, whether of love, 
 glory, riches, or ambition. 
 
 The beauty of the morning — the interest each object 
 excited — the songs of the birds — the smell of the open- 
 ing flowers — the sound of the waters — all combined to 
 lull her visionary mind into an Elysium of her own 
 creating ; and as she walked along, in all the ideal 
 enjoyment of her Utopian schemes, she found herself at 
 the door of one of those cottages whose picturesque 
 appearance had charmed her so much at a distance. A 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 23 
 
 nearer survey, however, soon satisfied her that the view 
 owed all its charms to distance. Some coarse, lint- 
 haired, mahogany- faced, half naked urchins, with brown 
 legs and black feet, were dabbling in a gutter before the 
 door ; while some bigger ones were pursuing a pig and 
 her litter, seemingly for the sole purpose of amusement. 
 
 " What a pity those children are all so ugly ! " 
 thought Miss St Clair; "it would have been so delight- 
 ful to have had them all nicely dressed, and have taught 
 them myself ; but they are so frightful, I could have no 
 pleasure in seeing them." However, she overcame her 
 repugnance so far as to accost them. " Should not 
 you like to be made nice and clean, and have pretty 
 new clothes ? " 
 
 " Ay ! " answered one of them with a broad stare, 
 and still broader accent. 
 
 " And to go to school, and be taught to read and 
 write, and work ? " 
 
 "Naw ! " answered the whole troop with one voice, 
 as they renewed their splashing with fresh vigour. 
 Miss St Clair made no farther attempts in that quarter ; 
 but she entered the cottage, carefully picking her steps, 
 and wrapping her garments close round her, to prevent 
 their contracting any impurities. The smoke, which 
 had figured so gracefully out of doors, had a very 
 different effect within, and she stood a few minutes on 
 the threshold before she could summon courage to pene- 
 trate farther. At length, as her eyes got accustomed 
 to the palpable obscure, she discovered the figure of a 
 man, seated in a wooden chair by the fire in a ragged 
 coat and striped woollen nightcap. "He is ill, poor 
 creature," thought she ; and quickly advancing, she 
 wished him good morning. Her salutation was respect- 
 fully returned ; and the man, making an effort to rise, 
 invited her to be seated with considerable courtesy. 
 
 " I am afraid you are ill," said Gertrude, declining 
 
24 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 the invitation, and looking with compassion on his lean 
 sallow visage. 
 
 " Oo, Meed he's very ill, my leddy,'* cried a voice 
 from behind ; and presently advanced a stout, blooming, 
 broad-faced dame, clad in a scanty blue flannel petticoat 
 and short gown. She was encompassed by a girr or 
 hoop supporting two stoups,"^ a piece of machinery 
 altogether peculiar to Scotland. Having disengaged 
 herself from this involvement or convolvement, she 
 dropped a courtesy to her guest ; and then wiping down 
 a chair, pressed her to be seated. 
 
 " The gudeman's really extraordinar ill, my leddy," 
 continued she in a high key. "I'm sure I ken na 
 what to do wi' him ; it was at first a sutten doon cauld, 
 an' noo he's fa'n in till a sort o' a dwinin like, an' atweel 
 I dinna think he'll e'er get the better o't." 
 
 " Have you any doctor to see him ? " inquired Miss 
 St Clair. 
 
 " Oo, 'tweel he's had doctors eneugh, an' naething's 
 been spared on him. I'm sure he's pitten as muckle 
 doctor's stuff o' ae kind an' anither in till himsel' as 
 might hae pushened him twenty times ower ; but weel 
 a wat, I think the mair he taks the waur he grows." 
 
 " Perhaps he takes too much medicine." 
 
 "'Deed I'll no say but he may; but ye ken, my 
 leddy, what can he do ? — he maun tak what the doctor 
 sends him — the things canna be lost ; but 'tweel he's 
 very sweered to tak them whiles, tho' I'm sure muckle 
 money they cost, an', as I tell him, they're dear 
 morsels." 
 
 " Perhaps if he were to leave off the medicines, and 
 try the effect of fresh air and good milk, and soup, 
 which I shall endeavour to procure for him " 
 
 " I'm sure we're muckle obliged to you, my leddy ; 
 
 * A stoup is neither a bucket, nor a pitcher, nor a jar, nor an 
 anything but a stoup. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 2$ 
 
 but he need nae want for fresh air, he can get eneugh o' 
 that ony day by gawen to the door ; but there's nae 
 gettin him to stir frae the chimley lug ; and, 'deed, I 
 canna say he wants for milk or broth either, for ane 6' 
 the young gentlemen up by spoke to my lord for us, and 
 he's really no to mean for his meat if he wad tak it ; as 
 I tell him whiles, my certy ! mony a ane wad be glad 
 to hae't for the takin." 
 
 " Is there any thing else, then, in which T can be ot 
 use to you ? " inquired Gertrude, now addressing the 
 invalid, — " is there any thing you particularly wish 
 for?" 
 
 The man held up a ragged elbow — " Gin your 
 leddyship has an auld coat to spare," said he, in a 
 hesitating voice. 
 
 " An auld coat ! " interposed his dame ; " Oo, what 
 could pit an auld coat in your head. Tarn ? I'm sure 
 there's a hantel things mair needfu' than an auld coat — 
 no that he wad be the waur o' a coat neither, for he 
 has naething atween that puir dud on his back and his 
 marriage ane, and his Sabbath-day suit in the kist 
 there." 
 
 " Pray let me know what things are most wanted for 
 your husband's comfort," said Miss St Clair, " and I 
 shall make a point of sending them — a bit of carpet, for 
 instance," looking upon the damp clay floor. 
 
 " Wud ye like a bit carpet, Tam, the leddy asks ? " 
 roared his wife to him ; then, without waiting for an 
 answer, 
 
 " Oo, 'deed he disna ken what he would like ; an' 
 he's ne'er been used till a carpet, and I daur say it 
 wud just be a disconvenience to him, noo that he canna 
 be fashed wi' ony thing — no but what he might pit up 
 wi' a bit carpet, I'se warran', if he hadither things that 
 are a hantel mair needfu'." 
 
 "A more comfortable chair, then, I may surely 
 
26 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 send," said Gertrude, still persisting in her benevolent 
 attempts. 
 
 " The leddy's for sendin' ye anither chyre, Tarn," 
 again shouted his tender helpmate — the husband nodded 
 his assent : " but, 'tweel, he's sutten sae lang in that 
 ane, I doot it's no worth his while to chynge 't noo ; 
 and I dinna think he could be fashed wi' anither chyre 
 — no but what we micht put up wi' anither chyre or 
 twa, if we had aw thing else wise-like.'* 
 
 "I am sorry there is nothing I can think of that 
 would be acceptable to you " 
 
 " Oo, I'll no say that, my leddy," briskly inter- 
 rupted the hostess ; *< there's a hantel things, weel a 
 wat, we hae muckle need o' — for ae thing — ^but I maist 
 think shame to tell't — an' it's really nae faut o' mine 
 neither, my leddy; but it's just sae happent, wi' ae 
 thing an' anither, I hae ne'er gotten a steek o' the 
 gudeman's dead claes ready — and noo to think that he's 
 drawin' near his end, I'm sure I canna tell the vexation 
 it's cost me." Here the dame drew a deep sigh, and 
 wiped her eyes with the corner of her apron ; then pro- 
 ceeded — *' Siena a discreditable thing to hae said, an' 
 sic a comfort as, nae doot, it wad be to him to see aw 
 thing ready and wise-like afore he gaed out o' the world. 
 — A suit o' gude bein comfortable dead claise, Tammes," 
 appealing to her husband, " wad set ye better than aw 
 the braw chyres an' carpets i' the toon. No but what if 
 ance ye had the tane, we micht pit up wi' the tither ; but 
 wad nae't be a bonny-like thing to see you set up wi' a 
 braw carpet, and a saft chyre, an' to think ye had nae 
 sa muckle as a wise-like windin' sheet to row ye in ? " 
 
 A great deal of the pathos of this harangue was, of 
 course, unintelligible to Miss St Clair ; but she compre- 
 hended the main scope of it, and, somewhat shocked at 
 this Scotch mode of evincing conjugal affection, she put 
 down some money and withdrew, rather surprised to 
 
7^^ / 
 
 fev co^^i^<^^e/>^. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 2^ 
 
 find what different ideas of comfort and respectability 
 prevailed in different countries, and a good deal disap- 
 pointed in the failure of her benevolent intentions. 
 
 Chapter &♦ 
 
 What kind of catechizing call you this ? 
 
 Much Ado about Nothing. 
 
 TIME had passed unheeded, and chance, rather than 
 design, led Gertrude to retrace her steps, when, 
 as she drew near the castle, she was met by one 
 of the servants, who informed her that he and several 
 others had been sent in search of her, as it was long 
 past the breakfast hour, and the family had been some 
 time assembled. Ashamed of her own thoughtlessness, 
 she quickened her steps ; and desiring the servant to 
 show the way to the breakfast room, without waiting to 
 adjust her dress, she hastily entered, eager to apologise 
 for her transgression. But the dread solemnity that sat 
 on Lord Rossville's brow made her falter in her pur- 
 pose. With a teapot in one hand, with the other he 
 made an awful wave for her to be seated. Lady Betty 
 was busy mixing a mess of hot rolls, cream, and 
 sugar, for her epileptic lapdog. An impending storm 
 sat on Mrs St Clair's face, but veiled under an appear- 
 ance of calm dignified displeasure. Gertrude felt as it 
 denounced by the whole party — she knew not for what, 
 unless for having been twenty minutes too late for 
 breakfast, and, in some trepidation, she began to apolo- 
 gise for her absence. Lord Rossville gave several 
 deep sepulchral hems ; then, as if he had been passing 
 sentence upon a criminal, said, — 
 
 " I am not averse to postpone the discussion of this 
 
28 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 delicate and painful investigation, Miss St Clair, until 
 you shall have had the benefit of refreshment." 
 
 Gertrude was confounded. " My lord ! " exclaimed 
 she, in amazement, " I am very sorry if any thing has 
 occurred," — and she looked round for an explanation. 
 
 Lord Rossville hemmed — looked still more appalling, 
 and then spoke as follows : — 
 
 " You are doubtless aware. Miss St Clair, that in all 
 countries where civilisation and refinement have made 
 any considerable progress, female delicacy and propriety 
 are — are ever held in the highest estimation and esteem." 
 
 His lordship paused ; and as no contradiction was 
 offered to this his proem, he proceeded, — 
 
 " But you must, or certainly ought to be likewise 
 aware, that it is not merely these virtues themselves 
 which must be carefully implanted, and vigilantly 
 watched over, in the young and tender female — for 
 even the possession of the virtues themselves are not a 
 sufficient shield for the female character. It was a 
 maxim of Julius Caesar's (unquestionably the greatest 
 conqueror that ever lived), that his wife must not only 
 be spotless in herself, but that she must not even be 
 suspected by others : a maxim that, in my opinion, de- 
 seiTes to be engraven in letters of gold, and certainly 
 cannot be too early, or too deeply, imprinted on the 
 young and tender female breast." 
 
 His lordship had gained a climax, and he stopped, 
 overpowered with his own eloquence. Mrs St Clair 
 made a movement expressive of the deepest attention 
 and most profound admiration. 
 
 " Such being my sentiments — sentiments in which I 
 am borne out by the testimony of one of the greatest 
 men who ever lived — it is not surprising that I should 
 feel, and feel deeply too, the glaring indiscretion you 
 have, I grieve to say, already committed, since your 
 entrance within these walls." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 29 
 
 Then, after another solemn pause, during which Miss 
 St Clair sat in speechless amazement, he resumed with 
 more than senatorial dignity. 
 
 " I wish to be correctly informed at what hour you 
 quitted your apartment this morning, Miss St Clair ? " 
 
 " Indeed, my lord, I cannot tell," answered Ger- 
 trude, with perfect naivete. " I had forgot to wind up 
 my watch, and I did not hear any clock strike ; but, 
 from the appearance of the morning, I am sure it was 
 early." 
 
 " And what, may I ask, was the mode or manner. 
 Miss St Clair, by which you thought proper to quit 
 my house at so untimely and unusual an hour ? " de- 
 manded the Earl in a voice of repressed emotion. 
 
 Gertrude blushed — " I am afraid I was guilty of a 
 transgression, my lord, for which I ask your pardon ; 
 but, allured by the fineness of the morning, and the 
 beauty of the scenery, I was desirous of getting out to 
 enjoy them, and having in vain tried to make my way 
 through a door, I was tempted to step out by a 
 window." 
 
 Miss St Clair spoke with so much simplicity and 
 gentleness, and there was so much sweetness and even 
 melody in her voice and accent, that any other than 
 Lord Rossville would have wished her offence had been 
 greater, that her apology might have been longer. Not 
 so his lordship, who possessed neither taste nor ear, and 
 was alive to no charm but what he called propriety. At 
 the conclusion of his niece's acknowledgment, the Earl 
 struck his forehead, and took two or three turns up and 
 down the room ; then suddenly stopping, — 
 
 " Are you at all aware. Miss St Clair, of the glaring 
 — the — I must say — gross impropriety of such a step 
 in itself — of the still more gross construction that will 
 be put upon it by the world ? The simple fact has only 
 to be told, and one inference, and but one, will be 
 
30 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 drawn. You have quitted the apartment assigned to 
 you under my roof at an — an untimely, consequently 
 unbefitting hour ; and you — you — most imprudently 
 and improperly precipitate yourself from a window — 
 and what window ? why, the window of my private 
 sitting room ! A young female is seen issuing from 
 the window of my study at a nameless hour in the 
 morning — the tale circulates — and where, I ask, — where 
 ami?'' 
 
 " Where was you ? " inquired Lady Betty. 
 
 Mrs St Clair put her handkerchief to her face. 
 
 " I am very sorry, my lord, that I should have 
 done any thing to displease you — if I have done 
 wrong " 
 
 ** If you have done wrong ! Good heavens ! is it 
 thus you view the matter. Miss St Clair ? What / 
 think wrong ! Who that has proper feelings of deli- 
 cacy and propriety — who that has a due regard for 
 character and reputation, but must view the matter 
 precisely as I do ? Such a step — and at such an 
 hour!" 
 
 And his Lordship resumed his troubled walk. 
 
 Unacquainted with her uncle's character, and ignorant 
 of the manners and customs of the country, Gertrude 
 was led to believe she had committed a much more 
 serious offence than she had been aware of, and she was 
 at length wrought up to that degree of distress which 
 the Earl deemed necessary to mark her contrition. 
 Softening at witnessing the effect of his power, which 
 he imputed to the fine style of his language, he now 
 took his niece's hand with an air of tender pomposity, 
 and addressed her in what he intended for a more con- 
 solatory strain. 
 
 ** I have considered it my duty — a painful one, 
 doubtless, but, nevertheless, my duty — to point out to 
 you the impropriety you have — I hope and believe 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 3 1 
 
 inadvertently — committed. As a member of my family, 
 and one for whose actions the world will naturally 
 consider me responsible, it is necessary that you should 
 henceforth look up to me as the guide of your future 
 steps, and that I should henceforth take upon myself 
 the entire regulation of your manners and conduct in 
 life." 
 
 Miss St Clair's blood ran cold at the thoughts of 
 being subjected to such thraldom. 
 
 " But before dismissing this subject — I trust for 
 ever — let me here state to you my sentiments with 
 regard to young ladies walking before breakfast — a 
 practice of which, I must confess, I have always dis- 
 approved. I am aware it is a practice that has the 
 sanction of many highly respectable authorities who 
 have written on the subject of female ethics ; but, I 
 own, I cannot approve of young ladies of rank and 
 family leaving their apartments at the same hour with 
 chamber-maids and dairy-maids, and walking out un- 
 attended at an hour when only the lower orders of the 
 people are abroad. Walking before breakfast, then, I 
 must consider as a most rude masculine habit — as the 
 Right Honourable Edmund Burke observes, * an air of 
 robustness and strength is highly prejudicial to beauty * 
 (that is, as I apprehend, female beauty), * while an 
 appearance of fragility is no less essential to it ; ' — and 
 certainly nothing, in my opinion, can be more unbecom- 
 ing, more unfeminine, than to behold a young lady seat 
 herself at the breakfast table with the complexion of a 
 dairy-maid, and the appetite of a ploughman. At the 
 same time, I am an advocate for early rising, as there 
 are, doubtless, many ways in which young ladies may 
 spend their mornings without rambling abroad ; and you 
 will find, by looking in your dressing-room, that I have 
 made ample provision for your instruction, and amuse- 
 ment, and delight. Let morning walks, therefore. 
 
$2 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 from henceforth have an end.'* And he pressed his 
 niece's hand with that air of pompous forgiveness so 
 revoking from one human being to another. Luckily 
 his lordship was here summoned away ; but ere he left 
 the room, he signified his intention of returning in an 
 hour to show the ladies what was most worthy of 
 observation in the castle and demesnes. 
 
 Absurd as this scene may appear, few will deny the 
 undue importance which many people attach to the 
 trifles of life, and how often mole-hills are magnified 
 into mountains by those with whom trifles are indeed 
 " the sum of human things." 
 
 By 'r lakin, I can go no further, sir, 
 My old bones ache : here's a maze trod, indeed, 
 Through forth -rights and meanders ! By your patience, 
 I needs must rest me. 
 
 TTie Tempest. 
 
 True as the dial to the sun. 
 
 Even though it be not shined upon, 
 
 LORD ROSSVILLE returned at the hour ap- 
 pointed, to do the honours of his castle. But, 
 as most of my readers have doubtless experienced 
 the misery of being shown a house where there was 
 nothing to be seen, and can tell "how hard it is to 
 climb" from the lowest sunk storey to the uppermost 
 garrets, I shall not be so unmerciful as to drag them 
 " up stairs and down stairs to my lady's chamber," and 
 into all the chambers except his lordship's own, which 
 he was too decorous to exhibit. Neither shall I insist 
 upon their hearing every thing explained and set forth 
 even to the Dutch tiles of the dairy, the hot and cold 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 33 
 
 pipes of the washing-house, the new-invented ovens, the 
 admirably constructed larder, the inimitable baths, with 
 all the wonder-working steam-going apparatus of the 
 kitchen. Here Mrs St Clair acquitted herself to ad- 
 miration ; for to see judiciously requires no small skill 
 in the seer, and there are few who see things precisely 
 as they ought to be seen. Many see too much — many 
 too little. Some see only to find fault — some only to 
 admire ; some are, or pretend to be, already acquainted 
 with every thing they are shown — some are profoundly 
 ignorant, consequently cannot properly appreciate the 
 inventions or improvements exhibited. Some are too 
 inquisitive — some too indifferent ; but it is as impossible 
 to describe the vast variety of seers as of mosses, neither 
 is it easy to point out the innumerable rocks on which a 
 seer may strike. A treatise, illustrated by a few memor- 
 able examples or awful warnings, might possibly be ot 
 some use to the unskilful beholder. But, as in most 
 other arts and sciences, much must depend upon natural 
 genius. Mrs St Clair was so happily endowed, that she 
 was enabled to see every thing as it was intended to be 
 seen, and to bestow her admiration in the exact pro- 
 portion in which she perceived it was required, through 
 all the intermediate degrees, from ecstatic rapture down 
 to emphatic approval. With Gertrude it was far other- 
 wise ; she had no taste for poking into pantries, and 
 chimneys, and cellars, or of hearing any of the inelegant 
 minutiae of life detailed. It seemed like breaking all 
 the enchantments of existence to be thus made to view 
 the complicated machinery by which life, artificial life, 
 was sustained ; and she rejoiced when the survey was 
 ended, and it was proposed, after luncheon, to take a 
 drive through the grounds. Gertrude flattered herself 
 that here she would, at least, enjoy the repose of in- 
 activity, and be suffered to see as much as could be seen 
 from a carriage window of the beauties of nature. But 
 I. C 
 
34 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Lord Rossvllle's mind was never in a quiescent state in 
 any situation ; there was always something to be done 
 or to be seen — the windows were to be either let down 
 or drawn up — the blinds to be drawn up or pulled down 
 — there was something that ought to be seen, but could 
 not be seen — or there was something seen that ought 
 not to have been seen ; thus his mind was not only its 
 own plague, but the plague of all who had the misfortune 
 to bear him company. 
 
 In vain were creation's charms spread before his eyes. 
 There is a mental blindness, darker than that which 
 shrouds the visual orb ; and Nature's works were to 
 Lord Rossville an universal blank, or rather they were 
 a sort of account-book, in which were registered all his 
 own petty doings. It was here he had drained, there 
 he had embanked — here he had planted, there he had 
 cut down — here he had built a bridge, there he had 
 made a road — here he had levelled, there he had raised, 
 &c. &c. &c. To all that his own head had planned he 
 was feelingly alive ; but, for the " dread magnificence 
 of heaven," he had neither eye, ear, nor soul, and must 
 therefore be forgiven if insensible to its influence. Mrs 
 St Clair was not much more highly gifted in that re- 
 spect, but she could speak, if she could not feel ; and 
 she expatiated and admired, till Lord Rossville thought 
 her, without exception, the cleverest woman he had 
 ever met with. 
 
 " Since you are so great an enthusiast in the beauties 
 of nature, my dear madam," said he, addressing his 
 sister-in-law, " we shall extend our drive a little farther 
 than I had purposed, that I may have the pleasure of 
 showing you, at a single coup d'ceil, the whole extent of 
 the Rossville possessions in this country, while, at the 
 same time, you will embrace some other objects in which 
 I am not wholly unconcerned. — Benjamin," (to the 
 servant,) "to Pinnacle Hill;" and to Pinnacle Hill 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 35 
 
 the horses' heads were turned. " Pinnacle Hill," con- 
 tinued the Earl, "is a very celebrated spot: it is a 
 purchase I made from I^ord Fairacre some years ago ; 
 and is much resorted to by strangers, as commanding, 
 with few if any exceptions, one of the finest views in 
 Scotland." 
 
 Mrs St Clair hated fine views, and she tried to get 
 off by pretending scruples about encroaching so much 
 on his lordship's time, goodness, and so forth — but all 
 in vain ; to Pinnacle Hill they were driven ; and, after 
 being dragged up as far as horses could go, they were 
 (as, indeed, the name implied) obliged to alight and 
 ascend on foot. With considerable toil they reached 
 the top ; and scarcely were they there, when the wind, 
 having changed to the east, its never-failing accompani- 
 ment, a raw mist, began to gather all round. But Lord 
 Rossville was insensible even to an east wind — his bodily 
 sensations being quite as obtuse as his mental ones ; and 
 having got to the top of the Pinnacle, he faced him 
 round, and, in the very teeth of the enemy, began to 
 point out what was and what was not to be seen. 
 
 " Here you have a very commanding view, or would 
 have had, if the atmosphere had been somewhat clearer ; 
 as it is, I can enable you distinctly to trace out the 
 boundary line of the Rossville estate. Observe the 
 course of the river in the direction of my cane — you 
 see it plainly here — there it disappears amongst the 
 Millbank woods — now it takes a turn, and you have 
 it again to your left — you follow me \ " 
 
 " Perfectly, my lord," replied Mrs St Clair, although 
 she saw nothing but a wreath of mist. 
 
 " Undoubtedly that must be the river we see," said 
 his lordship doubtingly ; " but, at the same time, we 
 never can rely, with perfect security, upon the watery 
 element ; it has many resemblances, which are not 
 easily detected at a distance — a bleachfield, for instance. 
 
36 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 has not unfrequently been mistaken for a piece of water ; 
 and we read of a very singular deception produced upon 
 sand in the eastern countries, and termed the mirage.'^ 
 
 " Water is, indeed, a deceitful element," said Mrs 
 St Clair, hoping, by this affirmative, to get to the lee- 
 side of the discussion. 
 
 " On the other hand, it is a most useful and invalu- 
 able element ; without water, where would be our 
 navigation — our commerce — our knowledge — our arts ? 
 — in one word, water may be termed the bulwark of 
 Britain." 
 
 " It may indeed," said Mrs St Clair, her teeth 
 chattering as she spoke ; " to water we owe our exist- 
 ence as a nation, — our liberties, civil and religious ; " 
 and she retreated a few steps on the faith of having 
 settled the matter. 
 
 " Pardon me there, my dear madam," said the Earl, 
 retaining his original footing ; " that is, perhaps, going 
 a little too far. Strictly speaking, we cannot, with pro- 
 priety, be said to owe our existence to water, since, had 
 we not been an island, a highly favoured island ! we 
 should certainly have formed part of the vast continent 
 of Europe — and with regard to our liberties, the Magna 
 Charta, that boast of Britain, was unquestionably pro- 
 cured, and, I trust, will ever be maintained, on terra 
 Jirma." 
 
 Mrs St Clair could almost have given up the game at 
 this point — to stand on the very pinnacle of a pinnacle, 
 in the face of an east wind, and be talked to about bul- 
 warks and Magna Chartas — it was too much ! 
 
 " How very cold you look, mamma," said Miss St 
 Clair, compassionating her mother's feelings. 
 
 " Cold ! " repeated Lord Rossville, in a tone of sur- 
 prise and displeasure ; " impossible — cold in the month 
 of May ! The day would be too hot, were it not for 
 this cooling breeze." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 37 
 
 This was worse and worse — Mis St Clair groaned 
 internally, as she thought " how will it be possible to 
 drag out existence with a man who calls a piercing east 
 wind a cooling breeze ! " 
 
 Lord Rossville raised his cane, and resumed his 
 observations at great length upon the ravages committed 
 by the river on his friend and neighbour Boghall's pro- 
 perty. Mrs St Clair wished the Boghall acres in the 
 bottom of the Red Sea, though even from thence Lord 
 Rossville might, perhaps, have fished them up ; as a 
 thorough-bred tormentor, like a first-rate magician, can 
 call spirits, even from the vasty deep, to torment his 
 victims. 
 
 " Here,'' continued the Earl, taking his sister-in-law 
 by the hand, and leading her to the utmost verge of all 
 she hated — a bleak exposed promontory ; *' here we 
 command a no less charming prospect in a different 
 style : — observe that range of hills." 
 
 " Superb ! " exclaimed Mrs St Clair, with an aguish 
 shudder. 
 
 " Why, yes — the hills themselves are very well ; 
 but do you observe nothing, my dear madam, that 
 reheves the eye from what a friend of mine justly 
 calls * a boundless continuity of shade ? ' " 
 
 Mrs St Clair almost cracked her eyeballs straining in 
 the direction pointed out ; but, like sister Anne, could 
 see nothing to the purpose. 
 
 " I suspect you are looking rather too high ; nearer 
 the base, and allow your eye to run along by the point 
 of my cane — there, you must have got it now." 
 
 There are, perhaps, few every-day situations more 
 tormenting to a scrupulous mind than that of being 
 called upon to see what you cannot see — you must 
 either disappoint the views of the view-pointer, or you 
 must sacrifice your conscience (as it is much to be 
 feared too many do), and, sinking under the torture, 
 
38 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 pretend that you have at last hit the mark, wliether it 
 be a pufF of smoke indicative of a town, a white cloud 
 of the ocean, or a black speck of an island. 
 
 " Ah ! I think I discover something now,'' cried 
 Mrs St Clair, quite at a loss to guess whether the white 
 mote in question was a church steeple, or a ship's mast, 
 or any other wonderful object of the same nature, which 
 generous long-siglited people will always make a point 
 of sharing with their less gifted friends. 
 
 " And you think the effect good ? " 
 
 " Admirable — inimitable ! " 
 
 " Why, the situation was my own choice ; there was 
 a committee appointed to make choice of the most 
 favourable site, and they fortunately fell in with my 
 views on the subject, and, indeed, paid me the compli- 
 ment of consulting my feelings on the occasion : — a 
 public monument, I conceive, ought, undoubtedly, to 
 be placed in a conspicuous and elevated situation ; but 
 more especially when that situation happens to be in the 
 very grounds of not only the original proposer and princi- 
 pal heritor in the county, but likewise the personal friend 
 of the illustrious dead to whom this tribute is decreed 
 — for, I am proud to say, our renowned patriot, the 
 great Lord Pension well, was (with the excellent Lord 
 Dunderhead) the associate of my youthful years — the 
 friend of my maturer age." 
 
 " Happy the country," said Mrs St Clair, now 
 driven almost to frenzy, " whose nobles are thus gifted 
 with the power of reflecting kindred excellence, and 
 perpetuating national virtue, on the broad basis of 
 private friendship." 
 
 Mrs St Clair knew she was talking nonsense ; but 
 she also knew who she was talking to, and was sure it 
 would pass. Lord Rossville, to be sure, was a little 
 puzzled ; but he saw it was meant as a compliment, 
 and contained a fine-sounding sentiment, and it was 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 39 
 
 therefore well recei7ed. Fortunately, the rain now 
 began to fall ; and every object being completely 
 shrouded in mist, his lordship was obliged to give in ; 
 but he comforted himself, and thought he comforted 
 his companions, by promising to return, when the 
 weather was more propitious, to repeat and complete 
 their enjoyment. 
 
 Chapter bij^ 
 
 Most musical, most melancholy ! — Milton. 
 
 THE dinner hour was an early one, for Lord 
 Rossville liked to secure his victims for a 
 long evening. The meal was prolonged to its 
 utmost extent, and passed heavily ; for, although its 
 arrangements were faultless, there was a want of that ease 
 which is the essence of good cheer. The evening enter- 
 tainment was still worse ; for Lord Rossville piqued 
 himself upon his musical talents, and Miss St Clair, 
 whose taste and execution were both of a superior 
 order, was doomed to the tortures of his lordship's 
 accompaniment. His false chords — his overstrained 
 cadences — his palsied shakes — his tones half and whole, 
 grated upon her ear, and she felt that music and melody 
 were sometimes very different things. He affected to 
 despise all music, except that of the great composers, 
 and chose for the subject of his execution Beethoven's 
 " Synfonia Pastorale." — " Here," said he, as he placed 
 it before his niece and himself, "observe, the great 
 point is to have your mind duly impressed with the 
 ideas these grand and characteristic movements are 
 designed to express. Here we have, in the first place, 
 * The Prospect ; ' — we must, of course, infer that it is 
 a fine or pleasing prospect, such, for example, as we 
 
40 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 viewed to-day, that the great composer intended to 
 represent — let your movements therefore be graceful 
 and aerial — light and shade; — then follows * The 
 Rivulet,' — that, I need scarcely inform you, must be 
 expressed by a gentle, murmuring measure. Next we 
 have the * Village Dance,' — gay and exhilarating — 
 rustic, but not vulgar. As a powerful contrast to these 
 simple scenes, now bursts upon us *The Storm,' — 
 awful, sublime, overpowering as the conflict of the 
 elements, — howling winds, descending torrents, thunder 
 and lightning, all must be conveyed here, or the mighty 
 master's aim is rendered abortive. To soothe the mind 
 after this awful explosion of genius, we wind up the 
 whole with the * Shepherd's Song,' breathing the soft 
 accents of peace and pastoral innocence — and now 
 da capoJ*^ 
 
 Miss St Clair might well shudder at the prospect 
 before her, and her tortures were exquisite, when she 
 found her ear, taste, feeling, science, all placed under 
 the despotic sway of his lordship's bow and foot ; but, 
 at length, her sufferings were ended by the announce- 
 ment of supper. This was another of Lord Rossville's 
 inflictions — he had a heavy hot supper regularly served, 
 round which all his victims {i.e., his family and guests) 
 were compelled to be seated, while he did the honours 
 in his most elaborate and massive style till the hour of 
 midnight. " Ha ! " exclaimed he, starting up, " it 
 seems we take no note of time here." This was a 
 favourite jeu de mot of the Earl's, and, indeed, it was 
 suspected that he sometimes allowed himself to be 
 surprised for the pleasure of repeating it. 
 
 Supper was nearly over, when the trampling of 
 horses, barking of dogs, ringing of bells, and all the 
 usual clamour which attends the arrival of a person of 
 distinction, caused a sensation in the company. Lady 
 Betty asked what that was, while she took her favourite 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 41 
 
 on her lap, and covered it with her pocket-handker- 
 chief; from beneath which, however, issued, ever and 
 anon, a low asthmatic growl. 
 
 " It is Colonel Delmour, my lady," answered the 
 pompous maitre d^hotel, who had despatched a mes- 
 senger to inquire. 
 
 " It is an extraordinary and somewhat improper time 
 of night, I think " 
 
 But his lordship's remarks were stopped by the 
 entrance of the party in question. Merely touching 
 his uncle's hand as he passed him, and scarcely noticing 
 Lady Betty, Colonel Delmour advanced to Mrs and 
 Miss St Clair, and paid his compliments to them with 
 all the graceful high-bred ease of a man of fashion ; 
 then calling for a chair, he seated himself by his cousin, 
 seemingly regardless of one having been placed by Lord 
 Rossville's orders on the other side of the table. 
 Colonel Delmour was strikingly handsome, both in 
 face and form ; and he possessed that high hereditary 
 air of fashion and freedom which bore the impress of 
 nobility and distinction. There might, perhaps, be 
 something of hauteur in his lofty bearing ; but it was so 
 qualified by the sportive gaiety of his manners, that it 
 seemed nothing more than that elegant and graceful 
 sense of his own superiority, to which, even without 
 arrogance, he could not be insensible. He talked 
 much, and well, and in that general way which allowed 
 every one to take a part in the conversation without 
 suffering any one, not even the Earl, to monopolise it. 
 Altogether, his presence was like sunshine upon frost- 
 work, and an air of ease and gaiety succeeded to the 
 dulness and constraint which had hitherto prevailed. 
 Lady Betty had three times asked, " What brought you 
 here at this time of night ? " before Colonel Delmour 
 answered ; at last he said, — 
 
 " Two very powerful motives, though scarcely fit to 
 
4 2 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 be named together — the first was my eagerness to do 
 homage here," bowing gracefully to Miss St Clair ; 
 " the other was to avoid the honour of driving Miss 
 Pratt." 
 
 " I thought Mr Lyndsay was to have returned with 
 you," said the Earl. 
 
 " I offered him a seat in my curricle, which he 
 wanted to transfer to Miss Pratt, but I could not pos- 
 sibly agree to that arrangement ; so he remains like a 
 preux chevalier to escort her in a hackney-chaise, and 
 also, I believe, to attend a Bible meeting, or a charity 
 sermon, or something of that sort. It is more, I sus- 
 pect, as a paymaster than a protector, that his services 
 are required, as she discovered it would cost her I can't 
 tell how many shillings and sixpences ; and though I 
 would willingly have paid her expenses, yet really to 
 endure her company for a nine- mile tete-a-tete was 
 more than my philosophy dreamt of." 
 
 Much depends on the manner in which things are 
 said as to the impression they convey to the unreflecting 
 mind. Colonel Delmour's voice and accent were un- 
 commonly pleasing ; and he had an air of gay good 
 humour, that gave to his words rather the semblance of 
 airy levity, than of selfishness or ill nature. Even 
 when he carelessly sketched on the tablecloth a cari- 
 cature of Mr Lyndsay, with a large Bible under his 
 arm, handing Miss Pratt, with a huge bandbox in hers, 
 into a hackney-chaise, Gertrude could not resist a smile 
 at their expense. 
 
 " Miss Pratt coming here to-morrow ! " exclaimed 
 the Earl in a tone expressive of any thing but pleasure ; 
 " that is somewhat an unexpected " and his lord- 
 ship made an eflPort as if to bolt some word too hard for 
 utterance. Then addressing Mrs St Clair, though with 
 a very disturbed look, " As, in all probability, madam, 
 that lady's visit is designed out of compliment to you 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 43 
 
 and your daughter, it is necessary, previous to her 
 arrival, that you should be aware of the degree of 
 relationship subsisting between Miss Pratt and the 
 members of this family." 
 
 Lord Rossville's air, looks, manner, hems, all por- 
 tended a story ; it was but too evident that breath was 
 collecting and reminiscences arranging for the purpose, 
 and the pause that ensued was prophetic — not, alas ! 
 of its end, but of its beginning. But Colonel Delmour 
 seemed quite aware of the danger that was impending ; 
 and just as his uncle had opened his mouth with " Miss 
 Pratt's great-grandfather " he interposed. 
 
 " I beg pardon, but I cannot think of devolving the 
 task of being Miss Pratt's chronicler upon you ; as I 
 was guilty of introducing her to the company, mine be 
 the punishment of becoming her biographer." Then, 
 with a rapidity which left the Earl with his mouth 
 open, and Miss Pratt's great-grandfather still vibrating 
 on his tongue, he went on — 
 
 " Miss Pratt, then, by means of great-grandfathers 
 and great-grandmothers {y/ho, par parenthese, may com- 
 monly be classed under the head of great bores), is, 
 somehow or other, cousin to all families of distinction, 
 in general, throughout Scotland, but to this one, from 
 its local advantages, in particular. I cannot pretend to 
 show forth the various modifications of which cousin- 
 ship is susceptible, — first, second, and third degrees, as 
 far as numbers and degrees can go. And, indeed, 1 
 have already committed a great error in my outset, by 
 having introduced Miss Pratt by herself Miss Pratt, 
 when I ought to have presented her as Miss Pratt and 
 Anthony Whyte. In fact, as Whittington without his 
 cat would be nobody in the nursery, so neither would 
 Miss Pratt be recognised in the world without Anthony 
 Whyte. Not that there exists the same reciprocal 
 attachment, or unity of fortune, between the aunt and 
 
44 THE INHERITANCE, 
 
 the nephew which distinguished the master and his cat ; 
 for Anthony Whyte is rich, and Miss Pratt is poor — 
 Anthony Whyte Hves in a castle, Miss Pratt in a 
 cottage — Anthony Whyte has horses and hounds, Miss 
 Pratt has clogs and pattens. There is something so 
 uninteresting, if not unpromising, in the name, that " — • 
 addressing himself to Miss St Clair — " you, at present, 
 will scarcely care whether it belongs to a man or a cat, 
 and will be ready to exclaim, * What's in a name ? ' 
 But do not expect long to enjoy this happy state of 
 indifference — by dint of hearing it repeated day after 
 day, hour after hour, minute after minute, upon every 
 possible and impossible occasion, it will at length take 
 such hold of your imagination that you will see the 
 mystic letters which compose the name of Anthony 
 Whyte wherever you turn your eyes — you will be ready 
 to * holla out his name to the reverberate rocks, and 
 teach the babbling gossips of the air to cry out ' — 
 Anthony Whyte ! " 
 
 " What's all that nonsense ? " asked Lady Betty. 
 
 " I have been rather prosy upon Miss Pratt and her 
 adjunct — that's all," answered Colonel Delmour 
 slightly ; " and must have something to put away the 
 sound of Anthony Whyte " — and he hummed a few 
 notes. " Do, Miss St Clair, join me in expelling those 
 hideous names I have invoked for your gratification — 
 you sing, I am sure." 
 
 But Gertrude was afraid to comply, for no one 
 seconded the request. Lord Rossville, indeed, looked 
 evidently much displeased ; but it was no less manifest 
 that his nephew neither thought nor cared for any body's 
 feelings but such as he was solicitous to please ; and, 
 before the party broke up, he had contrived to make a 
 very favourable impression on the only person present 
 whose favour he was anxious to obtain. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 45 
 
 Cljapter iJU)\ 
 
 Her tongue runs round like a wheel, one spoke after 
 another; there is no end of it. You would wonder at her 
 matter to hear her talk, and would admire her talk when you 
 hear her matter. All the wonder is, whilst she speaks only- 
 thrums, how she makes so many different ends hang together. 
 — Richard Fleckno, 1658. 
 
 MANY visitors arrived the two following days 
 from various quarters, though all from similar 
 motives, — viz. to see the young heiress and 
 her plebeian mother. But amongst all the varieties of 
 life, how few can even serve " to point a moral or 
 adorn a tale." 
 
 The most distinguished of those individuals were 
 Lady Millbank and her daughters, who drove up in the 
 usual eclat of an equipage which at once denotes wealth 
 and consequence. The ladies were in the same style 
 with their outward bearings, — tall, showy, dashing per- 
 sonages, with scornful looks and supercilious manners. 
 They surveyed Miss St Clair from head to foot with a 
 bold stare ; and, after making some trifling remarks to 
 her, turned their whole artillery against Colonel Del- 
 mour, who received their addresses with a sort of care- 
 less familiarity, very different from the refined attentions 
 he displayed towards his cousin. 
 
 " Good heavens ! " exclaimed one of the ladies, who 
 had stationed herself at a window, " do look at this, 
 Colonel Delmour ! " 
 
 And at the piercing exclamation, the whole party 
 hastened to ascertain the cause. The phenomenon ap- 
 peared to be a hackney-chaise of the meanest descrip- 
 tion, which was displacing the splendid barouche, to 
 the manifest mirth of the insolent menials who stood 
 lounging at the door. 
 
 " Who can that be, I wonder ? " asked Lady Betty. 
 
46 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Mrs St CJair turned pale with terror lest it should 
 be any of her bourgeois relations forcing their way. 
 
 " I conclude it must be our cousin Miss Pratt," said 
 the Earl, in some agitation, to Lady Millbank ; and, 
 while he spoke, a female head and hand were to be 
 seen shaking and waving to the driver with eager gesticu- 
 lation. 
 
 "And Mr Lyndsay, I vow!" exclaimed Miss 
 Jemima Millbank, throwing herself into a theatrical 
 attitude of astonishment. 
 
 The hack-chaise, with its stiff resty horses, had now 
 got close to the door ; and the broken jingling steps 
 being lowered, out stepped a young man, who was 
 immediately saluted with shouts of laughter from the 
 party at the window. He looked up and smiled, but 
 seemed nowise disconcerted, as he stood patiently 
 waiting for his companion to emerge. 
 
 " I hope they are to perform quarantine," said Colonel 
 Delmour. 
 
 " I vote for their being sent to Coventry," said Miss 
 Augusta. 
 
 " I prepare to stand upon the defensive," said Miss 
 Maria, as she seized a smelling-bottle from off the table. 
 
 At length Miss Pratt appeared, shaking the straw 
 from her feet ; and having alighted, it was expected 
 that her next movement would be to enter the house ; 
 but they knew little of Miss Pratt who thought all was 
 done when she had reached her destination. Much 
 yet remained to be done, which she would not trust 
 either to her companion or the servants. She had, in 
 the first place, to speak in a very sharp manner to the 
 driver, on the condition of his chaise and horses, and to 
 throw out hints of having him severely punished, inas- 
 much as one of his windows would not let down, and 
 she had almost sprained her wrist in attempting it — and 
 another would not pull up, though the wind was going 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 47 
 
 through her head Hke a spear ; besides having taken two 
 hours and a quarter to bring them nine miles, and her 
 watch was held up in a triumphant manner in proof of 
 her assertion. She next made it a point to see with her 
 own eyes every article pertaining to her (and they were 
 not a few) taken out of the chaise, and to give with her 
 own voice innumerable directions as to the carrying, 
 stowing, and placing of her bags, boxes, and bundles. 
 All these matters being settled. Miss Pratt then accepted 
 the arm of her companion, and was now fairly on her way 
 to the drawing-room. But people who make use of their 
 eyes have often much to see even between two doors, 
 and in her progress from the hall door to the drawing- 
 room door Miss Pratt met with much to attract her 
 attention. True, all the objects were perfectly familiar 
 to her ; but a real looker, like a great genius, is never at 
 a loss for a subject — things are either better or worse 
 since they saw them last — or if the things themselves 
 should happen to be the same, they have seen other 
 things either better or worse, and can, therefore, either 
 improve or disprove them. Miss Pratt's head then 
 turned from side to side a thousand times as she went 
 along, and a thousand observations and criticisms about 
 stair carpets, patent lamps, hall chairs, slab tables, &c. 
 &c. &c. passed through her crowded brain. At length 
 Miss Pratt and Mr Lyndsay were announced, and 
 thereupon entered Miss Pratt in a quick paddling 
 manner, as if in all haste to greet her friends. 
 
 " How do you do, my lord ? No bilious attacks I 
 hope of late. — Lady Betty as stout as ever I see, and 
 my old friend Flora as fat as a collared eel. — Lady 
 Millbank, I'm perfectly ashamed to see you in any 
 house but your own ; but everything must give way to 
 the first visit, you know, especially amongst kinsfolk," 
 taking Mrs St Clair by the hand, without waiting for 
 the ceremony of an introduction. 
 
48 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 While this and much more in the same strain was 
 passing with Miss Pratt at one end of the room, Mr 
 Lyndsay had joined the younger part of the company 
 at the other, and been introduced by Colonel Delmour 
 to Miss St Clair. There was nothing so striking in 
 his appearance as to arrest the careless eye, or call forth 
 instant admiration ; yet his figure, though not much 
 above the middle size, was elegant, his head and features 
 were finely formed, and altogether he had that sort of 
 classical tournure which, although not conspicuous, is 
 uncommon, and that air of calm repose which indicates 
 a mind of an elevated cast. Still, seen beside Colonel 
 Delmour, Mr Lyndsay might have been overlooked. 
 He had nothing of that brilliancy of address which dis- 
 tinguished his cousin ; but he had what is still more 
 rare, that perfect simplicity of manner which borrows 
 nothing from imitation ; and, as some one has well 
 remarked, few peculiarities are more striking than a 
 total absence of all affectation. Scarcely allowing time 
 for the introduction. Miss Millbank began in a tone 
 intended to be very sympathetic. 
 
 " How dreadfully you must have been bored to-day 
 with la pauvre Pratt ! Good heavens ! how could you 
 inflict such a penance upon yourself ? Did you not find 
 her most shockingly annoying, and dreadfully tiresome ? " 
 
 "Annoying and tiresome to a certain degree, as 
 everybody must be who asks idle questions," answered 
 Mr Lyndsay, with a smile, which, though very sweet, 
 was not without a meaning. 
 
 The rebuff, if it was intended for such, was, how- 
 ever, lost upon his fair assailant. 
 
 " Then, how could you bore yourself with her ? " 
 
 " She was my mother's friend and relation," replied 
 he calmly. 
 
 " Of all descriptions of entail, that of friends would 
 be the most severe," said Colonel Delmour. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 49 
 
 " O heavens ! what a shocking idea ! " exclaimed 
 the three Miss Millbanks in a breath. 
 
 " What's the shocking idea, my dears ? " demanded 
 Miss Pratt, as she pattered into the midst of the group. 
 " I'm sure there's no shocking realities here, for I 
 never saw a prettier circle," darting her eyes all round, 
 while she familiarly patted Miss St Clair, and drawing 
 her arm within hers, as she stood by the window, 
 seemed resolved to appropriate her entirely to herself. 
 Gertrude's attention was no less excited by Miss Pratt, 
 who had to her all the charms of novelty ; for though 
 there are many Miss Pratts in the world, it had never 
 been her fortune to meet with one till now. 
 
 Miss Pratt then appeared to her to be a person from 
 whom nothing could be hid. Her eyes were not by 
 any means fine eyes — they were not reflecting eyes — 
 they were not soft eyes — they were not sparkling eyes 
 — they were not melting eyes — they were not pene- 
 trating eyes ; — neither were they restless eyes, nor 
 rolling eyes, nor squinting eyes, nor prominent eyes — 
 but they were active, brisk, busy, vigilant, immoveable 
 eyes, that looked as if they could not be surprised by 
 anything — not even by sleep. They never looked 
 angry, or joyous, or perturbed, or melancholy, or heavy ; 
 but morning, noon, and night, they shone the same, 
 and conveyed the same impression to the beholder, viz. 
 that they were eyes that had a look — not like the look 
 of Sterne's monk, beyond this world — but a look into 
 all things on the face of this world. Her other features 
 had nothing remarkable in them ; but the ears might 
 evidently be classed under the same head with the 
 eyes — they were something resembling rabbits' — long, 
 prominent, restless, vibrating ears, — for ever listening, 
 and never shut by the powers of thought. Her voice 
 had the tone and inflexions of one accustomed to make 
 frequent sharp interrogatories. She had rather a neat 
 
50 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 compact figure, and the tout ensemble of her person and 
 dress was that of smartness. Such, though not quite 
 so strongly defined, was the sort of impression Miss 
 Pratt generally made upon the beholder. Having 
 darted two or three of her sharpest glances at Miss 
 St Clair,— 
 
 "Do you know Vm really puzzled, my dear, to 
 make out who it is you are so like — for you're neither 
 a Rossville nor a Black — and, by the by, have you seen 
 your uncle, Mr Alexander Black, yet ? What a fine 
 family he has got. I heard you was quite smitten with 
 Miss Lily Black at the circuit ball t'other night. Colonel 
 Delmour ; but you're not so ill to please as Anthony 
 Whyte. That was really a good thing Lord Punme- 
 down said to him that night. Looking at the two Miss 
 Blacks, says he to Anthony, with a shake of his head — 
 
 * Ah, Anthony,' says he, * I'm afraid two Blacks will 
 never make a White ! ' ha ! ha ! ha ! — Lord Ross- 
 ville, did you hear that ? At the circuit ball Lord 
 Punmedown said to Anthony Whyte, pointing to the 
 two Miss Blacks — * I fear,' says he, * two Blacks will 
 never make a White.' — * No, my Lord,' says Anthony, 
 
 * for you know there's no turning a Blackamoor white ! ' 
 ha ! ha ! ha ! * A very fair answer,' says my lord. 
 Lady Millbank, did you hear of Lord Punmedown's 
 attack upon Mr Whyte at the ball — the two Miss 
 Blacks " 
 
 " I black-ball a repetition of that bon mot," said 
 Colonel Delmour. 
 
 " You will really be taken for a magpie if you are so 
 black and white," said Miss Millbank. 
 
 " 'Pon my word, that's not at all amiss — I must let 
 Anthony Whyte hear that. — But bless me. Lady Mill- 
 bank, you're not going away already ? — won't you stay 
 and take some luncheon ? — I can answer for the soups 
 here — I really think, my lord, you rival the Whyte 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 5 1 
 
 Hall soups ; '' but, disregarding Miss Pratt's press- 
 ing invitation, Lady Millbank and her train took 
 leave, and scarcely were they gone when luncheon was 
 announced. 
 
 " Come, my dear," resumed the tormentor, holding 
 Gertrude's arm within hers, " let you and I keep 
 together — I want to get better acquainted with you ; 
 but I wish I could find a likeness for you " — looking 
 round upon the family portraits as they entered the 
 eating-room. 
 
 " They must look higher who would find a similitude 
 for Miss St Clair," said Colonel Delmour. 
 
 Miss Pratt glanced at the painted ceiling, represent- 
 ing a band of very fat full-blown rosy Hours. " Ah 
 ha ! do you hear that, my lord ? — Colonel Delmour 
 says there's nothing on earth to compare to Miss 
 St Clair, and that we must look for her likeness in the 
 regions above. Well, goddess or not, let me recom- 
 mend a bit of this nice cold lamb to you — very sweet 
 and tender it is ; and I assure you I'm one of those 
 who think a leg of lamb looks as well on a table as in a 
 meadow : " — then dropping her knife and fork with a 
 start of joy — " Bless me, what was 1 thinking of ? — 
 that was really very well said of you. Colonel — but I've 
 got it now — a most wonderful resemblance ! See who'll 
 be the next to find it out ? " 
 
 All present looked at each other, and then at the 
 pictures. 
 
 Lord Rossville, who had been vainly watching for 
 an opening, now took advantage of it ; and with one of 
 his long-suppressed sonorous hems, bespoke him as 
 follows : — 
 
 "Although I have not given much of my time or 
 attention to the study of physiognomy, as I do not con- 
 ceive it is one likely to be productive of beneficial 
 results to society ; yet I do not hesitate to admit the 
 
52 
 
 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 reality of those analogies of feature which may be, and 
 undoubtedly are, distinctly traced through successive 
 generations — the family mouth, for example," pointing 
 to a long-chinned, pinky-eyed lady, with a pursed-up 
 mouth, hanging aloft, "as pourtrayed in that most 
 exemplary woman, the Lady Janet St Clair, has its pro- 
 totype in that of my niece,'' turning to Gertrude ; 
 " while, in the more manly formed nose of Robert first 
 Earl of Rossville, an accurate physiognomist might 
 discern the root, as it were " 
 
 " My dear Lord Rossville ! " exclaimed Miss Pratt, 
 throwing herself back in her chair, " I hope you're not 
 going to say Miss St Clair has the nose of Red Bobby, 
 as he was called. Root, indeed ! — a pretty compliment ! 
 If it was a root, it must have been a beet root — as 
 Anthony Whyte says, it's a nose like the handle of a 
 pump-well ; and as for Lady Janet's mouth, he says 
 it's neither more nor less than a slit in a poor's-box." 
 
 " Mr Anthony Whyte takes most improper liberties 
 with the family of St Clair, if he presumes to make 
 use of such unwarrantable, such unjustifiable — I may 
 add, such ungentlemanly expressions, towards any of its 
 members," said Lord Rossville, speaking faster in the 
 heat of his indignation ; " and it is mortifying to reflect, 
 that any one allied to this family should ever have so 
 far forgot what was due to it as to form such coarse, 
 and vulgar, and derogatory comparisons." 
 
 " One of them is rather a flattering comparison," 
 said Mr Lyndsay ; " I'm afraid there are few mouths 
 can be represented as emblems of Charity." 
 
 "Very well said, Mr Edward," said Miss Pratt, 
 nowise disconcerted at the donvnset she had received ; 
 " shall I send you this nice rib in return ? — Lord Ross- 
 ville, let me recommend the rhubarb tart to you — Miss 
 Diana, my dear — I beg your pardon, Miss St Clair, 
 but I'll really never be able to call you any thing but 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 53 
 
 Diana — for such a likeness ! — What have you all 
 been thinking of, not to have found out that Miss 
 St Clair is the very picture of the Diana in the Yellow 
 Turret ! " 
 
 Lord Rossville, in a tone of surprise and displeasure, 
 repeated, — 
 
 " The Diana in the Yellow Turret ! impossible ! " 
 
 ** Impossible or not, I can assure you it's the fact. — 
 Mrs St Clair, have you seen the Diana ? — come with 
 me, and I'll show it you — come, my dear, and see 
 yourself as a goddess — come away — seeing's believing, 
 my lord." And she jumped up, almost choking in her 
 eagerness to display the discovery she had made. 
 
 ** Miss Pratt ! " cried the Earl, in a tone enough 
 to have settled quicksilver itself, — " Miss Pratt, this 
 behaviour of yours is — is — what I cannot possibly 
 permit — the Yellow Turret is my private dressing- 
 room, and it is surely a most improper and unwarrant- 
 able liberty " 
 
 " I beg you ten thousand pardons, my dear Lord 
 Rossville! — I really had quite forgot the change you 
 have made in your dressing-room ; but, at any rate, I 
 should have figured every creek and corner of yours fit 
 to be seen at all times. — There's Mr Whyte — his 
 dressing-room is a perfect show, so neat and nick- 
 nacky, — his silver shoe-horn would be an ornament to 
 any drawing-room." 
 
 " Miss Pratt, this is really — I " And his 
 
 lordship hemmed in a manner which showed the 
 greatest discomposure. 
 
 " As we cannot be gratified with a sight of Mr 
 Whyte's shoehorn," said Colonel Delmour, " it would 
 certainly be some solace to be allowed to behold your 
 lordship's goddess ; — I had forgot that picture, it is so 
 long since I have seen it — but I should certainly wish 
 to prostrate myself at her shrine now." And he looked 
 
54 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 to Miss St Clair as he spoke, in a manner to give more 
 meaning to his words than met the ear. 
 
 The Earl was much embarrassed. He was pro- 
 voked at the irreverent and indecorous manner in which 
 Miss Pratt had been going to rush into his dressing- 
 room ; and he was piqued at the insinuation she had 
 thrown out of its not being fit to be seen. He there- 
 fore wavered between his desire of punishing her pre- 
 sumption by exclusion — or vindicating his own char- 
 acter by instant and unpremeditated admission. After 
 maturely weighing the matter, he decided upon the 
 latter mode of proceeding, and said, — 
 
 " Although I have certainly no idea of permitting my 
 private apartments to be thrown open whenever idle or 
 impertinent, or, it may be, ill-disposed curiosity, might 
 prompt the wish ; yet I do not object to gratify either 
 my own family and friends, or even the public in general, 
 with a view of them, when the request is properly con- 
 veyed, and at a proper and reasonable hour ; for, if 
 there is a time for every thing, it should likewise be 
 remembered there is a manner for every thing ; and 
 although I do not consider a gentleman's dressing-room 
 as the most elegant and delicate exhibition for ladies, 
 yet, upon this occasion, if they are so inclined," — 
 bowing all round — " I shall be happy to conduct them 
 to my private apartments." 
 
 "The sooner the better," cried Miss Pratt, while 
 the very ribbons on her bonnet seemed to vibrate with 
 impatience. "Come my dear, and see yourself as a 
 goddess ; " and again seizing Miss St Clair, away she 
 pattered full speed. 
 
 "There's a broom where a broom shouldn't be," 
 darting her eyes into the dark corner of a passage as she 
 whisked through it ; then peeping into a closet, " and 
 for all the work he makes, I don't think his maids are 
 a bit better than other people's." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 55 
 
 Cl)a|)tet i%^ 
 
 What doth he get who e'er prefers 
 The scutcheon of his ancestors? 
 This chimney-piece of gold or brass ; 
 That coat of arms blazon'd in glass ; 
 When these with time and age have end, 
 Thy prowess must thyself commend : 
 True nobleness doth those alone engage 
 Who can add virtues to their parentage. 
 
 Mildmay Fane, Earl of Westmorland. 
 
 UPON entering the turret, the first thing that caught 
 Miss Pratt's eye was a shaving-glass, which she 
 asserted was by no means the proper size and 
 shape for that pui'pose, being quite different from the 
 one used by Anthony Whyte, which was broader than 
 it was long, while Lord Rossville's was longer than it 
 was broad. A dispute, of course, ensued, for the Earl 
 would not be bearded upon such a subject by any woman 
 — when, suddenly giving him the slip in the argument, 
 she exclaimed, " But bless me, we're forgetting the 
 Diana — and what a bad light you've put her in ! 
 There's a great art in hanging ])ictures : Mr Whyte 
 brought a man all the way from London to hang his ; 
 and I'll never forget my fright when he told me the 
 hangman was coming. — Now I see her where I stand 
 — Mrs St Clair, come a little more this way — there 
 now — was there ever such a likeness ? " 
 
 ** Astonishing ! " exclaimed Mrs St Clair in amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 " Diana never had such incense offered to her before," 
 said Colonel Delmour. 
 
 " The resemblance, if, indeed, there is a resemblance," 
 said the Earl, in manifest displeasure, " is extremely im- 
 perfect ; the portrait represents a considerably larger and 
 more robust-looking person than Miss St Clair ; it has 
 
56 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 also something of a bold and masculine air, which, I 
 own, I should be sorry to perceive in any young lady in 
 whom I take any interest ; since nothing, in my opinion, 
 derogates so much from female loveliness as a forward 
 or presuming carriage." 
 
 " My dear Lord Rossville ! how any body who has 
 eyes in their head can dispute that resemblance — just 
 turn round, my dear, and show yourself," — to Miss St 
 Clair, who, ashamed of the scrutiny, had turned away, 
 and was conversing with Colonel Delmour a little apart. 
 Mr Lyndsay contemplated the picture with a thoughtful 
 air, and occasionally stole a glance at Gertrude, but said 
 nothing. 
 
 " How do you account for such an extraordinary 
 likeness ? " inquired Lady Betty of Mrs St Clair, as 
 she stood, with her fat Flora under her arm, staring at 
 the picture. 
 
 " I am quite at a loss — if this picture is an ideal 
 creation of the painter's imagination " 
 
 " It's not that, I can assure you," interrupted Miss 
 Pratt — "the original was a real flesh and blood living 
 person, or I've been misinformed," — with a look of 
 interrogation to Lord Rossville. 
 
 " If one of the family, however remote, the resem- 
 blance, as Lord Rossville justly remarked, does some- 
 times revive, even at distant periods, in the person of 
 
 ; " but Mrs St Clair did not get leave to finish 
 
 her sentence. 
 
 " O if Diana had been a St Clair, there would have 
 been no wonder in the matter, you know ! " again 
 dashed in the intolerable Pratt ; " but the truth of the 
 matter is, she was neither more nor less than bonny 
 Lizzie Lundie, the huntsman's daughter. Much I've 
 heard about Lizzie Lundie, and many a fine song was 
 made upon her, for she was the greatest beauty in the 
 country, high or low. There's one of the songs that's 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 57 
 
 all the fashion now, that I remember singing when I was 
 young, but they've changed the name from Lundie to 
 Lyndsay ; " and Miss Pratt, in a cracked and unmusical 
 voice, struck up. 
 
 Will ye go to the Hielands, Leezy Lyndsay, &c. 
 
 Lord Rossville seemed somewhat disconcerted at 
 this abrupt disclosure of his Diana's humble pedigree ; 
 and, anxious to account for Lizzie Lundie, the hunts- 
 man's daughter, being permitted a place amongst the 
 nobles of the land, and that too in his private apartment, 
 he therefore made all possible haste to atone for this 
 solecism in dignity ; and having hemmed three times, 
 began — 
 
 " Since this picture has attracted so much attention, 
 and called forth so much animadversion, it is proper, 
 and, indeed, necessary, that some elucidation should 
 be thrown on the circumstances to which it owes its 
 birth." 
 
 And again the Earl paused, hemmed, and looked 
 round, like a peacock spreading its plumage, and strain- 
 ing its neck in all directions, before it can even lift the 
 crumb that has been thrown to it — while Miss Pratt, 
 like a peit active sparrow, taking advantage of its atti- 
 tudes, darts down and bears off the prize. 
 
 " O the story's soon told, for there's no great 
 mystery about it. The late lord there," (pointing to 
 a picture of a fat chubby gentleman in a green coat, 
 hunting-horn, and bag-wig,) " was a second Nimrod in 
 his young days, and had a perfect craze for dogs and 
 horses ; and he brought a famous painter here from 
 some place abroad, I forget the name of it now, to take 
 the beasts' likenesses — as old Lady Christian used to say, 
 it was a scandal to think of dogs sitting for their pic- 
 tures — ha ! ha ! ha ! — In particular, there was a famous 
 pack of hounds to sit, and the painter chancing to see 
 
58 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Lizzie one day with them about her, was struck with 
 the fancy of doing her as a Diana ; and it was really a 
 good idea, for I think she's the outset of the picture — 
 Anthony Whyte says he would give a hundred guineas 
 merely for her head and shoulders." 
 
 Mrs St Clair had changed colour repeatedly during 
 this piece of biography, and seemed not a little mortified 
 at discovering that her daughter's beauty claimed no 
 higher original than the huntsman's daughter. Upon a 
 more close inspection, she therefore declared, that 
 although there might be something in the tout ensemble 
 to catch the eye at first sight, yet, upon examination, it 
 would be found the features and expression were totally 
 different. 
 
 But Lord Rossville, resolved not to be baulked of 
 his story, now commenced a more diffuse narrative of 
 the circumstances to which Lizzie Lundie owed her 
 posthumous fame, concluding with his most unqualified 
 dissent as to the possibility of there being the slightest 
 resemblance except in the colour of the hair. But, to 
 do Miss Pratt justice, the resemblance was very remark- 
 able. The Diana's features were on a larger scale, and 
 her countenance had a less soft and intellectual cast than 
 Miss St Clair's ; her figure was also more robust than 
 elegant, her complexion rather vivid than transparent, 
 and her air rather bold than dignified ; but there was 
 the same long-shaped, soft, dark-blue eyes ; the same 
 Grecian nose and mouth ; the same silky, waving, dark 
 ringlets, curling naturally around the open ivory fore- 
 head, — forming altogether that rare and peculiar style 
 of beauty where the utmost delicacy of feature is yet 
 marked and expressive, and the strongest contrasts of 
 colour are blended into one harmonious whole. 
 
 " Pray, what became of this divinity ? " inquired 
 Colonel Delmour. 
 
 " I'm sure I can't tell you ; I think the story was. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 59 
 
 that she had been crossed in love with some gentleman, 
 and that she married a Highland drover, or tacksman, 
 1 can't tell which, and they went all to sticks and 
 staves." 
 
 " How provoking," said Colonel Delmour, as he 
 still stood contemplating the picture, " that so much 
 beauty should have been created in vain." 
 
 " How do you know that it was created in vain ? " 
 said Mr Lyndsay. 
 
 " Considering how very rare a thing beauty, perfect 
 beauty is, there certainly seems to have been rather a 
 lavish expenditure of it on the huntsman's daughter and 
 drover's v/ife." 
 
 " Colonel Delmour, don't you remember what the 
 poet says on that ? — 
 
 There's many a flower that's born to groiv unseen. 
 And waste its beauty on the senseless air." 
 
 " However rare beauty may be," said Mr Lyndsay, 
 passing over Miss Pratt's mis-quotation, your desire 
 of confining it to the higher orders is rather too 
 arbitrary." 
 
 " They certainly can better appreciate it," returned 
 Colonel Delmour : " there is a refinement of taste re- 
 quisite to admire such beauty as that ; " and he glanced 
 from Diana to Miss St Clair. " How could one of 
 the canaille possibly comprehend the fine antique cast of 
 those features, the classic contour of the head, the swan- 
 like throat, the inimitable moulding of the cheek ? 
 Would not a pair of round white eyes, and blowzy 
 red cheeks, with a snub nose, and a mouth from ear 
 to ear, have been quite as well bestowed on the 
 drover ? " 
 
 " I dare say he could not talk so scientifically on the 
 subject as you do," said Mr Lyndsay ; " but, for all 
 that, he might have been as fond of his wife, and as 
 
6o THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 proud of her too, as either you or I could have 
 been." 
 
 " Impossible — that is, supposing she had been of my 
 own rank and station — not Venus herself could have won 
 me to a mesalliance." 
 
 " Suppose the huntsman's daughter had been as per- 
 fect in mind and manner as in person " 
 
 " The idea is absurd — the thing is impossible," in- 
 terrupted Colonel Delmour, impatiently. 
 
 " It is certainly difficult to conceive refinement of 
 manners in a person of low birth ; but why may not a 
 noble mind be conferred on a peasant as well as on a 
 prince ? " 
 
 " What! " cried Colonel Delmour, indignantly, "do 
 you really pretend to say that the offspring of a clown 
 or a mechanic — animals who have walked the world in 
 hob-nailed shoes, or sat all their lives cross-legged with 
 their noses at a grinding-wheel, can possibly possess the 
 same lofty spirit as the descendants of heroes and states- 
 men ? The very thought of being so descended must 
 elevate the mind, and give it a conscious superiority over 
 the low-born drudges of the earth." 
 
 " Then you must feel yourself greatly superior in 
 mind to Virgil, Horace, Shakespeare, Milton, Spenser, 
 and a long et cetera of illustrious names down to the 
 present day, who, if not absolutely low-born, have yet 
 no pretensions to high birth. For my own part, I think 
 it is rather humbling than elevating to reflect on the 
 titled insignificance of this very family, who, though 
 possessed of honours, wealth, and power for centuries, 
 has never produced one man eminent for his virtues or 
 his talents — nor, if we may trust to painters, one 
 female celebrated for such beauty as this poor hunts- 
 man's daughter." 
 
 " You see her as a goddess, remember," said Colonel 
 Delmour, ironically ; ** perhaps in her blue flannel jupon. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 6 1 
 
 unsandalled feet, * and kercheft, in a comely ' cotton 
 gown, carrying a mess to the dogs, she would have had 
 fewer attractions, even for your noble nature." 
 
 " There is a taste in moral as well as in corporeal 
 beauty," said Mr Lyndsay, " and I can love and admire 
 both for their own intrinsic merits, without the aid of 
 ornament. You, Delmour, must have them in court 
 dress, with stars and coronets — but with beauty such 
 as that," (and his eye unconsciously rested on Gertrude,) 
 " had the mind, principles, and manners corresponded 
 to it, I could have loved even Lizzie Lundie — perhaps 
 too well." 
 
 " Had the huntsman's daughter been an angel and a 
 goddess in one," replied Colonel Delmour warmly, 
 " I could never have thought of her as my wife — there 
 is degradation in the very idea." 
 
 All this while Miss Pratt had, as usual, been gabbling 
 to the rest of the party, in a manner which prevented 
 their hearing or joining in this argument. Miss St 
 Clair, indeed, had contrived to pick up a little of it, 
 and warmly adopted Colonel Delmour's sentiments on 
 the subject. 
 
 " I wonder what became of Lizzie's family, for I 
 think always I heard she had a daughter as great a 
 beauty as herself, — I've a notion it was a daughter 
 
 of her's Mrs St Clair, are you well enough i* — Bless 
 
 my heart, she's going to faint ! " 
 
 All crowded round Mrs St Clair, who seemed, in- 
 deed, on the point of fainting — the windows were thrown 
 open — water was brought — smelling-bottles applied — 
 till at length she revived, and, with a faint smile, 
 avowed that she had been indisposed for some days, 
 and was subject to spasms of that nature. Lord Ross- 
 ville bent over his sister-in-law, as she sat at the open 
 window, with the utmost solicitude — he felt really 
 interested in her ; for she had listened to him with the 
 
V 
 
 62 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 most unceasing attention, and without once interrupting 
 him — a degree of deference he was little accustomed to 
 m his own family. At length she declared herself 
 perfectly recovered, and, supported by his lordship and 
 her daughter, she retired to her own apartment. 
 
 " That was an unlucky remark of yours. Colonel, 
 about low marriages," whispered Miss Pratt ; " I really 
 think it was that overset her — though I suspect 
 Lizzie Lundie had something to do with it too ; very 
 likely some relationship there, for you know the Blacks 
 are not just at the top of the tree," — with a knowing 
 wink : " that, and the smell of Lord Rossville's boots 
 and shoes together, was really enough to overset her ; " 
 but Miss Pratt was now left to gabble to herself, for the 
 rest of the party had dispersed. 
 
 Cl)at)ter p, 
 
 I cannot blame thee, 
 Who am myself attached with weariness 
 To the dulling of my spirits. Tempest. 
 
 " I J OW weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable, seem 
 
 I I to me all the uses of this world," is a feeling 
 that must be more or less experienced by 
 every one who has feeling enough to distinguish one 
 sensation from another, and leisure enough for ennuu 
 There are people, it is well known, who have no 
 feelings, and there are others who have not time to 
 feel ; but, alas ! there are many whose misfortune it is 
 to have feeling and leisure, and who have time to be 
 nervous — have time to be discontented — have time to 
 be unhappy — have time to feel ill used by the world — 
 have time to weary of pleasure in every shape — to weary 
 of men, women, and children — to weary of books, grave 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 63 
 
 and witty — to weary of authors, and even of authoresses 
 — and who would have wearied as much of the wit of 
 a Madame de Stael as of the babbles of Miss Pratt. 
 
 In this disposition, perhaps the only solace is to find 
 some tangible and lawful object of which to weary — 
 some legitimate source of ennui ; and then " sweet are the 
 uses of adversity," when they come, even in the question- 
 able shape of a Miss Pratt. In the humdrum society of 
 a dull county, what a relief to the weary soul to have 
 some person to weary of! To have a sort of bag-fox 
 to turn out, when fresh game cannot be had, is an enjoy- 
 ment which many of my readers have doubtless ex- 
 perienced. Such was Miss Pratt. Eveiy body wearied 
 of her, or said they wearied of her, and every body 
 abused her ; while yet she was more sought after and 
 asked about, than she would have been had she pos- 
 sessed the wisdom of a More or the benevolence of a 
 Fry. She was, in fact, the very heart of the shire, and 
 gave life and energy to all the pulses in the parish. 
 She supplied it with streams of gossip and chit-chat in 
 others, and subject of ridicule and abuse in herself 
 Even the dullest laird had something good to tell of 
 Miss Pratt, and something bad to say of her — for 
 nothing can convey a more opposite meaning than these 
 apparent synonyms. 
 
 But there was no one to whom Miss Pratt was so 
 unequivocal a pest as to Lord Rossville, for his lord- 
 ship was a stranger to ennui — perhaps cause and effect 
 are rarely combined in one person, and those who can 
 weary others possess a never-failing source of amuse- 
 ment in themselves. Besides, the Earl was independ- 
 ent of Miss Pratt, as he possessed a wide range for his y' 
 unwearying wearying powers in his own family ; for he 
 could weaiy his steward — and his housekeeper — and his 
 gamekeeper — and his coachman — and his groom — and 
 his gardener, all the hours of the day, by perpetual 
 
64 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 fault-finding and directing. Perhaps, after all, the only 
 uncloying pleasure in life is that of finding fault. The 
 gamester may weary of his dice — the lover of his 
 charmer — the bon-vivant of his bottle — the virtuoso of 
 his virtu ; but while this round world remains, with all 
 its imperfections on its head, the real fault-finder will 
 never weary of finding fault. The provoking part of 
 Miss Pratt was, that there was no possibility of finding 
 fault with her. As well might Lord Rossville have 
 attempted to admonish the brook that babbled past him, 
 or have read lectures to the fly which buzzed round his 
 head. For forty years Lord Rossville had been trying 
 to break her in, but in vain. Much may be done, as 
 we every day see, to alter and overcome nature : ponies 
 are made to waltz — horses to hand tea-kettles — dogs to 
 read — birds to cast accounts — fleas to walk in harness ; 
 but to restrain the volubility of a female tongue is a 
 task that has hitherto defied the power of man. With 
 so much of what may be styled dissonance in similarity, 
 it may easily be imagined that Lord Rossville and 
 Miss Pratt, even when most in unison, produced any 
 thing but harmony. Yet they only jarred — they never 
 actually quarrelled, for they had been accustomed to 
 each other all their lives ; and while she laid all the 
 rebuffs and reproofs she received to the score of bile, 
 he tolerated her impertinence on account of blood. 
 
 The softness and suavity of Mrs St Clair's manners 
 formed so striking a contrast to the sharp gnat-like 
 attacks of Miss Pratt, that Lord Rossville became 
 every day more attached to his sister-in-law's company ; 
 and she soon found herself so firmly fixed in his good 
 graces, that she ventured to request permission that she 
 and her daughter might be allowed to visit her relations, 
 with whom she had hitherto only communicated by 
 letter. 
 
 " Certainly, my dear madam,'* replied the Earl ; 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 6$ 
 
 " nothing can be more proper and reasonable than that 
 you should recognize and visit the different members 
 of your own family, who, I am happy to think, are 
 all persons of unblemished reputation, and respectable 
 stations in life, which respectability is in a fair way of 
 being increased by votes which, I understand, an uncle 
 and brother of yours have lately acquired in the county ; 
 and as there is every appearance of our having a warmly 
 contested election shortly, their poHtical influence, if 
 properly directed, cannot fail of proving highly bene- 
 ficial to them. I therefore giv^e my unqualified assent 
 as to the propriety of your visiting your own family, as 
 soon as we can arrange the proper time, mode, and 
 manner of doing so ; but, with regard to the daughter 
 of the Honourable Thomas St Clair, I must candidly 
 acknowledge to you, my dear madam, I have not yet 
 brought my mind to any fixed determination on that 
 point. Your own good sense will naturally point out 
 to you the very peculiar situation in which she stands. 
 Miss St Clair is at present to be viewed as the heiress 
 presumptive to the titles, honours, and estates of this 
 family ; but, observe, although presumptive, she is by no 
 means heiress apparent — for there is a wide and im- 
 portant distinction betwixt these apparent synonyms." 
 — Here his lordship entered into a most elaborate 
 explanation of these differences of distinction. — " And 
 now, my dear madam, I am sure you will agree with 
 me, that, in a situation of such peculiar delicacy, every 
 step which Miss St Clair takes ought to be weighed 
 with the utmost nicety and deliberation ; since what 
 might be befitting the heiress presumptive might be 
 deemed derogatory to the heiress apparent — and what 
 dignity demands of the heiress apparent the world might 
 censure as an undue assumption of consequence in the 
 heiress presumptive." 
 
 Mrs St Clair, though choking with indignation at 
 
66 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 this round-about insinuation that her family was scarcely 
 fit to be associated with by her own daughter, yet 
 repressed her indignation ; and, as she did not consider 
 it of much consequence that she should accompany her 
 on her first visit, she readily yielded the matter with a 
 good grace. But no sooner had she done so, than the 
 Earl, as was often his custom, immediately tacked 
 about, and took the opposite side of the argument. 
 The result was, that Mrs and Miss St Clair should 
 immediately proceed to visit the respective members of 
 the Black family, and the Earl's travelling chariot-and- 
 four, with all appliances to boot, was ordered out for 
 the occasion. It was with a thrill of delight Mrs St 
 Clair took her place in it, and drove off in all the eclat 
 of rank and state. 
 
 Cl)aptei: icj^ 
 
 Pictures like these, dear madam, to design, 
 Ask no firm hand, and no unerring line. 
 Some wandering touches, some reflected light, 
 Some flying stroke alone can hit 'em right. 
 
 Pope. 
 
 FEARFUL anticipations mingled with Mrs St 
 Clair's natural affection, as she thought of the 
 meeting with her own family. Its only members 
 consisted of a brother, who, partly by industry, partly 
 by good fortune, had become the proprietor of a large 
 tract of unimproved land in the neighbourhood — two 
 unmarried sisters residing in the county town, — and an 
 old uncle from the East Indies, a half-brother of her 
 mother's, reported to be enormously rich. When she 
 had left home her brother was a mere raw unformed 
 lad ; but he was now an elderly man, the husband of a 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 67 
 
 woman she had never seen, and the father of a numerous 
 family. After quitting the noble domain of Rossville, 
 the country gradually assumed a less picturesque appear- 
 ance — rocks, woods, and rivers now gave way to arable 
 land, well-fenced fields, and well-filled barn-yards ; 
 while these, in turn, yielded to vast tracts of improve- 
 able land, thriving belts of young plantation, ring-stone 
 dikes, and drains in all directions. 
 
 It was in the midst of this scenery that Bellevue 
 stood pre-eminent. It was a showy, white-washed, 
 winged-house, situated on the top of the hill, command- 
 ing an extensive view of " muirs and mosses many, O," 
 with traces of cultivation interspersed, and which by 
 many was considered as a very fine, and by all was 
 styled a very commanding prospect. A dazzling white 
 gate, with spruce canister lodge, opened upon a well- 
 gravelled avenue, which led to the mansion, surrounded 
 by a litde smiling lawn, with a tuft of evergreens in the 
 centre. On one hand appeared a promising garden 
 wall ; on the other, a set of commodious-looking farm 
 offices. Every thing was in the highest order — all be- 
 spoke the flourishing gentleman farmer. The door was 
 opened by a stout florid footboy, in flaunting livery, 
 whose yellow locks seemed to stiffen at sight of the 
 splendid equipage that met his view. The interroga- 
 tories, however, at length recalled him to a sense of 
 duty ; and upon the question being put, for the third 
 time, whether his master or mistress were at home — he 
 returned that cautious answer which marks the wary, 
 well-tutored, though perplexed menial, — i.e. that he 
 was not sure, but he would see. After an interval of 
 about five minutes, during which much opening and 
 shutting of doors was heard, and many a head was seen 
 peeping over blinds and from behind shutters, the 
 prudent Will returned with an invitation to the ladies to 
 alight ; and, leading the way, he conducted them to a 
 
68 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 well-furnished, but evidently uninhabited drawing-room, 
 where he left them, with an assurance that his mistress 
 would be there in a minute. Many minutes, however, 
 elapsed, during which the visitors were left to find 
 amusement for themselves, which was no easy task where 
 the materials were wanting. In such circumstances, a 
 fire is a never-failing resource — if bad, we can stir it ; if 
 good, we can enjoy it ; but here was no fire, and the 
 high-polished stove was only to be admired for itself, 
 and the profusion of white paper which filled it. The 
 carpet was covered, the chairs were in their wrappers, 
 the screens were in bags — even the chimneypiece, that 
 refuge of the weary, showed only two handsome giran- 
 doles. There were two portraits, indeed, large as life, 
 hanging on each side of the fireplace, in all the rawness 
 of bad painting, glaring in tints which Time himself 
 could never mellow. The one, it might be presumed, 
 was Mr Black in a bright blue coat, pure white waist- 
 coat, and drooping Fall-of-Foyers-looking neckcloth, 
 holding a glove, and looking very sensible. The 
 other, it might be inferred, was Mrs Black, sitting 
 under a tree, in a yellow gown and ill-put-on turban, 
 smiling with all her might ; and both evidently bent 
 upon putting all the expression they possibly could into 
 their faces, by way of getting a good pennyworth for 
 their money. 
 
 At length the door opened, and Mrs Black, in pro- 
 pria persona, entered, followed by a train of daughters. 
 She was rather embonpoint^ with a fine healthy colour, 
 clear blue eyes, and an open good-humoured expression 
 of countenance — forming, altogether, what is expres- 
 sively termed a comely woman, which, if it mean some- 
 thing less than beauty, is often more attractive. She 
 had evidently been dressing for the occasion, as her 
 gown seemed scarcely yet out of the fold, but looked 
 like a thing apart from her, and had that inexpressible 
 
THE inheritancl:. 69 
 
 air of constraint which gowns will have when gowns 
 are made things of primary importance. 
 
 Mrs Black welcomed her guests in a manner which, 
 if it had nothing of the elegance of ton, was yet free 
 from affectation or pretension. She expressed her re- 
 gret that Mr Black should be from home ; but she had 
 sent in search of him, and hoped he would soon cast up. 
 Mrs St Clair, resolving to be delightful, sat with her 
 sister-in-law's hand in hers, and, with a face of the 
 most affectionate interest, was presently deep in inquiries 
 as to the state of her family, the number of her children, 
 their ages, sexes, names, pursuits, and so forth. The 
 amount of the information she received was this : — Mrs 
 Black was the mother of eleven children living, and two 
 dead ; — her eldest daughter (who had just gone to take 
 a walk) was going to be married, and her youngest to 
 be weaned. It was thought a very good marriage for 
 Bell, as Major Waddell had made a handsome fortune 
 in the Company's service, and was very well connected 
 in the county, being cousin-german to Sir William 
 Waddell of Waddell Mains, and very likely to succeed 
 to him, if he was spared. He was also related to the 
 Bogs of Boghall ; and the present Boghall had married 
 a daughter of Lord Fairacre's, and their son was going 
 to stand for the county. Major Waddell, to be sure, 
 was a good deal older than Bell ; but he had kept his 
 health well in India, and, though not a beauty, was very 
 well — at least he pleased Bell, and that was every thing. 
 Due congratulations were here offered by Mrs St Clair, 
 with the customary remarks, of its being a pleasant and 
 desirable thing for the first of a family to form a re- 
 spectable connection ; that any disparity of years was on 
 the right side, &c. &c. &c.; concluding with a request 
 to be favoured with a sight of the young people. Mrs 
 Black's eyes beamed delight as she pulled the bell, and 
 gave orders for the children to be brought, observing at 
 
7© THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 the same time that they were sad romps, and seldom fit 
 to be seen. Miss St Clair, meanwhile, was engaged 
 with her cousins, pretty goodnatured-looking girls, one 
 of whom talked much of balls, and officers, and poetry ; 
 but as the children entered she sighed, and said there 
 was an end of all rational conversation. The young 
 Masters and Misses Black had all evidently been pre- 
 paring for exhibition. They were fine, stout, blooming, 
 awkward creatures, with shining faces, and straight- 
 combed though rebellious-looking hair — while a smart 
 cap, red eyes, and sour face bespoke the sufferings of 
 the baby. Altogether they formed what is politely 
 called "an uncommon fine family" — they all made 
 bows and courtesies — walked with their toes in — stood 
 with their fingers in their mouths — and, in short, were a 
 very fine family. Of course, they were much commended 
 and caressed by their new relations, till the entrance of 
 Mr Black turned the attention into another channel. 
 Mr Black was the only one of the family on whom the 
 phenomenon of a carriage-and-four had produced no 
 visible effect ; — he entered ill-dressed, over-heated, and 
 with a common, even vulgar air — though, in reality, he 
 was rather a good-looking man. Mrs St Clair had 
 expected something of a scene at meeting with her 
 brother ; but he seemed to have no thoughts of any 
 thing of the kind, for he received his sister with that 
 look and manner of plain, hearty welcome, which 
 showed that any thing of fine feeling would be com- 
 pletely thrown away. Yet his greeting was sufficiently 
 affectionate in its own blunt, homely kind. 
 
 " It is a long time since you and I have met, Sally," 
 said he, as he seated himself beside his sister, with a 
 child on each knee ; " but you have kept your looks 
 well — to be sure you haven't had so large a share of 
 the evils of life as I have had," — looking round with 
 evident pride and exultation on his offspring, and 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 7 1 
 
 affecting to sigh at the same time. Mrs St Clair shook 
 her head, and sighed too ; but her sigh was a much 
 better-got-up sigh than her brother's — it said, or was 
 intended to say, " Heaven only knows what I have 
 sujfFered for that one ! " 
 
 Mrs Black seemed to understand it ; for she said, 
 with a look of sympathy, — 
 
 " Pm sure an only child must be a great misfortune ; 
 and we have great reason to be thankful, Mr Black, 
 that so many of ours have been spared." Then, 
 beckoning one of her daughters, she whispered some 
 instructions to her, accompanied with a key. The 
 young lady left the room, and in a few minutes the 
 yellow-haired laddie entered, bearing a massive silver 
 tray, conveying the richest of cakes, and the strongest 
 and sweetest of wines. As Miss St Clair threw back 
 her bonnet to partake of the hospitalities, her uncle 
 regarded her with more earnestness than good-breeding, 
 then glanced all round on his own offspring. 
 
 " I'm trying if I can make out a likeness betwixt 
 your daughter and my brats," said he to his sister ; 
 " but I don't think she has much of a Black face." 
 
 " She is thought to resemble her father's family more 
 than mine," replied Mrs St Clair, — colouring deeply, 
 and looking rather displeased. 
 
 "None of them that I have ever seen," returned Mr 
 Black ; — " her father, if I remember right, had light hair 
 and a flat face, and " 
 
 "There is no end to arguing upon resemblances," 
 interrupted Mrs St Clair, rising hastily ; " the general 
 expression is sometimes very strong, when every feature 
 is different ; " — and she was preparing to depart, when 
 one of the children, who was looking out at a window, 
 exclaimed, " Here's Bell and the Major ! " — and to 
 depart in the face of Bell and the Major was declared 
 to be impossible ; so Mrs St Clair, though fretting at 
 
72 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 the delay, was obliged to await the entrance of the 
 lovers. 
 
 Fortunately Miss Bell had no toilette duties to per- 
 form : for she was dressed for the Major in a fashionable 
 gown made by Miss Skrimpskirt of Tattleton, from a 
 pattern of Miss Gorewell's in Edinburgh, who had got 
 it from Miss Fleecewell of London, who had had hers 
 direct from Madame Chefdoeuvre of Paris. Miss Bell, 
 therefore, felt no disheartening doubts as to her appear- 
 ance ; but firmly relying on the justness of her propor- 
 tions, and the orthodox length of her waist, and breadth 
 of her shoulders, and strong in the consciousness of 
 being flounced and hemmed up to the knees, she boldly 
 entered, followed by her betrothed. Miss Isabella 
 Black was really a very pretty girl — she had a pretty 
 figure, pretty features, pretty hair, a pretty complexion, 
 a pretty bonnet, a pretty shawl, pretty boots, and a 
 pretty watch. But over all this prettiness was diffused 
 an intolerable air of folly, affectation, and conceit, which 
 completely marred the effect of her charms. 
 
 Major Waddell was a very passable sort of person for 
 a nabob ; — he had a dingy bronze complexion ; tawny 
 eyes ; tolerable tteth ; and a long, wrinkled, smirking, 
 baboonish physiognomy. 
 
 " Why, Bell, we were afraid you had run away with 
 the Major," said Mr Black, facetiously, addressing his 
 daughter on her entrance. 
 
 " That is a very odd speech, I think, papa, to one in 
 my situation," said Miss Bell, affecting to look much 
 disconcerted. 
 
 " Come, come, here are no strangers, so there need 
 be no secrets: — it is pretty well known that if you 
 don^t run away with the Major, the Major will run 
 away with you some of these days." 
 
 Here Mr Black laughed, and Mrs Black laughed, 
 and all the Masters and Misses Black laughed loud and 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 73 
 
 long, — while in the general laugh the fair bride, as if 
 overwhelmed with confusion, took her cousin aside 
 and whispered — 
 
 " This is a very awkward scrape I am brought into 
 by papa's bluntness. It ceitainly was my intention to 
 have announced the matter to my aunt and you at a 
 proper time, but not just at present ; so I must request, 
 as a particular favour, that you will say nothing about 
 it at Rossville — it is so very unpleasant to be the talk 
 of the whole county upon an affair of this kind, that 
 the Major and I had resolved to have it kept as quiet 
 as possible. It was only yesterday he communicated it 
 to Sir William Waddell, and he has not yet mentioned 
 it to Lord Fairacre, or any of his other relations.'* 
 
 Mrs St Clair was too impatient to be gone to 
 allow any farther latitude for the lovers to show off, but 
 was again in the midst of leave-taking. Much was 
 said about having a longer visit — of taking a family 
 dinner — of spending a few days — of leaving Miss St 
 Clair to spend a little time and get acquainted with her 
 cousins; and Mrs St Clair could only disengage her- 
 self from this well-meant hospitality by promising to 
 take the earliest opportunity of repeating her visit. " I 
 trust I may be excused from returning this visit," said 
 Miss Bell, with a look of modest importance, " as in 
 my situation I go nowhere at present." 
 
 Escorted by Mr Black and the Major, and followed 
 by the whole family, Mrs and Miss St Clair resumed 
 their places in the carriage, and were soon driven be- 
 yond the precincts of Bellevue. Their next destination 
 was to the house of the Miss Blacks, in the county 
 town, and there they were accordingly driven. 
 
74 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Cljaptcr icij^ 
 
 Lulled in the countless chambers of the brain, 
 Our thoughts are link'd by many a hidden chain. 
 Awake but one, and lo ! what myriads rise 1 
 Each stamps its image as the other flies 1 
 Each, as the various avenues of sense 
 Delight or sorrow to the soul dispense, 
 Brightens or fades ; yet all, with magic art, 
 Control the latent fibres of the heart. 
 
 Pleasures of Memory. 
 
 THERE are few minds so callous as to revisit the 
 scenes of their childhood without experiencing 
 some emotion. And whether these scenes lie 
 in the crowded city, amidst all the coarse and ordinary 
 objects of vulgar life, or in the lonely valley, with its 
 green hills and its gliding stream — the same feelings 
 swell the heart as the thoughts of the past rush over it ; 
 for they speak to us of the careless days of our child- 
 hood, of the gay dreams of our youth, of the transient 
 pleasures of our prime, of the faded joys of our old age. 
 They speak to us of parents now sleeping in the dust, 
 of playfellows in a far-distant land, of companions 
 altered or alienated, of friends become as strangers, of 
 love changed into indifference. They speak to us — it 
 may be — of time misspent, of talents misapplied, of 
 warnings neglected, of blessings despised, of peace de- 
 parted. They may speak to us, perchance, of God's 
 holy law slighted, of his precepts contemned, of him- 
 self forsaken — of hearts, alas ! not purified and renewed 
 by that grace whose aid they never sought, but, like the 
 wasted volcano, parched and blasted in their own unholy 
 fires. Fairer scenes all may have viewed than those 
 on which their eyes first opened ; but in them we 
 behold only the inanimate objects of nature, which, 
 however they may charm the senses or fill the imagina- 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 75 
 
 tion, yet want that deep and powerful interest which 
 seems entwined with our existence, and which gives 
 " a local habitation and a name " so powerful a mastery 
 over us. 
 
 Something too there is of solemn thought in returning 
 to 3. father s house — whether that father's arms are open 
 to receive his long-absent child, or whether the eye that 
 would have welcomed, and the tongue that would have 
 blessed us, are now mouldering in the grave. Ah ! 
 many are the wild tumultuous waves that roll over the 
 human mind, and obliterate many of its fairest char- 
 acters — its fondest recollections. But still the indelible 
 impression of a parent's love remains impressed upon 
 the heart. Even when steeped in guilt or seared in 
 crime, one spot — one little spot — will still be found con- 
 secrated to the purest, the hoHest of earthly affections. 
 
 It was with these mingled emotions Mrs St Clair 
 found herself at the door of that mansion she had 
 quitted thirty-three years before. It was the house in 
 which she had first seen the light — where her parents 
 had dwelt — and where she had left them surrounded 
 by a numerous family ; but all were gone save the 
 brother she had just seen, and two sisters, now its sole 
 tenants. Even the most artificial characters still retain 
 some natural feelings ; and as Mrs St Clair crossed the 
 threshold of her once happy home, and the thoughts of 
 the past rushed over her, she exclaimed with a burst of 
 anguish, — 
 
 " Would to God I had never left it ! " and, throw- 
 ing herself upon a seat, she wept without control. 
 
 There is something in real emotion that always carries 
 conviction along with it. Although well accustomed 
 to the ebullitions of her mother's character. Miss St 
 Clair saw and felt the depth of her present feelings, and 
 sought by her tender and affectionate sympathy to soften 
 her sense of sorrow. But, with a look and gesture ex- 
 
76 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 pressive only of abhorrence, her mother repelled her 
 from her. At that moment a lady approached, and, 
 throwing herself into her arms, Mrs St Clair sobbed in 
 bitterness of spirit, while her sister mingled her tears 
 with hers. Miss Black was the first to regain her com- 
 posure ; and she said, in a voice which, though still 
 tremulous with emotion, was yet soft and sweet, — 
 
 " I love those feelings, my dear Sarah ! they are so 
 natural. You miss all those you left behind, and you 
 are thinking what a happier meeting this might have 
 been, had it pleased God to have spared them to us 
 — but I trust there is a happy meeting yet in store 
 for us." 
 
 "Oh, no, no!" sobbed Mrs St Clair almost 
 convulsively, as she leant her head on her sister's 
 shoulder. 
 
 " My dear Sarah ! " said Miss Black, in a tone of 
 tender reproach, accompanied by an affectionate em- 
 brace ; " but come, let me take you to our poor Mary, 
 who cannot go to you." 
 
 Mrs St Clair raised her head, and made an eifoit to 
 subdue her emotion, as she suffered herself to be led to 
 the apartment where her youngest and favourite sister 
 was. When she had quitted home, she had left her 
 a lovely romping child of five years old, with laughing 
 blue eyes and curling flaxen hair ; and this image of 
 infant beauty she had ever treasured in her memory, 
 though reason had told her the reality had long since 
 fled. But, alas ! reason can but imperfectly picture to 
 us the slow and silent ravages of time — and at sight of 
 her sister Mrs St Clair felt as much shocked as though 
 the change had been the metamorphose of an instant, 
 instead of the gradual progress of years of suffering and 
 decay. Imagination, indeed, could not have pictured 
 to itself aught so affecting as the contrast thus presented 
 by a glance of the mind. Mrs St Clair thought only of 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 77 
 
 the gay, rosy, frolicksome creature, whose fairy form 
 seemed even yet to bound before her eyes, or hang 
 round her neck in infantine fondness ; and on that self- 
 same spot where last she had parted from her, she now 
 beheld her a monument of premature decay — pale, 
 motionless, and paralytic. For a moment she shrunk 
 from the half-living, half-beatified-looking being, with 
 that instinctive horror with which the worldly mind re- 
 coils from all that reminds it of perishable nature. A 
 faint streak of red tinged her sister's pale cheek, and a 
 tear glistened in her soft blue eye, and her heart seemed 
 to swell — perhaps with some almost forgotten feelings 
 of humiliation at her own infirmities. But when Mrs 
 St Clair again looked, the slight hectic had fled, the 
 tear was dried, and the sigh was checked. 
 
 "God's will be done, my sister! " said she, with a 
 look and accent of meek and holy resignation. Mrs 
 St Clair could not speak, but she threw herself on her 
 sister's neck and wept. 
 
 Gertrude, meanwhile, had stood aloof — her heart 
 oppressed with sorrow, and her eyes filled with tears, 
 as she contrasted her mother's feelings towards her 
 sisters with those she had testified towards her ; and the 
 painful conviction that she was not beloved, forced itself 
 upon her in all the bitterness such a discovery was 
 calculated to excite. At length the agitation of the 
 meeting between the sisters began to subside, and Miss 
 Black, approaching her niece, tenderly embraced her, 
 and led her to her sister. " Here is a stranger who 
 has been too long overlooked," said she; "but once 
 seen she will not be soon forgotten ; " and she gently 
 untied her bonnet, and looked on her with eyes of de- 
 lighted affection. Her aunt Mary sweetly welcomed 
 her, and also regarded her with an expression of love 
 and tenderness, such as Gertrude felt she never had 
 read even in her mother's eye. There was, indeed. 
 
78 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 little resemblance between Mrs St Clair and her sisters, 
 either in mind or appearance. Elizabeth, the eldest, 
 belonged to that class who can neither be called hand- 
 some nor ugly, but are yet sometimes thought both. 
 She had regular features, and a mild sensible counten- 
 ance; but she was pale and thin, and, to casual observers, 
 had altogether an air of mediocrity, which, in fact, was 
 rather indicative of the consistency and uniformity of 
 her character. She was a Christian in all things ; and 
 its simple, unostentatious spirit pervaded all her looks, 
 words, and actions, and gave to them a charm, which, 
 in her station, no worldly acquirements could have im- 
 parted. Her sister was many years younger, and, in 
 spite of sickness and suffering, still retained traces of 
 great beauty. Every feature was perfect — but the dim 
 eye, the pale cheek, and the colourless lip, could now 
 only claim pity, where once they had challenged admira- 
 tion. Yet neither pain nor sickness had been able to 
 chase the seraphic expression which beamed on her 
 countenance like sunshine amid ruins. It was the look 
 of one already purified from all earthly passions, but 
 who still looked with tenderness on the frailties of her 
 fellow-mortals. 
 
 Mrs St Clair seemed little gratified by the fondness 
 her sisters testified for her daughter. She remained 
 silent and abstracted, with her eyes fixed on the me- 
 morials of former days ; for every thing remained in 
 the same primitive order as when she had left them, 
 and every thing told some long-forgotten tale, or roused 
 some sad though slumbering recollection. She fixed 
 her eyes on some foreign shells which decorated the 
 old - fashioned chimneypiece, — and what a train of 
 associations did these mute and insignificant objects 
 conjure up ! They were the gift of one who had loved 
 her in early youth, and who had brought them to her 
 (all that he had to bring) from afar — and dearly had 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 79 
 
 she prized them, for then she had loved the giver. 
 But he was a poor and friendless orphan boy — and she 
 became the wife of an earl's son ! 
 
 All may choose their own path in life ; but who can 
 tell where that path may lead ? " The lot," indeed, 
 " is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is 
 of the Lord." Mrs St Clair had chosen that of ambi- 
 tion, and for thirty years she had dragged out life in 
 exile, poverty, and obscurity — while the one she had 
 forsaken, that of faithful and disinterested affection, 
 would have led her to the summit of fame, wealth, 
 and honour. The poor despised sailor boy had dis- 
 tinguished himself for his skill and bravery, and, in the 
 honourable career of his profession, had won for himself 
 a noble fortune, and a name that would descend to 
 posterity. This Mrs St Clair knew, for she had heard 
 of his heroic exploits with feelings of the bitterest 
 regret and self-reproach ; and it was those feelings 
 which spread their gloom over her countenance, as she 
 looked on the tokens of his youthful love, and thought 
 of the valiant high-minded being she had bartered for a 
 shadow of greatness. She withdrew her eyes, and they 
 fell upon a venerable family Bible, from whence she 
 had been accustomed to hear her mother read a chapter 
 morning and evening to her family. She recalled, as 
 though it had been yesterday, the last evening she had 
 passed in her father's house. The figure of her mother 
 was before her — her voice sounded in her ears — the 
 words recurred to her then as they had often done 
 since. It was the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, begin- 
 ning with that touching exhortation — " Remember now 
 thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil 
 days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou 
 shalt say I have no pleasure in them ; " and ending 
 with that awful assurance — " For God shall bring 
 every work into judgment, with every secret thing, 
 
8o THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 whether it be good or whether it be evil." Mrs 
 St Clair uttered an involuntary groan, and closed her 
 eyes. 
 
 " You see much to remind you of the days that are 
 gone, my dear sister," said Miss Black tenderly ; " but 
 when the first impression is over, you will love to look 
 upon those relics, as we do for the sake of those who 
 loved us." 
 
 " Never ! ah, never ! " exclaimed Mrs St Clair, 
 starting up, and going to the window ; " every thing 
 here is torture to me — the very air suffocates me." 
 
 She threw open the window and leant out, but it was 
 only to behold other mementos of days past and gone. 
 She looked upon the little garden, the scene of many a 
 childish gambol — it lay in the full blaze of a meridian 
 sun, and all was fair and calm. An old laburnum tree 
 still hung its golden blossoms over a rustic seat at one 
 corner of the garden, and the time since she had sat 
 there and decked herself in its fantastic garlands seemed 
 as nothing. She remembered, too, when, after a long 
 childish illness, her father had carried her in his arms 
 to the garden, with what ecstasy she had breathed the 
 fresh air, and looked on the blue sky, and plucked the 
 gaudiest flowers. " It was on such a day as this," 
 thought she ; " the air is as fresh now as it was then — 
 the sky is as fair — the flowers as sweet ; — but my 
 father — ah ! were he still alive, would he thank 
 Heaven now, as he did then, for having preserved 
 his child ! " 
 
 And again the bitter drops fell from her eyes as she 
 turned sickening from the view. The chord of feeling 
 had been stretched too high to regain its ordinary pitch 
 without an effort ; — it is sometimes easier to break the 
 chain than to loosen it. Mrs St Clair felt her mind 
 untuned for ordinary communing, and she therefore took 
 an abrupt leave of her sisters, with a piomise of return- 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 8 1 
 
 ing soon when her nerves should be stronger. Hurry- 
 ing through the crowd collected around the gay equi- 
 page, she threw herself into it as if afraid of being 
 recognized, and called impatiently to her daughter to 
 follow. The postillions cracked their whips — the 
 crowd fell back, and the proud pageant rattled and 
 glittered along till lost to the gaze of the envying 
 and admiring throng. 
 
 Cl)a|)ter jciij* 
 
 Nothing is lost on him who sees 
 
 With an eye that feeling gave ; 
 For him there's a story in every breeze. 
 
 And a picture in every wave. Song. 
 
 MRS ST CLAIR and her daughter proceeded 
 for some time in profound silence. The former 
 seemed plunged in painful meditation, the latter 
 felt grieved and mortified at her mother's caprice and 
 unkindness to her. The first thing which roused 
 Mrs St Clair was the view of Rossville Castle, rising 
 proudly above the woods which embosomed it — and, 
 as she looked, gradually her brow cleared, her eye 
 brightened, and her countenance regained its usual 
 expression. 
 
 " Gertrude, my love," said she, taking her daughter's 
 hand, " I have almost forgot you to-day. But your 
 own heart will enable you to conceive what mine must 
 have suffered ; " and she sighed deeply. 
 
 " Yes," answered Miss St Clair, in some agitation, 
 " I can conceive that you have felt much ; but I cannot 
 conceive why — oh ! mamma, what had I done that 
 you should have shook me from you like a venemous 
 reptile ? " 
 
82 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " My dear Gertrude ! what an idea ! that is the 
 mere coinage of your brain — how can you allow your- 
 self to be so carried away by your imagination ? Come, 
 my dear, let us have no more such foolish fancies. 
 Strange, indeed, it would be " — continued she, as the 
 park gate was thrown open to receive them — " in any 
 one to cast off like a reptile the fair heiress of this 
 princely domain." 
 
 But, however strange, her daughter felt it was so, 
 and she remained silent. Mrs St Clair resumed — 
 
 " Apropos, Gertrude, when you are lady of Ross- 
 ville, you must build me a little tiny cottage on yon 
 lovely green bank, where I may live quietly as a humble 
 cottager, while you play the great lady : — come, pro- 
 mise me, Gertrude, that I shall have a croft from you — 
 a butt and a ben — a cow's grass and a kail-yard." 
 
 There was something so forced and unnatural in her 
 mother's sudden gaiety, that Miss St Clair, accustomed 
 as she was to all the inequalities of her temper, felt 
 almost frightened at it, and she was at a loss how to 
 reply. 
 
 " So you won't promise me, Gertrude, even a humble 
 independence for my old age ? — Perhaps you are right 
 to be cautious — Lear's daughters spoke him fair, and 
 after all turned him out of doors, and why should I 
 expect more from you ? " 
 
 " Oh mamma ! " exclaimed Miss St Clair, bursting 
 into tears, " do not kill me with such cruel words." 
 
 " Is it so ciniel, then, in a mother to crave a pittance 
 from the bounty of her child ? " 
 
 " It is cruel to doubt that I would give you all — yes, 
 were all this mine to-morrow, I could not be more 
 mistress of it than you should be." 
 
 " So you think at present, Gertrude ; but you know 
 not as I do the mutability of the human mind. You 
 will form other ties — other connections — you will 
 
THE INHERITANCE, 83 
 
 marry, and your mother will be forgotten — perhaps 
 forsaken. You will marry," cried she with increased 
 violence, — '' you will marry, and I shall be left to 
 starve — you will fall a prey to the artifices of a Colonel 
 Delmour — a needy, desperate spendthrift. I see already 
 he is paying court to the future heiress ; and, once the 
 wife of that designing extravagant man, you will have 
 nothing to bestow." 
 
 Shocked and amazed at her mother's violence, Miss 
 St Clair sought to tranquillize her by assurances that 
 she was mistaken in supposing Colonel Delmour had 
 any such views, when Mrs St Clair interrupted her — 
 "Promise me, then, that you will never become his 
 wife." 
 
 There is always something revolting to an open 
 ingenuous mind in being fettered by promises ; but there 
 was something more than even that natural repugnance 
 to make Gertrude shrink from thus binding herself to 
 her mother's will, and she remained silent ; but the deep 
 blush that burned on her cheek spoke more eloquently 
 than words. Mrs St Clair regarded her with a piercing 
 look — then exclaimed, in a transport of anger, " And 
 is it even so — and all that I have done and suffered 
 
 is " Then, suddenly stopping, she added, in a 
 
 milder tone, — " Gertrude, my wish is to save you from 
 the dangers with which you are already surrounded — 
 promise me, at least, that you will not marry until you 
 have attained the age of twenty-one — that you will 
 never marry without my consent, and until you have 
 provided for my old age." 
 
 " Mamma," said Miss St Clair, with a calmness and 
 self-possession which bespoke her determination, " I 
 here promise that I will not marry, without your con- 
 sent, before the age of twenty-one, and until I have 
 provided for you as becomes my mother — more I cannot 
 — I dare not — 1 nvill not promise." 
 
84 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " Then with that I must be satisfied," said Mrs St 
 Clair, as the carriage stopped at the castle door ; and 
 having alighted, she entered the house, while her 
 daughter stood some minutes on the lawn, inhaling the 
 mild freshness of a west wind laden with the balmy 
 sweets of opening buds and blossoms. Insensibly she 
 strolled on ; and gradually the impression of the un- 
 pleasant scene she had just had with her mother wore 
 away beneath the calming influence of nature's charms 
 — the clear cloudless sky — the lulling flow of the river 
 — the bright green woods in all the luxuriance of early 
 summer. 
 
 Miss St Clair wandered on till she reached a little 
 secluded spot she had not yet seen. On the top of a 
 green knoll that rose gradually from the river stood part 
 of an ancient building of an irregular and picturesque 
 form, but now almost covered with ivy. Some wild 
 cherry, or what, in the language of the country, are 
 called geen trees, grew almost close to it ; — they were 
 now white with blossoms, and formed a fanciful con- 
 trast to the emblems of age and decay with which they 
 were combined. The ground between the river and 
 the ruin appeared to have been originally a garden or 
 orchard ; and some old apple trees still remained, whose 
 mossy trunks and shrivelled branches bore evidence of 
 their antiquity, while here and there a cluster of rich 
 pink blossoms showed that 
 
 Life was in the leaf, for still between 
 The fits of falling snow appear'd the streaky green. 
 
 Some aged weeping willows dipt their silvery foliage in 
 the dark waters, as they glided slowly and silently along. 
 It was a scene where the contemplative mind might 
 have mused over the mournful record of time, and 
 things, and people, past and gone, with their joys and 
 their sorrows, — where the youthful imagination might 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 85 
 
 have pictured to itself some ideal paradise yet to be 
 realized. 
 
 " Ah ! " thought Gertrude, " how willingly would I 
 renounce all the pomp of greatness, to dwell here in 
 lowly affection with one who would love me, and whom 
 I could love in return ! How strange that I, who 
 could cherish the very worm that crawls beneath my 
 foot, have no one being to whom I can utter the 
 thoughts of my heart — no one on whom I can bestow 
 its best affections ! " She raised her eyes, swimming in 
 tears, to heaven ; but it was in the poetical enthusiasm 
 of feeling, not in the calm spirit of devotion. She 
 was suddenly roused by hearing some one approach ; 
 and presently Colonel Delmour, forcing his way through 
 some wild tangled bushes, hastened towards her with an 
 appearance of the greatest delight. At sight of him the 
 thoughts of her mother's warning rushed to her recol- 
 lection, — the dislike she had expressed — the suspicions 
 she harboured — the promise she would have exacted — 
 all seemed to give him a sort of inexplicable interest in 
 her eyes. She coloured deeply, and the consciousness 
 she had done so added to her confusion. 
 
 " I have to apologise to you," said Colonel Delmour, 
 " for thus literally forcing my way to you. Lyndsay 
 and I were practising archery when I descried you : to 
 see you, and not to fly to you, was impossible, had 
 Briareus himself opposed my passage ; so, leaving 
 Edward master of the field, I winged my way to you 
 like one of my own arrows — but I fear I startled you ? " 
 
 Miss St Clair felt as though she were acting in direct 
 disobedience to her mother, in thus meeting, even acci- 
 dentally, with the man she had just heard denounced by 
 her. In great embarrassment she begged he would 
 resume his exercise ; and she was moving away, when 
 Colonel Delmour caught her hand, and in a low tone 
 said, — 
 
86 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 "Do not Stir from hence, unless you wish to en- 
 counter Miss Pratt's observations ; she is beating about 
 here ; I saw her as I came along, but I trust she will 
 lose scent : do remain till that danger is past." 
 
 Almost equally averse to encounter Miss Pratt at 
 any time, but more particularly at present, she suffered 
 Colonel Delmour to seat her on a little mossy knoll ; 
 and throwing himself on the grass at her feet — - 
 
 " Be this your throne, and behold your subject," said 
 he, in a half-serious, half-sportive tone ; then raising his 
 eyes to hers, he repeated, — 
 
 " Le premier jour qu'on aime on se plait en secret 
 A mettre au rang des rois I'objet que Ton adore ; 
 Et s'il etoit un rang plus eciatant encore 
 Ce seroit la celui que le coeur choiseroit." 
 
 Miss St Clair tried to reply in a strain of badinage ; 
 but the words died on her lips, and, colouring still more 
 deeply, she remained silent. At that moment Mr 
 Lyndsay appeared ; but ere he had time to address 
 her, the shrill voice of Miss Pratt was heard, and pre- 
 sently she broke in. 
 
 "Ah, ha! so you're all here! — Upon my word, 
 here's a meeting of friends. It puts me in mind of a 
 scene in a play, where all the lovers meet to run away 
 with pretty Mistress Anne Page, and the one cries mum, 
 and the other cries budget." 
 
 "Two excellent words," said Colonel Delmour, 
 looking much provoked ; " of course you understand 
 their meaning — be silent and begone." 
 
 " Two very impertinent words, in my opinion," said 
 Miss Pratt, seating herself beside Gertrude ; " and, to 
 tell you the truth, I've no great notion of your mums. — 
 There's a family in this country all so tongue-tied, that 
 Anthony Whyte calls their house the mummery ; and 
 by the bye, Mr Edward, I really think you may cry 
 mum any day, — you're grown very silent of late." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 87 
 
 " A proof I am growing wiser, I suppose," answered 
 he, laughingly, " according to some great authority, who, 
 I think, says most men speak from not knowing how to 
 be silent." 
 
 " The saying of some dull blockhead, I suspect," said 
 Colonel Delmour, still evidently out of humour. 
 
 " Indeed, I think so too. Colonel," cried Miss Pratt; 
 "any body can hold their tongue, but it's not every 
 body that can speak." 
 
 " Not every body that ought to speak, or, at least, 
 ought to be listened to," said Colonel Delmour, con- 
 temptuously turning from her, and addressing some 
 words in French in a low tone to Gertrude ; while 
 Miss Pratt gabbled on — 
 
 " Bless me ! what a tear I've got in my gown ! 
 There's really an ill luck attends this gown — I never 
 have it on without its meeting with some accident — 
 that's all I've got by hunting after you youngsters ; " 
 and in the twinkling of an eye her huswife was out — 
 her thimble on her finger, and her needle flying through 
 all the intricacies of "a very bad cross tear." 
 
 " What's this we were talking about ? O ! about 
 people holding their tongues — I really wish these birds 
 would hold theirs, for I'm perfectly dieved with their 
 chattering — sh, sh," shaking her parasol at a goldfinch. 
 " I really think young people should be made to hold 
 their tongues, and only speak when they're spoken to. — 
 Was that a fish that leapt in the water just now ? What 
 a pity but one of you had had a fishing-rod in your 
 hands instead of these senseless bows and arrows — it 
 would have been some diversion to have seen you hook 
 a nice three-pound weight caller trout : — and really old 
 people should be cautious of speaking — they're some- 
 times rather slow, you know — not but what I can listen 
 to any body. — Bless me ! how the wind's blowing these 
 blossoms about — I'm like to be blinded with them." 
 
88 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 "Come, you shall listen to me then," said Mr 
 Lyndsay, as he caught some of the falling blossoms, 
 " while I apostrophize them in some pretty lines of 
 Herrick's. 
 
 TO BLOSSOMS. 
 
 Fair pledges of a fruitful tree, 
 Why do you fall so fast ? 
 Your date is not so past ; 
 But you may stay here yet awhile, 
 To blush and gently smile ; 
 And go at last, 
 
 "What ! were ye born to be 
 An hour or half's delight. 
 And so to bid good night ? 
 'T was pity nature brought ye forth, 
 Merely to show your worth, 
 And lose you quite. 
 
 But you are lovely leaves, where we 
 May read how soon things have 
 Their end, though ne'er so brave ; 
 And after they have shown their pride 
 Like you a while, they glide 
 Into the grave." 
 
 Miss Pratt testified great impatience while the verses 
 were repeating; but the purpose was answered — the 
 time was passed while the fracture was repairing — 
 and afraid of more poetry, for which she had a mortal 
 antipathy, she readily assented to Miss St Clair's 
 proposal of returning home. 
 
 " I can tell you one thing, my dear," whispered 
 she to Gertrude, " that mum should be the watch- 
 word here to-day ; — a certain person," with a wink at 
 Colonel Delmour, " is but a younger brother, and not 
 the thing. He can be very pleasant when he pleases ; 
 but take my word for it he's not to ride the ford upon : 
 —but, bless me, I had no notion it was so late, and I've 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 a bit of lace to run upon my gown before dinner ! " — 
 and away ran Miss Pratt to her toilette, while Ger- 
 trude retired to her chamber to ruminate on the events 
 of the day. 
 
 Chapter %ii>^ 
 
 Keep, therefore, a true woman's eye, 
 And love me still, but know not why ; 
 So hast thou the same reason still 
 
 To doat upon me ever. 
 
 0/d Madrigal. 
 
 THAT " she who deliberates is lost," is a remark 
 that has been so often verified, that although 
 there are innumerable instances of women de- 
 liberating to be saved, yet when a lover suspects the 
 object of his wishes to be debating the question of — to 
 love or not to love, he feels pretty secure that it will be 
 decided in his favour. At least so felt Colonel Del- 
 mour, as he marked the thoughtful cast of Miss St 
 Clair's countenance when she entered the drawing- 
 room before dinner. She had, indeed, that day de- 
 liberated more than she had ever done in the whole 
 course of her life before, though her deliberations had 
 not yet assumed any distinct form. By nature tender 
 and affectionate in her disposition, she was likewise 
 high-spirited and impatient of unjust control ; and the 
 situation in which she was now placed was calculated 
 to call forth all the latent energies of her character. 
 " // ^ a quelquefois dans le cours de la vie, de si chers 
 plaisirs et de si tendres engagements que Von nous defend, 
 qu'il est naturel de desirer, du moins, quails fussent 
 permis.^^ 
 
 Miss St Clair certainly could not help wishing that 
 she had not been forbidden to love her cousin ; for, 
 
90 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 although he had not absolutely declared himself her 
 lover, he had said more than enough to convince her 
 that he was deeply in love, and that the happiness of his 
 life hung upon her decision. When she thought of her 
 mother's prejudice against him, so unjust, so unaccount- 
 able, it seemed next to impossible for her to remain 
 in a state of indecision. She must either adopt her 
 mother's sentiments, and hate, fly, abjure him ; or she 
 must yield to her own inclinations, and listen to him — 
 look on him, and love him. In this state of mental 
 embarrassment, it was impossible for any one so in- 
 genuous to conceal what was passing in her mind. But 
 those who were most interested in observing her con- 
 strued her behaviour each according to their own wishes. 
 In her constrained manner and averted eyes whenever 
 Colonel Delmour addressed her, Mrs St Clair flattered 
 herself she saw symptoms of that distrust and dislike she 
 had endeavoured to inculcate ; while he, for the present, 
 felt satisfied in the consciousness that he was, at least, 
 not an object of indifference. 
 
 But it was impossible for any ruminations to be 
 carried on long in the presence of Miss Pratt, whose 
 own ruminations never lasted longer than till she had 
 made herself mistress of the dresses of the company or 
 the dishes on the table. Having finished her scrutiny 
 of the former, she addressed Mrs St Clair — 
 
 ** You were very soon home to-day, I think ; you 
 must really have paid fashionable visits to your friends 
 — to be sure, your sister's is not a house to stay long in. 
 — Poor Miss Mary, what a pretty creature she was once, 
 and as merry as a grig ; but she has taken rather a 
 religious turn now — to be sure, when people have not 
 the use of their legs, what can they do ? I'm sure we 
 should be thankful that have all our faculties." 
 
 " Except the faculty of being religious," said Mr 
 Lyndsay with a smile. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 9 1 
 
 " A certain degree of religion I think extremely 
 proper," said Miss Pratt in a by-way-of, serious 
 manner ; — *' but I'm just afraid it's rather overdone — 
 not that I mean to say any thing against the Miss 
 Blacks, for I assure you I have a very high respect for 
 them ; — and old Mr Ramsay ! how did you find him ? 
 — in a tolerable tune I hope ? " 
 
 " I was afraid of trespassing too far on Lord Ross- 
 ville's goodness by detaining his carriage and servants, 
 and therefore delayed visiting my uncle till another 
 opportunity." 
 
 " That was being extremely considerate, indeed," 
 began his lordship ; but, as usual, was cut short by 
 Miss Pratt. 
 
 " Bless me ! what's the use of carriages and servants 
 but to wait ? If you had played your cards well, you 
 would have gone first to your uncle — an old man in a 
 nightcap, worth good seventy thousand pound, and as 
 cross as two sticks, is not to be sneezed at, as Anthony 
 Whyte says ; but there's the gong. — O Lord Rossville, 
 I wish you would really get a bell, for I declare there's 
 no hearing one's self speak for that gong — or what 
 would you think of a trumpet ? Bells and gongs are 
 grown so common, that Anthony Whyte's going to get 
 a trumpet." 
 
 " Being already provided with a trumpeter, it is quite 
 proper that Mr Whyte should have a trumpet," said 
 Colonel Delmour. 
 
 " Considering with what deadly intentions we as- 
 semble at the dinner-table," said Mr Lyndsay, " I 
 really think a warlike instrument a much more appro- 
 priate symbol than a peaceful, fasting, matin-sounding 
 bell — indeed, the organ of destructiveness is always so 
 strong with me at this hour, and I feel so much of the 
 fee fa fum about me, that I can scarcely ask you to 
 trust yourself with me ; " and he good-humouredly 
 
92 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 gave his arm to Miss Pratt, as she was pattering away 
 to the dining-room, with rather a discomfited look, by 
 herself: "and now for the pride, pomp, and circum- 
 stance of glorious war," — as the party seated themselves 
 at the splendid board. But Miss Pratt's mortification 
 never could be made by any possible means to endure 
 much longer than the shock of a shower-bath — and by 
 the time the dishes were uncovered, " Richard was 
 himself again." 
 
 " Colonel Delmour, what's that before you ? — I 
 think it looks like fricasseed chicken — I'll thank you 
 for some of it ; " and Colonel Delmour with the most 
 indifferent air as to Miss Pratt's wants, and talking all 
 the while to Miss St Clair, sent her a part which 
 did not suit her taste. 
 
 "Just take that back," said she to the servant; 
 " with my compliments to Colonel Delmour, and I'll 
 be obliged to him for a wing. Colonel, don't you know 
 it's the fashion now, when you help game or poultry, to 
 ask, * Pray do you run or fly ? ' meaning do you choose 
 leg or wing. There was a good scene at Anthony 
 Whyte's one day fat Lady Puffendorf was there — you 
 know she's so asthmatic she can hardly walk ; so when 
 she chose chicken, * Pray, ma'am,' says Anthony, * do 
 you run or fly ? ' Of course a fine titter ran round the 
 company. Lord Rossville, did you hear that ? — Colonel 
 Delmour, remember I fly." 
 
 " I shall have great pleasure in assisting your flight," 
 said he with an ironical smile ; " pray, when may we 
 expect to see Miss Pratt take wing ? " 
 
 " Is that that you may have a shot at me with your 
 bow and arrow ? I thought, indeed, you looked as if 
 you were rather bent upon wounding hearts than harts 
 to-day — you understand the difference, don't you. Miss 
 St Clair ? " who only coloured a reply, and even Colonel 
 Delmour seemed disconcerted. " Well, never mind, 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 93 
 
 mum's the word, you know," with a provoking wink ; 
 " only I advise all young ladies who value their hearts 
 to cry budget to gentlemen with bows and arrows." 
 Lord Rossville's ideas, fortunately, never could keep 
 pace with Miss Pratt's tongue : he had now only over- 
 taken her at the " run and fly," and was busy preparing, 
 with all the powers of his mind, a caveat against the use 
 of cant terms — to begin with a quotation from Lord 
 Chesterfield, and to be followed up by a full declaration 
 of his own sentiments on the subject. In short, his 
 mode of proceeding was something like bringing out a 
 field-piece to knock down a fly, which, in the meantime, 
 had perched itself on the very mouth of the cannon, 
 and, unconscious of the formidable artillery that was 
 preparing against it, buzzed away. 
 
 " Let me help you to some asparagus, my lord ? " 
 helping herself largely in the meantime ; " very fine it 
 is, though rather out of season now — it has been long 
 over at Whyte Hall. But who can help asparagus 
 with asparagus tongs ? Anthony Whyte says, if ever 
 he's prevailed upon to go into parliament, it will be for 
 the sole purpose of bringing in three bills for the relief 
 of the rich. One of them is to be an act for the sup- 
 pression of asparagus tongs ; another is to make it 
 felony for a cook to twist the legs of game, or force a 
 turkey to carry its head under its wing ; and a third 
 is " 
 
 But here Lord Rossville's indignation got the better 
 of his good-breeding, and even overcame the more 
 tardy operations of his mind ; and before Anthony 
 Whyte's third bill could be brought forward, he ex- 
 claimed, " Mr Anthony Whyte bring bills into parlia- 
 ment ! — Pray, Miss Pratt, have you any authority for 
 supposing, or insinuating, that Mr Whyte has the most 
 distant shadow of an idea of attempting to procure a 
 seat in parliament ? If he has, I can only say I have 
 
94 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 been most grossly misinformed — if he has not, it is 
 highly improper in you, or in any of his relations or 
 friends, who the world will naturally conclude are in 
 his confidence, to start such a supposition ; — it is a 
 serious, a very serious matter, to tamper with a gentle- 
 man's name in politics, more particularly in the trouble- 
 some and factious times in which we live." Even Miss 
 Pratt was for an instant discomfited by the solemn in- 
 dignation of this address ; but she quickly rallied, and 
 whispering to Mr Lyndsay, " He's very bilious to-day, 
 — his eyes are like boiled gooseberries, honest man ! " — 
 she resumed, — " Bless me. Lord Rossville, one would 
 think I had spoken high treason, but I was only joking ; 
 Mr Whyte, I can assure you, has too much good sense 
 to think of going into parliament ; if he had had a mind 
 that way, he might have been in long ago : I'm told, 
 from pretty good authority, he might carry the county 
 any day he liked." 
 
 Here the Earl absolutely gasped in the attempt to 
 bring up words long and strong enough to immolate the 
 presumption of Miss Pratt and Anthony Whyte. " I 
 can assure you, both Lord Punmedown and Sir Thomas 
 Turnabout spoke seriously to Mr Whyte about it some 
 time ago — * Anthony,' says my lord, * if you wish to 
 sit, you've only to stand.' Nothing could be stronger 
 than that, you know. * Faith, my lord,' says he, * I 
 believe I would have to lie in the first place.' Very 
 good, wasn't it? Anthony's always ready with his 
 answer ; I assure you, if he was in parliament he would 
 keep his own." 
 
 " Is there any body talked of in opposition to 
 Robert ? " asked Colonel Delmour, as if he had not 
 even deigned to hear Miss Pratt — "apropos, I had a 
 letter from him this morning." 
 
 " Indeed ! " exclaimed the Earl with great earnest- 
 ness. " I am rather surprised that such a piece of 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 95 
 
 information should have been only communicated to 
 me in this accidental manner — I have been anxiously 
 looking for letters from Mr Delmour for some days — 
 what does he say with regard to the sitting of par- 
 liament, and does he point at any probable time for 
 coming north ?" 
 
 " I merely glanced at his letter," answered Colonel 
 Delmour, with an air of indifference ; " it seemed filled 
 as usual with politics, and I am no politician." 
 
 " I am not so sure about that," said Miss Pratt, in 
 an under tone, and with a most provoking significant 
 look. 
 
 " But you shall hear what he says. — Smith," turning 
 to his servant, <*you will find some letters upon the 
 writing-table in my dressing-room ; bring them here." 
 
 " I hope you don't leave your love-letters lying 
 about that way. Colonel ? " cried the incorrigible Pratt. 
 " I assure you, if I was a young lady, I would take 
 care how I corresponded with you — you're not like 
 Anthony Whyte, who keeps up all his letters like grim 
 death." 
 
 The letters were brought ; and Colonel Delmour, 
 taking his brother's from amongst them, glanced his eye 
 over it, and read in a skimming manner — " Animated 
 and protracted debate — admirable speech — legs two 
 hours and a quarter — immense applause — 197 of 
 majority — glorious result — opposition fairly discom- 
 fited," &c. &c. ; he then read aloud — 
 
 " Pray inform the Earl there is no longer a doubt as 
 to the dissolution of parliament next session, — we must 
 therefore prepare to take the field immediately. Lord 
 P. and Sir J. T. intend to oppose us, I understand, and 
 to bring forward some tool of their own ; but I have 
 little fear as to the result. I now only wait the passing 
 of the road bill, and the discussion on the resumption of 
 cash payments, to be off for Scotland ; my uncle may. 
 
96 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 therefore, expect me in the course of a few days, when 
 I trust we shall be able to make a tolerable muster. — 
 P.S. I see a Major Waddell has lodged claim for 
 enrolment, — do you know any thing of him ? " 
 
 " Major Waddell ! " repeated the Earl, putting his 
 hand to his forehead in a musing attitude, as if en- 
 deavouring to recollect him. 
 
 « Major Waddell," said Mrs St Clair, in her softest 
 manner, "is a gentleman of large fortune, lately re- 
 turned from India — heir, I understand, to Sir William 
 Waddell, and upon the point of marriage with a niece 
 
 of mine — his vote, I am sure " Luckily, before 
 
 Mrs St Clair could commit herself and Major Wad- 
 dell's vote. Miss Pratt dashed in. — " Aye ! Miss Bell 
 Black going to be married to Major Waddell ! Ton 
 my word she has fallen upon her feet — that will be a 
 disappointment to many a one ; for I assure you the 
 Major's a prize, and I know three ladies he was sup- 
 posed to be looking after — he even went so far as to 
 present one of them with a very handsome Paradise 
 plume — that I know to be a fact, for I was staying in 
 the house at the time, and there was a great debate 
 whether she should have accepted it before he had made 
 his proposals. — Aye ! I was told that Miss Bell had 
 lately said, in company, that she never would marry 
 any man who couldn't give her silver tureens and 
 corners. — He's very well connected too. — Let me see ; 
 his mother was a Bog, and his father a Waddell of the 
 Waddell Mains family — so he has good blood both 
 ways." 
 
 All this was very agreeable to Mrs St Clair — it 
 was giving consequence to her family, which was an 
 advantage to herself. Miss Pratt's pribble prabble 
 was therefore music to her ear ; and while she gave 
 her whole attention to that. Colonel Delmour contrived 
 to render his conversation no less interesting to her 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 97 
 
 daughter, whose deHberations, Hke Othello's doubts, 
 were gradually assuming a more decided form. For in 
 love, as in jealousy, it will commonly be found that " to 
 be once in doubt is once to be resolved/' 
 
 As the ladies rose from table. Lord Rossville, who 
 had evidently been struggling for some time to give 
 utterance to some exquisite idea, called Miss Pratt, just 
 as she had reached the door : — they all stopped. 
 
 " Miss Pratt," said his lordship, making an effort to 
 subdue any appearance of risibility, — " Miss Pratt, I 
 think your friend who received the present of a plume 
 from Major Waddell will have no great cause to plume 
 herself upon that — as, from your account, it can no 
 longer be a feather in her cap." 
 
 The Earl was too much elated with this sally to 
 think of Lord Chesterfield, and he indulged himself in 
 a laugh tolerably loud and intolerably long. 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! ha ! very good indeed ! " cried Miss 
 Pratt. " I must let Anthony Whyte and Lord Pun- 
 medown hear that — very well indeed ! — Poor Miss 
 Kitty Fansyflame, as you say, it will be no great 
 feather in her cap now, poor soul! — ha! ha! ha I 
 Lady Betty, did you hear that ? " Then pinching 
 Gertrude's arm, she whispered, " As Anthony Whyte 
 says, it's a serious matter when Lord Rossville makes a 
 joke — honest man — ha! ha! ha! — very fair indeed." 
 And Miss Pratt kept up a running laugh all the way to 
 the drawing-room. 
 
98 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Cl)apter pf>^ 
 
 The pilot best of winds does talk, 
 
 The peasant of his cattle ; 
 
 The shepherd of his fleecy flock, 
 
 The soldier of his battle. Ariosto. 
 
 THE expected dissolution of parliament was all in 
 favour of the growing attachment of the cousins. 
 Gertrude, indeed, tried, or thought she tried, to 
 avoid receiving the attentions of Colonel Delmour ; but 
 in the thousand minute, and almost imperceptible oppor- 
 tunities, which are for ever occurring where people 
 dwell under the same roof, he found many occasions 
 of insinuating the ardour and sincerity of his passion, 
 yet in a manner so refined and unobtrusive, that it 
 would have seemed downright prudery to have dis- 
 claimed his attentions. 
 
 Lord Rossville was, or, what was the same thing, 
 fancied he was, so overwhelmed with business, that, 
 contrary to his usual practice, he now always retired 
 immediately after tea to his study, — there to con over 
 the map and count over the roll of the county, and to 
 frame the model of a circular letter, which was to sur- 
 pass all the circular letters that ever had issued from a 
 circular head. 
 
 Mrs St Clair was busy too — she had begun to canvass 
 with her brother and her uncle, to bespeak their votes, 
 and had written to offer a visit to the latter the 
 following day, by the Earl's desire. Lady Betty 
 sat, as usual, at her little table, with her rug, her novel, 
 and her fat favourite. Miss Pratt gabbled and knotted. 
 Mr Lyndsay read. Colonel Delmour and Gertrude 
 alone seemed unoccupied ; but " how various their 
 employments whom the world deems idle." — " You 
 are in an uncommon quiescent state to-night, Delmour," 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 99 
 
 said Mr Lyndsay, closing his book and rising — 
 " neither music, nor billiards, nor ennui — most wonder- 
 ful ! " 
 
 " Eire avec les gens qu^on aime, cela suffit ; rever, 
 leur parler, ne leur parler pointy aupres d^eux tout est 
 egal^^ replied he, casting a look towards Gertrude, 
 but affecting to address Miss Pratt. — " Is it not so, 
 Miss Pratt ? " 
 
 " To tell you the truth. Colonel," answered she with 
 some asperity, " when people speak French to me, I 
 always lay it down as a rule that they're speaking non- 
 sense — I'm sure there are words enough in plain 
 English to say all that any body has to say." 
 
 " Ah ! but they are too plain — that is precisely my 
 objection to them ; for you, I am sure, are aware," — 
 and again he stole a glance at Miss St Clair, — 
 ** * comhien de choses qu on n apercoit que par sentiment, 
 et dont il est impossible de rendre raison ! ' Now, the 
 French is a language of the sentiment — the English of 
 reason — consequently it is most unreasonable in you, 
 my dear Miss Pratt, to insist upon my expressing my 
 sentiments in a plain reasonable manner ; but come, 
 since you profess to be insensible to sentiment, try 
 whether you cannot prevail upon Miss St Clair to give 
 us some music." 
 
 " Music ! " reiterated Miss Pratt ; " fiddlesticks ! 
 For any sake, let us have one night of peace and rest 
 — for I declare Lord Rossville makes a perfect toil of 
 music ; but, indeed, it's the same every where now — 
 there's not a house you go into but some of the family 
 are musical. I know one family where there's five 
 grown-up daughters that all play upon the harp ; and 
 such a tuning, and stringing, and thrumming goes on, 
 that I declare I get perfectly stupid. Not only that, 
 but, as Anthony Whyte says, you used to be aware of 
 your danger when you saw a piano or a fiddle in a 
 
lOO THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 house ; but now you have music in all shapes, and 
 such contrivances! — there's musical glasses, and musical 
 clocks, and musical snuff-boxes, and now they've got 
 musical work-boxes. The t'other day, when I was at 
 Lady Restall's, I happened to want a thread in a hurry, 
 and was flying to her work-box for it. — ' Stop, stop,' 
 says she, * and I'll give you something better than a 
 thread ; ' so she locks up her box and sets it a-going, 
 and, to be sure, I thought it never would have done — 
 tune after tune. * And isn't that a lovely waltz,' says 
 she, * and isn't that a sweet quadrille ! ' — Thinks I, 
 my friend, if you was mine, I would soon stop your 
 mouth, and make you mind your own business." 
 
 " But I hope you got your thread ? " inquired Lady 
 Betty. 
 
 " Yes, yes, I got my thread at last ; but isn't it a hard 
 case that one can't get a black silk thread, if it was to 
 save their life, without getting half a dozen tunes into 
 the bargain ? But that's not the most ridiculous part ; 
 for, says she, * I've commissioned a walking-cane for 
 my lord from Paris (you know Lord Restall can't 
 walk the length of his toe without a stick), and it is 
 to play three waltzes, two quadrilles, a hornpipe, and 
 the Grand Turk's March — it will be such an amuse- 
 ment,' says she, * when he's walking with his friends, 
 to set his stick a-going.' — Thinks I, he'll be clever 
 if ever he sets it a-going about my ears. Miss St Clair, 
 my dear, have you no nice nacky little handy work, 
 that you could be doing at while we sit and chat ? " 
 
 " That is a proper reproof for my idleness," said 
 Gertrude, rising to fetch her work. 
 
 " How I detest the stupid vulgar industry of working 
 ladies ! " said Colonel Delmour ; " come, let me lead 
 you to the music-room," and he took her hand. 
 
 " What are you going to play ? " inquired Lady 
 Betty. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. iOI 
 
 " Tibbie Fowler," answered Miss Pratt. — " Miss 
 St Clair, my dear, did you ever hear Tibbie Fowler ? " 
 and, in her cracked voice, she struck up that celebrated 
 ditty. Colonel Delmour, with an expression of disgust, 
 immediately hurried Miss St Clair to the adjoining 
 room, leaving Miss Pratt to carol away to Lady Betty 
 and fat Flora. 
 
 Much has been said of the power of music ; and all 
 who have ears and souls will admit that its influence 
 has not been exaggerated even by its most enthusiastic 
 votaries. In every heart of sensibility nature has im- 
 planted a chord which, if rightly touched, will yield 
 fine issue, whether to the loftier or the gentler passions 
 of the mind — whether that chord vibrates responsive to 
 the pealing organ, the spirit-stirring drum, or the night- 
 ingale's soft lay. Some there are, indeed, to whom 
 music is merely a science, an assemblage of fine con- 
 cords and discords ; and who, possessed of all that 
 skill and knowledge can impart, are yet strangers to 
 those " mystic transports. " whose movements are in the 
 soul, and which constitute the true charm of melody. 
 But Colonel Delmour could not be said to belong 
 to either of those classes, or, rather, he partook some- 
 what of both : he v/as passionately fond of music, and 
 sang with much taste and expression ; but it might be 
 doubted whether his was 
 
 Le chant qui se sent dans I'ame. 
 
 Be that as it may, he had hitherto, in the various 
 flirtations in which he had been engaged, found music 
 a most useful auxiliary, and by much the safest, as 
 well as the most elegant, medium for communicating 
 his passion. It was, therefore, an invariable rule with 
 Colonel Delmour to use other men's verse, as well as 
 other men's prose, instead of his own. For similar 
 reasons, he also preferred declaring his passion either 
 
102 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 in French or Italian ; and having read all the lighter 
 works in these languages, and being gifted with a good 
 memory and a ready wit, he was seldom at a loss for 
 expressions suited to each particular case. The words 
 he selected for the present occasion were those beauti- 
 ful ones, — 
 
 Felice chi vi mira, 
 
 Ma piu felice chi per vol sospira, &c. 
 
 When suddenly Miss Pratt burst in with "Wisht, 
 wisht — there's somebody coming that will make us all 
 change our note, I'm thinking ; " and while she spoke, 
 a spattered chaise-and-four, with horses in a foam, 
 drove up, which was recognized by its bearings to be 
 that of Mr Delmour. All was bustle and sensation ; 
 and the family, with the exception of Lord Rossville, 
 had dropped in one by one to the music-room, where 
 Mr Delmour was ushered in. He was what many 
 would have called a very fine-looking man — tall and 
 straight, with handsome regular features, although 
 somewhat resembling Lord Rossville, both in person 
 and manners. He paid his compliments rather with 
 the well-bred formality of the old school, than with 
 the easy disengaged air of a man of fashion, and totally 
 devoid of that air of empressement towards Miss St 
 Clair which had marked the attentions of his brother 
 from their first meeting. In fact, Mr Delmour seemed 
 little engrossed with any of the party, but looked round 
 as if in search of a far more interesting object, and 
 then anxiously inquired where Lord Rossville was. 
 But ere an answer could be returned the Earl himself 
 entered, and mutual pleasure was testified by the uncle 
 and nephew at sight of each other. 
 
 " Although, upon ordinary occasions, I confess I am 
 no friend to what are termed unexpected pleasures," 
 said his lordship, " yet, in the present instance, my 
 
THE INHERITANCE, I03 
 
 dear Robert, I own I do not feel my pleasure at your 
 arrival at all diminished by the unexpectedness of your 
 appearance. At the same time, it would not have been 
 amiss, perhaps, to have apprised me of your intention at 
 this important time." 
 
 " Impossible ! " replied Mr Delmour eagerly ; " quite 
 impossible ! In fact, I set off the instant the house rose, 
 which was on Friday morning at half past five, after a 
 most interesting debate on the paper currency, which, 
 I am happy to tell you, we carried by a majority of 
 eighty-five." 
 
 " Bravo ! " exclaimed the Earl. — " And our road 
 bill ? " 
 
 " Is passed. But how stands the county ? — Have 
 you felt its pulse at all ? — I understand a brisk canvass 
 has commenced in a certain quarter. I got a hint of 
 that from Lord Wishton, which, in fact, induced me 
 to set off without a moment's delay." 
 
 " You acted wisely and well," said the Earl ; " delays 
 are always dangerous — more especially upon occasions 
 such as the present." 
 
 " It's high time you had begun to canvass, if you ex- 
 pect to succeed in your election, I can tell you," inter- 
 posed Miss Pratt, with one of her sharp pithy glances at 
 Colonel Delmour and Gertrude, who kept a little apart ; 
 and to judge by the blush and the smile which occasion- 
 ally flitted over her beautiful features, as she sometimes 
 bent her head to his whispers, the conversation was of 
 rather a more interesting nature than what was carrying 
 on between the uncle and nephew. 
 
 Miss Pratt's remark did not hit either of them, and 
 the latter resumed — " I am told the opposite party give 
 out they can already reckon up twenty-nine votes — 
 that, I suspect, is a ruse de guerre ,- but still it shows 
 the necessity of our taking the field immediately." 
 
 " Precisely my own sentiments ! " exclaimed Lord 
 
I04 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Rossville, with delight ; "as you justly observe, there 
 is not a moment to lose." 
 
 " Something might yet be done to-night," said Mr 
 Delmour, looking at his watch. 
 
 " Something has been done already," replied his 
 lordship, with an air of conscious importance ; " but it 
 is now almost supper time, and you must be much 
 fatigued with your long and rapid journey ; I must, 
 therefore, vote for an adjournment." 
 
 As the servant at that moment announced supper, 
 this was a very bright sally for the Earl, though it did 
 not produce all the effect he had expected. 
 
 " Mr Delmour, you will conduct Miss St Clair to 
 the supper room ; " and Colonel Delmour, with infinite 
 reluctance, was obliged to relinquish her hand to his 
 brother. With no less unwillingness did she bestow it ; 
 and her chagrin was not lessened at finding herself 
 placed between the uncle and nephew at supper, and 
 condemned to hear, without being able to listen to their 
 conversation, which now, in spite of Miss Pratt's de- 
 sultory gabble, continued to flow in the same political 
 channel. Gertrude heard, with weariness, the whole 
 preliminaries of an active canvass fully discussed across 
 her ; and while her imagination yet dwelt with delight 
 on the melodious accents and impassioned sentiments 
 which had so lately been poured into her ear, and found 
 entrance to her heart, she mentally exclaimed — " How 
 impossible would it be ever to love a man who can only 
 talk of votes, seats, rolls, and qualifications ! " 
 
THE INHERITANCE. IO5 
 
 Chapter )cbj* 
 
 Certainly it is heaven upon earth to have a man's mind 
 move in charity, rest in Providence, and turn upon the poles 
 of truth. — Lord Bacon. 
 
 " \ X 7' ELL, what do you think of our member ? " 
 y Y was Miss Pratt's first salutation to Gertrude, 
 as they met next morning in their way to 
 breakfast — then, without waiting a reply, " I thought 
 you looked very wearied last night, and no wonder, for 
 I declare my back was like to break with their politics. 
 — IVe a notion you don't think he's likely to be any 
 great acquisition as a member of the family, whatever 
 he may be to the county — he! he! he! — I must tell 
 Anthony Whyte that — he will be so diverted ; — but 
 come, my dear," taking her arm, " we're too soon for 
 breakfast yet, so we may just scent the morning air, as 
 what do you call the man's ghost says in the play — but 
 you should have something on your head, you must not 
 get that pretty white skin of yours sunburnt ; but we'll 
 not go farther than the portico. — I looked into the 
 room as I passed, and there was nobody there but Lord 
 Rossville, sitting, as usual, watching the teapot, like a 
 clocking hen. It's a great pity that he will make the 
 tea himself. I declare I'm like to choke sometimes 
 before I can get a drop, and, after all, it's really just 
 water bewitched. — It's a thousand pities, honest man ! 
 that he will think he can do every thing better than any 
 body else. — But here comes Edward Lyndsay from his 
 walk. — I dare say he has been at some good turn already. 
 — Good morning, Mr Edward ; where have you been 
 strolling to this fine morning ? Miss St Clair and I are 
 just taking a little chat here, in the sun, till the break- 
 fast's ready ; for, as Anthony Whyte says, I don't like 
 to descend to vacuity. — What do you think Miss St 
 
Io6 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Clair says of our member ? that she does not think him 
 any great acquisition as a member of the family, what- 
 ever he may be as a member of the county : isn't that 
 very good ? " 
 
 Gertrude was about to disclaim the witticism, when 
 Mr Lyndsay saved her the trouble. 
 
 " So good," replied he, " that I am surprised you 
 should give the credit of it to any body else. — Miss St 
 Clair, I am sure, is incapable of making such a 
 remark." 
 
 " Is that meant as a compliment to you or me, my 
 dear ? " addressing Gertrude. — " But I wish you would 
 explain, Mr Edward, what makes you think Miss St 
 Clair incapable of saying that ? " 
 
 " Because, as a physiognomist, I pronounce Miss St 
 Clair incapable of making so ill-natured a remark upon 
 one of whom she has as yet had no opportunity of 
 forming an opinion." 
 
 " And what do you call that remark of your own, 
 pray, Mr Edward ? " intempted Miss Pratt with con- 
 siderable pique ; " for my part, I think it as ill-natured 
 a one as ever I heard." 
 
 "You wished to hear the truth," said he, with a 
 smile ; " it is not my fault if it is not agreeable." 
 
 " To tell you the truth, Mr Lyndsay, it's not by 
 speaking what you call the truth upon every occasion, 
 that people will ever make friends to themselves in this 
 world. I never knew any of your plain-spoken people 
 that didn't make twenty enemies for one friend. I 
 know nobody that likes to have what you call the truth 
 told them ; do you, my dear ? " — to Gertrude. 
 
 " Yes," answered Gertrude ; " I think I should like 
 to hear the truth from an amiable person ; but the reason 
 it is so disagreeable, I suppose, is, because people are 
 always so cross when they speak what they call the 
 truth, that it seems as if they only used it as a cloak 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I07 
 
 for their own ill-humour and caprice, and a thousand 
 other deadly sins." 
 
 "Well, I'm sure, if you've a mind to hear the truth, 
 you could not be in better hands, my dear, than your 
 cousin's for it. — But there's that abominable gong again 
 — we must really fly, for Lord Rossville will be out of 
 all patience ; " and off pattered Miss Pratt, leaving her 
 companions to follow her nimble steps. Nobody had 
 yet appeared at the breakfast-table but Lord Rossville 
 and Mr Delmour, who had resumed the subject of 
 the election with renewed vigour. Miss Pratt, seeing 
 his lordship so engrossed, had seized upon the teapot, 
 and was enjoying the luxury of filling her cup by stealth. 
 Mr Lyndsay seated himself by Gertrude ; it was the 
 place Colonel Delmour usually occupied, and she looked 
 a little disappointed at seeing it filled by another — he did 
 not appear to notice it, but continued the conversation. 
 
 " I perfectly agree with you in what you were saying 
 of the use or abuse of truth," said he ; " but even 
 that is not so dangerous as the delusions of false- 
 hood and flattery, commonly called politeness and 
 admiration." 
 
 " These are hard words to give to very agreeable 
 things," answered Gertrude. 
 
 " My quarrel is not with the things themselves," said 
 he, " but with their counterfeits." 
 
 " Yet, if every one were to tell another exactly 
 what they thought of them, I dare say we should be 
 all scratching each other's eyes out." 
 
 " Not if ours was the charity that thinketh no 
 evil." 
 
 " Oh ! that is to say, if we were all angels." 
 
 " No ; it is to say, if we were all Christians." — 
 Gertrude stared with some surprise ; for her idea of a 
 Christian, like that of many other people's, was, that 
 all were Christians who were born in Christendom, 
 
Io8 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 had been baptized, learnt their creeds, and went now 
 and then to church. 
 
 " I flatter myself I am a Christian," said she ; " and 
 yet I cannot help thinking there are people in the world 
 who are very tiresome, very impertinent, and very dis- 
 agreeable; yet, I don't think it would be a very Christian 
 act were I to tell them so." 
 
 " Certainly not," answered Mr Lyndsay with a 
 smile ; " you may think them all those things ; but if 
 you think of them, at the same time, in the spirit of 
 kindness and Christian benevolence, you will pity their 
 infirmities, and you will have no inclination to hurt 
 their feelings by telling them of faults which you cannot 
 mend." 
 
 " But if I were asked — or suppose I were to ask 
 you to tell me my faults ? " 
 
 " I should certainly endeavour to do it to the best of 
 my ability." 
 
 "Well, pray, begin, I should like to have my 
 character drawn in a Christian-like manner," said 
 she, laughing. 
 
 " Yes ; but 1 must have many sittings before I 
 can attempt it. — I am not one of those nimble 
 artists who can take striking likenesses in five minutes." 
 
 " So much the better ; for they are always hideous 
 performances ; but how long will you take to make a 
 good full-length portrait of me, for I really long to see 
 myself in my true colours — as a mere mortal, not as a 
 goddess ? " 
 
 " You run no such risk with me, I assure you," 
 said he ; " but as to the time, that must depend 
 upon circumstances and opportunities — perhaps in a 
 year." 
 
 " A year ! " exclaimed Gertrude, — " O heavens ! I 
 shall die of impatience in a month — to be a whole year 
 before I hear of a single fault ! " 
 
THE INHERITANCE. IO9 
 
 " I did not say so," replied Mr Lyndsay ; " as 
 errors, like straws, you know, always float on the 
 surface, I shall be able to pick up plenty of them, 
 I have no doubt, very soon (if I have not got hold of 
 one or two already) ; but you would not have me pro- 
 nounce upon your character from them ? — many pearls 
 of great price may lie hid below." 
 
 " Which, I'm afraid, you will never discover," said 
 Gertrude, laughing ; " so, if my picture is not to be 
 drawn till then, I fear I shall be wrinkled, and old, 
 and ugly, before you have found a single gem to deck 
 me with." 
 
 " I hope not," answered he : " you say you love 
 truth and sincerity ; these are jewels in themselves, and 
 their light may lead even my darkened eyes (as you 
 seem to think them) to discover more. But to drop 
 metaphor, and speak in plain terms, — why, since we 
 both profess to like truth, should we not agree to speak 
 it to each other ? " 
 
 " With all my heart," answered Gertrude ; "but we 
 must settle the preliminaries, draw up the code of laws, 
 and swear to observe them : — in the first place, then, 
 we must make a solemn vow on all occasions to speak 
 the truth, and nothing but the truth, coute quil coute — 
 in the second place, that nothing so said is to give 
 mortal offence to the one party or the other — in the 
 third, that however disagreeable we may think each 
 other, we are to make a point of declaring it in the 
 civilest and most Christian-like manner imaginable — in 
 the fourth place " 
 
 " Beware," said Mr Lyndsay, interrupting her, " of 
 coming under any engagements, since Lord Bacon says, 
 * It asketh a strong wit and a strong heart to know 
 when to tell the truth,' and you know not what a 
 savage man you have to deal with ; — no, let it be a 
 discretionary compact, with mutual confidence its only 
 
no THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 guarantee ; " and he held out his hand. Gertrude gave 
 him hers ; and as she did so she was struck, for the 
 first time, with the bland and beautiful expression of his 
 countenance. " I never can fear you," said she, with 
 a smile ; — but the conversation was broken off by the 
 entrance of the rest of the family, and the consequent 
 matin greetings that ensued. Colonel Delmour was the 
 last who entered, and a shade of displeasure darkened 
 his brow at finding the seat he considered as exclusively 
 his own occupied by another. Gertrude observed his 
 chagrin, and felt secretly flattered by it. The only 
 vacant seat was one by Miss Pratt, who had hitherto 
 restrained her tongue for the benefit of her ears, both of 
 which had been on the full stretch, — the one to pick 
 up certain little pieces of information, which it had 
 reason to suppose were not intended for it ; the other 
 to make itself master of what was going on at the 
 opposite side of the table between Miss St Clair and 
 Mr Lyndsay. 
 
 It was wonderful how well these two members con- 
 trived to execute their respective offices, though certainly 
 the chief merit was due to their mistress, who had 
 trained these, her faithful servants, to such perfection in 
 their calling that each of them, singly, could perform 
 the work, and more than the work, of any ordinary pair 
 of ears in the kingdom. What the industrious ear 
 had collected the active brain was not long of concoct- 
 ing, nor the nimble tongue of circulating. " You look 
 very grave this morning. Colonel," said she, addressing 
 her neighbour ; " I wish you had been here a little 
 sooner, — it would have done your heart good to have 
 seen and heard the fine flirtation that's been carrying on 
 over the way," — with a significant nod to the opposite 
 side of the table. " I can tell you Mr Edward and a 
 certain fair lady have been looking very sweet upon each 
 other — it's not often he takes a flirting fit ; but I'm 
 
THE INHERITANCE. Ill 
 
 really glad to see your godly people can be just like 
 their neighbours sometimes, and come as good speed, 
 too, when they set about it. What do you think ? " — 
 lowering her voice — " she's going to sit to him for her 
 picture — a full-length, with pearls in her hair ; and 
 what do you think ? " — still lower — " he's to make her 
 a present of the pearls — there's for you ! I've a 
 notion they were his mother's, for I know she had a 
 very fine set. — He did not seem inclined (to tell the 
 truth) to part with them so soon, for I heard him say 
 something about a year ; but, says she, with her pretty 
 winning smile, what's the good of keeping things till 
 one's old, and bald, and toothless, and can't enjoy 
 them ? So much for French ease — who would expect 
 that, to look at her ? — But, my gracious ! Colonel, do 
 you see what you've done ? spilt your whole cup of 
 coffee upon my good new gown — I wonder how you 
 contrived it — and you're going to pour the cream upon 
 me next," — pushing her chair from him with the 
 greatest velocity. — " 'Pon my word, one would think 
 you did it on pui-pose." 
 
 Colonel Delmour made no attempt to vindicate him- 
 self from so foul an insinuation ; but, with his shoulder 
 turned to the offended fair, lounged over the " Morning 
 Post," as if quite unconscious of her presence. But, 
 although he despised her too much to deign to express 
 his disbelief of her communication, he was secretly pro- 
 voked at the good understanding that seemed to exist 
 between the cousins. He had too high an opinion of 
 himself to have any fear of Lyndsay as a rival ; but he 
 had his own private reasons for wishing to have him 
 kept at a distance, at least till he had secured, beyond 
 a doubt, the affections of Miss St Clair. Besides, he 
 was one of those who disliked all interference with 
 whatever object he chose to appropriate to himself, be 
 it horse, hound, or heart. He, therefore, determined 
 
112 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 to put a Stop to this growing intimacy, and to seize the 
 first opportunity of bringing matters to an issue. 
 
 In the presence of Colonel Delmour and Miss Pratt, 
 it was seldom Mr Lyndsay had an opportunity of being 
 duly appreciated, for in their company he was generally 
 silent. Not that he had such a respect for their con- 
 versation as induced him to play the part of a mere 
 listener ; on the contrary, he gave little attention to 
 either of them ; but he was not a person to interrupt, 
 or watch for a pause, or in any way seek to attract the 
 notice of the company. The unobtrusive qualities of 
 his mind, therefore, did not strike upon the fancy with 
 the same glare as the more dazzling characteristics of 
 Colonel Delmour ; and where, as in the minute occur- 
 rences of domestic life, there are few or no opportunities 
 of displaying the loftier and nobler attributes of mind, 
 it can only be by slow and imperceptible degrees such 
 a character gains upon the affections. A single sentence 
 might have summed up his, in the brief but compre- 
 hensive words of an elegant writer — for of Lyndsay 
 it might truly be said, that " he set an example of all 
 the moral virtues without pride, and dared to be con- 
 spicuous for all the Christian graces without false 
 shame." * 
 
 But Gertrude saw nothing of all this — she saw only 
 that a gloom hung upon Colonel Delmour's brow, 
 which she would fain have dispelled; and for that 
 purpose she would have lingered beyond the rest of the 
 party, to have given him an opportunity of expressing 
 his disquiet ; but she was called away by her mother, to 
 prepare for a visit to her uncle, Mr Adam Ramsay. 
 
 * Tour to Alet, &c. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 13 
 
 Cljapter %bij^ 
 
 He's a terrible man, John Tod, John Tod ; 
 
 He's a terrible man, John Tod ; 
 
 He scolds in the house. 
 
 He scolds at the door, 
 
 He scolds on the very high road, John Tod, 
 
 He scolds on the very high road, John Tod. 
 
 He's weel respeckit, John Tod, John Tod ; 
 
 He's weel respeckit, John Tod ; 
 
 Wi' your auld strippit coul, 
 
 You look maist like a fule ; 
 
 But there's nouse in the lining, John Tod, John Tod, 
 
 But there's nouse in the lining, John Tod. 
 
 Old Song. 
 
 THE day was hot even to sultriness, and neither 
 Mrs St Clair nor her daughter were inclined to 
 converse, beyond a passing remark now and then 
 on the heat, dust, road, sun, &c. Both, indeed, were too 
 agreeably occupied with their own meditations for any 
 interchange of thought. The former was busy revolv- 
 ing how she was to carry uncle Adam and his seventy 
 thousand pounds by a coup de main ; and, as a preliminary 
 step, had provided herself with a French musical snuff- 
 box, and a dozen of embroidered cambric pocket-hand- 
 kerchiefs. But Mrs St Clair little knew the person she 
 had to deal with, when she thought to propitiate him by 
 any such sacrifices. Mr Adam Ramsay was a man of 
 a fair character and strong understanding, but particular 
 temper and unpleasing manners — with a good deal 
 of penetration, which (as is too often the case) served no 
 other purpose than to disgust him with his own species. 
 He had left home penniless, at an early period of life, 
 to push his fortune in the world ; and after having 
 toiled and broiled for fifty years, he had returned to 
 what was now become a stranger land, laden with 
 
114 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 wealth, which he had no longer even the wish to enjo}'. 
 He felt that he had lived in vain. He had no one to 
 love — no one to share in his possessions ; and that only 
 cordial which can give a relish even to the dregs of life, 
 was not his — the treasures he had laid up were all of 
 this world ; and to a childless cynical old man, perhaps 
 great wealth is even more galling than great poverty. 
 Yet there were good points in his character ; and 
 perhaps, had he been a husband and father, and had his 
 heart been kept alive to the tender charities of life, he 
 might have proved an amiable man, and an agreeable 
 member of society. He possessed strong natural 
 affections, which, though they had lain long dormant, 
 were not yet extinct. It was said that in early youth 
 he had loved and been beloved by one as poor and 
 as friendless, and somewhat lower in degree than him- 
 self; and that it was in the hope of gaining affluence for 
 her he had crossed the seas, and sought his fortunes in 
 a foreign land. But many are the disappointments that 
 precede the fulfilment of our hopes, and many a year 
 rolled on, and found Mr Ramsay as poor as at the first ; 
 till, despairing of ever being able to return and claim his 
 bride, he wrote to release her from her promise of 
 awaiting his return. The fortune at length was made, 
 but too late — the gay dreams of youth were fled 
 forever! — His mistress had married, and was dead; 
 and the sanguine adventurous stripling was grown into 
 the soured misanthropic old man. Such was the outline of 
 uncle Adam's story, and little more remains to be said 
 of him. 
 
 He lived much alone, had all the habits of a recluse, 
 and all the little peculiarities which are supposed to 
 belong to single gentlemen of a certain age. In parti- 
 cular, he had an extreme dislike to receiving those 
 delicate attentions which are sometimes so assiduously 
 rendered to the rich and the childless. Not Timon 
 
THE INHERITANCE. II 5 
 
 himself was more tenacious in this respect than uncle 
 Adam, or more disposed to buffet all whom he suspected 
 of a design to prey upon his hoards. The house he 
 now inhabited was one he had taken as a temporary- 
 residence on his first arrival ; and although he had 
 bought a fine estate with a suitable mansion in the 
 immediate vicinity, and every day had purposed taking 
 possession of it, yet each revolving term found him 
 sitting in the selfsame parlour, in the selfsame chair, and 
 in the selfsame frame of mind. It was at this suburban 
 villa that the handsome equipage of the Earl of Ross- 
 ville now stopped. It was a small, vulgar, staring red 
 house, with a plot of long bottle-green grass in front, 
 and a narrow border of the coarsest of flowers (or 
 rather flowering weeds, interspersed with nettles), 
 growing thin and straggling from a green slimy-looking 
 soil, and covered with dust from the road — from which 
 it was only separated by a railing. Mrs St Clair 
 reddened with shame, as she marked the contemptuous 
 air with which the consequential footman rapped on the 
 humble door — for bell or knocker there was none. 
 The door was speedily flung open to its furthest extent 
 by a fat, rosy, stamping damsel, in a flaming gown and 
 top-knots, who testified the greatest alacrity in doing the 
 honours of the entrance. 
 
 " What a habitation for a man with seventy thousand 
 pounds ! " exclaimed Mrs St Clair, as she entered ; but 
 there was no time for pursuing her observations, for she 
 was the next minute in the little parlour of uncle Adam. 
 It was a small close room, with a meridian sun streaming 
 full into it, and calling forth to view myriads of 
 "dancing motes that people the sunbeams," while 
 innumerable hosts of huge flies buzzed and revelled in 
 all the luxury of its heat ; and an expiring fire, with its 
 usual concomitants of dust and ashes, seemed fast 
 sinking beneath the influence of the god of day. A 
 
^ 
 
 it6 the inheritance. 
 
 small dining-table, and a few hair-cloth chairs stuck 
 against the walls, comprised the whole furniture of the 
 room. A framed table of weights and measures, an old 
 newspaper, and a parcel of dusty parchments tied with a 
 red tape, formed its resources and decorations. Alto- 
 gether it wore the comfortless aspect of a bad inn's worst 
 parlour — a sort of place where one might pass five 
 minutes while changing horses, but where there was no 
 inducement even for the weary traveller to tarry. 
 
 Mr Ramsay sat by the side of the expiring fire, 
 seemingly contemplating the gaists and cinders which 
 lay scattered over the hearth ; but he liad somewhat the 
 air of a man prepared (rather unwillingly) to receive 
 company. He was above the middle size ; of a meagre 
 form ; with high stooping shoulders ; sharp cross- 
 looking elbows, projecting far beyond his back ; a 
 somewhat stormy, thin, blue face ; and little pale eyes, 
 surmounted by shaggy white eyebrows. His ordinary 
 head-piece, a striped woollen nightcap, had been laid 
 aside for a capacious powdered peruke, with side curls 
 and a long queue. To complete the whole, he was 
 left-handed, which gave a peculiar awkwardness to his 
 naturally ungainly deportment. He welcomed Mrs 
 St Clair with a mixture of cordiality and awkwardness, 
 as if he wished to be kind, but did not know very well 
 how to set about it. She had too much manner, 
 however, to allow him to remain under any embarass- 
 ment on that score ; and was squeezing uncle Adam's 
 somewhat reluctant hand, and smiling on his rugged 
 visage, and uttering a thousand soft and civil things to 
 his rather averted ear, when suddenly she stopped, for 
 she felt that all was thrown away : her uncle had fixed 
 his eyes on Gertrude, and regarding her with visible 
 emotion, seemed unconscious of every other object. 
 
 "Who is that?" at length demanded he, in an 
 agitated voice. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. II 7 
 
 " Pardon me, my dear uncle," replied Mrs St Clair ; 
 " but, In my happiness at seeing you, I forgot that my 
 daughter was likewise a stranger to you." 
 
 " Your daughter ! " exclaimed Mr Ramsay, — " It's 
 not possible ! " 
 
 " Why so, my dear uncle ? " asked Mrs St Clair 
 with a smile, and In full expectation of a gallant com- 
 pliment on her own youthful appearance. 
 
 " She's the very picture of ; but you'll no mind 
 
 Lizzie Lundle — bonny Lizzie Lundle ! " He gave a 
 sort of growling sigh, and a pause followed. Visions of 
 former days seemed to crowd Into the old man's mind, 
 and he went on as if communing with himself. " I 
 little thought when I parted frae her, fifty year come 
 Martinmas, that T had ta'en my last look o' Lizzie ; 
 and as little did 1 think, when I heard she was gane, 
 that I should ever live to see her like in this warld — no 
 that she just matches Lizzie neither ; " and something 
 like a tear gleamed In his eye as he continued to gaze 
 on the image of his youthful fancy. Gertrude's style 
 of dress was such as helped to heighten the illusion : 
 owing to the heat of the day, she had thrown off her 
 bonnet, and the band that confined her hair wore almost 
 the appearance of the snood which had been the pre- 
 vailing fashion for damsels of Lizzie's degree in her 
 day ; her throat also was uncovered, and the whole 
 contour of the head was thus displayed at once in all 
 the simplicity of nature, and one more strikingly beautiful 
 could scarcely be conceived. 
 
 Confused by the blunt admiration thus expressed for 
 her, Gertrude looked to her mother, and, struck with 
 the deadly paleness of her countenance, she hastily ex- 
 claimed, " Mamma, you are ill ; " and Mrs St Clair, 
 gasping for breath, sunk almost lifeless In her daughter's 
 arms. — " Air, air," was all she could articulate ; and 
 that certainly was the one thing needful In uncle Adam's 
 
 ? 
 
Il8 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 apartment, for the atmosphere was indeed suffocating. 
 The door and window were instantly thrown open ; 
 Gertrude held a glass of water to her mother's pallid 
 lips ; and Mr Ramsay stuffed a bunch of southernwood 
 into her powerless hand. At length these restoratives 
 appeared to produce their effects, and Mrs St Clair 
 slowly revived. Due apologies were of course made 
 and accepted ; the uncommon heat of the day was much 
 commented on, and the closeness of the room deHcately 
 hinted at. Some refreshments, not of the choicest de- 
 scription, were now brought in by the great awkward 
 heavy-footed maid-servant ; and Mr Ramsay, taking a 
 glass of wine, drank a welcome to his niece on her 
 return to Scotland, " and to the bonny creature you've 
 brought with you," added he, again fixing his eyes on 
 Gertrude. "After all," continued he, "the thing's 
 not impossible ; Lizzie was a relation of ours — a distant 
 one to be sure ; let me see — Lizzie's father and my 
 father were cousin-germans' bairns ; but that'll no do, for 
 it's by the other side o' the hoos — it was by my father." 
 Mrs St Clair's colour rose to the deepest crimson, 
 and she seemed struggling to subdue her feelings. At 
 length, making an effort at self-controul, she said with 
 affected pleasantry — " I have no doubt my daughter has 
 great reason to be flattered at the resemblance you have 
 discovered for her ; but, my dear uncle, you know there 
 are certain prejudices — certain notions tihat some people 
 entertain. In short, the thing to be talked of amongst 
 ourselves is very well, and it is very flattering to me that 
 my daughter's looks should afford you pleasure ; but I 
 own 1 — I should be sorry — I would rather that a re- 
 port of such a resemblance were not to reach the Ross- 
 ville family ; they now consider my daughter as one of 
 themselves ; and their pride might be hurt, you know, 
 and a prejudice created, that might prove highly detri- 
 mental to Gertrude's best interests." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. II9 
 
 " Set them up with their pride ! " cried Mr Ramsay 
 — all softer emotions giving way to indignation ; " their 
 pride hurt, indeed, at being compared to Lizzie Lundie ! 
 — There's no a Rossville or a St Clair among them that 
 e'er I saw was fit to tie Lizzie Lundie's shoe — the 
 queen upon the throne might have thought it an honour 
 to be compared to Lizzie ; " — and the little chamber 
 seemed as though it would not contain him in his wrath 
 as he paced up and down its narrow bounds, with his 
 hands crossed behind his back : all shyness and em- 
 barrassment had vanished in this burst of passion, and 
 uncle Adam stood revealed in his own character. Then 
 suddenly stopping — '* And what would ha'e come o' ye 
 if Lizzie Lundie had been what I ance thought she 
 would ha'e been — my wedded wife ? — What would 
 your Rossvilles ha'e done then ? — Would you ha'e 
 thought it a disgrace then that your daughter should 
 ha'e been likened to your uncle's wife ? " 
 
 " Oh ! this is too much ! " exclaimed Mrs St Clair, 
 bursting into tears. 
 
 "What's too much?" cried he, continuing to walk 
 up and down in great discomposure. Then suddenly 
 stopping, and softening at sight of his niece's distress — 
 *' Come, come — What's a' this for ? — waes me, ye ha'e 
 suffered little in the warld if the hasty word o' an auld 
 man can set ye off this way — ye' 11 ken me better by 
 and bye than to mind a' that I say ; " — then patting 
 Gertrude on the shoulder, as she hung over her mother 
 — " It's you that has made us cast out, and it's you that 
 maun make us 'gree." 
 
 Gertrude took her mother's hand, and put it in her 
 uncle's — he took it kindly ; and Mrs St Clair, as soon 
 as she found voice, said — " Excuse me, my dear uncle, 
 I am ashamed of my weakness — but my nerves are now 
 so shattered, and my spirits are not what they once 
 were — I have a difficult part to play, and it is not 
 
120 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 surprising if In short, dependent as I am on the 
 
 relations of my child — and that dear child's interest so 
 much at stake too — you cannot wonder if I am some- 
 times driven — if I sometimes stoop — if I should some- 
 times tremble " 
 
 Mrs St Clair seemed at a loss to finish — but her 
 uncle saved her the trouble. — " Aye, aye, you have a 
 proud thrawn pack to deal wi', I believe." 
 
 " Then you understand, my dear uncle, the reason of 
 my wishing that " 
 
 ** Aye, aye — ye needna be feared for me — but I 
 maun aye think the likeness maist wonderful — maist 
 wonderful — maist wonderful " — repeated he two or 
 three times as he contemplated, and severally enumer- 
 ated every feature, summing up the whole with, " Since 
 I saw Lizzie Lundie, I've never seen the woman that 
 I thought worth the looking at till now." At that 
 moment a smart female figure, feathered and furbelowed, 
 entered the little yard, and approached the house. — 
 " There's ane o' the fule tribe," cried he ; " my bonny 
 niece. Miss Bell Black. — I ne'er see that craatur that I 
 dinna wish myself blind, and deaf, and doited." And 
 thereupon entered Miss Bell. 
 
 Chapter %biij^ 
 
 He had a sowre behaviour, and a tongue immoderately free 
 and full of taunting. — Livy. 
 
 " Wl^^^'^ brought you here, Miss Bell ?" was 
 
 y y his salutation on entering ; but nowise 
 
 daunted with what, indeed, she was well 
 
 accustomed to, she boldly shook hands wM all around, 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 121 
 
 and then showing a small basket — " I have brought you 
 some very iine strawberries, uncle : they are the first we 
 have had in our garden ; and I assure you I have had 
 much ado to keep them from the children for you ; " — 
 and, with a consequential air, she disclosed some dozen 
 or two of very so-so-looking strawberries. 
 
 "You had very liltle to do then," said Mr Ramsay 
 — " I wad na gi'e a bawbee for a' the berries in your 
 garden — so ye may just tak them back to whar ye 
 brought them frae ; or stay, since ye ha'e robbed your 
 brithers and sisters o' them, puir things, there's a barber's 
 bairn twa doors aff that wad maybe be glad o' them — 
 it's lying in the mizzles." 
 
 " 'Pon my word, uncle," said Miss Bell, in great 
 indignation, " I have something else to do than to pick 
 strawberries for barber's brats, indeed." — But uncle 
 Adam, going to the door, called the maid ; and giving 
 her the strawberries, directed her to " carry the berries 
 to Rob Rattray's bairn, and to ask how he was." Miss 
 Bell prudently turned a deaf ear to the message, and 
 was apologizing, with all her powers of eloquence, to 
 Mrs St Clair and her daughter for not having been to 
 visit them. — " But the truth is," said she, with a well- 
 got-up air of modesty, " that, in my situation, visiting is 
 out of the question. If I were to go to one place, I 
 should have to go everywhere ; and the Major has so 
 many connections in the country, who, of course, would 
 expect me to come to them, that it would be extremely 
 unpleasant in my situation, where the thing is so well 
 known. This, I assure you, is the only place I ever 
 go to, as I think it a positive duty — (lowering her 
 voice) — to pay attention to my uncle, poor man, and I 
 am the only one of the family who understands his ways 
 and can manage him." Mr Ramsay, having for the 
 moment appeased the antipathy he bore his niece by 
 the insult he had offered her, was now restored to 
 
122 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 something like good humour. " Weel, Miss Bell,'* 
 said he, " what have you made of your nawbob — your 
 swain — your loveyer — your what-do-ye-call-him ? " 
 
 " If you mean the Major," said Miss Bell, with 
 dignity, " he walked into town with me, and is gone to 
 look at a pair of carriage-horses that are for sale at the 
 White Bear ; I suppose he will be here in a little ; " 
 — then drawing back from the window with a face of 
 alarm, as a carriage passed — 
 
 " I really wish, uncle, if you mean to remain here, 
 you would get a blind for your window, for everybody 
 is seen in this room ; and in my situation it is not 
 very pleasant, I assure you, to be exposed to everybody 
 that passes ; — that was the Boghall carriage that passed 
 just now, and they must think it very odd to have seen 
 me sitting here when I declined an invitation to dinner 
 there for to-morrow, upon the plea that I went nowhere 
 at present." 
 
 " Then what brings you here, if you're no fit to be 
 seen ? " demanded uncle Adam in a most wrathful accent. 
 
 " I must confess, my dear uncle," said Mrs St Clair, 
 glad of an opening for expressing her sentiments, and, 
 at the same time, softening the tone of the conversation, 
 " this house does not seem quite suitable for you." 
 
 " What ails the house ? " asked he sharply. 
 
 " I beg pardon, I understood (perhaps I was misin- 
 formed) that you were the proprietor of a charming 
 place in this neighbourhood." 
 
 " Weel ? " This was put in so startling a manner 
 that Mrs St Clair's courage failed her, and she feared 
 to reply ; — not so Miss Bell. 
 
 " Well ! to think of anybody in their senses living 
 in this little, vulgar, shabby hole, when they have such 
 a house as Broom Park standing empty — I assure you, 
 uncle, it has a very odd appearance in the eyes of the 
 world." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 23 
 
 " Miss Bell Black, you that's such a wise, sensible, 
 weel-informed woman, that kens aw thing, will you 
 just ha'e the goodness to tell me what are the eyes of 
 the world, and whar do they stand ? For muckle I 
 ha'e heard of the eyes o' the warld, but I ha'e never 
 been able to see them yet ; " and Mr Ramsay fixed his 
 upon her, while he advanced his face almost close to 
 her, and put his hands on his knees, in a manner that 
 seemed to say, "Answer me this before you stir." 
 
 Miss Bell hesitated a little. — " Why, I can only tell 
 you, uncle, that Lord Fairacre was quite confounded 
 when the Major told him you had never taken posses- 
 sion of Broom Park yet, and said it was most extra- 
 ordinary that you should continue to live in a house that 
 was hardly good enough for a dog-kennel ; and Boghall, 
 who was present, said, he did not believe the whole 
 house was the size of his kitchen, and the Major himself 
 I know thinks " 
 
 "And so these are the eyes of the warld! " cried 
 Mr Ramsay, with a sort of growling sardonic laugh ; 
 " pretty eyes they are, to be sure, to drive a man out of 
 his ain hoose ! — The ane a poor silly spendthrift, the 
 t'ither a great gormandizing swash, and the third — but 
 how comes the warld to have but three eyes ? — can you 
 no mak out a fourth ? — I beg your pardon, I suppose 
 your ain was to be the fourth, and that makes aw right, 
 for then ye can gi'e the warld twa faces — Fairacre's 
 and Boghall on the ae face, Major Waddell and Miss 
 Bell Black on the t'ither ; " — then in a lower key, and 
 muttering to himself, " Spendthrifts and ne'er-do-weels 
 on the ae side, fules and tawpies on the t'ither, — a true 
 picture o' the warld! " 
 
 Any other than Miss Bell would certainly hcive given 
 in here ; but Miss Bell was one of those gifted mortals 
 who are quite invulnerable to the shafts of envy, hatred, 
 or malice, when it is their interest to be so ; and though 
 
124 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 she did look a little hot and disconcerted for a few 
 minutes, she quickly rallied, and resumed — 
 
 ** I assure you, uncle, whatever you may think, the 
 opinion of the world is not to be despised." 
 
 " Miss Bell Black, I have lived rather longer in the 
 warld than you have done, and I've seen rather mair 
 o't than you're ever likely to see — and I would nae gi'e 
 that," snapping his fingers, "for either Its gude word or 
 Its 111 ; It canna say that ever I oppressed them that 
 were beneath me, or cringed to them that were aboon 
 me, — or that I ever wranged ony creature o' a boddle, 
 — or that I ever said the thing I didna think ; and If 
 cither you or your warld think I'm to be dictated to in 
 my ain hoose, you're much mistaken." 
 
 " Well, uncle, I can only say I think It is a great 
 pity that so fine a place as Broom Park should be 
 standing empty ; and since you seem resolved not to 
 live at It yourself, there's many a one, I assure you, 
 would be glad to take It off your hands. The Major 
 has been looking at Elm Grove — but I think there is 
 no comparison between Broom Park and It." 
 " What then ? " demanded Mr Ramsay. 
 " O, nothing. Only if you had any thoughts of 
 
 letting It, it Is such a Paradise, that " 
 
 ** I could be at nae loss for an Adam and Eve to put 
 In It," Interrupted her uncle ; " your nawbob and you, 
 for Instance," with a growling grin ; — "but I can tell 
 you, ye'll no play your gambols there If I can help It." 
 Miss Bell looked very Indignant as she replied, " As 
 to that, the Major cares very little about the matter ; if 
 I am pleased, that is all he is anxious about, and the 
 rent is no object, but I find It very difficult to get a 
 place to suit us In every respect — but here is the Major 
 himself," — and the Major was presently ushered in. 
 Mr Ramsay received him with tolerable civility ; and 
 Mrs St Clair, desirous of receiving his vote at the 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 25 
 
 approaching election, was preparing the way by a soft 
 speech about nothing. But Miss Bell never permitted 
 the Major to speak to, or look at, or listen to any body 
 else when she was present, and she therefore called him 
 off, with — " Well, Major, did you see the carriage- 
 horses, and what do you think of them : " 
 
 " They seem good serviceable horses — not particularly 
 handsome," replied he. 
 
 " What colour ? — I'll thank you for a glass of water, 
 Major." 
 
 " Pray — allow me to put a little wine in it." 
 
 " The least drop — and you think they will do ? — 
 Oh ! not so much." 
 
 "That is not for me to decide," replied the Major, 
 with a bow — which was graciously acknowledged with 
 a smile. " Perhaps you will take a look of them your- 
 self?" 
 
 " Why in my situation," — in a modest key — " I 
 hardly think I should like to go to the White Bear. — 
 Major, will you take this glass ? " 
 
 "But I shall desire the ostler to bring them up here ; 
 'tis but a step from the stables " 
 
 " I'm for none of your horses brought to my door," 
 cried Mr Ramsay ; " it will be through the town I'm 
 setting up my chaise next, and a bonny hullybaloo 
 there'll be," and he paced the room in great perturbation 
 at the bare supposition of such a thing. 
 
 " My dear sir," — began the Major, but he was cut 
 short with — 
 
 " Now I'm for none of your horses at my 
 door." 
 
 " Bless me, uncle ! " cried Miss Bell, " I think you 
 may be very well pleased to get the credit of a carriage 
 at such an easy rate." 
 
 " Great credit to be sure ! — to get the credit of being 
 an auld ostentatious fule." 
 
126 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " Such nonsense, uncle ! — at any rate, I thought you 
 did not care what the world said of you." 
 
 " You thought ! " repeated uncle Adam, with the 
 most sovereign contempt ; " and what entitles you to 
 think ? — but ye need say nae mair aboot it — there's to be 
 nae horses brought to my door. If ye maun ha'e horses, 
 ye maun gang to the horse-market for them, like other 
 folk — I'm no to ha'e my house turned into a White 
 Bear." 
 
 " My dear sir " said the Major. 
 
 " In my situation " — interrupted Miss Bell — " it 
 would have a very odd appearance in the eyes of the 
 
 world" But here Mrs St Clair interposed, by 
 
 offering to chaperon her niece to the White Bear in 
 Lord Rossville's carriage, hoping to be repaid for this 
 civility by securing the Major's vote. The offer, after 
 a little affected demur, was accepted, and the Major 
 was despatched to have the horses in readiness. 
 
 " I really think, uncle, you might dispense with a 
 fire now," remarked Miss Bell, as she rose to depart. 
 
 " Do ye ken naething else I could dispense wi ? " 
 demanded Mr Ramsay, with a look and emphasis 
 that might have made a tortoise fJy : — not so Miss 
 Bell, who still lingered in the desperate hope of show- 
 ing her consequence, and proving her influence over 
 uncle Adam and his seventy thousand pounds. 
 
 " Well, uncle, when are we to see you at Bellevue ? " 
 
 " I would prefer my claim for a visit," said Mrs St 
 Clair, with her most winning smile ; *' but Lord Ross- 
 ville intends himself to have the pleasure of calling upon 
 you, and " 
 
 " In hopes of getting my vote," interrupted Mr 
 Ramsay, impatiently ; " but he may just save himself 
 the trouble — I'm no gaun to be hunted out o' my 
 senses by your election hounds. — I'll gi'e my vote to 
 wha I like, or may be I'll keep it to mysel — but there's 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 27 
 
 ae thing I can tell you, it's no to be had for the 
 asking." 
 
 Mrs St Clair prudently received this rebuff in silence ; 
 but Miss Bell plucked up fresh spirit at witnessing 
 another's discomfiture, and taking her uncle by the 
 breast of the coat, and drawing him back, she began in 
 an under tone of voice, as if desirous of not being over- 
 heard, — 
 
 " By-the-by, uncle, talking of votes, there's one 
 thing that I feel very anxious about ; and that is, that 
 the Major and you should concert something together 
 as to your votes — it would be extremely awkward, I 
 think, if you were to take different sides, and have a 
 very odd appearance in the eyes of the world." 
 
 Whatever uncle Adam's thoughts might be, his 
 looks portended a storm ready to burst forth ; but as 
 Gertrude turned towards him, to wish him good morn- 
 ing, his features relaxed, and his frown gradually 
 softened into something like a smile. 
 
 " The eyes of the world ! " repeated he ; "I would 
 na gi'e a glisk o' thae bonny een of yours for aw the eyes 
 o' the world put thegither, — and dinna you, my dear, 
 let the eyes o' the world scare you, as they hae done 
 mony a ane, frae your ain happiness. Now, fare ye 
 weel, my dawtie," patting her shoulder ; " an' I'll say 
 to you what I wad na say to mony — I'll aye be glad to 
 see you, come when you like — fare ye weel. — Gude 
 morning to you. Miss Bell ; and ye may tak the eyes o' 
 the world on your back, and muckle gude may they do 
 ye ; " — and, with a laugh of derision, uncle Adam saw 
 his visitors drive off, and returned to his little dusty 
 sunny parlour, elate with the triumph of having defied 
 the world and its eyes. 
 
 But before parting with Mr Ramsay, we must here 
 observe, that he is not the only one who has attempted 
 to walk as if uncontrolled by the scan of that dread 
 
\ 
 
 128 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 power, commonly called the eyes of the world. Few, 
 if any, however, have ever arrived at entire emancipa- 
 tion from its influence, which extends more or less over 
 all mankind. Uncle Adam flattered himself that he 
 was one of the happy few who had escaped from its 
 thraldom — but, alas ! poor man, its yoke was still upon 
 him, and, unconscious of its chains, he hugged himself 
 in his freedom. He cared not, indeed, that the world 
 should call him a miser — he cared not that the world 
 should call him a churl — he cared not that the world 
 should call him odd — he cared not that the world should 
 say he lived in a mean house, or wore a shabby hat, or 
 an old-fashioned wig ; but he cared lest the world 
 should think he cared for the world — or lest the world 
 should say that he was vain, or proud, or ostentatious, 
 or expensive ; and it was this which made him often 
 deny himself many a little comfort, many a harmless 
 gratification, many an innocent desire he had in common 
 /' with that world he so much despised. To be free from 
 
 / the eyes of the world has been the aim of many, but 
 
 / the attainment of few. Man is not born to be free ; 
 
 and when all restraint is laid aside, the wickedness of 
 the human heart displays itself in the most hideous 
 forms. 'Tis to the Christian alone that such freedom 
 belongs ; and he only can say, " Je crams D'leu et n ai 
 point d* autre crainte.^^ 
 
 o 
 
 Cl)apter %\%^ 
 
 A merry going out often bringeth a mournful return ; and a 
 joyful morning a sad evening. — Thomas a Kempis. 
 
 DURING their progress to the White Bear, Miss 
 Bell indemnified herself for the mortifications 
 she had received from her uncle by expressing 
 herself in terms of the greatest pity and contempt for him. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 29 
 
 " Poor man ! *' said she, " I really feel for him, — 
 for you must know it is alleged I am his great favourite ; 
 and when that is the case, of course one will put up 
 with a great deal. Indeed, for my part, I know his 
 temper so well, I never should think of being affronted 
 at any thing he could say ; but I own I am sometimes 
 afraid of the Major — a man of his rank is not to be 
 tampered with ; and he has such a high spirit, there is 
 no saying how he might resent any thing the least like 
 disrespect to me, though I know my poor uncle is far 
 from meaning any thing of the kind. It is entirely his 
 manner, for I have been told he speaks very handsomely 
 of me behind my back ; and when that is the case, one 
 should not mind what is said to their face. However, 
 in my situation, it is certainly not pleasant ; and when 
 I am a married woman, the thing must be put a 
 stop to." 
 
 Here Mrs St Clair put a stop to that subject by in- 
 troducing the one uppermost in her thoughts, that of 
 the election, and requesting her niece to use her influ- 
 ence with her lover on the occasion. But Miss Bell, 
 like all fools, had her share of cunning, as well as of 
 consequence ; and she was aware that the more doubts 
 and difficulties she could attach to the Major's vote, 
 the more the Major's importance and her own import- 
 ance would be increased ; and she therefore made 
 answer, — 
 
 " Why, really aunt, to tell you the truth, the Major 
 has a very difficult part to act ; and it will require no 
 small management, I assure you, both in him and me, 
 to avoid giving offence to one side or the other. Con- 
 nected as he is with the Fairacre and Boghall families, 
 it will be a strong step in him to give his vote to the 
 opposite party. At the same time, I know I have only 
 to say the word to secure him for my friends ; — but, as 
 I said to him, the world might reflect upon me, were 
 
 I. I 
 
130 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 I to make use of my influence in so important a matter. 
 Besides, you know, aunt, I can say nothing till the 
 Major has been waited upon by Lord Rossville, and 
 has been paid proper attention to by the family ; and it 
 would also be right, I think, if some of the ladies were 
 to be introduced to his sister, Mrs Fairbairn, a very 
 sweet woman, who lives a little way from this." But 
 here the carriage drove up to the White Bear, where 
 neither the Major nor the horses were to be seen ; but 
 they were told both would be forthcoming presently. 
 There was nothing for it, therefore, but to wait 
 patiently in the midst of the usual assemblage that is 
 to be seen lounging at an inn door — hostlers, drivers, 
 stable-boys, beggars, waiters, travellers, &c. &c. &c. 
 
 " This is very unpleasant,'* said Miss Bell. " I 
 wonder how the Major could think of exposing a per- 
 son in my situation in this manner. I am sure I would 
 rather have gone without carriage-horses than have had 
 all these people's eyes upon me. There is one man, 
 I declare he stares in such, a manner I don't know 
 where to look. I wonder what he means — I really 
 wish he would bestow his attention on somebody else ; 
 — but, perhaps, cousin, he's one of your French 
 beauji" ? " 
 
 Mrs St Clair and Gertrude both looked in the direc- 
 tion pointed out by Miss Bell, and both were struck by 
 the appearance of the person in question, or rather by 
 the earnest scrutinizing look with which he regarded 
 the party ; for, although handsome, there was nothing 
 very striking either in his dress or figure — nothing that 
 was even indicative of the station to which he might be 
 supposed to belong. He was a man seemingly turned 
 of thirty, but might be more ; with a sunburnt com- 
 plexion — long ill-cut hair — handsome, though rather 
 hawk nose, and keen bright black eyes. Taken singly, 
 his features had no peculiarity in them ; but there was 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I3I 
 
 something in the general expression of the countenance 
 of a marked and unpleasing character. 
 
 " I have surely seen that face before,'* said Mrs St 
 Clair, endeavouring to recollect when and where. 
 
 " I am sure he won't forget some of ours," said 
 Miss Bell ; " for I really never saw any thing so im- 
 pudent as the manner in which he stares ; and such a 
 shabby-looking creature, all covered with dust ! I 
 dare say he is just off the top of some coach — I'm sure 
 if the Major catches him staring so impudently at me — 
 but here comes the Major and the carriage-horses — 
 don't they look very well ?" — and then ensued a col- 
 loquy between the lovers. 
 
 " How do you like your steeds, Isabella ? " 
 
 " Not mine, Major — you know I have nothing to do 
 with them ; but what do you think of them yourself? " 
 
 " My thoughts must be guided entirely by your 
 taste." 
 
 " Very gallant indeed ! " — and so forth in the usual 
 style of some such silly pair. 
 
 The stranger all the while kept his station, after ask- 
 ing a question of one of the servants ; but his looks, 
 which at first had wandered from one or other of the 
 party, finally rested on Gertrude, with an expression 
 which it was impossible to comprehend or define. It 
 was neither admiration, nor curiosity, nor pleasure, nor 
 any of the common emotions which a stranger might 
 be supposed to entertain ; but his countenance assumed 
 a sort of smile of exultation, no less strange than offen- 
 sive. In some displeasure at so rude and persevering a 
 gaze, Gertrude raised her hand to pull down the blind, 
 when, suddenly springing forward, he laid his hand on 
 the door of the carriage. 
 
 " What insolence ! " exclaimed Mrs St Clair. The 
 stranger looked at her for a moment with a bitter, con- 
 temptuous smile ; then said — 
 
132 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " I would Speak with you." 
 
 " Speak, then — say what is your business ? " answered 
 she, somewhat impatiently. 
 
 " You wouldn't choose me to speak out before the 
 ladies, I guess," replied the man, with a still more 
 familiar look and manner. Miss Bell's body and soul 
 were both half out of the opposite side of the carriage, 
 as she leaned over communing with the Major. Mrs 
 St Clair, therefore, answered haughtily — 
 
 "You can have nothing to say to me that my 
 daughter may not hear." 
 
 " Possible ! " exclaimed the stranger in an ironical 
 
 tone. " So then " Mrs St Clair involuntarily 
 
 bent her head towards him, and the rest of the sentence 
 was whispered in her ear, when, uttering a half-stifled 
 shriek, she sunk back pale, trembling, and convulsed. 
 
 " What's the matter ? " cried Miss Bell, turning 
 round. 
 
 " Mamma has been frightened by that strange-looking 
 man," answered Gertrude, in a low voice. 
 
 " Bless me ! " cried Miss Bell, " such nonsense to be 
 frightened for any man when the Major is here. — Then 
 in a loud key — "Major, I wish you would ask that 
 person what he wants ? " 
 
 " Not for the world ! " exclaimed Mrs St Clair, 
 suddenly starting up in the most extreme agitation — 
 " I know him — I have seen him before — I — I must 
 speak to him myself," gasped she, as she motioned to 
 have the carriage door opened. 
 
 " Oh, mamma ! " cried Gertrude, taking her mother's 
 trembling hand to detain her — " you are unable — allow 
 me ; " but her mother seemed not to hear her, as, with 
 the assistance of the servants, she alighted, and, with an 
 unsteady step, drew near the stranger, who had with- 
 drawn a few paces from the carriage, apart from the 
 bystanders. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I33 
 
 " Good gracious ! " exclaimed Miss Bell, in a 
 whisper to Gertrude — "I see my aunt is terrified at 
 the thoughts of involving the Major with that man ; 
 and, to be sure, if he had only seen how he stared at 
 me, I dare say he would have knocked him down, so 
 it's better she should speak to him herself, as I am 
 under her protection at present, you know." 
 
 Gertmde made no reply ; and Miss Bell, too much 
 interested in her carriage-horses to bestow her attention 
 on any mere human concerns, quickly returned to the 
 discussion of hoofs, tails, manes, &c. Mrs St Clair, 
 meanwhile, having exchanged a few words with the 
 stranger, returned to the carriage, still bearing visible 
 signs of great mental disquiet. 
 
 " So, aunt, you have very soon disposed of your 
 beau," began Miss Bell, no less deficient in common 
 observation than in delicacy. " Dear me ! are we 
 driving away, and nothing settled about the carriage- 
 horses yet! — and where's the Major ? — Major — Major 
 — stop, driver, for the Major ; " and presently the 
 Major's willow-green visage presented itself, panting 
 with the exertion of running after the carriage. 
 
 " I can make nothing of that fellow," said he, ad- 
 dressing Mrs St Clair ; " he seems a most confounded 
 insolent dog. If I had been a justice of the peace, 
 I should certainly have committed him." 
 
 " I think you would have done quite right," said 
 Miss Bell ; " and I really think, aunt, you were a 
 great deal too soft with him. What did he say to you. 
 Major ? " 
 
 " O, he was confoundedly impertinent ; and if I had 
 had my bamboo, I should certainly have laid it across 
 his shoulders." 
 
 " Well, I dare say it was better that you got out to 
 speak to him yourself than that the Major should have 
 taken him in hand ; but he would have deserved it," 
 
134 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 said Miss Bell, " if it had only been for his impudence 
 in staring at me in the manner he did — but, by-the-by, 
 did not you say you knew him, aunt ? " 
 
 Mrs St Clair's colour had undergone many variations 
 during this conversation, and Gertrude thought she 
 read torture in every feature and lineament of her coun- 
 tenance. But in a voice which she vainly tried to 
 render firm and composed, she replied, ** I have seen 
 him before only once, and that under circumstances of 
 
 distress in my husband's ." Here her emotion 
 
 choked her utterance ; and Miss Bell and the Major, 
 who were no nice observers, ascribed her agitation to 
 the only legitimate source of a widow's tears, the re- 
 membrance of her departed lord ; and not being at all 
 in a mood to sympathise in any such sorrowful feelings, 
 Miss Bell proposed to alight and walk home with her 
 lover, which was readily acceded to by her aunt. " I 
 trust I shall soon have the pleasure of presenting Mrs 
 Waddell to you," said the Major in a half whisper to 
 Mrs St Clair. 
 
 " Upon my word. Major, you are too bad," said his 
 fair, affecting to turn away in displeasure. 
 
 "Have you bespoke your cousin's good offices on 
 the occasion, my love ? " asked the inamorato, in still 
 softer accents, 
 
 " No — I really. Major — you know there is no 
 hurry " 
 
 " I beg your pardon, I know just the reverse," 
 replied the gallant Major ; but Mrs St Clair, sick of 
 their vulgar airs, here wished the happy pair good 
 morning ; and making a sign to the servant, the car- 
 riage bounded away, leaving them far behind. Ger- 
 trude naturally expected that her mother would now 
 give some explanation of the strange mysterious scene 
 that had taken place, though she had too much delicacy 
 to express any curiosity on the subject; but Mrs St 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 35 
 
 Clair remained silent and abstracted during the whole 
 drive, and was only roused from her musings by the 
 sudden stopping of the carriage as it drew up at the castle. 
 " Home already ! " exclaimed she, looking round as 
 if awakened from a dream — then in a languid oppressed 
 voice, " Gertrude, I am ill — but I want no attentions," 
 v/aving her off ; " they can do me no good.*' Colonel 
 Delmour, who had been lounging on the lawn with his 
 dogs, was now hastening towards them. " Gertrude," 
 continued she, grasping her daughter's hand, — " be 
 silent on the events of this day, as you value my ///^." 
 Gertrude shuddered ; but the next moment her hand 
 was pressed in that of Colonel Delmour, as he assisted 
 her to alight, and her mother's fearful words were 
 almost driven from her thoughts by the raptures he 
 expressed at her return. His words were too delight- 
 ful not to be hstened to, and she loitered a few minutes 
 on the steps. " Is it possible," thought she, as she 
 looked on her lover, " that this elegant graceful being 
 can belong to the same species with an uncle Adam or 
 a Major Waddell ! " Colonel Delmour saw that he 
 had lost nothing by her absence ; and as her mother 
 turned to call her, he ventured to whisper somewhat of 
 a more serious import than he had yet done : — Gertrude 
 blushed, smiled, and was gone. 
 
 Chapter %p. 
 
 What silence hides, that knowest thou. 
 
 Gary's Dante. 
 
 ON joining her mother in her apartment, Gertrude 
 found her walking to and fro in that manner 
 which plainly indicates great mental disquiet. 
 She continued to pace backwards and forwards for 
 
136 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 some time, as if lost in thought ; then suddenly stop- 
 ping, she said, somewhat abruptly — " Gertrude, do you 
 remember your nurse ? " 
 
 " Ah, mamma ! can I ever forget her ? " replied her 
 daughter, tears springing to her eyes at the remembrance 
 of all the care and tenderness she had experienced for 
 years from the faithful creature. 
 
 " Yes, I know you were very fond of her, and she 
 of you. Well, the stranger who caused me so great an 
 alarm to-day was her husband." 
 
 " Her husband, mamma ! '* repeated Gertrude. " He 
 looks very young ! And I thought her husband had 
 been dead many years ago ? " 
 
 " I thought so too ; but unfortunately it is not so — I 
 say unfortunately, for he is likely to prove a troublesome 
 appendage to us — those sort of people are always un- 
 reasonable ; and he seems to think his wife's care and 
 attention to you, and. her long services in the family, 
 give him a claim upon our gratitude, which I fear I 
 shall not find easy to answer. In short, he seems a 
 needy rapacious man, urgent for money, which I have 
 not to give, and yet am loth to refuse." 
 
 " It is certainly my duty to do something for him, 
 mamma," answered her daughter ; " but you know I 
 have nothing in my own power — all I can do is to 
 speak to my uncle for him " 
 
 " No, no," cried Mrs St Clair, impatiently, " that 
 will never do ; " and she resumed her pacing up and 
 down. 
 
 "Why may I not ask Lord Rossville to assist 
 him, mamma ? " inquired Gertrude, in some surprise. 
 " Surely the husband of my nurse, of one whom I loved 
 so dearly, has a right to expect something from us ? " 
 
 " Something — yes, something — but what is that 
 something to be ? — How much money have you got at 
 present, Gertrude ? " 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 37 
 
 Her daughter named the sum, which was a very 
 trifling one. " What shall I do ? " exclaimed her 
 mother with the look and accent of despair ; '' how 
 shall I ever be able to raise a sufficient sum " 
 
 " Dear mamma ! why should you distress yourself 
 so much about it ? — only suffer me to speak to my 
 uncle " 
 
 " Gertrude, you will drive me mad — have I not told 
 you that it would be destruction to me to breathe a 
 syllable of this matter to any human being ! " 
 
 "Destruction, mamma!" repeated her daughter in 
 astonishment, not unmixed with terror at her mother's 
 vehemence. 
 
 " Bring me what money you have — every sousy and 
 no questions — you will perhaps know all soon enough," 
 murmured she, throwing herself into a chair, as if 
 exhausted with the violence of contending emotions ; 
 then rousing herself as her daughter was leaving the 
 room to obey her, — " And fetch me your ornaments, 
 Gertrude — all of them — quick, no more words ; " — 
 and she waved her hand impatiently for her to begone. 
 Gertrude was too well acquainted with her mother's 
 imperious manner to attempt any remonstrance, but she 
 could not conceal the astonishment and reluctance with 
 which she set about obeying her. Having collected all 
 the money and the few jewels she possessed, she brought 
 them to her mother. 
 
 " Surely, mamma," said she, " it cannot be necessary 
 for me to give my ear-rings and bracelets to my nurse's 
 husband ? The money he is welcome to ; but really I 
 am churlish enough to grudge him my trinkets." 
 
 " Keep them, then," said Mrs St Clair, pushing 
 them from her with contempt — " keep the paltry 
 baubles, since it is too great a sacrifice to part with 
 them even to a parent." 
 
 " O, mamma, what cruel words ! — I spoke in jest — 
 
138 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 take them — take all — every thing that I have ; " and 
 she drew the rings off her fingers, and unclasped those 
 in her ears. 
 
 " No, no," said her mother, in the same cold bitter 
 tone, " keep your precious gewgaws — you surely would 
 not give your pearl necklace to save me from ruin ? — 
 that would be too much, indeed ! " 
 
 Mrs St Clair well knew how to turn to her own 
 purposes the quick generous temper of her daughter. 
 
 Stung to the soul by her mother's reproaches, Ger- 
 trude burst into tears ; she besought her forgiveness — 
 she implored her to take the baubles, till at length she 
 prevailed ; and what Gertrude would, in other circum- 
 stances, have considered a sacrifice, she now looked 
 upon as a privilege ; — so differently do things appear, 
 according to the state of our minds. 
 
 " To show that I do not exact more from you than 
 I do from myself," said Mrs St Clair, going to her 
 jewel-case, " I too must part with all I possess ; " and 
 she took out all her own ornaments, and began putting 
 them up along with those of her daughter. Gertrude 
 assisted with a good grace, for she was still in a state of 
 excitement. She saw all her elegant and fashionable 
 bijouterie — all the cherished tokens of remembrance — all 
 the little gifts she had received from far-distant friends 
 and companions, one by one folded up, and she still felt 
 only joy in the thought that she had parted with them 
 for her mother ; but she could not suppress a sigh when 
 she came to an old-fashioned hair-brooch, in the form 
 of a heart, set round with garnets — " That was the gift 
 of my dear nurse," said she timidly, " and she made me 
 promise that I never " 
 
 "Would part with it," subjoined Mrs St Clair. 
 " Well, keep your promise and your locket, Gertrude, 
 it is of little value — it can make no difference— surely 
 he would not grudge you that." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 39 
 
 " He ! '* repeated Gertrude indignantly — " it is not 
 for him, it is for you — but why?" — she stopped, and 
 looked inquiringly in her mother's face. 
 
 " Gertrude, it is natural that your curiosity should be 
 excited by what you have seen and heard, and the time 
 may come — perhaps too soon — when it will be amply 
 gratified ; but when it is, I tell you that it will — it must 
 be at the expense of my life. — Now speak — ask what 
 you will, and I will answer you ; but it must be on these 
 terms." 
 
 " Oh, mamma ! what a wretch you must think me ! " 
 said Gertrude, again giving way to her tears. — " Head- 
 strong — perverse — disobedient — you may have found 
 me, but surely I do not deserve such killing words. 
 Would that I could share in your distresses, whatever 
 they are, if by sharing I could lessen them ! " 
 
 Mrs St Clair shook her head, and sighed deeply. 
 " I believe you, Gertrude — I know you are superior to 
 the meanness of mere curiosity, and I think I may rely 
 on your affection — may I not ? " 
 
 Her daughter answered by throwing herself into her 
 mother's arms, and Mrs St Clair pressed her to her 
 bosom with emotions of tenderness and affection, such 
 as she had never before displayed. When she regained 
 her composure, she said, — 
 
 "Now, my love, we understand each other; you 
 are aware that my reserve proceeds from no distrust of 
 you. I feel that your forbearance is the result of your 
 affection for me — henceforth all that you have to do is 
 to prove your sincerity by your silence. You have 
 only to promise that you will never disclose what you 
 have witnessed, or what you may yet witness in my 
 conduct, that may seem strange and mysterious, and 
 that you will never reveal what 1 have now told you 
 about that man — neither his name, nor his connection 
 with us, must you ever breathe, as you value my life." 
 
I40 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Gertrude promised — solemnly promised ; and her 
 mother again tenderly embraced her, declaring herself 
 satisfied. 
 
 *' You know not what a load it takes from my mind 
 to find you thus prudent, tractable, and confiding — 
 with feeling enough to participate in my vexations — 
 with delicacy to repress all idle curiosity — with affec- 
 tion to assist me in my difficulties — May Heaven reward 
 you, Gertrude, for all you have done and will do for 
 me ! And now," continued she, as she finished the 
 packet she had been making up, " T am going to give 
 you a yet stronger proof of the trust I place in you. 
 This packet must be delivered to-night to the person 
 for whom it is destined. I have promised to meet him 
 at the temple, near the end of the lime avenue, next 
 the deer park, at eleven o'clock, and you must accom- 
 pany me — the family will then be at supper — I shall 
 plead a headach — alas ! no vain pretext ! " — and she 
 pressed her daughter's hand to her throbbing temples — 
 "as an excuse for retiring to my room — you will of 
 course attend me, and we shall then find no difficulty in 
 stealing out unperceived. I know all you would say, 
 Gertrude," continued she, in a quick, impatient tone, 
 as she read her daughter's disapprobation in the glow 
 that mantled on her cheek ; " but there is no alternative 
 — it must be so — yet if you repent your promise, I am 
 ready to release you from it, though my ruin should 
 ensue. — Speak, do you wish to be free ? " 
 
 Gertrude could not speak, but she gave her mother 
 her hand in token of her submission, then turned shud- 
 dering away. Her mother again caressed her. 
 
 " Be composed, my love — all will yet go well — let 
 us dress for dinner," continued she, as her maid entered 
 for the purpose of preparing her toilette. Then whisper- 
 ing, " Try to look cheerful, my love — remember looks 
 may betray a secret as well as words : put some flowers 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 141 
 
 in your hair, and make yourself at least look gay for my 
 sake — do, my sweetest ! " 
 
 Gertrude sighed, and they separated. 
 
 Plus sonat quam valet. 
 
 More sound than sense. Seneca. 
 
 IT would have argued ill for Gertrude if she could 
 have obeyed her mother's injunctions, and looked 
 the thing she was not. Time and suffering may 
 teach us to repress our feelings ; but the young and 
 untried heart can with difficulty learn to conceal them. 
 The most ingenuous and upright mind may practise 
 self-controul ; but it is only the artful and the mean 
 who will ever stoop to dissimulation. Agitated and 
 perplexed, in vain she strove to appear tranquil and 
 disengaged — the very attempt served; only to defeat the 
 purpose. The more she thought of her mother's strange 
 mysterious behaviour — and of what else could she think ? 
 — the more bewildered she became in the maze of her 
 own fancy ; till at length, despairing of regaining 
 self-possession from her own secret communings, she 
 hastened to seek it in company, and, quickly dressing 
 herself, she descended to the drawing-room. 
 
 It required no great share of penetration to discover 
 that something more than common was passing in her 
 mind. Her varying colour — her clouded brow — her 
 thoughtful yet wandering eye, so different from the 
 usual open, bland expression of her countenance, plainly 
 indicated the state of her feelings. 
 
 Lord Rossville, Mr Delmour, and Mrs St Clair 
 were at the farther end of the room in earnest con- 
 
142 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 versation. She was giving such an account of her 
 visit to Mr Ramsay, and her meeting with Major 
 Waddell, as suited her own purposes ; and she di- 
 lated so much upon the difficuhies and importance of 
 their votes, and the management that would be re- 
 quisite to secure them, that she at last succeeded (no 
 very difficult matter) in completely mystifying at least 
 one of her auditors. In short, she convinced Lord 
 Rossville, and almost persuaded his nephew, that the 
 whole issue of the election depended upon her and her 
 family. 
 
 " I have a strange headstrong set of beings to deal 
 with," said she ; " but I think, with a little address 
 and a good deal of attention, we shall prevail at 
 last." 
 
 " On such an occasion," said his lordship, " neither 
 ought to be wanting, my dear madam. I flatter myself 
 we are none of us deficient in the former qualification, 
 and the latter depends entirely upon ourselves. To- 
 morrow Mr Delmour and I shall make a point of 
 waiting upon such of your relatives and connections 
 as " Mr Delmour here took out his memorandum- 
 book, and began to write down the names of Major 
 Waddell, Mr Ramsay, and Mr Black, in his list for 
 the following day. " I wish we could secure your 
 uncle," said he to Mrs St Clair ; — then turning to 
 Lord Rossville, — " I find he is the purchaser of the 
 superiorities of Deafknows, which, with Tonglands 
 and Kilspindie, might, with ease, be split certainly into 
 four, but I think, probably, into five qualifications ; 
 these on our side would make it quite a hollow business 
 — don't you think so ? " 
 
 " Why, in all human probability, it would," replied 
 his lordship ; — " at the same time, we must be cautious 
 how we admit or mistake mere probabilities for absolute 
 certainties — in all such cases there must ever be con- 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 43 
 
 tingencies, which it is impossible, or at least extremely 
 difficult, to foresee or guard against. It is a matter 
 of doubt with me whether Mr Ramsay has yet been 
 infeft in these lands of Kindyford and Caulfauld, and 
 whether there is not a wadset on the lands of Ogilface 
 and Haggiescape. In all likelihood, our opponents are 
 using every means to bring some such corps de reserve 
 into the field. Also, I understand, there were two 
 new claims preferred for enrolment on the lands of 
 Stonykirk and Kilnettles at the last meeting of free- 
 holders ; and we may reasonably conclude that the roll 
 will be still farther augmented by the adverse party — 
 that is, if it is possible for them to do so." 
 
 While this colloquy, and much more of the same 
 kind, was carrying on at one end of the room, the other 
 presented Lady Betty, spread out in full dress on a 
 sofa, with Flora by her side, and Colonel Delmour and 
 Mr Lyndsay at a little distance engaged in some debate. 
 Gertrude, on entering, almost unconsciously seated her- 
 self at one of the windows, apart from every body ; but 
 she was immediately joined by her cousins. Colonel 
 Delmour remarked, with secret satisfaction, the agita- 
 tion of her look and manner. He imputed it entirely 
 to the declaration he had ventured to make, which he 
 thought had probably given rise to some discussion be- 
 twixt her mother and her, and which he had no doubt 
 would end, as all such discussions between mother and 
 daughter generally do, in favour of the lover. But this 
 was not precisely the time when he wished his preten- 
 sions to be publicly known — and he was rather desirous 
 that Miss St Clair's emotion should pass unobserved. 
 
 Colonel Delmour's manner, however, although guarded 
 and respectful, nevertheless carried with it that nameless 
 something which made even the object of his professed 
 idolatry feel he had gained an ascendency over her, and 
 that the worshipped was also the worshipper. While 
 
144 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 he leant on the back of her chair, Mr Lyndsay once or 
 twice addressed some remark to her, but, absent and 
 occupied, she scarcely seemed to hear him. 
 
 " Is it to-day that you would have me begin to 
 sketch your portrait ? " said he, with a smile. 
 
 " No — not to-day," replied she, in some confusion. 
 
 " And why not ? To paint from nature, one must 
 take nature in all her various moods and aspects." 
 
 " But I don't love stormy cloudy pictures," said 
 Gertmde, with a sigh. 
 
 Colonel Delmour looked reproachfully at her as he 
 whispered, " Strange that this day, which has been the 
 brightest in my life, should seem cloudy to you. — Ah, 
 Gertrude ! why do we not view it with the same 
 eyes ? " 
 
 Gertrude blushed deeply, but remained silent. 
 
 *' What o'clock is it ? *' inquired Lady Betty. 
 
 ** Seven minutes to six," said Miss Pratt, as she 
 entered, and, tripping past Lady Betty, joined the 
 group in the window. " Any thing new going on 
 here ? — It's changed days with you, Colonel, to be 
 in the drawing-room before dinner — we seldom used 
 to see you till the first course was going away." 
 Surveying Gertrude from head to foot, " What's 
 come over you to-day, my dear ? You're not looking 
 like yourself. — I think you've got too many of these 
 passion-flowers in your head. — Mr Edward, you must 
 not take your cousin's picture to-day, or else she must 
 part with some of these passion-flowers — I really don't 
 think they're becoming — ^just let me take out that one 
 
 " and she was preparing to lay her hands upon it, 
 
 when hers were seized by Colonel Delmour. 
 
 " Bless me. Colonel ! don't be so violent ; I'm sure 
 I wasn't going to take oflP Miss St Clair's head ; — they 
 may well be called passion-flowers, for they really seem 
 to have put you in a fine passion — and you've crumpled 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 145 
 
 all my ruff, and squeezed one of my fingers to the 
 bone." 
 
 Colonel Delmour, colouring a little at the transport 
 of indignation he had given way to, affected to laugh it 
 off", and, releasing Miss Pratt's hands from his grasp, 
 said in a loud whisper, — 
 
 " I beg pardon if, in the ardour of my passion, I 
 did press your hands too — too tenderly — impute the 
 blame " 
 
 " I don't know what you mean, Colonel Delmour," 
 cried Miss Pratt aloud, as she stroked down her ruff" 
 and caressed her injured finger with every appearance 
 of ill-humour; "but I know you've left your marks 
 upon me in a pretty manner. I didn't know Miss St 
 Clair's head had been your property, or, I assure you, I 
 wouldn't have offered to tou(:h it — but I know if she's 
 wise, she'll take care how she trusts you with her hand, 
 after seeing how you've used mine," and she held up a 
 red angry-looking finger, and shook her ruff^ — " and only 
 look at my ruff ! " 
 
 "What's the matter with your ruff"?" asked Lady 
 Betty ; " it looks very neat, 1 think." 
 
 " Neat ! it was more than neat ; but Colonel Del- 
 mour has spoiled the seat of it, and I'll have to get it 
 all goffered over again." 
 
 "By-the-by, Miss Pratt," said Colonel Delmour, 
 " since you denounce me as the destroyer of your ruff" 
 — it is a deed for which I think I merit the thanks of 
 all pious, well-disposed persons in general, and of the 
 kirk-session in particular. 1 read a history of ruffs 
 t'other day, which harrowed up my soul, and made 
 my young blood to freeze. 1 assure you, ever since I 
 have been initiated into the shocking mysteries of ruff"- 
 making, Hamlet's horror at sight of his father's ghost 
 has been nothing compared to mine, when I behold a 
 stiff" well-appointed ruff", so completely is it associated, 
 
 I. K 
 
146 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 in my mind's eye, with hoofs and horns, blackness and 
 brimstone ; " — then, going to the library, he presently 
 returned with an ancient folio in his hand ; and turning 
 over the leaves, he read as follows, with an air of 
 ludicrous horror and dismay ; — " The Anatomie of 
 Abuses, containing a Discoverie or brief Summarie of 
 such Notable Vices and Imperfections as now raigne in 
 many Counteries of the World, &c. &c. By Phillip 
 Stubbes, 1583." 
 
 " They have greate and monsterous ruffes, 
 
 made either of cambricke, lawne, or els of some other 
 of the finest cloth that can be got for monie, whereof 
 some be a quarter of a yarde deepe, yea, some more, 
 very fewe lesse : so that they stande a fulle quarter of a 
 yarde (and more) from their neckes, hanging over their 
 shoulder pointes insteade of a vaile. But wot ye what? 
 the deivill, as he, in the fullnesse of his malice, first 
 invented these greate ruffes, so hath he now found out 
 also two greate pillars to beare up and maintaine this his 
 kingdome of pride withal. The one arche or pillar, 
 wherebye his kingdom of greate ruffes is underpropped, 
 is a certain kinde of liquide matter which they call 
 starch, wherein the deivill hath willed them to washe 
 and to drie their ruffes well, which being drie, will then 
 stand stiffe and inflexible aboute their neckes. The 
 other pillar is a certaine device made of wiers crested 
 for the purpose, whipped either over with golde thred, 
 silver, or silke, and this he calleth a underpropper. 
 Beyond all this, theye have a farther fetche, nothynge 
 inferior to the reste, as, namely, three or four decrees of 
 minor ruffes placed in gradatim, one beneathe another, 
 and all under the Mayster Deivill Ruffe. Sometimes 
 they are " 
 
 " Such nonsense ! " exclaimed Miss Pratt. " I really 
 never heard the like of it. I wonder how you have 
 patience to listen to it, Lady Betty. I really think 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 147 
 
 Miss St Clair might show more sense than to laugh at 
 such ridiculous stuff. There's the gong, that's better 
 worth attending to ; " and away walked Miss Pratt and 
 her ruff. 
 
 The politicians were also roused at the sound ; and 
 as they broke up, Mrs St Clair said to Lord Ross- 
 ville, — 
 
 " Rest assured, my lord, nothing shall be wanting on 
 my part to gain the suffrages of my family ; and I have 
 little doubt of accomplishing it, since your lordship has 
 thus kindly and considerately given me a carte blanche^ as 
 it were, for my actions upon the occasion. I feel most 
 deeply the value of the confidence you have thus reposed 
 in me." 
 
 Lord Rossville had done no such thing as give, or 
 dream of giving, Mrs St Clair a carte blanche for her 
 actions ; — but he loved to hear himself commended, 
 whether for what he had done, or for what he had not 
 done ; and he therefore allowed it to pass, in the belief 
 that he was indeed all that was kind, wise, and con- 
 siderate. Gertrude, as a matter of course, was again 
 placed between Lord Rossville and Mr Delmour, and 
 condemned, during a tedious dinner, to hear the same 
 political jargon carried on. Mr Delmour now and then 
 changed the conversation, indeed, out of compliment to 
 her, and talked of the views, the weather, the races, and 
 such subjects as he seemed to think suited to a female 
 capacity ; but it was evidently an effort to descend to 
 such things, and Gertrude felt only provoked that he 
 should even attempt to be agreeable. 
 
 When they rose from table, her mother made a sign 
 for her to follow her to her own room. 
 
148 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Cl)apter p%ij^ 
 
 Never in my breast 
 
 Did ignorance so struggle with desire 
 
 Of knowledge, 
 
 As in that moment ; nor— dared I 
 
 To question, nor myself could aught discern. 
 
 Gary's Dante. 
 
 " X/OU are a poor dissembler, Gertrude/' said Mrs 
 J St Clair, after having shut the door of her 
 chamber, and carefully examined each lurking 
 recess — " your looks have already betrayed to the 
 family that something is wrong — even stupid Lady 
 Betty asked me at dinner whether you were well 
 enough. It is, therefore, obvious you are suffering 
 either from mental disquiet or bodily indisposition, and 
 it must be your part to play the invalid this evening." 
 Then seeing her daughter about to express her dislike 
 of the deception, " It is easily done — you have only to 
 remain here, and leave it to me to account for your 
 absence in the drawing-room ; " — then with a pro- 
 found sigh, " The headach and the heartach are both 
 mine, God knows ! but if you will only affect to bear 
 the one for me, you will assuredly alleviate the other." 
 
 Gertrude felt that she was become a mere tool in 
 her mother's hands, and that it was in vain to contend. 
 She therefore yielded a passive assent to remaining a 
 prisoner for the rest of the evening. 
 
 Various were the conjectures, and numberless the 
 remedies, called forth by Mrs St Clair's communica- 
 tion of her daughter's indisposition. The heat of the 
 day — the drive — the roads — the dust-— the dinner — . 
 Uncle Adam and his airless rooms ; all these, and 
 many more, were each assigned as a sufficient cause for 
 headach, and eau de Cologne, aromatic vinegar, and all 
 the thousand perfumed specifics, down to Lady Betty's 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I49 
 
 home-made double-distilled lavender water, were re- 
 commended and accepted. As for Lord Rossville, he 
 made it quite a matter of life and death. — A fever 
 commonly began with a headach — was there any dis- 
 position to shivering on the part of the patient i — any 
 thirst — any fever — any bile ? — how were the eyes — 
 how was the tongue — how was the pulse ? — A little 
 blood taken in time was perhaps the most effectual 
 antidote. — He possessed some knowledge of medicine 
 himself — and, in short, Mrs St Clair only prevented 
 him from going to prescribe for his niece in person by 
 assuring him that she felt a great disposition to sleep, 
 and had requested that she might not be disturbed. It 
 was therefore finally settled, that if Miss St Clair was 
 no better by to-morrow morning, she was then to be 
 given up to his lordship's direction. 
 
 Colonel Delmour suspected there was some decep- 
 tion in the case, and was at no loss, as he thought, to 
 fathom the mystery. He believed their mutual attach- 
 ment had been discovered by Mrs St Clair, and that 
 Gertrude was suffering persecution on his account ; but 
 he felt little apprehension as to the result ; he knew 
 enough of human nature to be aware that, to a romantic 
 ardent nature such as hers, a little opposition would have 
 rather a good effect, and that there is sometimes no 
 surer way of creating an interest in one party than by 
 exciting a prejudice in another. 
 
 Meanwhile the object of all this solicitude sat at her 
 window, watching " the coming on of grateful evening 
 mild." It was at that lovely season when day and 
 night are so imperceptibly blended into each other, that 
 a night seems only a softer, sweeter day. There were 
 none of those magnificent masses of clouds which, in 
 this climate, generally form the pomp and circumstance 
 of a fine sunset. The sky was cloudless and serene, 
 and a soft silvery moon shone in one quarter of the 
 
150 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 heavens, while the mellow golden lustre of the sun 
 gradually melted away in the other. 
 
 When the last sunshine, with expiring ray, 
 In summer twilight weeps the close of day, 
 Who hath not felt the softness of that hour 
 Steal o'er his heart like dew-drops on the flower ? 
 
 Then came the deeper blue of the silent night, with 
 her "solemn bird and glittering stars." 
 
 But Gertrude was withdrawn from the contemplation 
 of these consecrated things by the entrance of her 
 mother. She threw herself on a chair, and sighed 
 heavily ; — then starting up — 
 
 " Prepare yourself, Gertrude ; in a few minutes we 
 must set forth ; — fetch your green travelling-cloak, — it 
 will completely coVer your dress, and conceal your 
 figure, should we unfortunately meet any one, which 
 Heaven forbid ! " 
 
 Gertrude brought her cloak, and did as she was 
 directed, while her mother wrapt herself in a similar 
 disguise, and both awaited in trembHng expectation the 
 signal for sallying forth. At length the gong sounded 
 — voices were heard as the family passed through the 
 hall to the supper-room — the doors were shut, and all 
 was silent. 
 
 *' Now is the time," said Mrs St Clair, in a voice 
 almost inarticulate from agitation. " Yet stay — should 
 it by any unforeseen mischance ever reach Lord Ross- 
 ville's ears that we were seen leaving the house together 
 at such an hour — no, that will never do — Gertrude, 
 you must go first, and I will follow." 
 
 " O no, no ! " cried her daughter, turning pale with 
 terror ; " why should that be — surely that can make no 
 difference ? " 
 
 " No difference in reality, but much in appearance," 
 said Mrs St Clair, impatiently. " Your stealing out to 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 151 
 
 take a ramble by moonlight, however silly, would not 
 sound very improbable, and my following you would be 
 perfectly natural ; but both going out together is quite 
 unaccountable, and must not be — go — make haste." 
 
 " Oh, mamma ! — do not — I beseech you do not ask 
 me to go alone. I cannot — indeed T cannot ; " and she 
 sank upon a chair. 
 
 " Ridiculous ! " exclaimed her mother, in a tone of 
 suppressed anger ; *' of what are you afraid ? " 
 
 " I know not — I cannot tell. I am going I know 
 not where — to meet I know not whom — and at mid- 
 night. No, I cannot — I ivill not go ; " and she threw 
 back her cloak, and shook off her hat, with gestures of 
 impatience and indignation. 
 
 " Obstinate — unfeeling — ungrateful wretch ! " ex- 
 claimed Mrs St Clair, giving way to her passion ; " is 
 it for you that I suffer — that I — why do I not give you 
 up to your fate at once — why — but I nvill be obeyed. I 
 command you on your peril to obey me." 
 
 Gertrude threw herself on the floor at her mother's 
 feet. " Kill me — trample on me," cried she, in an accent 
 of despair ; " but my soul revolts from these mysteries. 
 Oh ! my mother ! " continued she in broken accents, 
 "is it you who command me thus to steal from my 
 uncle's house at midnight — disguised and alone — to 
 meet a low-born, needy, desperate man ? " 
 
 Mrs St Clair remained silent for a few moments, as 
 if struggling with her feelings ; she then spoke in a voice 
 of unnatural calmness — 
 
 " Be it so. — My entreaties — my prayers — my com- 
 mands are in vain — the die is cast by your hand, and 
 my doom is fixed. I told you that my life depended 
 upon your unreserved obedience — and — the forfeit shall 
 be paid." 
 
 Gertrude looked on her mother's face — every feature 
 was convulsed with powerful and fearful emotion — then 
 
T52 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 every idea vanished but that of her mother dying — dead 
 — and she the cause. All personal fear — all lofty feel- 
 ing fled : the right chord was touched, and her whole 
 frame vibrated with emotion. She clung to her mother's 
 knees — she sued for pardon — she vowed the most im- 
 plicit obedience, the most devoted submission to her will 
 — she called Heaven to witness that henceforth she 
 would do all that was required of her — she prayed that 
 she might be tried once, only once more. She spoke 
 with all the ardour and sincerity of powerful emotion ; 
 but it is not with a throbbing heart and a burning brow 
 the mastery is obtained — if vows made in pain are void, 
 those formed under the influence of excited feeling are 
 no less vain and fleeting. Mrs St Clair's features gradu- 
 ally relaxed, and, in a more natural voice, she said — 
 
 " I forgive you, Gertrude — I forgive your doubts, 
 your fears, however injurious to me. — Go, then — but, 
 ere you go, reflect on what you have undertaken — re- 
 member you have vowed unqualified obedience — there is 
 now no middle course — you are either my preserver or 
 my destroyer : " — she poured out a glass of water, and 
 held it to her daughter's trembling lips. — " Now, listen 
 to my instructions : — Glide quickly and softly along till 
 you reach the south turret stair — be cautious in descend- 
 ing it, and making your way along the old passage to 
 the west door, which is seldom locked — when there, 
 you have only to cross the lawn — keep by the river 
 side, and wait me at the ivy bridge — fear nothing — I 
 will follow you immediately." 
 
 Gertrude again muffled herself in her cloak, and, 
 with a beating heart, went on her way as fast as terror 
 and agitation would permit. She groped her way down 
 the little turnpike-stair, and along a dark passage, in an 
 old part of the house, to a door which opened upon the 
 lawn. But there all things stood disclosed in the light 
 of a full moon, and calm, cloudless sky, and her heart 
 
THE INHERITANCE, 1 53 
 
 almost failed her as she marked her own dark shapeless 
 shadow stealing along on the silvery patli. She soon 
 gained the bank of the river ; and there, in the deep 
 shade of the rocks and trees, she felt secure, at least from 
 discovery, if not from danger. A few steps more and she 
 readied the bridge, where she was to await her mother. 
 
 At another time she would have been charmed with the 
 romantic loveliness and grandeur of the scene. — Rocks, 
 trees, and waterfall, all gleamed in the pale pellucid light 
 — not a leaf was stirring ; and the solemn stillness was only 
 broken by the rushing of the river and the whooping of the 
 owls. But to enjoy the tranquillity of nature requires 
 that there should be some sympathy between the mind 
 and the scene; and Gertrude's feelings were but' little 
 in unison with the calm, the holy majesty of moonlight. 
 Scarcely daring to breathe, every instant seemed an age, 
 till she beheld her mother advance with a quick but 
 agitated step. 
 
 " We are late," said she in a low tone ; " let us 
 make haste ; " and taking her daughter's arm, they pro- 
 ceeded together in silence for a considerable distance 
 till they came within sight of a temple situated on the 
 summit of the bank. 
 
 " It was there I appointed to meet him," said Mrs 
 St Clair ; and as she spoke the figure of a man was seen 
 approaching towards them. — " Wait here, Gertrude," 
 cried she, waving her daughter back, as she would have 
 clung to her. " I shall be within sight and call of you. 
 Do not stir from hence, and remember your promise." 
 
 And disengaging herself from her, she hastily ad- 
 vanced to meet the stranger. It was not in human 
 nature not to have felt the most intense curiosity at this 
 moment ; and Gertrude certainly experienced it in no 
 common degree, when she beheld her mother's meeting 
 with this mysterious man. Although beyond the reach 
 of hearing what passed, their gestures told a tale of no 
 
154 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 common import. After remaining a few minutes in 
 deep and earnest conversation, she saw Mrs St CJair 
 offer him a packet, which she guessed was the one con- 
 taining the money and jewels. She then saw the 
 person reject it, as if with scorn, and even turn away 
 from it, as Mrs St Clair seemed to press it upon him. 
 This dumb show lasted some minutes, till at length he 
 snatched it from the hand she held out to him, and 
 threw it upon the ground, and made some steps towards 
 the place where Gertrude stood. Mrs St Clair caught 
 him by the arm ; she seemed to be arguing, imploring, 
 supplicating. Now she clasped her hands, as if in an 
 agony ; then she raised them, as if in solemn appeal to 
 Heaven, and Gertrude caught the sound of her voice 
 in tones of the deepest anguish. At length she seemed 
 to prevail. Having herself lifted up the packet he had 
 so contemptuously cast away, she again offered it to 
 him, and it was accepted. They now advanced to- 
 gether till within a few paces of Gertrude, when Mrs 
 St Clair quitted her companion and approached her 
 daughter. The shade of the trees covered her 
 face, but her voice was expressive of the utmost 
 agitation. 
 
 " Gertrude, my love," said she in a low tone, 
 " Lewiston wishes to see you, to talk with you — as the 
 husband of your nurse, and a sort of confidential person in 
 the family, he thinks he has a right to address you in his 
 own way. I dare not refuse, Gertrude — he tuill con- 
 verse with you alone." 
 
 Mrs St Clair placed her hand on her daughter's 
 lips, as she saw an indignant refusal ready to burst 
 forth. 
 
 " Oh, Gertrude ! dearest Gertrude ! as you value 
 my life, as you value your own happiness, do not refuse 
 — do not provoke him. — I am in his power — one hasty 
 word, one contemptuous look, may undo me. Oh, 
 
y> >//K/^if!e<:i -f^7Z^-^^lH^!/^^^./y^/Ay^ ^,.Je:^^^.*^-Ur?'/^. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 155 
 
 Gertrude ! for the love you bear to me — for the 
 love you bore your nurse — for the love of Heaven — 
 be calm and patient. Speak — tell me I may trust you ! " 
 
 And she led her a few steps towards the stranger. 
 Gertrude started with terror, as the moonbeams now 
 fell on her mother's face, and showed it wild, and even 
 ghastly, from excessive emotion. 
 
 *' Compose yourself, mamma," said she ; " I will do 
 — I will be all you desire.'* 
 
 There was no time for more ; for the stranger, as if 
 impatient of delay, had now joined them. He held out 
 his hand to Gertrude with an air of familiarity, which 
 at once roused her indignation, and had almost thrown 
 her off her guard, when a look from her mother sub- 
 dued her. With a blush of wounded pride, she suffered 
 him to take it, and Mrs St Clair walked apart. He 
 surveyed her for some minutes without speaking, while 
 her cheek burned and her heart swelled at the indignity 
 to which she was thus subjected. At length he said 
 abruptly — 
 
 " Do you remember your nurse, young lady ? " 
 
 " Perfectly." 
 
 " How old might ye be when she died ? " 
 
 " I was nine years old." 
 
 " You were pretty considerably fond of her, were vou 
 not ? " 
 
 " I loved her as my mother ! " answered Gertrude 
 in a voice of deep emotion. 
 
 " That was well — you know that I was her husband, 
 so I may put in for a hould of your affictions. Do 
 you think you will be able to bestow any of thim upon 
 me?" 
 
 Gertrude's spirit was ready to burst forth at the 
 insolent freedom of this address ; but she repressed it, 
 and answered coldly — 
 
 " As the husband of my nurse I am willing to assist 
 
156 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 you as far as I am able, but I have little in my power 
 at present." 
 
 " That's a pity, for I'm plaguy poor, — but the time 
 will come when you will have a nice thing of it — that's 
 a fact, and no mistake." 
 
 " When I have," answered Gertrude, wishing to 
 end the conference, " the claims of my nurse's hus- 
 band shall not be forgotten ; " and she was moving 
 away. 
 
 " Stop," cried he, " not so diver — the claims of 
 your nurse's husband are not so easily sattled as you 
 seem to calculate. 1 wish to put a few more questions 
 to you, young lady, before we part : — How am I to 
 avoid bein' deceived ? " 
 
 ** All that I can say is — if ever it is in my power to 
 befriend you, for the sake of your wife, I shall be ready 
 to do it," said Gertrude. 
 
 " Only for the sake of my wife ! " repeated he with 
 a smile. — " We shall see how that is when the time 
 comes, whether I shall not have a somethin' to say with 
 you for my own sake." 
 
 In silent displeasure Gertrude turned proudly away, 
 when he caught her cloak to detain her. 
 
 " Well, we shall settle that afterwards ; but if you 
 play your cards well, you will one day have a splendid 
 location here, or the deuce is in it. The worst of it is, 
 that day may be a while of comin', and your friends 
 may starve in the meantime ; but your uncle is a pretty 
 old boy, and you are sure of steppin' into his shoes, 
 that's a fact." 
 
 Gertrude was choking with indignation ; but she 
 remembered her promise, and remained silent. 
 
 " What are you aplannin' for the futur' ? " demanded 
 he abruptly. 
 
 " I am not in the habit of communicating my plans 
 to strangers," answered she haughtily. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I 57 
 
 "But I have a right to know your plans," 
 said he fiercely ; " I insist upon an answer to 
 my question. — What are you aplannin' for the 
 futur' ? " 
 
 Gertrude was terrified. — " I am ignorant of your 
 meaning," said she faintly. 
 
 " I mean, in the case of your uncle's death, what would 
 you do ? — would you be agoin' marry, or remain single ? 
 — and has your mother been asettin' you on any how in 
 favour of any body ? — answer me that — does she wish 
 you to marry or not ? — say away." 
 
 " It is impossible for me to answer — T do not know 
 — I cannot tell," answered Gertrude, almost overcome 
 with the contending emotions of terror and indignation. 
 
 " Are you mortal sure of that ? — is there no Colonel 
 Delmour jist aready to chouse the heiress out of her 
 estates ? — But that won't do — you must have a care 
 how you entangle yourself there — you must have a care 
 
 how you commit yourself — or, by Jupiter ! Come, 
 
 you must make me your father confessor — I must know 
 how the land lies — I must know how you stand affected 
 to those fortin' -hunters, who are looking after you, for I 
 must tell ye which way to drive in the matter ; " and 
 he would have taken her hand with an air of familiarity, 
 which now completely threw her off her guard. Utter- 
 ing a cry, which echoed through the woods, she flew 
 wildly past him, and cast herself into her mother's arms. 
 
 -o 
 
158 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Cljaptct pxiij^ 
 
 Since in the toils of fate 
 
 Thou art enclosed, submit, if thou canst brook 
 Submission. -^schylus. 
 
 WHEN Gertrude awoke the following morning 
 from a feverish and disturbed sleep (the 
 effect of a narcotic), her mind, like the 
 broken fragments of a mirror, presented only disjointed 
 and distorted images, which she vainly endeavoured to 
 arrange and combine into one connected whole. Hideous 
 dreams were mingled with no less hideous realities, and 
 confusion only became worse confounded in the attempt 
 to separate them. At length she opened her eyes, and 
 beheld her mother sitting by her. 
 
 " Oh, mamma ! " cried she, " speak to me — tell me 
 what has happened last night — was it — oh ! was it all a 
 dream ? " 
 
 " Compose yourself, Gertrude," answered Mrs St 
 Clair ; — " whatever it was it is now past — think of it 
 no more.'* 
 
 " Impossible — I can think of nothing else ! — I must 
 know — I implore you to tell me at least this much — 
 last night — Mr Lyndsay — oh ! tell me, did he not 
 rescue me from the grasp " 
 
 " Gertrude ! " interrupted her mother in great agita- 
 tion, " of what use is it to talk or think of what is past ? 
 — it is distressing to yourself — to me.'* 
 
 " It was then even so ! — I now remember it all — 
 their high words — their threatening language — and that 
 man " 
 
 " Hush, Gertrude, hush ! " again interposed her 
 mother ; — " you know not what you say." 
 
 " Yes — I know it all — he dared to assert that he had 
 a right over me — he, the husband of my nurse, to dare 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 159 
 
 to claim a right over me ! " and her voice was almost 
 choked at the thoughts of having been subjected to such 
 an indignity. 
 
 " But, mamma, surely this was — this must have been 
 a dream — I know it was," and she gasped as she spoke. 
 " When he appealed to you — you — oh ! — you said it 
 was so — I know I must have dreamt that ; *' and she 
 looked wildly and eagerly in her mother's face, but Mrs 
 St Clair remained silent. 
 
 " Oh ! you did not — you could not speak of engage- 
 ments — of entanglements — of — I know not what — yet 
 strange and dreadful words of that import still ring in 
 my ears — tell me — only tell me it is all a dream." 
 
 " Gertrude, this is agonizing to yourself — to me — 
 repress — in mercy repress those feelings." 
 
 " I will — I will," cried her daughter, in increasing 
 agitation ; " only say you did not so traduce me as to 
 sanction the horrible belief that I could be so base — so 
 vile — oh ! how it degrades me even to utter it — as to 
 have plighted myself to a menial." 
 
 " Compose yourself, Gertrude ; I cannot talk to you 
 while you are in this state." 
 
 "Well, I will — I am composed," making a violent 
 effort to appear calm, while her frame trembled with the 
 violence of her emotion. — " Now, only say that you, 
 my mother, did not so calumniate me — but no, you can- 
 not," cried she, again giving way to the impetuosity of 
 her feelings. — " It is no dream — I heard it all — I heard 
 you — you, my mother, assert that man had a claim to 
 me, and — 1 believe I was mad at the moment. — Did 
 I not throw myself at my cousin's feet, and implore him 
 to save me ? — did I not cling to him in agony, while that 
 man would have torn me from him ? " 
 
 " Gertrude, I would have spared you the repetition 
 of your folly, your madness — I would have spared you 
 the painful recollection of your broken promise, your 
 
l6o THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 injurious distrust of me. — I warned you of the conse- 
 quences of disregarding my injunctions — my entreaties 
 — my commands ; but all ivere disregarded. What 
 right have you, then, to upbraid me for having told you 
 the truth ? " 
 
 " No, you did not tell me the tmth — you did not tell 
 me you were leading me to insult — to degradation." 
 
 " Say not that I led you — but for your own pride 
 and folly all would have been well. Had you re- 
 membered my warning, and not provoked the person it 
 was your interest as well as mine to have conciliated, 
 nothing of all this would have happened ; but your 
 absurd outcry reached Mr Lyndsay, who unfortunately 
 had been enticed by the beauty of the night to take a 
 moonlight ramble, and who hastened to the spot, un- 
 happily at the same moment when the other advanced 
 — but the worst is over. Mr Lyndsay is a noble-minded 
 honourable man, and we have nothing to fear from 
 him — he has promised to be for ever silent on the 
 subject." 
 
 *' But what — Oh ! what must he think of me ! " 
 exclaimed Gertrude, in an accent of the deepest 
 dejection. 
 
 " Be assured he thinks nothing injurious of you." 
 
 " Yet that man dared to assert that my father had 
 given him a right to me — he, the husband of my nurse ! 
 — No, I will not — I cannot for an instant live under such 
 a sense of degradation — I must seek Mr Lyndsay — I 
 must tell him it is false ! " And she attempted to rise, 
 but sank back on her pillow, overwhelmed with the 
 force of her emotions. 
 
 " For Heaven's sake, Gertrude, do not give way to 
 these transports ! " cried her mother. " Every thing is 
 now settled — the object of your alarm is already many 
 miles distant — never more, I trust, to return — why then 
 dwell upon what is past, when it can be productive of 
 
THE INHERITANCE. l6l 
 
 no good ? Come, my love, for my sake try to for- 
 get it all." 
 
 "Forget it !" repeated Gertrude ; "forget that I have 
 been exposed to insult — to degradation, and by my 
 mother ! — that I never can forget ! " 
 
 " No, do not forget it," cried Mrs St Clair, bursting 
 into tears ; " treasure it in your heart's core — let all my 
 love, and care, and tenderness be forgotten — let your 
 duty — your obedience — your piomises be forgotten ; 
 but do not forget this one unfortunate action — record it 
 — proclaim it, and then let me end a miserable existence. 
 — Shall I summon Lord Rossville and the family," 
 said she with affected calmness, putting her hand to the 
 bell, " to hear you denounce your mother ? " 
 
 Time had been when this appeal would have produced 
 its intended effect upon Gertrude ; but her feelings had 
 been already excited to their utmost, and she felt too 
 wretched herself to have much sympathy to bestow on 
 the author of her wretchedness ; she therefore remained 
 silent. Mrs St Clair repeated the question. 
 
 " I have not deserved this," replied Gertrude coldly ; 
 "but I am still willing to obey you — what would you 
 have me do ? " 
 
 Mrs St Clair embraced her, and would have coaxed 
 and soothed her, — but she shrunk from these demon- 
 strations of affection, and again coldly asked what 
 remained for her to do. 
 
 " I would have you appear, if possible, at breakfast, 
 my love ; if you do not. Lord Rossville will insist upon 
 sending for medical advice, and will make a talk and a 
 bustle about you, which may excite speculation and 
 surmise, and any thing of that sort had better be avoided 
 at present ; you will, therefore, oblige me, my dearest, 
 if you will endeavour to look and be as much yourself 
 as possible. And now I shall leave you to make 
 your toilet, while I change my dress, for I have not 
 
l62 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 been in bed all night. I have watched by you, 
 Gertrude, and that not for the first time." 
 
 Gertrude was touched by this proof of her mother's 
 solicitude, and all the recollected proofs of her maternal 
 anxieties for her in her childish days rushed to her 
 heart, and with the returning tide brought back some- 
 thing of tenderer, kindlier feelings. Yielding, as she 
 always did, to the impulse of the moment, she received 
 her mother's embrace, and the scene ended in a recon- 
 ciliation. 
 
 There is no resource where there is no understanding. 
 
 St Therese. 
 
 MRS ST CLAIR and her daughter descended 
 together to the breakfast-room ; but at the 
 thoughts of meeting her cousin after what had so 
 recently occurred, Gertrude's agitation almost overcame 
 her, and she seated herself at the table without daring 
 to lift her eyes. Many were the inquiries with which 
 she was of course assailed ; but Miss Pratt's observa- 
 tions, as usual, predominated. 
 
 " I'm afraid, my dear, there's more than a common 
 headach the matter with you ; you put me very much 
 in mind of Anthony Whyte when he was taking the 
 influenza ; he had just such a little pink spot on the top 
 of one cheek, and all the rest of his face as white as the 
 tablecloth ; and your eyes, too, seem very heavy, just 
 like his — he never looked up for two days." The 
 little pink spot had gradually increased with Miss 
 Pratt's remarks ; but, making an effort to look up. Miss 
 St Clair raised her eyes, and encountered, not Mr 
 Lyndsay's dreaded gaze, but that of Colonel Delmour, 
 fixed upon her with anxious scrutiny. Lyndsay was 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 163 
 
 not present, nor was there even a place reserved for him. 
 Miss Pratt seemed to read what was passing in her 
 thoughts. 
 
 " So you have lost one of your beaux, you see ? 
 Mr Edward went off this morning, it seems. It must 
 have been a sudden thought, for he said nothing of it 
 yesterday ; and, by-the-by, what became of him at 
 supper last night ? I wonder if he had a headach too ? — 
 They say there's a sympathy in bodies as well as in minds 
 sometimes ; Colonel Delmour, do you believe that ? " 
 
 " I have heard * there is in souls a sympathy with 
 sounds,' " replied Colonel Delmour, with an ironical 
 contemptuous air ; " but my soul is, I grieve to say, so 
 lost to all that is edifying and delightful, it can rarely 
 boast any sympathy with the sound of Miss Pratt's 
 voice, — by which means, unhappily, one half of her 
 dulcet notes fall powerless on my dull spirit. May I 
 beg to know what I am called upon to believe ? " 
 
 "There's an old saying, Colonel, that there's none 
 so deaf as those that won't hear ; and I suspect that's 
 your case sometimes," retorted Miss Pratt, in a very 
 toothy manner, though affecting to turn the laugh against 
 her opponent. 
 
 The entrance of the post-bag here attracted Miss 
 Pratt's attention. It was Lord Rossville's enviable 
 prerogative to open it himself, and to dole out the letters 
 in the most cautious and deliberate manner to their 
 respective destinations — a measure which very ill 
 accorded with the mercurial powers of Miss Pratt, who, 
 in spite of his lordship's precautions in holding the 
 mouth of the bag as close as he possibly could, always 
 contrived to dart her eyes down to the very bottom of 
 it, and to anticipate its contents long ere the moment of 
 delivery arrived. Like all weak important people, 
 Lord Rossville loved power in any form or substance 
 in which it presented itself, even in that of a leather 
 
t64 the inheritance. 
 
 bag, which he grasped with the air of a Jupiter holding 
 his thunderbolt, and lingered over it as though it had 
 been another Pandora's box. Although his lordship, 
 for upwards of forty years, had been in the daily, nay 
 hourly practice, of declaring that he would not be 
 hurried — that he would take his own time, &c. &c., 
 nevertheless, in the very teeth of this assurance. Miss 
 Pratt did still persist in her attempts to accelerate the 
 Earl's movements, which, of course, had invariably the 
 effect of protracting them. On the present occasion, it 
 seemed doubtful whether the letters were ever to see the 
 light ; as upon Miss Pratt remarking that it would be 
 much better if there was no bag at all, for then people 
 would get their letters at once without being kept on the 
 tenter-hooks this way, his lordship closed its mouth, 
 and, opening his own, commenced a very elaborate 
 harangue on the impropriety, irregularity, and incon- 
 venience of such a mode of proceeding. Meanwhile 
 Gertrude gradually regained her composure, and was 
 even able to receive Colonel Delmour's assiduities with 
 something like pleasure. At length. Miss Pratt having 
 knocked under, — for, as she observed, in an underhand 
 way, there was no disputing with a man who held the 
 key of the post-bag, — the contents were duly distributed, 
 and she received her portion, which kept her silent for 
 a few minutes. 
 
 Gertrude trembled as a letter was handed to her ; 
 but her alarm subsided when she saw it was directed in 
 a feeble affected-looking female hand, and sealed with a 
 fat bouncing heart, skewered with an arrow, — motto, 
 *' La peine est douce.^^ The contents corresponded with 
 these exterior symbols, and were as follows : — 
 
 " Bellevue, July 
 
 " Ma chere Cousine, 
 " From what passed in your presence, you will, I 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 165 
 
 suspect, not be niery much surprised to hear that a certain 
 person, who shall be nameless, has carried his point ; 
 and that I have at length been prevailed upon to name 
 Thursday next as the day when I am to enter a new 
 state of existence ! Eh Men ! my dear coz — I hope 
 your time is coming ; and when it does, most fervently 
 do I pray you may prove as fortunate in your choice as I 
 have done in mine. The Major is indeed all that I 
 could wish — far, very far beyond my poor deserts ; — 
 and I should consider myself as the most ungrateful of 
 <womeny if I did not look upon myself as the most fortu- 
 nate of my sex / That being the case, I certainly feel 
 less than I should otherwise do at taking this most 
 important and solemn step ; but the certainty that I am 
 bestowing myself upon one who is in every respect worthy 
 of my warmest admiration, esteem, and affection, sup- 
 ports me ; and be assured, my dear cousin, it is the only 
 thing that can support the spirits at such a time. How 
 much, alas ! are they to be pitied, who do not possess 
 that certainty, without which, believe me, all the advan- 
 tages of birth and fortune are nothing — for without that, 
 I assure you, the Major's rank, fortune, connections, 
 manners, &c. &c. &c. never would have influenced me. 
 Such being the state of affairs here at present, I am 
 very desirous that you, ma chere cousine, should partici- 
 pate in my feelings, and also take a lesson for what, 
 rest assured, will one day be your own fate. I therefore 
 request, as a particular favour, that you will give us the 
 pleasure of your company to pass the intervening days 
 with me, and to officiate as bride's-maid upon a certain 
 occasion. The Major unites with me in this request ; 
 so it will be a double disappointment if any thing should 
 prevent you. Papa and mamma also join in the wish 
 that my nuptials should be graced with your presence. 
 The Major offered to drive down for you any day in 
 the gig — (apropos, I must tell you he admires you very 
 
l66 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 much — but I am not jealous) — but I own, at present, I 
 think that would be making the thing rather public ; 
 and besides, shall I confess my ^weakness P — I feel 
 particularly timid at the thoughts of the Major risking 
 himself in a gig at present — only conceive my situation, 
 if anything should happen to him ! ! ! I trust you will 
 be at no loss for an opportunity, and that I shall soon 
 have the pleasure of seeing you here, and of making you 
 better acquainted with my lord and master to be. Adio 
 mia cara, " Isabella. 
 
 " Pray have you heard any more of your beau ? The 
 Major thinks he must be a spy. " I. C. B. 
 
 " Excuse haste ; but the Major is sitting by, and 
 says he is ready to quarrel ivith you, for engrossing so 
 much of my time. '* I. C. B." 
 
 In great distress at the vulgar, affected familiarity of 
 this performance, Gertrude handed it to her mother in 
 silence, resolved in her own mind to return a brief 
 denial to Miss BelFs invitation. Not so Mrs St Clair, 
 who thought nothing could be more apropos than 
 this proposal. She was desirous of removing her 
 daughter from the observation of the family until her 
 mind should have regained its usual tone, and she knew 
 nothing would be so likely to effect that as change of 
 scene and necessity of exertion. It would require a 
 little management, perhaps, to obtain Lord Rossville's 
 consent ; but, in the present state of affairs, that would 
 be easily obtained ; and having settled all this, she put 
 the letter in her reticule with an air that said, this 
 requires consideration. 
 
 Miss Pratt now made known the contents of her 
 dispatch, which was a pressing invitation to spend a few 
 days at old Lady M*Caw's, to meet Mrs Chatwell and 
 the Miss Knowails — ^just a nice little female party. It 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 67 
 
 was a pleasant thing for old friends to meet, and talk 
 over old stories now and then, &c. &c. &c. 
 
 " So, Miss Pratt, we are going to lose you then, it 
 seems ? " said the Earl in an accent of agreeable 
 surprise, and a visage beaming with delight. 
 
 " Indeed, it's not very well bred, my lord, to run 
 away in this manner ; but it's an old promise of mine to 
 Lady M'Caw, honest woman, and I would not like to 
 disappoint her, especially as she is so good as say she'll 
 send the carriage for me to-morrow morning. How- 
 ever, I shall make out my visit to you yet ; and if I can 
 get hold of Anthony Whyte, will bring him with me." 
 
 Lord Rossville's countenance fell at this assurance. 
 He had been anxiously waiting the termination of Miss 
 Pratt's visit, that he might give a dinner to some of the 
 stateliest of the neighbouring grandees ; a thing which 
 could not be got up with good effect while that lady 
 was his guest. Her light frothy babbles disconcerted 
 his heavy sonorous speeches ; her brisk familiarity de- 
 tracted from the dignity of his manner ; — it was as im- 
 possible for him to be the dignified nobleman, with 
 Miss Pratt at his elbow, as it would have been with an 
 ape on his shoulder. However, it was a great point 
 gained to have got her fairly off the field ; and he 
 flattered himself, with a little management, he might 
 contrive to exclude her till it suited his time to receive 
 her again. Contrary to his usual practice, but in con- 
 formity with the vulgar proverb, he therefore resolved 
 to make hay while the sun shone, and straightway set 
 about issuing his cards immediately. In this com- 
 placent mood, Mrs St Clair found little difficulty in 
 obtaining his consent to Gertrude's visit to Bellevue, 
 which she took care to insinuate would prove highly 
 advantageous in a political point of view ; — a bait which 
 the Earl instantly caught at. He even declared his 
 intention, and that of Mr Delmour, to pay their respects 
 
l68 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 to the worthy family at Bellevue the following day ; 
 and, finally, it was settled that they should accompany 
 Mrs and Miss St Clair there, leaving the latter to 
 officiate at her cousin's nuptials ; — an office which, in 
 the present state of the political contest, was not deemed 
 derogatory, even for the heiress presumptive of Rossville. 
 
 Colonel Delmour seemed somewhat chagrined at first 
 hearing of this arrangement ; but, upon reflection, he 
 began to discover that it might rather advance his pur- 
 pose to have the object of his pursuit withdrawn for a 
 while from the watchful eyes of her guardians ; and he 
 secretly resolved to be a daily visitor at Bellevue while 
 she remained. As for Gertrude, whatever repugnance 
 she felt at first to the proposal, she soon yielded to her 
 mother's solicitations, for she was a stranger to that 
 selfishness which is obstinate in trifles. 
 
 Miss Pratt's departure was hailed as a joyful release 
 by the whole party, with the exception, indeed, of Lady 
 Betty and Mr Delmour. The one was too stupid, and 
 the other too much engrossed, to have any discrimina- 
 tion in their choice of company ; — with the one words 
 were words, and Miss Pratt's words were as good, if 
 not better, than other people's words ; — with the other 
 Miss Pratt was Miss Pratt, and one Miss was very 
 much like another during a contested election. 
 
 They who love you for political service, love you less than 
 their dinner; and they who hate you, hate you worse than 
 the devil. — Wesley. 
 
 THE whole Black family were evidently prepared 
 for the reception of their visitors ; and as they 
 were all good-looking, and well dressed, the 
 ^oui ensanbk was highly prepossessing. Indeed, had it 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 169 
 
 been otherwise, they would still have found favour in 
 the eyes of Lord Rossville and his nephew, who, in 
 each and all of the human beings now assembled, even 
 to the baby, beheld simply a vote, or the article or par- 
 ticle of a vote. The Earl, therefore, parsed and prosed 
 away to good Mrs Black, who sat listening to him with 
 the most perfect reverence and admiration. Had the 
 speaker been their neighbour old Mr Longlungs, she 
 might perhaps have thought him rather long-winded ; 
 but it was still the golden age of innocence with Mrs 
 Black, for it never once occurred to her that it was 
 possible for an earl to be as tiresome as a commoner. 
 She, therefore, hung enamoured on his lordship's 
 accents ; but when he condescended so far as to take 
 one of the children on his knee, and to drink the healths 
 of the whole family in what he declared to be the very 
 best Malmsey Madeira he had ever tasted, the conquest 
 of Mrs Black was completed ; and she secretly vowed 
 in her heart that she would never rest night or day 
 till, by hook or by crook, she had secured Mr 
 Black's vote for him. And then, as he seemed so 
 taken with them all, there was no saying but he 
 might get a company for Bob, and give his business to 
 Davy. And with these splendid visions, Mrs Black's 
 comely good-humoured face beamed upon the Earl 
 with an expression he was little accustomed to on the 
 countenance of his auditors. 
 
 Mr Delmour, on his part, was not idle, having talked 
 very sensibly with Mr Black on 
 
 Russet lawns and fallows gray, 
 Where the nibbling flocks do stray ; 
 
 that is, in plain prose, on the rearing and feeding of 
 cattle, succession of crops, &c. &c. He next addressed 
 himself to a veiy pretty particle of a vote in the person 
 of Miss Lilly Black, who had made some faint and 
 inefficient attempts to discover whether he wrote poetry 
 
170 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 — till, growing bolder as she advanced, she at length 
 popped the question, whether he would not write some- 
 thing in her album. Mr Delmour protested, with the 
 most perfect truth, that he never had written a verse in 
 his life ; but, to soften the disappointment, added, with 
 a bow and most expressive look, that if ever he was to 
 be so inspired, it must be on the present occasion. 
 Miss Lilly blushed, and had no doubt that Mr Delmour 
 was over head and ears in love with her already ; and 
 having read every novel in the circulating library at 
 Barnford, Miss Lilly was ready to be fallen in love 
 with at a moment's warning. 
 
 Mrs Major Waddell (to be) was the only one of the 
 family then at home who did not appear. She said 
 that, in her situation, it was extremely unpleasant to be 
 stared at by strangers ; and as Lord Rossville and Mr 
 Delmour must know perfectly well how she was situated, 
 they would easily understand her reasons for declining 
 all introductions in her present situation. Miss Bell, 
 however, secretly flattered herself that her absence 
 would be too striking to be passed over in silence, and 
 that Lord Rossville would make a point of seeing her ; 
 great was her mortification, therefore, when the whole 
 party drove off, with the exception of Gertrude, who 
 was left behind. The bride-elect descended to the 
 drawing-room, in hopes of hearing that the Major and 
 she had formed the principal subject of conversation ; 
 but there she found Mrs Black trying to remember all 
 that Lord Rossville had said about the line of the New 
 Canal, and Mr Black already anticipating the arrival of 
 a couple of pure Merinos, which Mr Delmour was to 
 procure for him from his uncle the Duke of Burlington ; 
 Miss Lilly was expressing her wonder to Miss St Clair 
 whether it was really true that Mr Delmour did not 
 write poetry ; and the children were squabbling over 
 the remains of the cake. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I7I 
 
 " I hope there was no particular allusion to the 
 Major and me," said Miss Bell, seeing it in vain to 
 wait for any voluntary communication ; " in my situa- 
 tion such things are not very pleasant." 
 
 "There was no mention made of you whatever, 
 Bell," was the reply. 
 
 " I assure you I am very happy to hear it," said Miss 
 Bell, in evident displeasure ; to which she could only 
 give vent by turning the children out of the room for 
 making a noise, which they, of course, redoubled out- 
 side the door, till dragged shrieking away by their maid. 
 
 Miss St Clair already felt the discomforts of her 
 situation — seated in a dressed drawing-room for the 
 day, with Mrs Black and her daughters, who seemed to 
 have renounced all occupation for that of being com- 
 pany to their guest — and " labour dire it is, and weary 
 woe," in such cases, whether to the entertainer or the 
 entertained. 
 
 Gertrude felt too strange — too much out of her own 
 element, to give free scope to her mind ; she felt she 
 was amongst those who did not understand her, nor she 
 them ; the tone of their minds was pitched in a totally 
 different key ; and their ideas, tastes, and habits, she 
 was convinced, never could assimilate with hers. At 
 length Miss Lilly produced her album for the amuse- 
 ment or admiration of her cousin, and turned over page 
 after page, emblazoned with miserable drawings of 
 dropsical Cupids with blue aprons — doves that might 
 have passed for ptarmigans — stout calico roses — heart's- 
 ease that was eyesore, and forget-me-nots that ought to 
 have been washed in the waters of Lethe. All these 
 had, of course, appropriate lines, or lines that were 
 intended as such. Beneath a rose, which bore evident 
 traces of having been washed with a sponge, was written 
 in a small die-away hand, scarcely visible to the naked 
 eye, Cowper's pretty verses, — 
 
17^ *fttE INHERITANCE. 
 
 A rose had been washed, just washed in a shower, 5cc. 
 
 A bunch of heart's-ease, which might have served for 
 a sign-post, was emblematic of a sonnet to a violet, 
 beginning — 
 
 Sweet modest flower that lurk'st unseen, &c. 
 
 But the forget-me-nots had called forth an original 
 effusion addressed to Miss Lilly B., as follows : — 
 
 Forget thee, sweet maid ? — ah ! how vain the request, — 
 Thy image fond memory has stamped on my heart ; 
 
 And, while life's warm pulses beat high in my breast. 
 Thy image shall ne'er from that bosom depart ! 
 
 The moon she is up, and the sun he is down ; 
 
 The wind too is hush'd, and silent's the rill ; 
 The birds to their little nests long since have flown ; 
 
 But when will forget my sad bosom to thrill ! 
 
 Forget thee ! — ah ! who that has ever beheld 
 
 Thy eye of sky-blue, and thy locks of pure gold, 
 Thy cheek 
 
 *< Oh ! you really mustn't read that," cried Miss 
 Lilly, putting her hand affectedly on the place ; " it is 
 only some nonsense of Lieutenant O'Brien's." 
 
 " Pray allow me to proceed," said Gertrude, a little 
 amused at the wretchedness of the rhymes. 
 
 " O, indeed I can't," said Miss Lilly, affecting to be 
 ashamed. 
 
 " I assure you, I am in great pain for your cheek," 
 said Gertrude ; " I'm afraid it must have swelled in 
 order to rhyme to * beheld.' " 
 
 " Oh no ! I assure you it wasn't my cheek, but his 
 heart, that swelled," said Miss Lilly, in perfect sim- 
 plicity. 
 
 " The Captain has a great genius for poetry," said 
 Mrs Black. 
 
 " Very great," said Miss Lilly, with a gentle sigh. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I 73 
 
 " I am certain that Address to the Moon we saw in the 
 newspaper was his writing." 
 
 " It's very well for people to write poetry who can't 
 afford to buy it," said Miss Bell, with a disdainful toss ; 
 " the Major has bought a most beautiful copy of Lord 
 Byron's works, bound in red morocco — rather too fine 
 for reading, I think ; but he said he meant it to lie upon 
 my sofa-table, so I couldn't find fault." 
 
 " To be sure, Bell, as you say, it's a better business 
 to buy poetry than to write it," said Mrs Black. 
 
 "There is nothing more worth reading," said Miss 
 Lilly, as her cousin continued to turn over the leaves of 
 the book ; *' that is only some dull stupid stuff aunt 
 Mary copied for me ; I've a good mind to tear it out, 
 it is just like a sermon ; " and she was preparing to 
 execute her threat when Gertrude begged leave to read 
 the offending lines before they were committed to the 
 flames. 
 
 When I look back, and in myself behold 
 The wandering ways that youth could not descry ; 
 And mark the fearful course that youth did hold, 
 And melt in mind each step youth stray'd awry ; 
 My knees I bow, and from my heart I call, 
 
 Lord ! forget these faults and follies all. 
 
 For now I see how void youth is of skill, 
 
 1 see also his prime time and his end ; 
 I do confess my faults and all my ill, 
 And sorrow sore for that I did offend ; 
 And with a mind repentant of all crimes, 
 Pardon I ask for youth ten thousand times. 
 
 Thou that by power to life didst raise the dead ; . 
 Thou that of grace restor'dst the bhnd to sight ; 
 Thou that for love thy life and love outbled ; 
 Thou that of favour madest the lame go right ; 
 Thou that canst heal and help in all essays. 
 Forgive the guilt that grew in youth's vain ways. 
 
 Lord Vavx. 
 
 ** I like the verses," said Gertrude ; " and should be 
 
174 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 glad to have them ; something tells me,'' added she 
 with a sigh, as she read them over again, " that they 
 may some day be applicable to myself." 
 
 "God forbid, my dear!" said Mrs Black, with a 
 look of horror — " God forbid that any of us should ever 
 be brought to such straits as that, and I see no good in 
 putting such dismal thoughts into young folk's heads ; 
 — but if you would like to put off your bonnet before 
 dinner, it's time you were thinking of it." 
 
 " For there comes the Major," cried Miss Bell. 
 
 Une froideur ou une incivilite qui vient de ceux qui sont 
 audessus de nous, nous les fait hair, mais un salut ou un sourire 
 nous les reconcilie La Bruyere. 
 
 THE following day brought Colonel Delmour ; 
 and Gertrude watched, with some solicitude, 
 the effect her relations would produce upon 
 him. But he was upon his guard, and none but a nice 
 observer could have detected supercilious contempt in 
 the lofty ease of his manner. But there is an ease 
 which causes only constraint in the minds of others, and 
 such was Colonel Delmour's. He was much too 
 elegant and highbred to have any thing of the familiar 
 ease so often a concomitant of the vulgar — but he had 
 as little of that open simplicity of manner which is the 
 characteristic of a noble ingenuous mind. It was that 
 sort of ease which implies conscious superiority in its 
 possessor, and consequently produces the opposite 
 feeling in those less gifted mortals with whom it comes 
 in contact. Such was the sort of undefinable sensation 
 it created in the Black family, from the eldest to the 
 youngest. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I 75 
 
 Simple Mrs Black's profound and earnest inquiries 
 after Lord Rossville — her hopes that he had not been 
 the worse of his ride — that he had got home before the 
 hearty shower, &c. &c., were all answered in a general 
 way, and with an air of indifference, which, as Mrs 
 Black afterwards declared, said very little for his 
 natural affection. Even Miss Bell had an instinctive 
 feeling that her airs would be all thrown away upon 
 him ; and though she did drop her carbuncle brooch 
 (a present from Hyder Ally to the Major) upon the 
 carpet, Colonel Delmour never so much as moved 
 his chair or assisted in looking for it ; while Miss Lilly 
 turned over her album in vain, and in answer to her 
 usual question of whether he was fond of poetry, 
 he returned so brief and decided a negative as put 
 a complete stop to all proceedings on that subject. 
 The only one who made no attempts at display 
 was the third daughter, Anne, a sensible, mild-looking 
 girl, who, from her quiet unobtrusive manners, was 
 generally overlooked, and who now pursued her 
 work in her usual calm way, careless alike of notice 
 or neglect. 
 
 Colonel Delmour certainly was at no pains to gain 
 the good graces of the family. He saw at once they 
 were not the sort of people likely to acquire any 
 influence over Miss St Clair ; consequently, he had no 
 motive to make him wish to ingratiate himself with 
 them. And to have been at the trouble of making the 
 agreeable to such a set of plebeians, would have required 
 some very strong stimulus for one whose ruling principle 
 was selfishness, and who never cared to please, unless to 
 serve his own purpose. He staid long, in hopes Mrs 
 Black and her daughters would have had the tact to 
 discover that they were great bores in their own house ; 
 but no such discovery was made ; — on the contrary, 
 Mrs Black redoubled her efforts to entertain her visitor 
 
176 THE INHERITANCE, 
 
 — she made many apologies for Mr Black being from 
 home, and asked Bell what had come over the Major 
 — ^just as the Major entered. The case was now 
 desperate — scarcely able to conceal his ill-humour, he 
 merely noticed the introduction of Major Waddell by 
 a slight and somewhat haughty bow, and took his 
 leave. 
 
 " Well, cousin," cried Miss Bell, as he drove off, " I 
 really cannot say a great deal for your Colonel ; I think 
 I never saw so ill-bred a man.'' 
 
 "I can't just say that. Bell," said her mother. 
 ** I'm sure he was nowise indiscreet ; and we must 
 make allowance for him, for you know we were all 
 strangers to him, and I dare say he was just a little shy 
 and strange at first — but that'll wear off." 
 
 " It's the oddest thing that he should not like 
 poetry," said Miss Lilly ; " for he is so handsome." 
 
 " I don't think much of his looks," said Miss Bell ; 
 "he is a great deal too tall," eyeing the Major, who 
 was the Apollo Belvidere in her opinion, and who was, 
 at least, a head shorter. 
 
 " I think our Bob must be as tall by this time," said 
 Mrs Black ; " but I wish he may have taken the 
 breadth with him, poor fellow ! " 
 
 " I don't think he has the manners of a man who 
 has seen much of the world," resumed Miss Bell again, 
 looking at her lover ; " no general conversation — has 
 he ever been abroad, I wonder ? " 
 
 "Come, now," said the Major, turning up his 
 bronzed visage, gilded with a strong yellow beam of 
 delight, "are you not rather too severe? Colonel 
 Delmour is surely a fine-looking man, and much 
 admired, I understand, by the ladies." 
 
 " I beg you will make some exceptions, Major — but 
 perhaps I have a very bad taste," with a conscious 
 smile. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 77 
 
 " I am afraid you have, indeed," returned the 
 Major, with a laugh of perfect ecstacy. — " I'm very 
 much afraid of it, indeed. — What do you say to that, 
 Mrs Black ? — Miss St Clair, don't you think your 
 cousin discovers a very bad taste in her choice of some 
 things ? " 
 
 Gertrude felt too much disgusted with the vulgarity 
 and ill-breeding of her relations to be able to reply ; — 
 indeed, the only one she could, with truth, have made 
 must have been a cordial assent, and she recoiled from 
 their familiarity with a hauteur foreign to her nature. 
 Mrs Black observed her displeasure, but mistook the 
 cause. 
 
 " You must excuse our freedom, my dear," said she ; 
 "but you see we make no stranger of you — we just 
 look upon you as one of ourselves, and forget sometimes 
 that your fiiends and relations are not ours. But 
 there's one thing I can tell you," continued she, with a 
 significant smile and a half whisper, " that, though the 
 Colonel's not just so taking as his brother, we all think 
 a great deal of hiniy and are all much pleased to think 
 that — you know " — and Mrs Black smiled still more 
 significantly. — " I assure you, Mr Black thinks a great 
 deal of him — he says he's really a pleasant, sensible, 
 gentlemanly, well-informed young man." 
 
 Still Gertrude's countenance did not clear up, to 
 Mrs Black's great surprise ; for, like many other ex- 
 cellent wives, she thought her husband's opinion carried 
 the greatest possible weight with it, and that Miss St 
 Clair must needs be much flattered to hear that her 
 intended was so much approved of by Mr Black. For 
 the Earl, to advance his favourite political schemes, had 
 dropped some ambiguous mysterious hints of the pro- 
 jected alliance between his nephew and niece, which 
 Mrs Black had easily manufactured into an approaching 
 marriage. Rather at a loss what to make of Miss St 
 
 I. M 
 
178 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Clair, and the coolness with which she listened to the 
 praises of her supposed lover, Mrs Black now proposed 
 that the young people should take a walk, and show 
 their cousin something of Bellevue — there was the burn, 
 and the Hawkhill, and the new plantation ; and there 
 was the poultry-yard — if Miss Gertrude was fond of 
 poultry, the Bellevue poultry were reckoned the finest 
 in the country side ; and, loaded with Mrs Black's 
 directions and suggestions, the party set forth. 
 
 No party, perhaps, ever set out upon a walk without 
 some difference of opinion as to the road to be taken ; 
 but, on the present occasion, the matter was soon settled 
 by Miss Bell, who remarked to the Major, that it was 
 so long since she had seen his sister, Mrs Fairbairn, 
 that, if her cousin had no objections, she should like 
 much to walk as far as the Holm. 
 
 " I have not seen your sweet little namesake. Major, 
 since he has had the measles, and I quite long to see 
 him, dear little fellow ! And although it is an under- 
 stood thing" — addressing Gertrude — "that, in my 
 situation, I go nowhere, yet the Major's sister, you 
 know, is an exception ; and she is such a sweet 
 domestic woman, she scarcely ever stirs from home — 
 it is quite a treat to see Mr and Mrs Fairbairn in their 
 own family — it is really a beautiful sight ! " 
 
 The Major was, of course, all joy and gratitude for 
 this proposal, and highly flattered by the interest ex- 
 pressed for his little name-son in particular, and the 
 eulogy bestowed on the family in general. As for 
 Gertrude, she cared little where she went. When 
 people are uncomfortable, they flatter themselves any 
 change must be for the better, and there is relief even 
 in variety of wretchedness. Forward, then, they set 
 for the Holm. 
 
 The road was not of the most picturesque descrip- 
 tion ; but, indeed, it would not have been easy to have 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 179 
 
 found any such in the environs of Bellevue. But at 
 length, after skirting many a well-dressed field, covered 
 with flourishing crops of oats, pease, beans, potatoes, 
 &c. &c. &c., they entered upon the sheep farm, which, 
 although it had nothing of the romantic or beautiful to 
 charm the eye, yet, like all spots of unsophisticated 
 nature, was not without attractions to those who love 
 nature even in her simplest scenes. 
 
 The ground was hilly, covered with a carpet of close, 
 short, sweet herbage ; except here and there, where 
 still remained patches of heath and broom, or a whin 
 bush and a wild rose scented the breeze, their prickly 
 stems decked with " small woolly tufts, spoils of the 
 vagrant lamb." 
 
 The air was pure and fresh, " nimble and sweet ; " 
 and Gertrude stood inhaling it with delight, as she felt 
 her spirits rise under its exhilarating influence. The 
 Major and Miss Bell had walked on before ; Miss 
 Lilly had left the party for higher ground, which com- 
 manded a view of the county town where Lieutenant 
 O'Brien was quartered; and Gertrude, to her great 
 relief, was left alone with her cousin Anne. 
 
 " If there were but deer bounding instead of sheep 
 bleating here,'' said she, " I could fancy myself upon 
 the very * Braes o' Balquither,' which you were singing 
 about last night ; " and she hummed the air. — " No, I 
 can't make it out — pray sing it to me again ; " — and 
 Anne sung some verses of that sweet simple ditty. 
 
 WiU ye go, lassie, go, 
 
 To the Braes o' Balquither. 
 Where the blaeberries grow 
 
 'Mang the bonnie bloom in' heather. 
 
 Where the deer and the roe. 
 
 Lightly boundin' thegither. 
 Sport the lang simmer day 
 
 'Mang the Braes o' Balquither. 
 
l8o THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 I will twine thee a bow'r 
 
 By the clear silver fountain, 
 And I'll cover it owre 
 
 Wi' the flowers o' the mountain. 
 
 I will range through the wilds, 
 
 And the deep glens sae dreary, 
 And return wi' their spoils 
 
 To the bower o' my deary. 
 
 Now the simmer is in prime, 
 Wi' the flowers richly blooming. 
 
 And the wild mountain thyme 
 A' the muirlands perfuming. 
 Will ye go, &c. &c. 
 
 ** Who would not be a hunter's love," said Gertrude, 
 "to realize so sweet a picture ! " 
 
 " Ah ! " said her companion in a mournful tone, 
 " if poverty were there represented as it is in reality, 
 this world would be a paradise, and we might all be 
 happy." 
 
 " So, then, you think poverty the only evil in life ? " 
 asked Miss St Clair. 
 
 " No, I spoke idly ; — not the only one ; — but " — 
 she blushed, and the tears stood in her eyes, as In a 
 low voice she added, " but the only one I have ever 
 known ; " — then, as if ashamed of having said so much, 
 she turned away her head. 
 
 For a moment Gertrude was at a loss to understand 
 her cousin's meaning ; but it presently struck her 
 that she must have formed some attachment where 
 poverty was the obstacle ; and she would have con- 
 tinued the conversation in hopes of gaining her con- 
 fidence, but at that moment the Major and Miss Bell, 
 having retraced their steps in search of their companions, 
 interposed. 
 
 "We thought we had lost you!" exclaimed the 
 lady. — "Major, will you give my cousin your other 
 arm ? — the descent is very steep now." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. l8l 
 
 Gertrude declined the proffered aid, which she 
 thought more Ukely to encumber than accelerate her 
 movements ; and, besides, she wished to renew the 
 conversation with Anne, but in vain. — The lovers 
 having exhausted their silly talk for the present, were 
 now glad of a little variety, and they kept all close 
 together till they reached the Holm. 
 
 Chapter PTcti}^ 
 
 The great use of delineating absurdities is, that we may 
 know how far human folly can go ; the account, therefore, 
 ought, of absolute necessity, to be faithful. — Johnson. 
 
 THE first appearance of the Holm was highly 
 prepossessing. It was a large, handsome- 
 looking house, situated in a well-wooded park, 
 by the side of a broad placid river ; and an air of 
 seclusion and stillness reigned all round, which im- 
 pressed the mind with images of peace and repose. 
 The interior of the house was no less promising — there 
 was a spacious hall and a handsome staircase, with all 
 appliances to boot ; but as they approached the drawing- 
 room, all the luxurious indolence of thought inspired 
 by the tranquillity of the scenery was quickly dispelled 
 by the discordant sounds which issued from thence, 
 and, when the door was thrown open, the footman in 
 vain attempted to announce the visitors. In the middle 
 of the room all the chairs were collected to form a 
 coach and horses for the Masters and Misses Fairbairn. 
 — One unruly-looking urchin sat in front, cracking a 
 long whip with all his might — another acted as guard 
 behind, and blew a shrill trumpet with all his strength 
 — while a third, in a nightcap and a flannel lappet, who 
 had somewhat the air of having quarrelled with the rest 
 
1 82 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 of the party, paraded up and down in solitary majesty, 
 beating a drum. On a sofa sat Mrs Fairbairn, a soft, 
 fair, genteel-looking woman, with a crying child of about 
 three years old at her side, tearing paper into shreds, 
 seemingly for the delight of littering the carpet, which 
 was already strewed with headless dolls, tailless horses, 
 wheelless carts, &c. As she rose to receive her visitors 
 it began to scream. 
 
 "I'm not going away, Charlotte, love — don't be 
 frightened," said the fond mother, with a look of 
 ineffable pleasure. 
 
 " You no get up — you shan't get up," screamed 
 Charlotte, seizing her mother's gown fiercely to detain 
 her. 
 
 " My darling, you'll surely let me go to speak to 
 uncle — good uncle, who brings you pretty things, you 
 know ; " — but, during this colloquy, uncle and ladies 
 had made their way to the enthralled mother, and the 
 bustle of a meeting and introduction was got over. 
 Chairs were obtained by the footman with some diffi- 
 culty, and placed as close to the mistress of the house 
 as possible, aware that, otherwise, it would not be easy 
 to carry on even question and answer amid the tumult 
 that reigned. 
 
 " You find us rather noisy, I am afraid," said Mrs 
 Fairbairn with a smile, and in a manner which evidently 
 meant the reverse ; " but this is Saturday, and the 
 children are all in such spirits, and they won't stay 
 away from me. Henry, my dear, don't crack your 
 whip quite so loud, there's a good boy — that's a new 
 whip his papa brought him from London ; and he's so 
 proud of it ! — William, my darling, don't you think 
 your drum must be tired now ? If I were you, I would 
 give it a rest. — Alexander, your trumpet makes rather 
 too much noise — one of these ladies has got a headach 
 — wait till you go out, there's my good boy, and then 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 83 
 
 you'll blow it at the cows and the sheep, you know, 
 and frighten them — Oh ! how you'll frighten them with 
 it!" 
 
 " No, I'll not blow it at the cows ; I'll blow it at the 
 horses, because then they'll think it's the mail-coach." 
 And he was running off, when Henry jumped down 
 from the coach-box. 
 
 " No, but you shan't frighten them with your trumpet, 
 for I shall frighten them with my whip. Mamma, aren't 
 horses best frightened with a whip ? " — and a struggle 
 ensued. 
 
 "Well, don't fight, my dears, and you shall both 
 frighten them," cried their mamma. 
 
 " No, I'm determined he shan't frighten them ; I 
 shall do it," cried both together, as they rushed out of 
 the room, and the drummer was preparing to follow. 
 
 " William Pitt, my darling, don't you go after these 
 naughty boys ; you know they're always very bad to 
 you. You know they wouldn't let you into their coach 
 with your drum." Here William Pitt began to cry. — 
 " Well, never mind, you shall have a coach of your own 
 — a much finer coach than theirs ; I wouldn't go into 
 
 their ugly dirty coach ; and you shall have " 
 
 Here something of a consolatory nature was whispered ; 
 William was comforted, and even prevailed upon to re- 
 linquish his drum for his mamma's ivory workbox, the 
 contents of which were soon scattered on the floor. 
 
 " These boys are gone without their hats," cried Mrs 
 Fairbairn in a tone of distress. " Eliza, my dear, pull 
 the bell for Sally to get the boys' hats." — Sally being 
 despatched with the hats, something like a calm ensued, 
 in the absence of he of the whip and the tmmpet ; but 
 as it will be of short duration, it is necessary to take 
 advantage of it in improving the introduction into an 
 acquaintance with the Fairbairn family. 
 
 Mrs Fairbairn was one of those ladies who, from the 
 
184 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 time she became a mother, ceased to be anything else. 
 All the duties, pleasures, charities, and decencies of 
 life, were henceforth concentrated in that one grand 
 characteristic ; every object in life was henceforth 
 viewed through that single medium. Her own mother 
 was no longer her mother, she was the grandmamma 
 of her dear infants ; her brothers and sisters were mere 
 uncles and aunts, and even her husband ceased to be 
 thought of as her husband from the time he became a 
 father. He was no longer the being who had claims 
 on her time, her thoughts, her talents, her affections ; 
 he was simply Mr Fairbairn, the noun masculine of Mrs 
 Fairbairn, and the father of her children. Happily for 
 Mr Fairbairn, he was not a person of very nice feelings, 
 or refined taste ; and although, at first, he did feel a little 
 unpleasant when he saw how much his children were 
 preferred to himself, yet, in time, he became accustomed 
 to it, — then came to look upon Mrs Fairbairn as the 
 most exemplary of mothers, — and finally resolved him- 
 self into the father of a very fine family, of which Mrs 
 Fairbairn was the mother. In all this there was more 
 of selfish egotism and animal instinct, than of rational 
 affection or Christian principle ; but both parents piqued 
 themselves upon their fondness for their offspring, as if 
 it were a feeling peculiar to themselves, and not one 
 they shared in common with the lowest and weakest of 
 their species. Like them, too, it was upon the bodies 
 of their children that they lavished their chief care and 
 tenderness ; for as to the immortal interests of their 
 souls or the cultivation of their minds, or the improve- 
 ment of their tempers, these were but little attended 
 to, at least in comparison of their health and personal 
 appearance. 
 
 Alas ! if there " be not a gem so precious as the 
 human soul," how often do these gems seem as pearls 
 cast before swine ; for how seldom is it that a parent's 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 85 
 
 greatest care is for the immortal happiness of. that being 
 whose precarious, and at best transient existence, en- 
 grosses their every thought and desire ! But, perhaps, 
 Mrs Fairbairn, like many a foolish ignorant mother, 
 did her best ; and had she been satisfied \vdth spoiling 
 her children herself for her own private amusement, 
 and not have drawn in her visitors and acquaintances to 
 share in it, the evil might have passed uncensured. But 
 Mrs Fairbairn, instead of shutting herself up in her 
 nursery, chose to bring her nursery down to her draw- 
 ing-room ; and instead of modestly denying her friends 
 an entrance into her purgatory, she had a foolish pride 
 in showing herself in the midst of her angels. In 
 short, as the best things, when corrupted, always 
 become the worst ; so the purest and tenderest of 
 human affections, when thus debased by selfishness and 
 egotism, turn to the most tiresome and ridiculous of 
 human weaknesses, — a truth but too well exemplified 
 by Mrs Fairbairn. 
 
 " I have been much to blame," said she, addressing 
 Miss Bell, in a soft, whining, sick-child sort of voice, 
 " for not having been at Bellevue long ago ; but dear 
 little Charlotte has been so plagued with her teeth, I 
 could not think of leaving her — for she is so fond of me, 
 she will go to nobody else — she screams when her maid 
 oifers to take her — and she won't even go to her papa." 
 
 " Is that possible ? " said the Major. 
 
 " I assure you it's very true — she's a very naughty 
 girl sometimes," bestowing a long and rapturous kiss 
 on the child. " Who was it that beat poor papa for 
 taking her from mamma last night ? Well, don't cry 
 — no, no, it wasn't my Charlotte. She knows every 
 word that's said to her, and did from the time she was 
 only a year old." 
 
 " That is wonderful ! " said Miss Bell ; " but how 
 is my little favourite, Andrew ? " 
 
I 86 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " He is not very stout yet, poor little fellow, and we 
 must be very careful of him." Then, turning to Miss 
 St Clair, " Our little Andrew has had the measles, 
 and you know the dregs of the measles are a serious 
 thing — much worse than the measles themselves. 
 Andrew — Andrew Waddell, my love, come here 
 and speak to the ladies." And thereupon Andrew 
 Waddell, in a nightcap, riding on a stick, drew near. 
 Being the Major's namesake. Miss Bell, in the ardour 
 of her attachment, thought proper to coax Andrew 
 Waddell on her knee, and even to open her watch for 
 his entertainment. 
 
 " Ah ! I see who spoils Andrew Waddell," cried 
 the delighted mother. 
 
 The Major chuckled — Miss Bell disclaimed, and for 
 the time Andrew Waddell became the hero of the 
 piece ; the Mains of the measles were carefully pointed 
 out, and all his sufferings and sayings duly recapitu- 
 lated. At length Miss Charlotte, indignant at finding 
 herself eclipsed, began to scream and cry with all her 
 strength. 
 
 " It's her teeth, darling little thing," said her mother, 
 caressing her. 
 
 " I'm sure it's her teeth, sweet little dear," said Miss 
 Bell. 
 
 " It undoubtedly must be her teeth, poor little girl," 
 said the Major. 
 
 " If you will feel her gum," said Mrs Fairbairn, 
 putting her own finger into the child's mouth, " you 
 will feel how hot it is." 
 
 This was addressed in a sort of general way to the 
 company, none of whom seemed eager to avail them- 
 selves of the privilege, till the Major stepped forward, 
 and having with his forefinger made the circuit of Miss 
 Charlotte's mouth, gave it as his decided opinion that 
 there was a tooth actually cutting the skin. Miss Bell 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 87 
 
 followed the same course, and confirmed the interesting 
 fact — adding, that it appeared to her to be " an un- 
 common large tooth." 
 
 At that moment Mr Fairbairn entered, bearing in 
 his arms another of the family, — a fat, sour, new- 
 waked -looking creature, sucking its finger. Scarcely 
 was the introduction over — " There's a pair of legs ! " 
 exclaimed he, holding out a pair of thick purple stumps 
 with red worsted shoes at the end of them. " I don't 
 suppose Miss St Clair ever saw legs like these in 
 France ; these are porridge-and-milk legs, — are they 
 not, Bobby ? " 
 
 But Bobby continued to chew the cud of his own 
 thumb in solemn silence. 
 
 "Will you speak to me, Bobby?" said Miss Bell, 
 bent upon being amiable and agreeable ; but still Bobby 
 was mute. 
 
 " We think this little fellow rather long in speaking," 
 said Mr Fairbairn ; " we allege that his legs have ran 
 away with his tongue." 
 
 " How old is he ? " asked the Major. 
 
 " He is only nineteen months and ten days," answered 
 his mother, " so he has not lost much time ; but I would 
 rather see a child fat and thriving, than have it very 
 forward." 
 
 " No comparison ! " was here uttered in a breath by 
 the Major and Miss Bell. 
 
 " There's a great difference in children in their time 
 of speaking," said the mamma. " Alexander didn't 
 speak till he was two and a quarter ; and Henry, 
 again, had a great many little words before he was 
 seventeen months ; and Eliza and Charlotte both said 
 mamma as plain as I do at a year — but girls always 
 speak sooner than boys ; as for William Pitt and 
 Andrew Waddell, the twins, they both suffered so 
 much from their teething, that they were longer of 
 
1 88 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Speaking than they would otherwise have been — indeed, 
 I never saw an infant suffer so much as Andrew 
 Waddell did — he had greatly the heels of William 
 Pitt at one time, till the measles pulled him down." 
 
 A movement was here made by the visitors to depart. 
 
 " O ! you mustn*t go without seeing the baby," 
 cried Mrs Fairbairn — " Mr Fairbairn, will you pull the 
 bell twice for baby ? " 
 
 The bell was twice rung, but no baby answered the 
 summons. 
 
 " She must be asleep," said Mrs Fairbairn ; " but I 
 will take you up to the nursery, and you will see her in 
 her cradle." And Mrs Fairbairn led the way to the 
 nursery, and opened the shutter, and uncovered the 
 cradle, and displayed the baby. 
 
 ** Just five months — uncommon fine child — the image 
 of Mr Fairbairn — fat little thing — neat little hands — 
 sweet little mouth — pretty little nose — -lovely little toes," 
 &c. &c. &c. were as usual whispered over it. 
 
 Miss St Clair flattered herself the exhibition was now 
 over, and was again taking leave, when, to her dismay, 
 the squires of the whip and the trumpet rushed in, pro- 
 claiming that it was pouring of rain ! To leave the 
 house was impossible ; and, as it was getting late, there 
 was nothing for it but staying dinner. 
 
 The children of this happy family always dined at 
 table, and their food and manner of eating were the only 
 subjects of conversation. Alexander did not like 
 mashed potatoes — and Andrew Waddell could not eat 
 broth — and Eliza could live upon fish — and William 
 Pitt took too much small beer — and Henry ate 
 as much meat as his papa — and all these peculiarities 
 had descended to them from some one or other of their 
 ancestors. The dinner was simple on account of the 
 children ; and there was no dessert, as Bobby did not 
 agree with fruit. But to make amends Eliza's sampler 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 89 
 
 was shown ; and Henry and Alexander's copy-books 
 were handed round the table ; and Andrew Waddell 
 stood up and repeated " My name is Norval " from be- 
 ginning to end ; and WilHam Pitt was prevailed upon 
 to sing the whole of " God save the King," in a little 
 squeaking mealy voice, and was bravoed and applauded 
 as though he had been Braham himself. 
 
 To paint a scene in itself so tiresome is doubtless but 
 a poor amusement to my reader, who must often have 
 endured similar persecution. For who has not suffered 
 from the obtrusive fondness of parents for their offspring ? 
 — and who has not felt what it was to be called upon, 
 in the course of a morning visit, to enter into all the joys 
 and the sorrows of the nursery, and to take a lively interest 
 in all the feats and peculiarities of the family ? Shake- 
 speare's anathema against those who hated music is 
 scarcely too strong to be applied to those who dislike 
 children. There is much enjoyment sometimes in 
 making acquaintance with the little beings — much de- 
 light in hearing their artless untutored prattle, and 
 something not unpleasing even in witnessing their little 
 freaks and wayward humours ; — but when a tiresome 
 mother, instead of allowing the company to notice her 
 child, torments every one by forcing or coaxing her 
 child to notice the company, the charm is gone, and we 
 experience only disgust or ennui. 
 
 Mr and Mrs Fairbairn had split on this fatal rock, on 
 which so many parents make shipwreck of their senses ; 
 and so satisfied were they with themselves and their 
 children, so impressed with the idea of the delights of 
 their family scenes, that vain would have been any attempt 
 to open the eyes of their understanding. Perhaps the 
 only remedy would have been found in that blessed spirit 
 which " vaunteth not itself, and seeketh not its own." 
 
 The evening proved fine ; and Gertrude rejoiced to 
 return even to Bellevue. 
 
IQO THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Cl)at)tet %%f>iij^ 
 
 II y en a peu qui gagnent a etre approfondies. 
 
 La Bruyere. 
 
 " \ li 7 HAT a sweet woman your sister is! " said 
 
 y y Miss Bell, who at present beheld every 
 object connected with the Major tinged 
 with " love's proper hue." 
 
 " I am very glad you like her," replied the delighted 
 lover ; " and 1 flatter myself the longer you know her 
 the more you will be pleased with her." 
 
 " O, I have no doubt of that," said the lady. 
 
 " You will find her always the same," continued the 
 Major. 
 
 « That is delightful 1 " said Miss Bell ; " and what a 
 charming family she has, — it is really quite a treat to 
 see them — I assure you, I don't know when I have 
 passed so pleasant a day." 
 
 " I trust you will pass many such," returned the 
 Major, brightening still more. " I flatter myself my 
 sister and you will be sisters indeed." 
 
 While this colloquy was carrying on betwixt the lovers. 
 Miss St Clair tried to bring her cousin Anne back to 
 the subject of their morning's conversation ; but Anne 
 seemed either afraid or ashamed of having said so much, 
 and rather shunned any renewal of the subject. Ger- 
 trude did not think the worse of her upon that account, 
 but rather gave her credit for that delicacy of mind 
 which made her shrink from making a confidant of one 
 who, though a relation, was, in fact, almost a stranger 
 to her. 
 
 " It would be folly in me, my dear cousin," said she, 
 " to make a parade of offering to assist you at present in 
 any way. I am neither old nor wise enough to advise, 
 and I am quite as poor and as powerless as you can 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I9I 
 
 possibly be ; but if ever the time should come when I 
 have either wisdom or power — both I can never hope 
 to have together," said she, with a smile, — " promise 
 that you will then riddle me right, and tell me why 
 poverty is the greatest misfortune in the world." 
 
 They were here interrupted by a band of young 
 Blacks, who, having descried them from the window, 
 had rushed out to meet them — all breathless with haste 
 to hear where they had been, and to proclaim that Bob 
 and Davy were arrived ; and upon advancing a little 
 farther, Bob and Davy presented themselves in propriis 
 personis. 
 
 Bob and Davy were two tall good-looking youths, 
 dressed in all the extremes of the reigning fashions — 
 small waists — brush-heads — stiff collars — iron heels and 
 switches. Like many other youths, they were de- 
 cidedly of opinion that dress " makes the man, and 
 want of it the fellow," and that the rest was " mere 
 leather and prunella." Perhaps, after all, that is a 
 species of humility rather to be admired in those who, 
 feeling themselves destitute of mental qualifications, 
 trust to the abilities of their tailor and hairdresser for 
 gaining them the goodwill of the world ; and who can 
 tell whether there may not be more true lowliness of 
 mind in a mop-head and high-heeled boots, than has 
 been lodged in many a pilgrim's scalloped hat and 
 sandalled shoon ? Be that as it may, it was evident 
 that Bob and Davy rested their claims to distinction 
 solely on the outward man, and that the sentiment of 
 Henry the Fifth was by no means theirs, — 
 
 It yearns me not that men my garments wear, 
 Such outward things dwell not in my desire, &c. 
 
 Introduced to their cousin, and the first ceremonials 
 over, Bob and Davy each began to play his part. Bob, 
 being a military man, talked of parades, reviews, mess- 
 
192 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 dinners, and regulation epaulettes — while Davy, the 
 writer's apprentice, was loud upon Edinburgh belles, 
 playhouse rows, assembly rooms, and new quadrilles. 
 
 "We are to be reviewed on the 27th,'' said Bob, 
 addressing his cousin. " Gunstown is only about thirty 
 miles from this. I hope you will do us the honour to 
 come and look at us — we shall give a ball and supper 
 after it — my mother and the girls will, of course, be 
 there. — Bell, you will be at our turn-out, won't you ? " 
 
 " I wonder how you can ask such a question. Bob, 
 of a person in my situation," said Miss Bell, with 
 dignity. 
 
 " What a famous deal of fun we had in Edinburgh 
 last winter," said Davy ; " I was very often at three 
 balls in a night. You dance queydrills of course: 
 country-dances are quite exploded now in Edinburgh 
 — they call them kitchen-dances there — there's nothing 
 goes down now but nvalltsays and queydrills. By-the- 
 by, I dare say we could make out a queydrill here. 
 Bell, do you dance queydrills ? " 
 
 " I never heard of a person in my situation dancing," 
 replied Miss Bell, with an air of contempt. 
 
 ** Ay, that's always the way whenever you misses 
 get husbands, you grow so confoundedly stupid ; — but 
 I shall not suffer my wife to give herself such airs, I 
 can tell you. I shall make a point of her dancing every 
 night." 
 
 The brothers had come on purpose to be present at 
 the celebration of the nuptials, which they merely 
 thought of as Bell's going off — a consummation to be 
 devoutly wished for in a family of eleven, and an event 
 indissolubly united in their minds with new coats, white 
 gloves, wedding favours, bride's maids, capital dinners, 
 jovial suppers, dances, flirtations, and famous fun. Such 
 being Bob and Davy, it may be inferred they were no 
 great acquisitions to the family party, though they cer- 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I93 
 
 tainly were additions to it. Under the mistaken idea of 
 being too genteel to do any thing for themselves, there 
 was a constant ringing of bells, and calling for this, that, 
 and t'other ; and if the hapless footboy could have cut 
 himself into a thousand pieces, and endowed each par- 
 ticular piece with locomotive powers, all would scarcely 
 have sufficed to answer the demands made upon him. 
 Then, without any bad temper, there was a constant 
 jangling and jarring from mere vacancy of mind and 
 want of proper pursuit. They were all warmly attached 
 to each other in a disagreeable way ; and, upon the 
 strength of that attachment, thought they might dis- 
 pense with all the ordinary rules of politeness, and 
 contradict and dispute with each other upon the most 
 trifling occasion. In short, it was not a pleasant 
 dwelling-place ; there was neither the peace and tran- 
 quillity which the true spirit of Christianity diffuses 
 among its votaries, nor the refined courtesies which 
 spring from cultivated minds and elegant habits. Anne, 
 indeed, was an exception ; but she was so quiet and 
 pensive, that she was completely sunk in the commotion 
 that prevailed. 
 
 Miss St Clair suffered particularly from the assiduities 
 of the two beaux, both being bent on engaging her in 
 a flirtation ; but their attentions were received with so 
 much coldness at times, even amounting to hauteur, that 
 at length they discovered that their old flames Cecy 
 Swan and Clemmy Dow were much prettier girls, and 
 to Cecy Swan and Clemmy Dow they accordingly 
 betook themselves. 
 
 Heartily tired of Bellevue and its inhabitants, Ger- 
 trude longed impatiently for the marriage-day, that she 
 might return to Rossville. She felt anxious, too, about 
 her mother ; and the thoughts of the mystery in which 
 she was involved disquieted her, and rendered her situa- 
 tion doubly irksome. Unconsciously she cherished the 
 
 J. N 
 
194 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 desire of penetrating that dread secret, although, with 
 the natural thoughtlessness and gaiety of youth, her 
 mind was often diverted from the contemplation of it ; 
 yet there were times when it gained an almost over- 
 whelming ascendency over her, and she thought she 
 could easier have submitted to any known evil than 
 have endured this unknown fear. 
 
 In Colonel Delmour's company, indeed, every pain- 
 ful idea was suspended, and she gave herself up to the 
 charms of his brilliant conversation, and varied powers 
 of pleasing, with a complete forgetfulness of every thing, 
 save the consciousness of loving and being beloved ; 
 while, at the same time, with all the delusion of passion, 
 she yet closed her eyes against the light of conviction. 
 His visits became so frequent and so long, that they 
 might have called forth some animadversion in the 
 family, who had been led by Lord Rossville to look 
 upon her as the affianced bride of the elder brother, 
 but all were too busy with the substantials of marriage 
 to have much tirge to bestow on the empty speculations 
 of love. Mr Black had settlements to read over and 
 sign, &c. Mrs Black had the innumerable depart- 
 ments of mother and housekeeper to fill — duties which 
 are always trebled tenfold upon such momentous 
 occasions. All the powers of Bob and Davy's minds 
 were exerted to the decoration of their persons — but all 
 the emanations of their genius had proved insufficient to 
 enlighten the understanding of the Barnford tailor. 
 Bob's coat was sent home when too late for alterations 
 at least half an inch too long, while Davy's waistcoat 
 w^as as much too short. The young ladies' gowns 
 pleased better, and the children were charmed with 
 their respective suits and sashes. 
 
 As for Miss Bell, she was like some bright planet, 
 the centre of its own system, round which all inferior 
 orbs revolve. She it was to whom all must look for 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I95 
 
 bride-cake, and gloves, and favours, and all such minor 
 consolations as fall to the lot of the single on such 
 occasions. But no one's cup, however it may froth and 
 mantle, is ever full, even to the overflowing. Miss 
 Bell's certainly seemed to foam to the very top, but it 
 could still have held a little more. Many were the 
 wedding presents she had received from kindred and 
 friends, according to their various means, till her chamber 
 might have vied with the shrine of some patron saint. 
 But amidst all the votive offerings, there was none from 
 uncle Adam, although she had settled in her own mind 
 that uncle Adam could not possibly avoid presenting her 
 with something very handsome, whether in plate, jewels, 
 or specie, and her only doubt was which of the three 
 she would prefer. However, time wore on, and uncle 
 Adam was only to be seen in his usual attitude, with his 
 hands in his pockets, as if strictly guarding his money, 
 and with a face of the most hopeless sourness. Miss 
 Bell, notwithstanding, still kept up under the expecta- 
 tion that uncle Adam would surprise her in his own 
 rough queer way some day when she was not thinking 
 of it. When that day would be it would have been 
 difHcult to say, as there was no day in which she was 
 not fully prepared for the surprise. 
 
 C I) a p t c r %%ip 
 
 Bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we will 
 come in to dinner. — Shakspeare. 
 
 THE day previous to the marriage, the bustle that 
 reigned in and around Bellevue was increased to 
 that intense degree which attends all great events 
 as they approach towards their consummation. Uncle 
 
196 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Adam, Miss Black, and Mr and Mrs Fairbairn were 
 expected at dinner ; and, during the whole day, the 
 steam of the soups, pies, pasties, &c. &c. which issued 
 from Mrs Black's kitchen, and penetrated to the very 
 interior of the drawing-room, might (as some one has 
 parodied it) have created a stomach beneath the ribs of 
 death. To Gertrude the commotion caused by what is 
 called giving a dinner was something new ; the total 
 bouleversement of all orders of the community, where 
 much was to be done without the proper means — where 
 a sumptuous banquet was to be prepared by the common 
 drudges of the kitchen, and where every servant had 
 double their usual portion of work to perform, besides 
 being thrown out of their own natural sphere of action. 
 Then there was the running backwards and forwards — 
 the flying up stairs and the rushing down stairs — the 
 opening and shutting of doors, or rather I should say 
 the opening of doors, as the shutting was an evil not to 
 be complained of, unless, indeed, when the call of " shut 
 the door " was answered with a slam which shook the 
 house to its foundation. Added to all this, was the 
 losing of Mrs Black's keys, with the customary sus- 
 picions attached to every individual of having somehow 
 or other got them about them — suspicions only to be re- 
 moved by repeated raisings and shakings of the party 
 suspected, and even then not completely effaced, till the 
 keys were found as usual in some place where somebody 
 must surely have put them, and where nobody would 
 ever have thought of looking for them. 
 
 Then the nursery maid was transformed into the 
 cook's assistant, and the children were committed to a 
 girl who could not manage them ; and they broke loose, 
 and overran the house, and resisted all authority. But 
 doubtless many of my readers must have witnessed 
 similar scenes, and endured similar persecutions, pending 
 the preparations for a dinner, which, like worthy Mrs 
 
THE INHERITANCE. I97 
 
 Black's, was to be about three times as large and as 
 elaborate as was necessary. But many are the paths to 
 the temple of Fame, and hard it is to climb by any of 
 them ! Mrs Black was chiefly emulous of a character 
 for her dinners, and probably laboured infinitely harder 
 to stuff a dozen dull bodies than the Author of Waverley 
 does to amuse the whole world. It was for this she 
 thought by night and toiled by day ; but, strange to 
 say, she had an enjoyment in it too, though, when that 
 was, it would have been difficult to determine ; for the 
 anticipation was care and fatigue — the reality was 
 ceremony and anxiety — the retrospect was disappoint- 
 ment and provocation. 
 
 Uncle Adam was the first of the guests who arrived, 
 and Miss St Clair was the only one of the family ready 
 to receive him. She was in the drawing-room when he 
 entered, and the habitual vinegar expression of his long 
 triangular visage relaxed into something like a smile at 
 sight of her — he even seated himself by her side, and 
 entered into conversation with a degree of complacency 
 very unusual wich him. 
 
 Emboldened by his good humour, Gertrude ventured 
 to admire a very fine camelia japonica, which, together 
 with a piece of his favourite southernwood, decorated 
 the breast of his coat. 
 
 " I ken naething aboot the things mysel," said he, 
 hastily tearing it out of the button-hole, as if ashamed 
 of wearing any thing to be admired — then, stuffing it 
 into her hand, " Ha'e, tak it, my dear — it cam' frae 
 that place up bye " — pointing in the direction of Broom 
 Park. — " I'm sure they need nae ha'e sent it to me. — 
 What ca' ye it ? " 
 
 Gertrude repeated the name. 
 
 " It's a senseless-like thing, without ony smell," — 
 applying the southernwood to his nose as he spoke ; — 
 "but I daresay there's plenty o' them, and I've nae use 
 
198 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 for them ; so you may gang up bye when you like, and 
 tak what you like." 
 
 Gertrude thanked him ; and as she adjusted the 
 japonica in her dress, the old garnet brooch, now her 
 only ornament, fell out, and in his gallantry the old man 
 stooped to pick it up. But no sooner had he taken it 
 in his hand than he uttered an exclamation of astonish- 
 ment, and, turning it over and over, examined it with 
 the deepest interest. 
 
 " Wha's aught this ? " inquired he. 
 
 " It is mine," replied Gertrude, in some surprise. 
 
 " Yours ! " repeated he ; " yours ! And whar did 
 ye get it ? tell me the truth, whar did ye get it ? " 
 
 " I got it from my nurse ; she gave it to me when 
 she was dying, and I have kept it for her sake." 
 
 " And did she no tell you whar she had got it ? " 
 
 " I think she said she had got it from her mother." 
 
 " From her mother ! It was ance my mother's, — 
 it was mine, and I gi'ed it to Lizzie wi' my ain hands 
 whan last we parted, and she promised to keep it till her 
 dying day — there's our initials " — pointing to the back 
 — " and the very year we parted." — Then, after a long 
 pause, " What was the name o' your nurse, and whar 
 did she come frae ? " 
 
 " Her own name was Marianne Lamotte — her 
 husband's Jacob Lewiston, and she came from America ; 
 her father was French ; but, I believe, her mother was 
 Scotch, for she used to sing me many an old Scotch 
 song, which she said she had learned from her." 
 
 " I canna mak it oot," said Mr Ramsay thoughtfully 
 — " but it disna signify ; though I could, it wadna bring 
 back life and time ; " and with a sigh he tendered the 
 brooch. 
 
 " Pray keep it," said Gertrude ; " it seems you have 
 a better right to it than I have. I valued it merely for 
 the sake of my nurse ; but it is a still dearer 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 1 99 
 
 memorial to you, and therefore I willingly part with 
 it." 
 
 " No, no," said he, rejecting the hand that offered it ; 
 " what wad I do wi't ? At your age, you may please 
 yoursel' wi' thae kind o' dead toys, but I'm ow'r auld 
 noo to ha'e ony enjoyment in sic thinks ; the young may 
 tak pleasure in thae romantic gewgaws ; ye like to look 
 back when ye ha'e nae far to cast your eye — but at 
 threescore and ten it's a dreigh sight to see the lang and 
 weary road we ha'e wandered. — No, no, there's nae 
 pleasure to the aged in sic mementoes ; they canna bring 
 back youthfu' days and youthfu' hearts, and they are the 
 only jewels o' life." 
 
 Gertrude could not urge it ; but, from a feeling of 
 delicacy towards her uncle's painful reminiscences, she 
 put aside the trinket, and resolved never again to wear it 
 in his presence. 
 
 It is rarely that feelings raised above the ordinary 
 pitch can be long indulged in this strange world, where 
 the most opposite emotions are constantly coming in 
 contact, and where the mind is for ever in a state of ebb 
 and flow. Mr Ramsay's nature had been softened, and 
 all its best ingredients called forth, at the sight of the 
 love-token of his early days, and the mournful associa- 
 tions which followed in its train ; but the gentler 
 current of his soul was speedily checked by the entrance 
 of various members of the family, as they came severally 
 dropping in fresh from their toilettes ; and last, if not 
 least, uncle Adam's antipathy, Miss Bell. 
 
 Squeezing herself on the little sofa between Miss St 
 Clair and him, she exclaimed, " What a beautiful flower 
 that is, cousin ! — where did you get it ? " 
 
 " Mr Ramsay was so good as to give it to me," 
 answered she. 
 
 " Indeed ! I suppose then it is from Broom Park, 
 uncle ? You have charming greenhouses there, I under- 
 
200 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Stand — that is what I regret so much at Thornbank. 
 You know the Major has taken that in the meantime ; 
 but I don't think it will answer, as there are no hot- 
 houses, and the Major has been accustomed to such 
 charming fruits in India, that I'm afraid he will miss 
 his pines sadly." 
 
 " I suppose there will be plenty o' gude neeps," said 
 Mr Ramsay ; " neeps like succur — he can take ane o' 
 them when he's dry." 
 
 Miss Bell reddened ; but, affecting not to hear, 
 returned to the charge. 
 
 " Thornbank is no great distance from Broom Park, 
 uncle ; quite an easy walk, I should think." 
 
 " I never measured it," was the laconic reply. 
 
 Finding it was not by way of Broom Park she was 
 likely to arrive at uncle Adam's pocket. Miss Bell now 
 went more directly to the point. 
 
 " Do you know, uncle, I could be almost jealous of 
 my cousin for having got that beautiful japonica from 
 you, while poor I have not so much as a single leaf 
 from you by way of keepsake." 
 
 Mr Ramsay, with a bow and a sardonic smile, here 
 presented her with the piece of southernwood he held 
 in his hand. 
 
 " Well, uncle, I assure you, I shall value this very 
 much, and lay it up with the rest of my wedding 
 presents — and, by-the-by, I have never showed you all 
 the fine things my kind friends have presented to 
 me. Good old Mrs Waddell of Waddell Mains has 
 presented me with a most beautiful antique silver 
 cup, which, it seems, was the Major's christening 
 bowl." 
 
 " It will be ancient enough then, nae doot," observed 
 uncle Adam. 
 
 " My excellent aunts have sent me a very handsome 
 teapot, and " 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 201 
 
 " A fool and his money's soon parted ; they had 
 very little to do to send ony such thing.'* 
 
 " Why surely, uncle, you know it is the custom, all 
 the world over, for persons in my situation to receive 
 presents, and " 
 
 " Miss Bell Black, I've seen something mair o' the 
 world than you've done ; and I can tell ye some o' 
 its customs that ye maybe dinna ken yet — in Russia, 
 for instance, the present to persons in your situation 
 is " 
 
 " O ! for Heaven's sake ! " — interrupted Miss Bell, 
 with an instinctive dread of the knout — "don't set up 
 these bears as models for us — the customs of our own 
 country ought surely to guide us on these occasions." 
 
 " It's a very senseless custom, in my opinion," said 
 Mr Ramsay. " It's like casting pearls before swine to 
 be lavishing presents on a woman that's at the very 
 pinnacle o' human happiness and grandeur — it's you 
 that should mak presents to puir single folk that ha'e 
 nae Major Waddells to set them up wi' Ingee shawls, 
 and carbuncles, and fans — and — oo, I can compare ye 
 to naething but a goddess the noo — let me see, which 
 o' them is't ? A Juno ? na, — I'm thinkin' it'll rather 
 be a Va'tnassJ'^ 
 
 Here uncle Adam was so tickled with his own jeu 
 de moty that he laughed till the tears ran down his 
 cheeks. The insult was too broad, even for Miss Bell, 
 who walked away in silent indignation ; then, recover- 
 ing himself, he pointed after her to Gertrude, and 
 said — 
 
 " That creature's folly's just like dust — drive it out 
 o' ae thing, and it just flees to anither." 
 
 Miss Black was the next of the party who arrived ; 
 and Gertrude, attracted by her mildness and good 
 sense, would fain have exchanged the gall and vinegar 
 of uncle Adam for her more pleasing converse. But 
 
202 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 the obstreperous mirth of the children, and the noisy 
 tattle of Bob and Davy, effectually precluded any inter- 
 change of speech beyond the ordinary salutations of 
 meeting. 
 
 The Fairbairn family (including the Major) were 
 now waited for with outward impatience by Mr Black, 
 with inward anxiety by Mrs Black ; — Mr Black openly 
 avowed his hunger — Mrs Black vainly endeavoured to 
 disguise her apprehensions that the beef would be 
 roasted to a cinder (a thing Mr Black could not en- 
 dure) — and that the rice (which the Major was so 
 particular about) would be all in a lump, instead of 
 being — as well-boiled rice ought to be — each and every 
 particular grain separate by itself. All this, and much 
 more, poor Mrs Black revolved in her own mind, as 
 she sat, like a second Mrs Blue Beard, ever and anon 
 calling to the children to look out, and see if they saw 
 any body coming. 
 
 At length the Fairbairn coach was descried, and 
 loudly proclaimed. The bell was rung — the dinner 
 was ordered. Bob and Davy were ordered out of 
 two arm-chairs they had taken possession of. Mrs 
 Black smoothed her gown, and put on a ceremonious 
 face ; while Mr Black hastened to the door to be 
 ready to receive Mrs Fairbairn with due respect. But 
 no Mrs Fairbairn was there — in her stead, however, 
 was Miss Becky Duguid, her cousin ; and the cause of 
 Mrs Fairbairn's absence was accounted for by reason of 
 poor little Charlotte having been very cross all day, and 
 her mamma thinking there was a tooth coming ; and 
 she would not leave her mamma, and her mamma could 
 not leave her, &c. &c. &c. All this was duly set forth 
 by Mr Fairbairn on one hand, while Miss Becky was 
 making her own personal apologies on the other. She 
 was really such a figure, she was quite ashamed to 
 appear ; but she had no idea of coming, for it had been 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 203 
 
 all settled that she was to stay with Charlotte while 
 Mrs Fairbairn was away ; and at one time Charlotte 
 had agreed to let her mamma go, and her mamma had 
 dressed herself, and was all ready to set out ; and then 
 she took a crying fit when the carriage was at the door, 
 and so her mamma was obliged to give up the point, 
 and stay at home ; and then Mr Fairbairn had insisted 
 on her coming in Mrs Fairbairn's place just as she was. 
 Miss Becky's apologies were of course met with pro- 
 testations that there was no occasion for any — that she 
 was perfectly well-dressed — that it was merely a family 
 dinner — an easy party — none but friends, and so forth. 
 But, to tell the truth. Miss Becky's dress did require 
 an apology ; for the marks of children's fingers were 
 upon her gown — her cap looked as if it had been sat 
 upon, and her shawl even bore symptoms of having 
 served to play at bo-peep ! In short. Miss Becky had 
 the tout ensemble of a poor elderly maiden aunt ; and 
 such, indeed, was her history and character, as it is, 
 alas ! of many others ; but a slight sketch may serve to 
 describe the genus, and give a tolerably faithful picture 
 of Aunt'imony. 
 
 Cl)apter t%t^ 
 
 How happy is the blameless vestal's lot ! 
 
 Pope. 
 
 MISS BETTY DUGUID, as a single woman, 
 had vainly expected to escape the cares and 
 anxieties of the married state. She had heard 
 and seen much of the indifference or the ill humour of 
 husbands — of the troubles and vexations of children — 
 and she thought from these evils I am at least free ; — I 
 can go where I Hke, do what I like, and live as I like. 
 But poor Miss Becky soon found her mistake. Brothers 
 
204 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 and sisters married ; — nephews and nieces sprung up on 
 all hands, each and all expecting to be distinguished by 
 aunt Becky's bounty, while every parent levied the 
 most unconscionable taxes upon her time and capabilities. 
 
 " Aunt Becky will give me this," said one ; " you 
 know she has no use for money." 
 
 " Aunt Becky will do that," said another ; " for she 
 has always plenty of time." 
 
 " Aunt Becky will go there," cried a third ; " she 
 likes a long walk." 
 
 But even the labours imposed upon her by her own 
 relations were nothing compared to the constant demands 
 made upon her by the world in general, — i.e. by the 
 whole circle of her acquaintances ; — all under the idea 
 that, as a single woman, she could have nothing to do 
 but oblige her friends. When in town, her life was 
 devoted to executing commissions from the country — 
 inquiring the character of servants — hiring governesses 
 and grooms — finding situations for wet nurses — getting 
 patterns of pelisse cloths from every shop in town — 
 trying to get old silks matched with new — gowns made 
 — gauzes dyed — feathers cleaned — fans mended, parcels 
 booked, &c. &c. The letters always beginning, " As I 
 know you do not grudge your trouble, and will be 
 walking about at any rate, 1 must beg the favour, when 
 you are quite at leisure," and so and so ; and ending 
 with, " As I find I am really in want of the things, and 
 the carrier leaves town on Thursday, I trust you will 
 contrive to have every thing ready by that time." But 
 one of the letters, dropped by Miss Becky in the course 
 of her perambulations, will best illustrate this part of her 
 personal narrative. 
 
 " My dear Miss Becky, 
 " I take this opportunity of letting you know "we are 
 all tolerably well at present, and trust you continue to 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 205 
 
 enjoy your usual good health. I return the tea you 
 sent last, as we all think it very inferior to that you sent 
 formerly ; and as there has been rather a fall upon the 
 price of teas, there can be no reason for such a falling 
 off in the quality ; and unless Candytuft can give some- 
 thing very superior at the same price, I would just 
 return it, and try some other shop, and have nothing 
 more to do with Candytuft. Eliza and Jane, with their 
 best love, take this opportunity of sending in their old 
 black velvet pelisses, which they wish you to consult 
 Yellowlys the dyer about ; they have been told that 
 black velvet can be dyed either grass green or bright 
 crimson ; and if Yellowlys can 'warrant their standing, 
 they would prefer having them done a good rich crimson ; 
 but if not, they must just put up with a full green, as 
 much on the grass and off the bottle as possible. 
 
 " I am sorry to tell you your protege, Jenny Snod- 
 grass, has turned out very ill. I find her lazy and idle, 
 dirty, disobliging, and insolent, and not at all the person 
 I was led to expect from your character of her. I 
 must, therefore, trouble you to be on the look-out for 
 another. You know it is not much I require of my 
 servants ; but there are some things it is impossible to 
 dispense with, and which I must make a point of. Of 
 course, she must be perfectly sober, honest, conscientious, 
 and trustworthy, and, in every respect, unexceptionable 
 in her morals. She must be stout, active, cleanly, civil, 
 obliging, quiet, orderly, good-tempered, neat-handed, 
 and particularly tidy in her person. All that I require 
 of her is to be an excellent worker at her needle, a 
 thorough washer and ironer, and a generally useful and 
 accommodating servant. For such a servant I shall not 
 grudge fifty shillings for the first half year (tea included) ; 
 and, if she gives perfect satisfaction in every respect, I 
 shall not stand with her for ten shillings more for the 
 next term. Margaret sends her affectionate remem- 
 
2o6 THE INHERITANCE, 
 
 brance, and, when you are at leisure, requests you will 
 order a pair of stays for her from Brisbane's as soon as 
 possible, as she is in great want. She sends a pair of 
 old ones for a pattern, but they don't fit ; you must tell 
 him they are both too tight and too short, and the 
 shoulder-straps too narroiv by a full straw-breadth. 
 The old busk, she thinks, may do ; or, if it should be 
 too short, perhaps you may be able to get it exchanged 
 for one longer. As Flint the gun-smith's is no great 
 distance from Brisbane's, John would be much obliged 
 to you when you are there, if you would step to him, 
 and tell him that he is going to send his gun to have 
 the lock mended, and to be sure to have it done in the 
 most complete manner, and as soon as he possibly can, 
 as the shooting season is coming on. When done, he 
 may send it to you, with a couple of pounds of gun- 
 powder, and a bag of small shot. No. 5. As the holiday 
 time is coming on, we may look for the boys some of 
 these days ; and (if it is not putting you to any incon- 
 venience), as the coach stops, you know, at the Blue 
 Boar, perhaps you will have the goodness to have your 
 Nanny waiting at the office for them ; and if you can 
 manage to keep them till Monday, it will be adding to 
 the favour ; but they will require constant watching, as 
 you know what romps they are, and, for any sake, con- 
 trive to keep them out of the way of the gunpowder. I 
 do not expect to be confined before the 29th at soonest ; 
 so if you can manage to come to us betwixt and the 
 20th, it will be very agreeable to us all, I assure you. 
 I was in hopes I should not have had any more to 
 trouble you with at present ; but upon hearing that 1 was 
 writing to you, Tom begs me to say that he wishes very 
 much to get some good fly-hooks for trout-fishing, four 
 red cock's hacklebody, four black green plover's tuft, 
 with a light starling's wing body, and four brown wood- 
 cock's wing, and hare's-foot body. I hope you will be 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 207 
 
 able to read this, as I assure you it has cost me some 
 labour to turite it from Tom's diction. He desires me 
 to add, you will get them best at Phin's, fishing-rod 
 maker, at the east end of the High Street^ ^fih door up 
 the second stair on the /eft hand ; you will easily find it, 
 as there is a large pasteboard trout hanging from the end 
 of a fishing-rod for a sign. He also wants a pirn of fish- 
 ing-line, and a few good stout long-shanked ^<3/V-hooks. 
 If you happen to see your friend Miss Aiken, you may 
 tell her the turban you ordered for me is the very same 
 of one she made for me tivo years ago, and which I 
 never liked. I have only worn it once, or twice at most ; 
 so, perhaps, she will have no objections to take it back, 
 and make me a neat fashionable cap instead. I am afraid 
 you will think us very troublesome, but I know you do 
 not grudge a little trouble to oblige your friends. Mr 
 Goodwilly and the young people unite with me in best 
 wishes ; and I remain, my dear Miss Duguid, 
 " Yours most sincerely, 
 
 "Grace Goodwilly. 
 
 " P.S. — Eliza and Jane beg you will send them some 
 patterns of summer silks, neither too light nor too dark, 
 both Jigured and plain, with the different tuidths and 
 prices ; and also that you would inquire what is the 
 lowest price of the handsomest ostrich feathers that can 
 be ,had;; and if you happen to see any very pretty 
 wreaths, you might price them at the same time, as they 
 are divided between feathers and flowers : those you 
 sent from Trashbag's were quite soiled, and looked as if 
 they had been worn. Mr Goodwilly takes this oppor- 
 tunity of sending in a couple of razors, which he begs 
 you will send to Steele the cutler's, at the back of the 
 Old Kirk Stile, to be sharpened immediately, as these 
 are things he cannot want. Margaret bids me tell you 
 to desire Brisbane not to put magic laces to her stays, 
 
2o8 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 and to be sure that the stitching is stout andjfrw. Any 
 day that you happen to be passing Seaton the saddler's, 
 Mr Goodwilly begs you will have the goodness to in- 
 quire what would be the loiuest price of new-stuffing the 
 side-saddles, and new-lackering the carriage harness. I 
 think it as well to send in my turban, that you may try 
 Miss Aiken ; and I shall think her extremely disobliging 
 if she refuses to take it back, as it will be money thrown 
 into thejire if she does not, for it shall never go upon 
 my head. 
 
 " Yours with much regard, 
 
 *^ G. G. 
 
 " P.S. — I find it will be necessary to send Jemima 
 in to Bain the dentist, to get some of her teeth taken out, 
 as her mouth is getting very croavded. I would take 
 her myself, but cannot stand these things ; so must beg 
 the favour of you to go with her, and see it done. I 
 fear it will be a sad business, poor soul ! as there are at 
 least three that must come out, and great tusks they are ! 
 Of course, it is not every one I would trust her with 
 for such an operation ; but I know I can rely upon your 
 doing every thing that can be done. If Miss Aiken 
 agrees to exchange the turban for a cap (as I have no 
 doubt she will), be so good as tell her to keep it rather 
 more on the forehead, and not quite so much off the 
 ears, as the last one she made for me — which I never 
 liked. Will you ask that good-for-nothing creature. 
 Heelpiece, if the children's shoes are ever to be sent 
 home ? 
 
 " Yours, in haste." 
 
 Sometimes Miss Becky betook herself to the country ; 
 but though she often found retirement, there was seldom 
 rest. Whenever a gay husband was leaving home, Miss 
 Becky was in requisition to keep his dull sickly wife 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 20g 
 
 company in his absence — or, vice versa, when a young 
 wife wished to amuse herself abroad, " that good 
 creature, Becky Duguid," was sent for, to play back- 
 gammon with her old ill-natured husband ; and when 
 both man and wife were leaving home, then Becky 
 Duguid was called upon to nurse the children and 
 manage the servants in their absence. Invitations 
 abounded, but all to disagreeable scenes or dull parties. 
 She was expected to attend all accouchementSy christen- 
 ings, deaths, chestings, and burials ; but she was seldom 
 asked to a marriage, and never to any party of pleasure. 
 " O, Miss Becky doesn't care for these things ; she 
 would like better to come to us when we're in a quiet 
 way by ourselves," was always the come off. " I don't 
 know what the cares of the married life are," Miss 
 Becky would sometimes say, and oftener think ; " but 
 I'm sure I know what the troubles of the single state 
 are to a stout, healthy, easy-tempered woman like me. — 
 What is it to be the wife of one crabbed old man, to 
 having to divert all the crabbed old men in the country ? 
 And what is it to be the mother of one family of 
 children, to having to look after the children of all my 
 relations and acquaintances ? " 
 
 But Miss Becky's reflections (Hke most people's 
 reflections) came too late to benefit herself. She was 
 completely involved in the toils of celibacy before she 
 was at all aware of her danger, and vain now would have 
 been the attempt to extricate herself. Such was Miss 
 Becky Duguid, — walking in the vain show of liberty, 
 but, in reality, fettered hand and foot by all the tender 
 charities of life. As such, it may be guessed, she formed 
 no very brilliant addition to the Bellevue party. In- 
 deed, such is the force of habit, she now felt quite out 
 of her element when seated at her ease, without any 
 immediate call on her time and attention ; for even her 
 little doings carried their sense of importance along with 
 
 I. o 
 
2IO THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 them ; and, perhaps, Mrs Fry never felt more inward 
 satisfaction at the turning of a soul from darkness to 
 light, than did poor Miss Becky when she had triumph- 
 antly despatched a box full of ivell-executed com- 
 missions. 
 
 Dinner passed off uncommonly well — every thing 
 was excellent. Uncle Adam behaved with tolerable 
 civility — the Major's black servant did wonders — the 
 room was hot — the party was large — the dishes were 
 savoury — the atmosphere was one ambrosial cloud of 
 mingled steams — the ladies' complexions got high ; — 
 but, at length, toasts having gone round, the signal was 
 made, and all was over ! 
 
 Busk ye, busk ye, my bonny bride, 
 Busk ye, busk ye, my winsome marrow ; 
 Busk ye, busk ye, my bonny bride, 
 And let us to the Braes of Yarrow. 
 
 There will we sport and gather dew, 
 Dancing while lav'rocks sing in the morning ; 
 There learn frae turtles to prove true ; 
 O ! Bell, ne'er vex me with thy scorning ! 
 
 Allan Ramsay. 
 
 T) RIGHT shone the morning of Miss Bell's 
 nuptials, and all things looked auspicious. The 
 collation stood ready; for Mrs Black, like 
 Lady Capulet on a similar though less happy occasion, 
 had been astir from the second crowing of the cock. 
 
 The guests were assembled — the clergyman had 
 arrived — the family were all in full dress, — the Major, 
 in his cat's-eye brooch and London coat (the envy of 
 Bob and Davy), looked the gay bridegroom from top 
 
 b 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 211 
 
 to toe. Nothing was wanting but the beauteous bride ; 
 and, at the proper moment, decked in India muslin — a 
 full-dressed head, done up with a profusion of beads, 
 and braids, and bands, and bows — a pocket-handkerchief 
 at her face, — Miss Bell was led in. 
 
 The solemnity deepened — the clergyman cleared his 
 voice — the children were admonished by a reproving 
 look that it was time to put on their grave faces — the 
 clatter of Bob and Davy was hushed, and all the little 
 disjointed groups were broken up ; till at length the 
 whole company was regularly formed into one large, 
 formal, silent, solemn circle. Miss Bell was now on 
 the verge of becoming Mrs Major Waddell — a meta- 
 morphosis which could not be expected to take place 
 without some commotion. 
 
 Persons of fine feelings naturally shed tears upon these 
 momentous occasions, and persons of ordinary feelings 
 think they ought to do so too. In short, the thing is 
 always done, or appears to be done, and not to be out- 
 done — Miss Bell sobbed aloud, and had even the 
 vulgarity to blow her nose — although, as Bob and Davy 
 afterwards declared, that was all in the eye. 
 
 Dr Johnson has remarked of the Episcopal marriage 
 service, that it is too refined — that it is calculated only 
 for the best kind of marriages — whereas there ought to 
 be a form for matches of an inferior description, pro- 
 bably such as that which now took place between 
 Major Andrew Waddell and Miss Isabella Black. 
 That objection certainly does not apply to the Presby- 
 terian form, which depends entirely upon the officiating 
 clergyman ; and, accordingly, is susceptible of all the 
 varieties of which the mind and manners of man are 
 capable — from the holy meekness and simplicity of the 
 evangelical pastor, to the humdrum slipshod exhortations 
 of the lukewarm minister, or the dull dogmas of the 
 worldly-wise doctor. It was a person of the latter 
 
212 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 description who now performed the ceremony in a 
 manner which even Dr Johnson would scarcely have 
 deemed too good for the parties. 
 
 Mrs Major Waddell having received the congratula- 
 tions of the company, withdrew, according to etiquette, 
 to change her nuptial robe for a travelling habit, and 
 speedily re-entered, arrayed in a navy-blue riding habit 
 (the Major's favourite colour), allowed to sit uncom- 
 monly well — a black beaver hat and feathers — yellow 
 boots — gold watch, and brooch containing the Major's 
 hair set round with pearls. Altogether, Mrs Major 
 Waddell looked remarkably well, and bore her new 
 honours with a happy mixture of dignity and affability. 
 
 The company were now conducted to the banquet, 
 which, though neither breakfast, dinner, nor supper, was 
 a happy combination of all. There was, of course, 
 much cutting, and carving, and helping, and asking, and 
 refusing, and even some pressing, and Will the footboy 
 broke a decanter, and Black Cassar spilt a very elaborate 
 trifle ; but, upon the whole, every thing went on pros- 
 perously. Mrs St Clair took care to seat herself by 
 the Major ; and, aware that when people are very 
 happy, they are commonly very weak, she seized her 
 opportunity, and easily cajoled him out of his vote. 
 
 And now the trampling of steeds and crush of 
 wheels announced the bridal equipage ; and the Major, 
 his lady, and Miss Lilly, who was to accompany them, 
 prepared to depart. The lady, according to custom, 
 was hurried, or appeared to be hurried, into the smart 
 carriage-and-four that awaited her. Miss Lilly followed; 
 but as she took leave of Miss St Clair, she whispered, 
 " I should like very much to correspond with you, 
 
 if " but here Lilly was dragged away by her 
 
 father, with a reproof for keeping the young people 
 waiting. The happy party were now seated — the 
 door was shut — the smiles, and bows, and kissing of 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 21 3 
 
 hands were renewed — the Major's black servant skipped 
 on the dicky — " Go on " was pronounced — the drivers 
 cracked their whips — the carriage set off with a bound, 
 and was soon rattling through the streets of Bamford, 
 where many a gazing eye and outstretched neck hailed 
 it as it passed. 
 
 A great philosopher has asserted, that, " upon all 
 such joyous occasions, our satisfaction, though not so 
 durable, is often as lively as that of the persons prin- 
 cipally concerned;" but, upon the present occasion, 
 there certainly was little sympathy in Mrs Major 
 Waddell's feelings and those of her friends and 
 acquaintances. While she rolled on, supremely blest, 
 they solaced themselves with commiserating her hapless 
 fate. " Quite a mercenary marriage — poor thing — a 
 sad sacrifice — a man old enough to be her grandfather 
 — has met with seventeen refusals — fortune come in 
 of the telling — liver like a plum-pudding — false teeth 
 — dreadful temper," &c. &c., were buzzed from one end 
 of the town to the other ; but, happily, none of their 
 stings penetrated the ear of the bride, who sat in all the 
 bliss of pompous ignorance. 
 
 Though births, marriages, and deaths occur every 
 day, still they continue to excite an interest beyond the 
 ordinary events of life. The former and the latter, 
 indeed, though apparently more important occurrences, 
 certainly do not engage the attention or occupy the 
 minds of the great mass of mankind (or, at least, of 
 womankind) so much as the less solemn act of mar- 
 riage. Whether these being performed without our 
 own consent asked or obtained afford less scope for 
 animadversion, or that marriage is a state in which all 
 are inclined to sympathize — the married from fellow- 
 feeling — the single from feelings which the moralist or 
 the metaphysician may declare, but which it is no part of 
 my business to investigate, — I shall, therefore, leave the 
 
214 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 point to be discussed by those who are more com- 
 petent, and return to the company. 
 
 It is no easy matter for a party in full dress to pass 
 away the morning when the business for which they 
 assembled is over ; and where there is nothing to gratify 
 any one of the five senses, it is then people feel, in their 
 fullest extent, the pains and penalties of idleness. As 
 soon as their respective carriages drew up, the guests, 
 therefore, dropt off; and, as the last of them wheeled 
 out of sight, Mrs Black thanked her stars she had 
 seen all their backs. 
 
 Cbapter %mU 
 
 Thou wilt be like a lover presently, 
 
 And tire the hearer with a book of words. 
 
 Muck Ado about Nothing. 
 
 IT was with pleasure Gertrude hailed the stately 
 turrets of Rossville, as she beheld them rising 
 above the rich masses of wood which surrounded 
 them — and again her heart bounded with delight as 
 she thought ** All this will one day be mine — mine to 
 
 bestow " 
 
 She did not finish the sentence even to herself, 
 but the image of Colonel Delmour rose to her view ; 
 and she felt that even the brilliant destiny that awaited 
 her would be poor and joyless, unless he were to par- 
 take of it. On alighting, Mrs St Clair hastened to 
 Lord Rossville to report to him the success of her 
 canvass ; and Gertrude soon found herself, she knew 
 not how, strolling by the banks of the river with Colonel 
 Delmour by her side. 
 
 It is universally allowed that though nothing can be 
 more interesting in itself than the conversation of two 
 
\W/ 
 
 yrt/i^^^ .^^ L5i^'^^97tti/ ^-^/^ri^^g^t^ <z/^^-e^ yi^^i^ t4^y/^ 
 

 UNlVEHb; 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 215 
 
 lovers, yet nothing can be more insipid in detail — just 
 as the heavenly fragrance of the rose becomes vapid 
 and sickly under all the attempts made to retain and em- 
 body its exquisite odour. Colonel Delmour certainly 
 was in love — as much so as it was in his nature to be ; 
 but, as has been truly said, how many noxious ingred- 
 ients enter into the composition of what is sometimes 
 called love ! Pride — vanity — ambition — self-interest, 
 all these had their share in the admiration which Colonel 
 Delmour accorded to the beauties and the graces of 
 Miss St Clair. In any situation of Kfe, his taste would 
 have led him to admire her — but it was only as the 
 heiress of Rossville his pride would have permitted 
 him to have loved her. But he was aware of the 
 obstacles that stood in the way of his wishes, and 
 deemed it most prudent not to oppose himself openly to 
 them at present. 
 
 He was conscious of the odium he would incur, 
 were he to enter the lists as the rival of his brother ; 
 knowing, as he had all along done, that that brother 
 was the destined husband of the heiress of Rossville. 
 His aim, therefore, was to secure her affections in a 
 clandestine manner — leaving it to his brother to make 
 his proposals openly ; and when they had been rejected, 
 he would then come forward and prefer his suit. This 
 manauvre^ would, to be sure, expose Gertrude to the 
 whole weight of her uncle's displeasure, and, probably, 
 bring much persecution upon her ; but with a character 
 such as hers, that would only tend to strengthen her 
 attachment, and Colonel Delmour was too selfish to 
 prize the happiness, even of the woman he loved, 
 beyond his own ; or, rather, like many others of the 
 same nature, he wished that her happiness should be 
 of a reflected nature, emanating solely from himself. 
 Having bewailed the necessity he was under of leaving 
 Rossville the following day, he then gave way to the 
 
2l6 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 most vehement expressions of despair at the thoughts of 
 leaving one a thousand times dearer to him than life ; 
 and that, too, without the only solace that could soften 
 the anguish of separation, — the belief that his feelings 
 were understood — the hope that they might one day be 
 mutual. 
 
 Gertrude remained silent — but there was a deep 
 struggle in her breast : her mother's prejudice — her 
 uncle's plans — made her feel the dangers and diffi- 
 culties of their attachment, while they, at the same 
 time, served to heighten it. Colonel Delmour saw 
 what was passing in her mind, and that he must now 
 bring the matter to a decision. 
 
 With all the impassioned sophistry of which he was 
 master, he contrived to draw from Gertrude an indirect 
 acknowledgment that he was not indifferent to her, and 
 he then urged the necessity there was for carefully con- 
 cealing their attachment for the present. 
 
 " Can this be right ? " thought Gertrude — and her 
 conscience told her — no ; but, averse as she was to 
 every species of dissimulation and deceit, she was equally 
 a stranger to the meanness of suspicion, and to suspect 
 the man she loved was not in her nature — love and 
 suspicion were the very antipodes of her mind. She 
 therefore quickly banished the slight doubt that had 
 arisen, though she could not so easily reconcile to her- 
 self the idea that she was acting a clandestine part in 
 thus deceiving by not disclosing to her mother what 
 had passed. But Colonel Delmour besought her with 
 so much earnestness to withhold the communication for 
 the present, and she dreaded so much to encounter her 
 mother's violence and prejudice, that perhaps, on the 
 whole, she was not sorry for an excuse to indulge 
 undisturbed yet awhile in " Love's young dream.'* 
 Had Mrs St Clair ever been the friend of her daughter, 
 Gertrude would not have acted thus ; for her nature was 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 217 
 
 open and ingenuous, and she would have disdained 
 every species of concealment and duplicity. But the 
 whirlwind and the tempest are not more baleful in their 
 effects on the material world, than tyranny and violence 
 are destructive of all the finer qualities of the mind 
 with which they come in contact. They must either 
 irritate or deaden all those free-born affections of the 
 soul, which, like the first vernal shoots, possess a charm 
 in their freshness alone which art and culture would in 
 vain seek to impart. 
 
 When the lovers reached the castle, it was within a 
 few minutes of the dinner hour ; and Gertrude f^ew to 
 her room, where she found her mother waiting for her. 
 
 " Where have you been, child ? " cried she, in no 
 very complacent tone. " Lord Rossville has been 
 asking for you at least a dozen times, and no one could 
 give any account of you." 
 
 " I have been walking by the river, mamma," replied 
 her daughter, in some confusion. 
 
 " I wish you would leave off those idle rambles of 
 yours. — I am quite of the Earl's opinion, that the less 
 young ladies indulge in solitary rambles the better." 
 
 " Mamma, I was not — alone," Gertrude would have 
 added, though in some little trepidation, but Mrs St 
 Clair interrupted her. 
 
 " Come — come, there is no time to waste in ex- 
 cuses — you will be late as it is, so make haste — 
 you ought to have remembered there was to be com- 
 pany here to-day, to whom Lord Rossville wished 
 to present you in due pomp — perhaps to serve 
 some little political purpose ; but no matter — he is a 
 generous noble-minded man, in spite of his little 
 peculiarities. He was anxious to have seen you to-day 
 for two purposes, which I am commissioned to fulfil ; 
 the first is, that you are to bestow your attention 
 exclusively upon Mr Delmour ; the next is, to decorate 
 
2l8 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 you with a splendid gift for the occasion — luckily you 
 are in looks to do credit to my work — see, here is 
 what your kind generous uncle presents you with ; " 
 and opening a jewel-case, she displayed a set of costly 
 pearls. A pang shot through Gertrude's heart, as she 
 thought, " Would he have bestowed these upon me, if 
 he had known that I am acting in opposition to iiis 
 wishes ? — Oh ! why am I compelled thus to play the 
 hypocrite ? " And she sighed, and shrunk back, as 
 her mother would have decked her in oriental magni- 
 ficence. Mrs St Clair looked at her with astonishment. 
 
 " What is the matter, Gertrude ? — this is a strange 
 time to sigh, when adorning with jewels which even 
 the future Countess of Rossville might be proud to 
 wear." 
 
 Gertrude passively extended her arm to have the 
 costly bracelets clasped on it ; but Mrs St Clair knew 
 not that to those who had just been plighting hearts 
 even Golconda's mines would have seemed poor and 
 dim — at that moment Gertrude felt that wealth and 
 honours were but as " painted clay." 
 
 Is there place to write above one lover's name, 
 With honour in her heart ? Old Flay. 
 
 MEANWHILE the carriages were beginning to 
 draw up in rapid succession ; and Lord Ross- 
 ville, though fretting inwardly at his niece's 
 delay, yet received the company with much outward 
 serenity. He felt that he was master of his own person 
 and manners, and all the dignity and urbanity for which 
 he flattered himself he was so celebrated had now full 
 scope in the absence of Miss Pratt. His step was 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 219 
 
 firmer — his chest was broader — his nose was higher — 
 his language was finer — his sentences were longer — his 
 periods were rounder — in short, *' Richard was him- 
 self again." 
 
 Already he had uttered many sensible, and even some 
 witty sayings, to such of his guests as had arrived ; 
 while his mind was busy concocting a pun to be applied 
 to Sir Peter Wellwood, when he should appear. But, 
 alas ! for the insecurity of the best-laid schemes of 
 human wisdom ! Sir Peter and Lady Wellwood were 
 announced ; and — horror of horrors ! who should enter 
 with them but Miss Pratt ! Who can paint the Earl 
 as he stood, " pierced with severe amazement " ? Not 
 Celadon, when he beheld his Amelia struck a blackened 
 corse, gazed with more marble aspect than did his lord- 
 ship at sight of the breathing form of Miss Pratt. The 
 half-formed pun died on his lips — a faint and indis- 
 tinct notion of it floated through his bewildered brain ; 
 it was to have been something about a well and a wood, 
 or a wood and a well ; but the Earl's wits were in a 
 wood, and he could certainly have wished Miss Pratt 
 in a well. In vain did he even attempt to say some- 
 thing of welcome ; — the words clove to the roof of his 
 mouth, and his looks did not make up for the deficien- 
 cies of his tongue. But Miss Pratt had not been looked 
 at for fifty years to be disconcerted, at that time of life, 
 by the looks of any man living, and she therefore 
 accosted him in her usual manner. 
 
 " Well, my lord, you see I've been better than my 
 word ; I dare say you didn't think of seeing me to- 
 day, and, to tell you the truth, I didn't think of it my- 
 self; but Sir Peter and Lady Wellwood happened to 
 call, en passant^ at Lady M'Caw's, and as they were so 
 good as oflTer me a seat in their carriage, I thought I 
 couldn't do better than just come and make out the 
 rest of my \dsit to you. — How goes it. Lady Betty ? — 
 
220 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Fm delighted to see you, Lady Millbank, — Lady 
 Restall, Fm enchanted ! " &c. &c. &c. ; and in a 
 moment Miss Pratt was buzzing all round the room. 
 
 At sound of the gong, Mrs St Clair had hastily put 
 the last finish to her daughter's dress, and hurried her 
 to the drawing-room. As they entered all eyes were 
 turned towards them. Lord Rossville was struck with 
 the surpassing beauty of his niece ; and attributing it 
 entirely to the effect of his pearls, he advanced from the 
 circle in which he was standing, and taking her hand 
 with an air of gratified pride, led her towards the com- 
 pany. He was in the act of presenting her to a 
 dowager-marchioness, for whom he entertained a high 
 veneration, when, at that moment, Mr Lyndsay entered 
 from the opposite side of the room. Their eyes met 
 for the first time since that eventful midnight scene in 
 the wood — a slight suffusion crossed his face ; but in 
 an instant the colour mounted to her veiy temples, and 
 in answer to the Marchioness's introductory remarks, 
 she stammered out she knew not what. The con- 
 sciousness of her confusion only served to increase it — 
 she was aware that the eyes of the company were upon 
 her ; but she felt only the influence of Colonel Del- 
 mour's. 
 
 Lord Rossville, attributing his niece's embarrassment 
 solely to awe and respect for himself and his guests, 
 was beginning to re-assure and encourage her in a 
 manner to increase her confusion tenfold, when fortun- 
 ately dinner was announced. Amid the usual bustle of 
 fixing the order of procession, with all the accompany- 
 ing ceremonies necessary to be observed in walking from 
 one room to another, Gertrude was recovering her 
 presence of mind, when, as Miss Pratt passed, leaning 
 on the arm of her ally. Sir Peter, she whispered, 
 " Aye ! these are pearls of great price, indeed ! So, 
 so — somebody has come good speed. Love, like light, 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 221 
 
 will not hide, — ah, ha ! " and with an intolerable tap 
 
 of her fan, and a significant chuckle, on she pattered, 
 while again Gertrude's cheeks were died with blushes. 
 At that moment Colonel Delmour, who had heard 
 Miss Pratt's remarks, accidentally trod upon her gown, 
 in such a manner as almost to tear away the skirt from 
 the body. 
 
 " Was there ever the like of this ? " cried she, 
 reddening with anger. "My good Plowman's gauze! 
 Colonel Delmour, do you see what you've done ? " 
 But Colonel Delmour, without deigning to take the 
 least notice of the injury he had inflicted, passed on to 
 offer his arm to one of the Miss Millbanks. 
 
 Miss Pratt's only solace, therefore, was the sympathy 
 of Sir Peter, to whom she detailed all the mischief 
 Colonel Delmour had done her, first and last, conclud- 
 ing with a remark, which, though in an affected whisper, 
 was intended to reach his ear — that, indeed, it was no 
 wonder he came such bad speed at the courting — she 
 had need to be both a bold woman and a rich one who 
 would choose such a rough wooer. This disaster, 
 however, had the effect of a quietus upon Miss Pratt 
 for some time ; and Lord Rossville got leave to expand 
 to his utmost dimensions, unchecked by any interrup- 
 tions from her. 
 
 None of the company, now assembled, seemed to 
 have any particular part to play in the great drama of 
 life ; they were all commonplace, well-bred, eating- 
 and-drinking elderly lords and ladies, or well-dressed, 
 talking, smiling, flirting masters and misses. Gertrude 
 was, as usual, appropriated by Mr Delmour, who paid 
 her much attention, and some very pretty compliments, 
 in a gentlemanly but somewhat business-like manner. 
 Colonel Delmour sat, on the other hand, silent, thought- 
 ful, and displeased, neglecting even the common atten- 
 tions which politeness required. 
 
22 2 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Mr Lyndsay was on the opposite side of the table ; 
 and upon his asking Miss St Clair to drink wine with 
 him, Colonel Delmour turned his eye quickly upon her, 
 and again a deep blush mantled her cheeks, — something, 
 perhaps, of wounded pride at the suspicion implied in 
 his glance, or it may be of that shame natural to the 
 ingenuous mind at the sense of mystery and conceal- 
 ment. Whatever its cause, its effect was sufficiently 
 visible on Colonel Delmour ; he turned pale with sup- 
 pressed anger — bit his lip — nor addressed a single word 
 to her during the whole of dinner. 
 
 There is only this difference between a summer and a 
 winter party, that in winter the company form into one 
 large cluster round the fire, and in summer they fall into 
 little detached groups, and are scattered all over the 
 apartment. Upon entering the drawing-room, Gertrude 
 had unconsciously seated herself apart from every body 
 at an open window, where she thought she was con- 
 templating the beams of the setting sun as they glowed 
 upon the hills, and glittered through the rich green foli- 
 age of some intervening elms. But, in fact, she was 
 ruminating on the various occurrences of the day, and 
 the awkward predicament in which she found herself 
 placed with Mr Lyndsay. 
 
 She was roused from her reverie by some one putting 
 their hands before her eyes ; and presently the dreaded 
 accents of Pratt smote her ear, as she struck up, " As 
 pensive I thought of my love, eh ? " Then, drawing in 
 a chair, she seated herself close by Miss St Clair ; and 
 taking her hand with an air of friendly sympathy and 
 perfect security, she began — 
 
 " I'm sure it must be a relief to you to have got away 
 from the dinner-table to-day. I really felt for you, for 
 I know by experience what my gentleman is, when he 
 is in his tantrams ; did you see how he was like to tear 
 me in pieces to-day for nothing but because I happened 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 223 
 
 to see how the land lay between a certain person and 
 you ? Just look at my good Plowman's gauze," turning 
 round. ** I assure you, my dear, I was very much afraid, 
 at one time, that you would have been taken in by him ; 
 for I saw that he made a dead set at you from the first, 
 and he can be very agreeable when he chooses ; but, 
 take my word for it, he's a very impertinent, ill-bred, 
 ill-tempered man, for all that." 
 
 Colouring with confusion and indignation, Gertrude 
 had sat silently enduring the obloquy lavished on her 
 lover, from utter inability to interrupt her ; but at this 
 climax she made a movement to extricate herself, which, 
 however, was in vain. 
 
 Miss Pratt again seized the hand which had been 
 withdrawn, and with a significant squeeze, resumed — 
 " You needn't be afraid of me, my dear, — your secret's 
 safe with me ; and to tell you the truth, I've suspected 
 the thing for some time. I only wish you had looked 
 about you a little ; there's Anthony Whyte has never 
 so much as seen you yet ; if he would but make up his 
 mind to marry, what a husband he would make ! Very 
 different from our friend the Colonel, to be sure ; many's 
 the sore heart his wife will have, and many a sore heart 
 he has given already with his flirtations, for he's never 
 happy but when he's making love to somebody or other, 
 married or single, it's all the same to him." 
 
 " Miss Pratt," cried Gertrude, in great emotion, as 
 she again tried to disengage herself from her, " I cannot 
 listen to " 
 
 " Well, my dear, it's very good of you to stand up 
 for him," with a pat on the shoulder ; " for it's seldom 
 ladies take such a lift of their cast lovers : but it's as 
 well you should know all you've escaped." — Then 
 lowering her voice to a mysterious whisper, "Just to 
 give you one single trait of him, which I know to be a 
 fact — what do you think of his owing Edward Lyndsay 
 
2 24 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 seven thousand pound for his game debts ? — That I can 
 pledge myself for — I was staying in the house with them 
 both at the time. I was upon a visit to Lady Augusta 
 in London, and I had good access to see what went 
 on ; and I saw rather more too than what they thought 
 of. — Edward Lyndsay was just of age then ; and he 
 was invited there to be presented and introduced by the 
 Delmours, — I suspect there was a scheme for getting 
 Edward to one of the misses — but it wouldn't do. 
 Well, the Colonel was by way of introducing him into 
 the fashionable circles, and he soon handed him to the 
 gaming table, where he lost some money ; but what do 
 ye think of his having to pay seven thousand pound 
 and upwards for the Colonel ? — seven thousand pound 
 gambled away in one night, and not a shilling to pay it ! 
 The consequence was, he must have sold out, and been 
 ruined for ever, if Edward Lyndsay had not advanced 
 the money ; and, to this day, I'll be bound for it, he 
 has never touched one halfpenny of principal or interest. 
 Where was it to come from ? He lives far beyond his 
 income — anybody may see that, — with his curricle and 
 his fine horses, and his groom and his valet; while 
 there's the person that he owes all that money to keeps 
 no carriage, and rides all over the country without so 
 much as a servant after him ; and my gentleman can't 
 go to a neighbour's house without carrying a retinue like 
 a prince along with him. But the provoking thing is, 
 there's Lord Rossville and many other people crying 
 out upon Edward for his extravagance and folly in 
 having muddled away his money, and not living as he 
 should do, and making no figure in the world — when I 
 know that he's just pinching and saving to make up the 
 money and clear his estate from the debt he contracted 
 upon it for his pretty cousin there ! I once gave 
 Lord Rossville a hint of how niatters stood ; but he's 
 so infatuated with these Delmours, I thought he would 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 225 
 
 have worried me — not that he's very fond of the 
 Colonel, or Hkes his company — but he's proud of him, 
 because he's the fashion, and has made a figure — and 
 so he goes on telling every body what great characters 
 the Delmours are. I assure you, it's all I can do to 
 keep my tongue within my teeth sometimes ; — but 
 Colonel Delmour's a man I wouldn't like to provoke. 
 — What do you think of his having the impertinence to 
 tell me, that, if he found me meddling in his affairs, he 
 would pull Anthony Whyte's nose for him ! I should 
 like to see him offer to lay a finger on Anthony Whyte! 
 But that's just a specimen of him — O ! he's an insolent, 
 extravagant, selfish puppy ! — But, are you well enough, 
 my dear ? " 
 
 Gertrude had made many ineffectual attempts to stop 
 the torrent of Miss Pratt's invective ; but that lady was 
 no more to be stopped in her career than a ship in full 
 speed, or a racer on the course. At length, uttering an 
 exclamation, she abruptly , extricated herself from her 
 grasp, and quitted the room. 
 
 There was commonly a mixture of truth and false- 
 hood in all Miss Pratt's narrations ; but it must be 
 owned the present formed an exception — perhaps a 
 solitary one — to her ordinary practice. She had for 
 once told a round unvarnished tale, with merely a little 
 exaggeration as to the sum ; and for once she had 
 spoken from actual knowledge, not from mere con- 
 jecture. Miss Pratt had, by some means or other, 
 best known to herself, contrived to lay her hands upon 
 a letter of Colonel Delmour's, which had led her into 
 the secret of the money transaction — a transaction 
 which, from honour and delicacy on the one 
 side, pride and shame on the other, would other- 
 wise have been for ever confined to the parties them- 
 selves. 
 
 In vain did Gertrude strive to still the tumult of 
 
2 26 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 her mind in the silence of her own chamber — in vain 
 did she repeat a thousand times to herself — "Why 
 should I for an instant give ear to the paltry gossip 
 of a person I despise ? — How is it that I can be guilty 
 of injuring the man I love by yielding the shadow of 
 belief to the calumnies of a Miss Pratt ? — No, no, I do 
 not — I will not believe them. — Shame to me for even 
 listening to them ! — False — fickle — mercenary — a 
 gamester — impossible 1 " 
 
 Alas ! Gertrude believed it was impossible, because 
 she loved — because all the affections of a warm, 
 generous, confiding heart, were lavished on this idol 
 of her imagination, which she had decked in all the 
 attributes of perfection. And yet, such is the delusion 
 of passion, that, could she even have beheld him bereft 
 of all those virtues and graces with which her young 
 romantic heart had so liberally invested him — even 
 then she would not have ceased to love. Ah ! what 
 will not the heart endure, ere it will voluntarily surrender 
 the hoarded treasure of its love to the cold dictates of 
 reason, or the stern voice of duty ! 
 
 O ! how hast thou with jealousy infected 
 The sweetness of affiance ! 
 
 SlIAKSPEARE. 
 
 IT was so long ere Gertrude could compose herself 
 sufficiently to return to the drawing-room that, 
 when she did, she found the gentlemen had already 
 joined the party. In some confusion she took the 
 first seat that offered, which happened to be part of a 
 sofa on which one of the Miss Millbanks was lounging, 
 and on the back of which Mr Lyndsay was leaning. 
 But it was not till she had seated herself that she was 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 227 
 
 aware of his vicinity. To add to her embarrassment, 
 Miss Pratt crossed from the opposite side of the room, 
 and took her seat alongside of her. 
 
 " I was just going to look for you, my dear,'' said 
 she, in one of her loud, all-pervading whispers ; " I 
 was afraid you wasn't very well ; but upon saying that 
 to Mrs St Clair, she said she daresay'd you were just 
 taking an evening ramble, for that you're a great moon- 
 light stroller, like some other people," with a significant 
 smile at Mr Lyndsay ; and again Gertrude felt the 
 colour mount to her cheeks. She raised her eyes, but 
 met his fixed on her with such an expression of deep 
 and thoughtful inquiry as redoubled her confusion ; 
 and, scarcely knowing what she said, she uttered an 
 exclamation at the heat of the room. 
 
 " Are you too hot, my dear ? " asked her tormentor, 
 taking a fan out of her pocket, and rising as she spoke ; 
 " then here's work for you, Mr Edward ; sit you 
 down there and fan Miss St Clair — not that I want to 
 make a coolness between ye," added she, in a half 
 whisper, loud enough to reach Colonel Delmour, who 
 stood by the fire sipping his coffee ; " but I really 
 don't think the room's hot ; it must just be 
 coming in from the cold air that makes you feel 
 the room warm. — You would do well, Mr Edward, 
 to give this fair lady a lecture on her moonlight 
 rambles. I " 
 
 " It is insupportable ! " cried Gertrude, starting up, 
 unable longer to endure Miss Pratt's observations. 
 
 " It is very hot," said Lyndsay, scarcely less embar- 
 rassed than herself. " Shall we seek a little fresh air 
 at the window ? " And offering his arm, he led her 
 towards one, and threw it open. Gertrude's agitation 
 rather increased than diminished. 
 
 " Oh ! — what must you think of me ! " at length she 
 exclaimed, in a low voice of repressed anguish. 
 
2 28 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 « Were I to tell you," replied Mr Lyndsay, in 
 some emotion, " I fear you would think me very pre- 
 sumptuous." 
 
 ** Impossible ! " said Gertrude, with increasing agita- 
 tion as she advanced on this perilous subject — " I feel 
 
 that I must ever " She stopped — her mother's 
 
 caution, her own promises, recurred to her, and she felt 
 that her impetuosity was hurrying her beyond the 
 bounds prescribed. Both remained silent ; but Lyndsay 
 still held her hand, and looked upon her with an ex- 
 pression of no common interest. He was, however, 
 recalled to other considerations by the approach of Mr 
 Delmour ; when, relinquishing her hand, he made some 
 remark on the heat of the room having been too much 
 for Miss St Clair. 
 
 " It is only in the sphere of my fair cousin herself," 
 said Mr Delmour, with a bow and a smile ; " the fire 
 of her eyes seldom fails to kindle a flame wherever their 
 influence is felt." 
 
 Gertrude scarcely heard this flat, hackneyed compli- 
 ment; but she felt the taunt implied, when Colonel 
 Delmour, who was always hovering near her, said with 
 asperity — 
 
 " Such fires, however, are sometimes mere ignesfatui, 
 which shine only to deceive." 
 
 ♦* A cruel aspersion upon glow-worms and ladies' 
 eyes," said Mr Lyndsay — " since both may, and cer- 
 tainly do, sometimes shine without any such wicked 
 intention." 
 
 "Were it not that the thing must be," said Mr 
 Delmour, with a bow to Miss St Clair — " I should 
 imagine it would be difficult to overheat this room ; it 
 is large, not less, I take it, than forty by thirty, — lofty, 
 prodigious walls, and a north-west exposure. If it were 
 well lighted, indeed, that might have some efl^ect, but at 
 present it is rather deficient ; there ought to be, at least, 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 22g 
 
 a dozen lamps instead of those pale ineffectual wax 
 candles ; but, in fact, it is not every one who knows 
 how to light a room ; — in a well-lit room there ought 
 not to be a vestige of shade, while here, for instance, 
 where we are standing, it is absolute darkness visible." 
 
 " Yes, it is a sort of Pandemonium light," said 
 Colonel Delmour, scornfully. 
 
 " The mind is its own place, you know, Delmour," 
 
 said Lyndsay ; " * and in itself ' " he stopped, and 
 
 smiled. 
 
 " Go on," cried Colonel Delmour, in a voice of 
 suppressed anger ; " pray don't be afraid to finish your 
 quotation." 
 
 " Mr Lyndsay repeated — " ' Can make a heaven of 
 hell, a hell of heaven.' " 
 
 Colonel Delmour seemed on the point of giving way 
 to his passion ; but he checked himself, and affected to 
 laugh, while he said — " A flattering compliment im- 
 plied, no doubt ; but if I am the Lucifer you insinuate, 
 I can boast of possessing his best attributes also ; for I 
 too bear a mind not to be changed by place or time, and 
 in my creed truth and constancy still rank as virtues." 
 He looked at Gertrude as he pronounced these words 
 in an emphatic manner. 
 
 " What are you all doing in this dark corner ? '* 
 asked Lady Betty, as she advanced with Flora under 
 her arm. 
 
 " We came here to be cool," answered Mr Lyndsay, 
 " and we are all getting very warm." 
 
 " That is most extraordinary," said her ladyship — 
 "but did any of you lift the third volume of *The 
 Midnight Wanderer ? ' " 
 
 " We'll thank you to pull down that window," cried 
 Miss Pratt. " I wonder what you're all made of, for 
 we are perfectly starving here — sit a little more this 
 way, Sir Peter — your moonlight days and mine are 
 
230 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 both over. — Indeed, as Anthony Whyte says, I never 
 see any thing but a swelled face and a flannel lappet in 
 the moon." Then going to Mr Lyndsay, she touched 
 his elbow, and beckoned him a little apart. 
 
 " So — I wish you joy — the cat's out of the bag — 
 but take care what you're about, for a certain person," 
 pointing to Colonel Delmour, " will be ready to bite 
 your nose off — 'Pon my word, you quiet people always 
 play your cards best after all ; " — and with a friendly 
 pat on the back. Miss Pratt whisked away, and the 
 next minute was bustling about a whist party with Lord 
 Rossville and Sir Peter. 
 
 The arrangement of their table was always a work 
 of delicacy and difficulty — the Earl was fond of whist, 
 and so was Miss Pratt ; — and for upwards of thirty 
 years they had been in the occasional habit of playing 
 together in the most discordant manner imaginable. 
 Miss Pratt played like lightning — the Earl pondered 
 every card, as though life depended on the cast. Every 
 card — every spot of a card, out or in, was registered in 
 Pratt's memory, ready at a call. The Earl was a little 
 confused, and sometimes committed blunders, which 
 were invariably pointed out, and animadverted upon by 
 Miss Pratt, whether as his antagonist or his partner. 
 Then she had the impertinence to shake her head, and 
 hem, sigh, and even groan at times ; and, to sum up 
 the whole, when they played together she had the as- 
 surance to insist upon taking the tricks, which was an 
 usurpation of power beyond all endurance. 
 
 While the seniors of the company were arranging 
 themselves at their several card parties, the younger part 
 repaired to the music-room, where Gertrude was urged 
 to sing by all present, except Colonel Delmour, who 
 preserved a moody silence. Teazed into compliance, 
 she at length seated herself at the harp, and began to 
 prelude. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 23 1 
 
 '' You accompany Miss St Clair, Frederick ? " said 
 Mr Delmour to his brother, in a tone of inquiry. 
 
 " Miss St Clair has found out that I am a bad ac- 
 companiment," answered he in a manner which only 
 Gertrude could understand. " To one who sings so 
 true, so perfectly free from all falsetto^ it must be a 
 severe penance to find herself clogged with me, who am 
 a perfect novice in that art, as in every other." 
 
 " I prefer singing alone," said Gertrude, vainly trying 
 to conceal her agitation at this insulting speech. 
 
 " It is extremely mortifying," said Mr Lyndsay, 
 instantly attracting the attention to himself, " that I am 
 seldom or never asked to sing. It is difficult to account 
 for this insensibility on the part of my friends in par- 
 ticular — of the world in general ; but I am resolved to 
 remain no longer silent under such contumely. Miss St 
 Clair will take me under her patronage — my wrongs 
 shall be heard in full bravura this very night — where 
 shall I find words vast enough to express my feelings ? " 
 And he turned over the music, while he hummed 
 Guarini's " Bring me a hundred reeds of decent growth 
 to form a pipe," &c. — Then selecting the beautiful 
 arietta — 
 
 lo t'amero, fin che sapra di Flora, 
 Coi baci i fiori accarezzar el monte 
 E sul mattin la rugia rosa Aurora, 
 Vedi moke stille, fecondar le piante, 
 lo t'amero, io t'amero, io t'amero ! 
 
 he placed it before Miss St Clair, saying, " Will the 
 mistress allow her protege to choose for herself and 
 him?" 
 
 Gertrude, though in some degree restored to self- 
 possession, could only bow her acquiescence ; but the 
 state of her feelings was such as prevented her doing 
 justice either to herself or her accompaniment. She 
 was scarcely sensible of the beauty of his style of sing- 
 
232 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 ing. Neither was it then she was struck with the singu- 
 larity of having lived so long under the same roof with- 
 out being aware that he possessed a knowledge of music 
 which, with most people, would have formed a promi- 
 nent feature in their character, and which they would 
 long ere then have found an opportunity of displaying. 
 But Lyndsay did nothing for display, and now his talents 
 were merely brought out when they could be of service 
 to another. Gertrude, however, saw nothing of all this 
 — she saw nothing but that Colonel Delmour had dis- 
 appeared upon Mr Lyndsay taking his station by her. 
 The song ended, she hastily relinquished her seat to 
 another lady, and it was occupied in rotation till carriages 
 were announced, and the party broke up. Gertrude 
 availed herself of the bustle of departures to make her 
 escape to her own chamber ; but as she passed through 
 the suite of apartments, she found Colonel Delmour in 
 one of the most remote, pacing up and down with every 
 mark of disquiet. She would have retreated, but, quickly 
 advancing, he seized her hand ; then, in the same cold 
 ironical manner he had hitherto practised, he requested 
 that Miss St Clair would honour him so far as to endure 
 his presence for a few moments. 
 
 " I know nothing Colonel Delmour can have to say 
 to me," answered Gertrude, roused to something like 
 indignation ; — " unless, indeed, to apologise for his 
 behaviour." 
 
 " Apologise ! " repeated he, with vehemence. " No, 
 that certainly is not my purpose — unless Miss St Clair 
 will first deign to account for hers ; but the thing is 
 impossible ; however I might distrust others, I cannot 
 disbelieve the evidence of my own senses -" 
 
 " I am ignorant of your meaning ; — I cannot listen to 
 such frantic expressions " and she sought to with- 
 draw her hand from him. 
 
 " Frantic ! Yes, I am frantic to seek that explanation 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 233 
 
 from you which I have a right to demand— and 'will 
 demand from another quarter." 
 
 " For mercy's sake ! tell me what is the meaning of 
 this ? " cried Gertrude, in great emotion. " Why am 
 I subjected to hear such violent, such insulting language 
 — and from you ! " And the tears burst from her 
 eyes. 
 
 Colonel Delmour gazed upon her for a few minutes 
 in silence ; then in a somewhat calmer tone, and heaving 
 a deep sigh, he proceeded — 
 
 "But a few hours ago, and tears from your eyes 
 would have been as blood from my own heart — and even 
 
 yet, deceived and injured as I am " he stopped 
 
 in much agitation ; then again giving way to his passion 
 — " But you ask me why you are subjected to such 
 language ? — your own heart might have spared you that 
 question." 
 
 " I have not deserved this — I will not endure it ; " 
 and Miss St Clair again sought to leave the room. 
 
 " Then why have / deserved — why must / endure 
 to be mocked and deluded with hopes you never meant 
 to realize : — Yes — that cold-blooded systematic puritan 
 
 Lyndsay dares to love you — and you but he shall 
 
 answer for this to me." 
 
 For a moment Gertrude regarded him with a look 
 of the most unfeigned astonishment, which only gave 
 way to the deep blush that dyed her cheeks ; but it was 
 not the blush of shame or confusion, but the glow of in- 
 dignation, and, with an air of offended dignity, she 
 said — 
 
 " Since you believe me capable, after what passed to- 
 day, of loving another, you might well treat me as you 
 have done ; but what am I to think of one who could, 
 for a single instant, suspect me of such base — such 
 monstrous duplicity ? " 
 
 " Gertrude," cried Colonel Delmour, in great agita- 
 
234 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 tion — " Gertrude, I am a wretch if you — but why those 
 blushes — that confusion at sight of him ? — Why that air 
 of intelligence that attends your intercourse ? and — did 
 I not hear you myself, when you withdrew with him to 
 the window, ask, with all the solicitude of the most 
 heartfelt interest, what he must think of you? — he! — 
 What would his thoughts signify to you if your affections 
 were mine ? " 
 
 Gertrude felt almost despair as she thought of the 
 impossibility of clearing herself from suspicions, which 
 she was aware there was but too much reason to attach 
 to her — and she remained silent, while Colonel Del- 
 mour's eyes were fixed upon her with an expression of 
 the most intense anxiety. At length, with a deep sigh, 
 she said — 
 
 " That there exists a mutual cause of embarrassment 
 between Mr Lyndsay and me, I do not deny ; but it is 
 one which involves the interest of a third person, and I 
 dare not divulge it even to you — that, and that only, is 
 the cause of the confusion you witnessed, and of the 
 words you overheard. — More I cannot — dare not say 
 — I am pledged to silence." 
 
 " By him ?" demanded Colonel Delmour impetuously. 
 
 " No — by another — but that other I may not name.'* 
 
 Colonel Delmour still looked doubtingly. 
 
 " And how long is this mysterious connection to 
 continue ? " 
 
 " Heaven only knows ! — but do not — do not ask me 
 farther." 
 
 And as she bent her head dejectedly forward, the 
 string of pearls which hung from her neck attracted 
 her lover's eye, and again his wavering suspicions were 
 roused, as he remembered the conversation repeated by 
 Miss Pratt. 
 
 "And these precious baubles!" cried he, pointing 
 contemptuously to them — " do they form part of the 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 235 
 
 mysterious chain which links your fate so indissolubly 
 with that of Mr Lyndsay ? " 
 
 " I see I am doubted — disbelieved — it is degrading 
 to be thus interrogated ! " and with an air of dis- 
 pleasure foreign to her natural character, she rose to 
 quit the room. 
 
 " Gertrude," cried Colonel Delmour, detaining her, 
 " you know not — you cannot conceive how my heart is 
 racked and tortured. — I will — I must have my doubts 
 ended one way or other ere we part — perhaps for ever : 
 — tell me then — are not these the gift of that — of 
 Edward Lyndsay ? " 
 
 " The gift of Edward Lyndsay ! " repeated Gertrude, 
 in the utmost amazement. " What an idea ! " and she 
 almost smiled in scorn. " The pearls are a present I 
 received not many hours since from Lord Rossville — I 
 thought little of them," added she, with a simple tender- 
 ness, which carried conviction even to Colonel Delmour, 
 ** for I had just then parted from you." 
 
 " Gertrude, dearest Gertrude, can you forgive me ? " 
 and he poured forth the most vehement reproaches on 
 himself, mingled with such expressions of love towards 
 her as failed not to obtain pardon. He related to her 
 what had passed with Miss Pratt relative to the pearls, 
 and in so doing he served a double pui-pose, by clearing 
 himself from the charges that had been brought against 
 him by that lady. This trait of her served to show 
 Gertrude how little dependence ought to be placed on 
 her report, and she felt as though she too had been 
 guilty of injustice towards her lover, in even listening to 
 her malicious insinuations. 
 
 Though somewhat pained, yet, on the whole, she was 
 not displeased at what had passed. Like many others, 
 she cherished that fatal mistake — that jealousy is the 
 offspring of love, rather than the infirmity of temper, 
 and, as such, its excesses were easily forgiven. In 
 
236 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 short, this was a lover's quarrel — a Jirst quarrel too, 
 and, consequently, served rather to heighten than 
 diminish the mutual attachment. 
 
 Delmour was to set off early the following morning ; 
 and Gertrude, too much agitated to return to the com- 
 pany, took leave of him, and hastened to her own 
 apartment, to hide her parting tears. 
 
 Chapter ^jc^cft^ 
 
 Quoique ces personnes n'aient point d'interet a ce qu'ils 
 disent, il ne faut pas conclure de la absolument qu'ils ne 
 mentent point. — Pascal. 
 
 MR LYNDSAY was neither a weak nor a vain 
 man, and he was too well acquainted with the 
 nature of Miss Pratt to attach much credit to 
 any thing she said. He was aware that, without abso- 
 lutely speaking falsehood, she very rarely spoke truth — 
 that, like many other people, she failed in repeating 
 precisely what she heard, not so much from design as 
 from confusion of brain, redundancy of fancy, imperfect 
 organic construction, or, in short, some one or all of 
 the causes which seem to render simple repetition in- 
 finitely more difficult than the most compound multipli- 
 cation or addition. Much might be said upon this 
 subject, but few readers are fond of digressions, especi- 
 ally when of a moral or didactic nature ; the cause of 
 Miss Pratt's observations must, therefore, be left to the 
 construction of the world, which is seldom disposed to 
 be over charitable in its conclusions. 
 
 Mr Lyndsay, indeed, was little in the habit of attend- 
 ing to her words, being possessed of that enviable power 
 of mental transmigration which placed him, when even 
 within her grasp, quite beyond the influence of her 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 237 
 
 power. He had, however, been struck with the 
 mystical fragments of speech she had bestowed on him 
 the preceding evening — he was aware how little de- 
 pendence was to be placed on them ; but, like the 
 spider, her webs, even though wove out of her own in- 
 tellectual resources, must still have something to cling 
 to, and he resolved to lose no time in demolishing those 
 cobwebs of her imagination. He therefore accosted 
 her the following morning, as, according to custom, she 
 stood airing herself at the hall -door; and, without 
 allowing her time to spread her wings and fly off in any 
 of her discursive flights, he gravely begged to know the 
 meaning of the words she had addressed to him the 
 evening before. 
 
 " My words ! " exclaimed she, in some astonish- 
 ment at being, for the first time in her life, asked for 
 words — " My words ! what are you going to make of 
 my words, my dear ? " 
 
 " Not much ; but I confess I am rather curious to 
 know in what way I am thought to have played my 
 cards so well, as " 
 
 ** O ! I know where you are now — but if you want 
 to take me in, Mr Edward, that won't do — they say, 
 * Daylight peeps through a small hole,' and * Love, like 
 smoke, will not hide ; ' so you needn't trouble yourself 
 to go about the bush with me — but you needn't be 
 afraid — mum's the word — mum and budget, ha, ha, ha ! 
 — do you remember that ? It's mum with you, it 
 seems, and budget with a certain gay colonel, for he's 
 off the field — aye ! you've really been very sly — but 
 what will my lord and his member say to it, think 
 you?" 
 
 " It would be affectation in me to pretend that I do 
 not understand your allusions, groundless and absurd as 
 they are," said Lyndsay ; " but I do assure you, upon 
 my word of honour " 
 
238 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 ** Bow WOW ! my dear, don't tell me of your words 
 of honour in love affairs ; IMl rather trust to my own 
 eyes and ears than to any of your words of honour. I 
 declare you're as bad as Anthony Whyte. I thought 
 he would have raised the country at the report of his 
 marriage with Lady Sophia Bellendean. — He certainly 
 did pay her some attentions, but he never went the 
 lengths that people said, though it wasn't for want of 
 good encouragement." 
 
 " Well, but as 1 have never presumed to pay atten- 
 tions, and cannot boast of having received any en- 
 couragement, any report of that kind must have 
 originated in some mistake, and would place both 
 parties in an awkward predicament." 
 
 " Fiddle faddle ! Really, my dear, when the lady 
 doesn't deny it, I don't think it sets you very well to 
 be so discomposed about it — aye, you may look, but I 
 assure you it's the case, that she as much as confessed 
 it to me last night — now ! " 
 
 " Confessed what ? " asked Mr Lyndsay in amaze- 
 ment. 
 
 " Just that the Colonel had got his offset — oh ! how 
 I enjoy that! — and that a certain person," with a bow, 
 ** was her humble servant." 
 
 " Impossible ! your ears have deceived you." 
 
 " My ears deceive me, indeed ! what would they do 
 that for ? — you surely don't think I'm deaf? and if I 
 am, I'm sure I'm not blind. You lovers seem always 
 to think other people have lost their senses as well as 
 yourselves ; but it's only love that's blind, my dear." 
 
 " Miss Pratt, I beg you will listen to me seriously, 
 while I assure you in the most solemn manner,' that 
 you are under a complete delusion. For myself, I can 
 only be honoured by such a supposition — but it is in- 
 jurious, it is insulting to Miss St Clair, to have it 
 imagined that she has already bestowed her regards 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 239 
 
 Upon me, who am, in fact, still almost a stranger to 
 her." 
 
 Mr Lyndsay spoke with an air of truth and sincerity 
 that would have carried conviction to any other mind. 
 
 " As to that, it doesn't take a lifetime to fall in love, 
 and your sudden love is always the strongest — many a 
 one has been over head and ears before you could say 
 Jack Robinson. I really don't see why you should 
 take it so much to heart, when the lady puts up with it 
 so quietly ; but more than that, I happened to hear 
 something last night — I may as well tell you what it 
 was, if it was only to save you telling any more fibs to 
 me about it. I happened to be taking a turn through 
 the rooms last night, just to cool myself a little after 
 losing seven points, all owing to your good uncle's 
 obstinacy — when I came to the — what-do-ye-call-it- 
 room there — the door was open, and there I heard the 
 Colonel say, in a voice like any lion," raising hers in 
 imitation, " * You love that — that — ' (no matter what) 
 — * that Edward Lyndsay,' says he, ' and you've de- 
 ceived and bamboozled me — I know that you've given 
 your affections to him ; but he shall answer for it ' — 
 and so he went on like any madman. I didn't hear so 
 well what she said, — for, you know, she doesn't speak 
 very loud ; but I heard her say that she couldn't and 
 wouldn't endure such insolence, and that he had no 
 right to speak to her in that way. But just then Lord 
 Rossville was caUing me to go and play the game over 
 again with him — and, at any rate, you know, I wouldn't 
 have staid to listen." 
 
 "All that is nothing to the purpose," cried Mr 
 Lyndsay, in some little emotion; "at least the only 
 purpose is to show how little dependence you ought to 
 place on any of your senses, since they must all have 
 beguiled you in this matter. You will, therefore, act 
 a prudent part for yourself, and a more delicate one 
 
240 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 towards Miss St Clair, if you refrain from making any 
 such comments in future — be assured you will only 
 render yourself highly ridiculous " 
 
 " O ! you needn't be afraid ; I'm not going to 
 trouble my head about the matter," returned Miss 
 Pratt, reddening with anger ; " but you'll not easily 
 persuade me that I've lost my senses, because I happen 
 to have a little more penetration than my neighbours." 
 And away pattered the offended fair, rather con- 
 firmed than shaken in her preconceived notions on the 
 subject. 
 
 Disbelieving, as he certainly did, the greater part of 
 Miss Pratt's communications, still it was not in nature 
 that Mr Lyndsay should have felt altogether indifferent 
 to them. Although not a person to yield his affections 
 lightly, he certainly had been charmed with Miss St 
 Clair's beauty and grace — with the mingled vivacity and 
 softness of her manners, and with the open naif cast of 
 her character. There was all to captivate a mind and 
 taste such as his ; but there was still something wanting 
 to render the charm complete. Firm in his own 
 religious principles, he vainly sought in Gertrude for 
 any corresponding sentiments. Gertrude was religious 
 — what mind of any excellence is not ? But hers was 
 the religion of poetry — of taste — of feeling — of impulse 
 — of any and every thing but Christianity. He saw 
 much of fine natural feeling — but in vain sought for any 
 guiding principle of duty. Her mind seemed as a 
 lovely, flowery, pathless waste, whose sweets exhaled in 
 vain — all was graceful luxuriance — but all was transient 
 and perishable in its loveliness. No plant of immortal 
 growth grew there — no " flowers worthy of Paradise." 
 
 Mr Lyndsay had discernment to trace the leading 
 features of his cousin's mind, even through the veil 
 which was cast over it by Lord Rossville's tyranny and 
 Mrs St Clair's artifice. He saw her ardent, enthusiastic, 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 24I 
 
 and susceptible ; but rash, visionary, and unregulated — 
 he feared she was in bad hands, even in her mother's ; 
 but he dreaded still more lest Colonel Delmour should 
 succeed in gaining her affections. He suspected his 
 design ; and, from his previous knowledge of his habits 
 and principles, was convinced that such an union would 
 be the wreck of Gertrude's peace and happiness. 
 
 Since that strange and mysterious adventure in the 
 wood, he had felt a still deeper interest in her ; and he 
 wished, if possible, to gain her friendship and confidence, 
 that he might endeavour to save her from the snares 
 with which she was beset. In short, Lyndsay's feel- 
 ings towards her were compounded into one which 
 could not have been easily defined — it was neither love 
 nor friendship, yet partook of the nature of both ; for it 
 had somewhat of the excitement of the one, with the 
 disinterestedness of the other. 
 
 The mutual embarrassment of the cousins was not 
 lessened when they next met, and they seemed, by a 
 sort of tacit agreement, to avoid each other, which Miss 
 Pratt set down as a proof positive that there was a 
 perfect understanding between them ; but she was highly 
 provoked that, with all her watching and spying, she 
 never could detect stolen glances, or soft whispers, or 
 tete-a-tete walks, or private meetings, or any of those 
 various symptoms which so often enable single ladies to 
 anticipate and settle a marriage before it has been even 
 thought of by the parties themselves. 
 
 Not daring, however, to give utterance to her thoughts 
 where she was, and unable any longer to keep her dis- 
 covery pent up within her own bosom, she availed her- 
 self of the opportunity of a free cast, as she called it, to 
 make out her visit to Lady Millbank ; and there she 
 accordingly betook herself with her budget — containing, 
 in strict confidence, all the particulars of Colonel Del- 
 mour' s refusal — his impertinent perseverance — his fright- 
 
 I. Q 
 
242 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 ening Miss St Clair into hysterics by his violence, &c. 
 &c. &c. Then came the history of Mr Lyndsay's 
 acceptance — her own bright discoveries — a full and 
 minute description of the pearls, well garnished with 
 conjectures as to how it would all end, when Mr 
 Member came to poll, and found another elected and 
 returned. Some of these dark sayings she had even 
 dared to throw out to Lord Rossville ; but his lord- 
 ship's thoughts were so engrossed by the realities of 
 electioneering, that he had none to throw away upon it 
 metaphorically. 
 
 Miss Pratt's departure was, as usual, a relief to the 
 whole party ; but to none so much as to Miss St Clair 
 and Mr Lyndsay, who soon found themselves conversing 
 together, if not with their former ease — with more than 
 their former interest in each other. She could not be 
 insensible to the quiet elegance of his manners, and the 
 superiority of his conversation, but yet she failed to do 
 him justice ; for, solely occupied with one engrossing 
 object, she merely sought in every other wherewithal 
 to lighten the tedium of his absence. Two different 
 pictures had been presented to her in the characters of 
 the cousins — the one rich, varied, and brilliant in its 
 colouring — the other correct and beautiful in its outline. 
 The one attracting instant admiration — the other 
 appreciated only by the careful and discriminating. 
 Had perfection itself now been placed before her, it 
 had failed to captivate the heart over which a dazzled 
 imagination had cast its deceitful hues. The idol of 
 that heart had gained an absolute ascendency over her 
 affections ; and on it she looked — not with the steady eye 
 of sober truth, but with the fascinated gaze of spell- 
 bound illusion. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 243 
 
 Cl)apter %r^%i>}. 
 
 Many, like myself, are sick of this disease : that when they 
 know not how to write, yet cannot refrain from writing — 
 
 Erasmus. 
 
 THE following letters were put into Gertrude's 
 hand one morning. The first she opened was 
 sealed with an evergreen leaf — motto, Je ne change 
 quen mourant. 
 
 " I am inexpressibly pained to think what an opinion 
 my dearest cousin must have formed of me, from having 
 allowed so much time to elapse, ere I commenced a 
 correspondence, from which, believe me, I expect to 
 derive the most unfeigned and heartfelt delight. But 
 you, my dear friend, whose fate it has been to roam, 
 *and other realms to view,' will, I am sure, make 
 allowance for the apparent neglect and unkindness I have 
 been guilty of, which, be assured, was very far from 
 designed on my part. Indeed, scarce a day has elapsed 
 since we parted that I have not planned taking up my 
 pen to address you, and to attempt to convey to you 
 some idea, however fatnt^ of all I have seen and felt 
 since bidding adieu to Caledonia. But, alas ! so many 
 of the vulgar cares of life obtrude themselves even here, 
 in * wilds unknown to public view,' as have left me 
 little leisure for the interchange of thought. 
 
 " Were it not for these annoyances, and the want 
 of a congenial soul to pour forth my feelings to, I could 
 almost imagine myself in Paradise. Apropos, is a certain 
 regiment still at B. ? and have you got acquainted with 
 any of the officers yet ? You will, perhaps, be tempted 
 to smile at that question ; but, I assure you, there is 
 nothing at all in it. The Major and Bell (or Mrs Major 
 Waddell, as she wishes to be called in future, as she 
 thinks Bell too familiar an appellation for a married 
 woman) are, I think, an uncommon happy, attached pair 
 
244 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 — the only drawback to their happiness is the Major's 
 having been particularly bilious of late, which he ascribes 
 to the heat of the weather, but expects to derive the 
 greatest benefit from the waters of Harrowgate. For 
 my part, I am sure many a * longing lingering look ' I 
 shall cast behind when we bid adieu to the sylvan 
 shores of Winander. I have attempted some views of 
 it, which may serve to convey to you some idea of its 
 beauties. One on a watch paper, I think my most 
 successful effort. The Major has rallied me a good 
 deal as to who that is intended for — but positively that 
 is all a joke, I do assure you. But it is time that I 
 should now attempt to give you some account of my 
 travels, though, as I promise myself the delight of 
 showing you my journal when we meet, I shall omit the 
 detail of our journey, and at once waft you to what I 
 call Lake Land. But where shall I find language to 
 express my admiration ! 
 
 " One thing I must not omit to mention, in order 
 that you may be able to conceive some idea of the 
 delight we experienced, and for which we were indebted 
 to the Major's politeness and gallantry. In order to 
 surprise us, he proposed our taking a little quiet sail, as 
 he termed it, on the lake. All was silence ; — when, 
 upon a signal made, figure to yourself the astonishment 
 and delight of Mrs Major and myself, when a grand 
 flourish of French horns burst upon our ears, waking the 
 echoes all around, while the delightful harmony was 
 repeated from every recess which echo haunted on the 
 borders of the lake ! At first, indeed, the surprise was 
 almost too much for Mrs Major, and she became a little 
 hysterical ; but she was soon recovered by the Major's 
 tenderness and assurances of safety. Indeed, he is, 
 without exception, the most exemplary and devoted 
 husband I ever beheld ; — still I confess (but that is 
 entre nous) that, to me, the little taste he displays for the 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 245 
 
 tuneful nine would be a great drawback to my matri- 
 monial felicity. 
 
 "After having enjoyed this delightful concert, we 
 bade a long adieu to the sylvan shores of Ulls Water, 
 and proceeded to Keswick, or, as it is properly deno- 
 minated, Derwent Water, which is about three miles 
 long ; its pure transparent bosom, studded with number- 
 less wooded islands, and its sides beautifully variegated 
 with elegant mansions, snow-white cottages, taper 
 spires, pleasant fields adorned by the hand of 
 cultivation, and towering groves that seem as if 
 impervious to the hght of day. The celebrated 
 fall of Lodore I shall not attempt to depict ; but 
 figure, if you can, a stupendous cataract, rushing head- 
 long over enormous rocks and crags, which vainly seem 
 to oppose themselves to its progress. 
 
 " With regret we tore ourselves from the cultivated 
 beauties of Derwent, and taking a look, en passant^ 
 of the more secluded Grassmere and Rydall, we at 
 length found ourselves on the shores of the magnificent 
 Winander. 
 
 "Picture to yourself, if it be possible, stupendous 
 mountains rearing their cloud-capped heads in all the 
 sublimity of horror, while an immense sheet of azure 
 reflected the crimson and yellow rays of the setting sun 
 as they floated o'er its motionless green bosom, on 
 which was impressed the bright image of the surround- 
 ing woods and meadows, speckled with snowy cottages 
 and elegant villas ! I really felt as if inspired, so much 
 was my enthusiasm kindled ; and yet 1 fear my de- 
 scription will fail in conveying to you any idea of this 
 never-to-be-forgotten scene. But I must now bid you 
 adieu, which I do with the greatest reluctance. How 
 thought flows upon me when I take up my pen ! — how 
 inconceivable to me the distaste which some people 
 express for letter-writing ! 
 
246 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " Scribbling, as they contemptuously term it ! — How 
 I pity such vulgar souls ! You, my dear cousin, I 
 am sure, are not one of them. I have scarcely left 
 room for Mrs Major to add a P.S. Adieu ! your 
 affectionate 
 
 Mrs Waddell's postscript was as follows : — 
 
 " Ma chere Cousine, 
 " Of course, you cannot expect that I, a married 
 woman, can possibly have much leisure to devote to my 
 female friends, with an adoring husband, who never 
 stirs from my side, and to whom my every thought is 
 due. But this much, in justice to myself, I think it 
 proper to say, that I am the happiest of my sex, and 
 that I find my Waddell every thing generous, kind, and 
 brave ! 
 
 " Isabella Waddell." 
 
 The perusal of this letter was a severe tax upon 
 Gertnide's patience, as it has doubtless been upon all 
 who have read it — though tempted to laugh at it, she 
 was, however, too generous to expose it to ridicule, and 
 therefore hastened to commit the fair Lilly's lucubra- 
 tions to the flames. 
 
 Poor Miss Lilly, like many other misses, had long 
 aimed at the character of an elegant letter-writer, and 
 this epistle she looked upon as one of her happiest 
 efforts ; she had studied it — she had meditated upon it 
 — she had written a scrawl of it — she had consulted 
 her journal upon it — in short, she had composed it. 
 One may compose a sermon, or an essay, or an any 
 thing, save a letter ; but when a letter is composed, all 
 persons of taste must feel it is an odious composition. 
 To gpeak with the pen is the art of letter-writing ; and 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 247 
 
 even a confused vulgar natural letter, flowing direct 
 from the brain, or it may be from the heart, of one of 
 uncultivated intellect, is more pleasing than the most 
 studied and elaborate performance from the same 
 source. But in letter-writing, as in conversation, many- 
 seem to study to make themselves tiresome, who, had 
 they allowed their pens and their tongues to take their 
 natural course, might have remained at least inoffensive. 
 Yet many have lived to write good plain matter-of-fact 
 letters who have spent the early years of their life 
 composing sentences, and rounding periods, and writing 
 descriptions, from the false ideas they entertained on 
 this subject. But enough of condemnation on this, 
 after all, venial transgression. 
 
 The other letter was in a different strain, as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 " My dear Cousin, 
 " 1 feel encouraged to the liberty I am going to take 
 by the kindness you showed me when at Bellevue. 
 Your good-will may now be the means of rendering me 
 an essential service, and I should feel myself to blame 
 if false diffidence were to hinder me from unbosoming 
 myself to you. I was several times on the point of 
 explaining myself to you, but thought I could more 
 easily do it in writing ; and now that I take up my 
 pen, I wish I had rather spoken to you when I had so 
 many favourable opportunities. But why am I so 
 wavering and foolish, when I ought with confidence to 
 look to Him who has promised to direct the Christian's 
 path, and who has promised that He will never leave 
 nor forsake those who put their trust in Him, and 
 acknowledge Him in all their ways ? I must now 
 trust to your patience, while I tell my tale. A mutual 
 attachment has subsisted between William Leslie and 
 myself from our earliest years ; but he is poor, and on 
 
248 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 that account, and that only, it is not sanctioned by my 
 parents — of course, you will believe that I never would 
 enter into so sacred a connection without their consent. 
 I love and reverence them too much, and, above all, I 
 fear God ; but fain would I hope that, had he a com- 
 petency, their prejudices (for prejudices I must call 
 them) would be overcome. William's choice was 
 early pointed to the church, and his clerical education 
 has for some time been completely finished ; but hither- 
 to all his efforts to procure a living have proved in- 
 effectual. My father might assist him ; but he is very 
 lukewarm in the cause, as both my mother and he 
 declare they cannot bear the idea of seeing me the wife 
 of a poor minister. But I have learnt that poverty is a 
 comparative thing, and that a competence to some is 
 riches, while to others wealth seems little better than 
 splendid want. It is true riches will be denied me ; 
 but the greater blessings of peace and mutual affection 
 may, by the blessing of God, be my happy lot. Even 
 when called upon to endure hardship and privations, our 
 souls will not be cast down ; for with one heart and one 
 faith we will cheerfully bear the crosses of this life, 
 looking forward to the inseparable and everlasting 
 happiness of that which is to come. 
 
 " * Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,' than to 
 sit in the joyless ease of indifference amidst heartless 
 grandeur, or to drink the bitter cup of variance. Ah, 
 my dear cousin ! God only can put gladness in the 
 heart, and 'tis not by the world or the things of the 
 world. — If, as I believe, religion be indeed the soul of 
 happiness, then may I reasonably hope for that peace 
 which the world cannot give, with one whom I have 
 known and loved from my earliest years, and whose 
 faith and practice are those of a follower of Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 *< This attachment is no phantom of a heated 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 249 
 
 imagination. Our mutual love is now a principle — it 
 cannot be extinguished, but it may be sacrificed to a 
 still more sacred claim. I again repeat, I never will 
 marry without the consent and blessing of my parents ; 
 but were my dear William provided for, I think their 
 pride would yield to their stronger feeling of affection 
 for me. Yet I almost blush to trouble you with my 
 selfish concerns, though I know you will befriend me if 
 you can. The church of Clearburn is in Lord Ross- 
 ville's gift — the present incumbent is old and infirm, and 
 an assistant and successor is to be immediately appointed. 
 I do not ask you to recommend William Leslie, because 
 you ought not to recommend one to fill so sacred an 
 office who is utterly unknown to you ; but if you would 
 name him to Lord Rossville — if you would request of 
 him to inquire into his character and qualifications of 
 those who can judge of them, and then if you will 
 support him with your influence, you will confer a 
 heartfelt obligation on your faithful and affectionate 
 cousin, " Anne Black.'* 
 
 With a great understanding as a round orb that tumbles 
 hither and thither, able to guess at the depth of the great sea. 
 — Hindoos' Description of their God. 
 
 TO feel and to act were with Gertrude commonly 
 one and the same thing — reflection seldom was 
 allowed to interpose its cooling influence ; and 
 scarcely had she finished reading the letter when she 
 flew to Lord Rossville to ask (and she had no doubt to 
 obtain) the boon solicited. She found the Earl alone 
 in his study, surrounded with papers and parchments, 
 and looking, if possible, even more than usually por- 
 tentous. 
 
250 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " I am come, my lord, to ask — to beg a favour," — 
 she began, almost breathless from haste and emotion. 
 
 " Miss St Clair, this is rather an interruption ; but 
 be seated — be seated — and be composed. You, and 
 indeed all who have any claims upon my time, influence, 
 or assistance, will ever find my ear open to the voice of 
 proper solicitation — therefore, I again repeat, be com- 
 posed, and allow this flow of spirits to subside ere you 
 commence." 
 
 There is nothing less likely to promote its end than a 
 recommendation to be cool and composed when one is 
 all ardour and eagerness ; but this was one of Lord 
 Rossville's methods of tormenting his victims. He 
 was always composed himself, even when in anger — 
 that is, he was always heavy, dull, and formal — and no 
 subject could warm him so as to make him neglect the 
 slow and pompous formation of his sentences. His 
 body was heavy — his nerves were tough — his blood was 
 thick — he was a dull man — but, like many other men, 
 he deceived himself; for he thought his dulness was 
 self-command, and that he had the same merit in being 
 composed as one whose perceptions are lively, whose 
 blood flows rapidly, and whose ready imagination com- 
 prehends whole sentences such as his lordship composed 
 ere they were half pronounced — one, in short, who 
 thinks and speaks with natural feeling and animation. 
 Different, indeed, was Lord Rossville's composure from 
 that of one who " hath learned to rule his own spirit ; " 
 for he had a temper to rule, but no spirit. He had a 
 sluggish, obstinate, thick-headed, pragmatical temper ; 
 incapable of hurrying him into the ebullitions of passion, 
 'tis true, but not the less troublesome and tormenting to 
 those who opposed it. But this desideratum (for it was 
 mere absence of animal heat that kept his lordship cool ) 
 was more than compensated by what he deemed the 
 masculine tone and nervous energy of his language, 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 25 I 
 
 heightened as it was by gesticulation suited to the 
 subject. 
 
 " Be composed," repeated he again, after a pause — 
 his own composure becoming more and more heavy. 
 
 " O, it is nothing — I only feel a little afraid, lest you 
 should think me too presuming when I ask — but I 
 believe the petition itself will plead its own cause better 
 than I can do ; " — and she put her cousin's letter into 
 his lordship's hands, with very sanguine anticipations 
 as to the result. 
 
 Lord Rossville perused it in silence ; but his looks 
 became darker at every line, and his head shook, or 
 rather trembled, from beginning to end. 
 
 " A most wild, dangerous, and improper letter," said 
 he, when he finished it, vainly endeavouring to speak 
 quicker — " I am pained to think that such a letter 
 should have been addressed to you — that such a letter 
 should have been presented by you to me," — and his 
 lordship walked up and down the room in composed 
 discomposure, while Gertrude remained aghast and 
 motionless, at seeing her church in the air thus vanish 
 like the baseless fabric of a vision. " Is it possible. 
 Miss St Clair," — asked he, his hand slowly rising — 
 " is it possible that you had perused this letter ? " point- 
 ing with his obstinate-looking fingers to the paper in 
 question — " and is it possible that, having read, you can 
 also sanction, and approve, and assist a young female in 
 setting up her own judgment in opposition to the known 
 will and intention of her parents, and to the opinion and 
 approval of the world in general ? " 
 
 " Although my cousin is so unfortunate as to diflPer 
 from her parents on that subject," said Gertrude, 
 timidly — " she declares that she will not disobey them." 
 
 " Not disobey them ! — Good Heavens ! Miss St 
 Clair, what do you term disobedience?" The dignity 
 of this appeal was interrupted by a cough. " / have 
 
252 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 lived longer in the world, and have seen rather more of 
 mankind than you have done ; and I do not hesitate to say, 
 that the principles contained in this letter, if acted upon 
 by the bulk of mankind (and it is only by generalizing 
 principles that we can fairly bring them to the test), 
 must eventually prove highly destructive to the present 
 order of things, inasmuch as they are totally subversive 
 of all filial obedience and parental authority." 
 
 Gertrude was much at a loss to answer this tirade, 
 which confounded, without in the smallest degree con- 
 vincing her. Again, however, she tried to urge some- 
 thing in extenuation ; but it was, as Jeremy Taylor ex- 
 presses it, treading on the corns of his lordship's mind 
 to attack any of his opinions or prejudices ; and it was 
 resented accordingly. 
 
 " I own I am distressed — mortified — Miss St Clair, 
 that a letter containing such sentiments should be advo- 
 cated by you — sentiments fraught with so much mis- 
 chief — principles destructive of the mutual relationship 
 of parent and child — wild, fantastical, new-fangled 
 notions, setting at defiance all proper doctrines of re- 
 ligion, and only calculated to disturb, and finally abolish 
 all orders of society ; and yet it is such — such — I say I 
 should consider myself as acting a most highly culpable 
 part, were I to lend the smallest countenance or sanction 
 to such measures ; " — and he walked up and down the 
 room, his shoes creaking at every step. — " Mr Black is 
 a sensible, well-principled man, and obviously views the 
 matter in the same light as I do, and as, indeed, all 
 persons of a right way of thinking should do. A young 
 female to presume to judge for herself, in opposition to the 
 wishes of her parents — to the opinion of the world — to 
 the general voice of mankind ; and to seek to — to assume 
 the mask of religion, in order to — to stifle the voice of 
 duty — it is lamentable — it is deplorable — it is mon- 
 strous ! — What was it but by such steps as these the 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 253 
 
 established order of things in a neighbouring country 
 was gradually undermined, and at length finally over- 
 thrown ? — It was by such steps as these (knocking the 
 letter slowly with his knuckles) that the altar and the 
 throne — religion and — and — and loyalty — and — and 
 sound morality — all that were formerly held sacred, fell 
 sacrifices to these very levelling principles ; " — and he 
 threw the letter from him with all the energy of virtuous 
 indignation. 
 
 Gertrude could scarcely refrain from smiling at the 
 idea of Anne Black's marriage endangering church and 
 state ; and something of that sort she ventured to express. 
 
 " I beg pardon, my lord," said she ; " but even sup- 
 posing my cousin's marriage were to take place, I cannot 
 perceive any bad consequences that would result from 
 it, unless to herself." 
 
 " You do not perceive — you do not perceive the per- 
 nicious effects of such an example operating on young 
 females in the same sphere ? — operating, too, under my 
 sanction and countenance — and — and — and / to become 
 the patron of rebellious undutiful children ! — the con- 
 niver at low and improper and clandestine connections ! 
 Were such a precedent once established, where is it to 
 end ? You yourself, I shall suppose, for the sake of 
 illustrating my argument — you, presuming upon my 
 licence in this instance, deem yourself authorized to 
 select — choose — and — and — and declare that you will 
 select and choose — nay, that you have selected and 
 chosen, a — a partner for yourself, not only without my 
 concurrence, but in direct opposition and contradiction 
 to my will and authority ! I ask, would not such be- 
 haviour on your part be — I do not scruple to say — 
 monstrous ? " 
 
 Gertrude was not prepared for this digression ; but 
 she saw by his lordship's bend that an answer was 
 expected, and in some trepidation she replied — 
 
254 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " I hope it will never be my misfortune to differ from 
 
 your lordship on this subject. But if it should " 
 
 she stopped in much agitation. 
 
 " You hope it will never be your misfortune to differ 
 from me ! " — repeated his lordship, with a very dis- 
 satisfied look — " that is a style of language, Miss St Clair, 
 I own, which does not satisfy me. On that subject I can 
 allow no differences. No young lady, of a right way of 
 thinking, ought or can have a different opinion on so 
 important a point from those whom it is her duty to 
 reverence and obey.'' 
 
 His lordship paused, and seemed to be revolving some 
 mighty matter in his mind ; and Gertrude, trembling at 
 what this might lead to, rose, and taking up her cousin's 
 letter, was preparing to leave the room, when her uncle 
 motioned with his hand for her to resume her seat ; 
 then in a slow, solemn tone, spoke as follows : — 
 
 " It certainly formed no part of my original plan, 
 with regard to you, that, at this early period, you should 
 have been made acquainted with the plans I had formed 
 for your final disposal ; but, from what has passed, I am 
 inclined to think that, in deviating from my former 
 purpose, I shall do wisely and well." — He then pro- 
 ceeded in the same prolix manner to unfold to Gertrude 
 the future web of her life, as spun and wove by his 
 lordship's own hand — or rather head. 
 
 Gertrude heard, without surprise, but not without 
 emotion, that she was the destined wife of Mr Del- 
 mour, and in that light was considered by him, and by 
 all the members of the family, and by all the free- 
 holders in the county ; and her heart glowed with re- 
 sentment at the thoughts of any one having thus dared 
 to appropriate her without her own consent. Scarcely 
 could she listen with patience, while Lord , Ross ville 
 detailed, in the most minute yet guarded manner, his 
 plans with regard to her future establishment, as if 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 255 
 
 afraid of making her too happy, or raising her expecta- 
 tions too high. Thus, after having settled every thing 
 regarding her marriage with more than a lawyer's pre- 
 cision, he hastened to undo his own work in the same 
 breath, by adding, that it was not his intention that the 
 marriage should take place until she had attained the 
 age of twenty-one, at soonest ; — perhaps not even then, 
 as he was no advocate for early alliances — that is, too 
 early. "There was a time for all things, and that 
 time must be regulated by circumstances ; but in the 
 meantime " 
 
 " In the meantime, my lord," cried Gertrude, with 
 great emotion, " I must be allowed to disclaim any 
 engagement with Mr Delmour." 
 
 The Earl regarded her for some moments with the 
 greatest astonishment, and seemed as if wholly bereft of 
 the power of expressing the indignation which swelled 
 in his bosom almost to suffocation at this overt act of 
 rebellion. At length he found words, though ideas 
 were still wanting. 
 
 " What am I to understand from this most extra- 
 ordinary speech. Miss St Clair ? " inteiTogated he, with 
 some difficulty. 
 
 Gertrude, in much emotion, but with the utmost 
 gentleness of manner, repeated her words. 
 
 " Allowed to disclaim any engagement with Mr 
 Delmour ! A most extraordinary proposal at such a 
 time ! — at a time when so much is at stake — a most 
 improper, nay, a most indelicate proposal, in the present 
 posture of affairs." 
 
 His lordship cleared his voice, hemmed, coughed, 
 and proceeded ; — " You cannot be ignorant. Miss 
 St Clair, of the very important contest at present carry- 
 ing on in this county — a contest which is of vital im- 
 portance to the power and consequence of this family — 
 and, I may add, of some interest to the country at 
 
256 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 large ; as, in these times of anarchy and rebelHon, 
 when the throne and the government are assailed on all 
 sides by factious and turbulent demagogues, it is of the 
 utmost importance that our representation in parliament 
 be sound, loyal, and patriotic, if we expect that our 
 religion and laws should be preserved, and handed 
 down unimpaired to our posterity." 
 
 Her assent seemed to be expected to this opening 
 speech ; but Gertrude could make none. 
 
 The Earl went on — 
 
 " You are probably not aware of the motives which 
 have actuated me in thus developing my schemes and 
 intentions to you, and to the world in general, at this 
 period ; and, in doing so, I certainly have deviated 
 from my original plan. But we must all occasionally 
 be regulated by circumstances ; and, I think, I have 
 only to state to you, that the success of this most im- 
 portant political contest depends very considerably upon 
 the understanding that Mr Delmour will eventually, 
 and in all probability, one day become, through your 
 instrumentality, the lawful possessor of the family estates 
 in this county ; in one word, I could not with pro- 
 priety offer Mr Delmour as the representative of this 
 county (he having little more than a nominal interest 
 in it at present) — unless — as the — as the, in all 
 likelihood — the intended husband of the presumptive 
 (observe I say presumptive^ not apparent) heiress of 
 Rossville.'' 
 
 His lordship was so much pleased with the eloquence 
 and brilliancy of his harangue that, as he went on, he 
 gradually spoke himself into good humour ; and by the 
 time it was ended he had almost forgot the origin of 
 his elocution. Gertrude remained silent, struggling 
 with contending feelings. On the one hand, was the 
 fear of betraying her secret predilection for Colonel 
 Delmour ; — on the other, her scorn and detestation of 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 257 
 
 every thing resembling duplicity and deceit. At length 
 her natural love of truth and candour prevailed ; and, 
 mustering courage, she said — 
 
 " Much as it pains me to oppose you, my dear uncle, 
 yet I should be still more unworthy of your affection 
 were I to leave you in an error. — Forgive me " — she 
 paused — her heart throbbed, and her colour rose — 
 " forgive me, — I will not deceive you. I cannot 
 sanction the engagement you have formed for me — I 
 never can be the wife of Mr Delmour." 
 
 This was something so far beyond what Lord Ross- 
 ville could have anticipated, that it was some time ere 
 the fact could find admittance to his brain, choked up 
 as it always was with his own notions. While the 
 process of conviction was carrying on, he therefore sat 
 as if petrified. At length the light began to penetrate 
 the dim opaque of his understanding ; but his lordship 
 had, as usual, recourse to other people's words till he 
 could muster his own forces. 
 
 " Never can be the wife of Mr Delmour ! " repeated 
 he, in the tone of one who was not quite sure whether 
 he were asleep or awake — " not sanction the engage- 
 ment I have fornied for you ! What — what, in the 
 name of Heaven, am I to understand from such lan- 
 guage. Miss St Clair ? " 
 
 The understanding seemed so perfectly obvious, that 
 Gertrude felt much at a loss how to make it clearer. 
 The question was again repeated. 
 
 " Excuse me, my lord ; but Mr Delmour is not the 
 person I — but, indeed, I do not know how to express 
 myself in a manner less likely to offend. I would say 
 that I wish to be left free, that I might be allowed to 
 choose in so important " 
 
 " You wish to be left free ! — You wish to be allowed 
 to choose in so important ! — hem ! — Really, Miss St 
 Clair, I am too much astonished at the — the — ^the — the 
 
258 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 — the — the — what shall I call it ? the unwarrantable 
 levity of such a proposal, to answer it as it ought. You 
 wish to be left free to choose ! and that in a point of 
 such vast — such vital importance! — Are you aware in 
 what capacity it is that a suitable alliance is formed for 
 you ? — That it is not as Miss St Clair, daughter of the 
 Honourable Thomas St Clair — but as niece to the Earl 
 of Rossville, and presumptive heiress to the title and 
 estates thereof; with the exception of the Barony of 
 Larchdale, which, by deed of entail of Alexander, first 
 Earl of Rossville, devolves upon the heirs-male of the 
 family ; and, therefore, it is to consolidate these pro- 
 perties, that they may be again reunited in the persons ot 
 your mutual heir or heirs, — an arrangement which has 
 Mr Delmour's entire approbation ? I say that, under 
 these circumstances, there is not — there cannot — there 
 must not be a choice in the matter ; — but, indeed, I am 
 very much at a loss to know what to understand by 
 such an expression. / certainly have not been accus- 
 tomed to hear of young ladies of family, and fortune, 
 and distinction, choosing for themselves in their matri- 
 monial course. / can only say, for my own part, I — 
 I — had no choice ! " Gertrude could scarcely restrain 
 a smile at hearing Lord Rossville quote himself as a 
 pattern to be followed, instead of a rock to be shunned ; 
 — but, such is the blindness of human nature, we are all 
 but too apt to hold ourselves up as guides, when we 
 ought to be satisfied to serve as beacons. 
 
 "Allowed to choose! — I — I — and pray, Miss St 
 Clair, supposing, for one moment, it was so — where, I 
 ask — where would you — where could you find such 
 another gentleman as Mr Delmour — a gentleman of 
 birth and fashion — of fine address — of appearance — of 
 accomplishments — possessing a first-rate understanding, 
 of which he has already given undoubted proofs to the 
 world, by having been appointed one of th? Financial 
 
THE INHERITANXE. 259 
 
 Committee, which, for so young a man, I consider as 
 a very distinguished mark of pre-eminence, — but who, 
 notwithstanding all those advantages, submits himself, 
 in this case, solely to my guidance and management ? — 
 I ask again, where could you find such another perfect 
 gentleman ? " 
 
 " I acknowledge Mr Delmour's good qualities, my 
 lord — so far as I can pretend to judge of them upon so 
 slight an acquaintance," answered Gertmde, hesitatingly ; 
 "but — pray forgive me if I still repeat that I must 
 be allowed to consider myself as perfectly dis- 
 engaged." 
 
 "Miss St Clair," cried the Earl, now absolutely 
 gasping — " I can only say that — that if you persist — if 
 you presume to report yourself throughout the county 
 
 as — as — as disengaged — I " The pulse of life 
 
 seemed to stand still, and " nature made a pause, an awful 
 pause, prophetic of its end." — The clenched hand was 
 slowly uplifted — then descended with a weight that 
 shook the table. — " I cannot answer for the conse- 
 quences ! " This is a threat which always forms a 
 happy climax to an argument, from its vagueness, and 
 consequently its sublimity. 
 
 At that moment the party in question entered — his 
 hands full of open letters, and with an air of bustle and 
 business not at all calculated to fascinate a romantic 
 imagination such as Gertrude's. He was beginning 
 some rather formal and complimentary apology for his 
 interruption, when she rose, and in some confusion 
 stammered out a few words in reply ; then, bowing to 
 the Earl, was retiring, when Mr Delmour begged to 
 know whether she had any friends in the western 
 extremity of the county, as he was afraid he should be 
 under the necessity of setting off for that quarter im- 
 mediately, and should be much honoured by being the 
 bearer of Miss St Clair's commands. 
 
26o THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Gertrude disclaimed all interest in that part of the 
 county ; and, scarcely able to express the common 
 civilities of parting, hastily withdrew. 
 
 CI) a p t e r jc^jcbii ]♦ 
 
 My love's so true, 
 
 That I can neither hide it where it is, 
 Nor show it where it is not. 
 
 Dryden's All for Love. 
 
 IN every generous mind there is a spring, which, it 
 touched rightly, yields fine issues ; but if struck by 
 an unskilful hand, produces only discord. So it 
 was with Gertrude : affection would have led her — 
 reason might have guided — but mere authority could 
 never controul her. To one of an independent spirit 
 nothing, therefore, could be more irksome than the 
 situation in which she was placed. She felt that, to 
 be approved of, she must cease to act, cease to think, 
 cease to feel, cease to love, but as directed by the will 
 of her mother and uncle. A spirit such as hers could not 
 at once be thus subdued ; and no one who has anything 
 noble in their nature can be subdued but by their own 
 will — their understanding acknowledging the fitness of 
 their submission. The Christian, indeed, has his spirit 
 subdued to yield obedience, contrary to his own inclina- 
 tion, to those who are placed over him by nature. But 
 Gertrude's principles were not derived from this high 
 and unerring standard ; and though she gave a general 
 assent to the doctrine that children owed obedience to 
 their parents, yet it was with so many limitations that 
 the principle only wanted sufficient temptation to be set 
 aside. 
 
 With regard to her uncle, his right to controul her 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 261 
 
 seemed very doubtful ; and, indeed, the authority of 
 uncles commonly comes in a very questionable shape, 
 and is, perhaps, only to be considered as binding, when 
 the uncle has received authority from a living parent, 
 or has early and long supplied the place of a departed 
 one. As for aunts, they are always accustomed to dic- 
 tate, but are seldom so unreasonable as to expect to be 
 obeyed. Yet love and tenderness, almost maternal, 
 have sometimes given them a power over a young and 
 affectionate heart, which all the violence of improper 
 authority never could have obtained. These would 
 have subdued a mind such as Gertrude's ; but those 
 gentle weapons were unknown and unused either by 
 Lord Rossville or Mrs St Clair. Authority with the 
 one — artifice with the other, were the means used to 
 gain their different purposes with one whom opposite 
 methods would have rendered submissive as a child, 
 and open as noonday. 
 
 Gertrude's first impulse was to hasten to her mother, 
 and relate to her all that had passed between Lord Ross- 
 \nlle and her. She expected to encounter reproaches ; 
 but Mrs St Clair seemed almost frantic at her daughter's 
 disclosure, and absolutely shook with terror while she 
 listened to Gertrude's account of what had passed. But 
 ere she had time to express her sentiments on the sub- 
 ject, a message was brought from the Earl, requesting 
 her presence for half an hour in the stud3% It was 
 easy to guess at the subject in hand ; and Mrs St Clair, 
 though in great agitation, instantly obeyed the summons. 
 Gertrude waited with impatience for nearly an hour and 
 a half, ere the conference was ended and her mother 
 appeared. When she did, she read vexation and dis- 
 comfiture in her countenance. She was, however, too 
 prudent to express her feelings ; but contented herself 
 with saying that she had found Lord Rossville in great 
 displeasure against his niece, and had left him quite ini- 
 
262 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 moveable as to the proposed alliance and declared en- 
 gagement ; and this was all Gertrude could draw from 
 her mother. She therefore sat down to answer the un- 
 fortunate letter that had been the innocent cause of this 
 premature eclaircissemenf, which she did by lamenting 
 her present inability to aid her cousin in any shape ; but 
 concluding with the warmest assurances of regard and 
 promises of assistance, should it ever be in her power to 
 befriend her. She was then preparing to dress for dinner, 
 when the following note was presented to her : — 
 
 " The Earl of Rossville presents compliments to 
 Miss St Clair ; and while matters remain in their 
 present unpleasant position, and until some arrangement 
 of an amicable nature has taken place, it is his wish and 
 expectation that Miss St Clair should confine herself to 
 her own apartment — it may be presumed from indisposition. 
 
 " Rossville Castle, 29th Aug., 18 — ." 
 
 His lordship, when he perused this masterpiece of a 
 billet, had fondly imagined it would speak daggers to 
 the soul of his niece ; and he piqued himself not a little 
 at the Jinesse of punishing her in this exemplary manner, 
 and at the same time keeping her transgression a secret 
 from the rest of the family, whom he wished to remain 
 in ignorance of this defiance of his power. Gertrude, 
 of course, submitted to this embargo, and left it to her 
 mother to give what name she pleased to her disorder. 
 
 A week elapsed, and Gertrude still remained in 
 durance ; but she bore her imprisonment with great 
 heroism, and its languid hours were enlivened by a 
 packet received through some unknown channel from 
 Colonel Delmour. It affected to be merely a parcel 
 of music ; but it contained a letter full of all that love- 
 letters are usually full of — hopes — fears — lamentations 
 — vows — reproaches — raptures — despair. It may be 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 263 
 
 supposed this did not tend to render Gertrude more 
 compliant to her uncle's wishes ; and his lordship was 
 beginning to feel much at a loss how to proceed, when 
 all the combustible particles of his composition were 
 roused into action, and he hastened to array himself in 
 all his honours and take the field in full force. The 
 report of his niece's engagement with Mr Lyndsay 
 had, by the ingenuity of Miss Pratt, quickly circulated 
 throughout the county, and had resounded and rever- 
 berated from all the corners of it before the last echo 
 reached the dull ear of Lord Rossville ; — but when it 
 did, it produced all the effect of a thunderbolt upon his 
 senses. Not that he could all at once give credit to 
 such a monstrous supposition ; but it was quite bad 
 enough that the thing should be said, or for one instant 
 believed. As soon as he recovered so far as to be able 
 to ruminate, he therefore resolved upon his plan of pro- 
 ceeding ; and, as the first step, summoned his niece to 
 his presence. For some minutes he regarded her with 
 a look which he vainly expected would cause her to 
 sink to the ground ; for the Earl thought of expression 
 as Glendower did of spirits, — that he had only to call 
 them, and they would come. After waiting in vain for 
 the effects he had anticipated, his lordship found he must 
 have recourse to his voice — not that he was averse to 
 using that, but having witnessed the magic influence of 
 a Siddons and a Kean, he had no doubt but that he too 
 could look unutterable things; and he had intended first 
 to kill with the lightning of his eye, and then to revive 
 with the gracious sound of his voice. All this he had 
 intended ; but how often are the best intentions frus- 
 trated ! 
 
 Gertrude was quite ignorant of these intentions ; and 
 in her uncle's persevering stare saw nothing but a stare, 
 which, being always a disagreeable thing, she sought to 
 avoid by casting down her eyes. Still having some- 
 
264 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 where read that women can see even with their eyes 
 shut, Lord Rossville flattered himself that his piercing 
 gaze would penetrate through the eyelids of his niece ; 
 and he waited a little longer in hopes of seeing her at 
 his feet. 
 
 At length she raised her eyes, but it was to exclaim 
 at seeing a hawk dart past the window in pursuit of a 
 dove. The Earl now spoke. 
 
 " Miss St Clair, look at me." 
 
 Gertrue obeyed, and did look ; but with an expres- 
 sion which seemed to say, and what then ? 
 
 " Look at me. Miss St Clair, if, indeed, it is possible 
 for you to meet my eye, after what has recently come 
 to my knowledge. — Miss St Clair, this is neither a 
 subject nor a time for trifling, and I will have neither 
 equivocation nor prevarication. — I ask you again — and 
 I warn you to be cautious how and in what manner you 
 frame your reply — I ask you again, arc you willing to be 
 restored to my favour and protection, upon the terms I 
 proposed, namely, that you consider yourself as engaged, 
 and as having been for some time past engaged, to 
 Robert Burlington Delmour, Esquire, Member of 
 Parliament, the heir-male of this family ? and do you 
 consent that the nuptials be solemnised at such a time as 
 I shall deem proper ? " 
 
 " My lord, I grieve that I cannot obey you ; but I 
 will not deceive you. Mr Delmour has my good 
 
 wishes — my affections " she stopped and coloured 
 
 deeply, then added, in a low voice, " are not mine to 
 bestow ! " 
 
 Lord Rossville was struck dumb at this daring 
 avowal, which seemed to mock the thunderbolt he held 
 in his hand ready to hurl when the proper moment 
 came. 
 
 " Miss St Clair," gasped he at length, " are you 
 aware of the construction that may be put upon such 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 265 
 
 language ? — that it amounts, in the ordinary language of 
 the world, to an avowal or confession of a very parti- 
 cular, I may add improper nature ? Miss St Clair, what 
 am I to understand from such a declaration ; — a declara- 
 tion which, in the eyes of the world, would be considered 
 as tantamount to an express and explicit declaration of 
 a prior and illegal attachment, unsanctioned by me ? " 
 
 Gertrude bowed her head, either to hide her blushes, 
 or to testify her assent. The Earl resumed — 
 
 " Miss St Clair, my delicacy would have spared you 
 this — to you humiliating, to me distressing avowal ; but 
 you have thrown aside the disguise which — which — 
 which — but I must now inform you, that I am no 
 stranger to this most improper, unaccountable, and unjusti- 
 fiable transaction ; andthat,as the preliminary step towards 
 gaining my forgiveness for this, I must say, unpardonable 
 offence, I must insist upon a complete and total renuncia- 
 tion of all farther intercourse with the party implicated." 
 
 "My lord," said Gertrude, trying to repress her 
 tears, " I can only repeat what I have already said — 
 I am sensible of your goodness — 1 grieve that I should 
 have offended you ; but I never will renounce the right 
 of choosing for myself — that choice is made — would it 
 were one more pleasing to your lordship ! " 
 
 " Miss St Clair, I will not hear another syllable," — 
 cried the Earl, with an energy unparalleled in the annals 
 of his life and conversation — " I here lay my positive 
 injunctions upon you to refrain from speaking, thinking, 
 or acting any farther in this most faulty and improper 
 transaction ; and I shall, at the same time, signify to the 
 other party concerned that, from this time, he likewise 
 must cease to consider you in any other light than that 
 which the present relationship by blood warrants. I 
 here positively annul any engagements, or contract, by 
 which this clandestine, and, consequently unlawful and 
 improper correspondence, has been " 
 
266 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " No, my lord," cried Gertrude, in her turn roused 
 by such opprobrious epithets — "you cannot annul the 
 affections of the heart. I am not a slave, to be thus 
 bought and sold ! " exclaimed she, giving way to her 
 long-suppressed tears. 
 
 " Miss St Clair, such language — such sentiments — 
 are no less unbecoming for you to utter, than they are im- 
 proper for me to hear. I will listen to nothing more of 
 the kind ; but it is proper you should be made acquainted 
 with what you have to expect from me should you per- 
 sist in this obstinate, and infatuated, and destructive 
 course, in which you have begun. You are then to 
 learn that, in the event of your persisting in your head- 
 strong and unaccountable refusal to fulfil the engage- 
 ment I have contracted for you with the heir-male of 
 this family, it is my firm resolution, and final determina- 
 tion, instantly to withdraw from you my countenance — 
 alienate from you and your heirs every sixpence of pro- 
 perty, heritable and personal, which it is in my power 
 to dispose of ; and farther, there is good reason to 
 believe that it will bear a question whether I am not at 
 liberty, under the deed of Simon, second Earl of Ross- 
 ville, to dispone and bequeath the ivhole of the lands and 
 estates according to my will and pleasure. At all 
 events, the right of tying them up for an indefinite term 
 of years is undoubted, and shall most unquestionably be 
 put in force. You have, therefore, to choose between 
 an annual income of 20,000/., to which you are at 
 present presumptive heiress (that is, eventually), or to 
 sink at once into comparative poverty, and insignificance, 
 and obscurity.'' 
 
 "My choice is made, my lord," said Gertrude, 
 instantly calmed into the most perfect composure. 
 
 " Then, Miss St Clair, you know and are fully aware 
 of the consequences." 
 
 Gertrude only bent her head in silent acquiescence ; 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 267 
 
 and, rising to leave the room, the Earl rang the bell 
 with rather more of energy than was his custom, and as 
 she retired she heard him desire that Mr Lyndsay might 
 attend him immediately. 
 
 Chapter vv%iv* 
 
 The man scarce lives who is not more credulous than he 
 ought to be, and who does not upon many occasions give 
 credit to tales which not only turn out to be perfectly false, 
 but which a very moderate degree of reflection and atten- 
 tion might have taught him could not well be true. — Ad.\m 
 Smith. 
 
 THERE is nothing tends so much to brace the 
 nerves, and keep up the tone of the spirits, as 
 the sense of having been treated with injustice. 
 For some time, therefore, Gertrude felt as though she 
 had gained a triumph by the sacrifice she had made to 
 her lover ; she exulted in the thought of thus proving 
 to him the sincerity and the devotedness of her affec- 
 tion, and delighted her fond and simple fancy by imagin- 
 ing how much dearer she would be to him as the (for 
 his sake) poor Gertrude St Clair, than she ever could 
 have been as the heiress of Rossville. But the first 
 glow of enthusiasm over, she sighed as she thought, 
 " Yet how sweet would have been the pleasure of be- 
 stowing upon him all that I now see — these noble 
 woods, this far-spreading domain, I had hoped to have 
 made him master of! They tell me he is expensive, — 
 that is, he has a magnificent taste, and loves show and 
 splendour, and pictures, and fine horses, and every thing 
 that is beautiful. Ah ! how happy I should have been 
 in the means of gratifying him, and of making him so 
 happy — oh ! so happy, that he should have had nothing 
 to wish for — yet all these he will sacrifice for me, for 
 
268 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 he has often declared my affection was all the world to 
 him. — What signifies then the loss of wealth to those 
 who can be rich in mutual love ? " Thus communed 
 Gertrude with herself ; and, at nineteen, who would 
 not have done the same ? 
 
 Meanwhile the Earl was somewhat at a loss what 
 course to pursue with the other supposed offender, Mr 
 Lyndsay. His lordship, unknown to himself, had that 
 sort of intuitive respect for his nephew which weak 
 minds (however against their grain) must always feel 
 towards strong ones ; but he still trusted to his powers 
 of expression, and therefore arranged his aspect, as 
 nearly as he could, into that cast with which he 
 imagined Brutus had passed sentence on his sons. But 
 looks were as much thrown away upon Mr Lyndsay as 
 they had been upon Gertrude ; — that gentleman testified 
 no sort of emotion whatever at beholding his lordship's 
 brows bent full upon him, and the Earl again found 
 himself reduced to the vulgar method of explaining 
 himself in words. He then entered upon a speech, 
 which, for intricacy of design and uselessness of purpose, 
 might have vied with the far-famed labyrinth of Crete. 
 Poor Mr Lyndsay toiled after him in vain, quite unable 
 even to conjecture where his lordship was driving, and 
 what was to be the issue of his tortuous harangue. At 
 length the Earl emerged from the dim eclipse in which, 
 shorn of his beams, he had so long shed disastrous 
 twilight, if not upon nations, at least upon individuals, 
 and the truth burst upon Lyndsay's almost benighted 
 senses. For a moment a strange glow of delight came 
 over his heart at hearing himself called upon to renounce 
 all claim to the hand and affections of Miss St Clair ; 
 but it as quickly faded as he thought of the difference 
 of their views and sentiments, and he smiled in scorn at 
 his own credulity for having, for an instant, given ear to 
 such a delusion. ** It is impossible for me to relinquish 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 269 
 
 what I never possessed," said he, in answer to the 
 Earl's appeal, " nor can even flatter myself it is in my 
 power to obtain. This is some of Miss Pratt's idle 
 rumours, which have found their way to your lordship's 
 ear ; — believe me, they are quite unworthy of a moment's 
 consideration." 
 
 But it was in vain to hold this language to Lord 
 Rossville ; it was seldom an idea found entrance into 
 his head, and when once there it was no easy matter to 
 dislodge it — it became, not the mere furniture of the 
 head, to be turned or changed at will, but seemed 
 actually to become a part of the head itself, which it 
 required a sort of mental scalping or trepanning to re- 
 move. In vain, therefore, was Mr Lyndsay's denial — 
 the Earl remained steadfast in his belief, and rejected 
 the idea of Miss Pratt with the greatest contempt. — He 
 " was perfectly informed of the whole, from authority 
 it was impossible to question." He then went over the 
 same ground he had taken with Gertrude — the loss of 
 his countenance — the breaking of the entail — the tying 
 up of the property. Sec. &c. "Were I, as you imagine, 
 honoured with Miss St Clair's partiality," said Lynd- 
 say, " I must frankly tell you, that all you have now 
 said would not have the slightest influence upon me — I 
 hope it never will have upon the man who is so for- 
 tunate as to gain her affections. Much as he may value 
 your lordship's favour, and the Rossville estates, I trust 
 he will never put either of them in competition with 
 Miss St Clair." 
 
 This was past answering. Lord Rossville took two 
 or three turns through the room before he could trust 
 himself to reply, then spoke — 
 
 " Mr Lyndsay, I can only impute this tergiversation 
 of yours (to call it by no harsher name) to a very mis- 
 taken and destructive sense of honour ; but what will 
 you say, sir, when I inform you, that not many minutes 
 
2 70 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 have elapsed since, in this very apartment, and on this 
 very spot, I received from the lips of the young lady 
 herself the open and avowed acknowledgment of her 
 — her — her — what shall I call it? — her highly im- 
 proper attachment to and engagement with yourself? " 
 
 " Impossible ! " exclaimed Lyndsay, his face flush- 
 ing with a variety of contending emotions ; — " she did 
 not — she could not say so." 
 
 Mr Lyndsay knew his uncle to be a weak, tiresome, 
 conceited man ; but he also knew him to be a man of 
 perfect veracity — one who, at least, always intended to 
 speak the truth. Such an unqualified assertion, there- 
 fore, as that he had just made, could not fail to be 
 heard by him with some emotion, however mingled 
 with incredulity. 
 
 Lord Rossville, in great displeasure that his word 
 should be doubted, repeated his nephew's last words 
 with more than usual pompous indignation ; then added 
 — " I should deem it derogatory to myself to insist 
 farther upon this subject. I can only repeat, and that 
 upon the honour of a peer, that I have received from 
 Miss St Clair the avowal of her clandestine attachment 
 to you ; and, farther, heard her assert and maintain her 
 right to make such a choice." 
 
 " Enough, my lord," cried Lyndsay ; "'tis in vain 
 to attempt to answer such assertions at present — but I 
 shall endeavour to furnish you with some explanation 
 of this mystery ere long." And he hastily withdrew, 
 despairing of any elucidation from Lord Rossville. 
 Yet how or where to find it he knew not, still less 
 could he form any plausible conjecture as to the truth ; 
 there was none to whom he could apply, for there was 
 no one on whose judgment or principles he could place 
 any reliance. At one time he thought was it possible 
 Gertrude could be playing false, and using his name as 
 a cover to some clandestine engagement — the stranger ? 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 271 
 
 — Colonel Delmour ? — but the next minute he checked 
 the idea as unworthy of her, of himself. Whatever 
 her faults might be, duplicity certainly was not of the 
 number — there was an air and expression of candour 
 and openness in her countenance, manners, words, 
 which placed her above the meanness of suspicion. At 
 length he resolved to seek her himself, and try whether 
 he could not penetrate this mystery. 
 
 Gertrude had remained standing at the window of 
 one of the public rooms she had to pass through in 
 leaving Lord Rossville's apartment — she had been 
 gazing with a vague mingled feeling of pride and regret 
 at the lovely scene that lay before her in all the glowing 
 tints of autumn, when she was roused from her reverie 
 by the entrance of Mr Lyndsay. He accosted her 
 with an inquiry after her health, and then one of those 
 awkward silences which every body has felt ensued. 
 At length, as she turned to quit the room, he spoke — 
 
 " Once, my dear cousin," said he, " you conferred 
 upon me the privilege of a friend — that of speaking the 
 truth to you." 
 
 " It is one you have hitherto made little use of," 
 replied she ; then deeply colouring as the thoughts of 
 the midnight rencontre rushed to her mind, she added, 
 " I have, perhaps, no right to expect that Mr Lyndsay 
 should do what circumstances must have rendered so 
 disagreeable a task for him." 
 
 "You wrong yourself and me by such a supposition," 
 said he. " However inexplicable some things may 
 appear, a few words of truth, I am very sure, will set 
 all to rights." 
 
 " No ! " exclaimed Gertrude, in much agitation : 
 " inexplicable I must still remain to you — ask me 
 nothing — I cannot, indeed I cannot answer any 
 questions." 
 
 *' Gertrude," said Lyndsay, with great emotion, " it 
 
272 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 is essential to my happiness — ])erhaps to yours — that we 
 should understand each other." He paused ; then, by 
 a strong effort, proceeded, — "You will call it folly, 
 presumption, madness, when I tell you that Lord Ross- 
 ville, under the influence of some unaccountable delusion, 
 has called upon me to resign all pretensions to your 
 
 favour — to your hand ." He stopped, and Ger- 
 
 tmde, overwhelmed with surprise and confusion, re- 
 mained silent. 
 
 " Had I dared to aspire to it," continued he, in 
 increasing agitation, " I know no earthly motive that 
 would have induced me to relinquish my claims, Ger- 
 trude," — and he would have taken her hand ; but 
 Gertrude stood aghast, and for a few moments remained 
 overwhelmed with confusion ; at length roused to self- 
 possession, she saw there was only one course she could 
 now pursue — she must throw herself upon the generosity 
 of her cousin — -she must confide to him the secret of her 
 attachment to Colonel Delmour. Noble and disin- 
 terested as he was, she knew him to be incapable of 
 abusing her confidence ; and, with a mixture of embar- 
 rassment and simplicity, she disclosed to him the situation 
 in which she stood. 
 
 Mr Lyndsay heard her with the deepest interest, 
 while she lamented the misunderstanding that had oc- 
 curred with her uncle, and avowed that her affections 
 were no longer her own to bestow ; but when, with 
 faltering tongue and downcast eyes, she named Colonel 
 Delmour as the object of her choice, a shade of anguish 
 overcast his face. 
 
 " 'Tis then as I feared!" exclaimed he. "Ah, 
 Gertrude ! would I could have saved you from this ! " 
 
 " Saved me ! " repeated Gertrude, colouring deeply 
 with shame and displeasure as she turned away. 
 
 " Forgive me, my dear cousin," cried he — " I did 
 not mean to offend you — I spoke too abruptly ; but I 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 273 
 
 cannot retract what I have uttered. Did not you 
 promise to hear, and to bear the truth from me ? " 
 
 " I was ignorant then that, under the name of truth, 
 I was to be called upon to give ear to detraction, and 
 detraction against the absent." 
 
 Lyndsay looked upon her more in sorrow than in 
 anger, while he answered — " Yet, if you saw one in 
 whom you were interested on the brink of a precipice, 
 would any consideration withhold you from giving them 
 warning of their danger, — from saving them, if you 
 possibly could ? But do not injure me so far — do not 
 suppose me so base as to have said to you what I have 
 not said — what I will not again repeat to Colonel Del- 
 mour himself. I have warned him, that I would do 
 all in my power to save you from ever becoming his, if 
 that is detraction " 
 
 " Be it what it may," cried Gertrude, " I will hear 
 no more — already I have heard too much ; " and her 
 voice quivered with emotion — " I will go to Lord 
 Rossville — T will clear up this error — be the con- 
 sequences to myself what they may ; " and, rejecting 
 Lyndsay 's effort to detain her, she flew to Lord 
 Rossville, and, in all the excitement of wounded feeling, 
 acknowledged Colonel Delmour as the object of her 
 preference. 
 
 It was some time ere the Earl could open his eyes to 
 this flood of new light ; but when he did, long and tire- 
 some was the scene that ensued. This was worse and 
 worse — to have chosen the wrong brother; — 'twas strange 
 — 'twas passing strange; and a parallel was drawn between 
 the two brothers that, in his lordship's estimation at least, 
 might have rivalled that of Hamlet. In vain was her 
 lover denounced ; even had she credited the aspersions 
 cast upon him, they would have now come too late : 
 they might grieve, but they could not change her heart. 
 At length the whole concluded with her being discarded 
 
 I. s 
 
274 I'HE INHERITANCE. 
 
 from her uncle's presence and protection. Mrs St 
 Clair was next summoned, and a long consultation 
 ensued. Her anger and dismay were at least equal to 
 the EarPs, though caused by different views of the 
 same subject. How to dispose of the offender was the 
 next question. To permit her to bask in the light ot 
 his lordship's countenance, after her sentence of excom- 
 munication, would never do — yet to confine her to her 
 apartment, or discard her utterly, would be making the 
 matter public. And as he expected he should ultimately 
 prevail, he was anxious, he said, that the flame of re- 
 bellion should not blaze forth, as he had no doubt of 
 speedily extinguishing it. In this emergency, the only 
 course Mrs St Clair could suggest was, that her daughter 
 and she should pay a visit to her sisters. To this his 
 lordship at first objected ; but, upon hearing that they 
 lived in the most retired melancholy manner, and that 
 it would be a perfect act of penance for Gertrude to 
 reside there, he consented. Under pretence of change 
 of air, therefore, for Miss St Clair's cold, it was settled 
 that they should immediately depart ; and the necessary 
 arrangements having been made, for the sake of appear- 
 ances, and, as he expressed it, to stifle any unpleasant 
 surmises to which this hasty removal might give birth, 
 they were escorted to the carriage by the Earl himself ; 
 — he handed in Mrs St Clair, but only appeared to 
 assist Gertrude — thus preserving the beautiful unity of 
 his design to the last. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 275 
 
 Cljaptcr %L 
 
 II ne faut pas croire que la vie des Chretiens soit une 
 vie de tristesse, on ne quitte les plaisirs que pour d'autres 
 plus grands. — Pascal. 
 
 TO the worldly mind there is always something 
 depressing in the transition from grandeur to 
 mediocrity. This Mrs St Clair and her 
 daughter experienced upon entering the simple dwelling 
 of the Miss Blacks. The one loved the pomps and the 
 luxuries of high life, the other its elegancies and refine- 
 ments ; and both had lost their relish for the humbler 
 sphere which they were now entering. They were 
 received by the sisters with an affection and tenderness 
 which seemed to flow from a better source than mere 
 worldly politeness. There was an openness of char- 
 acter, — a calm, sweet gentleness of manner, which could 
 not fail to please ; but there was, at the same time, a 
 difference of tastes, principles, and pursuits, between 
 them and their visitors, which no courtesy of manner, 
 or cordiality of reception, could entirely do away. 
 The Miss Blacks were no vain professors of that re- 
 ligion which all pretend to honour with their lips, while 
 with many their heart is far from it — their time, their 
 talents, their fortune, their hearts were devoted to 
 its service ; and in devoting the heart to God, 
 how various and comprehensive are the duties which 
 it embraces ! Different portions, indeed, had been 
 assigned them, but both were labourers in the same 
 vineyard. 
 
 Thousands at His bidding speed, 
 
 And post o'er land and ocean without rest: 
 They also serve who only stand and wait. 
 
 Milton. 
 
 The word of God was the rule of their faith and 
 
276 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 practice — they believed, and they obeyed. Yet, im- 
 pressed as they were themselves with the importance 
 of those divine truths, they were aware that it is not 
 by the mind, but with the heart, that man believeth 
 unto salvation ; and they sought rather to make Chris- 
 tianity loved and desired, than to prove its divine origin 
 by reasoning and disputation. As the glories of the 
 firmament are reflected in the placid bosom of some 
 deep unruffled stream of the valley, so did Divine truth 
 shine in them with a clear yet subdued light ; while the 
 charity which " vaunteth not itself, is not easily pro- 
 voked, thinketh no evil," was visible in that deport- 
 ment of its votaries, and shed an indescribable charm 
 over the tone of their conversation. Without neglect- 
 ing their own avocations, or sacrificing their own 
 pursuits, they nevertheless endeavoured, by every means 
 in their power, to render their house agreeable to their 
 visitors, and to promote, if not mirth and revelry, at 
 least cheerfulness and amusement. Still there was 
 something in her sisters with which Mrs St Clair could 
 not assimilate — she felt their faith and their practice a 
 reproach to herself ; and she turned with aversion from 
 their excellence, as Lucifer did from the sunbeams, only 
 because of their brightness. Thus it is with true Chris- 
 tian piety, which seldom fails to be an offence to some 
 part of the world, which denounces, as zealots and 
 fanatics, all who rise above its own low standard. It 
 was otherwise with Gertrude : though not sufficiently 
 enlightened to be above imbibing prejudices, she was too 
 liberal-minded and candid to retain them j and she had 
 not lived many days with her aunts ere she arrived at 
 the conviction that all religious people are not necessarily 
 fools, hypocrites, or bigots. The unvarying mildness 
 and gentleness of her aunts, their charity to all, their 
 indulgence towards young people, could not fail to gain 
 her affections j and though their sentiments were totally 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 277 
 
 different from hers, and what she deemed very out of 
 the tvay, still the fruits were so fair that she could not 
 but apply to them Pope's often misapplied maxim, — 
 
 They can't be wrong whose life is in the right. 
 
 But it was a species of virtue Gertrude felt no inclin- 
 ation to imitate ; all her ideas of virtue were those of 
 imagination ; she loved to expatiate in thought on deeds 
 of romantic, sentimental excellence : her money, and 
 her tears, and her emotion were always ready to be- 
 stow ; but when she herself was brought into contact 
 with real genuine human w^retchedness, she shamk with 
 horror and disgust from the encounter. The dirtiness 
 of the houses, the coarseness of the people, the ugliness 
 of the children, were all revolting to her fine-spun 
 notions of the beauty of benevolence ; and she longed 
 to discover some fair specimens of elegant woe, some in- 
 teresting vestiges of human calamity, on whom to lavish 
 the ardent sensibility of her warm and generous but 
 unrenewed heart ; — in short, her religion was the 
 religion of impulse and feeling ; and, as has been finely 
 said, " Virtue requires habit and resolution of mind as 
 well as delicacy of sentiment ; and, unfortunately, the 
 former qualities are sometimes wanting, where the latter 
 is in the greatest perfection." Alas ! it is not in this 
 world that charity assumes the fair and graceful form 
 with which painting and sculpture, in all the riches of 
 their imagination, have so often decked it ! 
 
 Although the Miss Blacks lived, according to the 
 worldly phrase, out of the world, they, nevertheless, 
 had a society, which even Mrs St Clair and her 
 daughter felt it no degradation to mix in. Their doors 
 were open to all ; for they practised hospitality towards 
 all, though their chosen friends were those whose 
 faith and practice most closely assimilated with their 
 own. 
 
278 THK INHKRITANCF. 
 
 William Leslie, the innocent origin of Gertrude's 
 present disgrace, was a frequent visitor, and could not 
 fail to make a fiivourable impression on her from his in- 
 teresting appearance, and the modesty and propriety of 
 his manners. From the delicacy of his features, he 
 looked even younger than he was ; and may be repre- 
 sented in the words of an ancient and somewhat quaint 
 description, as " seeming much about twenty years of 
 age, brown-haired, tall, of a sweet face, and of a most 
 neat composure." She felt as much interest in the 
 success of that attachment as the engrossing influence ot 
 her own would admit of her taking in any subject 
 foreign to it. But to the disquiets of absence was now 
 added a sort of restless anxiety to receive renewed as- 
 surances of affection from her lover ; not that she 
 doubted his fidelity, or for a moment believed it could 
 be shaken by any vicissitude of fortune that might befall 
 her ; but still, as she knew Lord Rossviiie had com- 
 municated to him what had passed, it would have been 
 gratifying to have been assured that his faith was 
 unshaken. She saw by the papers that his regiment 
 was still in England ; perhaps, then, he meant to come 
 himself, and bear her through the storm to which her 
 attachment to him had exposed her ; and day after day 
 — hour after hour, Gertrude waited, till waiting de- 
 generated into watching, and watching turned into the 
 sickness of hope deferred. 
 
 Mrs St Clair read what was passing in her daughter's 
 mind, and tried to take advantage of it, by prevailing on 
 her to renounce the man who, at such a crisis, could 
 leave her in doubt for a single moment as to the nature 
 of his sentiments ; but 'tis long ere the young and 
 generous heart can believe in any thing so monstrous 
 as the deceit of the object beloved : and Gertrude, even 
 while she felt the anxieties of doubt, yet rejected, 
 almost with horror the idea of his unworthiness. In 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 279 
 
 vain did her aunts endt-avour to lead her thoughts to 
 better things, or even to direct her mind to other sources 
 of occupation. Gertrude, under the influence of a way- 
 ward and domineering passion, could listen only to its 
 voice ; and the voice of the charmer, charm it ever so 
 wisely, fell unheeded on her ear : she felt almost pro- 
 voked at their calmness and placidity, and secretly 
 sighed at the insipid monotony of her life. 
 
 Chapter xXj, 
 
 In hope a king doth go to war, 
 
 In hope a lover lives full long, 
 
 In hope a merchant sails full far. 
 
 In hope just men do suffer wrong, 
 
 In hope the ploughman sows his seed ; 
 
 Thus hope helps thousands at their need ; 
 
 Then faint not, heart, among the rest, 
 
 Whatever chance, hope thou the best. 
 
 Richard Alison. 
 
 HITHERTO the weather had been fine; and 
 though fine weather in any town, but more 
 especially in a little, dull, dirty, provincial one, 
 never appears to less advantage, still it was a relief to 
 Gertrude to saunter alone in her aunt's little garden, 
 and sometimes to extend her rambles to the neighbour- 
 ing fields ; but two days of incessant rain deprived her 
 even of this resource, and she found herself shut up in 
 the same apartment with her mother and her aunts, 
 unable to take any interest either in their occupation or 
 conversation. \Vhere people's hearts are in unison, a 
 vei-y small space indeed suflSces for their bodies ; but 
 where there is no blending of tastes and pursuits, social 
 intercourse necessarily becomes irksome and oppressive, 
 and we sigh for even the joyless freedom of solitude. 
 
28o THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 In the narrow dull streets of Barnford there was little 
 to amuse or attract ; but Gertrude sat at the window 
 most part of the morning, gazing she knew not at what. 
 Perhaps there are few stronger proofs of aberration of 
 intellect than that of a person looking out of a window, 
 where there is nothing to be seen ; and at another time 
 she would liave smiled in scorn at the idea of ever being 
 reduced to so pitiful a resource. Certainly the objects 
 upon which she looked with vacant eye were not of 
 the most attractive order. At the opposite house, an 
 old gentlewoman sat knitting — her hands at one side of 
 her body, her head at the other, in the manner usually 
 practised by expert knitters. This old gentlewoman 
 then sat knitting a large thick-shaped white lamb's-wool 
 stocking, with wires and quills, like those " upon the 
 fretful porcupine," stuck in her girdle, and which her 
 v/ell-trained fingers ever and anon exchanged and 
 adjusted in a manner which none but a knitter could 
 comprehend or explain. It is a galling thing to those 
 whose hands will not move a finger without the super- 
 intendence of the head thus to behold other hands 
 performing all the intricacies of heel and toe, apparently 
 by their own free will and accord. There are few 
 servants who do not require to be occasionally looked 
 after ; but these trusty and vigilant members never 
 appeared to relax in their labours, though the eyes of 
 their mistress never were once directed towards them, 
 but seemed to be in active observance of all that was to 
 be seen beyond the sphere of her own dwelling. Much 
 might be said upon this subject ; but, doubtless, my 
 readers love a well-knit story as much as a well-knit 
 stocking, and it would be like letting down a stitch, to 
 enter upon a long digression at present. 
 
 At the next house a great washing was going on — 
 maid-servants, with pinned-up sleeves, crimson arms, and 
 loose caps, came occasionally to the door to discharge 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 281 
 
 tubs full of soap-suds ; while a roaring infant was 
 dandled at the window by a Httle dirty dog-eared- 
 looking minx, with lier hair en papiUote. On the other 
 side of the knitting lady nothing was visible to the naked 
 eye ; but the sound of an old cracked jingling spinnet 
 was heard unceasingly practising Barbadoes Bells and 
 Nancy Dawson. Below was a shop, and over the half- 
 door leant the shop-master, with a long sharp raw nose, 
 looking as anxiously as ever did Sister Anne to see if 
 there was anybody coming. Now and then the street 
 was enlivened with the clank of a pair of pattens (pro- 
 bably Miss Becky Duguid's) ; — at another time, a 
 spattered cow was driven reluctantly along, lowing most 
 plaintively. There was also an occasional cart shaking 
 the houses in its progress as it rumbled over the rugged 
 pavement. A hoarse shrieking ballad-singer, with a 
 wooden leg, made an attempt to collect an audience by 
 vociferating — 
 
 Bright Chanticleer proclaims the dawn, 
 
 And spangles deck the thorn ; 
 The lowing herds now quit the l^wn ; 
 
 The lark springs from the corn. 
 Dogs, huntsmen, round the window throng, 
 
 Fleet Towler leads the cry ; 
 Arise, the burden of my song, 
 This day a stag must die. 
 With a hey, ho, chevy ! 
 Hark forward, hark forward, tantivy ! 
 Hark, hark, tantivy ! 
 This day a stag must die. This day, &c. 
 
 But his only listeners were a boy going to school, and a 
 servant girl bound on a message which required despatch. 
 These were sounds of hopeless misery, — but the blowing 
 of a horn, with what is it not fraught to the watching 
 heart and listening ear ? Gertrude strained her eyes ; 
 but a long coach, covered with red cloaks and umbrellas, 
 
282 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 was just setting off — there were not even the hopes and 
 fears of an arrival to agitate. 
 
 The day was beginning to close in — dinner had been 
 ordered ; and Gertrude, with a deep sigh, was turning 
 from the window, when again the sound of wheels was 
 heard — she turned — a carriage was in siglit — it 
 approached in the dubious straggling manner of one 
 uncertain of its destination — the glasses were up, and 
 dimmed with rain — but, oh ! agitation unspeakable ! as 
 it stopped for a moment opposite the window, Gertrude 
 recognised the well-known Delmour crest ! For some 
 moments she saw — heard nothing — all was silent tumult 
 in her mind, as she thought " He is come ! — even now 
 he seeks me ! " — She looked up — the carriage had 
 moved on a few doors, but there it stood — she saw 
 the hind wheels ; but she could see no more, save that 
 it seemed to be causing a little bustle — heads were put 
 out from the opposite windows, and two or three 
 people came out of their dwellings, and crossed the 
 street to it. Every instant seemed an age to Gertrude, 
 and some minutes elapsed, when again it was set in 
 motion. It turned — she saw the horses' heads — they 
 were almost at the door — there was no longer doubt — 
 it was soon reality — the carriage drew up — a loud knock 
 at the door startled even the Miss Blacks — the bustle 
 of an arrival was heard below — what was said Gertrude 
 heard not — a mist was before her eyes — a rushing 
 sound in her ears. The door was thrown open, and in 
 an instant the whole illusion vanished, as if by the touch 
 of some fell enchanter ; for in pattered — Miss Pratt. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 283 
 
 Cljaptcr %l\}^ 
 
 How convenient it proves to be a rational animal, who 
 knows how to find, or to invent, a plausible pretext for what- 
 ever it has an inclination to do ! — Frankun. 
 
 " X 4" Y dear Miss Black, this is really too much ! — 
 1 V I Now, don't let me disturb you. But what 
 do you think ? — I've got into a fine scrape, 
 thanks to my pretty madam of a maid. — Miss Mary, I 
 hope you feel yourself getting stouter — this is sad 
 weather for rheumatism, Mrs St Clair. Miss Gertrude, 
 my dear, are you well enough ? — But, as I was saying, 
 I really never was in such a situation in my life before. 
 — I've been staying for the last week at old General 
 Crabtree's ; poor man ! the gout really does not im- 
 prove his temper — and the house is small ; and alto- 
 gether, to tell you the truth, I was glad of an excuse to 
 get away — so when our friend Mr Delmour, who's 
 there for a day or two on his political purposes, pro- 
 posed sending in his carriage to get something done to 
 the lamps, I thought I would just take the opportunity 
 of coming in, having a little business of my own at this 
 time — but what do you think ? Upon coming to my 
 own house, lo and behold it's hard and fast locked up ; 
 and that light-headed tawpee is off to a sick mother, or 
 a brother from the sea, or some such sham, and I'm 
 left to shift for myself — without a hole to put my head 
 in. If she had had but the sense to have left my key, 
 
 I could have made a shift " 
 
 At that instant Miss Black's sei-vant entered with a 
 large key, bearing to be the key of Miss Pratt's house, 
 which, she said, had been sent by Mrs Dunsmure, the 
 grocer, with whom Babby Braidfoot had deposited it at 
 her departure. 
 
 " That's my key, is it ? " asked the owner, regarding 
 
284 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 it with a very bitter look ; " and much the better I'll 
 be of that, to be sure,'* taking it with great reluctance. 
 " ril find cold quarters there, I think, for any body 
 just come off a journey." 
 
 Miss Black was too sincere to make speeches, or ex- 
 press pleasure she did not feel ; but she took advantage 
 of the first pause afforded by Miss Pratt to express her 
 wish that she would remain with them, and to assure her 
 of a hearty welcome to such accommodation as they had. 
 
 "My dear Miss Black, this is really kind ! — a friend 
 in need is a friend indeed. Well I may say that! — 
 But are you sure it's not putting you to any incon- 
 venience ? I know I may depend upon your telling me 
 honestly. To be sure nobody need mind me, for, I 
 thank my stars, I am easily put up ; I'm not one of those 
 who can't sleep out of their own house ; I can lie in any 
 bed, if it's not too hard, and is well made, and has 
 plenty of pillows, and enough of nice light blankets, and 
 just a touch of a warming-pan through it, and a bit clear 
 spunk of fire in my room. Well, since you insist upon 
 it, I'll just take the liberty of having my bits of things 
 brought out here ; they can easily be moved afterwards. 
 Then, my dear," — to the servant girl — "will you just 
 tell the coachman to take out my luggage ? He must 
 get somebody to help him with the largest trunk ; and 
 tell him to keep the small one with the right end up- 
 most. And do you hear, my dear, will you take care 
 in carrying up the band-boxes ? — and there's a large 
 green bag, see that it's well fastened at the mouth ; — 
 and there's a pair of stout walking-shoes in one of the 
 pockets, and my work-bag, and a little brown-paper 
 parcel in the other — and there's a little basket in the 
 corner, and that's all. — Well, this is really comfortable," 
 drawing in her chair, " for a person just come off a 
 journey," taking off her shoes, and holding up her feet 
 to the kindly influence of a blazing fire ; — " and what's 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 285 
 
 more, it is really kind," seizing Miss Mary's hands, and 
 giving them a most emphatic squeeze ; as much as to 
 say, " And there is your reward." The servant now 
 entered, to say every thing had been taken out ; and the 
 coachman begged to know " if there was any word ? " 
 This Miss Pratt well knew was, in other words, craving 
 a douceur ; and she looked a little blank as she 
 answered, " No word — he is just to take the carriage, 
 as his master desired him, to Springwell, the coach- 
 maker's, in the High Causeway, and show him what's 
 to be done to the carriage ; and he's just to leave it 
 there, and make the best of his way home, with my 
 compliments." — Then, as if communing with herself, 
 " If I had been at home, I would have given him some- 
 thing this wet day — not that he's come so far as to need 
 it, for it's but scrimp six miles — but to be sure the day's 
 bad." 
 
 Miss Black here resolved these doubts by giving 
 orders for the coachman to have some refreshment. 
 
 " Well, that is really very humane of you, my dear 
 Miss Black ; — but I've my doubts whether it's right to 
 give other people's servants any thing. Indeed, it's a 
 principle with me never to give them money ^^ — with a 
 look as much as to say, " Am I not right ? " 
 
 " When people give trouble," said Mrs St Clair, 
 who was rather in a bad humour, and consequently very 
 sensible in her remarks, " they ought to give something 
 besides." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Mrs St Clair — I know many 
 people who set their faces against allowing their servants 
 to take money — many — they think it makes them greedy 
 and rapacious, and I think so too. Indeed, I'm satisfied 
 it's a wrong thing to give other people's servants money ; 
 but I think I ought to give my pretty light-headed Mrs 
 Babby a month of the Tolbooth as a reward for her 
 behaviour." 
 
2 86 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Dinner, which had been retarded by Miss Pratt^s 
 arrival, was now announced. " Bless me ! is it that 
 time of day ? " — looking at her watch — " I declare it's 
 twenty minutes past five ; " — then forcing on her shoes 
 — " You must excuse my sitting down in my pelisse — 
 for, I assure you, I little thought of dining in anybody's 
 house but my own to-day." Then, having taken her 
 station at the table — " Barley-broth," — peeping into 
 the tureen — " and a very good thing it is, when well 
 made — and this is very nice — clear and strong — it's a 
 great favourite of mine. — Miss Mary, let me recom- 
 mend the broth to you. Miss St Clair, my dear, you 
 don't look as if you were hungry — that's with not being 
 out to-day. — I wish Anthony Whyte could see you 
 just now ; for he says an elegant female at dinner ought 
 always to look as if she did not care whether she were 
 eating or not — I really think you would please him 
 there." 
 
 " I am sure I seldom care whether I sit down to 
 dinner or not," said Mrs St Clair, with a sigh ; though, 
 by-the-by, she generally contrived to pick up the best 
 of what was going. 
 
 " My dear Mrs St Clair, did you ever try to go 
 without your dinner ? " 
 
 " I dare say I have frequently." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, but really I think you must be 
 mistaken there — take my word for it, nobody that has 
 tried it once will ever try it again — I speak from ex- 
 perience. — I once tried to go without my dinner ; but 
 I can tell you it was anything but agreeable ; in short, 
 it will not do, let people say as they will. — What nice- 
 looking whitings — that's one of Mr Whyte's favourite 
 dishes, nicely crisped with bread crumbs — and this is a 
 Bellevue chuckie, I'm sure, fat and fair. — I declare 
 it's a treat to me to sit down to such a dinner ; for I'm 
 perfectly sick of the sight of turtle soup and great fat 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 287 
 
 venison. — I was really wearying to get to my own 
 house for a little, if it was only to refresh myself with 
 a drop plain barley-broth, and a bit boiled mutton ; and 
 what a pleasant thing for a few friends to meet this way, 
 instead of these great hubbleshows of people one sits 
 down with now, where there's no carrying on any thing 
 like rational conversation. — Mrs St Clair, allow me to 
 help you — Miss Mary, you're doing very little — Miss 
 St Clair, my dear, take a little wine with me to cheer 
 you this bad day. — Is this elder-flower wine. Miss 
 Black ? — Upon my word, it's very little inferior to 
 Anthony Whyte's Frontiniac. — ' Here's a health to 
 them that's awa,' " — with a significant look, and an 
 attempt at the tune. " By-the-by, what did you think 
 when you saw Mr Delmour's carriage stop ? — I doubt 
 you were a little disappointed, eh ? " 
 
 Gertrude felt too miserable even to be moved by 
 Miss Pratt's ill-timed jests ; and she remained pale, 
 cold, and silent. To attempt to carry on any thing re- 
 sembling conversation in Miss Pratt's company was im- 
 possible ; yet to endure her idle tattle for a whole 
 evening was a sacrifice, too great even for Miss Black's 
 patience and good breeding. It was in vain to have 
 recourse to music, as she then fastened herself upon 
 some one of the company, and carried on her colloquy 
 in loud whispers, even more annoying to a nice-toned 
 ear than open declamation. The only effectual mode 
 of silencing her, then, was by reading aloud ; and 
 although she highly disapproved of that manner of pass- 
 ing the time, and indeed remarked what a wearing-out 
 thing it was for the reader, and how much easier it was 
 for all parties just to sit and chat, yet her objections 
 were politely waived : and Miss Mary, taking up a 
 volume of Mackenzie, read the exquisitely beautiful 
 story of La Roche, which served as a prelude to the 
 solemn acts of devotion with which the evening closed. 
 
288 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 I play the torturer by small and small, 
 
 To lengthen out the worst that must be spoken. 
 
 Shakspeare. 
 
 THE sacred emotions which had been raised in 
 Gertrude's soul had, while they lasted, shed 
 their soothing influences on her heart ; but when 
 these ceased she felt gladness only that the day was 
 done, and that she should now be alone. Hurrying to 
 her chamber, she took out the often-perused letter of her 
 lover — the only one she had ever received from him ; 
 but that one, did it not stand for a thousand .'' There 
 was all that the warmest, tenderest passion could 
 dictate — there was every assurance of devoted, unchang- 
 ing, everlasting attachment — and again and again she 
 repeated that to doubt was base — was dishonourable ; 
 but even while she repeated it a vague secret doubt 
 lurked in her mind, unknown to herself. She was 
 roused from her contemplation by a knock at her door ; 
 and ere she had time to reply to the summons. Miss 
 Pratt's head, in a nightcap, presented itself, with " May 
 I come in?" — And taking it for granted (as people 
 generally do on those occasions), she immediately 
 entered. — " So, I guessed you would not be in a hurry 
 to go to your bed — young people all like to sit up late 
 — and, indeed, I'm not over fond of very early hours 
 myself; so we'll just have a little chat," carefully ex- 
 tinguishing her candle. — *'This is a nice snug little 
 room, and I dare say you'll sleep as sound here as in 
 your fine silk bed at Rossville — and, by-the-by, how 
 long is it since you left the castle, and how came 
 your uncle to part with you ? " 
 
 Contrary to Miss Pratt's usual manner, she waited 
 for an answer; and Gertrude replied, that they had 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 289 
 
 left Rossville almost three weeks since, and there she 
 stopped. 
 
 " And your uncle made no objections to your com- 
 ing here ? Of course, you could not have come, 
 indeed, if he had opposed it ; and I suppose you're to 
 make some stay in that case ? " 
 
 Gertrude replied, that there was no time fixed for 
 their departure, and Miss Pratt for a moment looked 
 as if a little baffled ; but, quickly recovering, she seized 
 Gertrude's hand, and trying to look tender — 
 
 " My only reason for asking, my dear, is, that I 
 really don't think you agree with this town — you don't 
 look so well as when I saw you at Rossville — I wish 
 all may be quite right," patting the hand which was 
 withdrawn from her with something of a look of dis- 
 pleasure. But the ice was now broke, and she plunged 
 boldly in. — "My only reason, indeed, for supposing 
 there was anything wrong is, that I've received a most 
 extraordinary letter since I saw you from Lord Ross- 
 ville — really a most impertinent letter," — rummaging 
 her pockets, and dragging out from each receptacle a 
 vast collection of letters, notes, memoranda, &c. &c., 
 amongst which she picked for some time, but to no 
 purpose, for the missive in question ; then, with a look 
 of alarm — " Bless my heart ! I wish I mayn't have 
 lost it " — shaking herself most vehemently. — " It would 
 really be an awkward thing ; for, 'pon my word, it's a 
 letter not fit to be seen by anybody — what he could 
 mean by writing such a letter to me of all people ! In 
 short, the substance of it was this, that Lord Rossville 
 had heard, with inexpressible astonishment and pain 
 (or some such round-about phrase), that Miss Pratt 
 had presumed to circulate certain reports of a clandes- 
 tine, and consequently improper nature, regarding 
 certain juvenile members of his family, which reports — 
 and so he went on, you know his style — but the short 
 
290 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 and the long of it was this, that 1 was not to say black 
 or white about any of his juvenile members, and that I 
 was to contradict every thing I had said, or might have 
 said, or had heard, or might have inferred, previous to 
 this period — but I can give you no idea of the way it 
 was worded. But what do you think he can mean ? " 
 
 Gertrude well knew what he meant ; but, shocked 
 at her uncle's absurdity, and at the publicity he was 
 thus giving to her attachment, she remained silent. 
 
 " Such a fancy to take into his head, that I, of all 
 people in the world, should have set any such reports 
 agoing ! — So far from that, I'm the very person that 
 has put a stop to them, for I can't tell you all the non- 
 sensical stories that were going about. — One said you 
 were positively engaged to the Colonel — another had it 
 that you were to be married the 27 th of next month to 
 the Member ; and that cards for a grand ball to the 
 county, on the 3 i st, were making out already in Mrs 
 Delmour's name — a third had it that the brothers were 
 on the point of fighting a duel for you, when Lord 
 Rossville got word of it, and threatened to disinherit 
 them, and send you to a French nunnery ; and, in the 
 meantime, he has sent you here, as the next thing to it ; 
 — but, in short, I can't tell you half the nonsense that 
 was going, and everybody came to me for the truth — 
 but they made little of me ; for my uniform answer 
 was, that, to my certain knoivledge, neither the one 
 brother nor the other would ever be the husband of 
 Miss St Clair — that it was quite a different person from 
 either of them that would be her choice — so I leave 
 you to judge if that was spreading reports ! But I see 
 how it is. Lord Rossville, honest man, has seen over 
 his nose at last, and he's mad at my having had more 
 penetration than himself ; and, to be sure, it was a most 
 extraordinary piece of blindness in him not to have 
 seen how the land lay long ago. — But, bless my heart! 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 29 1 
 
 there's twelve o'clock — I'm afraid you're sitting up too 
 late, my Iamb — you're looking very white ; go to your 
 bed as fast as you can. — Good night, good night, my 
 dear ! " — And lighting her candle, she was hastening 
 off, when Gertrude, roused into displeasure, said — 
 
 " Ere you go, suffer me, once for all. Miss Pratt, to 
 assure you that you are in an error in every thing 
 relating to me, and that Mr Lyndsay never " 
 
 " Never can be any thing to you," interposed the 
 incorrigible Miss Pratt, with an incredulous smile. 
 " Very well, that's enough. — I'm quite convinced, from 
 what I saw, that Mr Lyndsay's nothing to you, no, 
 no ! " — in the tone and manner used by false nurses 
 to wayward children when assuring them of some 
 monstrous falsehood. 
 
 Gertrude turned from her in silent indignation, as 
 she repeated her good nights, and was softly closing the 
 door, when, popping in her head again — 
 
 " O ! by-the-by, I wish you joy of being quit of a 
 certain disappointed lover — he's fairly off, his brother 
 tells me, at last — a fair wind and a good voyage to him, 
 and I wish him better luck another time. — Now go to 
 sleep, my dear." 
 
 " Gone ! " repeated Gertrude to herself, in an 
 agony, as the door at length closed on her tormentor. 
 " Gone ! and without one word ! For him I am 
 driven from my uncle's house — for him I have re- 
 nounced all ; and he neglects — abandons me ! " And 
 she gave way to the long suppressed anguish of her heart, 
 and for a while experienced all that agony of spirit of 
 which her ardent and enthusiastic nature was susceptible. 
 But hers was not a mind long to suffer despair to have 
 dominion over her — it is not the first stroke of grief, 
 however heavy it may fall, that can at once crush the 
 native buoyancy of youthful spirits — it is the continuance 
 of misery which renders its weight insupportable ; and 
 
292 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 where there is even the possibility, there is generally the 
 wish to escape from its pressure. So it was with Ger- 
 trude — the first burst of grief over, the dreadful surmise 
 which she had at first hugged to her bosom with frantic 
 eagerness she now cast from her with scorn and indig- 
 nation. That there was deceit somewhere she could 
 not doubt — but that deceit was not with Colonel 
 Delmour — it was impossible that he should have quitted 
 England without writing to her ; — but, surrounded as 
 she was by his enemies, how could she suppose his 
 letters would now be permitted to reach her? Lord 
 Rossville and her mother both so violently opposed to 
 him, both acting in concert, and carrying on a constant 
 correspondence with each other, though the contents of 
 the letters were kept a profound secret from her : all 
 these circumstances she revolved in her mind, till, from 
 the first faint suspicions, they gradually grew into proofs 
 strong as holy writ. Her heart felt lightened by the 
 supposed discovery ; and in the morning she took her 
 place at the breakfast-table, with her nerves braced, and 
 her eyes kept from tears, by the determination of rising 
 superior to all the petty artifices that might be practised 
 against her. Breakfast was but just over, when the re- 
 turn of the renegade Babby Braidfoot was formally 
 announced to Miss Pratt, who immediately left the 
 room for the purpose, as she said, of giving her a good 
 hearing.* 
 
 * A good hearing in Scotland signifies the very reverse of 
 what it expresses, and means neither more nor less than a 
 downright scold. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 293 
 
 Cljapter %Xib^ 
 
 On met tout en oeuvre pour assortir les fortunes, on ne se 
 met point en peine d'assortir les ccEurs. — Massixxon. 
 
 Our morals are corrupted and vitiated by our admiration ot 
 wealth. — Cicero. 
 
 WHILE this was carrying on, Mrs Black was 
 announced, and presently entered, her bloom- 
 ing good-humoured face expressive of even 
 more than usual satisfaction ; which, after the ordinary 
 greetings had been exchanged, she hastened to com- 
 municate. The sum and substance of Mrs Black's intel- 
 ligence was this, that her daughter Lilly, having gone 
 with the Major and Mrs Waddell to Harrowgate, had 
 there made a conquest of a wealthy young London 
 merchant, who had made his proposals ; and that the 
 whole party were now on their way down, and were to 
 be at Bellevue the following day to dinner. Due con- 
 gratulation, of course, ensued ; but Gertrude was too 
 much surprised at this sudden revolution in the fair 
 Lilly's affections to be able to express hers in proper 
 form. Mrs Black, however, was so well satisfied her- 
 self, that she took it for granted everybody else was the 
 same ; and she proceeded to enlarge upon the merits of 
 this most excellent match, as she termed it. Mr Larkins 
 was in good business (it was an old-established house, 
 — Larkins, Barlow, and Company), of a most respect- 
 able family, and himself an uncommon clever, genteel, 
 handsome young man ; indeed, had it been otherwise, 
 the Major and Bell never would have countenanced any 
 thing of the kind : she only wished (with a deep sigh) 
 that some other folks were in the way of making as 
 prudent and creditable a connection. This was evidently 
 in allusion to her daughter Anne ; and Miss Black 
 mildly replied, that it was indeed agreeable when parents 
 
294 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 and children were agreed upon so important a point, 
 but that it was not surprising they should often view 
 it in very different lights. "Parents," said she, "com- 
 plain that children are apt to be led away by romantic 
 notions, which can lead only to disappointment ; while 
 children lament that parents look only to wealth and 
 worldly aggrandisement in their estimate of happiness ; 
 and I fear there is often but too much justice in the 
 reproaches of both parties/' 
 
 " I think it is the duty of all parents to prevent their 
 children from marrying only to become beggars," said 
 Mrs Black. 
 
 " I think so too," answered her sister ; " but I fear 
 worldly-minded parents too often confound what they 
 consider poverty with beggary." 
 
 " There is not much to draw between them, I think," 
 said Mrs Black. 
 
 " Undoubtedly, beggary implies poverty ; but what 
 by many is called poverty does not necessarily include 
 beggary," replied Miss Black. " Wealth itself may, 
 and often has, proved insufficient to save the vain, the 
 selfish, and the extravagant from beggary ; but Christian 
 principles, virtuous habits, and an independent mind 
 will ever preserve even the poor from becoming burden- 
 some to others." 
 
 " It's very easy speaking," said Mrs Black, with 
 some pique ; " but everybody knows that in these times 
 it's not little that supports a family ; what with taxes 
 and servants' wages, and children's schooling and outfit 
 in the world — it's a very serious matter." 
 
 " All these things are, or ought to be, proportioned 
 to the means afforded," replied Miss Black. " If the 
 poor nvill live like the rich, and educate their children 
 in the same style, beggary, or at least its sister, de- 
 pendence, must ensue ; but if they would live according 
 to what they have, and not according to what they think 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 295 
 
 they ought to have, poverty would not be the hideous 
 bugbear it is so often represented." 
 
 " In my opinion," said Mrs St Clair, who thought 
 she had an interest in the question — " in my opinion, 
 poverty is the most intolerable evil in life, and has, I 
 am convinced, the most demoralising influence upon 
 society." 
 
 " Poverty, like beauty, is, perhaps, not easily defined," 
 said Miss Black ; " and I believe the ideas people en- 
 tertain on the subject are even more various than the 
 discrepancy of taste that prevails as to personal charms : 
 some would call it poverty not to be able to keep two 
 or three carriages and a score of idle horses and 
 servants." 
 
 " You know that's nonsense," said Mrs Black. 
 
 " That's an extreme case," said Mrs St Clair. 
 
 " Then where is the boundary that separates wealth 
 and poverty ? " asked Miss Black. " What is the 
 precise meaning of a poor marriage ? " 
 
 Both ladies hesitated, but Mrs Black took the lead. 
 — " I certainly would think any daughter of mine had 
 made a poor hand of herself who could not afford to 
 go as well dressed, and give as good and full dinners, 
 as she had been accustomed to in her father's house." 
 
 Mrs St Clair could not repress a smile in scorn at the 
 vulgar simplicity of her sister-in-law's notions. 
 
 " But suppose," said Miss Black, " as we cannot 
 have every thing, that she is willing to wear a less 
 costly gown, and have fewer dishes on her table than 
 you, my dear sister, in your liberality, bestow upon your 
 hospitable board — if, as an equivalent, she is rich in the 
 virtuous principles, intellectual endowments, and rational 
 affection of him she has chosen as the companion of her 
 earthly pilgrimage ? " 
 
 " All that," said Mrs St Clair, " sounds veiy fine, 
 my dear Elizabeth, and very logical to those who have 
 
296 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 not seen so much of the world as I have done ; but be 
 assured a young woman of any refinement must be com- 
 pletely wretched under the cares, and drudgery, and 
 privations attendant upon a poor marriage. For 
 example, there are certain luxuries, as you call them 
 in this country, though in France they are mere neces- 
 saries, matters of course, — such as a carriage, wax- 
 lights, French wines, a suitable establishment, handsome 
 mirrors, society that is not company, — these things, and 
 many more of the same sort, I certainly consider as 
 absolute parts of that exquisitely combined essence we 
 call happiness, at least to a person of delicate taste and 
 refined habits.' ' 
 
 " Such airs ! " thought Mrs Black to herself. 
 " French wines and wax candles every day, indeed ! 
 Set her up ! I wonder what entitles her to such extra- 
 vagance ! " 
 
 " Poverty has really been gently handled by both of 
 you," said Miss Black, laughing — " I don't suppose 
 there ever was so fair a picture drawn of the squalid 
 phantom before. You, my dear sister," to Mrs Black, 
 " merely represent him as not having his cheeks stuffed 
 out like a plump Dutch burgomaster ; and you, Sarah, 
 quarrel with him for not having all the airs and graces 
 of an epicurean petit-maitre. Now, although I am too 
 old to fancy that love — wedded love, at least — can live 
 upon smiles and flowers, yet I do believe there is a 
 species of attachment which can exist without being 
 stall-fed on the one hand, or tricked out in foreign 
 lu xuries on the other, and which could be happy even 
 in mediocrity." 
 
 " I never mentioned such a word as stall-fed," said 
 Mrs Black, a little ruffled — " but I'm astonished, 
 Elizabeth, that anybody come to your time of life, 
 and who has kept a house so long, can think that people 
 can live upon deaf-nuts now-a-days." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 297 
 
 " The rich are, at least, free from the vulgar sordid 
 cares of life," said Mrs St Clair, bitterly, — " which, 
 I repeat, to a mind of any refinement, must be wretched- 
 ness." 
 
 " I wonder what she calls the vulgar sordid cares of 
 life ? " thought Mrs Black. 
 
 " To a mind of any feeling and refinement," said 
 Miss Black, " I believe it would be far greater 
 wretchedness to be linked to a vulgar sordid spirit, 
 even had its master all that rank and riches can bestow, 
 than it would be to endure privations with a mind con- 
 genial to its own — to such a mind there are cares which 
 love only can sweeten." 
 
 " There can be little peace where there's not plenty," 
 said Mrs Black ; — " but it's lucky everybody's not of 
 your way of thinking, or the country would soon be 
 swarming with beggars, and we would be perfectly 
 ate up." 
 
 Gertrude could not quite repress a smile, as she 
 looked at Mrs Black's jolly person, and thought how 
 groundless such an apprehension was on her part. 
 
 " There is little cause for alarm on that account," 
 said her sister-in-law — "as your sentiments are much 
 more popular than mine ; besides, I am not so unreason- 
 able as to insist upon everybody's marrying for love, 
 whether they will or not. Many people, I believe, are 
 quite incapable of forming a disinterested attachment, 
 or having even a preference for one person more than 
 another, except according to worldly motives — a fine 
 house — fine clothes — a carriage — precedence ; in short, 
 some one of the thousand paltry baits which catch 
 the vulgar mind. To talk to such of the superiority 
 of virtue and talent would be as absurd as to insist 
 upon the blind seeing, or the deaf hearing : on the 
 other hand, there are those who, with taste, feeling, and 
 refinement, have neither pride, vanity, nor ambition to 
 
298 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 gratify. It is surely, therefore, the height of tyranny 
 to insist upon their placing their happiness in the indul- 
 gence of those things — upon their sacrificing all their 
 purer, better feelings, to gratify the pride and prejudices 
 of others." 
 
 " I really wonder to hear a woman ot your sense 
 speak such nonsense," said Mrs Black, affecting to look 
 cool in the face of a very high complexion. 
 
 " Such sentiments can only tend to the subversion of 
 all proper principle," said Mrs St Clair, with solemnity 
 — " to the encouragement of low and degrading alliances, 
 contracted under the high-sounding names of disin- 
 terested attachment, congenial souls, intellectual superi- 
 ority, and such fulsome phrases as can only lead to the 
 annihilation of all ranks and degrees of society. A 
 weak romantic girl has only to find a congenial soul in 
 her dancing-master, or to prove her disinterested attach- 
 ment to her father's footman, and, according to your 
 doctrine, she has done nobly — she has proved herself 
 superior to the vulgar allurements of pride, ambition, 
 and what not — O ! it is an admirable, a beautiful 
 theory ! " and Mrs St Clair trembled with virtuous 
 indignation. 
 
 " Pardon me, Sarah, you cannot disapprove of such 
 connections more than I do ; but a poor marriage, and 
 a lonv one, T consider as very different things, although 
 I suspect many people are but too apt to confound them. 
 Undoubtedly a gentlewoman, who has the feelings and 
 ideas of one, will only unite herself with a gentleman, 
 — with one who has had the education, and who has 
 the manners and habits of one, who exercises the pro- 
 fession and is accustomed to the society of such. That 
 may be a poor marriage, but it cannot be called a loiu 
 one. Indeed I am convinced there can be no solid 
 happiness in a union where all the advantages of birth 
 and education are renounced on one side ; and I am 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 299 
 
 SO far from upholding those who violate the established 
 orders of society, and sacrifice all that is valuable in 
 feeling to the indulgence of their own selfish passion, 
 that, on the contrary, I will venture to affirm such 
 connections (like those formed without the consent 
 of parents), so far from being productive of domestic 
 happiness, are generally marked with disappointment, 
 misfortune, and sorrow.'* 
 
 " There's really no knowing what you would be at," 
 said Mrs Black, with an air of perplexity ; for Mrs 
 Black, like many other people, carried her prejudices 
 all on one side, and nothing puzzled her so much as 
 when she met in argument with a person of an unbiassed 
 judgment and a liberal mind ; and so indissolubly united 
 in her imagination were the ideas of a poor marriage 
 being a low marriage on the one hand, and a rich one 
 being an elevated one on the other, that to separate them 
 was utterly impracticable. The dullest wight or coarsest 
 booby, with ten thousand a-year and a title, would have 
 struck Mrs Black with awe, or at least respect ; while 
 the finest mind or most distinguished talents, destitute 
 of the glare of wealth or the insignia of grandeur, would 
 have been wholly overlooked. 
 
 The entrance of Miss Pratt soon turned the tide of 
 the conversation ; for she had learned from her " pretty 
 Miss Babby " that there was not a morsel of coal or a 
 crumb of meat in the house ; and the coals you bought 
 on the street were always bad, and there was no getting 
 meat — everybody knew that — unless on a market day ; 
 — and, in short, it ended in Miss Pratt consenting to 
 remain Miss Black's guest for another day, until her 
 mansion should be duly prepared and stocked for her 
 reception. In the mean time she set forth, as she 
 pretended, on her business, which, in fact, was that of 
 interfering in that of every other person. 
 
 Mrs Black also departed ; but as she was really 
 
300 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 good-natured in the main, she consented that her 
 daughter Anne should spend the evening with her 
 aunts, even at the risk of meeting WilUam Leslie, 
 who, along with some others of their friends, was 
 expected. 
 
 Cl)at)ter %lb^ 
 
 Even as some sick men will take no medicine, unless some 
 pleasant thing be put amongst their potions, although perhaps 
 it be somewhat hurtful — yet the physician suffereth them to 
 have it. So, because many will not hearken to serious and 
 grave documents, except they be mingled with some fable or 
 jest, therefore reason willeth us to do the like. 
 
 Sir Thomas More. 
 
 Speak nobly of religion, but let it be well timed ; for people 
 avoid those who are perpetually preaching. 
 
 Ganganelli's Letters. 
 
 MISS PRATT'S visit would have been reckoned 
 rather ill-timed by most people, as the Miss 
 Blacks had invited some of their own friends 
 to spend the evening with them ; and the pleasure, if 
 not the harmony, of the party bid fair to be deranged 
 by her audacious tattle. But they were too tolerant 
 and enduring to allow any considerations of that kind 
 to stand in the way of their hospitality, though well 
 aware of Miss Pratt's enmity towards all whose creed 
 and practice in matters of religion differed from her 
 own ; for Miss Pratt, like too many people, deemed 
 her own the only proper standard of religious and 
 moral excellence. She had her bed of iron for the 
 soul, as Procrustes had for the body ; with this dif- 
 ference, that she was far more lenient towards those 
 who fell short of her measure than to such as went 
 beyond it. 
 
 Not that Miss Pratt carried her hostility so far as to 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 30I 
 
 decline having any intercourse with or receiving any 
 favours from these wild people, as she called them. 
 On the contrary, she was always happy at an oppor- 
 tunity of meeting with such of them as she thought she 
 could turn to any account by taking her beggars off her 
 hands ; and she was always ready to make use of their 
 time, money, and old clothes, to save her own. How- 
 ever, she took every occasion of letting it be known that 
 she had met with great want of charity amongst those 
 very people who make such a phrase about it, as they 
 had refused to recommend to the Destitute Society, 
 Anthony Whyte's nurse, a decent, respectable woman, 
 and Anthony Whyte a subscriber too ! But Miss 
 Pratt was not bitter in her resentment ; and upon hear- 
 ing of the party that was expected, she expressed much 
 satisfaction, and resolved to be uncommonly pleasant, 
 and at the same time serious in her conversation, out of 
 compliment to the Miss Blacks. Mrs St Clair liked 
 company of any kind better than none ; and to Ger- 
 trude, in the present state of her mind, all company and 
 all scenes were alike. Hers was a state of passive en- 
 durance, not of actual enjoyment. She was roused, 
 however, by a visit from Mr Delmour and Mr Lyndsay. 
 The latter held out his hand to her, with a look which 
 seemed to say, " Have you forgiven me ? " but, colour- 
 ing deeply, she turned away, and bestowed her whole 
 attention upon his companion. Mr Delmour was 
 secretly flattered by the air of profound attention with 
 which (for the first time) she listened to every word he 
 uttered, in the hope that something would lead to the 
 subject uppermost in her thoughts, but farthest from her 
 tongue ; but nothing was said which had the slightest 
 reference to Colonel Delmour, and her countenance 
 betrayed her extreme vexation when the gentlemen rose 
 to take leave. Upon hearing that they were both to be 
 in attendance at a county meeting in town, which, ot 
 
302 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 course, was to conclude with a dinner, Miss Black 
 invited them to return in the evening, which they pro- 
 mised to do, and departed. It was evident, from Mr 
 Delmour's manner, he knew nothing of what had passed ; 
 but Gertrude had paid no attention to his manner, nor 
 once thought of the very flattering construction he might 
 put upon hers. As for Lyndsay, she scarcely observed 
 him at all — it only struck her after he was gone that he 
 was more than usually silent, and that his features wore 
 a more pensive cast than common — but what was Mr 
 Lyndsay to her ? And she listened with weariness 
 and chagrin to the eulogium her aunts pronounced upon 
 him. 
 
 Evening came ; and Miss Pratt, in a grave gown, 
 bottle-green gloves, a severe turban, and a determined 
 look of strong good sense, seemed to say, " I'll show 
 you what a rational, respectable, wise-like character I 
 am — I'll confound you all, or I'm mistaken ! " And 
 she took her ground as usual, as though she had been 
 mistress of the mansion, and prepared to do all its 
 honours accordingly. 
 
 Even in the Christian world there are great varieties 
 — there are narrow minds as well as great minds — there 
 are those who pin their faith upon the sleeve of some 
 favourite preacher — others who seem to think salvation 
 confined within the four walls of the particular church 
 in which they happen to sit ! But, as has been well 
 said by the liberal-minded Wesley, " how little does 
 God regard men's opinions! What a multitude of 
 wrong opinions are embraced by all the members of the 
 Church of Rome ; yet how highly favoured have many 
 of them been ! " -^ 
 
 And who has not their imperfections? — who has 
 not their besetting sin — their thorn in the flesh ? Even 
 the best of Christians ; but piety to God, and the 
 * Wesley's Journal. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 303 
 
 desire to benefit their fellow-creatures, is, and must 
 be, the universal characteristic of the Christian of every 
 church. The few friends assembled were certainly- 
 favourable specimens of what is termed the religious 
 world — they were persons of agreeable manners, en- 
 larged minds, and cultivated tastes ; the conversation 
 was animated and interesting, in spite of Miss Pratt's 
 attempts to turn it into her own low channel by relating 
 the bits of gossip she had picked up in her morning 
 perambulations, and which she thought to set off with 
 some trite moral reflection. There was occasionally 
 music from both gentlemen and ladies, which even 
 Gertrude's fastidious ear acknowledged to be fine in its 
 way — for all knew what they were saying or doing ; 
 and there were no mawkish attempts at singing in an 
 unknown tongue — there was no " poetry strangled by 
 music," — but " airs married to immortal verse," 
 
 Untwisting all the chains that tie 
 The hidden soul of harmony. 
 
 Ah ! who can hear the divine strains of a Handel, or 
 the dear familiar songs of their native land, without 
 feeling their souls elevated, or their hearts melted into 
 love and tenderness ! Both were sung by different mem- 
 bers of the company with much taste and feeling — but 
 by none so much as by Mary Black, who, with seraphic 
 sweetness, sang the inspired strain. 
 
 How beautiful are the feet of those 
 
 Who bring the glad tidings of faith to man ! 
 
 " Every thing that Miss Black sings must be charm- 
 ing," said Mr Delmour, with his jade gallantry ; " but 
 if I may be permitted to offer an opinion, I should say 
 there is perhaps something rather too sectarian in sacred 
 music, unless upon solemn occasions ; and I should be 
 apprehensive that, were a taste for it to become general 
 
V 
 
 304 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 it would prove destructive to every other species of 
 composition — I may add, even to the fine arts in general." 
 Mr Delmour had a genteel horror at every thing he 
 deemed approaching to what he thought Methodism — 
 though a most zealous supporter of the church in so 
 far, but no farther, than as it was connected with the 
 state. 
 
 " Pardon me," said Miss Mary Black ; " but it 
 appears to me that such apprehensions are groundless. 
 The blessing of God, and the applause of posterity, 
 seem to have perpetuated the fame of genius devoted to 
 religious subjects more than the fame of those men who 
 abused their noble gifts by dedicating them solely to 
 the service of their fellow-creatures." 
 
 " For instance ? " asked Mr Delmour, with an 
 incredulous smile. 
 
 " True," said Mr Lyndsay — " it certainly has been 
 so in many instances. Milton is undoubtedly the first 
 poet of our country, and what was his theme ? He 
 sang in noble strain of Him 
 
 Unspeakable, who sitt'st above these heavens, 
 To us invisible, or dimly seen 
 In these thy lowest works. 
 
 The greatest poet of Germany was Klopstock, and his 
 subject the Great Messiah ; and of his deathless work 
 it has been well observed, that * when music shall attain 
 among us the highest powers of her art, whose words 
 will she select to utter but those of Klopstock ? ' The 
 noblest bards of Italy were Dante and Tasso — Metas- 
 tasio has had recourse to sacred subjects for his operas 
 — Racine for his Athalie — Young, in his Night 
 Thoughts, sung to Him who 
 
 From solid darkness struck that spark, the sun, 
 
 invoking Him to * strike wisdom from his soul.' The 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 305 
 
 amiable and elegant Cowper cast all his laurels at the 
 feet of his Saviour : 
 
 I cast them at thy feet — my only plea 
 Is, what it was, — dependence upon thee." 
 
 "You are really eloquent, Lyndsay," said Mr 
 Delmour, with an ironical smile ; — '* but, in the fervour 
 of your zeal, you have entirely overlooked those im- 
 mortal, though profane authors, whose works are still 
 more popular than any of those you have quoted, — 
 Shakespeare, for instance." 
 
 " Shakespeare is, perhaps, the most favourable ex- 
 ception," replied Mr Lyndsay ; " he is, indeed, a poet 
 of Nature's own creating ; but the dross of his com- 
 positions is daily draining off in improved editions, and 
 even in theatrical representation, while the pure parts of 
 his morality are not thought unworthy of being quoted 
 from evangelical pulpits, and one day, 1 doubt not, it will 
 be with him as with some of the poets I have just men- 
 tioned. They have written some things unworthy of 
 their pens ; but their fame is perpetuated only as the 
 authors of what is pure and good. The profane and 
 licentious works of Lord B. will live only in the minds 
 of the profane and impure, and will soon be classed 
 amongst other worthless dross ; while all that is fine in 
 his writings will be culled by the lovers of virtue, as 
 the bee gathers honey from even the noxious plant, and 
 leaves the poison to perish with the stalk, — so shall it 
 be with Bums — so shall it be with Moore. The same 
 argument applies to music. Handel derives his fame 
 from his oratorios, and the Creation of Haydn will 
 immortalise his name — a performance in which the 
 genius of the composer has struck a chord which calls 
 forth any genius which happens to be in the breast of 
 the audience. To mention the great painters who have 
 dedicated a portion of their time and talents to sacred 
 
o6 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 V 
 
 subjects, would be to enumerate the whole catalogue ; 
 and I have already to apologise for having so long 
 monopolised this subject," said he, turning to a clergy- 
 man who stood near him, and whose looks testified the 
 interest he took in the debate — " when there are those 
 present who could have done much more justice to the 
 cause." Beneath the simple, meek, unpretending ex- 
 terior of Mr Z , few would, indeed, have guessed 
 
 at the profundity of his learning, the extent and variety 
 of his acquirements, and the ardour of his zeal in the 
 cause of Christianity. Firm in his principles, yet soft 
 in his manners — warm in feeling, yet mild and gentle 
 in temper — able to speak, yet willing to listen — his 
 mind was full of information, while his manners were 
 those of one seeking instruction. 
 
 Thus appealed to, Mr Z was about to reply, 
 
 when Miss Pratt interposed with — " What do you say 
 to these two great writers. Fielding and Smollett ? I 
 suspect there's none of these you have mentioned will 
 ever be half so popular as Tom Jones and Humphry 
 Clinker." 
 
 " The works of Fielding and Smollett, even the 
 more highly gifted ones of Voltaire and Rousseau, are 
 passing away, like noxious exhalations," said Mr 
 
 Z , mildly. " If the principles of the age in 
 
 which we live are equally defective with the former, 
 at least a better taste prevails ; and grossness, profanity, 
 and licentiousness are no longer the standards to which 
 the young look with admiration. Impure writers are 
 now chiefly known to impure readers — but where virtue 
 and genius unite, their powers are known to all. O ! 
 what injury to the human mind is derived from the 
 perusal of the works of writers whose corrupt imagina- 
 tions have given the impulse to their licentious pens ! 
 Of such it may truly be said, though highly esteemed 
 amongst men, yet are they abominations in the sight of 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 307 
 
 God. Yet alas ! how few look to that guiding prin- 
 ciple, which alone ought to direct the pen ! — how few 
 consider that, to do good, * a work is not to be raised 
 from the heat of youth, or the vapour of wine — nor to 
 be attained by the invocation of Memory and her siren 
 daughters — but by devout prayer to that Eternal Spirit 
 who can enrich with all utterance and knowledge, and 
 sends out his Seraphim with the hallowed fire of his 
 altar, to touch and purify the lips of whom he pleases.'" * 
 There was so much Christian meekness, even in Mr 
 
 Z 's fervour, that it was impossible not to be 
 
 touched with his manner, even where the matter failed 
 to carry conviction along with it. Mr Delmour 
 affected to bow with deference to the opinions of a 
 clergyman — the conversation took another turn — music 
 succeeded, till at last the party broke up. — Gertrude 
 had been interested in the discussion ; but soon it passed 
 from her mind, as " a lovely song of one who hath a 
 pleasant voice." 
 
 Chapter jcl&j* 
 
 Let us proceed from celestial to terrestrial. — Cicero. 
 
 Jests are, as it were, sawce, wherebye we are recreated, that 
 we may eat with more appetite ; but as that were an absurd 
 banquet in which there were few dishes of meat and much 
 variety of sawces, and that an unpleasant one where there were 
 no sawce at all, even so that life were spent idly where no- 
 thing were but mirth and jollity, and, again, that tedious and 
 uncomfortable where no pleasure or mirth were to be expected. 
 — Sir Thomas More. 
 
 AGAIN Gertrude felt the bitterness of disappoint- 
 ment. She had watched and hung upon every 
 syllable that Mr Delmour had uttered ; but he 
 made no mention of his brother, and, with all the 
 * Milton. 
 
o8 THE INHERITANCE, 
 
 / 
 
 timidity of love, she felt it impossible to breathe the 
 name on which her destiny was suspended. 
 
 The following morning saw Miss Pratt depart with 
 all her packages, and many reiterated professions and 
 promises ; and scarcely had she left the house when Mr 
 Adam Ramsay arrived. As uncle Adam's visits, like 
 those of angels, were few and far between, his nieces 
 welcomed him according to the rarity of the occur- 
 rence ; and as he appeared to be in unusual good 
 humour, he received their attentions with tolerable 
 civility. But even his civility was always of a rough 
 nature — something akin to the embrace of a man-trap, 
 or the gentle influence of a shower-bath ; while his 
 kindness commonly showed itself in some such unto- 
 ward shape as was more grievous to be borne than aught 
 that malice could invent. 
 
 " What's this come ower ye, my dear ? " said he, 
 addressing Gertrude, with as much affection as it was 
 in his nature to testify. " You're white, and you're 
 dull, and you're no like the same creature you was ; " 
 and he gazed upon her with more of interest than of 
 good breeding. His remarks, of course, called the 
 colour into Gertrude's cheeks ; and Miss Black, seeing 
 her at a loss to reply, hastened to relieve her, by throw- 
 ing the blame, where, in this climate, it is always thrown 
 — upon the weather. But uncle Adam spurned the 
 idea of the weather having the slightest influence on 
 the health and spirits of any thing but potatoes and 
 leeches. 
 
 " The weather ! " repeated he, contemptuously. 
 " You'll no tell me that a shower o' rain can bleach 
 a young creature's cheeks white, or put the life out o' 
 her een ; — but I'll tell you what it is — it's the syna- 
 gogin' — the tabernaclin' — the psalmin' that goes on 
 in this hoose, that's enough to break the spirits o' ony 
 young creature." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 309 
 
 " My dear uncle " said Miss Black, with a 
 
 smile. 
 
 " Now I'm no gawin' to enter into ony o' your re- 
 ligious controversies," cried Mr Ramsay, holding up 
 his hand, and turning away his head ; " but I'll tell 
 you what I'll do, my dear," patting Gertrude on the 
 shoulder, " I shall tak' you to see a sight that'll divert 
 you, and drive away thae wild notions you've been 
 gettin your head stuffed wi' — to gang an' mak a bairn 
 like that miserable wi' your nonsense ! " with a fresh 
 burst of indignation at his nieces. Then again softening 
 down — " Put on your bonnet, my dear, an' come wi' 
 me. — As I came up the street the noo, I saw ane o' 
 thae caravan things standing in the market-place, wi' a 
 picktur o' a giant an' a dwarf hingin' on the outside ; 
 and though I wadna cross the floor to see aw the giants 
 and dwarfs that e'er were born, yet I ken young folk 
 Hke ploys 0' that kind — so put on your things, and I 
 shall treat you to the show ; " and he put his hand into 
 his pocket, and tumbled his money to and fro, as 
 much as to say, " I have plenty of shillings and six- 
 pences, and therefore you need have no scruples of 
 delicacy as to taking advantage of my offer." 
 
 The cold drops stood upon Mrs St Clair's brow, at 
 the thoughts of her elegant distinguished daughter, the 
 future Countess of Rossville, mingling with the canaille 
 of a country town, in a caravan, to gaze upon a giant 
 and a dwarf! What would Lord Rossville say ? 
 There was distraction in the thought — yet she dreaded 
 to offend uncle Adam by a hasty rejection of his plan. 
 " We are all, I am sure, sensible of the kindness that 
 prompts your offer, my dear uncle," said she, in her 
 most conciliating manner ; " but I am afraid the remedy 
 you propose would only tend to aggravate the evil. — 
 My daughter's complaint is headache, occasioned solely 
 by the confinement to which she has been subjected for 
 
310 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 some days, and the close air of a caravan would be ex- 
 tremely prejudicial. — If I could have given her an 
 
 airing — but having no carriage of my own ! " and 
 
 the sentence died away in a sort of indistinct ejaculation 
 about the misery of being dependent upon others for 
 those accommodations. 
 
 "You might let her speak for herseP," said Mr 
 Ramsay, with some asperity ; " say what you would 
 like best, my dear ? " and Gertrude, gladly availing 
 herself of the excuse suggested, declared that fresh air 
 would be her best restorative. 
 
 Mr Ramsay pondered a while, still turning his 
 money, like his thoughts, to and fro. At length after 
 an apparently severe struggle he spoke — 
 
 " Weel, since that's the case, instead o' takin you to 
 the show, I've no objections to hire a chaise and treat 
 you to a ride — I shall step to the Blue Boar mysel', 
 and order ane up, so you may be puttin' on your 
 mantle ; an' there will be room for three, so you can 
 settle among yoursels which o' you is to gang." 
 
 Mrs St Clair had been caught in a snare of her own 
 setting — she had thrown out a hint about a carriage, in 
 hopes that her uncle's partiality for her daughter would 
 have made him grasp at it at once, and that he would 
 have been induced to keep one for her sole use and 
 accommodation. This would have been a very con- 
 venient arrangement for her mother, who could not get 
 the command of Lord Rossville's quite so often as she 
 wished. Her blood almost froze at the idea of a ride 
 in a hackney-chaise — but it required more courage than 
 she could muster to oppose this second project, and, in 
 silent despair, she saw uncle Adam snatch up his little 
 old rusty hat and set off. Her only hope was that the 
 Blue Boar equipages would be all engaged, but that was 
 soon at an end ; for, in a short time, uncle Adam was 
 descried returning on foot, followed by a high-crowned, 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 3 II 
 
 jangling, tottering chaise, with a lame brown horse and 
 a blind grey one, urged along by a ragamuffin driver, 
 seated on a wooden bar almost touching the windows. 
 Such was uncle Adam's triumphal car, — and not Boa- 
 dicea, when dragged captive at the wheels of her con- 
 queror, experienced bitterer feelings than did Mrs St 
 Clair, when she found herself compelled to take her 
 place in this vehicle. True, she might have refused, 
 but at the certainty of affronting uncle Adam, who could 
 stand any thing but airs ; and to affront seventy thousand 
 pounds was a serious matter, especially in the present 
 posture of affairs. The iron steps were thrown down 
 with a mighty clang, as far as they could reach ; and 
 having, with some difficulty, contrived to mount, she 
 seated herself with great disgust and ill-humour, vainly 
 attempting to disengage herself from the straw with 
 which it was carpeted, and which at once seized upon 
 her silk stockings and lace flounces. 
 
 "So much for the beauties of poverty," whispered 
 she, in no very sweet accent, to her daughter, as she 
 took her place beside her. " For Heaven's sake, pull 
 your bonnet more over your face, that you may not be 
 recognised," — and she carefully adjusted her own veil 
 in triple folds over every feature. Mr Ramsay followed, 
 and the driver waited for orders. 
 
 " Whar wad ye like to gang to, my dear ? " asked 
 he of Gertrude; "but it's aw the same, ae road's just 
 like anither — tak' the best and the driest," to the driver. 
 
 But Gertrude, who had got her cue from her mother, 
 interposed, saying — 
 
 " If it is not disagreeable to you, my dear uncle, I 
 should like to see your own Broom Park." 
 
 " Broom Park ! " repeated Mr Ramsay, in evident 
 discomposure ; " what wud tak' ye to Broom Park ? — 
 What's put that in your head ? — I'm sure there's nae- 
 thing to be seen there." 
 
312 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " Pardon me/' said Mrs St Clair, seeing her daughter 
 would not urge the matter ; " but that beautiful speci- 
 men you gave Gertrude of your greenhouse has made 
 her absolutely pine to visit your flowers." 
 
 Mr Ramsay's brow looked rather thundery ; but, 
 after demurring a little with himself, he desired the 
 driver, in a voice of repressed anger, to take them to 
 Broom Park. The patched cracked windows were 
 drawn up — the driver mounted his seat — the horses 
 were with some difficulty set in motion ; and off they 
 went, the chaise rocking and jingling as though it would 
 never reach its destination. To speak, or at least to 
 hear, was out of the question ; so the party proceeded 
 on their pleasure excursion in profound silence, till, at 
 the end of an hour and a half of incessant jolting and 
 clattering, they found themselves at the gate of Broom 
 Park. It was a fine, showy, modern place, with a large 
 handsome house standing in the middle of an extensive, 
 but somewhat new-looking park, sprinkled with a few 
 large old trees, and many young ones still in their 
 cages. There was nothing picturesque or beautiful in 
 the scenery ; but theie was much comfort, even luxury, 
 denoted in the appearance of the gay, airy, spacious 
 mansion, with its French windows, verandas, porticos, 
 and conservatory — in the smooth gravel walks, diverging 
 in all directions — in the well-stocked fish-pond — in the 
 stupendous brick garden-walls, with flues and chimney 
 tops — in the extensive range of hothouses, and, in short, 
 all the appliances of affluence and enjoyment. Nothing 
 could look more unlike the place than the owner. That 
 Mr Adam Ramsay should have become the proprietor 
 of such a place was the wonder of some, and the ridicule 
 of others ; — but the simple fact was, that upon this very 
 estate the race (if not the family) of Ramsays had been 
 born, and bred, and lived, certainly time immemorial, for 
 it was in the humble rank of cottars. Here also Lizzie 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 313 
 
 Lundie had first seen the light ; and here it was that 
 uncle Adam's youngest and happiest days had been 
 spent — for here they had "run about the braes, and 
 pu'ed the gowans fine ; " and " though seas between 
 them braid had rolled" for many an intervening day, 
 and the grave had long closed over the object of his 
 early affection, he still cherished the fond remembrance 
 of "auld lang syne." Before his return from India, 
 he had heard that the estate of Broomyknows — now 
 changed into Broom Park — was in the market; he 
 became the purchaser, partly as a means of investing 
 money which he was rather at a loss how to dispose of, 
 and partly from a secret penchant towards it, which, 
 however, he would have scorned to acknowledge, and, 
 perhaps, of which he was scarcely aware. Great was 
 his sui-prise and indignation, however, when he did visit 
 it, at beholding the ravages refinement and luxury had 
 committed upon the primitive charms of Broomyknows 
 — for, pilgrims as we are in a stranger land, how do our 
 hearts cling with fond tenacity to the simple memorials 
 of transient, childish, perished joys ! — But not a trace 
 of his old haunts remained. The banks, and braes, and 
 knowes, had all been levelled with the dust — the little y 
 
 wimpUng burn, overhung with saughs and hazels, where ^ 
 many a summer's day Lizzie and he used to " paiddle " 
 for minnows, was gone to swell some mighty stream. 
 The Mavis-hill, a rude unenclosed eminence, covered 
 with wild roses, and brambles, and blue bells, and sloes, 
 where many a mavis and lintie's nest had been found, 
 was now a potato field — not a whin scented the air — 
 and how often beneath India's burning sun had uncle 
 Adam sighed for a breeze from the whinny braes of his 
 native land ! But, worst of all, on the very spot where 
 once stood his grandfather's and his father's old green 
 slimy cabins, with their fungous roofs, and their kail- 
 yards and their middens, now rose an elegantly orna- 
 
314 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 mented dog-kennel. That he instantly ordered to be 
 demolished — indeed, it was said, he had remained upon 
 the ground to see it done — and from that time he had 
 never looked near the place till now, that he had come 
 in compliance with Gertrude's wish, but very contrary 
 to his own inclination. 
 
 Mrs St Clair was in ecstasies with all she saw — the 
 interior of the mansion was perfection — the suite of 
 apartments elegant — the furniture superb — in short, there 
 was not a superlative she did not exhaust in attempts to 
 express her admiration. But the thought that was 
 uppermost in her mind she would not have ventured to 
 utter so readily, viz. that if the worst should happen, 
 and Lord Rossville should discard his niece, there was 
 another string to her bow at Broom Park ; and she 
 could almost have been satisfied to have renounced the 
 ambitious prospects of the one for the luxurious certainty 
 of the other. But Mrs St Clair's raptures were com- 
 pletely thrown away upon uncle Adam, who cared not 
 a rush what she or any one else thought of his property ; 
 and he followed rather than led the way through his 
 own house, with a kind of dogged impatience, as if his 
 only wish were to be out of it. This was not lessened 
 when, the news of his appearance having spread, he 
 found himself beset by a host of retainers, indigenous 
 to an extensive and neglected property. Greeves, gar- 
 deners, gamekeepers, tenants at will, and tenants on 
 lease, all came thronging with wants to be supplied, and 
 grievances to be redressed, and all looking with evil 
 eyes on the visitors, in the fear of their becoming resi- 
 dents, and so ending their respective reigns ; while the 
 housekeeper, as she went swimming on before in all the 
 conscious dignity of undisturbed power, detailed at 
 great length all her own doings and sayings, with the 
 various means used by her for the preservation of 
 the furniture, and the annihilation of mice, moths, 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 31S 
 
 " clocks (beetles), and beasts of every descrip- 
 tion." 
 
 "Things are no just in the order I could wish," said 
 the old curmudgeon of a gardener, as he unwillingly led 
 the way to the kitchen-garden ; " and there's an awfu' 
 heat here ; you'd better no come in for fear of cauld, 
 leddies," as he produced the key of the extensive range 
 of hothouses, and, with a sour face, found himself com- 
 pelled to fill a large basket with the choicest of fruits, 
 which he had more profitable ways of disposing of. 
 
 At length Mr Ramsay's patience was exhausted, and 
 they set off loaded with the most exquisite fruits and 
 flowers, which, as he possessed not the organs of either 
 taste or smell for aught beyond haggis and southern- 
 wood, he looked upon merely as sort of artificial ex- 
 crescences which grew about large houses. 
 
 " Noo," said he, addressing Gertrude, as he seated 
 himself in the chaise, " I dinna begrudge this, if it's to 
 do you onyjgude — and, as I tell't you before, gang when 
 you like, and tak what you like — but dinna ask me to 
 gang wi' you ; for I'm ower auld noo to be plagued 
 and deeved about drains, and fences, and young planta- 
 tions, out o' doors ; and pipes, and plaster, and aw the 
 rest o't, within — and the gardener he canna get the 
 apples keepit — and the gamekeeper, he canna keep the 
 pheesants preserved — an' I'm sure I dinna care though 
 there was nae an apple or a pheesant in the kingdom, 
 if they wud only let me alane." 
 
 " It unquestionably would be a great advantage to the 
 place as well as a relief to you, to have the house occu- 
 pied with some one who could take a judicious manage- 
 ment " began Mrs St Clair ; but a bitter look from 
 
 her uncle made her perceive she was treading on 
 dangerous ground, and she allowed the noise of the 
 carriage to drown the rest of the sentence. 
 
3l6 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Lord of love ! what law is this, 
 That me thou makest thus tormented be ? 
 
 Si'ENSER. 
 
 THEY were returning by a different road from that 
 which they had taken in going, and had not 
 proceeded far when they were suddenly hailed 
 by a pedestrian from the side of the road, and Major 
 Waddell was immediately recognised. The chaise was 
 stopped, and, mutual salutations having been exchanged, 
 was again about to proceed, when the Major entered so 
 vehement a remonstrance against their passing his door, 
 without inquiring in person after his dear Isabella, that, 
 as they were within a few yards of the gate, it was 
 scarcely possible for even uncle Adam to hold out ; and 
 accordingly, preceded by the Major, the chaise turned 
 up the romantic winding approach which conducted to 
 the mansion. Black Csesar, bowing and grinning, 
 hastened to receive them, and usher them into the pre- 
 sence of massa's lady, who, in all her bridal finery, sat 
 in the attitude of being prepared to receive her marriage 
 guests. Having welcomed Mrs and Miss St Clair with 
 a tone and manner of encouraging familiarity — " And 
 my uncle, too ! — this is really kind. — I assure you I'm 
 quite flattered, as 1 know how seldom you pay visits to 
 anybody." 
 
 Mr Ramsay had entered with the heroic determination 
 of not opening his lips during his stay — he therefore 
 allowed that to pass with a sort of scornful growl ; but 
 Mrs St Clair, in her softest manner, took care to let 
 her know that the visit was neither a premeditated nor 
 a complimentary one, and that she owed it entirely to 
 their accidental rencontre with the Major. 
 
 " Bless me. Major ! " exclaimed the lady in a tone 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 3x7 
 
 of alarm, " is it possible that you have been walking ? — 
 And the roads are quite wet ! — Why did you not tell 
 me you were going out, and I would have ordered the 
 carriage for you, and have gone with you, although I 
 believe it is the etiquette for a married lady to be at 
 home for some time ; " — then observing a spot of mud 
 on his boot, " And you have got your feet quite wet ; 
 — for Heaven's sake. Major, do go and change your 
 boots directly ! — ^I see they are quite wet ! " 
 
 The Major looked delighted at this proof of con- 
 jugal tenderness, but protested that his feet were quite 
 dry, holding up a foot in appeal to the company. 
 
 " Now, how can you say so. Major, when I see 
 they are quite damp ? — Do, I entreat you, put them off 
 — it makes me perfectly wretched to think of your 
 sitting with wet feet — you know you have plenty of 
 boots. — I made him get a dozen pairs when we were at 
 York, that I might be quite sure of his always having 
 dry feet. — Do, my love, let Caesar help you off with 
 these for any sake ! — for my sake. Major, — I ask it as 
 a personal favour." 
 
 This was irresistible — the Major prepared to take the 
 suspected feet out of company with a sort of vague 
 mixed feeling floating in his brain, which, if it had been 
 put into words, would have been thus rendered : — ■ 
 
 " What a happy dog am I, to be so tenderly 
 beloved by such a charming girl ! and yet what a deal 
 of trouble it is to be obliged to change one's boots 
 every time one's wife sees a spot of mud on them ! " 
 
 " Now, you won't be long. Major ? " — cried the 
 lady, as the Major went off, attended by Cassar. 
 " The Major is so imprudent, and takes so little care 
 of himself, he really makes me quite wretched — but 
 how do you think he looks ? " 
 
 This was a general question, and rather a puzzling 
 
3lS THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " As Ugly as possible," thought Gertrude, who would 
 have been much at a loss to combine truth and polite- 
 ness in her reply. Luckily there are people who 
 always answer their own questions, when no one 
 else seems disposed to do it, and Mrs Waddell went 
 on — 
 
 " He certainly was much the better of Harrowgate 
 — .he was really looking so ill when he went there, that, 
 I assure you, 1 was very uneasy." 
 
 " Whan did he ever look weel ? " was ready to burst 
 from uncle Adam's lips ; but by a magnanimous effort 
 he drew them in, and remained silent. 
 
 " Have you been lately at Broom Park, uncle ; for 
 I understand there are pretty doings going on there ? " 
 
 Mr Ramsay's only reply was a deep sonorous hem, 
 and a bow, something in the style of a bull preparing to 
 toss. 
 
 " We are just come from thence," replied Mrs St 
 Clair, immediately launching forth into raptures at all 
 she had seen and tasted. 
 
 " Indeed ! " exclaimed Mrs Waddell ; " you have 
 been either more fortunate or more favoured than I have 
 been — for the Major and I went there yesterday, and 
 could get no admittance, which, I must say, I thought 
 very odd : — the people at the lodge had the impertin- 
 ence to refuse to let us in, which, to be sure, to a man 
 of the Major's rank in life, and me a married woman, 
 was a piece of insolence I never met with any thing to 
 equal ; but I told them I would let you know of their 
 behaviour." 
 
 " I'm obliged to you," was the laconic reply. 
 
 " I really think they deserve to be turned off for 
 their insolence." 
 
 " Turned off for doing their duty ! " demanded uncle 
 Adam, preparing to cast off his armour. 
 
 " A strange kind of duty, I think," retorted the lady. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 319 
 
 in equal indignation, " to exclude your nearest relations 
 from your house, — and me a married woman, and a man 
 of the Major's rank ! " 
 
 " I never excluded you frae my house. Miss Bell," 
 quoth uncle Adam, now divested of all restraint, and 
 disdaining to recognise her by her married appellation ; 
 " but if you mean that Pll no mak you mistress of my 
 property, you are perfectly right. — What's your business 
 at my hoose when I'm not there mysell ? — What taks 
 you there ? " in a key of interrogation at least equal to 
 a squeeze of the thumb-screw. 
 
 " I think it was a very natural curiosity " 
 
 " Naatral curiosity ! " interrupted uncle Adam, now 
 brimming high ; " a bonny excuse, or else no, for 
 breakin' into other folk's hooses — I wonder what your 
 naatral curiosity will lead you to next ! " 
 
 " I think you are much obliged to anybody that will 
 take the trouble of looking a little after your affairs in 
 that quarter — for I must tell you, uncle, that you are 
 making yourself quite ridiculous by submitting to be 
 plundered and cheated on all hands, and " 
 
 " And what if it's my pleesure to be plundered and 
 cheated. Miss, by the poor, instead o' the rich ? " 
 
 " I really wish, uncle, you would recollect you are 
 speaking to a married woman," said Mrs Waddell, with 
 much dignity ; "and that a man of the Major's •" 
 
 At that moment the Major entered, with a very red 
 face, and a pair of new boots, evidently too tight. 
 
 " You see what it is to be under orders," said he, 
 pointing to his toes, and trying to smile in the midst of 
 his anguish. 
 
 " It's lucky for you. Major, I'm sure, that you are 
 — for I don't believe there ever was anybody on earth 
 so careless of themselves as you are. — What do you 
 think of his handing Lady Fairacre to her carriage 
 yesterday in the midst of the rain, and without his hat 
 
320 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 too ? But I hope you changed your stockings as well 
 as your boots, Major ? " 
 
 " I assure you, upon my honour, my dear, neither of 
 them were the least wet." 
 
 " O ! now. Major, you know if you haven't changed 
 your stockings, I shall be completely wretched," cried 
 the lady, all panting with emotion. — " Good gracious ! 
 to think of your keeping on your wet stockings — I 
 never knew any thing like it ! " 
 
 "I assure you, my dear Bell " began the 
 
 Major. 
 
 " Oh ! now, my dearest Major, if you have the least 
 regard for me, I beseech you put off your stockings this 
 instant. — Oh ! I am certain you\e got cold already — 
 how hot you are ! " taking his hand ; " and don't you 
 think his colour very high ? — now I'm quite wretched 
 about you." 
 
 In vain did the poor Major vow and protest as to 
 the state of his stockings — it was all in vain — the 
 lady's apprehensions were not to be allayed — and again 
 he had to limp away to pull off boots which the united 
 exertions of himself and Csesar had with difficulty got 
 on. 
 
 " I really think my wife will be for keeping me in a 
 band-box," said he, with a sort of sardonic smile, the 
 offspring of flattered vanity and personal suffering. 
 
 As he was quitting the room his aide-de-camp, 
 Caesar, entered, with a mien of much importance, and, 
 in his jargon, contrived to make it known that some- 
 thing had happened to springs of Massa Ramsay's 
 chaise — that post-boy had gone to smith's to mend it, 
 and that smith said chaise no be mend for soonest two 
 hours. 
 
 " Then I shall find my way hame mysel'," cried 
 uncle Adam, starting up ; " for I'll no wait twa hours 
 upon ony chaise that ever was driven." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 32 1 
 
 In vain were all attempts to detain him — he spurned 
 the Waddell ['carriage — the Waddell dinner — refused 
 even to wait till the Major had changed his stockings ; 
 in short, would do nothing but take his own way, 
 which was to walk home, leaving Mrs and Miss St 
 Clair to stay dinner and return in the evening. 
 
 No sooner was uncle Adam's back turned, than 
 Mrs Waddell gave free scope to her indignation against 
 him. — Turning to Gertrude — 
 
 " I really think he is much worse than he was — I 
 don't think you have any credit in your management of 
 him, cousin — unless he alters his behaviour, I don't 
 think it will be possible for the Major to keep company 
 with him. — Did you hear how he Miss'd me to-day ? 
 — me, a married woman ! If the Major had been 
 present he must have resented it." Having, at last, 
 exhausted her invectives, she next began to play off her 
 airs, by showing her house and furniture — boasting of 
 her fine clothes — fine pearls — fine plate — fine connec- 
 tions — and, in short, taking all possible pains to excite 
 the envy of her guests, by showing what a thrice-happy 
 married woman Mrs Major Waddell was. But Mrs 
 St Clair had seen too much to be astonished at Mrs 
 Waddell's finery ; and Gertrude's more refined taste 
 felt only pity and contempt for the vulgar, sordid mind, 
 that could attach ideas of happiness to such things. 
 Provoked at the indifference with which her cousin 
 saw and heard all this, she said — 
 
 " I suppose, cousin, you are above regarding terres- 
 trial objects now, since you have been living so long 
 with our good aunts — I suppose you have learnt to 
 despise the things of this world as beneath your 
 notice ? " 
 
 " I have certainly learnt to admire goodness more 
 than ever I did before," said Gertrude, quite uncon- 
 scious of the offence she had given by her indifference. 
 
322 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " Oh ! then 1 suppose you are half converted by 
 this time — we shall have you one of the godly ladies 
 next." 
 
 " If you mean by godly those who resemble my 
 aunts, I fear it will be long before I merit such an 
 appellation ; but although, in comparison with them, I 
 feel myself little better than a heathen, yet that does not 
 hinder me from seeing and admiring their excellence — 
 to deny excellence to others, merely because 1 do not 
 possess it myself, is a sin, from^which I shall ever pray, 
 * Good Lord, deliver me ! ' " 
 
 " O, I see you are bit," cried Mrs Waddell, with a 
 toss of her head ; " I know that sort of thing is very 
 infectious, so I hope you won't bite me, cousin ; for, 
 however it may do with misses, I assure you it would 
 never answer in a married woman — and the Major has 
 no notion of your very good ladies — he seems quite 
 satisfied with me, bad as I am. — Are you not, Major ?" 
 to the poor Major, who once more made his appearance 
 re-booted, and trying to look easy under the pressure of 
 his extreme distress. 
 
 " Now, are you quite sure you changed your stock- 
 ings. Major ? Are you not cheating me ? — Caesar, did 
 the Major change his stockings ? " 
 
 Caesar, with a low bow, confirmed the important fact, 
 and that interesting question was, at length, set at rest. 
 Mrs St Clair was too politic to betray the disgust she 
 felt ; but Gertrude, alarmed at the prospect of sitting 
 audience for the day to the Major and his lady, 
 expressed her wish to take a walk. 
 
 " Dear me, cousin ! are you so vulgar as to like 
 walking ? " exclaimed Mrs Waddell ; "I thought you 
 would have been more of a fine lady by this time — for 
 my part, I really believe I have almost forgot how to 
 walk — when one has a carriage of their own, you 
 know, they have no occasion to walk, and I suppose 
 
 I 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 323 
 
 few people do it from choice — you have quite spoilt 
 me for a pedestrian, Major." 
 
 Gertrude could not wait for the complimentary 
 reply she saw about to issue from the Major's lips, but 
 said — 
 
 " As I am still so vulgar as to like walking, though 
 not so unreasonable as to insist upon others doing it, you 
 will, perhaps, allow me to take a peep at the beauties of 
 Thombank by myself ; " and she rose to leave the 
 room, when the Major interposed, and, making a lame 
 attempt to be agile — 
 
 " O, impossible ! — you must allow me to have the 
 honour of escorting you." 
 
 " Now, Major," cried his lady, " I must lay my 
 commands upon you not to stir out to-day again — it is 
 a very damp raw day — I am sure my cousin will excuse 
 you," turning to Gertrude ; " he had a most dreadful 
 cold in his head last week, — I assure you I was quite 
 frightened at it." 
 
 " Phoo ! nonsense, my dear," said the Major, still 
 hovering between delight and vexation ; " nobody 
 would have thought any thing of it but yourself." 
 
 " How can you say so. Major, when I counted that 
 you sneezed seventeen times in the course of an hour 
 and a half — and that's what he calls nonsense ! " 
 
 Leaving the loving pair to settle this tender dispute, 
 Gertrude contrived to steal away from them. — " Oh ! 
 the luxury of solitude after the company of fools ! " 
 thought she, when she found herself outside the house, 
 and alone. 
 
324 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Now rest thee, reader 1 on thy bench, and muse 
 
 Anticipative of the feast to come ; 
 
 So shall delight not make thee feel thy toil. 
 
 Lo 1 I have set before thee ; for thyself 
 
 Feed now. Gary's Dante. 
 
 THORNBANK was situated on the side of a 
 rapid gurgling river, abounding in picturesque 
 rocky scenery. It was a meek, grey, autumnal 
 day, when earth borrows no tint from sky, but, rich in 
 its own natural hues, presents a matchless variety of 
 colour, from the wan declining green to the gorgeous 
 crimson and orange — nature's richest, saddest panoply ! 
 The sweet mournful song of the robin was the only 
 sound that mingled with the murmur of the stream. It 
 was a day for musing and tender melancholy — a day 
 that came o'er the heart " like a melody that's sweetly 
 played in tune." 
 
 Trite as the reflections are which have been drawn 
 from this solemn season, and obvious as is the moral 
 which points to the heart at witnessing the decay of the 
 beauties and the graces of the material world, still the 
 same train of thought will naturally arise in every mind 
 of sensibility, and the same sober hue insensibly steal 
 over the soul, — " hues which have words, and speak to 
 ye of heaven." 
 
 Relieved from every tormenting object, Gertrude sat 
 down on a rustic seat, hung round with many a droop- 
 ing scentless flower ; and resigning herself to the sooth- 
 ing influence of the day and the scene, she gradually 
 sunk into those enchanting day-dreams — those beautiful 
 chimeras, which a young romantic imagination can so 
 readily create. The pleasures of imagination certainly 
 were hers, but as if only to render her more susceptible 
 to the annoyances of real life. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 325 
 
 She was recalled from the illusions in which she had 
 been indulging by sounds little in unison with the har- 
 monious stillness that surrounded her : a weak giggling 
 laugh falling at intervals upon the ear, its pauses filled 
 by a sharp loud English tongue, louder and louder, still 
 drew near ; and presently Miss Lilly Black, leaning on 
 the arm of a little, spruce, high-dressed young man, 
 appeared. Much surprise, and joy, and affection was 
 testified by Miss Lillias at this meeting with her cousin ; 
 and Mr Augustus Larkins was introduced with an air 
 of triumph and delight. Mr Augustus Larkins was 
 what many would have called a pretty young man — he 
 had regular features — very pink cheeks — very black 
 eyebrows — and what was intended for a very smart 
 expression. He was studiously dressed in the reigning 
 fashion, but did not look fashionable for all that. He 
 had a sharp, high-pitched voice ; and a very strong, but 
 not a pure, English accent. Such was the future cousin 
 to whom Miss St Clair was now introduced ; and with 
 many flourishing bows, and with much mouthing about 
 honour, pleasure, and so forth, on his part, the ceremony 
 was happily got over. 
 
 " Dear me, cousin, have you been sitting here by 
 yourself? " said Miss Lilly, in a soft pitying tone ; — 
 " what a pity we did not know, and we could have 
 come sooner, you must have been so dull ! " 
 
 " I did not find it so," replied Gertrude. 
 
 " Ah, you Scotch ladies are all fond of solitude," 
 cried Mr Larkins. — "Witness that noble apostrophe 
 of my Lady Randolph's in your celebrated tragedy of 
 Douglas, * Ye woods and wilds, whose melancholy 
 gloom accords with my soul's sadness, and draws forth 
 the tear of sorrow from my bursting heart ! ' — How 
 uncommonly well that was got up last season at Drury 
 Lane : you have, of course, been in town, mem ? " 
 
 Gertrude replied in the aflfirmative. 
 
326 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " And which of the houses did you give the pre- 
 ference to ? " 
 
 She had not visited the theatres. 
 
 "No, sure! — is it possible, mem, to have been in 
 town without seeing either of the houses? how pro- 
 digiously unfortunate ! But," — with a significant smile 
 to Miss Lilly — " I hope we shall have the pleasure of 
 showing your cousin the lions by and by ; in town, we 
 call it showing the lions to show the sights and shows 
 to our country cousins." 
 
 " O ! that will be delightful, won't it, cousin ? " 
 asked the simple Lilly, — but her cousin only coloured 
 with contempt at the idea. 
 
 " The theatre is a favourite amusement of mine," 
 continued Mr Larkins. 
 
 " And of mine too, I am so fond of the playhouse," 
 said Miss Lilly — bent upon all occasions to prove the 
 congeniality of their souls. 
 
 " Did you ever see Young in Romeo ? " 
 
 " No, I don't think I ever saw Mr Young act it ; 
 but I once saw a Mr Something else — I forget his 
 name — do it." 
 
 " La ! I have seen Young at least a dozen times in 
 Romeo, — it is a favourite character of mine ; indeed, I 
 have the whole part by heart." 
 
 " Is that possible ? " exclaimed Miss Lilly, in ten- 
 fold admiration of her lover's perfections ; — " do let us 
 hear you repeat some of it — I'm sure my cousin would 
 like it so much." 
 
 " You must learn Juliet, and then I shall be your 
 Romeo — you would make a capital Juliet — your hair is 
 exactly the colour of Miss O'Neil's." 
 
 " Is it really ? how I should like if I could act 
 Juliet ! " 
 
 " When I have you in Liquoi-pond Street," whis- 
 pered Mr Larkins, " we shall have some famous scenes." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 327 
 
 " That will be charming ! I am jo fond of deep 
 tragedies ! " 
 
 " You don't dislike comedy, I hope ? " 
 
 " O, no, I delight in comedies and farces — I like 
 farces very much too." 
 
 " Some of the after-pieces we have in town are 
 famously good — what a prodigious run Midas had, 
 for instance ; * Pray, Goody,' was sung for a whole 
 season." 
 
 " O, * Pray, Goody,' is, without exception, the most 
 beautiful thing I ever heard ! " exclaimed Miss Lilly, 
 turning up her eyes in rapture. 
 
 " How amazingly yoa will be pleased with some of 
 our pantomimes in town ! What a famous good thing 
 we had last winter at Covent Garden, called * The 
 Oyster in Love ! ' "■ — Here Miss Lilly giggled. 
 
 ** 'Pon my soul, the Oyster in Love was the title ; 
 and, to let you into a little of a secret, it was com- 
 posed, music and all, by a friend of mine " 
 
 " O, goodness ! was it really ? — do tell us all 
 about it." 
 
 " Why, the piece opens with a splendid marine view 
 — waves — waves as high, mem, as these trees, and as 
 white — as white as your gown — roaring in the most 
 natural manner imaginable. Two of the ladies of my 
 party, who had just returned from Margate, became, in 
 short, perfectly sea-sick — 'pon my soul, I thought 
 they'd have fainted. However, it was the first night, 
 and I was a friend of the author ; so T wouldn't 
 have stirred to have handed the finest woman in the 
 house." 
 
 " O ! you cruel creature ! " cried Miss Lilly with a 
 giggle — " And what became of them ? " 
 
 " O ! they recovered, with the assistance of smelling- 
 bottles and oranges — but, 'pon my soul, I felt a little 
 queer myself. Well, after the waves — these curly- 
 
328 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 headed monsters, as Shakspeare calls 'em — had rolled 
 backwards and forwards, till, 'pon my honour, I thought 
 they'd have been into the pit, — at last they retired in the 
 most graceful manner possible, leaving behind 'em an 
 enormous large oyster at the foot of a rock ; but the 
 beautiful thing, mem, was to see the stage, which, you 
 know, represented the beach, all covered with shells, 
 and spar, and sea-weed. You can have no conception 
 of anything so natural." 
 
 " O ! how I should like to have seen it ! " sighed 
 Miss Lilly. 
 
 " Well, then, there was this oyster, which you'd 
 have sworn was a real oyster but for the size, lying at 
 the bottom of the rock — then enters the divine Miss 
 Foote, dressed as a princess, with the most splendid 
 crown upon her head, all over with precious stones, but 
 looking very melancholy, with her pocket-handkerchief 
 in her hand. She is attended by a troop of young 
 damsels, all very beautiful, and most beautifully dressed 
 — they sing and dance a most elegant new quadrille ; 
 and while they are dancing the oyster begins to move, 
 and heaves a deep sigh, upon which they all take to 
 their heels, and dance off in all directions, shrieking 
 most musically in parts. The princess, however, re- 
 mains — draws near the oyster — contemplates it for some 
 time — clasps her hands — falls upon her knees beside it, 
 while it rolls and heaves and sighs — 'pon my honour, 
 it was quite affecting — I saw several handkerchiefs out." 
 
 " How terrified I should have been ! " exclaimed 
 Miss Lilly. 
 
 " Well, then, the princess sings that charming song, 
 which, of course, you know, — 
 
 This oyster is my world, 
 And I with love will open it. 
 
 She then takes a diamond bodkin from her hair, and 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 329 
 
 tries to Open the shell. No sooner has she touched it 
 than it opens a little bit, and the point of a beautiful 
 long black beard comes out — the princess, in the greatest 
 rapture, drops her bodkin — seizes the beard in both 
 hands — kisses it — bedews it with her tears — presses it 
 to her heart — and, in short, is in the greatest transports 
 of joy at recognising her lover's beard." 
 
 " Good gracious ! was the oyster her lover ? " cried 
 Miss Lilly. 
 
 " Wait and you shall hear. Well, while she is in- 
 dulging in all these graceful demonstrations of the fondest 
 affection, suddenly a sort of dragon or sea-horse starts 
 up, seizes the bodkin, and disappears. At the same 
 moment the sky, that is the stage, becomes almost quite 
 dark — thunder and lightning ensue — the sea rises with 
 the most tremendous noise, and threatens to engulf, in 
 its raging bosom, the princess and the oyster " 
 
 " How interesting ! " exclaimed Miss Lilly ; — " I 
 never heard anything like it ! " 
 
 " The sea gains upon them every moment. — Now 
 they are completely surrounded — she raises her eyes — 
 sees the rock — a sudden thought strikes her — she merely 
 stops to sing that sweet little air, * By that beard whose 
 soft expression ' (by-the-by, that was twice encored) ; 
 then, in the most graceful distress, she begins to climb 
 the rock." 
 
 " How high was the rock ? " asked Miss 
 Lilly. 
 
 " Why, I take it, not less than thirty feet high, and 
 almost quite perpendicular. Soft music is heard all the 
 time she is ascending. She stops when about half way 
 up quite exhausted — then comes forward to the point 
 of rock where she is standing, which, upon my soul, 
 I don't think was larger than my hand ; — and, while 
 she stops to recover her breath, sings one of your 
 beautiful Scotch songs — 
 
330 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 Low down, in the broom, 
 He's waiting for me ; 
 
 "Waiting for me, my love, &c. 
 
 looking down upon the oyster all the while. — There 
 was a great row then : — one half of the house called 
 * Encore,' the other * Go on.' At length she was 
 allowed to proceed, and she gains the top of the rock 
 just as an enormous wave is on the point of overwhelm- 
 ing her oyster." 
 
 " O ! how dreadful ! " wailed the sympathising 
 Lilly. 
 
 " What should you have done there ? " 
 
 " O ! I'm sure, I don't know." 
 
 " Well, she advances close to the edge of the rock 
 — 'pon my soul, it made me a little giddy to see her ! 
 — takes off her crown — unbinds her hair — lies down 
 with her head hanging over the rock, and her hair falls 
 down to the very bottom of the rock where the oyster 
 is lying." 
 
 " Goodness ! and her own hair ? " 
 
 " Of course, you know, a lady's wig becomes her 
 own hair." 
 
 " O, you are so droll ! " with a giggle. 
 
 " Well — the hair sticks to the oyster, or the oyster 
 to the hair, I can't tell which, and, slowly rising, she 
 hoists him up — and up — and up — you might have heard 
 a pin drop in the house while that was going on — till 
 at last she has him on the very top of the rock ! — then 
 the house gave vent to its feelings, and a perfect tumult 
 of applause and admiration ensued." 
 
 " No wonder — I can't conceive how she could do it. 
 How big was the oyster ? " 
 
 " Why as large, I suppose, as a washing-tub." 
 
 " And to pull that up with her hair ! Did you ever 
 hear any thing like it, cousin ? " 
 
 " Never ! " said Gertrude, 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 331 
 
 " Now, tell US what was acted next ? " 
 
 "Then there's a fight between the dragon and a 
 whale — and the whale throws up a fine diamond oyster- 
 knife at the feet of the princess — she seizes it — rat-tat- 
 tats upon the shell, which instantly flies open with a 
 prodigious noise, and out rushes a warrior, all clad in a 
 complete suit of mother-of-pearl, with a fine long black 
 pointed beard, the same he had shook out of his shell 
 — he slays the dragon — the sea becomes as smooth as 
 glass — Venus rises out of it in a car drawn by two doves 
 harnessed with roses, and guided by two young Cupids." 
 
 " How delightful ! And then I suppose they are 
 married ? " 
 
 " Ah ! their happiness would have been very in- 
 complete without that termination," said Mr Larkins, 
 tenderly. 
 
 " It must be late," said Miss St Clair, rising; "al- 
 most dinner time, I should suppose." 
 
 " Alas ! that Love, whose view is muffled still, 
 Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will. 
 Where shall we dine ? " 
 
 cried Mr Larkins, in a theatrical manner. "You 
 know, of course, that is out of Romeo." 
 
 " O, is it ? — I had forgot that ; but it is beautiful," 
 said the complaisant Lilly. 
 
 Mr Larkins continued to talk and spout all the way 
 home, and his fair to giggle and admire. 
 
 " Well, cousin," said she, seizing upon Gertrude, as 
 they entered the house, " what do you think of him ? 
 Is he not charming ? So genteel, and so droll, and, at 
 the same time, he has so much sensibility — he never 
 travels without poetry — and he plays the flute too most 
 beautifully — and he is so fond of the country ; he says 
 he is to drive me out of town every Sunday in his til- 
 bury. — O, I wonder how Bell could ever fall in love 
 
332 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 with the Major ! — He hasn't the least taste for poetry 
 — and Andrew is such an ugly name : don't you think 
 I have been most fortunate in a name, for it is so 
 uncommon to meet with an Augustus? — and I think 
 Larkins very pretty too — don't you ? " 
 
 But they were now at the drawing-room door, which 
 put a stop to Miss Lilly's raptures, and soon after, dinner 
 ended all tete-a-tetes, 
 
 Mrs Major Waddell played the nabob's lady as 
 though she had been born a nabobess — she talked much 
 and well of curry and rice — and old Madeira — and the 
 liver — and the Company, which did not mean the 
 present company, but the India Company. Her silver 
 corners were very handsome, and she had to take off 
 some of her rings before she could carve the grouse. 
 In short, nothing could be better of its kind. Never- 
 theless, Mrs Major had her own petty chagrins, as 
 every petty mind must have — nobody seemed sufficiently 
 dazzled with the splendour which surrounded them ; 
 and Mr Larkins had the ill-breeding to talk much of 
 Birch's turtle, and Thames salmon, and town. At tea 
 it was still worse — like all under-bred people, he mistook 
 familiarity for fashionable ease, and either lounged 
 upon her fine sofa, or stood with his back to the 
 fire. 
 
 At length the chaise was announced ; and as Mrs 
 and Miss St Clair took leave, the gallant Major pre- 
 sented his arm. " Oh ! now. Major, I hope you're 
 not going to the door without your hat, and at this 
 time of night ! Now, it will make me perfectly wretched. 
 — Pray now, Major — aunt — cousin — Mr Larkins — for 
 Heaven's sake " 
 
 Mrs Waddell was getting hysterical ; and the poor 
 Major, withdrawing his offered aid, Mr Larkins 
 advanced. 
 
 " And, oh ! put on your hat ! " sighed Miss Lilly, 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 333 
 
 in imitation, as he boldly presented his brush head to 
 the evening air. 
 
 " How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank ! 
 Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music 
 Creep in our ears " 
 
 spouted Mr Augustus, as he handed the ladies into the 
 carriage. They bowed, and drove off. 
 
 Chapter %Xi%^ 
 
 On s'ennuie tres bien ici. Voltaire. 
 
 BUT the present order of things could not long 
 endure. Mrs St Clair grew impatient under 
 the secret sense of her sisters' superiority, and 
 weary of their simple uniform style of living. Her 
 habits were luxurious — her mind was joyless. Ger- 
 trude, too, in all the restlessness of suspense, longed to 
 return to Rossville. She would there hear her lover's 
 name mentioned — she would be amidst the scenes with 
 which his image was associated — and there would be 
 enjoyment even in these shadowy fantastic pleasures. 
 While such were the feelings of the mother and 
 daughter. Lord Rossville felt no less impatient for the 
 return of his niece — not for the charms and graces of 
 her society, but because she was a being subject to his 
 management and controul. True, this act of rebellion 
 might have staggered his faith as to the extent of his 
 dominion ; but he flattered himself that was a sort of 
 thunder-cloud, which, by the wise and vigorous measures 
 he had adopted, must already have passed away. Be- 
 sides, Gertrude's prolonged absence would have an 
 appearance in the eyes of the world — suspicions might 
 arise — things might be said. Even in the bustle of 
 
334 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 electioneering, Mr Delmour had remarked upon the 
 impropriety of Miss St Clair being allowed to reside so 
 long in a paltry provincial town, and associating with 
 people who might be very good in their way, but were 
 not quite suited to her station, or such as he would wish 
 his wife to be intimate with. On the other hand, Mrs 
 St Clair, in the course of her correspondence with the 
 Earl, had taken care to insinuate that such was Mr 
 Adam Ramsay's partiality for her daughter, it was 
 more than probable he would make a point of her 
 residing entirely with him, unless she were speedily 
 recalled to his lordship's protection. The visit to 
 Broom Park strengthened this insinuation, and decided 
 him as to the necessity of immediately recalling his 
 niece. 
 
 A most laborious and long-winded letter was there- 
 fore penned to Miss St Clair, in which, while he 
 deprecated the idea of ever taking her into his favour, 
 until she had renounced the error of her ways, he, at 
 the same time, announced his intention of receiving her 
 again under his roof, in the confident hope that she 
 would ere long perceive the absolute necessity, and 
 imperious duty, she was under of acceding to his long- 
 projected, thoroughly digested, and firmly-determined- 
 upon plan for her ultimate disposal. His lordship next 
 proceeded to state, that he had consulted the most 
 eminent counsel as to the deeds of entail ; and that 
 three of them were of opinion, that the whole of the 
 property could and might be most effectually alienated, 
 disponed, and otherwise disposed of, to the utter ex- 
 clusion of Miss St Clair, as heiress at law. — Such being 
 the case, it was his firm intention, and absolute purpose, 
 to act upon this opinion, by executing a new deed of 
 entail within three months from the present date, unless, 
 before the expiry of that period. Miss St Clair should 
 think proper to accede to his plan, and pursue the course 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 335 
 
 he had pointed out to her. — Such was the substance of 
 a letter filling nearly seven pages of closely-written 
 paper. 
 
 " I am sorry — very sorry," said Gertrude, with a 
 sigh, as she finished reading it, "for the trouble and 
 vexation I am causing Lord Rossville ; and perhaps it 
 were better that I should never return to Rossville 
 again, than that I should go there only to make him 
 cherish hopes which can never be realised. — I never 
 can act as he would have me — I never can change my 
 sentiments." 
 
 " You can at least keep your sentiments to yourself, 
 considering how much is at stake on their account," 
 said her mother, with asperity ; " and, indeed, setting 
 every thing else out of the question, I think delicacy 
 alone demands that much of you ; — at least, I should 
 be cautious how I expressed an attachment, which, to 
 all appearance, is no longer — if indeed it ever was — 
 reciprocal." 
 
 " Even were it so," replied her daughter, making an 
 effort to repress her emotion, while her faltering voice 
 betrayed the anguish of such a supposition — " deceived 
 I may be myself, but I never will deceive others. Let, 
 then, Lord Rossville know that, if I return to his house, 
 I return unchanged — unchangeable." 
 
 " Beware how you provoke me, Gertrude ; for I too 
 am unchanged — unchangeable in my determination, 
 never to see you the prey of that man — I have pledged 
 my word it shall not be." 
 
 " Pledged your word ! " repeated her daughter, in- 
 dignantly ; — " who had a right to demand such a 
 pledge ? " 
 
 " One who has the right, and will exercise it," said 
 Mrs St Clair, in some agitarion ; " but this is wander- 
 ing from the point. You have promised you will not 
 enter into any engagement until you have attained the 
 
336 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 age of twenty-one — on that promise I rely ; meanwhile, 
 all I require of you is only what is due to yourself — 
 leave me, therefore, to manage matters with the Earl, 
 and do you remain passive for the present." 
 
 " I am sick of management — of mystery," exclaimed 
 Gertrude, dejectedly — " already," cried she, giving way 
 to tears, " I am almost weary of the world — I feel my- 
 self a puppet — a slave — nay, the slave of a slave — 
 subject, it seems, to the control of a very menial ; but 
 I will not endure this mockery of greatness, — mingled, 
 too, with such degradation ! " 
 
 There was a height and a depth in Gertrude's feel- 
 ings, which, when once roused, her mother could not 
 always contend with. She sometimes felt that her only 
 chance of victory was in appearing to yield ; and upon 
 this occasion, as upon many others, she contrived to 
 work upon her daughter's affections, and prevailed upon 
 her to acquiesce in her wishes, provided she were not 
 considered as a party in Lord Rossville's plans. 
 
 The following day the Earl's equipage and attendants 
 arrived ; and again Mrs St Clair's worldly mind exulted 
 as she looked on the proud pageant at which the whole 
 town of Barnford had turned out to gaze. It was not 
 without emotion Gertrude bade adieu to her aunts, who 
 were not less affected at parting with her ; they saw she 
 was not happy, but were too delicate to intrude upon 
 her confidence. 
 
 " Farewell, my love ! " said her aunt Mary, as she 
 pressed her in her arms — " and ever bear in mind that 
 in this world, not to be grieved — not to be afflicted — 
 not to be in danger, is impossible : — yet, dearest 
 Gertrude ! even in this world, there is a rest of heart 
 — ah ! would you but seek it where only it is to be 
 found!" 
 
 But to the young unchastened spirit nothing seems 
 less desirable than that rest of heart, which, in their 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 337 
 
 minds, is associated with the utter extinction of all 
 that is noble, and graceful, and enthusiastic ; and 
 Gertrude shrank from the wish breathed for her by 
 her aunt. 
 
 " No," thought she — " wo-etched as I am, yet I 
 would not exchange my feelings, tortured as they are, 
 for that joyless peace which is to me as the slumber of 
 the dead ! " 
 
 And where is the youthful, ardent spirit, untaught 
 by heavenly lore, which has not, at some period of its 
 life, perilled its all on some baseless fabric, and preferred 
 even the shattered wreck of its happiness to the wave- 
 less calm of indifference ? 
 
 Gertrude's melancholy was not diminished by her 
 return to Rossville. But a few weeks had passed since 
 she had left it in all the pride and magnificence of early 
 autumn — while nature seemed scarcely past its prime — 
 while life was in the leaf, and spirit in the air, and the 
 bright -toned woods glowed in all their variegated 
 splendour beneath a clear blue sky and cloudless sun. 
 
 And now the cold autumnal dews are seen 
 
 To cobweb every green •, 
 And by the low-shorn rowans doth appear 
 
 The fast declining year ; 
 The sapless branches doff their summer suits, 
 
 And wane their winter fruits ; 
 And stormy blasts have forced the quaking trees 
 To wrap their trembling limbs in suits of mossy frieze. 
 
 In plain prose, it was a bleak, raw, chill November day, 
 when nature seems a universal blank even to her most 
 ardent admirers ; and, to use an artist phrase, nothing 
 could be more in keeping with the day than the reception 
 Miss St Clair met with from her uncle. It was cold, 
 formal, and unkindly, and every word fell like a drop 
 of petrifying water on her heart. 
 
 Lord Rossville never had been upon easy terms with 
 
 I. Y 
 
33S THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 his niece — indeed, it was not in his nature to be upon 
 easy terms with anybody ; but the additional stiffness, 
 and solemnity, and verbosity he thought proper to as- 
 sume, were truly appalling, and caused her to feel some- 
 thing of that sensation sensitive beings are said to 
 experience while under the influence of a thunder- 
 cloud. 
 
 The Earl's aspect was, indeed, enough to blight hope 
 itself. There was positive determination itself in every 
 line and lineament — his eyes had grown rounder — his 
 eyebrows higher — his lips more rigid — his hands longer 
 — his steps were more ponderous — his head was im- 
 moveable — there was no speculation in his eye — his 
 very wig looked as hard as marble. In short, over the 
 whole man was diffused an indescribable air of hopeless 
 inflexibility. 
 
 There was no company — nothing to relieve the hard 
 outline of the piece — not even the usual members of the 
 family ; nobody but Lady Betty, and her eternal rug, 
 and her fat lapdog, and her silly novel ; and the dul- 
 ness and tedium which reigned may have been felt, but 
 cannot be described. 
 
 Chapter X^ 
 
 If thou hast dipt thy foot in the river, yet pass not over 
 Rubicon. — Sir Thomas Brown. 
 
 SEVERAL days passed in this state of cheerless 
 monotony, when one morning, as the ladies pur- 
 sued their different avocations in unsocial com- 
 panionship, a letter was brought to Mrs St Clair, which 
 she had no sooner opened than Gertrude observed her 
 change colour, and betray visible signs of agitation. 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 339 
 
 The servant said that the bearer waited an answer ; 
 and in manifest confusion, she rose and left the room. 
 Although superior to the meanness of curiosity, Miss St 
 Clair could not help feeling a natural desire to know the 
 contents of a letter which had produced so visible a 
 change on her mother, and she sat a considerable time, 
 vainly looking for her return. At length, unable to 
 repress her anxiety, she put aside her drawing materials, 
 and hastened to her mother's dressing-room. Upon 
 entering, she found Mrs St Clair seated at a table, with 
 writing implements before her, and her head resting on 
 her hand, seemingly buried in profound meditation. 
 
 " I was afraid something was the matter, mamma," 
 said her daughter, gently advancing towards her. 
 
 " Leave me," cried her mother, in an angry im- 
 patient tone; "leave me, I say — I can't be disturbed." 
 
 " Mamma, can I do nothing for you ? " asked her 
 daughter, as she reluctantly prepared to obey. 
 
 " Much, much," — murmured Mrs St Clair, with a 
 deep sigh — " but, at present, I desire you will leave 
 me," raising her voice in an authoritative tone ; and 
 Gertrude, however unwillingly, found herself compelled 
 to obey. Uneasy and restless, she could not compose 
 her mind to any of her ordinary occupations. She saw 
 something had occurred to agitate her mother, and she 
 longed to participate, and, if possible, to aid her in her 
 distress. After a while she again returned to her, and 
 was again repulsed with anger. Seeing that her pre- 
 sence only caused irritation, she desisted from farther 
 attempts ; and, taking advantage of a watery gleam of 
 sunshine, which streamed from a pale sickly sky, she set 
 out on a solitary ramble, to which fresh air and exercise 
 only could give a zest. She slowly pursued her way 
 through leafless woods, where the only sounds she heard 
 were those of her own footsteps amongst the fallen 
 leaves, and the monotonous rush of the swollen stream. 
 
340 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 But each step was fraught with sad yet soothing recol- 
 lections — for rocks, woods, and waters seemed all as the 
 registers of her lover's vows ; and in each silent memorial 
 she felt as though she looked on the living witness of 
 his faith. Thus nursing her fond contemplations, she 
 had wandered a considerable length of way, when she 
 was roused to observation by the sudden darkness of the 
 sky ; but whether caused by the lateness of the hour, or 
 the approach of a storm, she was not sufficiently mistress 
 of signs and times to ascertain. Whichever it might 
 be, it had the effect of dispelling all romance, and 
 making her wish herself once more safe at home. She 
 was, however, more than two miles from it by the way 
 she had come ; but, if she could get across the river, 
 there was a short cut, which would take her home in 
 ten minutes ; and she walked a little further on, in 
 search of some stepping-stones, which had been placed 
 there instead of a bridge which had been swept away 
 by what, in the language of the country, is called a 
 speaU 
 
 A great deal of rain had fallen the preceding night, 
 and the river was so much swollen she could hardly 
 recognise the huge blocks by which she had frequently 
 crossed the clear pebbly stream when it scarcely laved 
 their sides. Now they merely held their broad heads 
 above the brown sullen waters — but still they 'were 
 above it — and, trusting to her own steady head and firm 
 step, she, with some little palpitation, placed her foot on 
 the first stone. ** Cest ne que le premier pas qui coute,^ 
 said she to herself ; but, notwithstanding this comfort- 
 able assurance, there she stood for some minutes, ere 
 she had courage to venture on a second step. But the 
 sky was getting blacker, and some large straggling drops 
 of rain began to fall. Ashamed of her irresolution, she 
 was about to proceed, when she heard some one calling 
 loudly to her to stop j and immediately she beheld, on 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 34I 
 
 the opposite bank, Mr Lyndsay, approaching at full 
 speed on horseback. In an instant he urged his horse 
 into the river ; but the current was so strong it was with 
 the utmost difficulty the animal was enabled to gain the 
 shore. 
 
 " Is it possible," cried Lyndsay, as he threw himself 
 off, " that you were going to attempt to cross the river 
 in its present state i " 
 
 " I not only mean to attempt, but to succeed," 
 answered she, as she felt her courage rise to its utmost 
 pitch, since she had now an opportunity of displaying 
 it ; and she was about to proceed, when he seized her 
 hand. 
 
 " You are not aware of the danger : — the river, you 
 may see, is far above its usual height, and is rising every 
 moment. A great deal of rain has fallen, and a fresh 
 flood will be down directly." 
 
 " Well, it seems merely a choice of evils, as I seem 
 destined to be drowned one way or another," said 
 Gertrude, as the rain now began to fall in earnest. 
 
 ** I assure you, then, you will find it much the least 
 evil to be drowned on dry land — so, pray, take my 
 advice for once." 
 
 But Gertrude felt as though it were due to Colonel 
 Delmour to accord nothing to Mr Lyndsay, against 
 whom she laboured to keep up what she deemed a due 
 resentment, and she therefore persisted in her intention. 
 
 " I am far from desiring Mr Lyndsay's attendance," 
 said she, somewhat disdainfully. " I beg he will take 
 his way, and allow me to take mine." 
 
 Lyndsay made no reply but by hastily snatching her 
 from the place where she stood ; and, at the same in- 
 stant, a sound, as of many waters, was heard — a sea of 
 foam was tearing its course along — and, in the twinkling 
 of an eye, the stones were buried in the waves. For 
 some moments Gertrude remained motionless, gazing 
 
342 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 on the mass of discoloured waters as they roared along, 
 till she was aroused by the cry and the struggle of some 
 living thing, which was swept past with the speed of 
 lightning and ingulfed in the raging flood. She turned 
 shuddering away ; and Lyndsay, taking her arm in his, 
 would have led her from the spot — but, smote with the 
 sense of her own injustice towards him, she exclaimed, 
 " Not till I have here acknowledged my rashness, — my 
 folly ; you risked your life to save mine, while I — un- 
 just — ungrateful that I was '' 
 
 " Not to me, my dear cousin, is any such acknow- 
 ledgment due," said Lyndsay, mildly ; — " give your 
 thanks to God — only let us be friends." 
 
 Gertrude gave him her hand. — " When can I cease 
 to look upon you as my friend ! — you who have saved 
 me from destruction ! " 
 
 Lyndsay sighed, but made no reply ; and they 
 walked on in silence, till the rain, which had hitherto 
 fallen at intervals in an undecided manner now burst 
 forth in what in Scotland is emphatically called an 
 even-doivn pour. Neither rocks nor trees afforded any 
 shelter ; but they were now in sight of a summer-house, 
 and thither they hastened. While Lyndsay stopped on 
 the outside to fasten his horse, intending to leave him 
 until he could send his servant to fetch him home, 
 Gertrude rushed in, and, almost blinded by the rain, 
 did not, at first, perceive that some one had already 
 taken possession of it, and was pacing up and down 
 with visible signs of impatience. But, at her entrance, 
 the person turned quickly round, and she encountered 
 the sharp baneful glance of Lewiston. 
 
 " My ! this is more of a trate than I expected," 
 cried he, in an accent of pleasure and surprise ; then 
 taking her passive hand, " This is well — this is as it 
 should be — come, my pretty messenger, sit down, don't 
 be afraid." 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 343 
 
 But this caution, though uttered in a soft conciliating 
 manner, was in vain. At first amazement had rendered 
 Gertrude mute and motionless ; but as he attempted to 
 seat her, and place himself beside her, she instantly re- 
 gained her faculties, and, struggling to release herself 
 from his hold, she called loudly — 
 
 " Mr Lyndsay, save me ! oh ! save me ! " 
 
 But Lyndsay had withdrawn a few yards to place his 
 horse under the shelter of a projecting rock, and the 
 roar of the river drowned all other sounds. 
 
 " What a plaguy fool ye are after all ! " exclaimed 
 Lewiston, as he held both her hands, and squeezed 
 them with almost painful violence. " Be quiet, I tell 
 you, can't ye, and you have nothing to fear ; but if ye're 
 aprovokin' me, ye'll repint, I tell ye, as sure as I'm a 
 gintleman ! " and he compelled her to be seated. 
 
 Gertrude would have spoken, but the words died on 
 her lips ; and she sat pale and trembling, unable to 
 articulate. 
 
 " Why, this is being narvous," cried he ; but, in a 
 gentler tone — "Have I not told you that you have 
 nothing to be afeard of — that I love you too well ? " 
 Gertrude again called wildly on Mr Lyndsay — " Why 
 did you come here only to squall ? — Why did she not 
 come herself, and where is the money ? — answer me, I 
 say. — A squire too ! " exclaimed he, as Lyndsay now 
 entered. — " Well, sir, what may your business be here ? " 
 
 Mr Lyndsay started with surprise, as he beheld Miss 
 St Clair seated by the side of this man, whom he 
 instantly recognized as the same from whom he had 
 formerly rescued her ; but her extreme paleness, and the 
 terror depicted on her countenance, showed what her 
 endurance cost her. The insolent question was repeated 
 in a still higher key. Even Lyndsay's usual calmness 
 was almost overcome ; but he repelled the rising of his 
 wrath, and answered — 
 
344 THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 " My business here is to protect this lady from insult 
 or intrusion," — and, advancing to her, he placed himself 
 by her side. 
 
 " O let us begone ! " cried Gertrude, as she rose and 
 took hold of his arm ; but she trembled so much she 
 could scarcely stand. 
 
 " You cannot go yet," said Lyndsay ; then turning 
 to Lewiston — " but as your presence seems to agitate 
 Miss St Clair, I must request of you to withdraw." 
 
 " By what right do you interfere between this lady 
 and me ? " demanded he fiercely. 
 
 " I know of no right you have to ask me such a 
 question," said Mr Lyndsay coolly. 
 
 « You know of no right I have ! — and what may you 
 know of me or my rights ? " 
 
 Lyndsay's blood rose at this continued insolence ; 
 but, making an effort to master his spirit, he replied — 
 
 "You say true, — I know nothing of you ; but I 
 know you can have no right to alarm Miss St Clair — if 
 you have any claim upon her notice, this is neither a 
 place nor a time for it." 
 
 " Her notice ! " repeated Lewiston, with a scornful 
 smile. — " Well, and I harue claims upon her notice then ; 
 and you will do well to look arter ye'r own consarns, 
 and leave us to settle our own affairs." 
 
 " Oh, no — no ! " cried Gertrude, as she clung to 
 her cousin's arm — " do not leave me — I have nothing 
 to say ! " — But as she thought of her mother's mysteri- 
 ous connection with him, she trembled while she dis- 
 claimed him. 
 
 "Do not be afraid," said Lyndsay, trying to re- 
 assure her — " there is nothing to fear, except insolence ; 
 and that I shall spare you, if this gentleman will walk 
 out with me for a few minutes." 
 
 " I have already told you, that I have no business 
 with you," said Lewiston — "and it is yours is the 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 345 
 
 insolence, who breaks in upon my appointments. — 
 Come, my dear, rid yourself of your spark quietly ; for 
 I don't wish to harm the young man — tell him the 
 fact, and bid him begone." 
 
 Never in his life had Lyndsay's self-controul been so 
 severely tried, but he still had firmness to keep himself 
 in check. 
 
 " I know of no appointment," said Gertrude faintly, 
 as she thought of the letter her mother had that morn- 
 ing received, — " accident alone brought me here." 
 
 Lewiston looked steadfastly at her. 
 
 " Sure ! then she's a holler one, and that's a fact ; 
 but you had best take care how you attempt to draw 
 the wool over my eyes — your hand upon it." 
 
 Gertrude involuntarily recoiled. 
 
 " Audacious ! " exclaimed Lyndsay, provoked be- 
 yond farther forbearance, and, seizing him by the 
 collar, shook him with a force that made him stagger. 
 " This lady's presence alone prevents me from punish- 
 ing you as you deserve." 
 
 Gertrude shrieked, as Lewiston instantly drew a 
 small dagger-sword from his walking-cane. 
 
 " Do you see that ? " cried he, with a scornful laugh. 
 " How would ye like to take ye'r change out of that ? 
 — But I don't think the worse of you for this touss, 
 and only give you this handsome piece of advice gratis, 
 — before you talk of punishing, to be sure you have the 
 means in your own hands, or you'll have the worst of 
 it by a long chalk." 
 
 " I thank you," said Lyndsay, as he led Gertrude to 
 the door ; then, turning back, he added in a low voice, 
 " and I shall return to repeat my acknowledgments — 
 only wait me here." 
 
 The rain had not ceased, but its violence had abated, 
 and they walked on for some time in silence, till they 
 both at the same moment descried Mrs St Clair 
 
34^ THE INHERITANCE. 
 
 approaching, muffled in a large cloak; but she, too, 
 seemed to have perceived them, for she instantly turned 
 back, and in another moment disappeared by one of the 
 many paths which traversed the wood. 
 
 " Oh ! " exclaimed Gertrude, with a burst of bitter 
 feeling at this confirmation of her mother's clandestine 
 intercourse, — "Oh! that the flood from which you 
 saved me had swept me away, rather than that I should 
 live to endure this degradation ! " 
 
 " My dear cousin," said Mr Lyndsay, gently, " do 
 not give way to such dreadful thoughts — were you 
 steeped in crime, you could not do more than despair 
 — even then you ought not to do that." 
 
 " Crime there must be somewhere," cried Gertrude 
 in the same tone of excitement ; " else why all this 
 mystery — and why am I subjected to the insults of that 
 man, unless " 
 
 " Do you know who and what he really is ? " said 
 Mr Lyndsay. 
 
 " O, ask me no questions ! " cried she, again giving 
 way to tears. 
 
 " Pardon me, I have done wrong — it is not from 
 you I ought to seek information." 
 
 " Seek it not at all— leave me to my fate — abject 
 and degraded I already am in your eyes." 
 
 " How little you know me, if you think that circum- 
 stances, over which you evidently have no control, 
 could ever lessen you in my eyes ! — It is not the mis- 
 deeds of others that can touch your soul — and they 
 ought not to influence your character. There is not — 
 there cannot be degradation but in personal sin." 
 
 " Yet I owe it entirely to your generous confidence 
 that I am not suspected — despised " 
 
 " Suspicion itself scarcely could suspect you ; and 
 for despising you — do not think so falsely, so meanly 
 of yourself, as to imagine that any one would dare to 
 
THE INHERITANCE. 347 
 
 despise you. I fear something is wrong, and that you 
 are not in good hands ; but put your trust in God, my 
 dear cousin — preserve your own natural integrity, and 
 all will one day be right ; — meantime, if I can be of 
 service to you, look upon me as a friend — as a brother 
 — will you promise me this ? " 
 
 Gertrude, in somewhat calmer accents, promised she 
 would. Lyndsay continued to talk to her in the same 
 soothing yet strengthening strain till they reached the 
 castle, when they separated with sentiments of re- 
 ciprocal interest and regard. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 TURNBULL AND SPEARS, PRINTERS, EDINBCRCiH.