Vellenaux A Novel by Edmund William Forrest (best fiction novels .TXT) 📖
- Author: Edmund William Forrest
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And Well-To-Do Farmers Residing On The Abbey Lands.
On Their Return From The Continent, The Earl And His Bride Took Formal
Possession Of Carlton Abbey, Received The Visits Of The Neighboring
Families, Inspected The Newly Improvised Cavalry, Mustered And Feasted
The Tenantry, And Made Known To All Concerned That They Intended To
Reside, For At Least Four Months In Each Year, At The Abbey, Then Took
Their Departure, Leaving A Very Favorable Impression Behind Them.
On The Return To London Of Edith And Arthur From Their Wedding Tour,
They Were Presented At Court. The Queen Seemed To Take Considerable
Interest In The Handsome Earl And His Beautiful Countess, For His
Excellency The Commander-In-Chief Had Mentioned To Her Majesty Some Of
Arthur's Gallant Exploits While In India, And The Romantic Train Of
Events That Had Happened To Both Earl And Countess Prior To Their
Marriage. As A Mark Of Royal Favor They Were Invited To Windsor Castle.
This, In Itself, Was Sufficient To Give Them _Eclat_ In The Highest
Circles. They Gave A Series Of Brilliant Entertainments In Saint James'
Square, Which Hundreds Of The Highest In The Land Made A Point Of
Attending. Fortunately The London Season Was At Its Close; This Allowed
Edith To Carry Out Her Long-Cherished Wish To Return To Vellenaux As
Its Honoured Mistress. There Were Associations Connected With It That
Could Not Be Effaced By All The Gaieties Of The Most Magnificent Courts
Of Europe. Arthur Too Was Somewhat Tired Of The Exciting Life They Had
Led For Some Months Past, And Was Anxious To Re-Visit The Quiet Spot
Where The Happiest Years Of His Early Life Had Been Spent; Accordingly
They Left London For Their Old Home Among The Beech Woods Of Devon.
The Day Of High Jubilee, The Day Of Feasting And Merriment, Such As Had
Never Been Witnessed In Vellenaux By Its Oldest Inhabitant, At Length
Arrived. High And Low, Rich And Poor Of The Village And For Miles
Around, Turned Out In Holiday Costume To Witness The Return Of Edith And
Arthur To Their Childhood's Happy Home. Triumphal Arches Of Eve Greens
And Flags Had Been Erected At Different Places Between Switchem Station
And The Park Gates. The Two Troops Of Volunteer Cavalry That Had Been
Raised From Among The Tenantry Of Carlton Abbey And Vellenaux, Armed And
Equipped At The Expense Of The Earl And Countess, Already Licked Into
Something Like Order And Discipline By The Non-Commissioned Officers Of
The Regular Service, Procured Through Arthur's Interest At The Horse
Guards, Lined Both Sides Of The Road Between The Arches. Several Bands
Of Music, Sent Down From London, Were Stationed In Different Parts Of
The Grounds, And Enlivened The Scene By Playing Many Of The Most Popular
Airs Of The Day. A Deputation Of About One Hundred Gentlemen And
Well-To-Do Farmers, All Mounted, And Headed By The Lord Lieutenant Of
The County, Met The Happy Couple As They Stepped From The Platform Into
Their Open Barouche, With Its Four Prancing And Gaily Decorated Horses,
Which Was In Waiting At The Switchem Station. After Several Addresses
Had Been Read And Replied To, The Cortege Passed Slowly On Towards
Vellenaux, The Cavalry Filing In Rear And The Gay Holiday Seekers
Following As Best They Could. On Arriving At The Principal Entrance The
Party Alighted, The Host And Hostess, And Their Invited Guests Proceeded
To The Grand Hall, Where A Magnificent Collation Awaited Them. The
Remainder Spread Themselves Over The Grounds And Park, Where, Beneath
Chapter 21 Pg 136Beside Tables Groaning Under The Weight Of Enormous Sirloins, Rounds Of
Beef, And Pies Of Mighty Dimensions, With Sweet Home-Made Broad, And
Other Edibles Of Various Descriptions. Tents Were Pitched Here And
There, Where Also Could Be Obtained, All Free, Gratis And For Nothing,
Fine Old October Ale, Rich Sparkling Cider, Clotted Cream, Curds And
Whey, Tea And Coffee, And Confectionery In Great Abundance. Feasting And
Merriment Being The Order Of The Day.
Games Of Various Kinds Were Entered Into With Such Alacrity And Good
Will, Proving How Thoroughly They Were Enjoyed By Both Participants And
Lookers On. Cricket, Pitching The Quoit, And Foot Ball Was Going On In
One Part Of The Grounds, Single Stick; And Quarter Staff Playing, And
Wrestling Matches Between The Men Of "Merrie Sherwood," Nottingham, And
The Yeomen Of Devon In Another.
There Were Also Foot Races And A Variety Of Other Amusements Taking
Place In The Home Park, While The Votaries Of Terpsichore Tripped It
Gaily On The Green, Velvety Award Beneath The Grand Old Oaks; And Not A
Few Of The Lads And Lasses Betook Themselves Down The Green, Shady
Alleys To The Woods In Search Of Blackberries, Or To Gather Bunches Of
Clustering Hazel-Nuts. The Intimate Friends Of The Lady Of Vellenaux
Amused Themselves With Archery And Croquet On The Lawn, And Strolled
About The Grounds Watching The Tenantry And Others In Their Pursuit Of
Pleasure. All The Servants And Retainers, For None Had Been Discharged,
Hailed With Delight The Return Of Their Young Mistress And Her Handsome
Husband, For Both Were Alike Looked Up To And Respected For Their Many
Amiable Qualities, By Those Among Whom They Had Been Brought Up Since
Childhood. The Two Old Veterans, Bridoon And Tom The Game Keeper, Had,
In Honor Of The Occasion, Donned Their Uniforms And Were The Big Guns Of
The Evening, Presiding, As They Did, At The Upper Ends Of The Tables
Where The Volunteer Cavalry Were Regaling Themselves To Their Heart's
Content On The Good Things Provided For Them.
The Day's Festivities Were Closed With A Grand Display Of Fire Works,
And Bonfires Were Lit In Many Places, Which Crackled And Sent Upwards
Millions Of Bright Sparks, To The Intense Delight Of The Juvenile
Portion Of The Community. The Long Rooms In The Two Public Houses, In
The Village, Were Thrown Open For Dancing. The Servants' Hall, And The
Two Great Barns At Vellenaux Were Also Decorated And Arranged For The
Same Purpose, And A Right Joyous Time Was There Kept Up, Almost Until
The Dawn Of Day.
Within The Time-Honoured Walls, In One Of The Superb And Luxuriously
Furnished Apartments Of Vellenaux, Did Edith And Arthur, On This, The
First Night Of Their Return, Entertain The Bartons, Cotterells,
Ashburnhams, Denhams, And A Large Circle Of Acquaintances. It Was Not A
Ball, Not Exactly A Conversazione, But A Sort Of Happy Re-Union, An
Assemblage Of Old Friends And Familiar Faces, Many Of Whom, Had, To A
Certain Extent, Participated In The Joys And Sorrows That Had Attended
Their Host And Hostess From Their Youth Upwards, And, As This Pleasing
Picture Fades From View, Let Us Take A Perspective Glance Through A
Pleasant Vista Of Progressive Years, At Another Equally Interesting
Tableaux, Whose Back Ground And Surroundings Are The Same As The
Chapter 21 Pg 137Beautiful And Varied Styles Of Architecture, Embosomed, As It Were, In
The Rare Old Woods Of Devon, Its Parks And Wondrous Parterres, Its
Fountains, Marble Terraces And Statuary, All Brought Out In Bold Relief
By The Glorious Golden Light Of A Summer's Setting Sun.
On A Spacious Terrace Of The Western Wing, Whose Broad Steps Of Fine
Italian Marble Led Down To The Clear, Open, Finely Gravelled Walk That
Surrounded A Beautiful And Well Kept Lawn, Were Grouped, In Various
Positions, A Number Of Ladies, Gentlemen, And Children, With All Of
Whom, The Juveniles Excepted, The Reader Is Already Acquainted.
The Earl Of Castlemere, With His Beautiful Countess Leaning Lovingly On
His Arm, Are Pacing Leisurely Up And Down Among The Assembled Guests,
Exchanging Here And There Words Of Courteous Pleasantry. Lounging Over
The Back Of A Handsome Fautiel, Colonel Snaffle, Of The Lancers, Is
Conversing With Pauline Barton, In His Usual Gay And Lively Manner,
Relating To Some Reminiscence Which Occurred To Them While Dwelling On
The Sunny Plains Of Hindostan. Horace Barton, Aunt Cotterell And The
Rev. Charles Denham Were Discussing Some Knotty Point Concerning High
And Low Church, Etc., While Some Political Question Was Evidently
Exciting The Minds Of The Worthy Old Stockbroker, Dr. Ashburnham, And
Tom Barton. The Good Natured Draycott Was Exhausting His Powers Of
Pleasing By Relating To Mrs. Ashburnham, Her Sister Emily And Pretty
Cousin Kate, The Last _On Dit_ Going The Rounds Of The Fashionable
Circles At The Metropolis.
Light-Hearted, Happy Children Gamboled On The Broad Marble Steps, Or
Seated On Soft Cushions At Their Parents' Feet, Listened To The
Sparkling Wit, Repartee And Agreeable Rattle That Broke Forth Among The
Gay Loungers On The Terrace. Occasionally The Eyes Of The Whole Party
Would Rest With Admiration And Pride On The Scene Enacting Before Them,
And Well They Might, For On The Smooth, Soft, Velvet-Like Sward Of The
Croquet Lawn, Eight Youthful Figures, The Eldest Scarcely Sixteen, Were
Engaged In That Most Exhilarating, Delightful And Exciting Of All Out
Door Amusements, The Game Of Croquet.
The Lady Eglentine Carlton, Eldest Daughter Of The Countess Of
Castlemere, A Tall, Graceful Girl, Inheriting All Her Mother's Soft
Beauty Of Form And Features, Stood With Her Small, Exquisitely Shaped
Foot Resting On A Bright, Blue Ball, Evidently Listening To Some
Suggestion Of Her Partner, Clarence Ashburnham, Preparatory To Giving
The Final Stroke That Would Croquet Her Adversary's Ball To A
Considerable Distance. Not Far Off Stood, In An Easy Position, The
Earl's Handsome Son And Heir, Lord Adolphus Carlton, Mallet In Hand,
Explaining To Pretty Alice Denham, The Rector's Daughter, What Effect On
The Game His Sister's Stroke Would Have If Correctly Given. Kate Barton,
The Little Golden-Haired Fairy, As She Was Called Generally, Is
Chatting Merrily With The Honourable Eustace Carlton, A Noble,
Aristocratic Looking Youth, With Chestnut Curls And The Bright, Flashing
Eyes Of The Earl, His Father, Declaring With Great Animation That Their
Side Must Win, While Maud Ashburnham, The Physician's Dark-Haired
Daughter, A Sparkling Brunette, Full Of Life And Vivacity, Announces To
Her Partner, Alfred Arthur Denham, That Her Next Stroke Shall Carry Her
Through The Last Hoop, This Will Make Her A Rover, And She Will Then
Chapter 21 Pg 137One Side And Then The Other, Till At Length A Splendid Stroke From The
Youthful Lady Eglentine's Mallet, Put Her Own And Her Partner's Ball
Through The Last Wire Arch, Placing Them In A Triumphant Position,
Amidst
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