John Ellis - "Personal Experience of a Physician"

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New Philadelphia Book Publisher Highlights Local Talent
Book and Publishing News from Publishers Newswire(tm)

Looking for Child to be on Cover of a New Book, 'The Model Child'
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Philadelphia literary world will celebrate the launch of two new players today, April 10th: Kay Square Press, a new publishing company focused on Philadelphia-area artists, their stories, and their art; and Kay Square's first release, 'With the Rich and Mighty: Emlen Etting of Philadelphia' (ISBN: 978-0-9815129-0-7), a critical biography by Kenneth C. Kaleta.

FlatSigned Press Alleges Don Imus Remarks Damage Legacy of President Gerald R. Ford
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nathan Yungerberg, an accomplished model scout and professional child photographer is launching a nation-wide casting call to find the cover model for his highly anticipated book release, 'The Model Child: A Parents Guide to the Child Modeling Industry' (ISBN: 978-0-9817018-0-6).

Books: The King's Highway

G >> G. P. R. James >> The King's Highway




When they were about fifty yards from Lady Laura, she turned at the
end of the walk, and then, for the first time, saw them as they
approached; but if the expression of her countenance might be
believed, she saw them with no great pleasure. An expression of
anxiety, nay, of pain, came into her beautiful eyes; and as they were
turned both upon Lord Sherbrooke and Wilton, the latter came in for
his share also of that vexed look.

"You see, Wilton," said Lord Sherbrooke in a low voice, "how angry
she is to behold you here. It was for that I brought you. I want to
tease her in all possible ways," and without waiting for any reply,
he hurried his pace, and advanced towards the lady.

She received him with marked coldness and distance of manner; but now
the difference in her demeanour towards him and towards Wilton was
strongly marked--not that the smile with which she greeted the latter
when he came up was anything but very faint, yet her lip did relax
into a smile.

The colour, too, came up a little into her cheek; and her manner was
a little agitated. In short--though without openly expressing any
very great pleasure at seeing him--it was evident that she was not
displeased; and the secret of the slight degree of embarrassment
which she displayed was, that for the first moment or so after she
saw him, she thought of her mistake of the night before, and of her
feelings while she had imagined that the Duke had pointed him out to
her as one who, if she thought fit, might be her future husband.

The lady soon conquered the momentary agitation, however; and the
conversation went on, principally maintained, of course, between
herself and Lord Sherbrooke. Wilton would have given worlds indeed to
have escaped, but there was no possibility of so doing, Lady Laura
signified no intention of returning to the house; and they continued
walking up and down the broad gravelled terrace, which of all things
on earth affords the least opportunity for lingering behind, or
escaping the embarrassment of being the one too many.

Wilton had too much good taste to suffer his annoyance to appear; and
though he strove to avoid taking any greater part in the conversation
than he could help, still when he joined in, what he did say was said
with ease and grace. Lord Sherbrooke forced him, indeed, to speak
more than he was inclined, and, to Lady Laura, there seemed a strange
contrast between the thoughts and language of the two. The young
nobleman's conversation was light, witty, poignant, and irregular. It
was like the flowing of a shallow stream amongst bright pebbles which
it causes to sparkle, and from which it receives in return a thousand
various shades and tints, but without depth or vigour; while that of
Wilton was stronger, more profound, more vigorous both in thought and
expression, and was like a deeper river flowing on without so much
sunshine and light, but clear, deep, and powerful, and not unmusical
either, between its banks.

It was towards the latter that Lady Laura turned and listened, though
she could not but smile at many of the gay sallies of him who walked
on the other side: but it seemed as if the conversation of Lord
Sherbrooke rested in the ear, while that of Wilton sunk into the
heart.

It would not be very interesting, even if we had times to detail all
that took place upon that occasion; but it must be confessed that,
though once or twice Lord Sherbrooke felt inclined to put forth all
his powers of pleasing, out of pique at the marked preference which
Lady Laura showed for Wilton, he in no degree concealed the worst
points of his character. He said nothing, indeed, which could offend
in mere expression: but every now and then he suffered some few words
to escape him, which clearly announced that the ties of morality and
religion were in no degree recognised by him amongst the principles
by which he intended to guide his actions. He even forced the
conversation into channels which afforded an opportunity of
expressing opinions of worse than a dangerous character. Constancy,
he said, was all very well for a turtledove, or an old man of seventy
with a young wife; and as for religion, there were certain people
paid for having it, and he should not trouble himself to have any
unless he were paid likewise. This was not, indeed, all said at once,
nor in such distinct terms as we have here used, but still the
meaning was the same; and whether expressed in a jesting or more
serious manner, that meaning could not be misunderstood.

Wilton looked grave and sad when he heard such things said to a pure
and high-minded girl; and Lady Laura herself turned a little pale, and
cast her eyes down upon the ground without reply.

At length, after this had gone on for some time, Lord Sherbrooke
inquired for Lady Mary Fenwick, saying that he had hoped to see her
there, and to inquire after her health.

"Oh, she is here still," replied Lady Laura; "but she complained of
headache this morning, and is sitting in the little library. I do not
know whether she would be inclined to see any one or not."

"Oh, she will see me, beyond all doubt," exclaimed Lord
Sherbrooke--"no lady ever refuses to see me. Besides, her
great-grandmother, on old Lady Carlisle's side, was my great-
grandfather's forty-fifth cousin; so that we are relations. I will go
and find her out. Stay you, Wilton, and console Lady Laura, till I
come back again. I shall not be five minutes."

Thus saying, away he darted, leaving Lady Laura and Wilton alone in
the middle of the walk. The lady seemed to hesitate for a moment what
she should do, whether she should follow to the house or not, and she
paused for an instant in the walk; but inclination, if the truth must
be said, got the better of what she might consider strictly decorous,
and after that momentary pause, she walked on with Wilton by her
side. In saying that it was inclination determined her conduct, I did
not mean to say that it was solely the inclination to walk and
converse with Wilton Brown, though that had some share in the
business, but there was besides, an inclination to be freed from the
presence of Lord Sherbrooke, who had succeeded to a miracle in making
her thoroughly disgusted with him.

As they walked on, there was a certain degree of embarrassment hung
over both Wilton and Laura; both felt, perhaps, that they could be
very happy in each other's society, but both felt afraid of being too
happy. With Wilton, there were a thousand causes to produce that
slight embarrassment, and with Lady Laura several also. But one, and
a very principal cause was, that there was something which she longed
exceedingly to say, and yet doubted whether she ought to say it.

It does not unfrequently happen that a person of the highest rank and
station, possessing every quality to secure friendship, with wealth
and every gift of fortune at command, surrounded by numerous
acquaintances, and mingling with a wide society, is nevertheless
totally alone--alone in spirit and in heart--alone in thought and
mind. Such was the case with Lady Laura. It is true she had yet but
very little experience of the world, and her search for a congenial
spirit had not been carried far or prosecuted long; but she was one
of those who had learned to think and to feel early. Her mother, who
had died three years before, had taught her to do so, not alone for
her own sake, but also for that of her father; for the Duchess had
early felt the conviction that her own life would be brief, and knew
that the mind and character of her daughter must have a great effect
upon the Duke, whom she loved much, though she could not venerate
very highly.

With a heart, then, full of deep and pure feelings, with a mind not
only originally bright and strong, not only highly cultivated and
stored with fine tastes, but highly directed and fortified with
strong principles, with an enthusiastic love of everything that was
beautiful and graceful, generous, noble, and dignified--it is not to
be wondered at that, in the wide society of the capital, or amongst
all the acquaintances who thronged her father's house, Lady Laura had
seen no spirit congenial to her own, no heart with the same feelings,
no mind with the same objects. In every one she had met with, there
had still been some apparent weakness, some worldliness, some
selfishness; there had been coldness, or apathy, or want of
principle, or want of feeling; and the bright enthusiasms of her
young nature had been confined to the tabernacle of her own heart.

She had seen Wilton Brown but seldom, it is true, but nevertheless
she felt differently towards him and other people. There were
several causes which had produced this; and perhaps, as Lady Laura
was not absolutely an angel, his personal appearance might have
something to do with it, though less than might be supposed. His fine
person, his noble carriage, his bright and intelligent countenance,
the rapid variety of its expressions, the dignified character of the
predominant one to which it always returned, after those more
transient had passed away--all gave the idea of there being a high
heart and mind beneath. In the next place, Wilton had, as we have
told, commenced his acquaintance with her by an act of personal
service, performed with gallantry, skill, and decision, at the risk
of his own life. In the third place, in all his conversation, as far
as she had ever known or remarked, there were those small casual
traits of good feelings, fine tastes, and strong principles,
expressed sometimes by a single word, sometimes by a look or gesture,
which are a thousand-fold more convincing, in regard to the real
character of the person, than the most laboured harangue, or essay,
or declaration.

Thus it was that Laura hoped, and fancied, and believed, she had now
seen one person upon earth whose feelings, thoughts, and character
might assimilate with her own. Pray let the reader understand, that I
do not mean to say Laura was in love with Wilton; but she did believe
that he was one of those for whose eyes she might draw away a part of
that customary veil with which all people hide the shrine of their
deeper feelings from the sight of the coarse multitude.

There was something, then, as we have seen, that she wished to
say--there was something that she believed she might say, without
risk or wrong. But yet she hesitated; and she and Wilton went on
nearly to the end of the walk in perfect silence. At length she cast
a timid glance, first towards the house where Lord Sherbrooke was
seen just entering one of the rooms from the upper terrace, and then
to the face of Wilton Brown, whose eye chanced at that moment to be
upon her with a look of inquiry. The look gave her courage, and she
said--

"I am going to say a very odd thing, Mr. Brown, I believe; but your
great intimacy with Lord Sherbrooke puzzles me. He told my father
last night that you were his dearest and most intimate friend. I
always thought that friendship must proceed from a similarity of
feelings and pursuits, and I am sure, from what I have heard you say,
at least I think I may be sure, that you entertain ideas the most
opposite to those with which he has just pained us."

Wilton smiled somewhat sadly; but he did not dare deny that such
opinions were Lord Sherbrooke's real ones; for his well-known conduct
was too much in accordance with them.

"Would to Heaven, dear lady," he said, "that Sherbrooke would permit
me to be as much his friend as I might be! I must not deny that he
has many faults--faults, I am sure, of education and habit alone, for
his heart is noble, honourable, and high"

"Nay," cried Lady Laura--"could a noble or an honourable heart
entertain such sentiments as he has just expressed?"

"You do not know him, nor understand him yet, Lady Laura," replied
Wilton. "Most men strive to make themselves appear better than they
really are: Sherbrooke labours to make himself appear worse--not
alone, Lady Laura, in his language--not alone in his account of
himself, but even by his very actions. I am confident that he has
committed more than one folly, for the sole purpose, if his motives
were thoroughly sifted and investigated, of establishing a bad
reputation."

"What a sad vanity!" exclaimed Lady Laura. "On such a man no reliance
can be placed. But his plain declaration, a few minutes ago, is quite
sufficient to mark his character, I mean his declaration, that he
considers no vows taken to a woman at all binding on a man. Is that
the principle of an honourable heart, Mr. Brown?"

Wilton was silent for a moment, but Lady Laura evidently looked for a
reply; and he answered at length, "No, it is not, Lady Laura; but I
fully believe, ere taking any such vows, Sherbrooke would openly
acknowledge his view of them, and, having done so, would look upon
them as mere empty air."

Lady Laura laughed, evidently applying her companion's words to her
own situation with Lord Sherbrooke; and Wilton, unwilling that one
word from his lips should have a tendency to thwart the purposes of
the Earl of Byerdale, in a matter where he had no right to interfere,
hastened to add, "Let me assure you, Lady Laura, however, at the same
time that I make this acknowledgment with regard to Sherbrooke, that
I am fully convinced, if he were to pledge his word of honour to keep
those voles, he would die rather than violate that pledge."

"That is to say," replied Lady Laura, somewhat bitterly, "that he has
erected an idol whose oracles he can interpret as he will, and calls
it honour, denying that there is any other God. But let us speak of
it no more, Mr. Brown; these things make one sad."

Wilton was glad to speak of something else; for he felt himself bound
by every tie to say all that he could in favour of Lord Sherbrooke;
and yet he could not find in his heart to aid, in the slightest
degree, in forwarding a scheme which could end in nothing but misery
to the sweet and innocent girl beside him. He changed the topic at
once, then, and exerted himself to draw her mind away from the matter
on which they had just been speaking.

Nevertheless, that subject, while they went on, remained in the mind
of each; and Lady Laura might have discovered--if she had been at
all apprehensive of her own feelings--that it is a dangerous thing to
do as she had done, and raise, for any eye, even a corner of that
veil which bides the heart, unless we are inclined to raise it
altogether. Her subsequent conversation with Wilton took its tone
throughout, entirely from what had gone before. Without knowing it,
or rather, we should say, without perceiving it, they suffered it to
be mingled with deep feelings; shadowed forth, perhaps, more than
actually expressed. A softness, too, came over it--we insist not,
though, perhaps, we might, call it a tenderness the ceremonious terms
were soon dropped; and because the speakers would have been obliged
to use those ceremonious terms, if they had spoken each other's
names, they seemed by mutual consent to forget each other's names,
and never spoke them at all. Lady Laura did not address him as Mr.
Brown, and Wilton uttered not the words, "Lady Laura." From time to
time, too, she gazed up in his face, to see if he understood what she
meant but could not fully express; and he, while he poured forth any
of the deep thoughts long treasured in his own bosom, looked often
earnestly into her countenance, to discover by the expression the
effect produced on her mind.

Lord Sherbrooke was absent for more than half an hour; and, during
that half hour, Wilton and the lady had gone farther on the journey
they were taking than ever they had gone yet.--What journey?

Cannot you divine, reader? When Wilton entered those gardens, we
might boldly say, as we did say, that he was not in love. When he
left them, we should have hesitated. He would have hesitated
himself! Was not that going far upon a journey?

However, Lord Sherbrooke at length joined them; and after a moment
more of cold and ceremonious leave-taking with Lady Laura, he turned,
and, accompanied by Wilton, left the house.

Lady Laura remained upon the terrace, walking more rapidly than
before, and with her eyes bent upon the ground. Two minutes brought
Wilton to the gates of the court-yard; but oh, in those two minutes,
how his heart smote him, and how his brain reeled!

"Shall I run for the horses, my lord?" cried the groom of the
chambers--"Shall I go for the horses, my lord?" exclaimed one of the
running footmen who was loitering in the hall.

"No," said Lord Sherbrooke--"we will walk and fetch them," and taking
Wilton's arm, he sauntered quietly on from the house.

"Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, this is all very wrong," said Wilton, the
moment they were out of hearing.

"Very wrong, Solon!" exclaimed Lord Sherbrooke--"what do you mean?
Heavens and earth, what a perverse generation it is! When I expected
to be thanked over and over again for the kindest possible act, to be
told that it is all very wrong! You ungrateful villain! I declare I
have a great mind to turn round and draw my sword upon you, and cut
your throat out of pure friendship. Very wrong, say you?"

"Ay, very wrong, Sherbrooke," replied Wilton. "You have placed me in
an unpleasant and dangerous situation, and without giving me notice
or a choice, have made me co-operate in doing what I do not think
right."

"Pshaw!" cried Lord Sherbrooke--"Pshaw! At your heart, my dear
Wilton, you are very much obliged to me; and if you are not the most
ungrateful and the most foolish of all men upon earth, you will take
the goods the gods provide you, and make the best use of time and
opportunity."

"All I can say, Sherbrooke," replied Wilton, "is, that I shall never
return to that house again, except for a formal visit to the Duke."

"Fine resolutions speedily broken!" exclaimed Lord Sherbrooke: and he
was right.



CHAPTER XV.

Had Wilton Brown wanted an immediate illustration of the fragile
nature of man's purposes, of how completely and thoroughly our
firmest resolutions are the sport of fate and accident, it could have
been furnished to him within five minutes after he left the gates of
the house where he had paid an unintended visit.

Lord Sherbrooke seemed perfectly well acquainted with the house and
its neighbourhood, and led the way round through a green lane at the
back, which presently, in one of its most sequestered spots, offered
to the eyes a somewhat large old-fashioned public-house, standing
back in a small paved court: while planted before it, on the edge of
the road, was a sign-post, bearing on its top the effigy of a huge
green dragon.

Now, whether it be from some unperceived association in the minds of
the English people between the chimerical gentleman we have lately
mentioned and the patron saint of this island, who, it seems, if all
tales were told, was not a bit better than the dragon that he slew;
or for what other reason I know not, yet there is no doubt of the
fact, that in all ages English vintners have had a particular
predilection for green dragons; and that name was so commonly
attached to a public-house, in those days, that it had not at all
struck Wilton Brown that the Green Dragon to which Lord Sherbrooke
ordered the horses to be led, was that very identical Green Dragon
where his acquaintance Mr. Green had given him the rendezvous.

He might not, indeed, have heard Lord Sherbrooke's order at all; but
it is still more probable, that he only did not attend to it, as all
his thoughts were taken up at the moment by the discovery of what
place Lord Sherbrooke had brought him to. It now, however, struck
him--when he saw the Green Dragon standing in the Green Lane,
precisely as it had been described by Green--that it might very
likely be the identical house to which he had been directed; and on
asking Lord Sherbrooke what was the name of the mansion they had just
visited, the matter was placed beyond doubt by his replying,
"Beaufort House. The Duke only hires it for a time."

Brown hesitated now for an instant, as to how he should act. His
watch told him that it was close upon the hour to the appointment:
curiosity raised her voice: the natural longing after kindred had
also its influence; and if the society of Lord Sherbrooke was any
impediment, that was instantly removed by the young nobleman saying,
"Come, Wilton, as you are an unsociable devil, and seem out of
temper, I shall leave you to ride home by yourself--The truth is," he
added, after a moment's pause, "I am going upon an expedition, that
the character I have given myself to my fair Lady Laura may be fully
and completely established on the day that it is given.".

"Nay, Sherbrooke, nay!" cried Wilton--"I hope and trust such is not
the case."

The other only laughed, and called loudly for his servants and
horses.

Well disciplined to his prompt and fiery disposition, his grooms led
the horses out in a moment, and the young nobleman sprang into the
saddle. Before his right foot was in the stirrup, he had touched the
horse with the spur, and away he went like lightning, waving his hand
to Wilton with a light laugh.

Wilton's horses and groom had appeared also, but he paused before the
door without mounting; and the next moment, a fat, well-looking host,
as round, as well fed, and as rosy, as beef, beer, and good spirits,
ever made the old English innkeeper, appeared at the door in his
white night-cap and apron, and approaching the young gentleman,
invited him in with what seemed a meaning look.

"Perhaps I may come in," replied Wilton, "and taste your good ale,
landlord."

"Sir, the ale is both honoured and honourable," replied the host. "I
can assure you many a high gentleman tastes it at the Green Dragon."

Bidding his servant lead the horse up and down before the door,
Wilton slowly entered the well-sanded passage, and passed through the
doorway of a room to which the landlord pointed. The moment he
entered, he heard voices speaking very loud, there being nothing
apparently between that and the adjoining chamber but a very thin
partition of wood-work. The landlord hemmed and coughed aloud, and
Wilton made his footfalls sound as heavily as possible, but all in
vain: the person who was speaking went on in the same tone; and
before the landlord could get out of the room again and down the
passage to the door of the next chamber, which was some way farther
on, Wilton distinctly heard the words, "Nonsense, Sir George! don't
attempt to cajole me! I tell you, I will have nothing to do with it.
To bring in foreigners is bad enough, when we are quite strong enough
to do it without: but I will take no man's blood but in fair fight."

"Well!" exclaimed the other, in the same loud and vehement
manner--"you know, sir, I could hang you if I liked!"

At that moment the door was evidently opened, and the landlord's
voice, exclaiming, "Hush! hush!" was heard; but he could not stop the
reply, which was,--

"I know that! But I could hang you, too; so that we are each pretty
safe. This is that villain Charnock's doing. Tell him I will blow
his brains out the first time I meet him, for spoiling, by his
bloody-minded villany, one of the most hopeful plans--"

But the landlord's "Hush! hush!" was again repeated, and the voices
were thenceforth moderated, though the discussion seemed still to
endure some time.

Wilton's curiosity was now more excited than ever; and when the
landlord brought him a foaming jug of ale, together with a long
Venice glass having a wavy pearl-coloured line up the stalk, he asked
the simple question, "Is Mr. Green here?"

On this the landlord put down his head, saying, in a low voice, "The
Colonel will be with you directly: he expects you, sir."

"The Colonel!" thought Brown--"this is a new dignity. However, with
his state and station I have little to do, if I could but discover my
own."

At the end of about five minutes the conversation in the other room
ceased, and in a moment or two more the door was opened, and Green
made his appearance. We have so accurately described him before that
we should not pause upon his appearance now, had there not been a
great change in his dress, which had such an effect as to render it
scarcely possible to recognise him.

Now, instead of a military-looking suit of green, he had on a
long-waisted broad-cut coat of black, with jet buttons; a
light-coloured periwig filled full of powder; black breeches and silk
stockings, and a light black-hilted sword. In fact, he bore much more
the appearance of a French lawyer of that day than anything else. The
features, indeed, were there; but it was wonderful what the
highly-powdered wig had done to soften the strong-marked lines of his
face, and to blanch the weather-beaten appearance of his complexion.

The suit of black, too, made him look thinner and even taller than he
really was; and on his first entrance into the room, Wilton certainly
did not know him.

"You have come before your time," he said, "though perhaps it is as
well, for I must go out as soon as it is dusk;" and as he spoke he
cast himself into a chair, fixed his eyes upon some scanty embers
which were smouldering in the grate, and fell into a deep and
apparently painful fit of thought. His broad but heavy brow was
knitted with a wrinkled frown; the muscles of his face worked from
time to time; and Wilton could see the sinews of his large powerful
hand, as it lay upon his knee, standing out like cords, though he
uttered not a word.