Tales and Novels Volume V Part 24

[_Upside down, in red ink_.]

Mem'm--Yorks.h.i.+re Puddings--Knox says good in my case.

Hodgkinson late Hannah A Turnbull (my wife) her prayer book, born Dec'r 5th, 1700, died Jan'y 4th, 1760; leaving only behind her, in this world, Almeria Turnbull (my step daughter).

Also another mourning ring to Frederick, the son of Charles Elmour, Esq.

and ditto to Ellen his daughter, if I have hair enough under my wig.

[_Diagonal in red ink_.]

Mem'm--To know from Dr. Knox by return of post what is good against sleep--in my case--

This is the short of my will--the attorney (when found) will make it long enough.--And I hereby declare, that I will write no other will with my own hand, for man, woman, or child--And that I will and do hereby disinherit any person or persons--male or female--good--bad--or indifferent--who shall take upon them to advise or speak to me about making or writing my will--which is no business of theirs--This my last resolution and memorandum, dated, this 5th of August--reap to-morrow, (gla.s.s rising)--1766, and signed with my own hand, same time.

John Hodgkinson, grazier & so forth.

Now it happened, that Mr. Hodgkinson's namesake and relation disdained the ten thousand pounds legacy, and claimed the whole property as heir-at-law. Almeria, who was utterly unacquainted with business, applied to Mr. Elmour in this difficulty, and he had the goodness to undertake the management of her affairs. Frederick engaged to carry on her law-suit, and to plead her cause against this rapacious Mr.

Hodgkinson of Hull.--Whilst the suit was pending, Miss Turnbull had an opportunity of seeing something of the ways of the world; for the manners of her Yorks.h.i.+re acquaintance, of all but Ellen and the Elmours, varied towards her, according to the opinion formed of the probable event of the trial on which her fortune depended. She felt these variations most keenly. In particular, she was provoked by the conduct of Lady Stock, who was at this time _the_ fas.h.i.+onable lady of York: Sir Thomas, her husband, was a great banker; and whenever she condescended to visit her friends in the country, she shone upon them in all the splendour and pride of wealth. Miss Turnbull, immediately after her father's death, went, accompanied by old Mr. Elmour, to Sir Thomas Stock, to settle accounts with him: she was received by his lady as a great heiress, with infinite civility; her visit punctually returned, and an invitation to dinner sent to her and the Elmours with all due expedition. As she seemed to wish to accept of it, her friends agreed to accompany her, though in general they disliked fine dinners; and though they seldom left their retirement to mix in the gaieties of York.

Miss Turnbull was received in rather a different manner from what she expected upon this occasion; for between the sending and the accepting of the invitation, Lady Stock had heard that her t.i.tle to the fortune was disputed, and that many were of an opinion that, instead of having two hundred thousand pounds, she would not have a s.h.i.+lling. Almeria was scarcely noticed, on her entrance, by the lady of the house; she found herself in a formidable circle, where every body seemed to consider her as being out of her place. At dinner she was suffered to go to a side-table. From the moment she entered the house till she left it, Lady Stock never deigned to speak to her, nor for one instant to recollect that such a person existed. Not even Madame Roland, when she was sent to the second table at the fermier general's, expressed more indignation than Almeria did, at the insolence of this banker's lady. She could think and speak of nothing else, all the time she was going home in the evening to Elmour Grove. Ellen, who had more philosophy than our heroine, did not sympathize in the violence of her indignation: on the contrary, she was surprised that Almeria could feel so much hurt by the slights of a woman, for whom she had neither esteem nor affection, and with whom she was indeed scarcely acquainted.

"But does not her conduct excite your indignation?" said Miss Turnbull.

"No: it rather deserves my contempt. If a friend--if you, for instance, had treated me in such a manner, it would have provoked my anger, I dare say."

"I! Oh, how impossible!" cried Almeria. "Such insufferable pride! Such downright rudeness!--She was tolerably civil to you, but me she never noticed: and this sudden change, it seems, Frederick, arises from her doubts of my fortune.--Is not such meanness really astonis.h.i.+ng?"

"It would be astonis.h.i.+ng, perhaps," replied Frederick, "if we did not see similar instances every day.--Lady Stock, you know, is nothing but a mere woman of the world."

"I hate mere women of the world," cried Almeria.

Ellen observed, that it was not worth while to hate, it was sufficient to avoid them.--Almeria grew warmer in her abhorrence; and Ellen at last expressed, half in jest, half in earnest, some fear, that if Miss Turnbull felt with such exquisite sensibility the neglect of persons of fas.h.i.+on, she might in a different situation be ambitious, or vain of their favour. Almeria was offended, and was very near quarrelling with her friend for harbouring such a mean opinion of her character.

"Do you imagine that _I could_ ever make a friend of such a person as Lady Stock?"

"A friend! far from it. I am very sure that you could not."

"Then how could I be ambitious of her favour? I am desirous only of the favour, esteem, and affection of my friends."

"But people who live in what is called the world, you know, my dear Almeria, desire to have acquaintance as well as friends," said Ellen; "and they value those by their fas.h.i.+on or rank, and by the honour which may be received from their notice in public places."

"Yes, my dear," interrupted Almeria; "though I have never been in London, as you have, I understand all that perfectly well, I a.s.sure you; but I only say, that I am certain I should never judge, and that I should never act, in such a manner."

Ellen smiled, and said, "It is difficult to be certain of what we should do in situations in which we have never been placed."--Almeria burst into tears, and her friend could scarcely pacify her by the kindest expressions.

"Observe, my dear Almeria, that I said _we,_ not _you_: I do not pretend that, till I have been tried, I could be certain of my own strength of mind in new situations: I believe it is from weakness, that people are often so desirous of the notice of persons for whom they have no esteem.

If I were forced to live among a certain set of company, I suppose I should, in time, do just as they do; for I confess, that I do not think I could bear every day to be utterly neglected in society, even such as we have been in to-day."

Almeria wondered to hear her friend speak with so little confidence of her own spirit and independence; and vehemently declared that she was certain no change of external circ.u.mstances could make any alteration in her sentiments and feelings. Ellen forbore to press the subject farther, although the proofs which Almeria had this day given of her stoicism were not absolutely conclusive.

About a month after this conversation had pa.s.sed, the suit against Miss Turnbull, to set aside Mr. Hodgkinson's will, was tried at York. The court was crowded at an early hour; for much entertainment was expected, from the oddity of old Hodgkinson's _testamentary dispositions_: besides, the large amount of the property at stake could not fail to make the cause interesting. Several ladies appeared in the galleries; among the rest, Lady Stock--Miss Elmour was there also, to accompany Almeria--Frederick was one of her counsel; and when it came to his turn to speak, he pleaded her cause with so much eloquence and ability, as to obtain universal approbation. After a trial, which lasted many hours, a verdict was given in Miss Turnbull's favour. An immediate change appeared in the manners of all her acquaintance--they crowded round her with smiles and congratulations; and persons with whom she was scarcely acquainted, or who had, till now, hardly deigned to acknowledge her acquaintance, accosted her with an air of intimacy. Lady Stock, in particular, recovered, upon this occasion, both her sight and speech: she took Almeria's hand most graciously, and went on chattering with the greatest volubility, as they stood at the door of the court-house. Her ladys.h.i.+p's handsome equipage had drawn up, and she offered to carry Miss Turnbull home: Almeria excused herself, but felt ashamed, when she saw the look of contempt which her ladys.h.i.+p bestowed on Mr. Elmour's old coach, which was far behind a number of others, and which could but ill bear a comparison with a new London carriage. Angry with herself for this weakness, our heroine endeavoured to conceal it even from her own mind; and feelings of grat.i.tude to her friends revived in her heart the moment she was out of the sight of her fine acquaintance. She treated Ellen with even more than usual fondness; and her acknowledgments of obligation to her counsel and his father were expressed in the strongest terms. In a few days, there came a pressing invitation from Lady Stock; Mr. Elmour had accounts of Miss Turnbull's to settle with Sir Thomas, and, notwithstanding the air of indifference with which she read the cards, Almeria was not sorry to accept of the invitation, as she knew that she should be received in a very different manner from that in which she had been treated on her former visit. She laughed, and said, "that she should be entertained by observing the change which a few thousand pounds more or less could produce in Lady Stock's behaviour."

Yet, such is the inconsistency or the weakness of human wishes, that the very attentions which our heroine knew were paid merely to her fortune, and not to her merit, flattered her vanity; and she observed, with a strange mixture of pain and pleasure, that there was a marked difference in Lady Stock's manner towards her and _the Elmours_. When the evening was over, and when she "had leisure to be good," Almeria called herself severely to account for this secret satisfaction, of which she had been conscious from the preference given her over her friends--she accused herself of ingrat.i.tude, and endeavoured to recover her own self-complacency by redoubled professions of esteem and affection for those to whom she had so much reason to be attached. But fresh invitations came from Lady Stock, and the course of her thoughts again changed. Ellen declined accompanying her; and Miss Turnbull regretted this exceedingly, because it would be so distressing and awkward for her to go _alone_.

"Then why do you go at all, my dear?" said Ellen; "you speak as if there were some moral necessity for your visit."

"Moral necessity! oh, no," said Almeria, laughing; "but I really think there is a _polite_ necessity, if you will allow me the expression.

Would it not be rude for all of us to refuse, when Lady Stock has made this music party, as she says, entirely on my account--on our account, I mean? for you see she mentions your fondness for music; and if she had not written so remarkably civilly to you, I a.s.sure you I would neither go myself, nor think of pressing you to go."

This oratory had no effect upon Ellen: our heroine went alone to the music meeting. The old coach returned to Elmour Grove at night, empty--the servant brought "Lady Stock's compliments, and she would send her carriage home with Miss Turnbull early the next morning." After waiting above an hour and a half beyond their usual time, the family were sitting down to dinner the next day, when Miss Turnbull, in Lady Stock's fine carriage, drove up the avenue--Frederick handed her out of the carriage with more ceremony and less affection than he had ever shown before. Old Mr. Elmour's manner was also more distant, and Ellen's colder. Almeria attempted to apologize, but could not get through her speech:--she then tried to laugh at her own awkwardness; but her laugh not being seconded, she sat down to dinner in silence, colouring prodigiously, and totally abashed. Good old Mr. Elmour was the first to relent, and to endeavour, by resuming his usual kind familiarity, to relieve her painful confusion. Ellen's coolness was also dissipated when Miss Turnbull took her aside after dinner, and with tears in her eyes declared, "she was sorry she had not had sufficient strength of mind to resist Lady Stock's importunities to stay all night;--that as to the carriage, it was sent back without her knowledge; and that this morning, though she had three or four times expressed her fears that she should keep her friends at Elmour Grove waiting for dinner, yet Lady Stock would not understand her hints;" and she declared, "she got away the very instant her ladys.h.i.+p's carriage came to the door." By Ellen's kind interposition, Frederick, whose pride had been most ready to take the alarm at the least appearance of slight to his father and sister, was pacified--he laid aside his ceremony to _Miss Turnbull_; called her "Almeria," as he used to do--and all was well again. With difficulty and blushes, Almeria came out with an after-confession, that she had been so silly as to make half a promise to Lady Stock, of going to her ball, and of spending a few days with her at York, before she left the country.

"But this promise was only conditional," said she: "if you or your father would take it the least ill or unkindly of me, I a.s.sure you I will not go--I would rather offend all the Lady Stocks in the world than you, my dearest Ellen, or your father, to whom I am so much obliged."

"Do not talk of obligations," interrupted Ellen; "amongst friends there can be no obligations. I will answer for it that my father will not be offended at your going to this ball; and I a.s.sure you I shall not take it unkindly. If you would not think me very proud, I should tell you that I wish for our sakes, as well as your own, that you should see as much of this Lady Stock, and as many _Lady Stocks_, as possible; for I am convinced that, upon _intimate_ acquaintance, we must rise in your opinion."

Almeria protested that she had never for an instant thought of comparing Ellen with Lady Stock. "A friend, a bosom friend, with an acquaintance--an acquaintance of yesterday!--I never thought of making such a comparison."

"That is the very thing of which I complain," said Ellen, smiling: "I beg you will make the comparison, my dear Almeria; and the more opportunities you have of forming your judgment, the better."

Notwithstanding that there was something rather humiliating to Miss Turnbull in the dignified composure with which Ellen now, for the first time in her life, implied her own superiority, Almeria secretly rejoiced that it was at her friend's own request that the visits to her fine acquaintance were repeated. At Lady Stock's ball Miss Turnbull was much _distinguished,_ as it is called--Sir Thomas's eldest son was her partner; and though he was not remarkably agreeable, yet his attentions were flattering to her vanity, because the rival belles of York vied for his homage. The delight of being taken notice of in public was new to Almeria, and it quite intoxicated her brain. Six hours' sleep afterwards were not sufficient to sober her completely; as her friends at Elmour Grove perceived the next morning--she neither talked, looked, nor moved like herself, though she was perfectly unconscious that in this delirium of vanity and affectation she was an object of pity and disgust to the man she loved.

Ellen had sufficient good-nature and candour to make allowance for foibles in others from which her own character was totally free; she was clear-sighted to the merits, but not blind to the faults, of her friends; and she resolved to wait patiently till Almeria should return to herself. Miss Turnbull, in compliance with her friend's advice, took as many opportunities as possible of being with Lady Stock. Her ladys.h.i.+p's company was by no means agreeable to Almeria's natural taste; for her ladys.h.i.+p had neither sense nor knowledge, and her conversation consisted merely of common-place phrases, or the second-hand affectation of fas.h.i.+onable nonsense: yet, though Miss Turnbull felt no actual pleasure in her company, she was vain of being of her parties, and even condescended to repeat some of her sayings, in which there was neither sense nor wit. From having lived much in the London world, her ladys.h.i.+p was acquainted with a prodigious number of names of persona of consequence and quality; and by these our heroine's ears were charmed.

Her ladys.h.i.+p's dress was also an object of admiration and imitation, and the York ladies begged patterns of every thing she wore. Almeria consequently thought that no other clothes could be worn with propriety; and she was utterly ashamed of her past self for having lived so long in ignorance, and for having had so bad a taste, as ever to have thought Ellen Elmour a model for imitation.

"Miss Elmour," her ladys.h.i.+p said, "was a very sensible young woman, no doubt; but she could hardly be considered as a model of fas.h.i.+on."

A new standard for estimating merit was raised in Almeria's mind; and her friend, for an instant, sunk before the vast advantage of having the most fas.h.i.+onable mantua-maker and milliner in town. Ashamed of this dereliction of principle, she a few minutes afterwards warmly p.r.o.nounced a panegyric on Ellen, to which Lady Stock only replied with a vacant, supercilious countenance, "May be so--no doubt--of course--the Elmours are a very respectable family, I'm told--and really more genteel than the country families one sees: but is not it odd, they don't _mix more?_ One seldom meets them in town any where, or at any of the watering-places in summer."

To this charge, Almeria, with blushes, was forced to plead guilty for her friends: she, however, observed, in mitigation, "that when they were in town, what company they did see was always the best, she believed--that she knew, for one person, the d.u.c.h.ess of A---- was a friend of the Elmours, and corresponded with Ellen."

This judicious defence produced an immediate effect upon Lady Stock's countenance; her eyebrows descended from the high arch of contempt: and after a pause, she remarked, "it was strange that they had not accepted of any of the invitations she had lately sent them--she fancied they were, as indeed they had the character of being, very proud people--and very odd."

Almeria denied the pride and the oddity; but observed, "that they were all remarkably fond of _home_."

"Well, my dear Miss Turnbull, that's what I call odd; but I am sure I have nothing to say against all that--it is the fas.h.i.+on now to let every body do as they please: if the Elmours like to bury themselves alive, I'm sure I can't have the smallest objection; I only hope they don't insist upon burying you along with them--I'm going to Harrowgate for a few days, and I must have you with me, my dear."

Our heroine hesitated. Lady Stock smiled, and said, she saw Miss Turnbull was terribly afraid of these Elmours; that for her part, she was the last person in the world to break through old connexions; but that really some people ought to consider that other people cannot always live as they do; that one style of life was fit for one style of fortune, and one for another; and that it would look very strange to the world, if an heiress with two hundred thousand pounds fortune, who if she produced herself might be in the first circles in town, were to be boxed up at Elmour Grove, and precluded from all advantages and offers that she might of course expect.

To do our heroine justice, she here interrupted Lady Stock with more eagerness than strict politeness admitted, and positively declared that her friends never for one moment wished to confine her at Elmour Grove.

"On the contrary," said she, "they urged me to go into company, and to see something of the world, before I--" marry, she was going to say--but paused.

Lady Stock waited for the finis.h.i.+ng word; but when it did not come, she went on just as if it had been p.r.o.nounced. "The Elmours do vastly right and proper to talk to you in this style, for they would be very much blamed in the world if they acted otherwise. You know, young Elmour has his fortune to make--very clever certainly he is, and will rise--no doubt--I'm told--in his profession--but all that is not the same as a ready-made fortune, which an heiress like you has a right to expect. But do not let me annoy you with my reflections. Perhaps there is nothing in the report--I really only repeat what I hear every body say. In what every body says, you know there must be something. I positively think you ought to show, in justice to the Elmours themselves, that you are at liberty, and that they do not want to monopolize you--in this unaccountable sort of way."

To this last argument our heroine yielded, or to this she chose to attribute her yielding. She went to Harrowgate with Lady Stock; and every day and every hour she became more desirous of appearing fas.h.i.+onable. To this one object all her thoughts were directed. Living in public was to her a new life, and she was continually sensible of her dependence upon the opinion of her more experienced companion. She felt the _awkwardness_ of being surrounded by people with whom she was unacquainted. At first, whenever she appeared she imagined that every body was looking at her, or talking about her, and she was in perpetual apprehension that something in her dress or manners should become the subject of criticism or ridicule: but from this fear she was soon relieved, by the conviction that most people were so occupied with themselves as totally to overlook her. Sometimes indeed she heard the whispered question of "Who is that with Lady Stock?" and the mortifying answer, "I do not know." However, when Lady Stock had introduced her to some of her acquaintance as a great heiress, the scene changed, and she found herself treated with much _consideration_; though still the fas.h.i.+onable belles took sufficient care to make her sensible of her inferiority. She longed to be upon an equal footing with them. Whilst her mind was in this state, Sir Thomas Stock, one morning, when he was settling some money business with her, observed that she would in another year be of age, and of course would take her affairs into her own hands; but in the mean time it would be necessary to appoint a guardian; and that the choice depended upon herself. She instantly named her friend Mr. Elmour. Sir Thomas insinuated that old Mr. Elmour, though undoubtedly a most unexceptionable character, was not exactly the most eligible person for a guardian to a young lady, whose large fortune ent.i.tled her to live in a fas.h.i.+onable style. That if it was Miss Turnbull's intention to fix in the country, Mr. Elmour certainly was upon the spot, and a very fit guardian; but that if she meant to appear, as doubtless she would, in town, she would of course want another conductor.

"To cut the matter short at once, my dear," said Lady Stock, "you must come to town with me next winter, and choose Sir Thomas for your guardian. I'm sure it will give him the greatest pleasure in the world to do any thing in his power--and you will have no difficulties with him; for you see he is not a man to bore you with all manner of advice; in short, he would only be your guardian for form's sake; and that, you know, would be the pleasantest footing imaginable. Come, here is a pen and ink and gilt paper; write to old Elmour this minute, and let me have you all to myself."

Almeria was taken by surprise: she hesitated--all her former professions, all her obligations to the Elmour family, recurred to her mind--her friends.h.i.+p for Ellen--her love, or what she had thought love, for Frederick:--she could not decide upon a measure that might offend them, or appear ungrateful; yet her desire of going to town with Lady Stock was ardent, and she knew not how to refuse Sir Thomas's offer without displeasing him. She saw that all future connexion with _the Stocks_ depended on her present determination--she took a middle course, and suggested that she might have two guardians, and then she should be able to avail herself of Sir Thomas's obliging offer without offending her old friends. In consequence of this convenient arrangement, she wrote to Mr. Elmour, enclosing her letter in one to Ellen, in which the embarra.s.sment and weakness of her mind were evident, notwithstanding all her endeavours to conceal them. After a whole page of incomprehensible apologies, for having so long delayed to write to her dearest Ellen; and after professions of the warmest affection, esteem, and grat.i.tude, for her friends at Elmour Grove; she in the fourth page of her epistle opened her real business, by declaring that she should ever, from the conviction she felt of the superiority of Ellen's understanding, follow her judgment, however repugnant it might sometimes be to her inclinations; that she therefore had resolved, in pursuance of Ellen's advice, to take an opportunity of seeing the gay world, and had accepted of an invitation from Lady Stock to spend the winter with her in town--that she had also accepted of Sir Thomas Stock's offer to become one of her guardians, as she thought it best to trouble her good friend Mr. Elmour as little as possible at his advanced age.