| Show nowa I 1 A TORY THE LO MILY an by MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL copyright 1006 bobbs merrill co SYNOPSIS at 14 years of age admiral sir peter hawkshawe Hawke Hawk haws shaws nephew richard glyn fell deeply in love at first sight with lady arabella stormont who spurned ills his attentions the lad an orphan was given a berth as midshipman on the ajax by ills his uncle giles vernon nephew of sir thomas vernon became t the he boys pal they attended a theater where hawkshawe Hawk shaws nephew saw lady arabella vernon met philip overton next in line for sh fh thomas vernons ver estate they started a duel which was interrupted vernon overton and hawk shaws shawls nephew found themselves attracted by 3 ady arabella the ajax in battle defeated french warships in the ori we took the xanthippe xantippe Xan tippe home the indomitable went to the bottom of the bay of biscay but before our prize money was settled up we were oft off again sir peter dearly deafly loved cruising in blue water it was near two years fadore before we wd got back to england to spend that prize money for except the captain and mr buxton and some of the married officers I 1 know of no one abne who saved any sir peter I 1 understood der stood afterward spent much of his in a diamond necklace and tiara for lady hawkshaw in which he was most egregiously cheated by a portuguese money lender and the balance he put into a scheme for acclimating elephants in england which was to make him as rich as croesus but lie he lost 1000 on the venture besides years I 1 grew more and more fond of giles vernon we generally contrived to have our watch together and we were intimate as only shipmates could be he talked much of what what he meant to do when he got ashore with money to spend and assured me he had never had above 20 of his own in his life in the course of many nights spent in standing watch together when the old ajax was sailing like a witch for she was a capital at that time he told me much about his early youth and I 1 confided to him the story of betty green giles career had been the common one of the younger branches of a good family his father had been a clergyman and dying left several daughters who married respectably ably and this one son who was put in the sea service very young at that ahat time several lives stood between giles and the title and estates of sir thomas vernon and other lives stood between giles and overton but those bad passed away leaving these two distant kinsmen as heirs to a man that seemed rightfully to have earned his title of wicked sir thomas I 1 asked giles if lie he knew why sir thomas who so go cordially hated his heirs had never married giles replied that sir thomas showed no inclination to marry until he was near 40 then his reputation was so well established that lie he was generally looked upon his character for truth was bad and at cards was worse but lie ho had induced a lady of rank and wealth to become engaged to be married to td him his treatment of her davs st so infamous that her whole family had declared war against him and an d had succeeded in breaking off several very desirable alliances he would have liked to make of course a man of his rank and wealth could find some woman alas to take him but bui sir thomas was bent on money with an inclination toward rank and was the last man on earth to marry unless he had a substantial stant lal inducement and several more years had passed without his hia being able to effect the sort of marriage he desired meanwhile his health had broken down and he was now a shattered man and prey for the doctors all this was very interesting to me especially as sir thomas two hearg heirs would one day have the experience of shooting at each other and possibly deciding the matter of by the elimination of one or the other from the question we both got promotion of course and that brought us into the sunroom gun room I 1 but we were as intimate there as in our reefer days in the cockpit on a glorious october morning in 1799 our anchor kissed the ground in portsmouth harbor when we reached portsmouth the news of our good fortune had preceded us and we were welcomed with open arms by men ivonen women and children especially the women all the prize money brought back by any single ship during the war was insignificant ant compared with ours the m men en were seized with a kind of madness for spending their money the spectacle of an ordinary seaman parading the streets of portsmouth with a gold laced hat a gold headed with her were daphne and the glorious lady arabella stick and watches and jewelry hung all over him was common enough and he was sure to be an ajax man sad to say the pimps and the worst class of men nd women soon got the money away from our poor fellows the officers in their way T vere ere but little behind the men in their lavishness champagne was their common drink and several of them invested in coa coaches clies the last thing they would ever have a chance of using giles vernon although the most wasteful and profuse man I 1 ever saw desired to spend his money in london portsmouth being too small a theater for him but the pressing affair of the satisfaction lie he owned capt overton had to be settled after much hard thinking giles came to me on the day after we reached portsmouth and said dicky boy read this letter and give me your opinion of it this was the letter H M S ajax may alay 17 1799 capt philip overton dear sir this is to inform you that I 1 have reached portsmouth after a very successful cruise in the alax ajax when wo we took the indomitable and xantippe xanthippe Xan tippe and a large sum in specie my aly shair Is considerable able more money in short than I 1 ever briw sa w much less handled in my life I 1 would like illie a month in london to spend tills this money before offering my carcass to be made full of holes by you dear sir consider if I 1 escape your marksmanship ilip tho the month more or less will be of little account and if I 1 fall I 1 shall miss the finest chance of seeing tho the world I 1 ever had in my life I 1 think sir with dif idene e I 1 ay it that my record in the ajax Is gh to make plain I 1 am ain not i 1 the satisfaction I 1 owe you but I 1 would take it as a personal favor if you would put it oft off to this day month when I 1 will be in london and as I 1 shall eat cat and drink of the best itts ton ten to one I 1 w will III be much fater and therefore bo be a much better mark biarl for you I 1 am dear sir your obliged and obedient servant GILES VERNON I 1 pointed out to giles that although the tone of the letter was quite correct the writing and spelling were scarce up to the standard I 1 was more bookish than giles but lie he replied with some heat who while reading the communication of a gentleman will be so base as to sneer at the grammar or spelling so the letter went as it was and in reply came a very handsome well expressed letter from capt overton not only agreeing to postpone it a month but for six weeks which pleased giles mightily I 1 wish to say although giles was inexpert with the pen he hadano had no lack of either polish polls bor or ideas and was as fine an officer as ever walked the deck the matter with overton finally settled and the ship being paid off giles and I 1 started for london as happy as two youngsters could be with liberty and 2000 apiece to spend for I 1 acknowledge that I 1 had no more thought of saving than giles we took a chaise and four to london no stage stagecoach coach for us and reached there in a day we had planned to take the finest rooms at alivares Aliv arts hotel but fate and lady hawkshaw prevented me from enjoying them except for the first night of our arrival next morning on presenting myself at the admiralty to ask for letters never dreaming I 1 should have any I 1 received receive d one from sir peter Hawks hawkshaw baw which read grandnephew grand nephew my lady hawkshaw desires that you will come and bring your money moncy with you to outhouse in berkeley square and remain there yours etc P HAWKSHAW I C B 0 great was my distress when I 1 got this letter as I 1 foresaw there would not be much chance under tinder lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws eagle eye of seeing the kind of life I 1 wished to see and I 1 was obliged to go for sir peter was the only person on earth likely to interest himself at the admiralty for me and I 1 might stay and wither on shore while others more fortunate got ships it I 1 antagonized him and when lady hawkshaw commanded there was but one thing to do and that was to obey so with a heavy heart I 1 took myself and my portmanteau and in a canvas bag my 4 2000 1 guineas to the admirals great fine house in berkeley square my aly parting with giles was melancholy enough for with the womanish jealousy of a boy I 1 was unhappy to think he would be enjoying himself with some one else while I 1 was suffering the hardship of having my money taken care of for me giles had no more forgotten the lady arabella than I 1 had and on reading this note exclaimed zounds I 1 wish peter and polly had sent for me to stay in berkeley square with that divine creature under tinder the same roof do you think dicky we could exchange identities so to speak but on my reminding him that lady Hawks hawkshaw baw had demanded my prize money and would certainly get it his ardor to stand in my shoes somewhat abated when I 1 reached sir peters house about noon the same tall and insolent footman that I 1 had seen on my first visit opened the door for me lady hawkshaw wearing the same black velvet gown and the identical feathers received me and sitting with her were daphne carmichael and the glorious the beautiful the enchanting lady arabella stormont if I 1 had fallen madly in love with her when I 1 was but 14 and had only seven and sixpence one may imagine where I 1 found myself when I 1 was near 17 and had S 2000 in a bag in my hands lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws greeting was stiff but far from unkind and she introduced mo me to the young ladles ladies who curtsied most beautifully to me and I 1 may say looked at me not unkindly I 1 Is that your prize money in that bag richard asked lady hawkshaw immediately I 1 replied it was jeames she said go and make my compliments to sir peter and say to him that if lie he has nothing better to do I 1 would be glad to see him at once and order the coach james departed I 1 sat in adoring silence oblivious of daphne but gazing at lady arabella until she exclaimed pettishly la have I 1 got a cross eye or a crooked nose mr richard that you cant tako take your eyes off me you have nol neither ther I 1 replied gallantly and my nanie name is not mr richard but auf mr glyn at your ladyships lady ships service arabella said lady hawkshaw in a voice of thunder be more particular in your address to young gentlemen oh yes maam pertly replied lady arabella but such very young gentlemen like mr olyn glyn or mr thin or whatever his name may be are a always difficult to please in the way of address if you are familiar they are affronted and if you are reserve reserved d they think you are making game of them by this speech I 1 discovered that although lady hawkshaw might rule her world terrorize sir peter and make the lords of the admiralty her humble servi servitors tons she had one rebel in the camp and that was lady arabella stormont I 1 raw paw that her remarks die pleased lady hawkshaw but she endured them in silence who though would not endure anything from that cherub mouth and those dazzling eyes sir peter now appeared and greeted me sir peter said lady hawkshaw in her usual authoritative manner you will go in the coach with me to the bank with richard glyn io to deposit his money you will be ready in ten minutes when the coach will be at the door 1 I will go with you madam replied rep liedl sir peter but I 1 shall order my horse and ride horseback a because I 1 do not like riding in that da damned ened stuffy coach and besides when you and your feathers get in there is no room for fol me you ride horseback a lady hawkshaw even the grooms and stable boys laugh at you you are always talking some sea nonsense about keeping the horses head bead to the wind and yawing and bluffing and boesing at the bowline and what not and besides I 1 am afraid to trust you since brown jane threw you in the park it ended by sir peters going in the coach where thib the little man man lay back bach in the corner nearly smothered by lady hawkshawe Hawk shaws voluminous robe and pashing and ps hawing the whole way but I 1 was quite happy albeit I 1 was the victim of lady hawkshaw in having my money kept for me for on the seat beside me was lady arabella who chose to go with us she made much game of me but I 1 had the spirit 0 t 0 answer her back after placing the money we took an air airing ing in the park and then returned to dinner at live five I 1 neither know knew nor cared what became of daphne for was I 1 not with the adored lady arabella arabelia that night lady hawkshaw was at home and I 1 had my first experience of a london rout the card tables were s set et on the lower floor for although lady hawkshaw hated cards yet it was commonly said that no one could entertain company compan yin in london without them TO BE CONTIN CONTINUED |
