The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Heir of Redclyffe, by Charlotte M. Yonge

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Title: The Heir of Redclyffe

Author: Charlotte M. Yonge

Posting Date: December 31, 2008 [EBook #2505]
Release Date: February, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HEIR OF REDCLYFFE ***

Produced by Sandra Laythorpe

THE HEIR OF REDCLYFFE

By Charlotte Yonge

CHAPTER 1

In such pursuits if wisdom lies,
Who, Laura, can thy taste despise?
--GAY

The drawing-room of Hollywell House was one of the favoured apartments,
where a peculiar air of home seems to reside, whether seen in the middle
of summer, all its large windows open to the garden, or, as when our
story commences, its bright fire and stands of fragrant green-house
plants contrasted with the wintry fog and leafless trees of November.
There were two persons in the room--a young lady, who sat drawing at
the round table, and a youth, lying on a couch near the fire, surrounded
with books and newspapers, and a pair of crutches near him. Both looked
up with a smile of welcome at the entrance of a tall, fine-looking young
man, whom each greeted with 'Good morning, Philip.'

'Good morning, Laura. Good morning, Charles; I am glad you are
downstairs again! How are you to-day?'

'No way remarkable, thank you,' was the answer, somewhat wearily given
by Charles.

'You walked?' said Laura.

'Yes. Where's my uncle? I called at the post-office, and brought a
letter for him. It has the Moorworth post-mark,' he added, producing it.

'Where's that?' said Charles.

'The post-town to Redclyffe; Sir Guy Morville's place.'

'That old Sir Guy! What can he have to do with my father?'

'Did you not know,' said Philip, 'that my uncle is to be guardian to the
boy--his grandson?'

'Eh? No, I did not.'

'Yes,' said Philip; 'when old Sir Guy made it an especial point that my
father should take the guardianship, he only consented on condition
that my uncle should be joined with him; so now my uncle is alone in
the trust, and I cannot help thinking something must have happened at
Redclyffe. It is certainly not Sir Gu