Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1849-06-20
SELECT TALE.
rHI CONTESTED MARRIAGE.


had lust escaped TO my chambers one
v;nter afternoon from heavy trial Sat
49,, In the Kings Bench, Westminster.
and was poring over case upon which
A. ..oo;c ion" was urgently solicited. when
me clerk entered with letter which he
III heen requested to deliver BY n lady,
,vho had called twice before, during the
dsv for the purpose Of seeing me. Vcx-
"a = the interruption. almost snatched
The letter from the mans hand, hastily
broke the seal, and, to my great surprise,
found il was from my excellent friend Sir
Jasper Thornley,, of Thornley, Hall, Lam
caster: II ran as follows
note is a lady whom | am DESTROYS Of
serving to the utmost extent Of my ability.
That she is really the widow she repre-
sents herself to be, and her son consc-
quently heir to the magnificent estate now
in possession Of the EmsJalcs-you re-
member how they tripped up my heels at
the last election for the borough Of.
have no moral doubt whatever; but wheth-
CT her claim can be legally established is
another affair. She will tell you the sto-
~ herself. II was a hcartlcss business:
bot Sir Harry. who you have no doubt
heard. broke his neck in a steeplc chase
about 10 months ago, was n sad, wild dog.
Nv advice is, To look out for sharp,
clever, pcrsevering attorney. and set him
upon hunt for evidence. Ifhc succeeds,
undertake to pay him thousand pounds
over and above his legal costs. He'll
nose it out for that, should think!
Yours truly,
JASPER THORNLEY,"
up. S.--Emsdale's son, have Just
heard; con!ound their irnpudence! intends
upon the strength Of this accession Of
property, to stand for the county against
INV old friend--, at the dissolution,
which cannot now be far off. If you
don't think ,f1OOO enough. III double it.
a cruelty ill-used lady! and as to her son.
he's the very image Of the late Sir Harry
Compton. In haste, J. Il.
~ reopen the letter to enclose check
for a hundred pounds, which you " i'll pay
the attorney on account. They'll die
hard, you may be sure. If it could come
of next assiZes, we should spoil them for
the county. }. II.
'AssiZcs'-'county'--' Harry Comp
tom inyoluntarily murmurcd, as | fin
ishcd the perusal of my old friends inco-
herent cpistlc. "What on earth can the
eccentric old fox-huntcr mean! Show
the lady in," | added in louder tone TO
the clerk. She presently appeared. ac-
companied by remarkably handsome
boy about six years Of age, both alfred
in deep mourning. The lady approach
ed with tmid, iurtive step and glance.
as if she were entering the den Of some
grim ogre. rather than the quiet study Of
a civilized lawyer of mature age. was
at once struck by her singular and touch
ing lovclincss. | have never seen a won-
an that SO completely realized the highest
Madonna type of youthful. matronly
beauty-:ts radiance and mild serenity Of
sorrow. Her voice, too. gentle and low.
had tone Of patient sadness in it strange
" affecting. She was evidently person.
il not Of high birth. of refined manners
and cultivated mind; and soon ceased
TO wonder at the warmh hearted old Sir
Jaspcr's enthusiasm in her case. Habit
ualIy, however. on my guard against first
Impressions, | courtcously but coldIy in
viied her first TO seat and next to a more
Ineligible relation Of her business with
me than could be gathered from the letter
Of which she was the bearer. She COM
piled. and was soon in possession of the
OuOWIuN tdStS bduCltS
Violet Dalston and her sister Emily
had lived for several years in close and
somewhat straitcncd retirement with their
father, Captain Dalston. at Rock Cottage.
on the outskirts Of village about six
miles distant from Leeds, when Capt h
Dalston. who was an enthusiastic angler.
introduced to his home a gentleman
about 25 years Of age. Of handsome ex-
terror and gcntlemanly manners, with
whom congeniality of taste and pursuits .
had made him acquainted. The stranger
was introduced to Violet (my interesting
clicnt) and her sister, as a Mr.. Henry
Granger, the son OF a London merchant
The object OF his wandcrings through the /
English counties was. he said. TO recruit
his health, which had become affected nv
too close application 10 business. and TO
crafty his taste for angling. skctchng
and so on. lie became frequent visi-
tor: and the result, after the lapse of about
three months. was Il proposal for the hand
Of Violet. His father allowed him, he ,
stated, $500 per annum: but. in order
no, TO mortally offend the old gentleman
who was determined. if his son married.
at all. it should be either TO rank or riches
it would be necessary TO conceal the
marriage till after his death. This COM
mon-place story had been, it appeared.
implicitly credited by Captain Dalston;
and Violet Dalston and Henry Granger
were united in holy wedlock-not in the .
village church near where Captain Dals-
ton resided. but in one of the Leeds
churches. The witnesses were the brides
father and sister, and Mr. Bilston. a
neighbor. This marriage had taken
place rather more than seven years since.
and its sole fruit was the fine looking bov
who accompanied his mother to my office. /
Mr.. Granger, soon after the marriage
persuaded the Dalstons to leave Rock /
Cottage. and take up their abode in
picturesque village in Cumberland. where
he had purchased small house. with
some garden and ornamental grounds at
tached.