The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-02-25
5clcrte0 MlisfcIlanD.
LADY MARGARET'S VALENTINE.

IN our village OF kemptOn there was
only one opinion Of Lady Margaret
whether contemplated in the past or The
present, whether thought of as the wife or
widow of Sir Geoffry Caryll, she was al
ways spoken of as "a perfect lady"
People were not persuaded of anything
more entirely than of the perfections of
kady Margaret. Her excellence was an
article of faith am ong us, SO perfectly did
our little world believe in her
This gracious lady was beautiful in face,
very graceful in movements, gentle in
manner. She was affable without imper-
tineEt condescension, and respectful TO
every body. The good Kempton people
were very proud of her title; ga lady in
her own right" they called her; dear,
faithful, friendly souls, and had listened
othem in my childhood with much solemn
wonder in my swelling heart as to what
those words might mean.
Lady Margaret had stood much alone in
the world before her marriage. She had
been an Orphan; she had brought no
grand relations to look down on the he
reditary devotion of the Kempton neigh
bors; and Miss Smithers, the grocer's
hciress, had had larger fortune; but
Lady Margaret stood in no need of the
recommendations of money or friends,
she was such "a perfect ladyr'
a to myself, | worshiped Lady Marga-
ret with a truly devoted heart, and nv
mother gave her the purest admiration
and very grateful love.
| suppose | may say that nv father,
James Royds, had been the first gentle
man of his family. The Royds family
had, in long succession, from father to son,
been in the place of land stewards to the
Caryll property; but the late Sir Godfrey,
who had been Lady Margaret's husband,
and my father, had been "only sons
and, as the boys grew into close friends,
it was agreed that they should not be
parted. They went to Oxford together,
where nv father greatly distinguished
himself. He had become barrister, and
he had married early; then, in the same
year, he and Sir Godfrey died-Sir Geof-
frey of a fall from his horse, my father in
Consequence of a fever caught in London
was ten years old at that time, and Lady
Margaret had been only two years mar
ried
The house In which we lived had been
prepared for my mothers reception when
bride, by Sir Geoffrey 1t stood within
the park wall, which was covered with
ivy from the ground to the coping and it
was backed by great cedars, whose huge
cOne-covered branches gave out sweet
odors as they lay struggling in great
1eathery lengths across the turf The
Court was about half a mile off, and we
could get to it by a pathway straight
across the park, passing by the spring
called the "Deer Pool" which lay on the
sunny side of dense thicket of ever
greens; this path was only used by the
servants of the Court, ourselves, and two
maid servants, and the privileged feet oil
the village postman. My mother and
were also allowed to use "the private
drive" and there my little pony carriage
wheels were often heard merrily running
over the well-rolled, perfectly kept grav
elled road.
On the deaths which l have recorded
the Kempton people added to their every
day thoughts many speculations as to how
my mother and Lady Margaret would be
left; and on both matters tney were soor
sufficiently informed. My mother wa.
sft in affluence and Lady Margaret haC
the entire Caryll property bequeathed t.
her; but if certain Capt CRANKY, o
whom no one had ever heard before, bu
who now turned out to be some distan
cousin OF Sir Godfrey, survived her, h
was to be the future owner of KemptOl
Court.
Nobody cared for Capt. CRANKY No
body knew where he was. In India, sait
somebody; so they took that matter fo
granted. For all practical purposes, Lad,
Margaret was mistress of the situation
and more magnificent sympathy was Of
fered to her in consequence.
In the old times there had been pub,i
days at Kcmpton Court, such 20 the oI,
Kings birthday, by which George th
Third was meant, when flag waved from
the porch tower, and the place had beel
thrown open to alI who had an estah
hshed right to come The accession O
Queen Victoria had been kept aud II