Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-02-25
Seleft Stnru.
Lady Margaret's Valentine.

VkAst OVA~NSs
Lady Margaret'S Valentine.
In our village OF Kenton there was only on
opinion Of Lady Margaret-whether contem
plated in the past the present whethe
thought of as the wife or widow of Sir Geoffre.
Caryll, she was always spoken of as +" a perfec
lady" People were not persuaded of anythin
! more entirely than of the perfections OF Lad,
! Margaret. Her excellence was an article of faiti
I among us. SO perfectly did our little world be
4 lieve in her.
| This gracious lady was beautiful in face, very
graceful in movements, gentle in manner. She
was affable without impertinentc condescension
and respectful to everybody. The good Kemp
ton people were very proud of her title; "a lady
in her own'right." they called her; dear, faith,
| full, friendly soulD, and had listened to them
| 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
word before her marriage. She had been an
orphan; she had brought no grand relations to
Look down on the hereditary devotion of the
kempton neighbors; and Miss Smithers, the
grocer's heiress, had had larger fortune; but
Lady Margaret stood in no need OF the recon-
mendations of money or friends, she was such
!" a perfect ladyr
As TO myself, 1 worshipped Lady Margaret
with a truly devoted heart, and my mother gave
her the purest admiration, and q very grateful
love-
suppose l may say that my father, James
Royds. had been the first gentleman of his
family. The Royds family had, in long success
sion, from father TO son, been in the place of
land stewards TO the Caryll property; bnt the
late Sir Geoffrey. who had been Lady Marga-
ret's husband, and my father, had been "only
sons" and as the boys grew into closer friends
1t was agreed that they should not be parted
They went to Oxford together, whore my father
greatly distinguished himself He had become
a barrister, and he had married early: then, in
the same year, he and Sir Geonrey died-Sir
Godfrey of a fall from his horse, my father in
consequence Of a fever caught in London. Twas
ten years old at that time, and Lady Margaret
had been only two years married.
The house in which we lived had been pre-
pared for my mothers reception when a BRIDE
by Sir Geonrey. II 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
feathery lengths across the turf. The Court was
about a half a mile or and we could get to it by
pathway straight across the park, passing by
the spring called the " Deer Pool, which lay ON
the sunny side of dense thicket of evergreens;
this path was used only by the servants of the
Court, ourselves, and our two msid-servants,
and the privileged feet OF the village postman.
Ny mother and were also allowed to use "the
private drive" and there my little pony-car-
riage wheels were often heard merrily running
ft. -olI
road. Ans a -o- 80
On the deaths which 1 have recorded, the
Kempton people added to their everyday
thoughts many speculations as to how my
mother and Lady Margaret would be left; and
on both matters they were soon sufficiently in
formed. Ny mother was left in aff1uente Q, and
Lady Margaret had the entire Caryll property
bequeathed to her; but if a certain Captain
CRANKY. of whom no one had ever heard before
but who now turned to be some distant cousin
of Sir Geofrey, survived her, he was to be the
future owner of Kempton Court.
Nobody cared for Captain CRANKY. Nobody
knew where he was In India, said somebody;
SO they took that matter for granted. For all
practical purposes Lady Margaret was mistress
Of the situation, and more magnificent symps-
thy was offered to her in Consequence.
In the old times there had been public days at
Kempton Court, such as the old kings birthday, |
by which George the Third was meant, when a
dag waved from the porch tower. an the place /
had been thrown open to all who had an estab- |
Iished right to come. But as time went on the |
days were changed. The accession of queen |
Victoria had been kept; and in my time it had |
always been Lady Margaret's wedding-day.
After Sir Geoffrsy's death there was much |
about these public days. For six
years Kempton Court was q house closed to all |
but particular friends; and during all that time |
.he wondering as TO the possible yete days of the
u ure was every year renewed. During all this
lime Lady Margaret had been the angel of our
house. She had won my mother out of her des-
ponding grief for my fathers early death, and
'he made me love her as 1 could not hope by
my description to make anybody understand.
quite worshipped Lady Margaret. The most
perfect lady! Icould echo the village judgment
low from my own heart, and because of my own
experience; and generally Lady Margaret was
wen more delighted in u q widow than she had
'een as wife-our perfect lady! Lady Marga-
ct used often to have me to stay with her at
xemPton Court; and rather six years after her
husbands death, when 1 was her guest-lt being
and in fact, st. Valentines eve, she
aid:
MARY: the people have been six years.with-
n.
ng this year Of beginning them again. / won-
Ter il it would be hked7"
spoke positively of the pleasure it would
i've; ald when looked at her beautiful, young
could not have been more than
wenty-seven, think-I felt glad that she
would no longer deprive our little world of SO
much loveliness of person and mind.
And you will 20 out sgsin-see friends,
nean."
I" Yes,' said she; but shall not 20 to London
his year, think"
Then knew that by degrees tine old ways
Eere to be returned t., and was glad. Yet with
ny gladness there mingled girlish regret, be-
ause felt that Lady Margaret might become
else-something not known to me- I
hat !, who had only known her SO very well I
ince her widowhood might lose something,
nd that what lost others would gain. 1 had
egun to be jealous of the world already. I
She talked very merrily that evening; she
poke Of her maiden life of London, OF my
coming out,'-for was seventeen-of people ,
rho had been beauties and heiresses; of some
Tho had married well, and others who had ]
larrted Ill; of love in a cottage, and of those
tho had agreed that, considering tue chances of
mis- mortal life, "'tis best repentins in a coach
nd six" was amused and interested beyond
,easure. She spoke Of the brilliant familiarity
the life Of her youth. 1t came back TO her in | 8
iemory with evident pleasure, and We stayed
p gossiping much beyond our usual bedtime
AS we stood at last on the landing of the stairs
aging good night, she said:-
" Shall we walk 10 the Beeches to-morrow." g
20 yes" exclaimed; for the Beeches was a 6
'ooded hillside, dotted about with huge masses c
granite, at the foot of which rapid river ran,
18th most picturesque windings; and there
ady Margaret had already given NE two les
ons in sketching, the spot to which we went I
eing both sheltered and sunny. and SO very
Ereeable for the time of year.
To tell the truth, Idreamt of the things we had |
liked about, and when Lady Margaret met me I