Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-09-10
THE TRANSFUSED TRANSFORMED.
A Tale of Blood.
BY JAMES PAWN.

BY JAMES PAYN.
IL YOU live in Downshire and do not
know the fiendells of f iendell Court,
YOU are unknown indeed; the circum-
stance of their name being spelt with
two little is, and pronounced Fendall,
stamps it with peculiar aristoctracy.
Radicals, indeed-persons who interest
themselves in roots-assert that there
was at one time no such thing as capt.
tai in our alphabet, and that it was indi-
Gated by the duplication Of the small
letters. AS intelligence increased, capt.
tails were invented, and the last persons
to use them were, of course, the most
illiterate; SO that the retention of the
two small Is is ENTHUSIASTICALLY speak
ing-a feather in the iendell cap. On
the other hand, as token of antiquity,
it is invaluable. The possession of a
name that nobody can pronounce with
out instruction is also obviously great
inheritance, and in this case it was the
more valuable, since there is no record of
tiendell of Downshire having been
distinguished in any other way. The
family had "fourished for centuries,
in the sense that an old tree is said to
flourish. and, like it, most of it was un-
derground.
Sir Geofrey Fendall, (fer we will take
the liberty Of spelling his name as it
was pronounced, as though he were an
ordinary Christian the present tenant
of the court, was a widower, childIess
and stricken in years. The long line
which had moved as directly as a pawn
in chess for SO many generations had at
last failed, and the succession was going
aslant; nay, even zigzag-ikes the
knights move-to a second cousin,
young Percival Fendall, of Lincoln 8
Inn, barrister at law. His father had
subsisted on very moderate property,
the income from which had been in no
way supplemented by the head of the
family, and had bequeathed it In re-
duced condition to his son. The former
had discovered by bitter experience that
the fact of his name being spelt with
two is did not enhance its financial value
at the back of bill; while the latter
was seriously thinking of discarding the
popularity altogether, as an afectation
out of which nothing had ever come but
ridicule, when suddenly old Godfrey,
acting under advice, (not legal, but med
ical,) awoke to the fact of his heir-pre-
sumptive's existence. He wrote from
Downshire with his own hand to invite
Percival to Fendall Court.
Most young men would have Jumped
at such an offer, nor was Percival him
self by any means blind to its possible
advantages; but he was man of that
disposition which, in poor people, is call
ol oh Of -
means, frmness, and in rich people,
determination Of character. Thanks to
nobody but himself, he was surely, but
slowly, making his way in the world,
and he was not disposed to barter his
independence, even for the reversion of
the family estate. This was not intailed
upon him, but it would have been con-
trary to all traditions Of the house with
two is that Cousin Godfrey should leave
it to any other person than the natural
heir. The young man knew. in fact,
that unless he gave his kinsman some
grave cause of ofense, he would one day
reign in his stead. Would it rot be bet
ter, therefore, as he had not an idea in
common with the old squire, that they
should keep apart, so that no ofense
could be given by him? Percival
certainly did not wish to go to Down
shire. It was November, and, since he
was no sportsman, he greatly preferred
London at that season to the country;
just now, indeed, he preferred it at ali
seasons, from the circumstance that it
contained, in Gloucester-place, q young
lady called Marc Blake, whose name it
was his intention to change to Fendall
with one F. as soon as his income had
become sufficient for him to marry upon
it.
Her father was hop merchant, and
no doubt given to speculation in his
own line, but strongly opposed to con-
tingencies in connection with his
daughters settlement in life. He had
at first refused to take PercivaPs great
expectations into consideration at all;
but when this invitation came from the
old baronet he had visibly thawed, and
even held out hope that he might not
now insist upon seeing PerciyaPs ledger,
setting forth that he had received in
fees, &C., at least $500 q year, before he
would give consent to his daughters
marriage. = -
To the young man himself this relaxa-
ton of Mr.. Blake's proviso gave much
satisfaction than that gentleman had
anticipated. In his own mind he was
persuaded that the match would be dis
agreeable to Sir Godfrey, and render
his expectations even less promising than
before; and this was one of the reasons
that made him incline to be very dutiful
to his venerable cousin at a distance,
and through the medium of the post
Office. He did not like the old gentle
man; he had resented the GOODNESS he
had shown to his father; and he did not