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 I
 
 MEMOIRS 
 
 FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 
 
 A NOVEL. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 COUNTESS OF BLESSINGTON. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 RICHARD BBNTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 
 1846.
 
 MEMOIRS 
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 WE live in an age when to write memoirs is 
 almost as common, if not quite as easy, as to 
 read them. It is the knowledge of this fact 
 that gives me courage to attempt the task I 
 have imposed on myself, and should I fail in 
 executing it, I shall have at least achieved my 
 principal object, that of noting down events from 
 which some moral may be drawn, some warning 
 taken. The sentiments and opinions of a person 
 who has filled only a position generally deemed 
 so subaltern a one, as that of a Femme de 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 2 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Chambre, may be considered beneath the notice 
 of grave and highly polished readers ; but she 
 who has been brought in close contact and 
 daily association with individuals of her own 
 sex, allowed to possess cultivated minds, and 
 placed in the highest class, must be indeed 
 peculiarly dull and unobservant if she has not 
 profited by such advantages, and has not 
 become able to draw inferences, and to form 
 comments on what she has witnessed. Who 
 will deny that the Memoirs of Madame de 
 Motteville furnish some entertaining and in- 
 structive anecdotes ancUinformation relative to 
 herroyal mistress, Anne of Austria, the suspected 
 wife of Louis XIII. ? and without the Memoirs 
 of Madame de Stael, formerly Mademoiselle de 
 Launay, of how many amusing facts connected 
 with her haughty mistress, the Duchess de 
 Maine, should we have remained ignorant ? I do 
 not presume to institute any comparison between 
 Mesdamesde Motteville, de Stael, and my humble 
 self; far be such vanity from me. I only name 
 them to illustrate a hypothesis which I would fain 
 advance, namely, that no one, not even a parent,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 6 
 
 a husband, or the most intimate friend, can have 
 the same opportunities of studying the charac- 
 ter, disposition, temper, and peculiarities of a 
 lady, as has her Femme de Chambre, who sees 
 not only her person, but also her mind en desha- 
 bille. Well and truly has it been observed by a 
 clever writer, that no man is a hero to his 
 Valet de Chambre. As well, and as truly may 
 it be asserted, that no woman is a heroine to her 
 personal attendant. How interesting then must 
 be the study in the dressing rooms of persons 
 who are seen by the world only in full costume, 
 with their manners as Scrupulously got up for 
 the occasion as is their dress, both calculated to 
 produce the most advantageous effect in society, 
 and laid aside when in the privacy of the 
 chambre de toilette, that sanctuary, where no 
 concealments can exist. Having, as I hope, 
 established my hypothesis that Femmes de 
 Chambre can best know their mistresses, and 
 proved, if I may be permitted to parody two 
 lines of Pope, that 
 
 " They best can paint them, 
 Who have dressed then most ;" 
 
 B 2
 
 4 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 I will commence by giving some account of my- 
 self, for it strikes me that a certain knowledge 
 
 o 
 
 of an Author is always necessary in order that 
 more confidence should be placed in his or her 
 productions, and more allowance made for their 
 defects. 
 
 I am the daughter of a man, who filled for 
 some years the anomalous situation of private 
 secretary, and sur-intendant de maison, to a 
 nobleman of large expenditure and small means. 
 I use the word anomalous, because my father 
 possessed all the confidence of his employer, 
 which could be accorded to the most trusted 
 friend ; yet, had to perform services which no 
 friend could be charged with, and from which 
 many menials w T ould have recoiled. The well 
 educated secretary, whose province it was to 
 write and copy letters of great importance in 
 more than two languages, his employer holding 
 a high official appointment, had also the painful, 
 and often humiliating task to perform, of sooth- 
 ing angry creditors, conciliating suspicious len- 
 ders of money, and making a small sum cover as 
 large a surface of debt, as gold-beaters do their
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 5 
 
 thin leaf, which they draw out to so wonderful 
 an extent. He was an excellent Chancellor 
 of the Exchequer of his needy master, and 
 an adept in the difficult art of keeping up 
 appearances when any one, with less tact, would 
 have let the nakedness of the land be seen. 
 Was a dinner to be given, a ball or concert to 
 be got up, when the funds were so low that no 
 sovereign could be found in Lord Willamere's 
 purse, although his royal Sovereign smiled 
 most graciously on him whenever opportunity 
 offered, Stratford, so was my father named, 
 was told to manage some way or other to find 
 money for those who would no longer furnish 
 things on credit, and to talk over those who were 
 less obdurate, to add some more items to their 
 already long bills. Musicians and singers, he 
 has often been heard to say, were the most un- 
 manageable persons he had to deal with. They 
 would insist on ready money, especially those 
 amongst them who had established reputations, 
 and high salaries at the Italian Opera ; and these 
 were precisely the persons whom Lord Willa- 
 mere desired most should perform at his concerts,
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Many has been the Casta Diva, who, in spite 
 of all the honied words addressed to her by 
 Mom. le Secretaire, in order to coax her either to 
 moderate her demands, or to give credit to his 
 Lord for the payment of her extravagant ones, 
 who has uttered refusals in a louder and harsher 
 tone, than was ever ventured on in the most 
 termagant roles before the public, and who has 
 insisted on being paid in advance with gold for 
 her notes. 
 
 Many have been the rising singers, whose 
 fame had not yet been stamped by fashion, and 
 who consequently would have been content 
 with a trifling remuneration, who sung at 
 concert after concert at Lord Willamere's with- 
 out receiving any, lured by the delusive hopes 
 that their names figuring in the papers, as 
 having appeared there, might lead to a com- 
 mand from royalty, or future paid engagements. 
 My father dared not reveal to those poor 
 artistes how little chance there was of his Lord's 
 advancing their interests ; or how tenacious he 
 was of never interfering in the patronage of 
 those appointed to arrange concerts at "the
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 7 
 
 Castle at Windsor," or at " the Palace ;" yet it 
 pained him to permit them to remain in error* 
 and to see them incurring expense they could 
 but ill afford, in order to be well-dressed at 
 Lord Willamere's concerts, whenever the prima 
 donnas of the day inexorably refused to sing at 
 them. Lenders of money were lured to grant 
 loans, by hopes held out of good situations 
 to be procured for their relations ; and credir 
 tors were soothed by similar promises. My 
 Lord Willamere, too, was a bachelor, exceed- 
 ingly good-looking, and with very captivating 
 manners, two advantages, which, joined to his 
 high rank and fashion, led all those interested 
 in his welfare to believe that he must inevitably 
 marry some rich heiress, whose wealth would 
 enable him to pay off all his debts. Hence, 
 never did one of those poor victims, almost 
 always sought for their gold, appear in the 
 metropolis, that she was not selected by the 
 creditors of Lord Willamere as his bride, and 
 each of these delusive hopes was the cause of 
 a prolongation of their patience, and of his 
 lordship's bills.
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 The suavity of his manner, and easiness 
 of his temper, had attached his secretary to 
 Lord "Willamere ; and although he saw much 
 to censure in the reckless extravagance of his 
 employer, and his utter carelessness of the 
 sufferings or ruin of those who trusted him, 
 he nevertheless had so fascinated my father, 
 that he would have made any sacrifice rather 
 than abandon him. 
 
 The secretary often accompanied his lord to 
 Altonbury Castle, the seat of the marquis of 
 that name, who had married Lord Willamere's 
 only sister. He there saw my mother, who 
 was a governess to Lady Altonbury's children, 
 became captivated by her ' beauty and gentle- 
 ness, and, after a courtship of some length, 
 protracted by the consciousness of their mutual 
 poverty, and state of dependence, and the 
 dread of entailing increased difficulties on 
 each other, they, hopeless of any amelioration 
 in their circumstances, took the desperate step 
 of marrying. My mother, like her husband, was 
 an orphan with no near relations, so there was 
 no one to consult on the step they were about
 
 A FEMA1E DE CHAMBRE. 9 
 
 to take no one to warn them of its conse- 
 quences. Lord Willamere, who felt he could not 
 do without my father, made a merit of neces- 
 sity, and told him, when the approaching event 
 was announced to him, that if he were deter- 
 mined to marry a portionless bride, an act of 
 folly, however, which he most gravely coun- 
 selled him against, he would grant his sanction 
 to his bringing his wife to "Willamere House. 
 Mrs. Stratford might make herself useful in 
 superintending the domestic arrangements, and 
 checking the imposition of the housekeeper and 
 housemaids; nay, as Lady Altonbury had in- 
 formed him she wrote a fine hand, and was a 
 proficient in French, German, and Italian, she 
 might be made serviceable in copying out the 
 foreign correspondence. My father's poverty 
 left him no alternative, and my mother entered 
 on a life of painful dependence, with all the 
 humiliation, but not the salary, of a servant. 
 
 My father's was indeed a laborious and un- 
 happy life. The only son 'of a poor curate, 
 who half-starved himself to send him to college, 
 and who only lived long enough to see him 
 B 3
 
 10 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 become a good scholar, the poor young man 
 found himself wholly dependent on those in 
 the college who could speak personally of his 
 character ' and acquirements. Through the 
 recommendation of one of these, a man of 
 considerable influence, he entered the house of 
 Lord Willamere, fully convinced that one who 
 held so high an official appointment could not 
 fail to have an opportunity of remunerating 
 his services : and faithfully and conscientiously 
 he determined they should be fulfilled, trust- 
 ing that he might eventually look forward to 
 some situation offering a modest competency. 
 Too inexperienced to name a salary for his 
 services, he went on from year to year, re- 
 ceiving now and then, sums of ten pounds, as 
 instalments of the allowance, the precise amount 
 of which had never been specified ; the receipt 
 of which small payments, however, he had 
 always carefully noted, calculating on deduct- 
 ing them from the gross amount he was to 
 have whenever a day of reckoning came. 
 This so much wished-for day, however, never 
 arrived. Lord Willamere never had a moment's
 
 'A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 11 
 
 time to look into his own personal or household 
 expenditure, much less to come to a settlement 
 with his secretary ; and the delicacy of senti- 
 ment of the said secretary, added to his perfect 
 knowledge of the many claims on his lord, and 
 the very small means for meeting even a 
 quarter of them, prevented his urging his own 
 interests, or even reminding his employer of 
 the pecuniary embarrassments in which he con- 
 tinually found himself. If ' Lord Willamere 
 ever bestowed a thought on the position of his 
 secretary, and it is doubtful if he ever found 
 time for it, so occupied was he in finding ex- 
 pedients to meet the difficulties of his own, he 
 probably consoled himself by thinking that 
 " Stratford could rub on some way or another. 
 His tradesmen would certainly give credit to his 
 secretary, the person through whom all his pay- 
 ments were made. Yes, Stratford was sure to 
 get on; and then, persons like him could live 
 for so little, that they could not be exposed to 
 the annoyances that attend men of high rank 
 with fortunes inadequate to meet the demands 
 entailed by their station."
 
 12 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Those with large establishments are more 
 disposed to underrate, than overrate, the pecu- 
 niary wants of persons in subordinate situations. 
 They seldom reflect that regularity in pay- 
 ments, so essential to the well-being of all 
 classes, becomes doubly necessary to those with 
 limited means ; and that no degree of economy, 
 however scrupulously exercised, can ward off 
 the ruinous results of an ill-paid income. 
 
 Obliged to be almost constantly in Wlllamere 
 House, to be ready to attend his lord's sum- 
 mons, it was deemed expedient that my father 
 should reside altogether there. His repasts, 
 and he took care that they should be as frugal 
 as possible, were furnished in the mansion by a 
 fille de cuisine) whose skill in the culinary 
 department he rarely taxed more than in the 
 cooking of a couple of mutton chops or a beef 
 steak with some potatoes ; and his solitary meals 
 were any thing but luxurious or cheerful. 
 They who bask in the sunshine of fortune, 
 with enjoyments courting them on every side, 
 can form but a faint notion of the intensity 
 with which the poor and lonely cherish affec-
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 13 
 
 tion, that first cordial drop in the bitter cup of 
 life, which has cheered, and made them forget 
 its former unpalatableness. To be no longer a 
 solitary being on earth, unloved, uncared for, 
 wearing away existence in the monotonous 
 routine of uninteresting duties, is almost to be 
 happy ; but to be warmly, fondly loved, and by 
 a creature, too, gifted with no common mind, as 
 well as no ordinary share of beauty and accom- 
 plishment, was indeed bliss. No wonder, then, 
 that my father forgot his dependent state, his 
 contracted means, prudence every thing but 
 that he loved, and was beloved; and without 
 a home, however humble, which he could call his 
 own, wedded; and, by Lord Willamere's per- 
 mission, brought his bride to Willamere House. 
 His lordship had never been so much struck 
 with her beauty, as when, on his return home 
 a few days after his secretary's marriage, 
 he presented himself in the small sitting room 
 assigned for her use, to offer his congratulations, 
 and express his hope that she would make 
 herself at home and comfortable. There are 
 many men who never think of sin till an oppor-
 
 14 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 tunity of committing it with facility, if not 
 with impunity, seems to be afforded to them. 
 " Egad," thought Lord Willamere, as he left 
 the meanly furnished and small room inhabited 
 by my mother, " I never remarked how very 
 handsome Stratford's wife is before. I know 
 no woman in the society in which I live, who is 
 half so beautiful. The fellow has devilish good 
 taste, I must acknowledge. My libertine 
 friends will congratulate me on having so fair 
 an inmate, and all my denials will never con- 
 vince them that / had nothing to say to arrang- 
 ing this marriage, or that I do not feel a more 
 than common interest in Mrs. Stratford. And, 
 by Jove, it will be very difficult not to feel 
 a more than ordinary interest in her. Having 
 so pretty a woman thrown in one's way, as it 
 were, brought into my very house, and without 
 any contrivance whatever of mine; yes, the 
 temptation might prove too strong for a wiser 
 man than I am, where a beautiful woman is in 
 question, and I fear will be too great for me. 
 Well, Stratford must blame himself if any 
 thing should happen. It will be his own
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 15 
 
 fault for bringing her into my house. How- 
 ever innocent our acquaintance may be, the 
 goodnaturecl world will be sure to think the 
 reverse, and Mrs. Stratford's reputation will 
 suffer as much, as if she were blameable; 
 and, apres tout, when a woman's reputation 
 is injured, I don't see why / need be so scru- 
 pulous of seeking the good fortune for which 
 I shall be sure to have the credit! I am 
 tired of the Duchess. She really is so over- 
 loving, so exigeante, that a jealous wife of my 
 own could not be more ennuyeuse than this 
 wife of my friend. Yet, hang me if I would 
 not rather injure any man of my acquaintance 
 than poor Stratford. He is so gentleman-like 
 in his feelings, so refined in his habits, and so 
 delicate about asking for money. I almost 
 wish he had not thrown this temptation in my 
 way. 
 
 " What fools married men are ! They always 
 lay the foundation of their wives' fall. Look at 
 every trial occasioned by conjugal infidelity, 
 and one will find that it was the > husband who 
 established between some one of his dissolute
 
 16 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 friends, and his wife, the most dangerous of 
 all habits, that of allowing him to become Vami 
 de la maison, whose daily visits and constant 
 attendance have often brought the lady's name 
 into disrepute before aught more than appear-^ 
 ances could be urged against her. The poor 
 woman finds herself the town talk before she 
 dreamt of evil. The foolish husband, convinced 
 of the innocence of his w r ife, and the sincerity of 
 his friend, vows that lie will not be bullied by the 
 world into breaking off an intimacy that has 
 become necessary to his comfort. The wife's 
 mind, by slow, perhaps, but by sure degrees, 
 gets accustomed to the notion of having her 
 name coupled with Lord A, or Mr. B. Lord A 
 or Mr. B begins to think it a folly to let the 
 world talk without cause, and opportunity, that 
 bane to virtue, leads from imaginary to real 
 guilt. 
 
 "O ye unhappy husband ! knew ye your danger 
 as we bachelors and hommes de bonnes fortunes do, 
 how would ye eschew permitting such dangerous 
 intimacies beneath your roofs ! How would ^e 
 shun the insidious friend, who begins by making
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 17 
 
 himself agreeable to both husband and wife, by 
 breaking the monotony of their conjugal tete 
 a tetes, and ends by destroying every vestige of 
 affection between them. 
 
 " But here I am moralizing on the fate of 
 husbands in general, even while meditating an 
 injury on one in particular. Strange folly, is 
 it not, that men who as bachelors have had 
 personal experience of the consequences which 
 too frequently result from the weakness of 
 husbands in exposing their wives to temptation, 
 should fall precisely into the same error when 
 they become Benedicts ? This does seem strange 
 and unaccountable ! but the cause may be traced 
 to the want of reason men betray in the selection 
 of their wives. They marry only for beauty, 
 or for fortune. The beauty is loved and treated, 
 for a short time, as a mistress, then slighted as 
 a wife. Her society becomes irksome, her con- 
 sciousness of the change in her husband's feel- 
 ings, and few have the delicacy or kindness to 
 conceal such changes, wounds and offends her ; 
 reproaches, sullenness, or low spirits ensue. 
 His home is no longer agreeable, and he is glad
 
 18 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to call in the aid of some pleasant friend, to 
 render it less intolerable. One folly leads to 
 another, until the husband rushes into a court of 
 law, to have an evaluation made by twelve 
 honest men, of the loss he has sustained in his 
 wife's affection and society, both of which he 
 was, in all probability, heartily tired of; or if, 
 more patient and enduring, he submits to his fate 
 without seeking redress from the law, he must 
 be content with being pointed at, poor easy 
 man, as a fool, who is imposed on, or as a 
 wretch who connives at the guilt of his wife, 
 and his own dishonour. 
 
 " It is this knowledge of life, that is, life in the 
 world in which I live, that has caused me to be 
 
 a bachelor at Hang it, I hate to mention 
 
 the precise age at which I have arrived. I 
 certainly don't look so old," and Lord Willamere 
 glanced complacently at himself in the glass. 
 " I wish my hair did not get so thin about the 
 temples. I have tried every balm, oil, and po- 
 matum ever advertised in the newspapers, but I 
 find no advantage from them. What a strange 
 fancy the old tyrant Time has for hair ! I sup-
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 19 
 
 pose he mistakes it for hay, and so mows it with 
 the scythe, with which he is always represented." 
 Such were the cogitations of Lord Willamere 
 on the day he paid his secretary's wife his first 
 visit. If any of our readers should question how 
 we became acquainted with the said cogitations, 
 questions which we warn them are always con- 
 sidered by Authors as unpolite as if in society 
 some one inquired how certain facts just stated, 
 and supposed to be known only by individuals 
 equally interested in not revealing them, came 
 to be known we inform them once for all, 
 that historians, biographers, and novelists, are 
 endowed with a peculiar faculty, denied to 
 others that of knowing what passes in the minds 
 of the characters they portray. How else should 
 grave historians be able to give us not only the 
 words of kings, heroes, and statesmen, uttered in 
 the privacy of their chambers, to ministers, gene- 
 rals, and secretaries, who have never been even 
 suspected of betraying their confidence, but even 
 the thoughts known only to themselves? Having 
 now, as we hope, established our right to the pri- 
 vilege we claim of making our readers acquainted
 
 20 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 with the secret thoughts and reflections of the 
 characters we attempt to delineate, we trust we 
 may henceforth continue to unroof the heads of 
 our personages, and display what passes in them, as 
 Asmodeus did the roofs of houses, without being 
 further questioned as to our means of acquiring 
 information, and that our readers will take for 
 granted all we write. In this confidence we 
 leave them at the close of this, our first chapter, 
 meaning in the second to let them see the result 
 of Lord Willamere's cogitations.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 21 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 HAD Lord TYillamere followed the dictates 
 of his inclinations, his first visit to the wife of 
 his secretary would have been quickly followed 
 up by a second ; but the prudence instigated by 
 a consciousness of his own evil intentions, whis- 
 pered the necessity of allowing some days to 
 elapse before he presented himself again in her 
 apartment. My father felt rather flattered than 
 surprised when informed of the courtesy of his 
 employer ; and, good easy man ! received it as 
 a proof of the respect entertained for himself. 
 Bnt when, a few days after, Lord Willamere 
 proposed that he and Mrs. Stratford should dine 
 with him, and urged it so strongly that he knew 
 not how to refuse, a doubt, for the first time, 
 
 k 
 
 crossed his mind whether it would be correct to 
 bring his wife to the table of Lord Willamere,
 
 22 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 without the presence of any other lady to 
 sanction it. 
 
 " Surely," said the Earl, observing his hesi- 
 tation to accept the invitation, " you, my dear 
 Stratford, who have been for so many years 
 domesticated, as it were, here, and who have 
 so often dined tete-cl-tete with me, cannot let 
 any false notions of etiquette or ceremony 
 prevent your wife from making a trio at my 
 table ? Were you, my good fellow, to ask me 
 to make a third with you and madameat dinner, 
 in your apartment, there could surely be no 
 impropriety in my accepting it. Where, then, 
 can be the difference in you and her diningwith 
 me in mine ?" 
 
 Although this sophistry did not convince 
 the secretary, it embarrassed him, and not 
 knowing how to get out of the dilemma IE 
 which he found himself placed by it, he ac- 
 cepted the invitation. 
 
 " I wish you had declined it, my dear," said 
 my mother, " for I don't think it either prudent 
 or proper that I should dine at Lord Willa- 
 mere's table without any other woman. You
 
 A fEMME DE CHAMBRE. 23 
 
 know I had a great objection to becoming an 
 inmate in the house of a single man, and that 
 only your prayers that our union should no 
 longer be protracted, and the impossibility of 
 our scanty means furnishing us a lodging else- 
 where, induced me to consent to a measure 
 which, could it be avoided, I would repudiate." 
 
 " Well then, dearest, all I will urge is, that 
 as I foolishly accepted the invitation, do pray 
 for this once accompany me. Lord Willamere 
 seemed to have set his heart on it, and may be 
 offended if you do not go. There will be no 
 other guests, and henceforth we will decline 
 dining with him." 
 
 "I would not have you decline ; on the con- 
 trary, I wish you to live exactly on the same 
 terms with his lordship as previously to our 
 marriage, when you used to dine with him so 
 often." 
 
 " What, and leave you to dine alone, Emily ? 
 No ; that I could not bring myself to do." 
 
 And the fond husband pressed the delicate 
 form of his wife to his heart, and she, unwilling 
 to refuse any request of his, silenced the plead-
 
 24 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ing of her own better judgment, and consented 
 to dine with his lordship. The air of embarrass- 
 ment and timidity with which she entered the 
 library, betrayed to Lord Willamere that my 
 mother was an unwilling guest there; and with 
 all the tact peculiar to a well-bred man, and 
 above all, one who had deeply studied woman, 
 he instantly endeavoured to re-assure her, by 
 the respectful manner in which he welcomed 
 her. Had she been a person of the most 
 exalted rank, he could not have evinced a more 
 deferential tone towards her ; and many were 
 the ladies of his acquaintance, with high-sound- 
 ing titles, who would have been surprised had 
 they witnessed how much more respectful was 
 his treatment of his poor secretary's wife, than 
 of themselves. Lord Willamere was one of the 
 most agreeable men of his day, and seldom did 
 he wish to please, that his efforts were not 
 crowned with success. His conversation, at 
 once brilliant and rational, possessed the power 
 of drawing out those with whom he talked; 
 and never did they leave his society without 
 being pleased with him, and satisfied with
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 25 
 
 themselves. Often had my mother, during his 
 frequent visits to his sister, Lady Altonbury, 
 been a delighted listener to the conversation of 
 Lord Willamere, while she presided at the tea- 
 table ; but she was forced to admit that he 
 appeared to less advantage there, than while 
 doing the honours of his own ; and the delicate 
 tact with which he directed his attention equally 
 to her husband as toll erself, flattered while it 
 pleased her. Nevertheless, she could neither 
 vanquish nor dissemble the constraint, which a 
 consciousness of her being in a false position 
 imposed on her, and never had she appeared 
 to less advantage than on that day, when, en- 
 trenched in a more than ordinary degree of 
 reserve, she did little more than assent in 
 monosyllables to the observations of her clever 
 host. 
 
 The dessert had only been a few minutes 
 placed on the table, when the abrupt entrance 
 of two gentlemen increased the embarrass- 
 ment of my mother. Nor did Lord Willa- 
 mere seem pleased by their presence. Both 
 stared with ill-disguised astonishment at the 
 
 VOL. i. c
 
 26 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 lady, and this circumstance rendered her still 
 more sensible of the equivocalness of her posi- 
 tion. Lord Willamere, with intuitive delicacy, 
 marked her increased embarrassment, as well as 
 the glances of unchecked admiration which his 
 visitors directed towards her. Hoping, however, 
 that they would soon withdraw, he did not at 
 first present them to her ; but when they stated 
 that they had dined at- the coffee-room at the 
 House of Commons, where they had been 
 detained by a debate, and had come to commu- 
 nicate some political news to him, he was- 
 compelled to ask them to sit down and have 
 some wine. " Permit me, Mrs. Stratford, to 
 present to you, Lord Henry Middlecourt and 
 Mr. Addington," said Lord Willamere. The 
 evident embarrassment and timidity of my 
 mother, while it brought the roses to her 
 cheek, and enhanced her beauty, only served 
 to convince the libertine friends of her host, that 
 the suspicions they had formed to her disad- 
 vantage were but too well founded. Each in 
 turn addressed some common-place observa- 
 tion to her, but her reserved demeanour, and
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 27 
 
 monosyllabic replies, discouraged their advances, 
 although their injurious opinion of her re- 
 mained unchanged. My mother sate on thorns, 
 and when Lord Willamere asked her advice on 
 some subject connected with furnishing houses, 
 to which the conversation had turned, she, 
 anxious to make known to the strangers her 
 real position, referred to my father, saying, 
 " My husband, my lord, is more conversant 
 with such matters than I am." This speech 
 she expected would at once remove the 
 surmises to which her presence, en famille as 
 it were, at Lord Willamere 's table had given 
 rise, for, that injurious surmises had been 
 formed, she with feminine quickness of appre- 
 hension had guessed; but she little knew 
 the men who had formed them, for no 
 sooner had they become acquainted with the 
 fact, that the beautiful woman before them 
 was the wife of their host's secretary, than 
 their prurient imaginations created an attach- 
 ment between the parties, little creditable to 
 the virtue of the lady or the morals of Lord 
 "Willamere. They exchanged glances of intel- 
 c 2
 
 28 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ligence confirmatory of their suspicions, while 
 my poor mother's prophetic spirit quailed as it 
 divined the gross insult which these suspicions 
 offered to her. She longed to leave the room, 
 yet . dreaded doing so, lest such a step might 
 betray the fact of her being an inmate at Lord 
 Willamere's, and so render her case still worse 
 in their eyes. For the first time she began to 
 think her husband obtuse, when stealing 
 
 * c3 
 
 sundry looks at him expressive of her dissatis- 
 faction, she saw that he appeared wholly un- 
 conscious of any cause for such a feeling on 
 her part, and was quietly eating some fruit. 
 Not so careless was Lord Willamere. He 
 evinced, by various ways, that he was sensible 
 that she was ill at ease, and that he was pained 
 at her being so. His manner towards her 
 became, if possible, more respectful than before 
 the entrance of his unwelcomed guests; and, 
 when he saw that it failed to reassure her, he 
 proposed ringing to command coffee to be 
 served in the library. 
 
 "As this is the first time, Mrs. Stratford, 
 that you have honoured me by your presence
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 29 
 
 here," said he, " I must not permit you to be 
 bored too long in the dining-room. When 
 my sister, Lady Altonbury, conies to town, 
 I hope you will give her and me the pleasure 
 of your company at dinner here often." 
 
 There was a considerateness and delicacy in 
 this speech which gratified my mother, although 
 the motive of it was so obvious to her, that she 
 more than ever reproached herself for having 
 been overruled into placing herself in a posi- 
 tion that rendered it necessary. Never pre- 
 viously had she been so sensible of her husband's 
 want of knowledge of the world, and more 
 especially of the usages du monde, against which 
 her presence at the table of Lord Willamere, 
 without any other female to countenance it, 
 was a violation, as then, because she had never 
 before seen him placed in any position that 
 called for the exercise of his savoir vixre. Bred 
 in a college, and among students who like 
 himself depended solely on their acquirements 
 for future subsistence, he had little time, and 
 no occasion, to become acquainted with the 
 etiquette of society; and his natural good-
 
 30 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 breeding had hitherto prevented this want of 
 knowledge of the conventional habits of life, 
 from being noticed. Almost as great a recluse 
 in the house of his patron, as he had been at 
 college, his solitary habits were only broken 
 into by an occasional tete-a-tete dinner with 
 Lord "Willamere, and an Easter or Christmas 
 visit to his lordship's sister, when he accom- 
 panied him in order to be on the spot to carry 
 on the voluminous correspondence that devolved 
 on the man in office. No wonder, then, that he 
 was ignorant of the rules of etiquette, invented 
 to hold society together, and any breach of 
 which is looked on by the supporters of this 
 artificial code as a sin of deeper dye than one 
 involving the most serious consequences. The 
 very frankness and honesty of his nature, joined 
 to the seclusion of his youth in a college, and 
 since then in the house of Lord Willamere, 
 rendered him more unfit than other men for 
 Lhe acquisition of this species of knowledge ; 
 and while perfectly capable of giving an epi- 
 tome of the laws of nations, he might at any 
 hour unconsciously commit a solecism on the
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 31 
 
 puny ones of the artificial circle denomi- 
 nated the fashionable world. It was this igno- 
 rance that led him to urge his wife to fulfil 
 the dinner engagement he had accepted for her 
 with Lord Willamere, and which kept him 
 from comprehending the glances of painful 
 embarrassment which from time to time she 
 cast towards him, after the arrival of Lord 
 Henry Middlecourt and Mr. Addingtou. 
 
 " Dear, good William, his is too fine a nature 
 to suspect the evils that render a strict obser- 
 vance of the rules of etiquette so necessary in 
 society," thought his fond wife. " It must, 
 therefore, be my duty to guard against any 
 infraction of them, and to avoid, henceforth, 
 those embarrassing positions into which his 
 ignorance of conventional usages might lead 
 me." 
 
 "Were you ill, dearest Emily?" inquired 
 my father, when he joined his wife in the 
 library ; leaving Lord Willamere to hear the 
 political news which his visitors came to com- 
 municate. 
 
 " No, not ill, William ; onlv ill at ease,
 
 32 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 because conscious that I committed a breach in 
 the rules of propriety in dining at Lord Willa- 
 mere's table. I was mortified that two of his 
 lordship's friends should have become cognizant 
 of the fact, and was covered with confusion at 
 the bare idea of the evil interpretation they 
 would but too probably put on it." 
 
 " Surely, Emily, you judge them too se- 
 verely ! What evil could be attributed when 
 I, your husband, was present?" 
 
 " Alas, dear William, had you lived, as 
 I have done, in families where appearances were 
 as severely judged as crimes, you would not 
 wonder that I felt embarrassed, nay more, 
 positively alarmed, this evening." 
 
 Then it was that my mother revealed to her 
 simple-minded husband some of those laws of 
 etiquette of which he had previously been in 
 utter ignorance, and made him a wiser, though 
 not a happier man ; for now, aware that his 
 wife's objection to dining at Lord Willamere's 
 table was founded on her sense of propriety, 
 and not, as he had before imagined, from a 
 dislike to society, he felt hurt that a man so
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 33 
 
 well versed in a knowledge of the world as his 
 lordship, should have proposed a step in viola- 
 tion of its usages ; and he promised that hence- 
 forth he would never urge his Emily to act 
 contrary to her own sense of what was correct. 
 
 " You are a devilish lucky dog, Willamere," 
 said Lord Henry Middlecourt to his host, when 
 the door closed after his lordship's secretary. 
 
 " I am not aware of any peculiar good luck 
 just now," replied Lord Willamere, endeavour- 
 ing to look as unconscious as possible, although 
 well divining to what good fortune his friend 
 alluded. 
 
 " Come, come, don't be so very sly ; you 
 know perfectly well that I refer to the luck of 
 your having a secretary with so very handsome 
 a wife, and who is so sociable as to come and 
 dine with you, en famille, whenever you 
 wish it." 
 
 "You are quite wrong in your conjectures, 
 I can assure you, Middlecourt. Mrs. Stratford 
 never dined with me before, is a particularly 
 correct woman, and a great favourite with my 
 sister, Lady Altonbury." 
 c3
 
 34 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " All this we are bound to believe, my dear 
 fellow, the moment you assert it, and more 
 especially with such a grave face. Never- 
 theless I must still consider you a very lucky 
 man to have so simple-minded a secretary 
 with so handsome a wife ; why, he seemed as 
 innocent of his own false position as a child, 
 while his handsome wife betrayed in a 
 thousand ways her overwhelming consciousness 
 of it." 
 
 " I really can see nothing false in his position. 
 He has dined with me a hundred times before." 
 
 " Yes, when he was a bachelor I suppose ; 
 and if you can get him to see no harm in 
 bringing his beautiful wife into your lordship's 
 dangerous company, to enable her to contrast 
 your powers of captivation, allowed by all 
 women to be irresistible, with his simplicity 
 and manque de savoir vivre, I must persevere in 
 thinking you a lucky fellow." 
 
 "No more of this bantering, Middlecourt; 
 it is out of place, I assure you." And Lord 
 Willamere looked so displeased, that his friend 
 saw it was time to drop the subject. But
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 35 
 
 though he did so, his conviction that a ten- 
 dresse towards the secretary's pretty wife ex- 
 isted on the part of Lord "Willamere, remained 
 firm as ever; nay, the very seriousness with 
 which the latter denied it, convinced him still 
 more of the truth of his suspicions. 
 
 "When Lord Henry Middlecourt and Mr. 
 Addington walked from Lord "Willamere's to 
 their club that night, they renewed the subject 
 of Mrs. Stratford. 
 
 " She is either a dragon of prudery, which 
 her presence at Willamere's table would seem 
 to impugn, or else she is afraid of making him 
 jealous, for you saw how cold and reserved 
 she was," said Lord Henry Middlecourt. 
 
 "But might we not put a more charitable 
 interpretation on the poor woman's conduct?" 
 observed Mr. Addington. " She may be correct, 
 though not versed in the rules of strict pro- 
 priety, as her dining with Willamere implies : 
 and she may be in love with her husband, who 
 is a very good-looking fellow a possibility 
 that never has entered your head, my friend." 
 
 Their arrival at their club prevented Mr. 
 Addington offering any other hypothesis in
 
 36 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 justification of the secretary's wife; but none 
 that he could suggest would have changed the* 
 opinion of his companion, who, accustomed to 
 look on the evil side of all pictures, had made 
 up his mind on this subject. Xor did he 
 refrain from communicating it to others. 
 Many were the young roues at the club that 
 night to whom he gave an exaggerated account 
 of the snug little party he had broken in upon 
 at Wlllamere'sj exciting in the minds of all a 
 strong desire to see the beautiful Mrs. Strat- 
 ford, a sentiment of envy at the bonne fortune 
 of Willamere, and of contempt for the secre- 
 tary, whom they set down either as a duped, 
 or an infamous husband conniving at his own 
 dishonour. Thus, while two beings, innocent 
 of even a thought of guilt, and incapable of 
 entertaining one, were quietly and calmly 
 slumbering on their pillows, slander was busy 
 with their names : the pure wife was mentioned 
 as one who might be sought, if not won, by 
 any of the libertines among whom the fame of 
 her beauty was bandied about ; and the finger 
 of scorn was ready to be pointed at her honour- 
 able-minded husband, by men who would have
 
 A 1'EMME DE CHAMBRE. 37 
 
 gloried in dishonouring him; and Lord "Wil- 
 lamere was considered as a very lucky fellow, 
 much to be envied for this bonne fortune. How 
 far from the truth were the suspicions of these 
 libertines ! For Avhile they declared Lord 
 AVillamere a lucky dog, and circulated among 
 their coteries the report of his supposed liaison 
 with his secretary's wife, that nobleman was 
 devising plans for furnishing excuses for being 
 admitted to her presence, yet so awed by her 
 dignified reserve, that many of those schemes 
 which suggested themselves to his prolific 
 brain, were dismissed in his dread lest their 
 being carried too promptly into execution 
 might alarm or offend her sensitive delicacy. 
 Yet this very delicacy and reserve invested her 
 with new charms. Never previously had he 
 encountered a woman who inspired him with 
 such a dread of incurring her displeasure. 
 Was it possible that she had already divined 
 the sentiments he felt towards her, so guarded 
 too as he had been ? To the unlucky and 
 ill-timed visit of Lord Henry Middlecourt and 
 Mr. Addington, he attributed her extraorcli-
 
 38 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 nary reserve ; and heartily did he wish both 
 these gentlemen in a place not to be named to 
 ears polite, for their mal-a-propos visit and its 
 consequences. He felt certain that one, if not 
 both men would give their own version of the 
 dinner party they had broken in on, and that 
 the reputation of Mrs. Stratford would be made 
 the sport of their coteries. He lamented this 
 probability, not from any respect for her cha- 
 racter, but from a dread that such reports 
 might not only, by some chance, reach her ears, 
 and so put her still more on her guard, but 
 that they might encourage other pretenders to 
 her favour. 
 
 "Fools," thought Lord Willamere, "while 
 they believe me blessed with her affection, 
 I dare not even hint that I aspire to it, lest she 
 should discard me from her presence for ever. 
 What a lovely, what an exquisite creature she 
 is ! There is something about her that repels 
 even the slightest approach to familiarity, and 
 makes me feel when near her, that I shall never 
 have courage to tell her I love her. I wish 
 I could get her out of my head out of my
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 39 
 
 heart, I should have said for hang me if she 
 has not taken possession of that fortress, which, 
 though often assailed, and with sundry breaches 
 made in it, never before capitulated to a vic- 
 torious enemy. To think of her lavishing the 
 treasures of her affection on poor simple Strat- 
 ford, while I would give worlds, if I possessed 
 them, for even the privilege of merely seeing 
 her every day and being permitted to converse 
 with her. I could not have believed it possible 
 that in so short a time I should have become 
 so madly in love, and with so little prospect 
 too of a return. To see her husband eating 
 his dinner as phlegmatically as if she were not 
 seated opposite to him, while her beautiful 
 face, lovely in all its various expressions, 
 rendered it a difficult task for me to keep my 
 eyes from it even for a moment, or to eat a 
 morsel, was really wonderful. Happy man ! 
 he is so sure of her affection that he can eat in 
 peace, while the bare idea of ever making her 
 sensible of my passion sends the blood so 
 rapidly to my heart that my pulse throbs and 
 my hand trembles. I can think of nothing but
 
 40 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 her. The notion that she is beneath my roof, 
 that only a few stairs and a corridor separate 
 us, fires my blood. Vain thought an im- 
 passable gulph divides us ! She loves another, 
 and is a virtuous, a chaste woman. Only such 
 can inspire the passion I now feel. Could 
 I hope to vanquish the virtue of the too charm- 
 ing Emily, I should love her less madly than 
 I do ; and libertine as I have been, and as 
 I am, she would be less dazzlingly bright, less 
 lovely, were she divested of that purity, which, 
 like a veil, shades, but conceals not her beauty, 
 giving a winning grace to it. Then the 
 absence of all coquetry, all desire to please, 
 how it enhances her attractions! If women 
 did but know how much more they captivate 
 iis by not seeking to do so, and how irresistible 
 a charm virtue lends them, how few would 
 become our victims, and have to deplore their 
 own credulity and our falsehood ! " 
 
 Such were the reflections that filled the mind 
 of the enamoured Lord Willamere, as he re- 
 clined on his sleepless couch, tortured by the 
 pangs of a hopeless passion.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 41 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 LORD WILLAMERE allowed four days to pass 
 over after the dinner described in our former 
 chapter, before he ventured again to present 
 himself at the door of the little sitting-room 
 occupied by the wife of his secretary. How 
 often during those four days, which seemed to 
 him of interminable length, had he been 
 tempted to break through the restrictions 
 his prudence had imposed on him, and to seek 
 the presence of her Avho now occupied all his 
 thoughts ! But a dread of alarming her by his 
 too frequent visits deterred him ; and he ima- 
 gined that a forbearance which cost him so 
 many struggles merited the reward of a less 
 cold reception than he had previously expe- 
 rienced. The four days which had appeared to 
 creep so slowly, and to be of such interminable
 
 42 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 length to him, had glided so rapidly by with 
 Mrs. Stratford, that, when he sent to inquire if 
 she were at home, his visit struck her as fol- 
 lowing so quickly on the heels of his former 
 one, that a sense of its impropriety brought the 
 blush of wounded delicacy to her cheek. 
 
 " Present my respects to his lordship, 
 and say that I am so particularly engaged that 
 I cannot receive visitors," said she to the 
 servant. 
 
 The message had so powerful an effect on 
 the nerves of Lord Willamere, that he posi- 
 tively grew red and then pale, as he reflected 
 on it. How cold, IIOAV cutting ! nay, how 
 insolent was such treatment of him, and in 
 his own house too ! And for the nonce Lord 
 Willamere forgot that the very circumstance 
 which added to his displeasure on this occasion, 
 namely, his visit being refused in his own house, 
 ought to have pleaded against his entertaining 
 any project hostile to the honour or peace of 
 those who so far confided in him as to become 
 its inmates. He forgot the gross breach of 
 hospitality and of honour he meditated, and
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 43 
 
 with a meanness unworthy of a gentleman, 
 presumed that the very circumstance which 
 ought to have rendered Mrs. Stratford sacred 
 in his eyes, should have induced a more respect- 
 ful deference to his proposed courtesy. Then 
 it occurred to him that she might be unwell, or 
 perhaps in an undress in which she did not wish 
 to be seen. Yes, it must be so, and he had been 
 wrong in blaming her for declining his visit. 
 The wife of a poor secretary could not be 
 expected to be always dressed in a style fit to 
 receive visitors of distinction, like les grandes 
 dames of his acquaintance, and allowance must 
 be made for Mrs. Stratford. He longed to 
 inquire after her health when he entered the 
 bureau where her husband was writing, but 
 an embarrassment unusual to him, which, 
 whether proceeding from a consciousness of 
 his own evil intentions, or a dread of awaken- 
 ing the suspicions of his secretary, checked the 
 inquiry as it rose to his lips, and he felt, for 
 the first time, ill at ease with Stratford. 
 
 "When he rode out in the afternoon, and 
 passed a certain nursery in the environs of
 
 44 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 London, no less remarkable for the beauty of 
 the bouquets sold there than for the extrava- 
 gance of the prices demanded for them, he 
 omitted not to purchase one for the lady of his 
 thoughts; and as he threw down the guinea 
 asked for it, he forgot that the said guinea was 
 one of the last remaining in his purse from a 
 loan effected some ten days before on the 
 reasonable terms of fifty per cent; nay more, 
 he remembered not that the poor secretary's 
 wife for whom this superfluous luxury was 
 intended, might, from his backwardness in pay- 
 ing the services of her husband, be in want of 
 many of the comforts, if not necessaries of life. 
 He thought only of marking his attention by a 
 delicate gift that might remind the receiver of 
 the donor, and as he had the fragrant bouquet 
 enveloped in paper, and confided to the hands of 
 his groom, he only wished that he might have 
 the pleasure of presenting it in person to the 
 lady for whom it was designed. 
 
 " I have now, my lord, some very rare and 
 fine specimens of the flowers your lordship has 
 so often asked for," said the nursery-man.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 5 
 
 " I do not require any at present," was the 
 reply; but a whole history of man's inconstancy 
 was comprised In it. 
 
 " There's really no knowing what to make of 
 these great folk," observed the nursery-man to 
 his wife, when, having seen Lord Willamere 
 gallop off, he entered the little parlour in which 
 she was seated at her work. " Why, it was only 
 a month ago that my Lord Willamere used to 
 come here continually, asking for that new 
 species of heart's-ease, and saying he would give 
 any price for it ; and now, when I have taken 
 such pains to get it, and expected to be well 
 paid for my trouble, he tells me he doesn't 
 require it. I suppose as how the lady he 
 wanted it for has now some fresh fancy." 
 
 "It's more likely, Thomas, that his lords/tip 
 has some fresh fancy. Ah! you men, you men. 
 I often think that one might guess the changes 
 in these fine gentlemen's hearts, by the changes 
 in their orders for flowers. One time they're 
 mad for some particular flower, and will be 
 satisfied with no other, because, as every fool 
 might know, the lady who is the favourite for
 
 46 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the time, likes that best- Then some other 
 flower is wanted, and only that will do." 
 
 " But mayhap, Mary, that it isn't the fault 
 of the men, but the women. Your sex are so 
 changeable, that one day you like one flower, 
 and the next another." 
 
 " JS^o, Thomas, it's no such thing, we always 
 prefer the flower we liked best when we were 
 in love. Don't I always prefer the moss-rose 
 above all other flowers ? and don't you remem- 
 ber how you used to bring me one every Sunday 
 while they were in bloom, and I used to keep it 
 in water, and sigh when it faded ? Ah ! how 
 well I remember those days ! But I am sure 
 that there is always some new love in the case 
 when these fine gentlemen ask for a new flower. 
 Do you remember how many bouquets of 
 forget-me-not this same Lord Willamere used 
 to send to that grand house in Grosvenor 
 Square, during one season ? Then the prices he 
 used to pay, a few weeks ago, for heart's-ease 
 to send to Belgrave Square ! Ah ! I warrant 
 me the poor lady there may want heart's-ease 
 now, for what he cares about the matter, for
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 47 
 
 there's a new fancy in his mind, I'll be 
 sworn." 
 
 " Well, well, Mary, that's no business of ours. 
 We must hear, see, and say nothing. But I 
 often think to myself, that if husbands wanted 
 to find out their wives' secrets, they might dis- 
 cover 'em by going round to our green-houses. 
 They'd then learn the prices, and mayhap the 
 buyers, of the rare flowers their ladies have 
 every day, and that would make 'em open their 
 eyes. What husband, except during the honey- 
 moon, would pay such sums for particular 
 flowers as many a gentleman pays here ? " 
 
 " Yes, Thomas, it's all very true, and ladies 
 might also find out, when those for whom 
 they sometimes lose honour, and risk shame 
 and disgrace, are playing 'em false, by inquiring 
 at our green-houses, what flowers are now 
 bought by certain gentlemen, and where they 
 are sent to? " 
 
 " It's all the better for our trade, Mary, that 
 such questions are seldom asked, or if asked, 
 that we are too cute to answer 'em." 
 
 " It sometimes makes me sad, Thomas, to think
 
 48 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 that such innocent things as flowers should be 
 used for sinful purposes. Sure their delicate 
 colours, lovely bloom, and fragrant scent, ought 
 to remind one of the Giver of all good, who has 
 yielded them to please us, and ought to chase 
 evil thoughts away. But, forgetful of this, 
 these beautiful things, that live tut for a day, 
 
 are sent to breathe secret but evil thoughts, 
 
 / . . ^-' 
 
 where sometimes a letter dare not be sent or a 
 
 visit paid; and they turn to be the messengers 
 of sin, and do the work of corruption. Little 
 does a husband think, when he sees a fine nose- 
 gay on the table of his handsome wife, or in 
 her bosom, or held with pleasure to her nose, 
 that it speaks to her as plainly, but more 
 secretly than words could do, of some false 
 friend, whom he has received into his house, 
 and who is planning his dishonour." 
 
 " You're always for going to the end of things, 
 Mary, and you remind me of what you read 
 out of the book one day about seeing sermons 
 in stones. For you'd make a sermon out of 
 flowers, and spoil our trade into the bargain." 
 " No Thomas, I wouldn't, but I'd let no man,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBEE. 49 
 
 ,x 
 
 were I a gentleman, give a nosegay to my wife. 
 I'd have only gentlemen going to be married or 
 
 wishing to be so, have the privilege of sending 
 
 - ".",] 
 
 nosegays to those they have proposed for, and 
 "^~^~ * . - ...... 
 
 then flowers would be looked on as the mes- 
 
 ------- -" ------ " - "7 
 
 sengers of honest, lawful love, instead of 
 " 
 
 " Lord love your simple heart, Mary ! if that 
 was the case we nurserymen would starve." 
 
 When Lord Willamere's bouquet was sent 
 to Mrs. Stratford, she was half tempted to 
 return it; but the fear of having the appearance 
 of attaching too much importance to so trifling 
 a gift, and of exciting the remarks of his 
 Lordship's servants, deterred her. For the first 
 time, the sight and perfume of these beautiful 
 offsprings of summer failed to give her plea- 
 sure, for, though a passionate admirer of flowers, 
 and those sent to her were peculiarly fine 
 they were associated in her mind with the 
 humiliating consciousness that the donor enter- 
 tained towards her sentiments less accordant 
 with the respect due to a virtuous woman, to 
 which she thought herself entitled, than with the 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 insolent freedom adopted by libertines to 
 women, who by their levity had encouraged 
 such advances. 
 
 Sterne, no mean judge of the female heart, 
 has said, " that a man has seldom an offer of 
 kindness to make to a woman, without her 
 having a presentiment of it some moments 
 before ;" and we would maintain that no married 
 woman, however pure and innocent, has ever 
 had the misfortune and a serious one it may be 
 deemed of inspiring a passion in the breast of 
 a man, without suspecting it, even before he has 
 resumed to make the guilty avowal. Let no 
 woman therefore at least no Avoman with the 
 quick sense of propriety, peculiar to every one 
 of the sex before being tainted by a contact 
 with the demoralized plead in extenuation for 
 having her ear insulted by a declaration of 
 unhallowed passion, that "it came unexpectedly 
 on her, that she was not prepared for it;" asser- 
 tions too often had recourse to by coquettes, 
 whose love of admiration had led them to give a 
 tacit encouragement to such avowals; yet whose 
 prudence induced them to shrink back, alarmed
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 51 
 
 at the precipice on whose edge they found 
 themselves trembling. Let them remember the 
 verse which truly says, 
 
 " He comes too near, who comes to be denied ;" 
 and be convinced that although a woman may 
 retain sufficient virtue to repel a seducer, she 
 has lost a portion of her purity and dignity in 
 having permitted a declaration of love. 
 
 Looking on the flowers before her as a tacit 
 avowal of a more than common interest in 
 seeking to please her, Mrs. Stratford determined 
 not to retain them. But how were they to be 
 disposed of ? She reflected for a few minutes, 
 and, no other plan suggesting itself, she opened 
 the casement of her bedroom and flung the 
 bouquet from it. She felt more at ease when 
 it had disappeared, yet she wished that Lord 
 Willamere could know, without her having the 
 ungracious task of informing him, how unvalued 
 had been his gift, and how unwelcome would 
 be any future one. How little did she imagine 
 that the very step she had adopted, had accom- 
 plished this wish of hers ! 
 
 Lord Willamere had gone to his stables an 
 D 2
 
 52 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 unusual occurrence with him to be present, 
 while a veterinary surgeon examined the foot of 
 a favourite horse which had met with an 
 accident, and was returning to his house across 
 the leads at the back of it, when the bouquet 
 lying before him attracted his eyes. Was it 
 possible that a gift of Ms had been thus 
 scornfully rejected ? Yet it must be so. It 
 was the identical one which an hour before he 
 had sent to Mrs. Stratford, the windows of 
 whose bed-chamber looked out on the leads ! 
 Could it have been her husband who in a fit of 
 jealousy had flung them away ? There was a 
 salve to his vanity in this supposition, and men 
 always are disposed to believe what most 
 gratifies their besetting foible. Yes, it must be 
 that uxorious fool Stratford who threw them 
 away Mrs. Stratford had accepted them, con- 
 sequently she was not likely to have done the 
 deed. Nevertheless, to put an end to all 
 misgivings, he went to the bureau where his 
 secretary was writing, and there sate that 
 individual intent on his occupation, and with a 
 pile of neatly filled pages of precis writing,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 53 
 
 that proved he had not abandoned his task 
 during his lordship's absence. "You have 
 worked hard to-day, Stratford," observed Lord 
 Willamere. 
 
 " Yes, my lord, rather, for I have not quitted 
 my desk since the morning." 
 
 " The devil you have not !" thought my 
 lord ; " it was she then after all who threw 
 away the flowers! She really provokes me 
 into a perseverance of my efforts to vanquish 
 her prudery, even though I may not prove 
 successful. Had she been as willing to com- 
 mence a flirtation with me as three parts of the 
 women I meet in society are, I should probably 
 have not felt half so strong a desire to make an 
 impression on her as I now do; but, to be 
 foiled by an obscure governess, the wife too 
 of my secretary, and under my own roof, 
 would be too bad. I should for ever lose my 
 reputation as a homme des bonnes fortunes, a 
 reputation now so long and triumphantly 
 sustained ; ay, so long there's the devil of it ; 
 perhaps it is because I am not so youthful as I 
 was, that I am thus scornfully treated."
 
 54 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 And Lord Willamere sighed, and cast a 
 melancholy glance in the small mirror that hung 
 near his desk. How frequently had that same 
 glass showed him the reflection of his own face, 
 when meditating, or flushed with conquest, he 
 had contemplated it with complacency, while 
 latterly, and more especially now, it revealed to 
 him the ravages of the ruthless tyrant Time, de- 
 noted by locks besprent with silver; and, oh! how 
 much fewer, and further between, than some 
 summers before; and certain harsh lines around 
 his eyes, vulgarly but expressively denominated 
 crow's-feet. His complexion, too, had somewhat 
 " fallen into the sere and yellow leaf," and the 
 muscles extending from the cheeks to the chin 
 came out in an alto relievo, by no means desir- 
 able for a man who still had pretensions to 
 disturb the peace of female hearts. 
 
 Yet this humiliating contemplation of his 
 own altered appearance, far from discouraging 
 him to persevere in his attempts to conquer the 
 affections of Mrs. Stratford, only served to 
 pique his vanity into achieving it. Yes, he 
 would prove, that he was still, though a less
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 55 
 
 handsome, quite as dangerous a man as ever; 
 and he who had vanquished so many high-born 
 dames, would not have the mortification of being 
 defeated by a mere nobody, who, though certain- 
 ly extremely beautiful, could not be a conquest 
 to make any sensation in society. A-propos, of 
 high-born dames, he remembered that he had in 
 his pocket an unopened letter from the Duchess 
 of Rosehampton. He had received it some hours 
 before, when on the point of mounting his 
 horse to go and buy the bouquet for her wlio 
 had so scornfully flung it away, and had ever 
 since forgotten it as completely as its writer. 
 " Full of reproaches, I dare say," thought he, as 
 he now opened the billet, embossed with a ducal 
 coronet in gold and redolent with perfume. 
 " Yes, the old story : where have I been ? what 
 have I been doing ? and why has she not seen, 
 or heard from me? 'Time was when I 
 counted the hours that kept me from her, 
 but now not even a bouquet for three whole 
 days.' Yes, yes, the old story," thought 
 Lord Willamere, as he tore the billet into 
 atoms, " 'Time wasj so they all say. How
 
 56 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 many billets with the same reproaches have I 
 not received. By Jove ! one might imagine all 
 were Avritten by the same hand, so precisely 
 similar are they. It is odd, that, with so much 
 imagination, women should not possess the 
 power of varying their phrases on such occa- 
 sions, instead of always writing the self- same 
 reproaches. 
 
 " The poor duchess ! I wish I had thought of 
 buying her some heartVease to-day ; she needs 
 it, if I may trust her letter. The fellow, too, 
 reminded me that he had procured some. But 
 how the devil can a man remember to buy 
 a bouquet for one woman, when his whole 
 thoughts are occupied by another ? I am half 
 tempted to send her the one so scornfully re- 
 jected by her rival : but, no, that won't do, for 
 she is so quick-sighted that she would instantly 
 divine that it was designed for some one else, so 
 I must not increase the jealousy that I see by her 
 letter is already awakened in her breast. The 
 poor duchess! I could really pity her, when 
 I remember how passionately, how madly I once 
 loved her, making her believe, ay, by Jove ! and
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 57 
 
 believing myself also at the time, that our love 
 was to endure for ever ! But what is a poor devil 
 of a fellow to do, when satiety and indifference 
 take the place of passion, the never-failing 
 result of a successful one? Of all ghosts, 
 defend me from the ghost of departed love, 
 which haunts one, to scare away the hopes and 
 joys that usher in a new attachment. Well, 
 I suppose I must call on the poor duchess. It 
 will be some consolation for the wound just 
 inflicted on my amour propre by Mrs. Stratford, 
 to see one" of the most admired of our aristo- 
 cratic beauties, and the leader of fashion too, 
 pale from anxiety occasioned by my absence, 
 and delighted to see me again. Poor duchess ! 
 how many men envy me your smiles, and 
 would give half their possessions to exchange 
 places with me in your favour, while I, for 
 three whole days, have forgotten your exist- 
 ence, and am only reminded of it by a letter 
 filled with tender reproaches? "Willamere, 
 Willarnere, you're a sad dog ! " and here the 
 coxcomb again glanced in the mirror ; " how 
 many women's hearts have you not vanquished, 
 D 3
 
 58 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 while the stupid world believed you were en- 
 gaged only on protocols, and defeating the 
 tactics of foreign diplomatists ? Oh ! the relief 
 of flying from the dry details of official duty, 
 to the elegant boudoir, redolent of perfume, of 
 some lovely creature, fiere and haughty to 
 every man save yourself; in whose presence one 
 can forget the wily arts of contemporary politi- 
 cal opponents, and the crooked policy of other 
 nations! Yes, I flatter myself, that I have 
 shone in the cabinet as well as in the boudoir," 
 and Lord Willamere drew up his head, and ar- 
 ranged his well-tied neckcloth. "People are 
 mistaken, when they fancy that a handsome 
 man, and a well-dressed one too, seldom makes 
 a good man of business. I have proved the 
 fallacy of this opinion, and I defy any one to 
 say that while indulging in affaires de cwur, 
 I have neglected les affaires de tete."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 59 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 " MAY I claim a few moments of your lord- 
 ship's time?" asked Lord Willamere's secre- 
 tary, with a timid and embarrassed air, when 
 tete-a-tte next day with his employer. 
 
 " Certainly, certainly," was the answer ; but 
 his lordship's countenance betrayed some con- 
 fusion as he seated himself. 
 
 " The creditors, my lord, have been very 
 clamorous of late, and threaten to put execu- 
 tions into the house." 
 
 " You have told them, I suppose, that such a 
 step would be unavailing ? " replied Lord Willa- 
 mere, his countenance assuming its usual expres- 
 sion of dignified calmness. The truth was, he 
 feared Mr. Stratford was about to speak to him 
 on a subject that interested him infinitely more 
 than his debts, namely, the wife of the said
 
 60 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 secretary ; for the old proverb, " a guilty con- 
 science needs no accuser," was verified in his 
 case, and his equanimity became restored when 
 he found that it was only about his creditors 
 that he was to be spoken to. 
 
 " Yes, my lord, I told them that your fur- 
 niture, plate, books, &c. were assigned over to 
 another creditor. They then declared their 
 intention of seizing your carriages and horses, 
 when I assured them that both were jobbed ; 
 on which they got very angry, and said they 
 would at least endeavour to annoy your lord- 
 ship by exposure, for they would have execu- 
 tions, and seizures made, and afterwards try the 
 cases in court." 
 
 " This, Stratford, would, I confess, be any- 
 thing but agreeable. You must see these 
 harpies again : temporise with them if you can ; 
 if not, we must raise some more money by bills, 
 a thing I don't like if it can be avoided." 
 
 "It is a ruinous system, my lord, and as 
 likely eventually to lead to exposure as the 
 measure it is meant to prevent." 
 
 "Well, see what you can do with these
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 61 
 
 people, Stratford; talk them over, promise 
 them that in a year, or, if that will not do, 
 six months, they shall be paid." 
 
 " I have so often held out promises never 
 realized, that they no longer put faith in what 
 I say ;" and Stratford changed colour at the 
 consciousness of having not only lost the re- 
 spect of Lord Willamere's creditors, but his 
 own too, by having deluded them with false 
 promises. 
 
 " Something must turn up," resumed his 
 lordship, " in the course of the next six months 
 to enable me to pay a portion at least, of the 
 debts, to these troublesome people." 
 
 " Ay, so you have said every six months of 
 the last seven years," thought his secretary, 
 " and with no better prospect of the realization 
 of such unfounded hope than at present." But 
 he did not give utterance to this thought, for 
 his was too delicate a mind to add to his patron's 
 annoyances by aught like a reproach. Again, 
 Lord Willamere arose to depart, and once more 
 his secretary begged him to stay for a few 
 minutes, but this time the request was made
 
 62 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 with much more diffidence and embarrassment 
 of manner than before. "If not very incon- 
 venient to your lordship, might I solicit some 
 money on my own account ? As a married 
 man, I have more occasion for money than 
 formerly." 
 
 " Very true, my good Stratford ; and your 
 wants must be the first attended to. But at this 
 moment I happen to be poorer than usual. I 
 can only spare you ten pounds; but in a few 
 days you shall have more." 
 
 His lordship gave a cheque on his banker 
 for the money, rather wincing while he did so, 
 as the recollection crossed his mind, that only a 
 few pounds more of his remained in the said 
 banker's hands, and that his next quarter's 
 salary was already half anticipated. "If my 
 time were not so wholly occupied by official 
 business and affaires de cceur," thought he, as 
 he drove in his cabriolet to the Duchess of 
 Rosehampton's, " I should be hipped todeath by 
 my pecuniary embarrassments. By Jove ! they 
 are enough to torment a man out of his senses 
 if he had time to think of them. Luckily for
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 63 
 
 me I have not, so the onus falls on Stratford. 
 I wish he had not taken my ten pounds just 
 now, though, for he has scarcely left me a 
 sovereign for my menus plaisirs. A-propos of 
 sovereigns, what a blessing it is to have one, 
 not the golden effigy, though that in the plural 
 number, to a large amount, is not to be found 
 fault with ; but a bond fide sovereign of flesh 
 and blood, requiring ministers, ay, and paying 
 them well too, through the assistance of Parlia- 
 ment, making them feel satisfied when every 
 quarter-day comes round, if they are so on 
 no other." 
 
 Here his lordship's soliloquy was stopped by 
 his arrival at Rosehampton House. He threw 
 the reins on the splash-board of the cabriolet, 
 while his diminutive cab boy ran to the horse's 
 head, which even on tiptoes he could scarcely 
 reach, and his master, descending from the 
 vehicle, ascended the steps. 
 
 An accurate observer might have noticed 
 that there was much less elasticity in his step, 
 and much less animation in his countenance, 
 than on former visits to this mansion, and
 
 64 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 these symptoms might have revealed the state of 
 his feelings towards its noble mistress. 
 
 " Well, I see'd a funny thing this 'ere day, 
 William," said Lord Willamere's Upper house- 
 maid to his lordship's groom, as they met in 
 the servants' hall to have a sociable cup of tea 
 together, on the evening of the day that the 
 bouquet had been bought at the nursery garden. 
 " And what did you see, Hannah ? " 
 " Why, I see'd his lordship pick up as fine a 
 nosegay as ever I looked upon in all my born 
 days, as he was a crossing the leads coming in 
 from the stable ; and, what's more, I see'd Mrs. 
 Stratford, not five minutes before, throw the 
 same nosegay out of her window. I can't be 
 sworn that I see'd her face, but I see'd her hand, 
 and a precious small white vone it is for the 
 matter of that, as it pitched the flowers out. 
 Thinks I to myself, you might give them 'ere 
 flowers to a poor servant, if how be it you did 
 not like to keep 'em yourself, instead of 
 throwing 'em out on the leads to be spoilt; 
 but when I see's his Lordship pick them 
 up and carry them into the house, marry come
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBEE. 65 
 
 up, says I, you might have sent my lord the 
 nosegay civilly, and not throw 'em out of the 
 window to fall in his way. Some people are so 
 handsome, that they think other people must be 
 sure to admire 'em, and be glad to pick up the 
 flowers they throw out of the window ; but I 
 knows what I knows, and I'm no blinder than 
 others; and when some people are asked to dine 
 with lords, just for all the world as if they 
 were born ladies instead of only being gover- 
 nesses, it is not for nothing I'm certain." 
 
 " How your tongue does run on, Hannah, 
 to be sure, twenty-four to the dozen at least. 
 Why, my lord bought a nosegay at the nursery- 
 man's to day ; and, what's more, paid a golden 
 sovereign for it, for I saw him pull it out of his 
 waistcoat pocket and throw it down on the 
 counter; and moreover, I thought to myself, 
 it's no wonder we poor servants can't get our 
 wages, when our masters give a sovereign for a 
 nosegay." 
 
 " Lord ! William, you don't say so ! Is it pos- 
 sible that any one would give twenty shillings, 
 a whole month of my wages, for a few flowers ? "
 
 66 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Little you know, Hannah, what lords and 
 gentlemen will do when the fancy takes them; 
 Lord help you, they think no more of money 
 than of dust." 
 
 " Ay, William, and that's the reason that so 
 many of 'em comes to want it. But what be- 
 came of the nosegay his lordship bought?" 
 
 " I brought it home wrapped up in paper and 
 handed it at the door to the porter." 
 
 " And I took it from the porter, and carried 
 it with his lordship's compliments to Mrs. Strat- 
 ford," said a footman who had heard the 
 conversation between the house-maid and 
 groom. 
 
 " Then as sure as day," exclaimed William, 
 " it was the nosegay my lord sent her that she 
 threw out of the window." 
 
 " You may be sure," said the footman, " for 
 I noticed that she did not seem much pleased 
 with the present, for she hesitated a minute 
 before she took it from my hands ; and looked as 
 if she had more than half a mind to send it 
 back." 
 
 "Well, the himperance of some people!
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 67 
 
 where will it stop ? Throw a nosegay that cost 
 twenty shillings, and was sent her by a lord ; 
 and her husband's master, and hers too, as a 
 body may say, out of the window ! She ought 
 to be ashamed of herself!" 
 
 "Perhaps she wished to show his lordship 
 that she cared neither for him or his nosegay," 
 remarked Thomas, the footman. " And that's 
 my hopinion, for I saw, the day she dined with 
 my Lord, that he was continually looking at 
 her ; and well he might for the matter of that, 
 for a handsomer face, or a more heleganter 
 figure I have seldom see'd." 
 
 " Then you must have been blind, Mr. 
 Thomas," exclaimed Hannah with warmth, 
 " for, to my thinking, Mrs. Stratford is anything 
 but ansome. Why she has no more colour in 
 her cheeks than a white rose with just a little 
 pink shade in the middle; and her eyelashes are 
 so long, that one can hardly see the colour of 
 her eyes ; and her hair is jet black I can't 
 abide black hair," (Hannah had red,) " and 
 she's moreover so distant, and so shy like, that 
 there's nothing free and easy about her, as there
 
 68 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 was in the governess at my last place. Ah ! 
 Miss Cullen was a very different person, so full 
 of fun and frolic. She'd come down when 
 master and mistress were out and the children 
 asleep, and play blind-man's-buff in the 
 servants' hall with us as pleasant as possible, 
 and we were all as free with her, as if she were 
 one of ourselves." 
 
 " All that's mighty well, Hannah ; but to my 
 thinking, governesses as don't know their places, 
 aren't fit for 'em. They aren't hired to romp in 
 the servants' hall, but to attend to the learning 
 and behaviour of the children entrusted to their 
 care. A governess ought to be as much like a 
 lady as possible ; and as for Mrs. Stratford, I'm 
 sure I never see'd a lady more genteel." 
 
 " Marry come up, Mr. Thomas, who made you 
 such a judge of ladies ?" 
 
 " Waiting on 'em, Mrs. Hannah, to be sure. 
 Servants who wait at table, have a good oppor- 
 tunity of judging of those who think no more 
 of their presence than if they were stocks or 
 stones ; and I have often formed my own 
 hopinions while they were eating and chatting."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 69 
 
 "Well, you may think as you like, Mr. 
 Thomas, but you'll never get me to believe it 
 was ladylike in Mrs. Stratford to throw his 
 lordship's flowers out of window, and in his 
 own house too. What do you think, Sally ? " 
 
 This question was addressed to a very pretty 
 young woman who had entered while Thomas 
 was speaking, and who filled the situation of 
 under-housemaid. 
 
 "Ay, Sally, do you think that if my lord 
 sent a nosegay to Mrs. Stratford, and that she 
 thought it wasn't right to keep it, it was 
 wrong of her to throw it out of the window ? " 
 demanded Thomas, with an air of anxiety. 
 
 " I don't see what else she could do with it, 
 Thomas. If she kept it, it would, to my 
 thinking, be like saying she approved of my 
 lord's attention." 
 
 "Right, Sally, right," exclaimed Thomas, 
 with a look of great satisfaction ; " I was sure 
 you would think as I do." 
 
 " Well, if I was my lord," said Hannah, 
 " I'd see Mrs. Stratford far enough, I can tell 
 her, before I'd send her any nosegays at a
 
 70 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sovereign a piece. "What's she, that she's to 
 be made so much of, I should like to know ?" 
 " She's a well behaved, vartuous woman, 
 that's what she is, Hannah, who wishes to keep 
 her own place, and let my lord keep his ; and 
 if she can manage that, it will be no easy 
 matter, for his lordship can never see a hand- 
 some face without trying to make a fool of the 
 owner, and more shame for him." 
 
 Thomas glanced so expressively at the blush- 
 ing face of pretty Sally, that it was clear his 
 indignation at his lord's laxity of morals was 
 not wholly disinterested ; while Hannah, grow- 
 ing red with anger, declared, " that for her 
 part, she never had nothink whatsomedever to 
 say against his lordship ; though she'd met him 
 many's the time in the dressing and bed-room, 
 he'd never been himperant to her ; though 
 other people," and she glanced spitefully at 
 pretty Sally, " were always trying to keep out 
 of his way ;" an assertion the truth of which 
 no one present seemed disposed to question. 
 
 While Lord Willamere was devising schemes 
 to seduce the wife of his secretary, unchecked
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 71 
 
 by one feeling of remorse, that unhappy man 
 was submitting to the humiliation of going to 
 cr: litor after creditor, in order to talk them 
 over into waiting another year, or even six 
 months, for the settlement of their accounts ; 
 conscious all the while, that there existed no 
 more likelihood of their being paid at the ter- 
 mination of the time demanded, than at the 
 present. So often had these promises been 
 made, and so ill kept, that the patience of the 
 creditors of Lord Willamere was exhausted, 
 and the reproaches, which they were defied 
 an opportunity of uttering to his lordship, 
 were directed with unsparing acerbity to his 
 secretary. 
 
 " I'll tell you what, Mr. Stratford, you can 
 no longer make me believe that if Lord Willa- 
 mere had the principle to pay, he could not 
 find the means," said Mr. Bloxam, the butcher. 
 " Why what becomes of his salary ? Ay, tell 
 me that. Havn't I been renewing his bills 
 till I'm tired of 'em ? / must pay for my meat, 
 and why shouldn't he ? " 
 
 This was only a specimen of the scenes
 
 72 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 which Stratford had to go through with all the 
 persons who served the establishment of Lord 
 Willamere. The servants, too, demanded their 
 long arrears of wages in a tone that might have 
 conveyed their belief that Mr. Stratford alone 
 was answerable for the delay ; and the trades- 
 people to whom he was indebted for the supply 
 of his own wants, wants limited to the strict 
 necessaries of life, had now also become im- 
 portunate. 
 
 He would return in an evening, fatigued in 
 body and depressed in mind, to seek conso- 
 lation from the partner of his joys and sor- 
 rows ; but, alas ! the joys were " like angel 
 visits, few and far between," while the cares 
 were of daily and increasing occurrence. In 
 vain did his fond wife endeavour to soothe his 
 broken spirits, and to render their frugal meals 
 cheerful. The privations and discomforts, 
 which, in spite of her attempts to conceal 
 them, were but too apparent, were now more 
 severely felt than if he alone had to bear them ; 
 and his affection for her doubly increased his 
 acute sense of the hardships of their lot.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 73 
 
 Bitterly did lie now reproach himself for his 
 selfishness in withdrawing her from compara- 
 tive comfort to almost positive want; and 
 when he learned that she was in a state likely 
 to make him a father in some mouths hence, 
 the tidings that under happier circumstances 
 would have filled his heart with gladness, now 
 only added to his gloom. His Emily, never 
 blessed with robust health, became more deli- 
 cate every day, and evidently required comforts 
 which his poverty precluded the possibility of 
 his providing for her. Her resignation, and her 
 attempts to maintain a cheerfulness under a 
 complication of evils that would have tested 
 the firmness of a stoic, often brought tears to 
 his eyes ; and as he beheld her during the long 
 evenings, occupied in converting her own 
 slender stock of clothes into habiliments for 
 their unborn infant, he would reflect with 
 many a pang, how her scanty wardrobe now 
 melting away was to be replenished, and how 
 so frail a form was to suffice for the maternal 
 duties and housewifery cares his idolized Emily 
 would be called on to fulfil. What, too, 
 VOL. r. E
 
 74 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 would be the fate of their poor child ? Was it 
 to be doomed to pine through the vicissitudes of 
 a dreary life of dependence, making its un- 
 fortunate parents reflect with still more bitter- 
 ness on a union, that, were they but blessed 
 with a modest competency, they would have 
 felt to be indeed a blissful one ? Poverty ! 
 thou gaunt spectre, whose approach fills all 
 with dread ; who frightest away summer friends 
 even more rapidly than winter chases away the 
 poor insects that basked in sunshine, never 
 art thou so terrible, as when we behold thy 
 chilling results on those dearer to us than life 
 itself, and yet have not the power to ward off 
 thy presence ! 
 
 Lord Willamere had not desisted from his 
 evil intentions towards the wife of his secretary, 
 although foiled in his repeated attempts to 
 find an opportunity of carrying them into effect. 
 Many had been the visits offered, and the 
 invitations to dinner given on his part to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Stratford ; but the ill health of the 
 latter offered so strong a plea for rejecting both, 
 that, although he was unwillingly compelled to
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 75 
 
 postpone following up his schemes against her 
 honour, he was by no means disposed to abandon 
 them. Often would he send the most rare and 
 costly fruit to the invalid, purchased at a price that 
 would have abundantly supplied the substantial 
 comforts and necessaries of which she stood in 
 so much need ; but what knew he of the pri- 
 vations which his extravagance and recklessness 
 entailed on those who depended on him for 
 subsistence ? He never experienced any priva- 
 tions, save the temporary want of some useless 
 luxury or expensive bauble, which, when his 
 finances were low, he might have denied himself 
 for some time, but which, when his purse was 
 again filled, he indulged himself in. That any 
 one beneath his roof should be in actual want 
 of a substantial, if not a dainty meal, never 
 once entered his thoughts, and, if it had, he 
 would in all probability have pronounced the 
 person a fool, for not seeking, as he did, the 
 supply of all wants by rushing into debt, 
 without ever thinking how such debts were to 
 be discharged. The fact was, Lord Willamere 
 avoided as much as possible ever reflecting on 
 E 2
 
 70 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 disagreeable subjects, and piqued himself not a 
 little on this proof of his epicurean philosophy. 
 He fared luxuriously every day, either at the 
 tables of his friends, or at his own, and it never 
 occurred to him, that the woman he most ad- 
 mired, and the man he most trusted, had 
 barely sufficient food to support existence. 
 
 A portion of the next quarter's salary having 
 been allotted to the tradespeople who supplied 
 Willamere House, they consented to renew 
 once more the bills of his lordship, already so 
 often renewed; but on the proviso that his 
 secretary should indorse them. 
 
 " The impudent scoundrels ! " exclaimed Lord 
 Willamere. "But of course, Stratford, you'll 
 sign them. It is a mere matter of form in- 
 sisted on by these harpies to pique me." 
 
 " If I possessed the means to meet the bills 
 when due, readily, my lord, would I indorse 
 them; but it strikes me that, as there is no 
 probability of this being the case, it would not 
 be honest on my part to do so." 
 
 "Really this is carrying your scruples to a 
 very absurd extent, Stratford. It is not what
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 77 
 
 I looked for in a man whom I believed perfectly 
 devoted to my interests. The moment you 
 refuse what these rascals require, you will have 
 inflicted a mortal wound on my credit; for 
 they will naturally enough say, * Why his 
 bills can be worth nothing when his own secre- 
 tary, who best knows his affairs, will not 
 indorse them.' " 
 
 This argument was irresistible with Strat- 
 ford, not that his conscience was at all con- 
 vinced by it, but that he saw his refusal would 
 not only seriously offend Lord Willamere, but 
 totally destroy his already straitened credit with 
 his tradespeople. He signed the bills, and 
 from that moment became haunted with the 
 dread that he had committed an act that would 
 entail misery on him at no distant day ; and 
 this addition to his troubles achieved the ruin 
 of his health, already greatly impaired by 
 constant anxiety and privations.
 
 78 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 QUICKLY did his doting wife detect the change 
 in her husband's aspect. His heavy eyes, pale 
 and haggard cheeks, and the sickly smile that 
 tried to re-assure her, when alarmed by these 
 symptoms she tremblingly questioned their 
 cause, but too well convinced her that the 
 pressure of hard necessity at present, and the 
 dread of actual want hereafter, were preying 
 on his life. And this, this was the sad result 
 of her compliance with his long, and often reite- 
 rated prayers for her consent to their union ! Oh ! 
 why had she yielded to it, against the dictates 
 of her own better judgment. Had their mar- 
 riage brought happiness to him, she would have 
 borne with fortitude all the privations induced 
 by poverty. But when did happiness and 
 poverty dwell together? Does not the. former,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 79 
 
 terrified, quickly fly away, when the latter 
 shows its grim face ? Alas, yes ! How brief 
 had been their felicity ! A few halcyon days, 
 and now cankering cares had scared away 
 peace; and Love, Love only, had remained to 
 confront the dire spectre Poverty. And was 
 not Love itself, in this cruel position, an 
 addition to their misery ? Did it not, in the 
 pity, the anxiety it awakened in their breasts 
 for each other, aggravate, ten-fold, their suffer- 
 ings ? Could she have experienced, for herself 
 alone, one half the inquietude, the sleepless, 
 agonizing inquietude, that filled her tortured 
 heart for him? Ah, no! well she knew she 
 could not, and were lie but exempted from the 
 hardships of their position, she could bear them 
 without a murmur. Such were the bitter 
 reflections that continually filled the minds of 
 both husband and wife ; increasing their mutual 
 tenderness to an almost morbid state of exalta- 
 tion, which like a fever preyed upon their lives, 
 and prostrated their mental energies. 
 
 When the time for his wife's accouchement 
 drew near, Mr. Stratford demanded from Lord
 
 80 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Willamere for her use, the money, which for 
 his own, a delicacy amounting to weakness 
 would have precluded him from urging. 
 
 " How unfortunate that you did not ask me 
 yesterday, my good fellow," replied his lord- 
 ship ; " but as my ill luck would have it, I lost 
 last night at whist all the money I had, and 
 was just thinking of asking you to look out for 
 some one who would cash a bill for me. If you 
 know any one who will do so, your wants shall 
 be the first attended to from the produce." 
 
 There was something so like a bribe, to do 
 that which he so much disliked, held out in the 
 promise that his wants should be the first attended 
 to, that Stratford's sensitiveness was wounded, 
 and there was a self-respect, almost amounting 
 to dignity of manner, in his air, when he de- 
 clared that, however pressing his wants were, 
 he preferred bearing the annoyance to continuing 
 :i system so ruinous to his lordship, as that of 
 raising money at such exorbitant interest. 
 
 " Your wants, Stratford, must then be much 
 less pressing than mine, the relief for which 
 cannot, 1 am sorry to say, be postponed,"
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 81 
 
 replied Lord Willamere, " so you must assist 
 me on this occasion. I am going to the country 
 to-morrow, to stay a few days at the Duke of 
 Evandale's, and money I must have*" 
 
 " Could he but see, and hear the conversation 
 of the man to whom he sends me to borrow 
 money," thought Stratford, as he wended his 
 way to a money-lender in Chancery Lane, " he 
 would be less ready to have recourse to such 
 men, and more careful in managing his re- 
 sources. Where will all this end?" 
 
 This was a question that often presented 
 itself to his mind of late, when on his sleepless 
 pillow he reflected with alarm on the heavy 
 liabilities he had incurred for Lord Willamere, 
 and remembered the utter carelessness of that 
 nobleman in all pecuniary matters, as well as 
 his own total inability to meet any portion of 
 them. At last he reached the house of Mr. 
 Solomons, and after waiting half-an-hour in a 
 dark and dingy room, ill ventilated, and con- 
 taining only three or four rickety chairs, and a 
 table covered with a cloth, on which various 
 devices were scrawled with ink, and sundry 
 E 3
 
 82 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 spots of grease, and stains of wine or beer were 
 visible, he was summoned to the sanctum of 
 Mr. Solomons, and ushered there by a lad of 
 some sixteen years old, whose pale and elon- 
 gated face spoke as ill for the larder of his 
 employer, as his thread-bare and greasy coat' 
 did for his liberality in providing him with 
 clothing. 
 
 " So here you are again, Mr. Stratford,' 1 ex- 
 claimed Mr. Solomons, his coarse mouth 
 relaxing into an ironical smile ; " I didn't expect 
 to see you here so soon, after all you said 
 against raising money by bills. I hope you 
 ain't come here for any such purpose now, for 
 two reasons : first, I don't like to see a gentleman 
 act contrary to his conscience, and you said it 
 went against yours to pay fifty per cent, for 
 raising money ; and secondly, never was cash so 
 scarce in the city as at present no getting it, 
 I can assure you. Why there's my Lord Duke 
 of Deloraine has told me, he won't object to 
 paying sixty, ay, or even sixty-five per cent, if 
 I can get his grace five thousand pounds for 
 six months. ' Can't be done, my lord duke,'
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 83 
 
 says I: 'Must be done, Mr. Solomons,' says 
 he, 'for I positively want the money.' 'I 
 might manage it at three months, your grace,' 
 says I, f but at six months I couldn't do it for 
 Her Majesty herself, if she required it.' ( Wei], 
 at three months then I suppose it must be,' 
 says his grace ; and I managed it at sixty-five 
 per cent., but it is not for every one I could or 
 would have done it, I can tell you.* 
 
 " I want cash for a bill of Lord Willamere's 
 for two hundred and fifty pounds, Mr. Solo- 
 mons, and require it to be at six months." 
 
 " Quite out of the question, sir, quite out of 
 the question. You may suppose that if I re- 
 fused my Lord Duke of Deloraine, one of the 
 best customers I have, a nobleman that never 
 makes the slightest objection to any rate of 
 interest I demand, I am not likely to do it for 
 Lord Willamere, who sends you here huckstering 
 and beating down my terms in a manner that 
 is by no means the one I like to do business 
 in." 
 
 The blood mounted to the temples of poor 
 Stratford, while he listened to this coarse re-
 
 84 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 proach, but he felt that it would not be prudent 
 to resent it; for well did he know, that ill-dis- 
 posed as was Mr. Solomons to lend the required 
 accommodation, the other money-lenders with 
 whom he had dealt for Lord Willamere, 
 were still less inclined to discount his bills. 
 " AVill you tell me at once, Mr. Solomons, what 
 you will accept for cashing a bill at three 
 months, and whether or not, I may count on 
 you renewing it at the expiration of that term, 
 for as many more months ?" 
 
 " Well then, Mr. Stratford, at a word, I am 
 ready to find you the money, (you are of course 
 aware I have no funds myself,) at sixty-five per 
 cent, and a douceur for myself for the renewal. 
 I will not be unreasonable ; twenty-five pounds 
 will satisfy me, but less than that I will not take." 
 
 "I must consult Lord "Willamere, before I 
 can accept such very extravagant conditions." 
 
 " And extravagant as you are pleased to con- 
 sider them, I may not be in the humour to offer 
 them again. Money was never so scarce in the 
 market. Every one wants it, and I have at 
 present no less than eight noblemen on my list,
 
 A FEttME DE CHAMBRE. 85 
 
 who will give me a higher rate of interest than 
 Lord Willamere." 
 
 Stratford returned to his patron's, and ac- 
 quainted him with the hard conditions named 
 by Mr. Solomons, adding, that to accept them 
 would be little short of madness, 
 
 " We must, nevertheless, do so, my good 
 fellow," replied Lord Willamere ; " there is no 
 help for it ; for, since you left this, confidently 
 counting on your accomplishing the loan, I 
 have bought a very fine horse, which was 
 brought here for me to see, and the dealer in- 
 sists on having ready money for him. I have 
 made a capital bargain, for I have got him to 
 take a hundred and fifty less, in consideration of 
 paying him ready money. He refused selling him 
 for two hundred and fifty to Lord George Deve- 
 reux, who offered him a bill at six months. You 
 must therefore go back to Solomons, and close 
 with him on his own terms. Iwish you had done 
 so at once, for I want the money confoundedly." 
 
 The bill was cashed, Mr. Solomons making 
 a great merit of not having swerved from his 
 conditions, which he declared he considered
 
 86 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 himself fully warranted in doing, owing to Mr. 
 Stratford not having at once closed with them; 
 but he took care to retain the sixty-five per 
 cent, interest in advance, in spite of all Strat- 
 ford's remonstrances to the contrary, saying, 
 he always of late made a point of it, to prevent 
 his clients suffering from the unpunctuality of 
 noblemen and gentlemen. 
 
 This deduction so far diminished the sum 
 raised, that, when it was handed over to Lord 
 Willamere, he uttered "curses not loud, but 
 deep," on the grasping scoundrel, as he termed 
 Mr. Solomons ; and avowed that now, however 
 he might regret it, it was totally out of his 
 power to appropriate any portion of it to the 
 wants of his secretary. "Devilish sorry, 
 Stratford, but I can't help it, I can't, by Jove ! 
 It can't make much difference to you, whether 
 you have the money now or in a fortnight 
 hence. A devilish great bore to be compelled 
 to give up the horse too! hang that rascal 
 Solomons. I must send my groom to say I 
 have changed my mind about the horse, and 
 won't buy him."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 87 
 
 That evening the poor secretary wandered 
 into a remote street to the house of a pawn- 
 broker which he had often noticed in his 
 rambles, and there raised ten guineas on his 
 gold watch and chain, worth thrice that sum, in 
 order that the hour of trial of his wife, now daily 
 expected, should not find him penniless ; and 
 when he returned to her, he endeavoured to 
 assume a cheerful aspect as he pressed her to 
 his heart. He assisted her with almost femi- 
 nine forethought and activity in preparing for 
 the little stranger, whose birth they anticipated 
 with trembling anxiety; and having secured the 
 attendance of the nurse of his wife, a respecta- 
 ble and attached though humble friend, he 
 waited with a trepidation known only to those 
 who feel that the object dearer to them 
 than life is in danger, the event so long looked 
 forward to. 
 
 The following night I opened my eyes on this 
 world of care, and was as fondly pressed to the 
 breast of my poor father, as if I were the heiress 
 to broad lands and a long line of ancient 
 ancestry. The extreme delicacy of my mother's
 
 88 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 health induced her medical adviser to prohibit 
 her attempting to nurse ; and the narrow cir- 
 cumstances of my parents precluding them from 
 engaging a wet nurse, my mother determined 
 on rearing me by hand. Her health seemed to 
 revive ; and when she left her sick chamber, 
 the few who saw her, thought her looking mora 
 beautiful than ever. Lord Willamere offered 
 himself as sponsor to the infant ; and his kind 
 sister, Lady Altonbury, proposed being the 
 godmother. When he paid his first visit to 
 the young mother, her increased loveliness 
 re-awakened the evil thoughts that had been 
 slumbering in his mind since her arrival beneath 
 his roof. He tried that generally sure road to a 
 mother's heart, praises of her infant, and, affect- 
 ing to admire children, pronounced that I was 
 one of the prettiest he had ever seen. Flattered 
 by his commendations of me, and thinking that 
 in her new character of a mother, Lord 
 Willamere would find more to respect than 
 admire, in- a woman wholly occupied by her 
 husband and child, she forgot that she had 
 ever seen aught in his manner that indicated
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 
 
 89 
 
 any sentiment of a more personal nature on his 
 part towards her ; and she consequently evinced 
 less reserve in her reception of him, although 
 the most rigid and scrupulous disciplinarian in 
 female decorum could have detected nothing to 
 censure in her manner. 
 
 * Women, far less pure-minded and reserved 
 than Mrs. Stratford, find, on first becoming a 
 mother, a material change in their feelings and 
 notions. There is something so purifying, so 
 sacred in maternity, that its benign influence 
 corrects vanity and sobers down levity. 
 Unhappily, circumstances too often occur which 
 abridge the duration of this holy influence, but 
 few can deny that it has existed. Many a vain 
 coquette has forgotten self in the love excited 
 for her offspring, and has felt more gratified by 
 the admiration bestowed on its beauty, than by 
 all the commendations ever given to her own. If 
 such is the effect produced by maternity on minds 
 of ordinary stamp, its result on one of so superior 
 a nature as Mrs. Stratford's, may easily be 
 imagined. A woman of the most advanced age 
 could not have supposed herself more wholly
 
 90 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 out of the pale of libertine pursuits than she 
 did now, when to her matronly character was 
 added that of a mother. Deeply impressed 
 with a sense of the sacred duties this new tie 
 involved, she, in the innocence of her heart, 
 believed that it invested her in the eyes of 
 others with as holy a shield from sinful thoughts 
 as it did in her own. Hence the change in her 
 manner, which, although less formal and 
 reserved, was nevertheless all that decorum 
 and female dignity could desire. 
 
 Lady Altonbury came to London expressly 
 to answer at the baptismal font for the little 
 stranger, and the knowledge so fully impressed 
 on the mind of Mrs. Stratford of the seriousness 
 and importance which that amiable and excel- 
 lent lady attached to the duties of a godmother, 
 was a source of comfort to her, now that Lady 
 Altonbury had undertaken them for her child. 
 On the day of the christening, Lord Willamere 
 voluntarily promised his secretary, that all his 
 influence should be exerted to procure him an 
 appointment the first vacancy that occurred; 
 and this unsolicited pledge on his part would
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 91 
 
 have convinced Mrs. Stratford, had any doubt 
 still remained in her mind, that he no longer 
 entertained any warmer sentiment than good 
 Avill towards herself. 
 
 Xot long, however, was she suffered to remain 
 in this belief. Lord Willamere, under the plea 
 of coming to inquire after the health of his god- 
 daughter, sought occasions to visit her; and 
 although he never did so without apprising his 
 secretary, carelessly saying, " I will just step 
 up and see Mrs. Stratford and my little god- 
 child," both husband and wife began to find 
 that these calls were more frequent than they 
 wished, and heartily longed for the promised 
 appointment, which would enable them to leave 
 a house where they could not be safe from the 
 intrusion of the owner. 
 
 And now the time drew near when the bills 
 indorsed by Stratford were to fall due: he 
 reminded Lord Willamere of the fact, and 
 urged as strongly as he could the necessity of 
 making a provision to meet them. They had 
 been once renewed as had been agreed on, but 
 Mr. Solomons had on that occasion frankly
 
 92 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 declared his intention of not again granting their 
 renewal. When told of this, Lord Willamere 
 had assured his secretary that the money should 
 be forthcoming, but these repeated assurances 
 had failed to remove the anxiety that haunted 
 him. Too well were his worst fears justified 
 when, the day the bills fell due, Lord Willamere 
 confessed his inability to meet them, and advised 
 Stratford to leave town, or conceal himself in 
 some obscure corner of it until he could obtain 
 money to satisfy Mr. Solomons. The advice 
 came too late. While the poor secretary was 
 meditating where he should go to, and how to 
 break this annoying intelligence to his wife, at 
 that moment greatly distressed by the illness of 
 her child, he was arrested. Lord Willamere 
 was absent at the House of Lords, when this 
 mortifying event occurred. His lordship's 
 solicitor, to whom Stratford wrote, w r as not to 
 be found ; and the sheriff's officer, after waiting 
 an hour at the request of his prisoner, and 
 seeing that further delay was not likely to tend 
 to any advantages to himself, peremptorily in- 
 sisted on his accompanying him to his abode,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 93 
 
 there to wait until Lord Willamere's solicitor 
 could be found. Dreading to have an interview 
 with his wife under the distressing circum- 
 stances of the moment, he wrote a few lines to 
 her, to be delivered in case he did not return at 
 night, left a note, detailing the state of the 
 case, for Lord Willamere, and then resigned 
 himself to his fate. 
 
 " I suppose, Sir, as how you would wish for us 
 to go to Serle Street in a carriage ?" said Mr. Moses. 
 
 "As you please," replied the inexperienced 
 Stratford. 
 
 " No, sir ; not as I, but as you pleases. It 
 bain't nothing to me whatsomnever to be seen 
 going along the streets with you; but 'twill 
 do your credit no good, I can tell you, for you 
 to be seen with me. I'm well known, though 
 I say it as shouldn't say it perhaps, for being 
 the smartest man in my profession in all 
 London. I'm always picked out for doing 
 business with gentlemen at the west end of the 
 town ; and gentlemen as are really of the right 
 sort, never find me uncivil, or against granting 
 'em every accommodation as lies in my power ;
 
 94 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 provided they can afford it and are willing to 
 pay for it." 
 
 "Let us have a carriage, then," said the 
 secretary; and one being called, he and his 
 accommodating companion entered it, and were 
 driven off to Serle Street. 
 
 Misfortunes, though long anticipated, fall 
 not less heavily when they arrive. How often 
 had a presentiment of the event that had now 
 occurred, haunted Stratford during the last six 
 months, and chased sleep from his pillow; 
 nevertheless the realization of his fears over- 
 whelmed him, as much as if he had never 
 previously thought of its probability. His 
 wife, his child the latter, too, ill and suffering, 
 and its anxious mother, so much needing his 
 presence to support and comfort her! What 
 would be his Emily's feelings when she should 
 learn the truth ? and that she must learn it he 
 felt but too assured, for he knew that at that 
 moment Lord Willamere, however he might 
 wish to release him from durance, had not the 
 funds at command to do so ; and his knowledge 
 of his lordship's solicitor, Mr. Spelerman, did
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 95 
 
 not encourage him to hope that he would put 
 himself to any inconvenience or trouble to 
 extricate him, even though well aware that it 
 was solely for the accommodation of his lordship, 
 that his secretary had indorsed the bills. 
 
 " "Well, he's safe off, that's certain," said 
 Mr. Bermingham, the mattre d'hotel of Lord 
 Willamere, as he saw from the window of his 
 private room the carriage that contained Mr. 
 Stratford and the sheriff's officer drive away. 
 " I kept out of the way lest he should ask me 
 to return him the sovereign he advanced me this 
 morning. I saw he had no more in his purse ; 
 and I got that out of him by telling him there 
 was not a shilling in the house to pay for 
 letters or parcels. And not far from the truth 
 neither, for the other servants haven't seen a 
 farthing of their wages for the last six months, 
 and I have taken good care not to keep a 
 sixpence of mine by me. No, no ; the minute 
 I lay my hand on a five-pound note, I go off and 
 lodge it in safe hands, where I can get interest 
 for it. No one shall catch me advancing 
 a shilling for my lord. I'm not such a fool.
 
 96 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 And I owe Mr. Stratford no obligations^ I'm 
 sure. Quite the contrary, for he's a regular 
 skin-flint, and tries all he can to prevent me 
 from having any profits out of my place. I 
 could make a much better thing out of it if lie 
 were not in the house, looking after the cellar 
 book, and doing a hundred other mean things, 
 for which he'll get but little thanks in the end, 
 as I know. Why, the poor devil and his 
 pretty wife half starve themselves rather than 
 go in debt, and are too proud to touch any of 
 my lord's things. More fools they, say I." 
 
 Sally, the under-housemaid, as good-natured 
 as she was pretty, had, from the moment of 
 Mrs. Stratford's arrival at Willamere House, 
 taken a great liking to that lady. She had 
 noticed the severe system of economy adhered 
 to by the young couple, and with a quickness 
 of perception peculiar to her sex, had divined 
 the sentiments of Lord Willamere towards 
 Mrs. Stratford; and had observed the reserve 
 with which his attentions were treated. 
 
 "Yes," thought pretty Sally, "Mrs. Strat- 
 ford is a virtuous and well-conducted lady, and
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 97 
 
 it goes to my heart to see the straits to which 
 she and her husband are driven. I'm sure 
 they hardly eat enough to keep body and soul 
 together; and she's always trying to save me 
 trouble by doing every thing she can to keep 
 her rooms neat and clean. It's a pity to see 
 true lovers so ill off;" and Sally heaved a 
 deep sigh, partly from pity for my mother, 
 and partly because she was reminded, by the 
 case of my parents, of the consequences that 
 result from improvident marriages, the dread 
 of which had alone rendered her, for the 
 last year, obdurate to the pleadings of Thomas 
 the footman for their union. "Yes, it's a 
 terrible thing to see the person one loves 
 wanting the comforts to which he or she has 
 been accustomed," thought Sally ; " and then 
 to have a poor baby to face this cold hard- 
 working world, without any thing to leave for 
 its support, if death should snatch away its 
 parents ! M 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 98 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE interest excited in Sally's breast for my 
 mother led her continually to the chamber she 
 occupied to perform a thousand little services 
 and acts of kindness. She was ever ready to 
 go of errands, to execute commissions, to take 
 charge of ^e bread, butter, milk, and meat, 
 brought to the house for the use of the young 
 couple ; and took especial care that no portion of 
 any of these articles should be abstracted, a 
 thing certain to have occurred, had she not 
 interfered to prevent it. Thomas, too, lent his 
 aid to protect the comestibles designed for the 
 little menage on the second floor, and united with 
 his beloved Sally in rendering every service in 
 his power to my parents. 
 
 No sooner had he been made aware of the 
 arrest of my father, and the news was
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 99 
 
 quickly spread through the house, than he 
 communicated it to his sweetheart. 
 
 " Oh, my ! " exclaimed Sally, " what a terrible 
 blow to the poor lady ! and the dear little baby 
 so ill too ! They did not get a wink of sleep 
 all night, I'm sure, the poor child wailed so 
 much ; and, although I got up and went to 
 their room to help to nurse it, or be of use, 
 Mrs. Stratford wouldn't let me sit up. Ah ! 
 Thomas, you see what a sad thing it is for 
 people to marry before they have laid by a 
 little to make them comfortable ! " 
 
 " So you are always saying, Sally ; and yet 
 time passes away, and our youth goes with it, 
 while we are trying to scrape together a little 
 sum to have to depend on in case of illness. It 
 often makes me gloomy, Sally, when I think 
 how long we'll have to wait ; although I'm sure 
 we do all we can to save money. We have 
 neither of us tasted beer the last year, nor 
 taken sugar in our tea, out of economy, yet 
 how little it adds to our savings." 
 
 "Don't say so, Thomas. It will make a 
 good many shillings at the year's end; and 
 F 2
 
 100 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 besides, leaving off sugar and beer now will 
 enable us to do without them always. Do we feel 
 a bit the worse, Thomas, since we left them off?" 
 
 " No, certainly, Sally ; and for my part I 
 think I feel better ; but then, our fellow- 
 servants jeer us, and that sometimes makes me 
 half ashamed." 
 
 " You men, you men, Thomas, havn't half 
 the courage of us women in such matters ! 
 We don't mind being jeered, when we know it's 
 for a good cause. But, Lord bless me, here are 
 we gossipping all this while, instead of doing 
 our work. I'll just run up and see if I can't be 
 of some use to Mrs. Stratford. Poor lady, how 
 I pity her!" 
 
 " And I'll ask Mr. Bermingham's leave to 
 get out for an hour or two, and run to Serle 
 Street, to where I heard the bailiff order the 
 fly to be driven." 
 
 " Do, dear Thomas. It will be a comfort to 
 poor Mr. Stratford to see some face that he 
 knows in that dismal prison. Oh ! it makes 
 me tremble to think of the poor gentleman shut 
 up with iron bars on every side !"
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 101 
 
 " It's not quite so bad as that yet, Sally ; for 
 they have taken him first of all to what they 
 call a ' lock-up house,' where I'll go and see if 
 he wants me to take any letters for him. So 
 good bye, dear Sally. Do now give me your 
 hand, there's a dear. Ah ! you don't know 
 how I love you ! " 
 
 " Well, you may be sure I'm not ungrateful, 
 Thomas," was the reply, as the blushing Sally 
 withdrew her hand from the fond grasp of her 
 lover, and hurried from the spot. 
 
 On approaching the door of my mother's 
 chamber, she heard the voice of Mrs. Hannah, 
 the upper housemaid, in that quarter. The 
 circumstance was so unusual, for Mrs. Hannah 
 was known, all through the house, to bear no 
 good-will to the secretary or his wife, that 
 Sally instantly guessed that her present visit 
 was to convey the evil intelligence of the 
 husband's arrest to his poor wife. Yet she felt 
 almost angry with herself for the suspicion, 
 and thought, "No, bad and ill-natured as 
 Hannah is, she wouldn't have the heart to do 
 that, neither."
 
 102 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 I 
 
 Her fears, however, were confirmed, when the 
 door opening to admit the retreat of the sour- 
 tempered Mrs. Hannah, she heard her say, 
 " Yes, ma'am, a prison is a very dreadful place, 
 indeed. Not as I knows from hexperence, for, 
 God be thanked, neither I nor any one belong- 
 ing to me was ever in one, but I've been told, 
 that the poor prisoners are all locked up in dark 
 cells with iron bars, and handcuffed, and chained 
 to the wall, and fed on black bread and musty 
 water. Yes, a prison is a dreadful place ; and 
 then, being ever after called a gaol-bird by 
 every one as knows a man was there ! But, hid, 
 ma'am, how mighty pale you look! Mayhap 
 you'd like to take a little somewhat ? " 
 
 "No, thank you, I shall be better by-and- 
 by," was the answer, uttered in so tremulous a 
 tone, that Sally felt convinced there were tears 
 in the eyes of the speaker. 
 
 " I've just been to Mrs. Stratford," said Mrs. 
 Hannah, when she perceived Sally. " I dare 
 say you wanted to have the first story, but she 
 is so proud and distant-like, that I determined, 
 the moment I heard that her husband was
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 103 
 
 inarched off to gaol, to give her the news, just 
 to show her that, for all her airs and conceit, we 
 servants are above her and her husband, in not 
 being taken off to prison. Would you believe 
 it, Sally? she never asked a question; only 
 trembled like an aspen leaf, turned as pale as 
 death, and I thought was going to faint. But 
 not a bit of it. She seemed, after a great strug- 
 gle, to recover herself in a minute or two, and 
 looked so anxious to be left alone, that, seeing 
 nothing was to be got out of her, I came away." 
 
 "Oh, Mrs. Hannah! how could you have the 
 heart to tell it to her, all of a sudden, without 
 taking time to break it to her by degrees ? " 
 
 "Stuff, nonsense; the sooner people know 
 things that concern them, the better ; and as she 
 has always been so high and mighty-like with 
 me, whenever I wished to have a bit of chat with 
 her, I was not sorry to have an opportunity of 
 paying her off." 
 
 Always respectful towards my mother, 
 never did Sally feel so profound a deference 
 towards her as at present. Uneducated as she 
 was, there was a natural goodness and delicacy
 
 104 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 in her mind, that well supplied the place of 
 culture and acquired refinement, and made her 
 so conscious of the sacredness of grief, that she 
 was under the influence of considerable emotion 
 when, after allowing some time to elapse after 
 Hannah had disappeared, she timidly knocked at 
 the door of my mother's chamber. 
 
 "I beg pardon, ma'am, but I thought I might 
 be useful. Will you please to let me nurse the 
 dear baby a bit ? " 
 
 The tears, restrained in the presence of Han- 
 nah, had plenteously flowed after her departure, 
 and my mother's pale face was covered with 
 them. She silently placed me in Sally's arms, and 
 turned away to conceal that she was weeping. 
 
 " I hope you'll pardon me, ma'am, but, indeed, 
 you must try and not take on so. Things may 
 not be so bad as you fear. Mr. Stratford is not 
 gone to prison yet, and I trust in God won' be 
 sent there. He has only been taken to the sheriff's 
 officer's house, until matters are settled." 
 
 " Are you sure of this, my good Sally ? " 
 
 " Quite sure, ma'am, and Thomas has gone 
 there in order to make himself useful by taking
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 105 
 
 any letters that Mr. Stratford might wish to 
 send." 
 
 " How kind and thoughtful," observed Mrs, 
 Stratford. 
 
 " And no more than Mr. Stratford deserves 
 from every one," said Sally, "for he's all good- 
 ness and kindness himself." 
 
 This simple, but well merited commendation, 
 touched the heart of the fond wife, and again 
 brought the tears to her eyes ; but she pressed 
 the hand of Sally, and thanked her with a 
 glance more eloquent than words. 
 
 " You'll see, ma'am, we'll soon have him back 
 here, please God ; for as soon as ever my lord 
 hears of what has happened, he'll get him out." 
 
 This hope was, however, much less strong 
 in the breast of my mother than in that of 
 Sally ; for she had seen enough of Lord Willa- 
 mere's recklessness with regard to money mat- 
 ters, to dread that his finances might not be in 
 a state to enable him to liberate her husband. 
 
 Sally danced me in her arms, addressed the 
 most endearing epithets to me, and succeeded 
 in bringing. smiles to my poor little face. 
 
 F3
 
 106 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " See, ma'am," said the kind-hearted girl, 
 " how little missy laughs and coos. Isn't she 
 a sweet little darling ? and so good ! It's quite 
 a pleasure to nurse her, and I wish you'd let me 
 have the care of her oftener. I dote on pretty 
 children, and never am so happy as when nur- 
 sing 'em ; and this sweet baby is so good, that 
 it's quite a treat to be allowed to have her." 
 
 When was a mother's breast insensible 
 to a compliment addressed to her first-born? 
 Even in the midst of her affliction, mine felt 
 a pleasure in Sally's well-timed praises of hers, 
 and the gopd girl was rewarded for her efforts 
 to please, by seeing that they were not wholly 
 unsuccessful. 
 
 " If you could, without neglecting your duty, 
 take charge of my child," said my mother, 
 " I would go to the place where my husband is." 
 
 "Pray don't think of it, ma'am, 'twould only 
 vex and grieve Mr. Stratford to see you in such 
 a place. Thomas will soon be back, and bring 
 you a letter, you may be sure ; for, only think, 
 ma'am, if Mr. Stratford did not write a note to 
 you before he was taken off, or send to see you,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 107 
 
 it could only be because he did not wish you to 
 appear before the sheriff's officer, or to tell you 
 of his trouble until it was over. And you 
 wouldn't have known anything of it, ma'am, 
 only for Hannah's being so busy and meddling 
 as to come and tell you. I wish she had let it 
 alone, and so spared you a couple or three hours' 
 uneasiness. But some people have so little 
 feeling, that they don't know how to behave to 
 those that have." 
 
 Hour after hour passed, each fraught with 
 indescribable anxiety and dismay to the dis- 
 tressed wife, before Thomas made his appear- 
 ance ; and the intelligence he brought was but 
 little calculated to remove her fears. He had 
 taken notes from the secretary to Lord Willa- 
 mere to the House of Lords, and also to his 
 lordship's solicitor, Mr. Spellerman; but as 
 neither had attended to the summons they con- 
 tained, Mr. Stratford would, he feared, after a 
 fruitless delay of some four or five hours, be 
 removed to prison. 
 
 " I know Mr. Spellerman teas at home," said 
 Thomas, as he related the particulars of his
 
 103 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 errand to Sally; " his servant told me he had a 
 party to dinner, and could not be disturbed, so 
 had desired to be denied to every one. I assure 
 you, my dear Sally, it grieved me to the heart, 
 ay, and angered me too, when I saw the rooms 
 all lighted up at his house, and smelt the rich 
 dainties preparing in the kitchen, and saw the 
 various wines, and fine plate on the side-board, 
 while poor Mr. Stratford, who worked early 
 and late for the benefit of my lord, and who has, 
 as you and I know, hardly enough to keep body 
 and soul together, was taken from his wife, and 
 was left fretting through the long hours, in a 
 dark, dingy, lock-up house, with no friend to 
 comfort him, and indebted to a poor servant like 
 myself, for a good office." 
 
 " Ah ! Thomas, it was enough to pain you. 
 But you know that when Mr. Spellerman asked 
 his friends to dinner, he couldn't know that his 
 presence would be required elsewhere; and he 
 couldn't well leave 'em." 
 
 " But, could'nt he give me a line to take to 
 one of his clerks, I should like to know, telling 
 him to go and get poor Mr. Stratford liberated ? "
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 109 
 
 " So he ought, Thomas ; but I suppose, and 
 more's the pity, it never entered his head." 
 
 " Or mayhap, which is more likely, Sally, 
 he had no wish to interpose in the business. 
 'Twas lucky I had the thought to take in my 
 pocket the three pounds I had ready to put 
 into the Saving Bank, for, just as I expected, 
 poor Mr. Stratford had not a shilling about 
 him. That screw, Bermingham, had his last 
 sovereign out of him this morning; and in a 
 lock-up house, many a demand is made for 
 money. Oh, Lord ! the imposition I saw going 
 on there is not to be imagined. I forced the 
 poor gentleman to take the three pounds, and a 
 difficult job I had to do so." 
 
 " God bless you, dear Thomas," said Sally 
 with moistened eyes, and laying her hand fondly 
 on his ; " I never loved you so well as at this 
 moment. I, too, have my little earnings in my 
 box, and they shall all go to help Mr. Stratford." 
 
 " Well, Sally, if you love me better for it, 
 'twill be some consolation for knowing that 
 what I gave away will keep us some months 
 longer from being married; and this thought,
 
 110 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 I'll own the truth, worried me all the way 
 coming home ; yet, believe me, for all that, I'd 
 give it over again, Sally, rather than see the 
 good gentleman in distress." 
 
 " Bless you for that, Thomas, bless you ! " 
 and Sally vouchsafed a kiss to her sweetheart, 
 a rare and duly appreciated favour ; and they 
 separated: she, to deliver a note of which 
 Thomas had been the bearer, from my father 
 to my mother ; and Thomas, to excuse his long 
 absence to the Maitre cT Hotel, no easy matter, 
 for that person, although by no means over 
 attentive to his own duties, was little disposed 
 to overlook the slightest negligence on the parts 
 of others with regard to theirs. When Sally 
 had ascended the back stairs to go to my 
 mother, she - heard the footsteps of her 
 master mounting the front staircase on the 
 same errand. She, therefore, retired to her 
 own room, to wait until he had withdrawn from 
 my mother's, and left her door ajar that she 
 might hear him depart. He had been almost 
 half an hour in the room, when Sally heard 
 my mother's voice, in a more elevated tone
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. Ill 
 
 than she had ever previously known that lady 
 to use it, command him to withdraw. " Un- 
 hand me instantly, unhand me! my lord," ex- 
 claimed my mother ; " you insult me, and 
 degrade yourself." 
 
 Sally trembled, but, nevertheless, approached 
 the door to be ready to come to my mother's 
 aid if required. 
 
 " Pardon me, loveliest, most beloved of 
 women. On my knees I implore you to for- 
 give a moment of madness, caused by the in- 
 toxicating effect of your resistless charms. I 
 have long and passionately loved you. In vain 
 have I struggled to subdue my unhappy passion, 
 and to chase your beauteous image from my 
 breast." 
 
 "Rise, my lord; every word you utter is 
 an insult; and, oh! merciful powers! what a 
 moment have you chosen to wound, to outrage 
 me !" And here a burst of tears checked my 
 mother's utterance. 
 
 " Only hear me. Promise that you will par- 
 don my rash attempt to compel you to listen to 
 my vows of eternal affection ; promise that you
 
 112 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 will not shun my sight, and I will submit to 
 be your slave, to have no will but yours, no 
 object in life but to please you and study your 
 wishes. My life, my fortune, all I lay at 
 your feet. Stratford shall be instantly released, 
 and I will procure for him a lucrative appoint- 
 ment, if you will promise to be less cruel, less 
 scornful." 
 
 " Never, never ! " exclaimed my mother, 
 " sooner would I submit to the worst ills that 
 Poverty can inflict, than owe to him, who 
 would dishonour the man who has faithfully 
 served and implicitly trusted him, a single 
 favour. Leave the room, my lord, or permit 
 me to do so." 
 
 " Only say that you will not leave the house, 
 that you will not betray my folly, my madness, 
 and I will leave you. Nay, more ; I swear 
 I will never again enter your presence without 
 your permission." 
 
 " Every moment that sees you here, adds to 
 the insult you have already offered to me. I 
 will enter into no terms, make no promises, and 
 I insist on being left alone."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 113 
 
 " You shall be obeyed, loveliest, but haughtiest 
 of your sex. Such is your power over me, that 
 I yield obedience to your commands even when 
 you bid me leave you, the most difficult of all ;" 
 and Lord Willamere, bowing lowly, quitted the 
 room, leaving my mother overpowered by feel- 
 ings of insulted virtue and indignation. 
 
 A short note from Lord Willamere, express- 
 ing his regret that he could not procure money 
 to liberate him, was the only tidings that reached 
 my poor father at the house of the sheriff's 
 officer ; and even for this note he was indebted 
 to the indefatigable activity of the good-natured 
 Thomas, who had induced the door-keeper of 
 the House of Lords to take the one confided to 
 him by my father to his lord, the former 
 note had not reached Lord Willamere. 
 
 From Mr. Spellerman, not even a note could 
 be obtained, that gentleman persisting in re- 
 fusing to acknowledge his being in town, 
 although his servant had admitted the fact. 
 The sheriff's officer, well experienced in similar 
 cases, was not slow in discovering that his pri- 
 soner was not likely to prove a profitable one.
 
 114 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 His inability, whether real or pretended, to pay 
 the fare for the carriage that conveyed them to 
 Serle-street, impressed him with a conviction of 
 this truth ; and he lost as little time as possible 
 in communicating it to his fidus Achates, the 
 master of the house, whose interests it mate- 
 rially concerned. 
 
 " There's not much to be made of this 'ere 
 chap, I can tell you," said Mr. Moses. 
 
 " Sorry to hear it," replied Mr. Isaacs ; " he's 
 either as close-fisted a feller as ever I corned 
 across, or else he's a pauper ; and in either case, 
 he'll bring no grist to your mill, I'm a think- 
 ing. Some of these 'ere chaps keep such a 
 fast hold on their money, that there's no lugging 
 a shilling out of 'em, and, mayhap, this one is of 
 that sort." 
 
 " I don't much think it," said Mr. Moses, 
 shaking his head, " for he's corned out of a house 
 where there's a terrible scarcity of money. 
 Why, that there Lord Willamere never pays 
 no one, until he's forced; his name's as well 
 known for that, as Rothschild's is for the con- 
 trary."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 115 
 
 " Yes, that's true enough ; but don't you 
 know that, often when a master is hard up, 
 those as have the management of his money 
 matters, are well to do in the world, and make 
 their fortunes by him?" 
 
 " No doubt, it's often the case, but, some- 
 how or other, I don't think it is so with this 
 'ere feller." 
 
 " Well, tune will tell, but I have my doubts 
 that he's not so poor as he pretends, and I'll tell 
 you my reasons. Mr. Solomons, as cute a chap 
 as I knows anywhere, told me, that of all the 
 customers he ever had, this one was the hardest 
 about beating down interest and trying to get 
 money on easy terms. It was this very beating 
 down of interest as made Solomons discount 
 the bills ; for, says he to himself, ' If they didn't 
 mean to pay, and didn't know they would have 
 the wherewithal, they'd never be so sharp about 
 beating down the interest ; for, those as knows 
 they cant pay, makes no bother about what 
 they promises to pay. And,' says Solomons 
 to himself, ' This Mr. Stratford must have 
 money, for he seems to understand the value of
 
 116 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 it so well, which I've remarked, those as have 
 the most of it always do. Would Mr. Stratford 
 take such pains and trouble to beat me down 
 about the interest, if it was only for his em- 
 ployer's sake ? No, no, he has a personal motive 
 in it, I'm sure, and as Lord Willamere is such 
 an extravagant and thoughtless man, this 'ere 
 chap must have had plenty of hopportunities of 
 making money." 
 
 " Somehow or other, I think this chap too 
 great a spooney to have profited by such 
 chances. Why, lord love you, Mr. Isaacs, there's 
 some men such perfect fools, that they're not up 
 to anything. This man turned so white in the 
 face, and his lips trembled so when I nabbed 
 him, that I made certain he had not the where- 
 withal to get his release, nor no great hopes of 
 having any friend to come forward." 
 
 Soon after this conversation between Messrs. 
 Moses and Isaacs, Thomas made his appearance, 
 and, with much difficulty, induced my poor 
 father to accept the loan of three pounds, 
 after which, he took the notes, as previously 
 stated, to his lord, and to Mr. Spellerman.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 117 
 
 Anxious to ascertain the precise state of the 
 prisoner's finances, Mr. Isaacs entered the room, 
 and inquired, with some show of urbanity, 
 whether he would not be pleased to take some 
 refeshment. 
 
 " Nothing thank you," was the reply. 
 
 " You can have anything you like here, sir, 
 from turtle soup down to mutton broth, and 
 from any French entree you choose to ask for, 
 down to a plain mutton chop or beefsteak." 
 
 " I require nothing at present," said my 
 father. 
 
 " It's growing dusk, so I suppose you'd like 
 
 candles ? " 
 
 " Yes," was the reply, and forthwith a pair of 
 wax lights were placed on the table. My father, 
 with the rigid system of economy he was in 
 the habit of practising, immediately extin- 
 guished one of the candles, which produced a 
 contemptuous smile from Mr. Isaacs, as he 
 mentally promised, that his prisoner should 
 pay, ay and at triple cost too, for both of 
 them. 
 
 " I wonder," said he to himself, " how he thinks
 
 118 MEMOIRS 
 
 we as keep houses for the accommodation of 
 such as him, are to live?" 
 
 " Have you any friend you'd like to send 
 for, sir ? " inquired he. 
 
 " I have already sent to two ; " was the 
 answer. 
 
 " And who took the messages or notes ? " 
 
 " Lord Willamere's servant who came here." 
 
 " Then, sir, I must tell you, that it's against 
 the regulations of this house, that any one but 
 my people, or Mr. Moses's, should go of errands 
 for prisoners. I keep men purposely for it, 
 which I must pay, and how am I to be able to 
 do so, if I'm defrauded out of my regular 
 profits ?" 
 
 My father's face became flushed with indig- 
 nation, when he heard the term defrauded, 
 addressed to himself. He, however, so far 
 mastered his feelings as to say, that he was 
 ignorant that he was transgressing the rules of 
 the house, when he employed Lord Willamere's 
 servant. 
 
 " You'll have to pay just the same, sir, that's 
 all, for as my men were in attendance, and
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE, 119 
 
 ready to go on your errands, their time must be 
 paid for." 
 
 " Very well," answered my father ; and he 
 was once more left to his solitude.
 
 120 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 How tediously did the time pass on with 
 my father, in this wretched chamber ! his 
 mind a prey to anxiety, as he dwelt with bitter- 
 ness on the state of his poor wife, should he, as 
 he now began to fear would be the case, be 
 compelled to leave this place of temporary con- 
 finement for a prison. Oh ! why had he involved 
 her fate in his more wretched one ? And their 
 poor child too! Often did he press his icy 
 hands to his burning temples, to cool the fever 
 raging there, and endeavour to think upon some 
 resource, or some well-disposed acquaintance 
 who might be induced to extricate him. He 
 passed over in review all the persons he knew in 
 London, but, alas I as they were chiefly, if not 
 entirely composed of the tradespeople of Lord 
 Willamere, to whom large sums were long due,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 121 
 
 the retrospection brought him little comfort. 
 One, however, among the number, he recollected 
 had always manifested more patience and 
 civility than the others. This was the grocer, 
 Mr. Manvers, whose character for integrity he 
 had ever found justified by the correctness of 
 his accounts and moderation of his charges. He 
 would send for Mr. Manvers, relate his position 
 to him, and perhaps he might be induced to 
 come to his aid in this dilemma. But, then, 
 Pride interposed, to check the latent hope sug- 
 gested by this expedient. How was he to 
 solicit so great a favour from one on whose 
 kindness he had no claim ? How reveal to him, 
 a comparative stranger, the affairs of Lord 
 "WiHamere, the entanglement of which had led 
 to the bill transactions, and finally to his own 
 imprisonment? Was he, who had borne poverty, 
 and all the privations it entails, uncomplain- 
 ingly, to now become a suitor to a person of 
 whom he knew little, and who knew even less of 
 him ? Oh ! there was pain and humiliation in 
 the very thought, and he abandoned it almost 
 as soon as it had been formed. But then again 
 VOL. i. G
 
 122 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 came the recollection of his Emily and their 
 child. What was to become of them, when he 
 should be the inmate of a prison ? Was he not 
 selfish, in giving way to the dictates of his 
 own pride, when his adored wife's peace of mind 
 was in question ? Yes, he would vanquish his 
 scruples, stifle the sense of delicacy that made him 
 shrink from soliciting the aid of Mr. Manvers, 
 and at once write to him to request his presence. 
 
 " To what vexation, what humiliation would 
 I not submit, to be enabled to return home to my 
 poor Emily, before she learns the cause of my long 
 and unusual absence ! " exclaimed my father. 
 
 He wrote to Mr. Manvers, and Mr. Isaacs, 
 having despatched the note, again proffered 
 refreshments to his prisoner. 
 
 " You'll surely not refuse to order a bottle of 
 wine, sir ? " said that individual, on profitable, 
 not hospitable thoughts intent. 
 
 "I prefer a little tea," was the answer: and 
 Mr. Isaacs withdrew, evidently ill-pleased at the 
 result of his offer. 
 
 After a few minutes had elapsed, Mr. Moses 
 made his appearance.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 1 23 
 
 " As you seem unacquainted with the rules 
 of houses like this, sir, I must just tell you, that 
 it's the custom for all gentlemen as stop here to 
 call for something, even if they don't want it, 
 for the good of the house. That's how people 
 like Mr. Isaacs live, and are able to pay rent and 
 taxes ; and if it suits gentlemen's convenience to 
 remain here a few hours, just to see what their 
 friends will do for 'em, or to try if indeed they 
 have any friends, for this is the place to find that 
 out, they ought to remember to behave genteelly, 
 and do what's expected of 'em." 
 
 " I did not know the regulations," answered 
 my father, with a deep sigh, "and as I felt 
 unequal to touching any refreshments, I did not 
 think it necessary to order any," 
 
 " Very likely, sir, but you need not take any 
 if you don't like it. This is Liberty Hall in that 
 respect, for all it's a lock-up house, but every 
 one as comes here must order something for 
 the good of the house. In like manner I must 
 be paid for allowing you to stay here, when I 
 could have taken you off straight to prison at 
 once. I just mention these things because I see 
 G 2
 
 124 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 you are not used to our business. But you'll 
 become so in the course of time, I dare say, and 
 then you'll want no one to instruct you." 
 
 "I have ordered some tea," observed Mr. 
 Stratford. 
 
 " Lord love you, sir ! that goes for nothing. 
 Order a couple of bottles of wine. Mr. Isaacs 
 and I will empty one to your health, and the 
 other will go to Mrs. Isaacs's cupboard. ' Live 
 and let live,' that's my motto; and I don't 
 think any one can object to it." 
 
 Before the poor secretary could assent or 
 dissent to the proverb, uttered with much self- 
 complacency by Mr. Moses, the messenger 
 returned from Mr. Manvers, saying that an 
 answer would be sent. My father's faint 
 hope of assistance from that quarter instantly 
 faded, and it was not until it had vanished, that 
 he became sensible, by the pang of disappoint- 
 ment, that he had counted on it. "Ay, ay, 
 I see how it is," said Mr. Moses, the old story ! 
 Won't come. 'An answer will be sent,' means 
 precisely, that no more notice will be taken of 
 the request. It's astonishing how tender-hearted
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 125 
 
 people's friends become, when they hear men 
 are shut up in a prison. They can't bear to see 
 a friend in distress, I suppose, so never come 
 near 'em. It's a pity, sir, you went to the 
 expense of sending a messenger for nothing. 
 A pretty sum 'twill come to, too ; for Jem must 
 have half killed the cab-horse, to have got there 
 and back in so -short a time ! " 
 
 " I'll trouble you for the fare of the cab, and 
 the payment of my messenger," said Mr. Isaacs, 
 entering the room : " Short reckonings make long 
 friends, as the saying is, and it's the rule of my 
 house to have everything paid for when had." 
 
 "How much is the amount?" asked my 
 father, putting his hand into his pocket. 
 
 " Seven shillings and sixpence for the cab, and 
 five shillings for the messenger." 
 
 " And as your hand is in, sir, 'twill be just as 
 well to pay me for the fly that we came in here. 
 It's but a trifle seven and sixpence; so a 
 sovereign will clear both the little accounts," 
 observed Mr. Moses. 
 
 The sovereign was abstracted from the pocket 
 of Mr. Stratford, and handed over to the claim-
 
 126 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ants, who left the room to divide it between 
 them. 
 
 " I say, Moses, did you see, we got him to 
 fork out at last," said Mr. Isaacs, " for all you 
 thought he had no money." 
 
 " He's no better than he should be, you may 
 be sure," was the reply; "for he positively 
 pretended to have no cash, when I asked him for 
 some to pay the cab when we arrived. A regular 
 screw, and deserves to be worked. I can't 
 abide such fellows wanting to do us out of our 
 profits. They ought to be ashamed of them- 
 selves, but they have no shame in 'em." 
 
 " It's no use letting him remain here, you may 
 take my word for it ; the house will gain nothing 
 by such a skin-flint, and no one will come to 
 release him. You see the man he sent for 
 wouldn't come, nor the lawyer that the servant 
 went for." 
 
 " I'm quite of your opinion, and will march 
 him off, but let us first get a couple of bottles of 
 wine out of him. I told him 'twas the custom 
 here, so he's prepared for it." 
 
 "If I thought he had another sovereign or
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 127 
 
 two left, I'd send up the wine, but I didn't hear 
 the jingle of any more coin in his pocket when 
 he drew out the one we've got." 
 
 " Let us take our chance. I'm rather thirsty, 
 and two or three glasses of wine will do me good ; 
 and it's my opinion that there's a few more 
 sovereigns where this one came from." 
 
 " Very well, I'll send up the wine, so that he 
 can't say that it was not served to him." 
 
 " No, no, it's all fair and above board here, 
 Mr. Isaacs." 
 
 Contrary to the expectations of Messrs. 
 Isaacs and Moses, and indeed of my father, 
 himself, Mr. Manvers, the grocer, in due time 
 made his appearance at Serle Street. He was 
 a grave man, and on this occasion looked even 
 more so than usual. He listened with an 
 unchanged aspect to the statement of the se- 
 cretary. He, however, shook his head when 
 the bill transactions were explained, and opened 
 his eyes in astonishment when informed that no 
 portion of the money raised had ever entered the 
 purse of Stratford. 
 
 " Lord Willamere will not, surely, leave you
 
 128 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 here to suffer for his debts?" demanded Mr. 
 Manvers. 
 
 " His lordship would not, I am convinced, 
 had he the means, this moment, of releasing me." 
 
 " But ought he, can he, as an honest man, let 
 you be imprisoned on his account, if he has 
 plate, horses, carriages, furniture, any of those 
 things which even persons much beneath his 
 lordship in station are not without ? v 
 
 My father was silent, for he did not think 
 himself justified in disclosing to any one the 
 fact, that all the personal and household pro- 
 perty of Lord Willamere had long been 
 assigned over to a friendly creditor, in order to 
 preserve them from those less amicably disposed. 
 Careless and culpably negligent as Lord "Willa- 
 mere had been towards him, my father possessed 
 so good a heart, and was so guileless, and un- 
 skilled in worldly lore, that he judged the 
 blamable conduct of Lord Willamere much 
 more leniently that it deserved, and shrank from 
 revealing aught that could militate against 
 either his character or his pecuniary interests. 
 While he paused, embarrassed what reply to
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 129 
 
 make, Mr. Manvers looked still more gravely 
 than before, and his countenance assumed an 
 expression of austerity, that left little hope in 
 the mind of the poor secretary that he had any- 
 thing to expect from him. 
 
 " You have not answered my question, Mr. 
 Stratford, and your silence, I confess, appears 
 incomprehensible to me. If Lord Willamere 
 suffers you to be imprisoned for his debts, he 
 being, as a peer, protected from arrest, then 
 I must pronounce his conduct anything but 
 what might be expected from a nobleman or 
 gentleman, and your forbearance towards him 
 surprises me. I have another question to ask 
 you, Mr. Stratford. Do you think the house of 
 Lord Willamere, a professed libertine, as his 
 lordship is accused of being, a proper abode for 
 your young and handsome wife, when you can 
 no longer be there to protect her ?" 
 
 " I have no friends, no means to provide her 
 a home, however humble," said my father ; his 
 lips tremulous with emotion. " If I had, never 
 should she have entered that house." 
 
 " Perhaps it would have been better for both 
 
 G3
 
 130 MEMOIES OF 
 
 your sakes that she never had," observed 
 Mr. Manvers gravely. 
 
 My father looked at him inquiringly, and then 
 said, " Why, why would it have been better ? 
 I know that it would have been infinitely better 
 for her, that we had not married : it needs no 
 one to remind me of that ; for one of the heaviest 
 reproaches I have to make myself, was the 
 having urged her to leave a home where she 
 was esteemed, respected, and knew no privations, 
 to share my lot, the hardships of which I ought 
 to have too well known to have exposed her to 
 them." 
 
 " I did not mean to reproach you with your 
 marriage, although it must be admitted it was 
 an imprudent one, situated as you were." 
 
 " Why then did you say it would have been 
 as well that my wife had never entered Lord 
 Willamere's house ? " 
 
 " I hardly know, Mr. Stratford, whether I am 
 justified in entering on so very delicate a 
 subject; yet, as I made the reflection you have 
 repeated, perhaps I ought to state the reason. 
 You are not probably aware of the evil rumours
 
 A FEMME BE CHAMBRE. 131 
 
 circulated against your honour, and the purity 
 of your wife, in consequence of her having taken 
 up her abode beneath the roof of Lord Willa- 
 mere?" 
 
 " Merciful God, is it so?" exclaimed my father, 
 turning pale as death. " Oh, my poor Emily ! 
 my poor Emily!" and he sank into a chair. 
 His agony, too deep to leave a -doubt, even on 
 the most suspicious mind, that it was feigned, 
 secretly touched the feelings of Mr. Manvers, an 
 upright, honourable man, who could sympathize 
 with the pain he had unconsciously inflicted. 
 
 " Was it not enough to entail poverty on her, 
 but must I also have exposed her fair fame, 
 dearer to me than life itself, to calumny ? Oh ! 
 Mr. Manvers, if you knew her, you would, like 
 me, be convinced of her purity, of her irreproach- 
 able conduct ! And is this then the reward of a 
 conjugal devotion, seldom equalled, never ex- 
 ceeded, of a resignation under privation rarely 
 borne with such fortitude even by man ? Oh, 
 this is the most bitter of all my trials, the one 
 which most unmans me." 
 
 And my poor father gave way to the emotion,
 
 132 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 he could no longer control ; all the griefs pent 
 up in his heart for long months, seemed now to 
 overflow the boundaries in which they had 
 hitherto been confined, and his agitated frame 
 shook in the vain struggle to subdue them. 
 
 " How has this man been wronged !" thought 
 Mr. Manvers; "I wish I had not revealed to 
 him the evil rumours that had reached me." 
 
 "I feel hardly less indignant a ^ the injury 
 offered to Lord Willamere, by those base and 
 unfounded slanders, than at that aimed at my 
 wife, and my own character," said my father. 
 " He is incapable of harbouring even a dis- 
 honourable thought towards me or mine, and 
 would, I am sure, be the first to resent such a 
 charge. But tell me, I entreat you, Mr. 
 Manvers, what you really did hear ? To refute 
 slander, one should be made aware of its extent ; 
 and though it will be indeed a most painful 
 thing for me to listen to reports so humiliating, 
 so wounding to my feelings; nevertheless, 
 I must request you to be explicit with 
 me." 
 
 And, although pale as marble, my father, by
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 
 
 a violent effort of self-control, assumed a more 
 calm and composed aspect. 
 
 " I wish you would not call on me to inflict 
 this pain on you, and on myself also," replied 
 Mr. Manvers ; " for I assure you, I am now so 
 fully convinced of the utter falsehood of the 
 rumours I had heard, that it will be very pain- 
 ful for me to repeat them. Spare me the dis- 
 agreeable task, and as an amend for the chagrin 
 I have already caused you, and at a moment, 
 too, when you had so much cause for annoy- 
 ance on other grounds, allow me to tell you, 
 that if I can be of use to you in your present 
 dilemma, it will really give me satisfaction to 
 do so." 
 
 " Thanks, thanks ! I feel your kindness as 
 I ought, but you must let me know the worst." 
 
 " Well then but really I hardly can bring 
 myself to utter what must inflict pain, know- 
 ing, as I now do, the utter falsehood of the 
 reports." 
 
 " Pray let me hear them at once." 
 
 " You were represented as one of those con- 
 venient husbands who submit to their own
 
 134 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 dishonour. Men who, instead of being the 
 guardians of the purity of their wives, expose 
 them to temptation, and profit by the result." 
 
 My father groaned aloud and shuddered, and 
 Mr. Manvers again begged to be excused 
 entering into further particulars. 
 
 *" Proceed, I pray you to proceed," exclaimed 
 the agitated man. 
 
 " A lucrative place was, it has been stated, 
 
 to be the reward of your in ." Infamy, he 
 
 would have said, but he checked himself at 
 the first syllable. 
 
 " Oh God! Oh God!" muttered my father. 
 
 " These evil rumours were chiefly circulated 
 by servants, who had heard them from their 
 masters, some of whom had seen you and your 
 wife at the table of Lord Willamere, and 
 marked the more than ordinary interest his 
 lordship appeared to take in the lady. Her 
 beauty, and residence in Lord Willamere's 
 house, added to his well-known libertinism, 
 offered sufficient grounds for slander ; and when 
 the reports in question proceeded from his 
 lordship's friends and companions, you can
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 135 
 
 hardly wonder that they received credence. 
 If gentlemen knew the injury they inflict by 
 their unrestrained conversations and comments 
 in the presence of servants waiting on them at 
 table, they would be less apt to indulge in them. 
 All the rumours that float about London, and 
 find their way at last into the slanderous news- 
 papers, may be traced to this source. A few 
 coarse jokes, or the bantering too often carried 
 on between libertines, have frequently led to 
 the loss of reputation of women, whose only 
 faults were a levity originating in high spirits, 
 and indulged in, through want of knowledge of 
 the world." 
 
 "And this terrible slander obtained belief?" 
 " I regret to say it did. Few persons take 
 the trouble of inquiring into the truth or false- 
 hood of evil reports. It is enough that a 
 semblance of probability exists, to gain them 
 general credence, and the slandered are often 
 the last to hear of them." 
 
 My father felt as if the brand of dishonour 
 had fixed an indelible mark on his brow. At 
 one moment, the burning blood of shame
 
 136 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 mounted to his very temples, and the next, a 
 cold shudder passed over his frame. 
 
 The presence of Mr. Moses interrupted fur- 
 ther conversation; and was explained by that 
 person informing the prisoner, that he could no 
 longer remain in Serle Street " I have let 
 you stay here longer than I ought," said Mr. 
 Moses; " but now we must be off." 
 
 At this moment the voice of Mr. Isaacs was 
 heard in tones of loud expostulation on the 
 stairs. " It's no use, Ma'am, going up to dis- 
 turb the prisoner now, for he's just going to be 
 taken off to gaol." 
 
 " I will, I must see him," said a voice, which 
 even though half- choked by emotion, still re- 
 tained an unusual sweetness. " Good God ! it 
 is my wife," exclaimed my father, rushing to the 
 door to meet her, forgetful for the moment that 
 it was locked, and her tremulous tones of en- 
 treaties still reaching his ear. " I will ring, 
 sir," said Mr. Manvers; and pulling the bell- 
 rope repeatedly, Mr. Isaacs made his appear- 
 ance. " Be so good as to allow Mrs. Stratford 
 to come up to her husband : or stay, I will go
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 137 
 
 and conduct her myself." And so saying, Mr. 
 Manvers left the room and went to her. 
 
 " I didn't know, sir, whether you might wish 
 to see the lady or not." 
 
 " Not wish to see my wife ? " exclaimed 
 my father, greatly agitated. 
 
 " Why, for the matter of that, sir, I couldn't 
 be sure that she was your wife." Here my 
 father looked so fiercely at him, that he changed 
 his tone. " I beg pardon, sir," resumed he ; 
 " what I meant was, that so many ladies come 
 here after gentlemen when they are arrested, 
 and always say they are their wives, that I some- 
 times don't know what to think ; and often the 
 gentlemen would rather not see 'em, and scold 
 me for letting 'em in, they cry, and take on 
 so." 
 
 He had hardly finished this speech, when the 
 agitated, tearful wife entered, and was pressed 
 in the arms of her husband. The meeting was 
 a very touching one ; and Mr. Manvers, having 
 made a sign to Mr. Isaacs to withdraw, was on 
 the point of following him, when my father re- 
 quested him to remain. " I almost wish you
 
 138 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 had not come here, my poor Emily," said he ; 
 " this is no place for you." 
 
 "My place is near you, wherever you may 
 be, dearest," replied his wife,, clinging with trem- 
 bling eagerness to his arm, as if to seek protec- 
 tion " you must bear up against this trial, my 
 beloved." 
 
 " With you I can bear any trial, but do not 
 let us again be separated. Let me share your 
 prison, it will be happiness, compared with the 
 wretchedness of being parted from you. I have 
 brought our child, and a few things for present 
 use. She is below with Sally, who accom- 
 panied me here. I left Willamere House, never 
 more to enter it. Oh ! William, you know not, 
 you cannot know, what I have suffered since 
 you left me;" and here a passionate burst of 
 tears impeded my mother's utterance. > ,; 
 
 "Speak, dearest Emily! say what has oc- 
 curred. I implore you to tell me." 
 
 My mother cast a timid glance at Mr. 
 Manvers, as if to indicate to her husband, that 
 what she had to communicate was not fit for 
 a stranger's ear; but he, understanding that
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 139 
 
 appealing look, told her that Mr. Manvers was 
 his friend, his only one in the present hour of 
 trial, and begged her to have no reserve on 
 account of his presence. 
 
 " Oh ! William, how have you been deceived 
 by the selfish unfeeling man, in whom you have 
 trusted ! Could you have imagined that Lord 
 Willamere, emboldened by your absence, and 
 forgetful of all decency or pity for my dis- 
 tress, dared to insult me by an avowal of his 
 passion ! " 
 
 My father started from his seat as if an adder 
 had stung him; his very brow became crim- 
 soned with indignation and shame, and he 
 shook with emption. " The villain, the villain!" 
 exclaimed he, "and it is for this man; but no, 
 I will not profane the name of man by so calling 
 him ; it is for this vile, this heartless wretch, 
 that I am now a prisoner; that I have for 
 months and years suffered privations and humi- 
 liations without end, while unceasingly toiling 
 in his service, too conscious of his pecuniary 
 embarrassments to remind him of my own. 
 Oh ! Emily, can you forgive me for having
 
 140 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 exposed you to such insult ? " And here my 
 poor father's utterance was checked by the vio- 
 lence of his feelings. 
 
 His wife forgot her own grief in pity for his, 
 and soothed him with a tenderness that melted 
 the heart of Manvers, who now, perfectly con- 
 vinced of the utter falsehood of the tales circu- 
 lated against this poor but excellent couple, 
 determined to assist them to the utmost of hi& 
 power. He arranged with Messrs. Isaacs and 
 Moses, that their prisoner should remain where 
 he was for the night, that accommodation 
 should be found for his wife and child; and 
 having seen a repast which he had ordered 
 served to them, he bade them farewell for the 
 night, promising to be with them early next 
 mornino;.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 141 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 TRUE love ! the most unselfish of all the 
 passions, thou that canst make thy votaries 
 forget self in anxiety for another, and that 
 canst only lead them to unhappiness through 
 the object beloved Oh, what like thee can 
 refine and purify the heart ! 
 
 Each occupied only by thought for the other, 
 my father and mother endeavoured to assume the 
 appearance of a calmness that was, alas ! foreign 
 to the minds of both. What the morrow might 
 bring, neither dared to reflect on. A prison, 
 in all its dreariness, arose in the gloomy vista 
 which their imaginations pictured ; and a dread 
 of separation, the last worst ill of all that 
 menaced them, haunted their thoughts. Yet, 
 notwithstanding these dismal forebodings, each 
 tried to cheat the other by the semblance of
 
 142 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 composure, while their hearts were a prey to 
 anxiety and depression. The baseness of one 
 whom he had regarded and confided in, over- 
 powered the firmness of my father. In whom 
 henceforth was he to trust, when Lord Willa- 
 mere, whom he had so faithfully, so devotedly 
 served, had betrayed and wounded him in the 
 most tender point? When he looked on the 
 pale but beautiful face of his wife, on which 
 care had already left its traces, but where 
 purity and innocence had set their seal, he 
 wondered, that even the most reckless libertine 
 should have dared to entertain for such abeing 
 aught approaching to an unholy feeling. Was 
 she, in her calm and almost angelic beauty, a 
 fit object for the sensual desires and grovelling 
 appetites of a libertine ? O ! no. It was sacri- 
 lege so to regard her, and accursed be he who 
 had presumed to insult her chaste ears with 
 vows of lawless passion, or to view her in any 
 other light than that of a model for wives and 
 mothers. And this was the woman with whose 
 fair fame the tongues of sinful men had been 
 busy. There was torture, there was madness
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 143 
 
 in the thought ; and as he looked on that mild 
 and lovely face, beaming with tenderness on her 
 slumbering infant, and turning from it to him 
 with glances full of pitying affection, he felt that 
 debased and corrupted indeed must those be, 
 who could, after having once seen her, harbour, 
 even for a moment, a single suspicion to her 
 disadvantage, 
 
 Poor man, ignorant of the world, and of the 
 vice of those who form a considerable portion 
 of its denizens, he was prone to judge others 
 by himself. As soon could he have suspected 
 the chastity of an angel as that of the lovely 
 creature before him ; and he could have wept 
 in very tenderness, as a fond mother would over 
 an innocent and wronged daughter, as he re- 
 membered that his Emily had been traduced 
 and insulted. But not always were his feelings 
 so calm. At moments, an unconquerable rage 
 would fill his mind ; and had the vile libertine, 
 who had dared to breathe his passionate vows 
 to his wife's ear, or the base aspersers of her 
 fame and his honour, stood before him, he 
 would have perilled his life to avenge the
 
 144 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 wrong. Never previously had his breast been 
 shook by such a whirlwind of contending pas- 
 sions. Anger, love, and pity strove by turns 
 for mastery; but jealousy, "the green-eyed 
 monster," that tortures less pure breasts, found 
 no entrance in his honest and confiding one. 
 He knew that his honour was as safe in the 
 keeping of his Emily as in his own ; and that the 
 mind of his slumbering child was not more free 
 from earthly stain or sin than was hers. Never, 
 if he could guard against it, should her ear be 
 shocked by hearing that her virtue had been 
 questioned that she had been regarded as the 
 paramour of Lord Willamere ! He felt that 
 he would prefer death to her learning this 
 terrible tale, for he wished that her pure mind 
 should never be sullied by a knowledge that 
 such wickedness could be, and, above all, be 
 directed to her. And he too, how had his 
 character, that by which he lived, by which 
 he hoped to gain an honourable maintenance 
 for his wife and child been assailed ! O God ! 
 that he should have lived to be pointed at by 
 the finger of scorn, as that vilest of all wretches
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 145 
 
 that shame manhood, a husband conniving at 
 his own dishonour ! 
 
 While these torturing reflections passed 
 through his mind, his wife marked their effect 
 on his changeful countenance, and, approaching 
 him, gently pressed her fair and delicate hand 
 on his fevered brow. 
 
 "Do not give way to painful thoughts, 
 dearest," said she, in the low and sweet accents 
 that ever soothed and charmed his ear. "A 
 prison is not always, I am prone to hope, so 
 cheerless an abode as it is represented. Heaven 
 be praised, I have a right to be with you, even 
 there, and never did I bless this privilege more 
 than now. I can make pretty drawings, and 
 various ingenious little things, which, through 
 the medium of Mr. Manvers, who seems so 
 kindly disposed towards us, may find a sale. 
 We have been accustomed to privations, and, 
 God be thanked! have learned to bear them, 
 and I trust that by our joint exertions we can 
 earn sufficient to supply our wants." 
 
 " Bless you, my sweet Emily ! always my 
 soother and comforter under every trial," replied 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 146 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the fond husband, as he removed the hand from 
 his temples and pressed it to his lips. " Yes, 
 even a prison cheered by your presence will be to 
 me preferable, oh! how far preferable, than 
 a palace would be without, could I but forget 
 that it was my selfishness that has led you 
 there." 
 
 " How you torment yourself, dearest ! You 
 ought long ere this to have known how warmly 
 my heart pleaded your suit for our marriage, and 
 that aught like regret for that which I must ever 
 consider the happiest event of my whole life, 
 sounds like a reproach to me for having encum- 
 bered you with a wife and child." 
 
 " Blessed, blessed ties, that bind me to an 
 existence that without them would be, indeed, 
 a dreary, an insupportable one ! Yes, even here, 
 with so much to render me anxious for the 
 present, and to alarm me for the future, I feel 
 that I have a great deal to be thankful for, and 
 that, while Heaven spares me you and our 
 child, I ought not to despair." 
 
 In such communing, this poor, but loving pair 
 passed the early part of the night, until slumber,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 147 
 
 that greatest of all blessings to the wretched, 
 pressed their eyelids, and for a few hours 
 granted an oblivion of their cares. 
 
 When my father opened his eyes next morning, 
 for a moment he felt as if in a dream ; but the 
 sight of the iron-barred windows, and the unclean 
 room with its gaudy but faded finery, brought 
 the reality to his mind. His wife and child still 
 slept, and as the light from the shutterless 
 window fell on their faces the calm beauty of 
 both touched him almost to tears. The child 
 smiled in its slumber poor innocent ! uncon- 
 scious that even already care and poverty had 
 laid their chilling grasp on its young life, and 
 that, from its gentle sleep, it was to open its 
 eyes in a prison ; and the fair young mother in 
 her slumber sighed forth the name of her hus- 
 band, and pressed the pillow on which her head 
 reclined, to her cheek, believing it to be his 
 hand. Oh, Sleep ! how calm, how holy art thou ! 
 How like thy sister, Death ! Surely, if ever it 
 be permitted to mortals to hold communion with 
 heavenly spirits, it must be when resigned to thy 
 benign influence. They are then more freed 
 H 2
 
 148 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 from worldly thoughts and sinful passions, and 
 their very helplessness, like that of infants, 
 places them more immediately under the pro- 
 tection of their Father in heaven. My father's 
 troubled spirit became calm as he contemplated 
 the two beloved beings in repose. They com- 
 prised his world, his only treasure. Were they 
 no longer in existence, life would no more have 
 a single charm, a single blessing for him. There 
 lay his all the only comfort, the sole drops of 
 sweetness vouchsafed to his cup of bitterness ; 
 and yet, how were his cares for the present, and 
 his dread for the future, rendered sharper by his 
 anxiety for their well-being ! He feared lest 
 every noise might break their slumbers, now so 
 sweet and calm, and that his poor Emily should 
 awake sooner than he could wish, to behold the 
 iron bars of their prison, and be reminded of the 
 painful realities of their actual position. 
 
 " How many," thought my father, as he gazed, 
 with almost woman's tenderness, on his wife and 
 child, "less worthy, oh! how infinitely less 
 worthy than my poor Emily, are at this moment 
 pillowed on down, and surrounded by all the
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 149 
 
 appliances of wealth and splendour, who will 
 awake to enjoy luxuries, and to frame new and 
 imaginary wants, certain of the means of pro- 
 curing them, while this fair, this pure creature 
 will awake to feel ' the stings and arrows ' of our 
 hard fortune, denied even a modest competency 
 wherewith to minister to our humble desires! 
 Oh, Fortune I well hast thou been accounted 
 blind, when thou canst heap thy golden stores 
 on the less worthy, and leave a being like this 
 to pine in want. But let me not murmur. 
 Thy ways, Almighty, are inscrutable, and, as 
 Thou hast deemed it fit to steep me and mine in 
 poverty, teach me to bear it with resignation. 
 Teach me to remember, whenever misfortune 
 presses most heavily upon me, that hundreds, 
 nay, thousands, more worthy than I am, are 
 exposed to similar, perhaps to greater trials, and 
 to bow with submission to Thy will." 
 
 Those who have fought with fortune, and 
 vainly resisted her strokes, will acknowledge 
 that the angry spirit in which they have been 
 received, greatly adds to the irritation of the 
 wounds inflicted. But no sooner does resigna-
 
 150 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 tion take the place of anger, than a mental relief 
 is experienced ; although the wounds are deep 
 as before, they rankle less; and submission 
 brings, in time, healing on its wings. My 
 mother at length awoke, but her first glance was 
 not, as her husband feared it would be, at the 
 iron-barred window, but at him; and, oh! what 
 unutterable love was in that look. The next 
 glance was at her sleeping child, and then her 
 eyes were lifted towards Heaven, in thanks for 
 the possession of these blessings. How angelic 
 did she appear, as with rapt devotion her lips 
 moved in prayer, and, when ended, she pressed 
 them to her husband's brow ! 
 
 Mr. Manvers was announced before my father 
 and mother had completed their matinal meal. 
 His manner towards them was even more cordial 
 than on the preceding evening, and he assured 
 the former that he felt the utmost desire to be 
 of use to him. 
 
 " To do this, it will be necessary for me to 
 know your exact position, and the extent of the 
 engagements into which you have entered," said 
 the worthy man.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 151 
 
 When informed of them, and the amount 
 was much larger than he had anticipated, 
 he questioned my father as to the likelihood 
 of Lord Willamere's ever paying those debts 
 which, in truth, were his, and his only. The 
 bare mention of that name brought the flush 
 of indignation to the cheek of the poor 
 secretary, while he answered, that before he 
 had learned the base attempt of his lordship to 
 corrupt his wife, he would have considered a 
 doubt on this subject as an injury and insult 
 to him. " But now," added my father, " I can 
 believe him capable of anything, and my con- 
 viction is, that he will leave me to suffer for my 
 foolish and misplaced confidence in his honour." 
 
 "I hardly know what to advise, or what 
 to do," observed Mr. Manvers. " Your respon- 
 sibilities amount to a large, a very large sum." 
 But here a glance at the pale cheeks and tear- 
 ful eyes of my mother, so touched the feelings 
 of the kind-hearted man, that his pity for her 
 almost conquered his prudence. Still, the sum 
 required to free my father from the whole of his 
 liabilities was too serious a one to be lightly
 
 152 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 proffered. It was true, Mr. Manvers was a 
 rich man, and had only two children to provide 
 for ; but to pay so much money for so worthless 
 a person as Lord Willamere, was really 
 vexatious. Yet, if he did not free my father, 
 the poor man would be sent to prison, and the 
 fair young creature before him, and her child, 
 would have to share his hard lot. What a 
 foolish man Stratford must be to have involved 
 himself in such a labyrinth of difficulties for 
 any one, but more especially for so unworthy a 
 person as Lord Willamere; and a sentiment 
 of anger against the poor secretary entered his 
 mind. 
 
 A thorough man of business, with habits 
 of scrupulous exactitude in fulfilling his engage- 
 ments, and consequently cautious in forming 
 them, he could not make allowance for the 
 utter want of prudence in my father, as revealed 
 by the statement he had extracted from him, 
 nor for his total ignorance and inexperience in 
 matters of business. There was something of 
 contempt mingled in the pity he entertained for 
 him. But then followed the reflection, and
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 153 
 
 there was a certain portion of self-complacency 
 in it, of the general deficiency of learned men 
 in a pecuniary knowledge of affairs, and of their 
 vast inferiority in this respect to men of business 
 like himself. He felt disposed to thank pro- 
 vidence that he was not a scholar, lest he too 
 might have been as ignorant of money matters 
 as the poor ruined man before him: but this 
 very self-complacency engendered kind senti- 
 ments towards my father. " I'll tell you what, 
 sir," said he, " 111 at once pay this bill of Mr. 
 Solomon's, and, as no other detainer has been 
 lodged against you, my doing so will secure 
 your liberty. Let me settle with the harpies 
 here, for be assured you are no match for them." 
 
 " I know not how to thank you, indeed I 
 hardly think I ought to accept the service you 
 so very kindly offer to render me, knowing, as 
 I do, that I am not likely to have the means of 
 repaying you." 
 
 But the eloquent glance of my mother spoke 
 
 volumes to the good-natured Mr. Manvers, and 
 
 he had seldom in his life experienced more 
 
 self-satisfaction than at that moment, when 
 
 H 3
 
 154 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 assured that he had rendered so charming a 
 woman happy. He left the room, to arrange 
 matters with Messrs. Moses and Isaacs ; and 
 my mother threw herself into the arms of her 
 husband, filled with gratitude to Heaven, for 
 having in their hour of need raised up such 
 a friend to serve them. The thinness of the 
 walls and partitions of the ill-built house of 
 Mr. Isaacs, enabled those in the rooms im- 
 mediately above the ones occupied by the 
 owner, to overhear all that passed in them, and 
 my parents soon heard loud and angry voices in 
 discussion. 
 
 " What ! twenty shillings for two bottles of 
 sherry?" exclaimed Mr. Manvers ; " why, I keep 
 as good wine as any merchant in London, and 
 I never dreamt of charging any such price." 
 
 " That may be, sir," replied Mr. Isaacs, 
 sulkily. "You charge what you like, and I 
 charge what pleases me. Your customers go 
 to you through choice, and may go elsewhere if 
 it suits them ; mine come to me from necessity, 
 can't help themselves, and so I must charge 
 accordingly."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 155 
 
 " You don't mean to say that Mr. Stratford 
 drank two bottles of wine last night, do you?" 
 
 " He might have drunk 'em, if it so pleased 
 him to do, for they were served to him ; but as 
 he didn't that wasn't my fault, they must be 
 paid for all the same. And what's more, I 
 don't see why people should grumble about 
 such trifles. * Live and let live,' is my motto ; 
 and I must say, that I never had a worse cus- 
 tomer enter my house than this here friend of 
 yours. Wouldn't have a bit of dinner served, 
 nor order any thing, which he ought to have 
 done, if only from a sense of common decency 
 and for the good of the house." 
 
 The husband and wife looked at each other, 
 as they listened to this new code of lock-up- 
 house etiquette ; and both mentally prayed that 
 they might never again be subjected to its 
 influence. 
 
 To those not accustomed to analyze human 
 character and motives, it would have appeared 
 a strange anomaly, to hear Mr. Manvers dis- 
 puting every item of the gross imposition en- 
 tered in Mr. Isaacs' account, while determined,
 
 156 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 with but a faint prospect of eventually being 
 reimbursed, to pay the whole of the amount of 
 the writ taken out against my father by the 
 usurer Solomons, with all the legal expenses 
 that had accumulated thereon. But to those 
 acquainted with mankind, there was nothing 
 strange in this mixture of parsimony and gene- 
 rosity, for they know that they continually 
 meet in the same individuals; and that it is 
 owing to a strict observance of prudence and 
 economy, that people are enabled to perform 
 generous actions. 
 
 And now all accounts were settled, and the 
 harpies of the lock-up-house paid, the next 
 question was, where were the Stratfords to go ? 
 " Have you no friends who would receive you 
 for a few days, until we could see what can be 
 done?" demanded he; but the rapid and melan- 
 choly change in the countenances of both hus- 
 band and wife gave a negative to the question, 
 before their faltering lips could pronounce one ; 
 and the kind-hearted, but somewhat brusque 
 Manvers sincerely regretted having asked one 
 which, by reminding them of their friendless
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 157 
 
 position, had evidently occasioned them so much 
 pain. " How very stupid it was of me," re- 
 sumed he, after a short pause, " to forget that 
 I have a couple of spare rooms at my house, 
 where you will be very comfortable for the 
 present, and where I can assure you of a very 
 hearty welcome." 
 
 There was nothing left for my parents, but 
 to accept the kind invitation ; and, deeply im- 
 pressed with a sense of the goodness of him 
 who gave it, they entered the hackney-coach, 
 which had been sent for by Mr. Manvers, and 
 drove to his house. With a delicate regard to 
 the feelings of his new guests, he led them into 
 the house through the private door instead of 
 through the shop, that they might not be ex- 
 posed to the prying gaze of the shopmen or 
 customers who filled it ; and having conducted 
 them up stairs into a neatly furnished sitting- 
 room, with an excellent bed-room and dressing- 
 room adjoining, he told them to consider them- 
 selves quite at home, and begged that they 
 would share his repasts, naming the hours at 
 which they were served.
 
 158 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " On hospitable thoughts intent," Mr. Man- 
 vers went to consult with his housekeeper, who 
 also enacted the part of cook in his large but 
 well-ordered establishment, on the necessity of 
 making some addition to the family dinner. 
 He always dined apart from his clerks, as he 
 partook that meal with his two daughters, girls 
 of ten and eleven years old, on whom he doted. 
 " A gentleman and his wife, particular friends 
 of mine," said Mr. Manvers, anxious to impress 
 the precise Mrs. Manley with a respectful con- 
 sideration for his guests, " have done me the 
 favour to come and spend some time with me, 
 and I desire that every attention may be paid 
 to their comfort while they remain." 
 
 " Certainly, sir," was the reply. 
 
 " Have a couple of roast chickens added to 
 dinner ; and tell Betsey the housemaid to give 
 all the time she can spare from her work to 
 Mrs. Stratford's child." 
 
 " Two additional rooms to clean every day, 
 sir, will, I fear, not leave Betsey any time for 
 the child ; but I know a nice tidy young girl, 
 sir, a cousin of Betsey's, who is looking out for
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 159 
 
 a place, and who would be very glad, for the 
 sake of her meals, to come here and take charge 
 of the child, and wait on the lady too while 
 they stay, and she could sleep with Betsey." 
 
 " A capital plan, Mrs. Manley, send for her 
 directly ; but mind, Mrs. Stratford is not to 
 know that this young person has been engaged 
 on her account. Let it be supposed that she 
 belongs to the house." And having satisfac- 
 torily made these arrangements, Mr. Manvers 
 hurried off to his shop to superintend his busi- 
 ness, well pleased with himself and others ; 
 while Mrs. Manley, having sent out for the 
 chickens and for Betsey's cousin, donned her 
 best cap, and a snowy-muslin apron, and pro- 
 ceeded to pay her respects to the new visitors. 
 
 " I hope, Ma'am, that you won't scruple to 
 ring the bell for anything you want," said the 
 good woman, after having respectfully wel- 
 comed my father and mother. " Here, Ma'am, 
 you'll find plenty of nice books ; " and she 
 took the key of a large and well-stored book- 
 case from her pocket, and handed it to my 
 mother. " I'll send you up the morning papers
 
 160 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 immediately, sir; and here you'll find paper, 
 pens, and ink," continued she, addressing my 
 father, as she opened a neat mahogany writing- 
 desk, which formed one of the pieces of furniture 
 of the apartment. " Oh, the dear child ! bless 
 its little heart, what a pretty creature !" said 
 Mrs. Manley, turning to the baby which its 
 mother had laid on the sofa, and who, refreshed 
 by its long sleep, was now smiling and stretch- 
 ing out its little rounded limbs in apparent 
 comfort. 
 
 " We have a handy, active young person in 
 the house, who will be glad, Ma'am, to take 
 charge of little miss and to wait on you, as 
 my master ordered. She'll be here in a few 
 minutes; and, in the meanwhile, I'll just step 
 and make a little panada, for I'm sure, by its 
 yawning, that the little darling is hungry." 
 And off went Mrs. Manley, leaving my parents 
 much pleased with her, and thankful that the 
 kindness of their host would not be thwarted 
 by the ill-will of his confidential servant, as is 
 too often the case in similar circumstances. 
 
 Ere half an hour had elapsed, the child had
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 161 
 
 partaken of its panada, which was excellent, and 
 was cooing and smiling as gaily, as if, to use a 
 common phrase, " it had been born with the 
 silver spoon in its mouth," which had so lately 
 fed it : and its parents, thankful to Providence 
 for their recent release from prison and present 
 shelter, tried to be as happy as they were 
 grateful.
 
 162 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 GREAT was Lord Willamere's regret and dis- 
 satisfaction when he learned that my mother had 
 left his house. Well knowing her poverty and 
 dependent situation, he had not anticipated her 
 taking this step, and, careless as he in general was 
 with regard to the feelings of others, it is only 
 rendering him justice to state, that, could he have 
 recalled the event that had, as he imagined, led 
 to it, gladly would he have done so. He felt, 
 now, that it was too late to atone for the eviL 
 What an error he had committed in alarming the 
 virtue he had so long wished to undermine! 
 How ill-timed was his rash declaration of love, 
 at a moment when the position of her hus- 
 band must have engrossed all my mother's 
 thoughts, and excited, even more than usual, 
 all her tenderness; and when he, with common
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 163 
 
 tact, ought to have evinced even more than 
 ordinary delicacy and respect in his conduct 
 towards her ! Yes ; he had grossly committed 
 himself; thrown up the game, as he termed it, 
 when by skilfully playing his cards he might 
 have won it, and, by having given way to the 
 impulse of his mad passion, he had created fear 
 and dislike, where he would have made every 
 sacrifice, save that of his guilty affection, to 
 have excited regard. He blamed the wine he 
 had drank at dinner, for having had so little 
 self-control in his interview with my mother. 
 He cursed his own folly, nay, accused her loveli- 
 ness, heightened in his eyes by her agitation and 
 tears for her husband, for his own madness in 
 throwing off all disguise, and trying to compel 
 Jier to listen to his vows. He recalled, with 
 deep emotion, her terrified glance as she shrank 
 from his approach, and the disdain with which 
 she repelled him. Yes, even he, libertine as he 
 was, had been awed by the withering scorn of 
 an insulted and unprotected woman, and, mad as 
 was the passion with which her exquisite beauty 
 had inspired him, he was conscious that his
 
 164 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 spirit had quailed beneath her reproving glance, 
 and that he dared not again encounter it. How 
 great must be her contempt of him, who in the 
 moment of her heavy trial, the arrest of her 
 husband, when she most needed the solace of 
 sympathy and respect, could violate all the laws 
 of decorum and hospitality, and offer insult to 
 her whom he should have sought to shield from 
 aught approaching it. He struck his temples 
 with his open hand as these thoughts passed 
 through his mind. He accused himself, again 
 and again, of having invaded the sanctity of his 
 own roof, in offending a virtuous woman while 
 beneath it, and almost loathed himself for having, 
 by hie mad conduct, driven her to seek shelter 
 elsewhere. And Stratford, too! that worthy, that 
 honest and disinterested man, who had so faith- 
 fully served him for years ! who had borne, with 
 a delicacy and patience unequalled, the priva- 
 tions which the irregularity and scantiness of the 
 payments made to him must have occasioned ! 
 who was, even now, deprived of his liberty, not 
 for any debt of his own contracting, but for one 
 of the very man who was plotting to injure him
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 165 
 
 in the tenderest point, and who seized the 
 opportunity afforded him by the incarceration 
 of his poor secretary, to outrage his wife by 
 licentious and open avowals of passion ! Lord 
 "Willamere, although a libertine and a volup- 
 tuary, was not wholly destitute of good feeling ; 
 and there were moments in his life when the 
 still small voice of conscience would make itself 
 heard, and cause him to regret, that, in the 
 reckless indulgence of his own evil propensities, 
 he had inflicted injury on others. He had not 
 sufficient firmness or self-control to resist tempta- 
 tion, nor moral principle enough to be aware of 
 the enormity of his misdeeds, or of the extent of 
 the evil entailed on others by his transgressions. 
 He really felt a good-will, and no inconsider- 
 able degree of respect towards his secretary, and 
 would, if occasion offered, have rendered him 
 any service in his power ; but, while ready to do 
 this, he would not have scrupled to have used 
 every effort to seduce the wife of his bosom, and 
 would have laughed to scorn any attempt to 
 make him sensible of the dishonour and turpitude 
 of such conduct.
 
 166 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Fully convinced that Stratford would have 
 sooner died than connive at any dereliction from 
 virtue in his wife, and that even a doubt of her 
 purity would render him inconsolable, lie, never- 
 theless, would have heedlessly compromised her 
 reputation, rather than miss an opportunity of 
 being in her company, and would have exposed 
 that of her worthy husband, by letting it be 
 supposed that he tacitly acquiesced in his own 
 dishonour. Now, however, foiled in his schemes, 
 and his intended victim having escaped from his 
 power, he regretted his own rash conduct, and 
 experienced more pain at having aggravated the 
 trials and sufferings of his poor secretary, than 
 any of his roue friends would have believed him 
 capable of feeling. A sentiment of shame, as 
 deep as it was unusual with him to know, 
 mingled with his self-reproach ; and, had he had 
 hundreds at his command at that moment, there 
 is no doubt his first use of them would have 
 been to have released my father from every debt 
 of his for which he was liable, and to have paid 
 him every shilling of the arrears of salary for 
 which he was indebted to him. Nay, more, he
 
 A FEMME UE CHAMBRE. 167 
 
 would, had the opportunity offered at that crisis, 
 have bestowed on him any appointment he could 
 have procured, as some reparation for the injury 
 he had attempted to inflict on him. " Poor 
 fellow ! " thought Lord Willamere, " I really do 
 believe he liked me, and liked me for myself 
 alone. He was, indeed, disinterested, and de- 
 voted to my interest. Heigh ho ! Why did he 
 marry a woman so exquisitely handsome, that 
 nothing short of a saint, and Heaven knows I 
 never set up to be one, could have resisted her 
 charms, or have failed to endeavour to rival him 
 in her affection ? And then to bring her to my 
 house too ! It was nothing short of madness. 
 As well might one place untold heaps of gold 
 within reach of a thief, and trust that he will not 
 appropriate it, as throw beauty like Mrs. Strat- 
 ford's in sight of a fellow like me, and think I 
 could behold it without wishing to possess it. 
 Eeally, such husbands bring on, by their own 
 folly, the evils which common prudence or know- 
 ledge of the world might avert, and have only 
 themselves to blame for the result." 
 
 By such sophistry as this did Lord Willamere
 
 168 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 endeavour to silence the whispers of conscience, 
 and after a brief time his self-reproach subsided 
 into less painful feelings. He said to himself, 
 that it was no use fretting about what could 
 not be helped. He had not the money to free 
 ppor Stratford. When he got any, he would 
 certainly do so (and he meant it at the time ) ; 
 but until then he would banish the whole affair 
 from his mind : and he did banish it, by plunging 
 into every species of amusement that offered, and 
 by occupying his thoughts with more agreeable 
 subjects. Yet this man, who after the lapse of 
 a few days bestowed not a thought on the pain- 
 ful position to which my mother must be re- 
 duced, without money, and totally friendless, 
 as he believed her and her husband to be, 
 imagined that he had loved her ! And so it 
 is, that many heartless voluptuaries, like him, 
 deceive themselves, and profane the sentiment 
 of love, by mistaking the gross and sensual 
 passion, which alone they are capable of feeling, 
 for the pure and ennobling one which ever seeks 
 the happiness of the object beloved, in preference 
 to selfish enjoyment. Lord Willamere would,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 169 
 
 after a few days had gone by, have forgotten 
 the existence of the man whom he believed to 
 be pining in a prison for his debts, had he not 
 been reminded of it by piles of unopened and 
 unanswered letters, the accumulation occasioned 
 by Stratford's absence. He glanced with alarm 
 on the heaps, which he had not sufficient moral 
 courage to open, and dismissed his maitre d" hotel, 
 Mr. Bermingham, angrily from his presence, for 
 having reminded him that sundry creditors were 
 impatient and clamorous for a settlement of 
 their accounts, and that he had paid away his 
 last shilling in discharging the various small 
 items of daily expenditure ; the latter assertion 
 being wholly unfounded. The fact was, no 
 sooner had the sapient Mr. Bermingham ascer- 
 tained that Stratford w r as not likely to return to 
 Willamere House, than he began to think of 
 taking advantage of his absence. The circum- 
 stance of Mr. Stratford's so abruptly quitting 
 it, as well as Sally's letting drop some hints 
 of the dear lady being too good to stay in a 
 house where some people .didn't know how to 
 treat an angel when under their roof, had led to 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 170 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 this conclusion on his part, and he determined 
 on making an effort to increase the extent of his 
 power, by busying himself in matters which had, 
 hitherto, been exclusively confided to the juris- 
 diction of the secretary. He went to some of 
 the least respectable of the tradespeople, made 
 them understand that, henceforth, he would have 
 the examination and arrangement of their ac- 
 counts, and that, if made worth his while, he 
 would not be so mean and scrupulous as Mr. 
 Stratford, in regard to the quality or quantity 
 of the articles furnished, and would be much 
 more pressing with his lord for the payment of 
 the bills. Urged on by the hope of a liberal per 
 centage from these said tradesmen, Mr. Ber- 
 mingham took the liberty of presenting himself, 
 with a file of their bills, in the office of his lord 
 and master ; but his reception there was such as 
 to convince him that he had miscalculated his 
 powers of utility in a financial point of view : a 
 discovery, however, which he carefully concealed 
 from those most interested in the matter, and 
 whom he deceived by promises he was aware that 
 he had but little chance of performing.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 171 
 
 To go on any longer without a private secre- 
 tary, Lord Willamere felt to be impossible. 
 He must, therefore, look out for one without 
 loss of time; but, en attendant, how was he to 
 get on, without money, until the next quarter's 
 salary beqame due ? 
 
 While he was reflecting on this point, a 
 card, with a letter from a Mr. Humphry, was 
 brought him. With Mr. Humphry his lord- 
 ship had formerly had negotiations of rather 
 a delicate nature, the result of which had been 
 to transfer a certain number of hundreds of 
 pounds into his lordship's purse, and an appoint- 
 ment of a certain yearly value to the brother of 
 the said Mr. Humphry. The card reminded 
 L/ord Willamere of this fact, one which was 
 never remembered without unpleasant twinges 
 of conscience ; for, to have given an appoint- 
 ment without any scrutiny into the character 
 or capability of filling it of the person on whom 
 it was conferred, was rendered still more blame- 
 able from the circumstance that pecuniary mo- 
 tives had induced this dereliction from honour 
 and duty. His lordship's poverty, rather than his 
 i 2
 
 172 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 will, had led to this culpable traffic ; and this 
 same cause operated as strongly at the present 
 moment as on the former occasion. 
 
 " Yes ; I will see Mr. Humphry," said he to 
 his servant, " show him into my study." 
 
 Mr. Humphry, through the medium of some 
 clerks in the government offices, with whom he 
 kept up an acquaintance, managed to be ge- 
 nerally au fait of appointments falling vacant, 
 or about to be created. He now came to inform 
 Lord Willamere that a certain one had fallen 
 into his lordship's gift the previous night, 
 through the death of the late holder, and he 
 solicited it for a friend of his, a gentleman, as 
 he said, of considerable abilities and high cha- 
 racter; who, he added, was willing to pay a 
 reasonable douceur for the appointment. Lord 
 Willamere coloured, felt embarrassed for a 
 moment, and had Mr. Humphry been skilled 
 in reading the thoughts by the expression of the 
 face, he would have discovered that his lordship 
 had not yet entirely conquered the pride and 
 delicacy peculiar to high-born men, before want 
 of money, that leveller, and destroyer of such
 
 A PEMME DE CHAMBRE. 173 
 
 sentiments, has blunted them. But Mr. Hum- 
 phry, a total stranger to such feelings, was 
 unsuspicious of their existence in the breasts of 
 others, and attributed the heightened colour of 
 Lord Willamere to satisfaction at the prospect 
 of an advantageous treaty with him, rather than 
 to a latent sense of shame and humiliation at 
 entering into such reprehensible negotiations. 
 The very place now become vacant was the one 
 designed for poor Stratford, as the one formerly 
 granted through Mr. Humphry's arrangement 
 had also been. This recollection flashed through 
 the mind of Lord Willamere, and a sigh of real 
 but transient regret followed it. " This man," 
 thought he, "is the evil genius of Stratford. 
 This is the second time that he has stepped be- 
 tween him and fortune ;" and something of dis- 
 like towards Mr. Humphry was mingled with 
 regret for Stratford. How anxious are men to 
 turn the blame they merit, to some one else ! 
 It never occurred to Lord Willamere, that his 
 own reckless extravagance, entailing pecuniary 
 embarrassments which rendered money indis- 
 pensable for their relief, had prostrated the
 
 174 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 honourable principles which ought to have pre- 
 cluded his having recourse to negotiations like 
 those entered into with Mr. Humphry, and 
 that these, and not that person, had defeated the 
 interests of poor Stratford. 
 
 There are always Mr. Humphrys to be found, 
 ready to avail themselves of the laxity of prin- 
 ciple and pecuniary wants of men in power ; but 
 , his lordship, anxious to throw the blame off his 
 own shoulders to those of another, looked on Mr. 
 Humphry as the evil genius, as he termed it, of his 
 late secretary. He was silent for some moments? 
 and his companion, imagining that his taciturnity 
 originated in some mental calculation on the value 
 of the appointment solicited, resumed the topic. 
 
 "Your lordship will not, I hope, be very 
 unreasonable in your demands." 
 
 Lord Willamere's cheeks again glowed, and 
 he would have liked to have kicked his visitor 
 out of the room, but he nevertheless vanquished 
 his indignation, and observed that " the appoint- 
 ment was rather a lucrative one, and, conse- 
 quently, a consideration in proportion to its 
 value was naturally to be expected ; " adding,
 
 A EEMME DE CHAMBRE. 175 
 
 that " as it was promised to another," (an asser- 
 tion the truth of which Mr. Humphry wholly 
 disbelieved, and took to be only made as a plea 
 for a larger douceur for the appointment,) " he 
 could not break his promise, unless the tempta- 
 tion to do so was very strong indeed." 
 
 This paltering with his own honour, or rather 
 with the slight portion of it that still remained 
 in his heart, cost Lord Willamere no inconsi- 4 
 derable effort ; but he was urged on to it by the 
 recollection of certain pressing debts of honour, 
 the non-payment of which would compromise 
 him in society 5 and also yes, positively, Reader 
 also by the remembrance, that only through 
 a supply to be obtained by the present mode, 
 could he release poor Stratford from prison. 
 This last reflection silenced his wavering 
 scruples. He fancied that the end justified the 
 means; nay, more, grown bold by something 
 resembling a gleam of self-satisfaction, he de- 
 termined to insist on a larger remuneration 
 for the appointment than he might otherwise 
 have been disposed to require. 
 
 " Well, my lord, what sum will your lordship
 
 176 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 really be satisfied with ? " demanded Mr. Hum- 
 phry, a little crest-fallen at the gravity of 
 Lord Willamere, which he shrewdly guessed 
 augured that the appointment would not be 
 obtained on what he called reasonable terms. 
 
 " I will not accept a sous less than two thou- 
 sand guineas," replied his lordship. 
 
 " Two thousand guineas is a very large sum, 
 my lord, for my friend to sink. I had hoped 
 that half that sum, or, at most, fifteen hundred 
 pounds, would have been considered sufficient." 
 
 The fierte of the nobleman was not all gone, 
 although the honour and probity of the man 
 had departed. Lord Willamere drew himself 
 up to his full height; and when he did so, 
 there was a dignity in his demeanour that 
 Seldom failed to produce an effect on those with 
 whom he wished it to be successful. Mr. 
 Humphry saw at a glance that no less than the 
 sum named would be accepted. Nevertheless, 
 he made one more attempt to economise some 
 additional sum, however small, for himself. 
 
 " I am then to understand, my lord, that two 
 thousand pounds is your ultimatum ?"
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 177 
 
 " I said guineas, sir," was the reply, uttered 
 with as stately an air as if the speaker had 
 never degraded himself, or was not even at the 
 moment engaged in a transaction contrary to 
 his duty. 
 
 " Well, my lord, the money shall be forth- 
 coming the day that my friend is gazetted to 
 the appointment!." 
 
 Lord Willarnere bit his nether lip ; and, after 
 a pause, said, " that half the sum would be very 
 acceptable to him at that time." 
 
 " There's many things between the cup and 
 the lip, my lord," observed Mr. Humphry. 
 
 " You don't mean to insinuate, that having 
 pledged myself to bestow the appointment on 
 your friend, I would break my promise ? " de- 
 manded the peer angrily. 
 
 " I beg pardon, my lord ; but, as your lord- 
 ship confessed to me a short time ago that you 
 had promised this very appointment to another, 
 I thought" and here Mr. Humphry abruptly 
 stopped, for the glance of offended dignity and 
 fierceness of the earl, rendered him fearful of 
 finishing the sentence he had been about to 
 i 3
 
 178 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 utter, which meant nothing more nor less, than 
 to state in as civil terms as such an insulting 
 suspicion could be worded, that he feared his 
 lordship might, after receiving the money, be- 
 stow the appointment on another. 
 
 The pride which is not sufficiently strong to 
 prevent a man from committing an unworthy 
 action, often survives the heavy blows inflicted 
 on it by his turpitude, and by the pangs it 
 occasions, avenges his misdeeds. Lord Willa- 
 mere positively writhed under the agony of the 
 insult implied by Mr. Humphry's interrupted 
 speech; yet such was the thraldom in which 
 his pecuniary difficulties had plunged him, that 
 he feared to break off the agreement which he 
 had but just completed, by giving utterance to 
 the anger he felt. He again bit his lip; and 
 although the sudden pallor which replaced the 
 flush of rage that but a moment before had crim- 
 soned his brow, betrayed the internal struggle, 
 he smoothed his countenance, and observed 
 " O ! I understand, Mr. Humphry ; you meant 
 to say that the uncertainty of life might pre- 
 vent my fulfilling the pledge."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 179 
 
 " Yes, my lord, precisely ; that is exactly 
 what I meant to say," replied Mr. Humphry, 
 inwardly smiling at the favourable interpreta- 
 tion of his doubts given by his lordship. 
 
 " There is one way in which this can be 
 arranged. If you will let me have five hun- 
 dred guineas to-day, and your note of hand, 
 payable on the day when your friend is gazetted, 
 for the remaining sum of fifteen hundred 
 guineas, I will give you my note for five hun- 
 dred guineas, which note you will return me 
 the day the appointment is gazetted." 
 
 Mr. Humphry was afraid of refusing these 
 conditions, lest he should too far offend the 
 peer; nor dared he avow that his lordship's 
 bill for five hundred guineas was not worth as 
 many sixpences in his opinion, although such 
 was the fact. He, therefore, determined to 
 risk the money ; and, drawing from his pocket- 
 book a blank cheque, filled it up for the amount, 
 and handed it to his lordship, who bowed him 
 out with his accustomed dignity. 
 
 " I have not made a bad thing of it after all," 
 thought Mr. Humphry, as he left Willamere
 
 180 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 House, " although I had hoped to have made a 
 better. His lordship is not so hard up as I 
 thought, or he would have accepted fifteen 
 hundred instead of two thousand. I shall put 
 one thousand in my pocket by this transaction 
 after all, for I persuaded Gilchrist that there 
 was no chance of getting the appointment for 
 less than three thousand. I wish now I had 
 said four; and so I would have done, had I 
 anticipated -that his lordship would have stood 
 out so firmly for the two thousand. But it 
 can't be helped now. I must only try to make 
 it up next time. Bless my stars, how proud 
 these lords can be, when anything excites their 
 mettle! Why, hang me, if he didn't draw 
 himself up two inches at least above his natural 
 stature, when I was going to ask what security 
 I was to have if I paid the money down, that 
 he mightn't give the place to some one else ! 
 He's a queer'un, that's what he is. Not above 
 doing a wrong action, but greatly above being 
 told he has done it."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 181 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 " AND now for releasing poor Stratford," said 
 Lord Willamere, as his vulgar visitor departed. 
 " I should like to go to him myself, but I have 
 not courage to meet him, after that unlucky 
 scene with his wife. With his notions, he could, 
 I am sure, ill brook my presence ; so I must 
 send Spellerman to liberate him. I must first, 
 however, get this cheque cashed." And putting 
 the said cheque in his waistcoat pocket, Lord 
 Willamere rang the bell, and ordered his 
 brougham to be at the door as soon as possible. 
 
 " Your lordship's groom has just been here to 
 say that the bay horse is lame to-day." 
 
 " The devil it is ! Well then, tell him to 
 have the brown horse harnessed." 
 
 " The brown, my lord, was sent, last evening,
 
 182 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to the job-man's, to be exchanged for another, 
 for it was off its feed for the last two days, and 
 the job-man, your lordship, sent word that he 
 had not a horse to take his place." 
 
 " What the devil does the fellow mean ? 
 Does he suppose that I am to pay him extrava- 
 gant prices for job-horses, and he is not to keep 
 others in readiness to supply their places in 
 case of accidents ?" 
 
 " The groom said, my lord, that the job-man 
 seemed very careless, and, in short, my lord, 
 was anything but civil," observed Mr. Berming- 
 ham; who, for reasons of his own, was very 
 desirous that his lord and master's custom should 
 be transferred to another job-man, a particular 
 friend of his, who promised not only to supply 
 him with a quiet and sure-footed nag whenever 
 he wished to ride, but to allow him a certain per 
 centage on the account, if he procured him Lord 
 Willamere's custom. 
 
 " What a bore ! " exclaimed his lordship. 
 " Have my saddle-horses round as soon as pos- 
 sible, and I will call and reprimand Mr. Wil- 
 kinson."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 183 
 
 " I hope his lordship won't let out what I said 
 about the job-man being careless and uncivil, for, 
 if he does, the truth may come out. I only said 
 it just to get his lordship to take away his cus- 
 tom from him, for it's no use letting a fellow go 
 on serving with horses who won't give a per 
 centage, when I know a man who will." 
 
 Lord Willamere was half inclined to send 
 Bermingham to the bank, with the cheque, but a 
 dislike to that person's seeing whose signature 
 was to it, prevented his employing him on this 
 occasion. He therefore rode to the bank, took 
 the amount of the cheque in bank notes, and 
 turned his horse's head towards the office of Mr. 
 Spellerman, determined to give that gentleman 
 wherewithal to release poor Stratford from 
 prison, and a further sum towards the payment 
 of the arrears of his salary. Lord Willamere 
 felt such a real satisfaction in the prospect of 
 discharging this duty, that it almost reconciled 
 him to the means by which such an end was to 
 be attained. His mind was relieved from a 
 weight that had oppressed it ever since the 
 arrest of Stratford for his debt, and could he
 
 184 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 have banished the recollection of his unsuccess- 
 ful suit to the wife of that individual, he would 
 have been comparatively happy. That, how- 
 ever, still rankled in his breast, and inflicted as 
 deep a mortification on his vanity as on his 
 heart. Unluckily for Lord Willamere's good 
 intentions, the yard of the job-man with whom 
 he dealt lay on the route to Mr. Spellerman's 
 office ; and more unluckily still, just as his lord- 
 ship was- passing the door, the job-man himself 
 was entering it. Lord Willamere immediately 
 dismounted, for the purpose of expostulating on 
 the alleged complaints made against that person, 
 and for insisting on having fresh horses sent in 
 place of those incapable of doing their work. 
 Nothing could exceed the civility of Mr. Wil- 
 kinson, except it was his regret that he had not, 
 at the moment, any horses worthy to replace 
 those jobbed to his lordship. He would do 
 anything in the world to please or oblige his 
 lordship, but what could he do ? Horses never 
 were so dear, or money so scarce, as at the pre- 
 sent time. Although thousands of pounds were 
 due to him, he could not call in even a few
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 185 
 
 hundreds. The nobility and gentry didn't like 
 being asked for money, and he hoped none of 
 'em could say that he ever dunned 'em. No; he 
 knew his place better. 
 
 This last hint appealed powerfully to Lord 
 Willamere's feelings, by reminding him, that for 
 the last three years, he had only paid a very 
 small portion of his large account to Mr. Wil- 
 kinson. 
 
 To be sure, resumed that person, three of 
 the finest horses he had seen for many years 
 were that morning offered to him for sale, and 
 at a very reasonable price too. Five hun- 
 dred pounds were demanded ; but ready money 
 only would be accepted. He really had not 
 that sum at command. If he had, he would not 
 have hesitated a moment, for the horses were 
 well worth seven hundred and fifty pounds. 
 But what could he do ? His lordship might 
 look at them, if he pleased, for the owner had 
 left them in the stable for a few hours, on the 
 chance of their being seen by one of his cus- 
 tomers. 
 
 " There can be no harm in just looking at
 
 186 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 them," thought Lord Willamere, as he followed 
 Mr. Wilkinson to the stable. 
 
 "Lead out the horses, Tom," said Mr. Wil- 
 kinson. 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied Tom, pulling down a fore 
 lock of his hair, as a mark of respect. 
 
 " Just trot 'em out a bit." 
 
 The horses were trotted out ; Mr. Wilkinson 
 pointing out their perfections with all the gusto 
 of a connoisseur, and the savoirfaire valoir of an 
 experienced dealer. 
 
 tf Never saw finer steppers in my life, my 
 lord. What capital action ! There is not their 
 match to be found in all England. I only wish 
 I wasn't so poor at this moment, and I'd buy 
 them at once, and job them to your lordship. 
 I'd be sorry to see 'em with any one else, that's 
 the truth of it, for I take a pleasure in furnishing 
 your lordship's equipages with my best horses. 
 Only I make it a point never to dun any noble- 
 man, I'd just request your lordship to let me 
 have enough money on account to secure these 
 fine horses, for it will really hurt me to see them 
 go to some one else."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 187 
 
 Lord Willamere could no longer resist the 
 temptation held out to him. Poor Stratford, in 
 his prison, faded away before the pleasure of 
 becoming the possessor of the finest horses, and 
 greatest bargain in all England ; or, if he was 
 remembered, it was with a shake of the head, 
 and a " Que toulez-wus ? " He can be released the 
 moment I get the 1500 guineas from Hum- 
 phry, which must be in a few days, and a 
 week sooner or later can make no great differ- 
 ence to him, after all. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Wilkinson, as you are in such 
 want of money, I will enable you to buy these 
 horses." And Lord Willamere drew forth the 
 500/., and transferred them to the dealer's hand ; 
 and he, quite as much surprised as delighted at 
 so unexpected a payment, pocketed the money, 
 bowed his lordship to the door, promising that 
 the horses should be forthwith sent to the stables 
 of Willamere House, and when the peer had 
 departed, rubbed his hands and smiled at the 
 reflection that he had done a profitable day's 
 work ; he having, some days previously, bought 
 the said horses at a country fair, for two hundred.
 
 188 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " He'd have seen me far enough," thought Mr. 
 Wilkinson, " before he'd have paid me five hun- 
 dred pounds in one slap, if he had not been kept 
 with jaded nags the last few months, and had 
 not set his heart on having these. How easy it 
 is to do even the sharpest of these lords and gen- 
 tlemen, when one knows how to go about it ! 
 I'd bet five pounds that if his dearest friend had 
 offered his lordship these same nags for one half 
 the money, he wouldn't have given it. No, we 
 are the persons to do 'em." 
 
 When my father and mother were summoned 
 to the hospitable board of Mr. Manvers, they 
 found his two daughters, interesting-looking 
 girls, of the ages of nine and ten, with him. 
 " Martha and Mary, this lady," bowing to my 
 mother, " will, I hope, be so good as to remain 
 some time in this house, and I trust, my dear 
 girls, that your conduct will be such as to merit 
 her approbation and conciliate her esteem. You, 
 madam, will, I hope, overlook any little shyness 
 and awkwardness on their pails," continued Mr. 
 Manvers, " and take into consideration their not 
 having had a mother's care." And here the lips
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 189 
 
 of the speaker became tremulous with emotion. 
 My mother shook hands with the little girls, 
 who met her advances to acquaintanceship with 
 gentleness and cordiality ; and then the little 
 party, marshalled by the kind host, took their 
 seats at table. 
 
 Nothing could exceed the attention evinced 
 by Mr. Manvers towards his guests ; and there 
 was such a perfect freedom from ceremony, yet 
 such a respectful deference mingled with his 
 cordiality, that both husband and wife felt that 
 they were welcomed guests, and that their pre- 
 sence, far from imposing any constraint, con- 
 ferred a pleasure on their host. It was true, he 
 pressed them to partake of the good things set 
 before them, with an earnest warmth that might, 
 at the tables of persons in a more elevated class 
 of life, be deemed homely, if not vulgar; it being 
 now considered, in the highest circles, unneces- 
 sary, if not unbecoming, to show that attention 
 towards guests formerly so generally adopted by 
 hosts and hostesses, who are now content to let 
 the duty of offering the dishes to those assem- 
 bled at their tables devolve on the servants;
 
 190 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 they themselves appearing more as guests than 
 masters or mistresses of the feast. But, in the 
 peculiar position of those now at his table, this 
 homely cordiality on the part of Mr. Manvers 
 was very acceptable, and served greatly to put 
 them at their ease. The doting, yet judiciously 
 displayed affection of the widowed father to his 
 little daughters, and their gentleness and do- 
 cility, conciliated the esteem and good-will of 
 my parents, who felt their confidence in the 
 goodness of heart of their host greatly increased 
 by thus witnessing his unaffected kindness in 
 his domestic circle, and the tenderness of his 
 children toward him. It was long since his 
 visitors had experienced such kindness as they 
 met with beneath the roof of Mr. Manvers. 
 Unskilled in the ceremonious usages of society, 
 this good man allowed his feelings to take their 
 natural course, which led to a warmth of wel- 
 come unchecked by the reserve usually main- 
 tained towards persons comparatively strangers, 
 on a first visit. 
 
 My mother cast many an anxious glance to 
 her husband, whose pallor, and total loss of ap-
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 191 
 
 petite, alarmed and distressed her ; for, although 
 their kind host pressed him to eat, and repeatedly 
 engaged him to do honour to his old sherry, 
 he scarcely touched the good things set before 
 him, and at length acknowledged that he felt 
 too feverish to venture on drinking wine. 
 
 " You must not be cast down, Mr. Stratford," 
 said Mr. Manvers; "only take care of your 
 health, and I will procure you enough occupa- 
 tion, ay, and well paid occupation too, to secure 
 your comfort and independence. I began the 
 world with far less advantages than you possess. 
 I had not your fine education, and, like you, 
 was an orphan. I had nothing but a willing 
 spirit, an active turn of mind, and a thorough 
 conviction of the truth of the old proverb, that 
 honesty is the best policy. The world has pros- 
 pered with me. I am now well to do in life. 
 If it pleased God to take me away to-morrow, I 
 have wherewithal to provide amply and hand- 
 somely for these dear little girls, and have 
 nothing to reproach myself with in the manner 
 in which my fortune has been acquired. Take 
 courage by my example, my good sir. You are
 
 192 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 still a young man, with plenty of years before 
 you to work, and leave your little miss as well 
 off as both my girls will be after my death." 
 
 The two daughters of Mr. Manvers no sooner 
 heard him utter the \vord death, than they rose, 
 and with tears in their eyes ran to him, and, 
 clinging to his neck, clasped him in their arms, 
 as if they would shield him from the fell de- 
 stroyer, whose very name filled their innocent 
 hearts with terror. That terrible name was 
 associated in their youthful minds with the loss 
 of a dearly-loved mother, still fondly remem- 
 bered. They had seen her fade away, day by 
 day ; her cheeks become paler, her eyes more 
 lustrous ; they had noticed her voice, always 
 low and gentle, grow still more faint, when, 
 with accents tremulous with love and emotion, 
 she addressed the tender watchers around her 
 couch that couch she was doomed to leave 
 no more. They saw her still lovely in death, 
 before the coffin-lid shut out that calm pale 
 face for ever from their sight ; and they beheld 
 that coffin, covered with its funeral pall, borne 
 from the home, in which her presence had
 
 A PEMME DE CHAMBRE. 193 
 
 been wont to diffuse happiness. They remem- 
 bered all this ; hence, never did they hear the 
 solemn word Death, pronounced, that word so 
 often irreverently uttered, without deep emo- 
 tion ; and when their father referred to his own 
 decease, they flew to him as if they could save 
 him from the approach of the King of Terrors. 
 Mr. Manvers well understood what was pass- 
 ing in their innocent hearts ; and his thoughts, 
 too, were with the dead, as he pressed with 
 almost womanly fondness his motherless chil- 
 dren to his breast. 
 
 My father and mother were not indifferent 
 spectators of this little scene. A gloomy pre- 
 sentiment, often the forerunner of danger, 
 flashed through the thoughts of my poor father, 
 as an internal feeling of pain and debility im- 
 pressed him with a sense of his own ruined 
 health. He looked at his poor wife, bethought 
 himself of how desolate her lot would be, and 
 his child too, and tears rushed into his eyes. 
 ]f[y mother believed that they arose from sym- 
 pathy with the feelings of their host, and she 
 loved him the more for this new proof of his 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 194 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 sensibility, so perfectly in unison with her own. 
 Had she known the real source of his emotion, 
 how dreadful would have been her state ! but 
 " God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb," 
 and she was to be yet for a time spared the 
 wretchedness of knowing the affliction impend- 
 ing over her. 
 
 Mr. Manvers had been too well accustomed 
 to watch the incipient approaches of the fearful 
 malady that had snatched from him the wife of 
 his bosom, not to feel some alarm as he marked 
 the pallid brow of Stratford, and the bright 
 hectic spot that frequently showed itself on his 
 cheek. 
 
 A cough, that seemed to shake the chest of 
 the sufferer, added to the alarm of his host, 
 while my mother, from never previously having 
 witnessed the insidious approaches of the disease, 
 although anxious about what she believed to be 
 but a temporary indisposition, was wholly igno- 
 rant of the extent of the danger that menaced a 
 life infinitely dearer to her than her own. Mr. 
 Manvers immediately called in the best medical 
 aid ; but to avoid alarming the patient, arranged
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 195 
 
 that Dr. Rysdale was to drop in, as if by chance, 
 be introduced as a friend of the host, and, by 
 degrees, gain the confidence of both the hus- 
 band and wife, and prescribe for the former. 
 
 When pressed by my father to inquire about 
 a situation for him, for the delicacy of the sick 
 man made him recoil from trespassing on the 
 hospitality of his kind friend, Mr. Manvers 
 would say, "Don't be uneasy, I can find you a 
 situation any day, but you must first re-esta- 
 blish your health ; that is the first point to be 
 attended to, every thing else is subordinate 
 to it." 
 
 Anxious to render herself useful, and in 
 some way to repay the obligations conferred 
 by Mr. Manvers, Mrs. Stratford devoted three 
 hours of every day to the instruction of his 
 children. Their docility and aptitude in learn- 
 ing, rendered her task a labour of love; and 
 their progress delighted their fond parent so 
 much, that he blessed the hour when he secured 
 them, even for a limited time, the advantages 
 of such an instructress. 
 
 But the peacefulness of his asylum, and the 
 K 2
 
 196 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 kindness of his host, availed not to check the 
 ravages of the disease which was preying on 
 the frame, of Stratford. Plis cheek became 
 daily more pale and shrunken; his eye more 
 glassy, and his cough more frequent and harass- 
 ing. Sleep and appetite forsook him ; and his 
 physician acknowledged to Mr. Manvers, that 
 the remedies he had hitherto administered had, 
 to his great regret and disappointment, pro- 
 duced no salutary effect. He suggested the 
 propriety of seeking change of air ; not, as he ad- 
 mitted, that he hoped any very material change 
 from it ; nevertheless it was right, he thought, 
 to try every chance of preserving a life so 
 valuable to Mr. Stratford's wife and child. 
 
 Mr. Manvers immediately engaged a house 
 at Brompton, surrounded by a cheerful garden, 
 sent to it many of the comforts so seldom 
 to be found in lodging-houses; and in a very 
 few days after the change of air had been 
 recommended, he announced to the grateful 
 couple that all was ready for their reception 
 at their new abode. " When Mr. Stratford's 
 health is restored, as I trust in God it soon will 
 
 K.2
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 197 
 
 be," said the worthy man, " my girls will, with 
 your permission, Madam," addressing Mrs. Strat- 
 ford, "take up their abode with you, at the 
 house I have taken for you." 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stratford possessed minds and 
 hearts, not only fully capable of appreciating 
 the generosity and delicacy of Mr. Manvers' 
 conduct towards them, but fully capable of 
 emulating it towards others, had fortune en- 
 abled them to do so. The consciousness of this 
 sentiment in their own breasts rendered their 
 sense of obligations to their kind friend less 
 painful and humiliating than if they themselves 
 were less generously disposed ; and Mrs. Strat- 
 ford hoped a day might come, when it would 
 be in his power to prove her deep sense of the 
 favours conferred on her and her husband, in 
 their hour of need.
 
 198 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 NEITHER my father nor mother were persons 
 who could feel happy while depending solely 
 on the charity or kindness of others. In pro- 
 portion to the warm sense they entertained of 
 the generosity exercised towards them, was 
 their dread of trespassing too much on it ; and 
 while those with less delicacy would have 
 enjoyed the present advantages afforded them, 
 without any scruple, they shrank from the 
 bare idea of encroaching on a hospitality, the 
 value of which no one could better appreciate. 
 They had a spirit of honest independence, as 
 far removed from false pride as from ingrati- 
 tude, that led them to wish to earn their daily 
 bread by their own exertions ; and they felt 
 that to live in idleness, though even but for a 
 short time, would be too painful and humili-
 
 A FEMME DE OHAMBRE. 199 
 
 x 
 
 ating, owing, as they already did, so weighty 
 an obligation to Mr. Manvers. "Let us at 
 least, for a few days, rest in peace and quiet 
 here, dearest," said my mother, as she marked 
 the pale face and thoughtful brow of her de- 
 jected husband ; " Mr. Manvers, who is so 
 considerate arid kind, may be able to hear of 
 sorae sitr.ation or occupation, by which we can 
 earn a subsistence. I can, perhaps, through the 
 medium of his extensive connexions and recom- 
 mendations, go out to give lessons as a daily 
 governess; and with your talents and know- 
 ledge, it will be hard, indeed, if we cannot 
 find means to live." 
 
 My father tried to smile an assent to his 
 wife's hopes and projects ; but the smile was so 
 faint, so sickly, that it indicated how much less 
 sanguine were his expectations than hers. A 
 secret presentiment filled his heart, that the 
 slow fever, occasioned by anxiety, which had 
 so long been undermining his health, and which 
 the events of the last two days had greatly in- 
 creased, had struck at the vital principle ; and 
 as he looked on his adored wife and child, likely
 
 200 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to be soon left unprovided for and friendless, 
 in a world in which he had found only endless 
 toil, repaid by deceit and ingratitude, from him 
 for whom he had used his best exertions, a cold 
 shudder came over him, and he almost wished 
 that they, too, might share the sleep of death, 
 which he felt an internal conviction would soon 
 be his. The base conduct of Lord Willamere 
 had wounded my father to the heart's core, and 
 struck at the very root of his life. In vain had 
 he endeavoured to seek a refuge from the bitter 
 thoughts that preyed on his very existence, in 
 the deep contempt which conduct like that of 
 Lord Willamere was so well calculated to in- 
 spire in a noble mind and generous heart like 
 his. But his natural sensibility was stronger 
 than his acquired philosophy, and triumphed 
 over every effort which the latter suggested, to 
 pluck forth the poisoned arrow from his heart 
 My father, too, was a proud, though a poor 
 man, and could ill brook the bitter knowledge, 
 that the wife of his bosom the only being who 
 had ever loved him, or whom he had loved 
 should have her name made the subject of
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 201 
 
 slander, or be profaned by the ribald jests of 
 the heartless voluptuaries who associated with 
 the libertine Lord Willanaere. And now hope, 
 the delusive syren, had ceased to cheat him. 
 A conviction of his own state, and its probable 
 result, had taken possession of his mind ; and 
 the prospect of being torn from his wife and 
 child, fraught with bitterness, excited his affec- 
 tion for those beloved objects into a morbid 
 tenderness, that served to aggravate the fatal 
 disease that was preying on him. His eyes 
 would follow his wife wheresoever she moved, 
 or dwell on their child, until tears of human 
 fondness, wrung from him by the thought that 
 he must soon leave those dear beings, would 
 fill them. 
 
 There is a love, so deep, so devoted, that 
 the thought of leaving the object of it is 
 too terrible to be entertained, even for a 
 moment ; and the heart turns with the same 
 instinctive shudder from such a possibility, as 
 the body shrinks from the scalpel of the surgeon 
 who comes prepared to perform some horrible 
 operation on it. Such was the love of my 
 
 K3
 
 202 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 mother for her husband. Not a change in his 
 pale face, not an alteration in his burning hand, 
 escaped her ; and every symptom in his malady 
 was noted with a fearful exactness, that proved 
 but too well how she marked the phases of it. 
 Yet, though she saw him day after day grow 
 more weak, and heard the cruel cough that 
 shook his poor chest, as if it would burst it, she 
 dared not anticipate the terrible result of all 
 this suffering, and clung to hope, though there 
 was no longer anchorage for it. Oh ! how the 
 fear of parting incr<\ ye? affection, those only 
 can tell who have experienced the agony of 
 beholding the pcr.S'jri . i<-;>.-.v: t ii; Kf. 1 in fla^g' 11 ', 
 Then it is, that the chain of affection seems 
 newlv rivetted, as if to resist the possibility 
 of \>VMV rent asunder; and that the love 
 previously felt, however fond, however true, 
 appears light in comparison with the act Til 
 present, when to all the past is added the vague, 
 but terrible dread 01 u.- - fatnrv, that future, 
 when even the happiness of watching over the 
 invalid may be denied, and the cold grave 
 may contain the form for which no couch that
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 203 
 
 love can smooth, is now deemed sufficiently 
 soft. 
 
 " No, it won't, it can't be," would my mother 
 say to herself, when some fearful anticipation of 
 losing her adored husband almost made her 
 heart die within her tortured breast. "It 
 would be too, too terrible. God is too good, too 
 merciful, to try me so far beyond my strength 
 to bear. No ; he will not be taken from me. 
 He may live, denied the blessing of health, and 
 all its enjoyments; be a helpless invalid, con- 
 fined to one chamber ; but this, even this, will 
 be happiness to me, compared with the dread, 
 the horror of losing him for ever; of feeling 
 alone, in a cold and pitiless world, after having 
 known the blessing, the unutterable blessing, 
 of a love like his." 
 
 The day arrived that my father wa s to be 
 removed from the house of Mr. Manvers to the 
 one taken for him at Brompton. A hired 
 carriage, of the most easy and comfortable kind 
 that could be procured, was engaged to convey 
 him, into which he was assisted by his kind 
 friend, with two of his clerks, and propped up
 
 204 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 by pillows; and his head resting on the shoulder 
 of his wife, the female servant and child occu- 
 pying the opposite seat of the vehicle, he was 
 driven towards Brompton. 
 
 It was a bright and beautiful day. The 
 streets were filled with gaily dressed persons ; 
 innumerable carriages and equestrians were 
 passing along on every side, which gave the air 
 of 2, fete day to the whole scene. What a con- 
 trast did it offer to the feelings of the hapless 
 pair, who turned from it with sadness, as if the 
 bright sunshine and gaiety around them in- 
 creased their sense of the desolation of their 
 own hearts. What to them were the embla- 
 zoned carriages whirled along by proud and 
 stately steeds; the gaudy-liveried menials that 
 belonged to them ; and the richly dressed occu- 
 pants, who bestowed not even a passing glance 
 on the humble vehicle that was conveying them 
 to the quiet home where they were to await 
 the sentence that was to decide the fate of both, 
 the sentence of life or death to my father! 
 This pair, in the midst of a gay and busy popu- 
 lation, each member of which was occupied
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 205 
 
 solely with his or her own cares, or pleasures, 
 felt that they were alone. Shut out from 
 the sympathies of those among whom they 
 glided, they were, as some poor and hum- 
 ble stream that flows into the ocean, lost 
 and confounded in the vast mass into 
 which they were plunged, and they instinc- 
 tively pressed closer to each other, as this con- 
 viction forced itself on their minds. Their 
 passage was obstructed by the crowd around 
 the gates at Hyde Park, assembled in the hope 
 of seeing the Sovereign pass, and for some 
 minutes their carriage could not move on. My 
 mother would fain have escaped the careless 
 and indifferent glances of the gay personages, 
 whose eyes, for a brief moment, rested on the 
 pale face of her husband, and then turned, with 
 an altered expression, to hers, for beauty, how- 
 ever chastened by sorrow, is always attractive 
 to the idle loungers of fashion; but she 
 dreaded to avert her head, lest the movement 
 should derange that of the dear invalid resting 
 on her shoulder, and so only cast down her 
 eyes when the inquisitive and impertinent gaze
 
 206 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of the equestrians, who peered into the carriage, 
 caused the blood to mount to her delicate 
 cheek. 
 
 " Look there, Willamere ; did you ever be- 
 hold a more lovely face ? " exclaimed a fashion- 
 able looking man to his companion, directing 
 his attention to the humble vehicle of my 
 parents; "by Jove! the sick man is to be 
 envied, for possessing so beautiful a nurse." 
 
 Lord Willamere turned quickly round, ever 
 anxious in his search for beauty, and his glance 
 met the death-like face of his poor secretary, 
 whose languid eye rested for a moment on his 
 countenance, and then closed, as if to shut out 
 some object too painful to be longer contem- 
 plated. A momentary pang shot through the 
 libertine's heart, as his eye took in the face of 
 the dying man, for that my father was dying, 
 he felt as convinced as of his own identity. 
 From him his eyes turned to the face of my 
 mother, which, though still beautiful as ever, 
 was impressed with such care and sadness, as 
 proclaimed that she had suffered much since 
 they had last met. She had not seen Lord 
 Willamere, for, distressed by the gaze of his
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 207 
 
 companion, she had avoided again looking in 
 the direction where he was; but her husband 
 had recognised him, and the shudder that shook 
 his frame alarmed her so much, that she feared 
 some sudden change for the worse in his 
 health had occasioned it. "It was only a 
 spasm, dearest," replied my father, in answer 
 to her inquiry, "I shall be better when we 
 are out of this crowd." 
 
 The sight of the man he had loved and 
 trusted, but who had so basely betrayed the 
 confidence he had reposed in his honour, 
 greatly agitated the weak frame of the poor 
 invalid, and although he struggled to conquer 
 his emotion, and named not the subject to his 
 wife, it became evident to her that some sudden 
 change had occurred, which deteriorated his pre- 
 vious state. Lord Willamere looked no more 
 towards the carriage which contained those he 
 had so deeply injured. Remorse, an unusual, 
 visitor in his heart, had found entrance, and 
 his aspect underwent such an alteration, that 
 when his companion again demanded his 
 opinion of the beautiful woman he had pointed 
 out, he asked him if he felt unwell.
 
 208 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Only a slight head-ache," was the answer. 
 A slight heart-ache, would have been nearer the 
 truth. 
 
 " I've a great mind to follow the carriage 
 and discover where this beauty dwells," said Sir 
 Henry Biverstock. 
 
 "You will gain nothing by it," observed 
 Lord Willamere, " for the lady is evidently a 
 modest woman." 
 
 " No other would be worth the trouble of pur- 
 suit,"" was the reply, " forbidden fruit alone is 
 tempting." 
 
 " But even so warm an admirer of beauty 
 and modesty as Sir Henry Biverstock, might 
 pause before he subjects a woman in affliction, 
 as the one we have just seen evidently is, to 
 annoyance by a pursuit wholly unencouraged 
 by even a glance of hers," rejoined the peer. 
 
 There was a sarcastic severity in the tone 
 and manner of Lord Willamere, as he uttered 
 these words, that instantly led his companion 
 to conclude that his lordship had a more than 
 ordinary interest in the fair unknown. His 
 sudden change of countenance the moment
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBKE. 209 
 
 after he saw her, and his ill-dissembled anxiety 
 to prevent him from following her carriage 
 confirmed his suspicions, and decided him on 
 pursuing the bent of his own inclinations, by 
 keeping the vehicle in view. 
 
 "I had no notion, my dear Willamere," said 
 the baronet, " that you were so considerate of 
 the feelings of those who attract your admira- 
 tion, as your advice just now given would lead 
 me to suppose. Come, be frank and own the 
 truth. Have you not tried to dissuade me 
 from following this belle incognita, merely 
 because you intend to take a similar step 
 yourself?" 
 
 Lord Willamere, albeit unused to blush, 
 felt his cheeks glow at this charge; but re- 
 covering his self-possession, he asserted on his 
 word of honour that he had no such intention. 
 
 " Then you have more self-control, or less 
 admiration for the lady than I possess," ob- 
 served Sir Henry Riverstock, " so adieu ;" and 
 he turned his horse's head towards the road to 
 Kensington, the direction which the carriage 
 in which my parents were had taken, and soon
 
 210 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 overtook it. He had, however, sufficient sense, 
 if not delicacy, to remain behind the carriage, 
 desirous of not offending the lovely woman it 
 contained, until he reached the spot where the 
 road leads off on the left to.Brompton, where 
 he met Mr. Addington, one of the roue cronies 
 of Lord Willamere. This gentleman had seen 
 and recognised my parents, and the encounter 
 had brought back fresh to his mind his having 
 formerly met them at Willamere House, and 
 the scandal that Lord Henry Middlecourt and 
 he had then imagined, and afterwards circu- 
 lated relative to the supposed liaison between 
 Lord Willamere and the handsome Mrs. Strat- 
 ford, as also of the secretary's connivance at 
 the intrigue. 
 
 " How-d'ye-do, Riverstock," exclaimed Mr. 
 Addington. " I've just seen in that fly," point- 
 ing to the one in front, "a devilish beautiful 
 woman ; a flame of Willamere's, and the wife 
 of his secretary, who, par parentfose, looks as 
 if he is not likely to trouble his frail rib long 
 with his presence. The poor devil is evidently 
 dying."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 211 
 
 "Hah! hah! my Lord Willamere, I have 
 caught you, have I?" soliloquized Sir Henry 
 Riverstock. " This explains your anxiety to 
 prevent my following the carriage of the fair 
 one. Would you believe it, Addington, when 
 I pointed out the lady in question to Willa- 
 mere, believing that he had never seen her 
 before, the sly dog affected not to know her ; 
 and when I proposed to ride after her carriage 
 in order to discover her abode, he preached me 
 as moral a lesson as if he were a saint, and 
 I only a sinner. But are you quite sure, my 
 dear fellow, that the lady is the person you 
 assert her to be ? " 
 
 " Perfectly. I recognised her at one glance. 
 Indeed she is too pretty to be easily mistaken 
 for another. I once passed some hours in her 
 company, much to her dissatisfaction, I dare be 
 sworn, for she looked deucedly put out of her 
 way by the intrusion of Henry Middlecourt 
 and myself into the dining-room of Willamere, 
 where she, her cara sposo, and his lordship, 
 made a trio at dessert, quite enfamille. Willa- 
 mere wished us anywhere else, I could plainly
 
 212 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 see, and endeavoured to dupe us, by assuming 
 towards the lady as deferential an air as if she 
 were a duchess, instead of the wife of his secre- 
 tary ; who, poor man, was enjoying his fruit 
 to all appearance wholly unconscious that he 
 stood in a peculiarly false position, as either a 
 dishonourable, or a deceived husband." 
 
 "I am sorry I must leave you," said Sir 
 Henry Blverstock, " for I have an engagement, 
 so good bye." 
 
 " A bonne fortune, I conclude," was the reply; 
 "for those are the only engagements men 
 attend to in our times ;" and off rode Mr. 
 Addington to London, while the baronet gal- 
 loped briskly after the carriage which held the 
 object that had excited so great an interest in 
 his breast. 
 
 When some days before Lord Willamere had 
 paid away the money to Mr. Wilkinson the horse- 
 dealer, and secured the horses, agreeing to give an 
 increased yearly stipend for their hire on job, in 
 consideration of the great price that person 
 alleged he had given for them, he rode away 
 in a different direction from that which lie
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 213 
 
 had originally intended taking. It was now 
 useless, he felt, to see Mr. Spelburne, as he had 
 no longer the money to give him to liberate my 
 father. " Well, after all, a few days more 
 or less incarceration can't be of much conse- 
 quence to him,"" thought the peer ; " a lock-up 
 house is, I understand, no very bad place a 
 sort of ready-furnished lodging, as I have heard, 
 only diiferent from others, inasmuch as the 
 lodger is not permitted to leave it until the pro- 
 prietor is quite satisfied that there is no detainer 
 remaining there against him. Heaven be 
 praised, I have no personal experience of those 
 sort of places ! Glorious privilege of the peer- 
 age! which keeps us, the porcelain of human 
 clay, safe from such contamination. Yes, I dare 
 say Stratford has his comforts around him ; his 
 beautiful wife by his side! Who would not 
 submit to a [prison to secure a tete-a-tete with 
 such a creature ? He is not much to be pitied 
 with such a companion. Yet husbands are such 
 strange dogs, especially after a year of marriage, 
 that a prison might seem to a benedict no less 
 gloomy with a wife than without one. I'll
 
 214 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 certainly relieve poor Stratford the moment 
 I receive the money from Mr. Humphrey, and 
 that must be in a few days. En attendant, I 
 will think no more of him, which will be 
 much the wisest plan, for boring myself about 
 his imprisonment can do him no good, and 
 would only put me into the blue devils. I cer- 
 tainly am a devilish kind-hearted fellow in the 
 main, for I have had no fewer than a dozen 
 disagreeable twinges of conscience since poor 
 Stratford was arrested on my account ; and if 
 I had not so much philosophy as I possess, I 
 should really have been as gloomy as a gamester 
 on awaking in the morning, after he has lost his 
 last guinea. Yes, philosophy is a marvellously 
 good thing in such emergencies. It consoles us 
 wonderfully in the misfortunes that befall our 
 friends. It is a pity it is not so successful in 
 those that assail ourselves." 
 
 An organ, played by an Italian boy, at that 
 moment struck up a merry tune, and this inci- 
 dent, so trifling in itself, gave an entire change 
 to the thoughts of Lord Willamere. Strange 
 power of music, to abstract us from the actual
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 215 
 
 present, and transport us to other scenes ! The 
 tune was a favourite one with the Duchess of 
 Rosehampton, and Willamere had, during the 
 heyday of his passion for that lovely, but er- 
 ring woman, often danced with her to its 
 measure. A vision of her sparkling eyes and 
 sweet smile at such moments flashed on his 
 memory, and he bethought him of his past 
 triumphs, when, envied by half the men who 
 helped to fill the gilded salons de bal in the 
 great houses in London, he led the lovely 
 duchess, sparkling in diamonds, and " the ob- 
 served of all observers," through the mazy 
 dance. There had been more of sentiment 
 in 'Willamere's unhallowed liaison with the 
 Duchess, than in any other of his numerous 
 bonnes fortunes. The reason was, that she was 
 not as lightly won as his other conquests. Poor 
 woman ! Nature meant her to be something 
 better than a mere leader of the ton; one of 
 those heartless, soulless butterflies, who bask 
 in the sunshine of fashion, and waste their 
 lives in its frivolous pursuits and pleasures. 
 Left an orphan while yet in infancy, she had,
 
 216 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 unhappily, no watchful mother to instill pre- 
 cepts of religion and morality into her mind, 
 to watch over her youth, and to guide her 
 through the perils that beset the path of the 
 young and fair. She had no father or brother 
 to shield her from the advances of the worthless 
 or designing, or to warn her ere she irrevocably 
 bestowed her hand on one undeserving the 
 boon. Left to the guardianship of a distant 
 relation, who thought he was conscientiously 
 fulfilling the charge consigned to him, when he 
 engaged a governess, strongly recommended by 
 a lady of high rank, to preside over the instruc- 
 tion of his fair ward, and duly attended to the 
 care of her large fortune, the Lady Adelaide 
 St. John grew up to be an accomplished 
 woman. She was an admirable musician ; drew 
 in a masterly style ; danced almost too well for 
 a lady, as many matrons with daughters less 
 skilled in the science of Terpsichore, and the 
 said daughters themselves, averred ; rode like an 
 amazon ; walked like a Diana ; and was so 
 naturally graceful, that her every movement 
 enhanced the rare beauty of her face and
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 217 
 
 figure. But while no pains nor expense were 
 spared in perfecting her accomplishments, her 
 moral training had been wholly neglected. 
 With warm feelings, a kind heart, and its too 
 frequent accompaniment, a quick temper, she 
 was never taught to regulate the first, nor to 
 control the latter. She would melt with pity 
 over a tale of distress, yet the next moment 
 inflict pain by some ebullition of anger occa- 
 sioned by a trifle. She wished all around her to 
 be happy, would have willingly made any sacri- 
 fice to accomplish this, was incapable of any 
 malice, but expected, as a right, that she herself 
 was to be also exempt from the ills to which 
 human flesh are heirs. She was impatient 
 under the trials that await even the most 
 favoured of Fortune's pets, and resented as a 
 personal injury any contre temps that militated 
 against her schemes of pleasure. There was so 
 much goodness in her nature, that a skilful 
 hand might have easily eradicated the weeds 
 that had sprung up in the too rich soil ; but 
 unfortunately Madame de Tremonville was the 
 last person in the world to discover their roots, 
 VOL. i. L
 
 218 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 or, even had she marked them, to pluck them 
 out. The warmth of her pupil's feelings she 
 cherished, rather than attempted to regulate : 
 Her kindness of heart she loved, nay, almost 
 idolized her for, because innumerable and 
 gratifying proofs of it were continually evinced 
 towards herself; and her quickness of temper 
 was tolerated, if not encouraged, as demon- 
 strative of genius, which Madame de Tre- 
 monville declared was always accompanied by 
 a certain vivacity of temper, as is exemplified 
 by the term " genus irritabile" always applied 
 to clever persons. 
 
 Married while yet little more than a child, 
 the duke, though tenderly attached to her, 
 was so wholly engrossed by politics as to have 
 little time to devote to his beautiful and inex- 
 perienced wife, who, left without a guide to 
 advise, or a friend to guard her, soon became 
 engulphed in the vortex of fashion. 
 
 Such was the woman who had fallen a prey 
 to the artful and practised seducer, Lord Willa- 
 mere; and who, haunted by the remorse 
 which never fails, sooner or later, to follow
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 219 
 
 unhallowed liaisons, now wept in anguish her 
 lapse from virtue, and the ingratitude of him 
 who, having been "loved, not wisely but too 
 well," had lured her from it. Fierce was the 
 war which love, pride, and remorse waged in 
 her tortured breast, even while yet her seducer, 
 unsated by possession, proved by his unremit- 
 ting attention, the passion he felt for her. 
 Every hour of his absence found her wretched. 
 She trembled before the unsuspecting husband, 
 whose honour she had betrayed in forfeiting 
 her own. Every word of kindness from hiiv 
 seemed like a dagger plunged into her heart, and 
 made her feel ready to fall at his feet, avow 
 her guilt, and draw on her head all its humi- 
 liating, its fearful consequences. Her de- 
 pression of spirits, her altered looks, the traces 
 of tears so often visible on her pale cheeks, 
 alarmed, and excited a fresh interest in her 
 fond husband, every proof of which inflicted 
 agony on the wretched woman. She hardly 
 dared to meet his glance, and fancied that even 
 indifferent spectators could read on her brow 
 the stamp of shame. She trembled before 
 L 2
 
 220 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 her servants ; for they, as she rightly imagined, 
 must have formed their own conclusions on the 
 frequency of Lord Willamere's visits, and of 
 her interviews with him in Kensington Gar- 
 dens. Such had been the state of her feelings for 
 some time, when her lover, who had been of 
 late so remiss in his attentions as to alarm her 
 pride, and wound her affection, surprised 
 her by a visit. The vision his memory had 
 conjured up, by the aid of the tune played by 
 the organ in the street, had induced this tardy 
 visit. He cheated himself into the expectation 
 of finding her radiant in beauty as before 
 tears of repentance had stained her cheeks, and 
 dimmed the lustre of her eyes, and he fancied 
 that, after a few reproaches, uttered more in 
 sorrow than in anger, she would accept the 
 falsehoods he meant to urge in extenuation of 
 his neglect. But her changed aspect, her im- 
 paired beauty, and evidently destroyed health, 
 which might have awakened pity in the 
 sternest breast, excited only anger in his callous 
 one. ' He reproached, instead of attempting 
 to soothe her. Asked how she could hope that
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 223 
 
 after having committed the suicide of her own 
 beauty, she could retain the heart it had en- 
 thralled, and whether any lover could give up 
 his time to one who was always steeped in tears. 
 The indignation of the duchess was for some 
 time too great for words to be taunted by him 
 who had plunged her into guilt and shame, who 
 had steeped her nightly pillow, to which sleep 
 was now a stranger, in tears, was not to be 
 borne. " Begone," said she, when words found 
 utterance; "never again presume to appear 
 before me. I loathe myself for having stooped 
 to love one so heartless, so worthless; and 
 my turpitude is increased tenfold in my own 
 eyes, by the discovery that you have no one 
 quality to extenuate my crime." 
 
 Angered beyond the power of gentlemanly 
 forbearance, Lord Willamere arose to depart. 
 "Remember," said he spitefully, "that when 
 your ill-humour has ceased, you may find that I 
 
 am not to be recalled," and he left the room. 
 
 * # * * 
 
 Great was the regret next day, when the 
 sudden death of the young and beautiful
 
 222 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Duchess of Rosehampton was announced. Her 
 grace had complained of indisposition when she 
 went to dress for dinner ; grew worse, and 
 found herself unable to leave her chamber. She 
 refused to permit a physician to be sent for, 
 and was found a corse next morning when her 
 femme de chambre entered her room. An empty 
 bottle, marked " Laudanum," discovered by her 
 bed-side, revealed the cause of her death. She 
 had of late become compelled to have recourse 
 to it to procure sleep, and, urged to desperation, 
 had in a moment of phrenzy swallowed its 
 contents. 
 
 Her husband mourned her long and deeply ; 
 and, ignorant of her sin and its results, believed 
 that the over-dose which produced her death 
 had been taken through mistake. Young, 
 beautiful, blessed with rank, wealth, and so 
 fondly beloved by him, he could not imagine a 
 cause for her committing suicide. No, she 
 must have taken the deadly potion without 
 being aware of its strength, and he must ever 
 regret her loss. There were, however, some 
 who but too well guessed the truth. One was
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 223 
 
 the femme de chambre, who saw her, pale as 
 marble, and deluged in tears, enter with un- 
 steady steps her dressing-room, a few minutes 
 after Lord Willamere had left the house. She 
 marked the look of utter despair which revealed 
 what was passing in the broken heart of her 
 mistress, when the duchess desired to be left 
 alone that fatal night ; and so impressed was she 
 by a dread of some impending catastrophe, 
 that, had the duke been at home, she would 
 have confessed her fears that it was not safe to 
 have the duchess left alone. Unfortunately, 
 the duke was at the House of Lords, and re- 
 turned not until all was over. Although the sus- 
 picion that a guilty attachment existed between 
 their lady and Lord Willamere had long been 
 excited in the minds of the servants, such was 
 the good- will her gentleness and goodness had 
 created in their breasts, and so strong was the 
 respect they entertained for the duke, that no 
 whisper ever betrayed the secret. The femme 
 de chambre, who had for some time marked the 
 unhappiness of the duchess, and surmised the 
 cause, would have died sooner than breathe a
 
 224 MEMOIRS or 
 
 word that could darken her fame, or lead the 
 betrayed and bereaved husband to suspect, that 
 the wife whose sudden death he so deeply 
 deplored, had been unworthy of his affection. 
 It was remarked that whenever by chance Lord 
 Willamere's name was mentioned in her presence, 
 she would turn deadly pale, and a shudder would 
 pass over her frame ; but when questioned why 
 this occurred, she would give some excuse, and 
 change the subject. The sudden death of the 
 duchess greatly shocked Lord Willamere. He 
 had anticipated no such tragical catastrophe, and 
 for some time it affected his spirits, and he 
 blamed himself for his unkindness at their last 
 interview. But after a few months she was 
 thought of no more, save when a street organ 
 happened to play her favourite air, and then he 
 would turn pale and sigh. The tune, however, 
 like all other ones, became old-fashioned, and 
 ceased to be played by the organs, so he was 
 released from this last reminder of her whose 
 peace he had destroyed, and whom he had 
 driven to self-destruction.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 225 
 
 CHAPTER XH. 
 
 WE left Sir Henry Eiverstock following the 
 carriage that contained Mr. and Mrs. Strat- 
 ford. He had the tact and decency not to 
 come so near it as to be seen by its occupants ; 
 and as he observed it stop in front of the 
 garden-gate of a small but neat cottage, into 
 which the invalid was assisted by his wife and 
 a female servant, he stopped his horse until 
 they had time to pass into the house, and then, 
 having noted the locality, he retraced his route 
 to the Park. The intelligence of the supposed 
 frailty of the fair object of his pursuit, conveyed 
 by Mr. Addington, only served to encourage the 
 evil designs excited by her beauty in the mind 
 of the libertine baronet. Why might not he 
 seek to please, and win her smiles, as well as 
 Lord Willamere had d6ne? Was he not as 
 
 L3
 
 226 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 good-looking, much younger, and richer than 
 his lordship? and why therefore not aspire to 
 the same success ? So reasoned Sir Henry 
 Riverstock, as he slowly rode back to the park, 
 his thoughts occupied by the lovely woman he 
 had seen, and bent on leaving no effort untried 
 to gain her favour. This incipient passion did 
 not, however, deter him from examining every 
 pretty woman he saw in the Park, as if each 
 not personally known to him were an attain- 
 able object; or in fact, as if the women were, 
 like horses exposed in a dealer's yard, led forth 
 to be exhibited to the highest bidder. 
 
 " She is handsomer, a thousand times hand- 
 somer than any of them," said he to himself. 
 " What a lucky fellow Willamere was to have 
 won her, and in the meridian of her beauty too, 
 before she had become so pale and delicate as 
 at present. But this paleness and delicacy will 
 subside when she comes to be no longer con- 
 stantly immured with that sickly husband of 
 hers. The being shut up with such an un- 
 healthy fellow is enough to make any woman 
 look ill. It is like renewing the old story of
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 227 
 
 Mezentius, chaining the living to the dead, to 
 have such fine a creature tied to that poor faded 
 shrunken skeleton, who has scarcely a breath of 
 life left in his body. I'll write to her at once. 
 Or, let me see, shall I wait a little? Her 
 husband can't last long, and women's hearts are 
 said to be peculiarly softened during the first 
 days of widowhood." 
 
 Thus reflected the sensual and libertine Sir 
 Henry Riverstock, to whom a doubt of the 
 truth of the statement of Mr. Addington never 
 occurred. Indeed, he seldom questioned any 
 scandalous story, for, judging of the mass 
 of mankind by self, he was prone to give 
 credence to every evil that could be imputed 
 to it. 
 
 It is long since we left Mr. and Mrs. Strat- 
 ford entering the abode near Brompton, pro- 
 vided for them by their kind and considerate 
 friend, Mr. Manvers. In it they found every 
 comfort that an invalid could require, and both 
 husband and wife, as they looked around on the 
 neat and cheerful rooms, and into the garden, 
 gay with flowers, and enlivened by the carols
 
 228 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of innumerable birds, mentally blessed him to 
 whom they owed so much. 
 
 " The pure air and quiet of this sweet place, 
 will, with the blessing of God, restore you," 
 said the doting wife, as she looked fondly and 
 anxiously at the pale face and sunken eyes of 
 her husband. 
 
 He shook his head sorrowfully, but spoke 
 not, and turned away to hide his emotion. 
 Oh! what a pang shot through his wife's heart 
 at that moment, as his conviction of the utter 
 hopelessness of his case was revealed to her by 
 his silence, and the emotion he tried to conceal. 
 She struggled to master her feelings and assume 
 a calm demeanour, while her heart was torn by 
 grief and dread ; but a tremulous movement of 
 her lips, and an increased paleness of her face, 
 betrayed what she felt. 
 
 Day after day, did she examine with the 
 watchful eyes of love, the altered aspect of her 
 husband. The pure air and quiet, on which 
 she had so much counted for effecting a bene- 
 ficial change in his state, had failed to produce 
 the desired end, and each hour saw him become
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 229 
 
 more deathly pallid, more emaciated, and more 
 languid than before; while a cough that shook 
 his feeble frame, but too well proclaimed that 
 consumption, that most terrible of maladies, 
 was making rapid strides in its destructive 
 progress to end his life. He would lay for hours 
 dozing on a sofa in the chamber, so death-like, 
 that his labouring breath alone proved he was 
 still a denizen of earth, and his wife would fix 
 her eyes on that pale brow, and those sharply 
 chiselled features which the finger of approach- 
 ing Death had already touched, as if to imprint 
 them on her memory, while tears, bitter, 
 burning tears, would chase each other down her 
 cheeks. 
 
 Often would the pallid sleeper murmur her 
 name in a tone of such deep tenderness, as to 
 thrill through her heart, while heavy sighs 
 heaved his breast, and proved that even in 
 slumber, he was haunted by the thought of 
 their coming separation. At such moments 
 she would look from the sleeping father to 
 his slumbering child. The one with the pallor 
 of death on his brow, marking how fleetly the
 
 230 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 sands of life were ebbing, and the other rosy, 
 plump, and dimpled, smiling in its dreams, un- 
 conscious of the state of the authors of its 
 being, and of the fate impending over them. 
 
 " Could I but preserve him, even thus," Mrs. 
 Stratford would say, as she gazed on her 
 husband, " I would be content. To watch over 
 him as now ; to guard his slumbers from inter- 
 ruption ; to minister to his wants ; oh ! it 
 would be happiness ! But to know that the 
 dear face I am now looking on will soon be 
 hidden from my eyes for ever, that, shut from 
 the light of day in the dark and narrow grave, 
 the worms will prey on it, and decay deface 
 those fair lineaments, O God! O (rod! the 
 bitterness of death is in such thoughts, and 
 reason staggers beneath a load of anguish too 
 heavy to be borne. Would to heaven that our 
 helpless child and I were summoned to accom- 
 pany my husband to the grave ! Pardon me, 
 
 merciful Father, if weak and sinful, I shrink 
 from the cup of bitterness thou hast willed 
 
 1 should drink to the very dregs. Have mercy 
 on me, and take me and the child that thou hast
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 231 
 
 given me hence, for I have not courage to live 
 after the grave shall have closed over my 
 husband." 
 
 How mournful and tender were the commun- 
 ings of the dying husband and doting wife, 
 during the days that intervened between their 
 earthly separation. How did he, full of faith 
 in the divine mercy of his heavenly Father, 
 endeavour to reconcile her to the inevitable 
 blow that would leave her a lonely mourner on 
 earth, and a dependant on the kindness of Mr. 
 Manvers. But though the pious resignation of 
 the Christian was exerted to chasten the grief of 
 the fond husband and father, it could not always 
 subdue the anguish with which he contemplated 
 a separation from those so dear to him. He 
 would, when he believed himself unobserved, 
 gaze on his wife and child until tears blinded 
 him, and he would turn his face away to 
 conceal his emotion, lest it might inflict a fresh 
 pang on the tender nurse who seldom left his 
 pillow. 
 
 One day, when the weather was more than 
 usually sultry, and that its enervating effect
 
 232 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 made itself felt by an increased languor and 
 exhaustion of his debilitated frame, his wife, 
 while using a fan to cool his fevered brow, said 
 she longed for the fresh breezes of autumn to 
 bring restored health to him. 
 
 " Alas ! dearest, health will never more visit 
 me," replied he. "Cheat not yourself, my 
 Emily, with illusive hopes. I shall leave you 
 before the first autumnal breeze sweeps the 
 leaves from those trees we both daily look on." 
 
 " Say not, oh ! say not so, William," and the 
 speaker arose and pressed him in her arms, as 
 if to preserve him from the grasp of the de- 
 stroyer Death, while a torrent of tears bathed her 
 cheeks. " You will yet recover. The Almighty 
 will take pity on me, and knowing my weak- 
 ness will not try me beyond my strength of 
 endurance. Oh! William, I could not part 
 from you, I could not see you die ! " and the 
 frame of the wretched wife shook in agony. 
 Never previously had she dared to contemplate 
 the terrible result of the malady that she saw 
 day by day making such fearful inroads on the 
 life of her husband. That he was in danger,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBKE. 233 
 
 in imminent danger, she could not conceal from 
 herself, though, with the delusion peculiar to 
 love in such cases, she refused to believe the 
 possibility of the calamity which menaced her. 
 It was too dreadful to be supported even in 
 thought; and if for a moment it suggested 
 itself, her terrified imagination shrunk from it, 
 and, with a shudder, she would say, " Oh ! no ; 
 God is too good. He, who knows the secrets of 
 all hearts, and the weakness of his poor sinful 
 children, knows that such a blow would indeed 
 overwhelm me, and leave my poor child doubly 
 an orphan." 
 
 But now to hear from his own lips a confirma- 
 tion of fears too terrible to be admitted, even in 
 thought, struck her to the heart, and sounded a 
 funeral knell to departed hope. No longer 
 could she cheat herself, or shut her eyes to the 
 dreadful truth ; and with this conviction came a 
 stunning sense of despair and desolation, that 
 almost deprived her of the power to quell the 
 demonstrations of her agony, which she felt 
 must inflict such pain on her husband. 
 
 "I feared this, my poor Emily," said he,
 
 234 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " and have long wished, but had not courage, to 
 prepare you for what is inevitable. Remember 
 that we part not for ever, that life soon passes, 
 that you will follow me, and that we shall, 
 through the mercy of our blessed Redeemer, be 
 hereafter reunited where no more partings are." 
 
 How eagerly did her ears drink in the sounds 
 of that dear voice, soon to be hushed in the 
 silence of death! Was it indeed possible that 
 his days were numbered? that soon the dark 
 grave would hide from her view that dear face, 
 now beaming on her with unutterable love? 
 She could not speak. Every attempt to pro- 
 nounce even a single word brought on a sense 
 of suffocation that threatened to overpower her. 
 So, mute and motionless, save by the quick 
 rising of her agitated breast, she remained 
 plunged in grief. 
 
 Oh ! how overwhelming is the first conviction 
 that the object dearest to us on earth is about 
 to be snatched from us for ever ! How do we 
 gaze on those features that must soon be shut 
 out from our sight, how listen to those accents 
 that never uttered an unkind word, and which
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 235 
 
 will soon meet our ears no more ! The deep 
 emotion of her husband had so exhausted his 
 weak frame that he sank into a gentle sleep, 
 during which his unhappy wife found a momen- 
 tary relief in tears. They flowed long and 
 silently. She suffered no sob to escape from 
 her oppressed heart, nor did her tearful eyes 
 turn from the pale and attenuated face before 
 her ; which, save for the motion produced by 
 his quick respiration, might have been mistaken 
 for that of the dead. The door of the chamber 
 opened, and the female servant who waited on 
 Mrs. Stratford entered with a letter addressed 
 to her. " It was brought by a groom, ma'am," 
 whispered she, "who said he would call to- 
 morrow for an answer." Having made a sign 
 to her not to disturb the sleeper, Mrs. Stratford 
 put the letter into her pocket without bestowing 
 a thought on whom it might come from, nor 
 did it occur to her memory again until the next 
 day, when the maid came to inform her that 
 the servant who had brought the letter the 
 previous day, had called, and was waiting for an 
 answer.
 
 236 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " What letter, dearest ? " asked her husband. 
 
 " I had totally forgotten it," replied his wife, 
 drawing it from her pocket with its seal unbroken. 
 
 " I thought we had been forgotten by 
 all, except our kind friend, Mr. Manvers," 
 observed Mr. Stratford, as he looked at his 
 wife, who opened the letter with an indifference 
 and carelessness that betokened how little inte- 
 rest it occasioned ; but soon her aspect changed 
 her pale cheek became crimsoned, her eyes 
 darted glances of anger and indignation, and in 
 a voice tremulous with emotion, she told the 
 servant that there was no answer. 
 
 " Something in that letter has moved, has 
 agitated you, Emily. Is it as I suspect ? Has 
 that unprincipled man, Lord Willamere, whom 
 I saw in Piccadilly the day we were coming 
 here, discovered our abode, and again renewed 
 his insults?" 
 
 The face of the speaker, previously pale as 
 death, was now flushed by indignation, and his 
 hand trembled as he held it forth for the letter. 
 
 "It is not from that bad man, my dear 
 William, I assure you it is not."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 237 
 
 " Then why did its perusal agitate and dis- 
 tress you, my own Emily?" 
 
 " The least thing agitates me of late," replied 
 Mrs. Stratford, endeavouring to assume a care- 
 less air, though trembling lest her husband 
 should insist upon seeing the letter, which would, 
 she was well aware, excite emotions most inju- 
 rious in his weak state. 
 
 " Let me read it, Emily ! " and he held out 
 his hand eagerly for the letter. 
 
 " Do not read it, dear William. Oblige me 
 by not insisting on it." 
 
 " We have too short a time to be together, 
 my poor love, for me to forego one of the dear 
 privileges you accorded me when you blessed 
 me with your hand, that of having no secrets 
 between us." 
 
 " But this odious letter will only vex you. 
 I know not its vile writer, and why should we 
 bestow a single thought on him or it?" 
 
 "I will see it, Emily !" and the sick man, 
 with an impatience very unusual in him, and 
 which was probably the effect of the fever 
 preying on his exhausted frame, motioned to
 
 238 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 have the letter given to him. Fearing that a 
 continued opposition to his wishes might be as 
 injurious as a perusal of the hated epistle, his 
 wife resigned it to his trembling hand, her own 
 as tremulous ; but scarcely had his eyes glanced 
 over the first few lines, ere his face became 
 suffused with the red blush of wounded pride 
 and indignation, even to his very temples, and 
 he sunk back exhausted, and gasping for 
 breath, on his pillow. A violent paroxysm of 
 coughing rapidly ensued, which terribly shook 
 his frame, and was followed by an ensanguined 
 stream, which gushed from his mouth, threaten- 
 ing immediate death by suffocation. The cries 
 of his distracted wife brought a servant to her 
 aid. A messenger was dispatched for the next 
 medical man. who was soon in attendance, and 
 who tried, but, alas ! in vain, to stay the ebbing 
 tide of life, for ere an hour had elapsed, he had 
 ceased to breathe. No tears, no groan, marked 
 the bereaved wife's sense of the calamity that 
 had befallen her. Pale, and motionless as a 
 statue, with her eyes fixed on the face of the 
 departed, and his lifeless hand still clasped con-
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 239 
 
 vulsively in hers, she seemed unconscious that 
 he was indeed gone for ever, and heedless of 
 the reiterated requests of the doctor and the 
 servant, that she should retire to another 
 room. But when with a gentle force they 
 endeavoured to remove her from the spot, she 
 resisted their efforts with an unnatural strength 
 for so slight a frame, and breaking from their 
 arms, she threw herself on the body of her 
 husband, and clasping it wildly to her breast, 
 fell into strong convulsions. Though accus- 
 tomed to such trying scenes of grief, the over- 
 whelming agony he here witnessed made a deep 
 impression on Mr. Dawkins, the surgeon, and 
 he used every effort that his skill and expe- 
 rience could suggest, to afford relief to his 
 patient. But the fiat had gone forth, and 
 human skill was vain. At the expiration of 
 three days she ceased to suffer, and her pure 
 and spotless soul fled to join that of the husband 
 she had so fondly, truly loved, leaving their 
 helpless child as a mournful legacy to the pity of 
 Mr. Manvers, the only sincere friend its unhappy 
 parents had ever known. He was faithful to
 
 240 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the trust, and having attended their cold re- 
 mains to a neighbouring cemetery with everj 
 observance of respect, and seen them interred 
 in one grave, he took the orphan to his house, 
 where, provided with all comfort, she was 
 tended with as much care as if she had beer 
 his own child. When old enough to receive 
 tuition she was sent to an excellent school, it 
 being the intention of her benefactor that she 
 should be brought up as a governess. 
 
 To render her fit for this situation, no ex- 
 pense was saved, and during the years that 
 intervened ere she was deemed sufficiently 
 accomplished to instruct others, she continued 
 to have every kindness lavished on her by her 
 generous friend and his family. When arrived 
 at an age to comprehend her position, (I trust 
 my readers will permit me to avoid the egotist- 
 ical 7, and write of myself as if I wrote of 
 another,) Mr. Manvers revealed to her the 
 particulars of the sad story, and premature 
 deaths of her parents. ' He painted in bright 
 and unfading colours, the virtues and misfor- 
 tunes of the amiable and ill-fated pair. He
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBEE. 241 
 
 loved to dwell on every detail connected with 
 them, that brought forth more strikingly their 
 virtues and noble qualities; and while doing 
 so, the history of their wrongs, all of which 
 were well known to him, was exposed to her. 
 The heartlessness, and utter selfishness of those 
 among whom the destiny of her father had 
 been cast, filled her mind with disgust and 
 dread, but it also strengthened and steeled it 
 against the illusions to which youth is prone. 
 
 At an age when young girls see only the 
 bright side of life, she was impressed with a 
 conviction that the heirs of poverty are born to 
 endure many and heavy trials ; and that forti- 
 tude and resignation, which can alone enable 
 them to support such evils, must be assiduously 
 cultivated, as a spirit of discontent and repining 
 will but increase the sense of them. 
 
 The same fatal disease that had snatched 
 away the wife of Mr. Manvers, deprived him 
 of his children, when they had become old 
 enough to be his friends, as well as com- 
 panions. It was on these trying occasions that 
 the orphan he had protected was enabled to 
 
 VOL. i. M
 
 242 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 prove most strongly her gratitude and devotion. 
 She nursed the sick with unwearying attention 
 and tenderness, and soothed the bereaved father 
 when his offspring were taken from him, with 
 an assiduity which, if it could not heal the deep 
 wounds inflicted on his peace, served at least to 
 mitigate his sense of their anguish. 
 
 Fortune, that blind goddess, who seems to 
 delight in persecuting those least able to resist 
 her shafts, and who had so sternly frowned on 
 her parents, had reserved some of her arrows to 
 pierce the orphan they had left behind, and 
 that too when her only friend, the worthy Mr. 
 Manvers, was on the point of securing to her a 
 provision, that would have precluded her from 
 ever experiencing the ills that wait on poverty. 
 Having amassed a large fortune, and no longer 
 blessed with those dear objects for whom he 
 had laboured to acquire it, he determined on 
 bequeathing it to her whom he had befriended. 
 His only near relative was a sister, whose cha- 
 racter and conduct were so dissimilar to his 
 own, as to have produced a long and serious 
 estrangement between them. Her extrava-
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 243 
 
 gance had often involved her in difficulties, 
 
 o * 
 
 from the consequences of which he had several 
 times extricated her, at the cost of heavy pecu- 
 niary sacrifices, but his kindness had failed to 
 make a proper impression on her callous heart. 
 He had discovered her ingratitude, and although 
 determined to make a provision that would 
 secure her from want when he should be no 
 more, he, in the warmth of his generous 
 affection, thought his wealth could nowhere be 
 so well bestowed as on the young girl whose 
 attention to his lost offspring, and devotion to 
 himself, had won his regard. He had imme- 
 diately after the death of her parents added a 
 codicil to his will, bequeathing the sum of two 
 thousand pounds to her. He now determined 
 to destroy this will, and to replace it by 
 another ; but the very day he had consigned it 
 to the flames, and gone to his solicitor to give 
 him instructions to prepare another, he found 
 that gentleman had been called into the country, 
 and was not expected to return for some days. 
 " Let me know when he arrives," said Mr. 
 Manvers to the clerk, " for I have business of 
 M 2
 
 244 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 some importance to consult him on," and he 
 walked away from Lincoln's Inn, his mind filled 
 by the thought of securing his large fortune to 
 the person he most regarded. That evening he 
 made notes of instruction for the drawing of 
 his will, in which an annuity of two hundred a 
 year was to be bequeathed to his sister; half 
 that sum to his worthy housekeeper, a consider- 
 able provision to his confidential clerk, and dona- 
 tions to all his other clerks and domestics whose 
 services had entitled them to his esteem. To 
 the orphan was the remainder of his wealth, 
 amounting to no less a sum than sixty thousand 
 pounds, to revert, and he named two of his 
 most respected friends as executors. He 
 signed the sheet of paper on which he had writ- 
 ten these notes, and having placed it on his 
 desk, intending to lock it up next morning, 
 retired to his pillow that night with a mind at 
 rest, satisfied at having taken steps to put into 
 execution an intention formed ever since the 
 death of his second daughter. With more 
 virtues than fall to the lot of most men, Mr. 
 Manvers had one defect, that was a superstitious
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 245 
 
 dread connected with making his will. He 
 thought that death was less likely to visit him 
 while he had made no testamentary arrange- 
 ment of his affairs ; and this weakness, which he 
 hardly acknowledged to himself, had led him from 
 month to month to postpone making a new one. 
 To conquer this disposition to procrastination, 
 of the weakness of which he felt sensible, he 
 had taken the step of committing the will made 
 during the life of his daughter to the flames, 
 and the very next day had gone to his solicitor's 
 to have a new one drawn up in due form. But 
 the truth of the proverb, that " Man proposes, 
 and God disposes," was never more exemplified 
 than in his case ; for he never awoke from the 
 sleep into which he fell the night after he had 
 written his notes relative to his will ; that calm 
 slumber, before dropping into which, his last 
 thought had been one of self-satisfaction at 
 having, as he thought, so well disposed of his 
 honestly acquired wealth.
 
 246 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE next morning, about the hour which 
 Mr. Manvers generally left his chamber, his 
 sister called to seek an interview with him, for 
 the purpose of soliciting pecuniary aid ; having, 
 as was her wont, exceeded the quarterly stipend 
 he assigned for her support. She was informed 
 that he had not yet descended, and was shown 
 into a private room at the back of his shop, 
 where he was in the habit of receiving people 
 on business. She had not remained more than 
 a quarter of an hour there, when the shrieks of 
 the housemaid, who rushed down stairs, struck 
 her ear, and hearing the shocked and grief- 
 stricken woman announce to the housekeeper 
 that their dear, their good master was no more, 
 she hurried up to his chamber, and found her.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 247 
 
 brother a corse ! She glanced around ; for even 
 the awful sight before her failed to touch her 
 cold and callous heart ; and her eyes fell on the 
 paper on the desk near his bedside. In a 
 moment she became conscious of its importance, 
 and seizing it with the rapidity of lightning, 
 she conveyed it to her pocket before the house- 
 keeper and confidential! clerk of the deceased 
 could reach the chamber; and then throwing 
 herself on the bed, and clasping the lifeless 
 body in her arms, she so well simulated a 
 paroxysm of despair and anguish, as to excite 
 the commiseration of those present, although 
 they had previously felt ill-disposed towards 
 her, from knowing the chagrin and trouble she 
 had so frequently inflicted on their departed 
 friend and master. A surgeon who had been 
 sent for on the first alarm, now arrived, and 
 pronounced that life had been for several hours 
 extinct. Mr. Vernon, the head clerk, in the 
 presence of the surgeon, placed seals on all the 
 desks, drawers, &c., and despatched messengers 
 to the two friends whom his late employer had 
 told him were to be his executors.
 
 243 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Mr. Manvers had informed him some time 
 previously, of his intention to bequeath the 
 principal portion of his fortune to the orphan. 
 The worthy housekeeper had likewise been told 
 this by her master, so both now regarded the 
 young girl as the heiress to his wealth; and, 
 having known and loved her since her infancy, 
 they had a satisfaction in her good fortune. 
 
 Mrs. Forsythe, the sister of the deceased, so 
 well enacted her role, as to impose on all pre- 
 sent, and convince them that she was a prey to 
 grief. Force was necessary to remove her from 
 the lifeless body of her brother, and so wholly 
 overwhelmed by grief did she appear to be 
 that the humane and worthy housekeeper pro- 
 posed having a bed made for her in an adjoining 
 chamber, she having declared, with a frantic 
 vehemence of tenderness, that she would not be 
 denied the sad consolation of remaining near 
 his corse until it was to be removed for ever 
 from her sight. 
 
 Having carried her point of remaining on the 
 spot, and watching that nothing was removed, 
 for Mrs. Forsythe to her other bad qualities
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 249 
 
 united a degree of suspicion rarely found but 
 in those who, capable themselves of every 
 turpitude, are prone to attribute similar dispo- 
 sitions to all with whom they come in contact, 
 she swallowed a calming potion, prescribed by 
 the surgeon, and being left alone to try the 
 efficacy of its eifect, drew the paper signed 
 by her late brother from its concealment, and 
 carefully perused its contents. The writing 
 and paper looked so fresh, and the circum- 
 stance, too, of its laying on the desk, with the 
 pen still in the inkbottle by its side, struck her 
 as proofs that the document in her hand had 
 only been indited the previous night, before her 
 brother had sought that pillow whence it was 
 decreed by the Almighty that he was to rise 
 no more. She trembled with emotion as the 
 possibility that this might be his only testa- 
 mentary disposition occurred to her; and a 
 thrill of joy and triumph passed through her 
 mind at the thought that it was secure in her 
 possession, and unknown to any one else. Oh, 
 if it should prove to be So ! If no other will 
 could be found among his papers, or at his 
 
 M3
 
 250 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 solicitor's, how might she benefit by having dis- 
 covered and secreted it ! How fortunate was 
 it that she had been urged by want to visit the 
 deceased that morning; that she was on the 
 spot at the identical time ; had been the first to 
 enter his chamber, or at least that side of it 
 where his writing-desk stood, and had time to 
 hide the important paper. Yes, if no will 
 could be found, she she, the sister he disliked, 
 the object of his charity, who had come that 
 very morning to crave a further extension of it, 
 ashamed to meet his cold glance and reproachful 
 eye at this new proof of her improvidence ! 
 Yes, she would, in default of a will being 
 found, become the natural heiress to all his 
 wealth, and his protegee, Miss Stratford, for 
 whom he intended to defraud her, his nearest 
 relation, his own sister, would be left a depen- 
 dent on the bounty of her whom probably she 
 had been taught to undervalue, if not to 
 despise ! Oh ! there was happiness in the very 
 thought of attaining the wealth her heart had 
 long pined for, and of which she had so often 
 envied her brother the possession ! She would
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 251 
 
 not, like him, toil on to increase the ample 
 store he had amassed. No, she would make 
 it minister to those gratifications of which she 
 had but too long been deprived ; she would 
 revel in those luxuries and pleasures she 
 longed to enjoy ; and the wealth, for the at- 
 tainment of which he had so strictly attended 
 to business for years, and denied himself so 
 many indulgences, she, yes, she whom he had 
 reprehended, and to whom he had doled out 
 a stinted stipend, would reap the benefit of 
 all his parsimony and industry. And the 
 heartless woman smiled in triumphant antici- 
 pation of those riches she hoped to enjoy. 
 
 But if a former will had not been destroyed ! 
 Ah ! there was the rub ; and she trembled as 
 the possibility of this again crossed her mind. 
 She determined that she would continue to 
 enact the role of a mourning sister, so success- 
 fully commenced, excite the good-will and 
 sympathy of those around her, who entertained 
 so deep a respect for her departed brother; 
 so that in case her worst fears were realized by 
 the existence of a will, she might, by conci-
 
 252 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Hating the good opinion of the legatee, or 
 legatees, derive some pecuniary advantage from 
 them. She controlled herself sufficiently to 
 appear wholly absorbed in grief, and so well 
 did she play her part, that she succeeded in 
 duping the worthy individuals who had an 
 opportunity of witnessing her assumed chagrin. 
 
 The result is soon told. No will could be 
 found. Selina Stratford was left without any 
 provision; and Mrs. Forsythe, the cold, calcu- 
 lating, and selfish Mrs. Forsythe, became the 
 inheritress of the large fortune of her brother. 
 
 ^sTo sooner was it ascertained that Mrs. 
 Forsythe was indeed the legal inheritress of her 
 brother's fortune, than she threw off the mask 
 of grief she had previously assumed, and boldly 
 asserted her rights. She demanded an exact 
 account of the possessions that had devolved on 
 her, left no drawer or desk unsearched, no closet 
 unexplored ; examined every room, and every 
 piece of furniture in each, and found with 
 delight that the wealth, which was now her 
 own, far exceeded her most sanguine expecta- 
 tions. She looked with a suspicion, which she
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 253 
 
 had not the delicacy to conceal, on the head 
 clerk, a man of the strictest probity, repeatedly 
 told him he must render an exact account of his 
 late master's affairs, and insulted the old house- 
 keeper, the tried and faithful servant in whom 
 Mr. Manvers had placed implicit confidence, by 
 finding fault with the household arrangements, 
 and declaring her intention of changing the 
 whole system. 
 
 The orphan had been summoned from the 
 establishment in Sloane- street, where she had, 
 during the last twelve years, resided as a 
 parlour boarder, to come and visit the cold 
 remains of her friend and benefactor, and had 
 arrived at his abode soon after the melancholy 
 intelligence of his death had reached her. 
 Looked on by the head clerk and housekeeper 
 as the person who was to inherit their late 
 master's fortune, they were anxious that she 
 should remain in the house, and received her 
 with every demonstration of respect. They 
 knew that her grief was heartfelt, and deeply 
 sympathized in it. Mrs. Forsythe treated her 
 with a fawning attention during the first two or
 
 254 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 three days, calculating that, should a will be 
 found, and that the orphan was to be the heiress 
 of her brother, it would be politic to conciliate 
 her good will, in the hope that it might lead to 
 an addition to whatever provision Mr. Manvers 
 might have assigned for her. That it would be 
 a small one, she entertained no doubt, and, con- 
 sequently, she was desirous of profiting by any 
 chance that offered to increase it. Her flattery 
 was so fulsome and unacceptable to the orphan, 
 that it required a lively recollection of the 
 benefits received from Mr. Manvers, and a warm 
 sense of gratitude for them, to make her tole- 
 rate his sister, whose manners and tone were so 
 dissimilar to her own, as to render her society 
 anything but agreeable to her. When, how- 
 ever, the fact of Mrs. Forsythe being the 
 heiress to her brother's possessions was made 
 known, that person soon changed her manner 
 towards the protegee of her brother ; her fulsome 
 adulation was turned to an insolent brusquerie 
 still more insupportable, and she reminded the 
 poor girl of her dependent position, with a 
 coarseness so absolutely revolting, that Selina
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 255 
 
 left the house where she had never previously 
 experienced aught save kindness and affection, 
 evinced with a delicacy that enhanced the value 
 of both. 
 
 She returned to the establishment in Sloane- 
 street, where she had resided as a parlour 
 boarder, determined to solicit the assistance of 
 the Mesdames Patterson to procure her a situ- 
 ation as governess. The change in her position 
 had already been made known to them, for Mrs. 
 Forsythe, with a malice and littleness of mind 
 peculiar to her, had written them a letter, 
 stating that the girl whom her brother had 
 foolishly brought up, and educated as if she 
 were a lady, was now left a beggar ; and that 
 she, being sole possessor of his wealth, must 
 decline making so bad a use of it, as to allow 
 any portion to be wasted in paying any arrears 
 due to them. It happened unfortunately that a 
 quarter's salary had fallen due two days after 
 the death of Mr. Manvers, and as the sum was 
 no less a one than fifty pounds, that generous 
 man having, to ensure the comfort of his 
 ward, agreed to pay the liberal allowance of
 
 256 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 two hundred per annum for her board and 
 lodging, the intelligence conveyed by his sister 
 occasioned no very agreeable surprise in the 
 establishment in Sloane-street. 
 
 The Mesdames Patterson were elderly maiden 
 ladies, who, after having struggled during the 
 commencement of their career as teachers 
 through many and heavy pecuniary difficulties, 
 found themselves, after twenty years employed 
 in tuition, in a state of comparative affluence, 
 less the fruit of their industry than the conse- 
 quence of the rigid system of economy in which 
 they had persevered. They demanded large 
 remuneration from their pupils, and fed them so 
 frugally, that the children consigned to the 
 tender mercies of a poor-house were not more 
 sparingly dieted than the young ladies in their 
 establishment. The difference was, the first 
 were served on delf, pewter, or tin, on hucka- 
 back ; the second on delicate china or plate, on 
 snowy damask. All breakage by the servants 
 was charged in the quarterly accounts to the 
 young ladies, and though the parents might 
 murmur at the extravagance of such charges,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 257 
 
 the Mesdames Patterson would not abate one 
 shilling of them, saying, that in their establish- 
 ment they permitted nothing but the very best 
 china and glass to be used, and the breakage 
 must be paid for. 
 
 The sum thus mulcted, amounted to no in- 
 considerable one at the close of each year, and 
 the young ladies of the Misses Patterson's esta- 
 blishment were compelled to console themselves 
 for the damaged, bohea tea, bought at half- 
 price, the adulterated cocoa and chocolate, the 
 coarse sugar, rancid butter, pale-blue milk, and 
 stale household bread, supplied for their morn- 
 ing and evening repasts, by the recherche ele- 
 gance of the damask, china, plate, and glass, on 
 which they were served. The paucity of the 
 dinners, and bad quality of the low-priced 
 viands, the Misses Patterson thought were 
 amply atoned for by the irreproachable elegance 
 of the dinner service. And even this elegance 
 became a source of profit instead of cost to the 
 establishment, for each young lady was expected 
 to bring a silver teapot, cream-ewer, and sugar- 
 basin, half-a-dozen silver forks, and spoons, with
 
 258 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 a silver dish, which, on their leaving the school, 
 were to become the property of the Mesdames 
 Patterson. Thus these ladies, at the expiration 
 of a few years, found themselves the owners 
 of an extensive assortment of plate, which went 
 on accumulating every year, the charges for 
 keeping which in repair were regularly entered 
 in the accounts of the pupils. 
 
 It was a subject of general remark and com- 
 mendation, that the young ladies of the Misses 
 Patterson's establishment had clearer com- 
 plexions, and slighter waists, than those of any 
 other ; and were much less frequently attacked 
 by inflammatory complaints. With such ad- 
 vantages, what parent could listen to the repre- 
 sentations of her daughter, on the paucity or 
 quality of her food ? even if young ladies were 
 prone to make such. But that those confided to 
 the Mesdames Patterson were not so disposed, 
 will not surprise our readers, when we add, that 
 few young ladies were received by them until they 
 had entered their thirteenth year (theirs being 
 what is termed a finishing school ) ; a period of 
 life at which les demoiselles begin to be extremely
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 259 
 
 sensible of the advantages of a clear complexion 
 and slight waist, and are willing to submit to a 
 spare diet to secure them. To orphans, rich 
 enough to pay the large remuneration required, 
 the maiden sisters, when their education was 
 finished, offered a home, as parlour boarders ; and 
 among these, Selina Stratford had been placed. 
 She now returned, believing (so ignorant was 
 she of the world) that she should receive kind- 
 ness and commiseration, under her present afflic- 
 tion, from the Misses Patterson. Her reception 
 was a very different one to that on which she 
 counted. They listened to her with unmoved 
 countenances, although her words were often 
 interrupted by tears, and when she had con- 
 cluded, told her that a letter from Mrs. Forsythe 
 had made them perfectly aware of her position. 
 "When we received you into this house," 
 said the senior of the Misses Patterson, " we 
 were wholly ignorant that you were a dependent 
 on the charity of a grocer. We demurred 
 about receiving a pupil placed by a person in 
 that station of life, having always made it a rule 
 to accept only young ladies of good family.
 
 260 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Indeed, we carefully concealed from our other 
 pupils, and their parents, that the Mr. Manvers 
 who placed you here, and paid your bills, was 
 no other than the tradesman who probably 
 served them with all the articles in his trade. 
 But to find ourselves taken in, defrauded, as it 
 were, out of our just claims you are aware, 
 Miss Stratford, that one quarter's salary became 
 due a week ago, and that another quarter has 
 commenced, and also that the rules of our house 
 are, that a quarter's notice of leaving should be 
 given, or the salary paid in advance is really 
 too bad. It was shameful of Mr. Manvers not 
 to have made arrangements that we should be 
 paid, when we had departed so far from our esta- 
 blished rules as to receive a young person who 
 had no other recommendation to our notice than 
 his. Yes, it was most dishonorable, I must say." 
 Selina Stratford, confounded and indignant 
 at hearing such reproaches uttered against her 
 benefactor, whose name had never previously 
 been pronounced by the Mesdames Patterson 
 unaccompanied by praises of his generosity, 
 liberality, and punctuality, stood amazed and
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 261 
 
 silent. Frequent had been the presents, 
 graciously offered, and thankfully accepted, 
 from Mr. Manvers to the Misses Patterson, of 
 cases of superior tea, Greek honey, dried fruits, 
 and sweetmeats, with other dainties peculiar 
 to his craft, given to induce these starch 
 and somewhat haughty dames to show favour 
 and kindness to his protegee. Nor were these 
 cadeaux unavailing; for these ladies had often 
 declared, that from none of the friends or parents 
 of their pupils had they received such constant 
 and useful gifts, as from the guardian of Miss 
 Stratford; and their smiles and indulgence 
 to her having been meted out in proportion, she 
 had, with the confidence of youth and inex- 
 perience, fully calculated that now, in her hour 
 of need, they would not desert her. She 
 counted on being received by them until they 
 could hear of a situation for her as governess, 
 in which their recommendation could place her. 
 Their harsh words and altered mien convinced 
 her that she had been greatly in error when 
 she built her hopes on so unstable a foundation 
 as their good-will ; and as this conviction forced
 
 262 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 itself on her mind tears filled her eyes less the 
 result of selfish regret at the probable con- 
 sequences to herself, than at discovering the 
 unworthiness of those of whom she had hitherto 
 entertained a favourable opinion. The first 
 lessons in the school of adversity are ever ac- 
 quired with pain, and this pain is always in 
 proportion to the native goodness of the scholar. 
 Selina Stratford felt how differently she would 
 have acted in similar circumstances, and this 
 consciousness of a better nature rendered her 
 regret more acute, her indignation more lively. 
 " Brought up in the principles of probity that 
 govern this house, you cannot, surely, help 
 feeling, Miss Stratford, that we ought not to be 
 losers by our misplaced confidence in Mr. Man- 
 vers," resumed the elder Miss Patterson. " He 
 was liberal in his allowance of pocket money to 
 you ; indeed more so than was right, considering 
 your dependent position, and his shameful neg- 
 lect in not providing for you. He made you 
 presents, too, of considerable value, and you 
 cannot, surely, have idly expended the money 
 you received ? "
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 263 
 
 " I have still some by me, madam," replied 
 Selina. 
 
 " Then you will have but little profited by 
 the instruction received beneath this roof, if 
 you can hesitate a moment in appropriating 
 every shilling you possess towards paying, as 
 far as it will go, for the quarter due to us by 
 your late friend. Your watch, trinkets, best 
 clothes, India shawl, and books, will help to 
 defray our account, and, although we shall still 
 be heavy losers, we cannot blame you, provided 
 you give up, as you are in common honesty 
 bound to do, all that you possess." 
 
 " Yes, this will be only fair ; and my sister 
 and I show our kindness and forbearance to you, 
 in pointing out how you may clear yourself from 
 debt," observed the junior Miss Patterson, as- 
 suming a bland air. 
 
 " I accede, at once, to your proposal, madam," 
 replied Selina, " and hope that, in return for my 
 willingness to give up all I possess, you will 
 kindly use your influence to procure me a 
 situation as governess my sole chance of sub- 
 sistence, henceforth."
 
 264 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Certainly, if we should hear of any person 
 wanting a governess, we will think of you, but 
 I fear it will not be very likely. 
 
 " People begin to find out that private educa- 
 tion, carried on beneath the parental roof, is 
 attended with so many disadvantages, that they 
 prefer sending their children to establishments 
 like ours. A teacher at a school will be the 
 object to which your wishes must point, as 
 being the one most attainable; but bear in 
 mind, the salaries given are so small, that it 
 will require the utmost prudence and economy 
 on your part, to enable you to clothe yourself 
 with the respectability expected in such esta- 
 blishments." 
 
 " Might I be permitted to remain here until 
 some such situation offers?" inquired Selina, 
 her cheeks suffused with red, at being com- 
 pelled to make this first appeal to the charity 
 of her fellow-creatures. 
 
 The sisters looked at each other, and then, 
 after a moment's pause, the elder replied, that 
 provided Miss Stratford would fulfil the duties 
 of a teacher, in return for her board and
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 265 
 
 lodging, they would not object to her remaining 
 until something offered for her. 
 
 " But," added Miss Patterson, " you must be 
 aware that your position here necessarily be- 
 comes wholly altered. You must leave the 
 chamber you have hitherto occupied, and share 
 the room and bed of Miss Waterhouse. You 
 must be unremitting in your exertions to per- 
 form your duty, and merit our approval, in 
 return for the heavy expense we entail on 
 ourselves in allowing you to remain here." 
 
 " Yes," said the junior Miss Patterson, "your 
 board and lodging will be a serious expense; 
 but our humanity and good-nature induce us to 
 sacrifice our own interest for sake of advancing 
 yours, and I trust you will know how to estimate 
 the favour. You can devote your leisure hours 
 in the evening to mending the house linen, and 
 doing any little plain work my sister or I may 
 have occasion for. By the bye, I have just 
 now some under-petticoats to be made, which 
 I will have sent to you. Miss Waterhouse is 
 a steady industrious girl, who never spares her 
 labour, is ready to turn a hand to any thing, 
 
 VOL. i. N
 
 :266 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and never gives trouble to the servants. You 
 will do well to follow her example in all things, 
 and, above all, in the humility for which she is 
 so conspicuous." 
 
 Selina listened in silence to the sisters, con- 
 founded by a sense of her own dependent 
 position. She knew not what to do, had no 
 friend to turn to for counsel or protection, 
 and although she was aware that to accept the 
 offer made by the Mesdames Patterson would 
 be to expose herself to the labour, without the 
 wages of a servant, she thought that even this 
 would be better, than to go forth alone and 
 unprotected to seek a home and employment 
 to support her in it. She thanked the sisters, 
 and said that for the present she would avail 
 herself of their offer.
 
 A FEMMK DE CHAMBRE. 207 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " IT is advisable that no time should be lost 
 in transferring the money and articles which 
 we are to have in part payment of the sum due 
 to us," observed Miss Patterson, after a short 
 pause and a whispering consultation with her 
 sister. " Mind, I say in part payment ; for of 
 course all you possess would go but a very 
 short way indeed towards discharging your 
 debt ; and I fully expect that when you get 
 a situation, with a salary attached to it, you 
 will appropriate three parts of it to discharging 
 in full the amount due to us." 
 
 " That will be only fair," said the junior 
 sister, " and Miss Stratford cannot object to it." 
 
 Miss Patterson accompanied Selina to her 
 chamber, and stood peering into each drawer 
 N 2
 
 268 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 as it was opened. " Let me have the money 
 first ! " exclaimed she, reaching eagerly at the 
 note-case and purse which were in a corner of 
 the desk, and clutching them in her grasp. 
 " Are you sure that you have no more else- 
 where ? None in your pocket ? " 
 
 " Only a few shillings, madam," replied 
 Selina. 
 
 " Let me see." 
 
 The orphan drew a purse from her pocket, 
 and its contents, amounting to some fifteen or 
 sixteen shillings, were counted over by Miss 
 Patterson, who, having ascertained the precise 
 sum, was about to replace it in the purse again, 
 and to transfer it to her own pocket, when 
 Selina ventured to say, "Pardon me, but I 
 should not like to part with that purse. It was 
 the gift of my kind friend, Mr. Manvers." 
 
 " Oh ! you may keep it, if you set such a 
 store by it," and Miss Patterson threw, rather 
 than handed back the empty purse; " but your 
 kind friend, as you are pleased to call him, 
 would have done better in leaving you some- 
 thing to keep you in bread hereafter, than in
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 269 
 
 foolishly supplying you with more pocket- 
 money than you wanted ; which has induced 
 a habit of extravagance greatly to be deplored 
 in a person in your dependent situation." 
 
 " You will oblige me, Madam, by sparing all 
 reflections on the memory of my best friend," 
 said Selina, and tears filled her eyes. 
 
 " You must conquer this irritability, if you 
 intend to thrive in this or any other establish- 
 ment you may enter," observed Miss Patterson. 
 < e It will be a great obstacle to you through 
 life, I can assure you. Let me see how much 
 gold there is in that other purse, and what 
 notes there are in the pocket-book." 
 
 She waited not for Selina to count the money, 
 but did so herself; and then, having ascertained 
 that the note-case was empty, she possessed 
 herself of the gold, some seventeen or eighteen 
 sovereigns, and then turned her attention to 
 the wardrobe. 
 
 " You will not require these coloured silk 
 dresses," observed she. " Black, or very dark 
 brown, are the colours most suitable to a 
 governess. I thought your shawl was better,
 
 .270 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 but I find it is only a low-priced one. You 
 lately bought some new linen and stockings, 
 I have heard ; that was a piece of extravagance, 
 but they will suit me," and she counted over 
 the said articles. " Are these all your trinkets ? 
 Surely I have seen you wear some others !" 
 
 " I assure you, madam, these are all I 
 possess." 
 
 " Well, but you need not cry about it, child. 
 Really you must conquer this habit of shedding 
 tears on every occasion. It will never do. 
 Have you not another gold chain, a smaller 
 one?" 
 
 " Yes, madam, one I always wear ; which has 
 a locket attached, with the hair of my parents." 
 
 " A black ribbon will answer quite as well, 
 and be more suitable to your altered circum- 
 stances j so give me the chain."' 
 
 With unsteady fingers Selina drew the chain 
 from her neck ; and, having unfastened it from 
 the locket, consigned it to the hands of Miss 
 Patterson, who then shamelessly reminded her 
 that she had not taken off a ring. 
 
 " No ! that ring I cannot, will not, part
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 271 
 
 from!" exclaimed Selina, tortured beyond the 
 power of further endurance : " That was the 
 wedding ring of my mother !' 
 
 Her watch, with its chain and seals, was next 
 demanded, and the whole of her property, 
 except two or three of her worst gowns, and 
 a few other indispensable articles, being deli- 
 vered up to the mean and avaricious woman 
 who so unblushingly seized them, the orphan 
 was left to remove her now scanty wardrobe to 
 the miserable attic she was henceforth to share 
 with the much-enduring Miss Waterhouse. 
 
 Nothing could be more cheerless than this 
 wretched chamber; so low that Selina could 
 not stand upright, save in its centre. It was 
 lighted by a small window, precisely in front 
 of which, a stack of chimnies protruded so 
 closely, as nearly to intercept the light, giving 
 the room the air of a prison. Three iron bars, 
 to preclude the possibility of ingress or egress, 
 strengthened the resemblance,which the paucity 
 and quality of the furniture was not calculated 
 to destroy. A deal table, very unsteady on its 
 legs, stood before the window, and a cracked
 
 272 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 looking-glass of small dimensions graced it. 
 A wretched looking bed, with a very soiled 
 counterpane and curtains, two rickety chairs, 
 a broken basin and jug, and an empty 
 pomatum-pot, completed the contents of this 
 wretched chamber ; and a feAV of the robes of 
 Miss Waterhouse, suspended on wooden pegs 
 from the wall, added to the dreariness of its 
 aspect. 
 
 Never previously had Selina ascended to 
 this portion of the mansion of the Misses 
 Patterson, or imagined that aught so cheerless 
 and poverty-stricken could be found beneath a 
 roof inhabited by persons in easy, if not in 
 affluent circumstances. She shuddered as she 
 contemplated the room, and contrasted it with 
 the clean and cheerful one she had hitherto 
 occupied, and inwardly prayed that she might 
 not long be doomed to be an inmate of this 
 dark and dingy attic. She recoiled with a 
 sentiment of distaste, she could neither vanquish 
 nor wholly conceal, as she looked at the dirty 
 curtains beneath which she was to share the 
 bed of Miss Waterhouse, and felt that she
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 273 
 
 t 
 
 would infinitely prefer sleeping alone on the 
 boards, to such companionship. 
 
 Miss Patterson, observing her emotion, and 
 justly interpreting its cause, said, "You need 
 not be alarmed about the bed. It is a very 
 good one, I assure you. Excellent feathers, 
 and a good straw paillasse under. I never 
 heard the least complaint of it, and Miss Water- 
 house has now occupied it for three years, so it 
 is well aired." 
 
 Selina made no reply, and Miss Patterson 
 withdrew, leaving her to reflect on her altered 
 position, and all the disagreeable consequences 
 it entailed. 
 
 A servant, in a few minutes after, announced 
 to her that an elderly gentleman wished to see 
 her ; and handing her a card, she read with 
 satisfaction the name of Mr. Vernon, the senior 
 clerk of her late friend Mr. Manvers. She 
 hastened down stairs to receive him, and for- 
 getful for the moment of her 'altered position 
 in the establishment of the Mesdames Patter- 
 son, was on the point of entering the sitting- 
 room formerly assigned to her use, and where 
 
 N3
 
 274 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 she had been in the habit of receiving Mr. 
 Manvers, when the servant laid hold of her 
 dress, and said, " Miss, miss, you must not go 
 in there any more. Missus told me not to let 
 you, now as you are hired as a teacher to help 
 Miss Waterhouse." 
 
 The blood rushed to the brows of the orphan 
 at this address; but a moment's reflection 
 taught her that there was nothing to be ashamed 
 of in the poverty that exposed her to such 
 annoyances, and with a calm demeanour she 
 inquired of the servant where she could receive 
 Mr. Vernon ? 
 
 " Here in the hall, Miss, if you please, where 
 Miss Waterhouse sees her friends when 
 they call. The old gentleman is a-waiting 
 outside the door, as I didn't like to let him stop 
 in the hall till I knew whether he really was 
 a friend of yours, there are so many rogues 
 going about with false excuses, and there's 
 always a stray umbrella or so lying about, 
 which they walk off with, if they can lay their 
 hands on nothing else. You see, Miss, there's 
 two or three nice clean chairs here ; so the old
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 275 
 
 gentleman and you can sit down and have a bit 
 of chat ; but hush, Miss," and here the woman 
 bent close to the ear of Selina, "mind you 
 don't speak loud; for the old 'uns are very 
 'quisitive, and will be trying to listen to what 
 you say. But mum's the word ; I'd lose my 
 place, if they suspected I put you on your 
 guard." 
 
 " Let in the gentleman, if you please," said 
 Selina, and in the next moment Mr. Vernon 
 stood before her. 
 
 After a cordial greeting, he turned and said, 
 " I wish to speak to you, Miss Stratford." 
 
 " I am sorry I have no room to receive you 
 in, replied Selina, "so our conversation must 
 take place here." 
 
 "What, so soon!" muttered Mr. Vernon. 
 " I did not think that you would already, my 
 dear young lady, have experienced the effect of 
 altered circumstances. I expected better things 
 from the Mesdames Patterson. I came for 
 the purpose of inviting you to take up your 
 abode at my humble home for the present. 
 My wife will be proud and happy to receive
 
 27G MEMOIRS OF 
 
 you ; and be assured that whatever our poor 
 house may want in elegance, you shall find no 
 deficiency in the cordiality and sincerity of our 
 welcome. Since I have seen the effect pro- 
 duced here by our recent affliction, I am doubly 
 anxious that you should seek a home with my 
 Avife ; so let me implore you to accept at once 
 our invitation, and let me conduct you to my 
 house." 
 
 The warmth and kindness with which the 
 invitation was urged, and a recollection of the 
 squalid chamber and bed, to be shared with 
 Miss Waterhouse, decided Selina to accept it. 
 She requested an interview with the Mesdames 
 Patterson, communicated to them her intention 
 of immediately leaving their establishment, and 
 solicited their recommendation to procure her 
 a situation as governess in a private family. 
 
 " Really you must excuse our doing any such 
 thing," replied the senior of the sisters. " Leav- 
 ing our house in such a sudden, I may say, such 
 a mysterious manner, at a moment's notice, has 
 a very strange appearance, to say the least of 
 it. I cannot help thinking that you make a
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 277 
 
 very ungrateful return, yes, a very ungrateful 
 return, indeed, for our great kindness in offering 
 to maintain you, after the heavy loss we have 
 sustained by you ; and as you choose to leave 
 our house, and throw yourself on the protection 
 
 of Heaven knows who " 
 
 " Pardon me, madam, for interrupting you. 
 I am going to the house of one of my oldest 
 friends, of one who has known me from my 
 infancy, Mr. Yernon, the senior clerk of my 
 late friend Mr. Manvers." 
 
 " Then you may look to him for a recom- 
 mendation ; for I repeat, we shall certainly not 
 permit any reference to be made to us, and we 
 desire to hear or see nothing more of a person 
 who has proved so ungrateful." 
 
 Selina hastened to the wretched chamber 
 where her now scanty wardrobe had been depo- 
 sited ; and having had it removed down stairs, 
 she entered the hackney coach which Mr. Ver- 
 non had called to the door, and accompanied 
 by him, was driven off to his house. 
 
 The good man looked surprised, when, in 
 answer to his question of whether the small
 
 278 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 box in the coach contained all her property, she 
 told him of the seizure made of all her valuables 
 and clothes by the Mesdames Patterson. 
 
 " How I rejoice that I have taken you away 
 from such heartless and selfish women !" said he. 
 " My wife blamed me for not having at once re- 
 quested you to make your home with us ; but the 
 truth is, I expected to the Idst that Mrs. Forsythe 
 would offer you an asylum with her, or at least 
 make some provision for you ; and seeing the dis- 
 like and unjust suspicions she entertained towards 
 me, I feared that were we to take you at once to 
 our humble abode, it might prejudice her against 
 you, and prevent her serving you. As, however, 
 she has declared that she will do nothing for you, 
 there is no longer any good to be accomplished 
 by my wife and I holding back from proving to 
 you the affection and respect we entertain. We 
 feel that we cannot better show our gratitude 
 to our departed friend and benefactor than by 
 endeavouring to befriend one he so truly loved. 
 But here we are at home. There's my wife 
 peeping over the blind, impatient for our arrival. 
 Welcome, my dear young lady, welcome."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 279 
 
 The cordial reception given by Mrs. Vernon, 
 who vied with her husband in kindness towards 
 the orphan, was a balm to the wound inflicted 
 on her heart by the worldly-minded Mesdames 
 Patterson. She was soon installed in possession 
 of a small, but neat and cheerful room, which, 
 with its white dimity bed and window curtains, 
 and its simple but -useful furniture, appeared 
 charming in her eyes after the dreary attic, 
 which she was to have shared, with Miss Water- 
 house, had she remained in the establishment at 
 Sloane-street. A homely but comfortable dinner 
 was soon after served by a tidy,, decent-looking 
 young woman, and, although neither plate, 
 expensive china, damask, nor cut-glass decked 
 the board, the plenty and excellence of the 
 viands more than compensated for their absence, 
 and the cordiality of the host and hostess formed 
 so striking a contrast to the cold formality of 
 the Misses Patterson, or the rude manners of 
 Mrs. Forsythe, that Selina was soothed and 
 cheered by it. " Here, my dear young lady," 
 said Mr. Vernon after dinner, " is the key of 
 my book-case, which contains, if not a large, at
 
 280 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 least a good selection of books, the solace of 
 my leisure hours, which will prevent time 
 hanging heavily on your hands, when my wife 
 is occupied with her household concerns." 
 
 " I hope Mrs. Vernon will treat me without 
 ceremony, and allow me to make myself useful," 
 replied Selina. " I can work tolerably well at 
 my needle, and will be glad to assist in any 
 plain work that may be required." 
 
 " Your society, dear young lady, will amply 
 repay us, without your troubling yourself with 
 needle-work. The presence of a youthful guest, 
 and, above all, such a one as you, will be as a 
 cordial to our old hearts. It will warm them, 
 and bring back the reminiscences of our youth. 
 Often have we wished that the Almighty had 
 blessed us with a daughter, and pictured to 
 ourselves how she would have cheered our 
 hearth; for age requires the solace of youth to 
 break in on its sombre thoughts, as nature does 
 the sun-beams that disperse the clouds of winter." 
 
 " Yes," observed the worthy Mrs. Vernon, 
 " I feel Miss Stratford's presence will be a 
 comfort to us."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 281 
 
 After a few days passed in quiet comfort 
 with this excellent pair, Selina thought that it 
 behoved her to make some exertion to earn a 
 livelihood for herself, and not sit down in idle- 
 ness, a dependant on Mr. and Mrs. Vernon. 
 She expressed her sentiments on this point to 
 them, and though they endeavoured to make 
 her feel that her presence beneath their roof, 
 far from being a source of expense beyond their 
 means, was a positive pleasure to them, they 
 could not conquer her repugnance to continue 
 a tax on their hospitality and kindness. They 
 declared that, could they at their decease be- 
 queath to her the modest competency they now 
 enjoyed, they never would have permitted her 
 to seek a home elsewhere ; but, knowing that 
 this was impossible, they having some years 
 before invested their all in an annuity for their 
 joint lives, they would not listen to the prompt- 
 ings of their own desire to retain her, when op- 
 portunities might offer for her earning an inde- 
 pendence, or making friends more able, though 
 not more willing, to serve her than themselves. 
 
 " There is still plenty of time, dear child,"
 
 282 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 said Mr. Vernon, " to think of procuring you a 
 situation. Why should you be in such a hurry 
 to leave us ? " 
 
 " How we shall miss you," added his wife ; 
 " whenever I looked on your bright face, I felt 
 as if I beheld a nosegay of flowers fresh from 
 the garden. It reminded me of other times, 
 when I too was young, just as flowers always 
 do; and if we consulted our own happiness, 
 never would we consent to your leaving us. 
 But we must not be selfish. We must think 
 of you, and not of ourselves, unable as we 
 are, by the way in which we have locked 
 up our little fortune, before we thought you 
 would ever stand in need of it, to secure you 
 a competency when we shall be no more." 
 
 Such were the persons whom it was the good 
 fortune of the orphan to be brought in contact 
 with, when she believed herself without a friend 
 to whom she could turn for refuge ; and deeply 
 was their kindness engraved on her heart. Yes, 
 there are many still on earth as good and kind, 
 to prove that though the world corrupts some, 
 it does not sully fine natures.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 283 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 " How unfortunate it is, my dear," observed 
 Mrs. Vernon, " that we have no acquaintances 
 in a sphere of life that would be useful in ob- 
 taining Miss Stratford a suitable position. With 
 her talents and accomplishments, she might 
 aspire to enter into one of the noblest families as 
 a governess ; but such appointments cannot be 
 obtained without recommendations from persons 
 of a certain station in life, and I fear a refer- 
 ence to such plain and humble individuals as 
 ourselves would not satisfy a great lady." 
 
 " More's the pity," observed Mr. Vernon, 
 " but it can't be helped ; we must do what we 
 can, my dear. I believe the general plan is to 
 insert an advertisement in one of the news- 
 papers. We will try this scheme, and take our 
 chance for its success. How unfortunate that 
 those worldly-minded and selfish women, the 
 Misses Patterson, should have behaved so ill at
 
 284 MEMOIRS OP 
 
 the last; for a reference to them, the young lady 
 never having been out before as a governess, 
 would have removed all difficulty." 
 
 " Yes, it is peculiarly unfortunate," added 
 Mrs. Vernon, thoughtfully. 
 
 The advertisement was inserted in a news- 
 paper, and after two or three days a letter was 
 addressed to Selina, desiring her to call in 
 Grosvenor Square, on the Countess of Almond- 
 bury. 
 
 " I wish we knew something of this lady," 
 said Mrs. Vernon, as she read over for the third 
 time the note from Grosvenor Square. " The 
 address comes from a good quarter ; does it not, 
 my dear?" 
 
 " O yes ; Grosvenor Square is, to my think- 
 ing, for the nobility what Lombard Street is for 
 bankers a sort of voucher for their respecta- 
 bility. There are no furnished houses to be let 
 by the season there, as in other fashionable parts 
 
 of London. One does not see there a house 
 
 
 occupied one spring by a duke, and the next by 
 
 some returned nabob or successful speculator. 
 No ; Grosvenor Square is chiefly inhabited by
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 285 
 
 the descendants of those who built the mansions 
 it contains, and a portion of the thrift and pru- 
 dence that marked their ancestors seems still to 
 prevail in the establishments there. New quar- 
 ters of London are soon filled by another kind 
 of inhabitants, if not another class, the elder 
 sons of peers, on their marriage, with limited 
 means, and unlimited habits of expense, and 
 bankers, merchants, and bill-brokers, from the 
 city, who vie with these scions of nobility in 
 the tastefulness of their establishments." 
 
 " Well, I'm glad, my dear, that the letter 
 comes from the part of the west-end you think 
 most favourably of ; nevertheless, I should like 
 to know something of the family in which this 
 dear girl is likely to be placed." 
 
 " It just strikes me that I have heard Lady 
 Almondbury well spoken of; my lord dealt with 
 my late worthy employer for many years, and 
 servants will talk of their lords and ladies with 
 great freedom when they call to give orders a 
 practice I have always checked as much as pos- 
 sible, but which young and giddy clerks, who 
 like gossip, are prone to encourage. Yes, I
 
 286 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 have heard Lady Almondbury spoken of as an 
 excellent lady, of delicate health. Of his lord- 
 ship I don^t remember to have heard much, if 
 anything." 
 
 " I'm glad I had a nice new black silk dress, 
 and a pretty cloak and bonnet, made for Miss 
 Stratford," observed Mrs. Vernon, "for now 
 they will come in quite handy ; for those hard- 
 hearted women, the Misses Pattersons, have 
 left her scarcely anything good to wear." 
 
 " We must fit her out with a neat stock of 
 clothes, my dear, that she may appear respectably 
 in whatever family she enters. You'll attend to 
 this." " Certainly, and with great pleasure." 
 
 The next day Selina, accompanied by Mrs. 
 Vernon, went to Lady Almondbury's, in Grosve- 
 nor Square. They left the hired vehicle, in which 
 they had come, before they reached the door, 
 and then, with a timidity which neither could 
 vanquish, they approached and knocked at the 
 door. The porter, a grey-headed and portly 
 man, with a rubicund face and swelled ankles, 
 admitted them into the hall, and, having rung 
 a bell, sent up by the footman who answered it,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 287 
 
 the note handed him by Mrs. Vernon. The 
 porter eyed both as they stood in the hall with 
 an expression of curiosity that somewhat dis- 
 turbed them, this being the first time that either 
 had been exposed to a similar scrutiny, or had 
 been allowed to remain standing in a hall. 
 
 " The ladies are requested to remain a few 
 minutes in the waiting-room," said the footman 
 who had taken up the note, and who threw open 
 the door of a room that communicated with the 
 hall. 
 
 " I'm glad, my dear, that we have got in here, 
 away from that stern-looking porter," observed 
 Mrs. Vernon ; " I did not half like the way he 
 looked at us; it seems to me that I could 
 better encounter fifty lords and ladies, however 
 proud and haughty they might be, than be 
 brought in contact with their servants." 
 
 " I experienced precisely the same feeling, 
 my kind friend," observed Selina ; but before 
 she had time to say more, they were summoned 
 to the boudoir of Lady Almondbury. They 
 found that lady seated in a bergere, propped up 
 by pillows, and her fragile form and pallid cheeks
 
 288 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 but too well attested the delicacy of health 
 which she urged as an apology for having kept 
 them waiting. The tasteful and elegant deco- 
 rations of the room, so far superior to anything 
 that either Selina or her companion had ever pre- 
 viously seen, failed to draw their attention from 
 the faded yet still lovely mistress of the mansion. 
 
 " Pray be seated," said she, gracefully bend- 
 ing her head, and pointing to chairs near her ; 
 " this young lady," and she looked kindly at 
 Selina, "has never, I suppose, been out as 
 a governess before." 
 
 Mrs. Vernon replied in the affirmative. 
 
 " I could have wished that she had been a 
 few years older," resumed Lady Almondbury ; 
 " but her youth," and she smiled encouragingly, 
 " is not an insuperable objection. I suppose 
 you are a near relative, madam?" said the 
 Countess, turning to Mrs. Vernon. 
 
 "No, madam; Miss Stratford is no relation 
 of mine : she is an orphan, but her parents, and 
 indeed herself, were known to my husband ever 
 since this young lady was a few months old ; 
 and we are greatly attached to her."
 
 A EEMME DE CHAMBRE. 289 
 
 Lady Almondbury looked kindly at the 
 speaker, and then, with a glance full of pity 
 and interest, at Selina ; her beautiful and 
 changeful countenance denoted her sensibility. 
 
 " An orphan !" repeated Lady Almondbury, 
 and she sighed deeply ; " how old was Miss 
 Stratford when she lost her mother ? " 
 
 " Little more than a year, madam." 
 
 Lady Almondbury again sighed, and, looking 
 with increased kindness towards Selina, said, 
 " I shall certainly give Miss Stratford a trial. 
 Do not imagine that I at all doubt her abilities, 
 but she is so young, and my little girl has been 
 sadly spoiled by me, I am sorry to say. With 
 health like mine, threatening every day to take 
 me from my poor child, it is difficult to refrain 
 from over-indulgence ;" and Lady Almondbury's 
 lips trembled with emotion as she spoke. 
 
 " Miss Stratford will, I am sure, madam, be 
 happy to give your ladyship an opportunity of 
 judging of her qualifications for the situation 
 for which she offers herself ; and, never having 
 previously been out, she will be grateful for any 
 advice." 
 
 VOL. i. o
 
 290 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Lady Almondbury, having examined Selina's 
 attainments with a tact and delicacy that marked 
 the extent of her own, professed herself so satis- 
 fied with the result, that she at once offered her 
 very liberal terms, and requested that she would 
 enter on her new duties with as little delay as 
 possible. Mrs. Vernon explained that hers was 
 the only reference Miss Stratford had to offer, 
 frankly stating, as concisely as could be, why 
 the Mesdames Patterson were ill-disposed to 
 assist Selina's views. 
 
 " Your recommendation, madam, will be quite 
 sufficient," replied Lady Almondbury, perfectly 
 satisfied, from the countenance and manner of 
 Mrs. Vernon, that she would be safe in relying 
 on her for the respectability and worthiness of 
 any one she recommended. 
 
 " I will send for my little girl," added her 
 ladyship, ringing a silver bell which soon 
 brought a little page, who was dismissed in" 
 search of the Lady Adelaide. The young lady 
 came attended by a French bonne, who had 
 hitherto taken charge of her. 
 
 Lady Adelaide was a lovely child, strikingly
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 291 
 
 like her mother, into whose arms she rushed 
 the moment she entered the room, and whom 
 she half suffocated with her kisses. 
 
 " Doucement, doucement, miladi? said the 
 French woman, "you will make madame la 
 comtesse ill." 
 
 " So you always say, Felicite, whenever 
 I kiss my own darling mamma," observed Lady 
 Adelaide, poutingly, and, again throwing her 
 arms around the neck of her mother, and 
 pressing her to her heart. 
 
 " This is your governess, dearest. Miss 
 Stratford, let me present your future pupil to 
 you," said Lady Almondbury. 
 
 The child looked up, half timidly, half in- 
 quisitively, in the face of Selina, and then 
 reached out her little dimpled hand to meet 
 that of her new governess. 
 
 "You won't say mamma spoils me, will you?" 
 said, she; then glancing at her French attendant, 
 who shrugged her shoulders, and seemed very 
 well disposed to assert her grounds for having 
 often previously expressed that opinion, had 
 she not been restrained by the presence of the 
 o2
 
 292 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 countess. "Don't go away, for I am sure 
 I shall like you. Do stay !" urged Lady 
 Adelaide, holding the shawl of Selina. 
 
 " Miss Stratford will return in three or four 
 days, my dear love, and if you are good will 
 always remain with you," observed Lady 
 Almondbury. 
 
 " But why can't she stay now, dear mamma?" 
 
 "La voild, toujours impatiente, toujours cher- 
 chant que tout le monde suite sa volonte," mur- 
 mured the French woman, sotto voce. 
 
 "Miss Stratford has arrangements to make 
 that will prevent her being able to remain with 
 you at present, dearest ; but three or four days 
 will soon pass away, and then you will see her 
 again." 
 
 Pleased that the little girl had taken a fancy 
 to her, Selina met her advances half way, which 
 gratified the mother as well as the child ; and 
 when she took her leave, Lady Almondbury 
 graciously and gracefully told Mrs. Yernon 
 that she hoped she would often come and see 
 Miss Stratford, when that young lady became 
 an inmate of Almondbury House.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 293 
 
 "Now, mind you come back, for I shall long 
 to see you again, indeed I shall," said Lady 
 Adelaide, as Mrs. Vernon and Selina withdrew, 
 and escorted by the little page, who again 
 answered the summons of the silver bell, were 
 ushered down stairs. 
 
 "What a beautiful woman, and how kind 
 and gentle!" exclaimed Selina, when, seated in 
 the carriage that conveyed them, she found 
 herself tete-a-tete with her friend Mrs. Vernon. 
 " Yes ; Lady Almondbury is certainly a 
 lovely, and appears to be a most amiable lady. 
 What a pity it is that she should be in such 
 very delicate health," observed Mrs, Vernon. 
 " I fear her days are numbered, for never have 
 I seen more marked symptoms of that fatal 
 malady, consumption, than in her still beautiful 
 face." 
 
 " May Heaven avert it! " replied Selina; " for, 
 apart from all selfish considerations, I already 
 
 feel a strong interest in, and predisposition to 
 
 if 
 like Lady Almondbury and my future little 
 
 pupil." 
 
 " I, too, entertain a similar sentiment towards
 
 294 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 them, and shall part from you with mitigated 
 pain and regret, from the belief that you will 
 be with amiable and kind persons. It will also 
 be a great comfort to be permitted to visit you, 
 dearest Selina; a privilege not often accorded 
 to the friends or relatives of governesses." 
 
 " How fortunate I am, dear Mrs. Vernon, to 
 have found a situation with such a family." 
 
 " Heaven grant that nothing may occur to 
 render it less agreeable than you anticipate." 
 
 Mr. Vernon was equally pleased as his wife 
 when he heard that Selina had formed an 
 engagement which seemed in every sense to 
 promise well. He nevertheless told her to re- 
 member, that, should any unforeseen event occur 
 to render her stay in Lady Almondbury's family 
 disagreeable to her, she was always to look 
 upon his house as her home, to which she would 
 ever be welcomed, as if she were his own child. 
 The next day he commissioned his kind-hearted 
 wife to purchase all that was requisite to 
 enable Selina to appear in a suitable manner in 
 the situation she was about to enter. Nor did he 
 forget, knowing the value of regularity with
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 295 
 
 regard to time, to buy her a neat watch, to 
 replace the more costly one taken possession of 
 by the Mesdames Patterson. He also forced 
 into her hand, at parting, a small purse well 
 stocked, to meet the exigencies that might occur, 
 before her first quarter's salary became due. 
 Selina could not leave her kind friends without 
 tears ; nor Avere they less moved. 
 
 When left together, "Let us," said Mrs. 
 Vernon, " prove our affection for the dear girl 
 better than by vain regrets for her absence. 
 Let us give up a few of our little luxuries, that 
 we can well dispense with, and appropriate the 
 savings to form a fund for her to inherit at our 
 deaths. Though small it will be useful." 
 
 " An excellent thought, my dear wife ; but 
 so I must say all your thoughts are. Yes, 
 there are many things which we can do with- 
 out, and the absence of which, so far from being 
 felt to be privations, will be sources of com- 
 placency, when the motive and result are taken 
 into consideration." 
 
 " Just like you, my dear John, ever ready to 
 do a kind action," said Mrs. Vernon, taking the
 
 296 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 hand of her husband, and pressing her lips to his 
 cheek. " Now, mind, the first thing to be given 
 up is our annual holiday of a fortnight by the 
 sea-side, which I know you only undertook 
 because you fancied it necessary for my health, 
 which it really is not, for I never was in better 
 health. That will be a saving of twelve or 
 fifteen pounds ; and the next thing to be given 
 up is the new silk gown, cloak, and bonnet you 
 buy for me every Christmas ; there will be a 
 saving of twelve pounds more ; so fancy, twenty- 
 five, or twenty-seven pounds saved in things 
 that can be perfectly well done without." 
 
 " No, my dear Mary, your health must not 
 suffer from losing your yearly trip to the sea. 
 That would never do ; and, as to giving up the 
 pleasure of buying your Christmas gifts, and 
 seeing you look so well in them, I have not 
 self-denial enough to do that. No, let the 
 savings be on my side, and not on yours. I can 
 make out a list as long as my arm, of things 
 I can perfectly do without ; nay, be all the 
 better for leaving off." 
 
 " Now don't provoke me, John. You know
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 297 
 
 you're always wanting to give up all your little 
 comforts, but won't hear of mine being touched 
 Yes you are you may shake your head, but 
 it's all true. Don't you remember when our poor 
 neighbour Tracey's house was burnt to the 
 ground, and all his property destroyed, how 
 you gave up buying any thing, or drinking a 
 glass of wine for a whole year, in order that 
 you might help him ?" 
 
 " Yes, and I remember also, Mary, that our 
 first quarrel waa^because I would not let you strip 
 yourself of yonr comforts on that occasion." 
 
 " Well, but haven't I as good a right to give 
 up my comforts, as you have to give up yours? 
 Yet you always will prevent me," and Mrs. 
 Vernon looked half offended. 
 
 Her husband glanced at her with affection 
 beaming in his eyes, and drawing her fondly to- 
 wards him said, " If you knew, my dear Mary, 
 the comfort and blessing you have been for thirty 
 years to me, you could well understand how 
 easily I can give up what other persons think 
 comforts, or even necessaries." 
 
 There was such truthfulness in his look and
 
 298 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 voice, that his wife's eyes became suffused with 
 tears, and she hid them in that fond and faith- 
 ful breast, murmuring, half indistinctly from 
 emotion, "That it was just like him, always 
 carrying every thing his own way, and making 
 her love him better every day of her life." 
 
 Selina Stratford had entered her new home, 
 thankful to Divine Providence for having given 
 her one that offered so many causes for grati- 
 tude. She found a suite of rooms at Almond- 
 bury House appropriated to her use, and fitted 
 up in a style of elegance and comfort that left 
 nothing to be desired. Her pupil welcomed 
 her with every demonstration of satisfaction ; 
 and, though more than usually suffering that 
 day, Lady Almondbury received her in her 
 dressing-room, and initiated her into the daily 
 routine her ladyship wished to be preserved. 
 A male and female attendant were appointed to 
 receive her orders ; a carriage was to be ready 
 every day to convey her pupil and herself to 
 Kensington Gardens ; and Lady AlmondbViry 
 told her she must not hesitate in commanding 
 any thing requisite for her use.
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 299 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE first week of Selina's residence in 
 Almondbury Hou&e passed off most agreeably 
 to her. The kindness of its fair and gentle 
 mistress, and the docility of her pupil, rendered 
 her situation even more agreeable than her most 
 sanguine hopes could have anticipated; and 
 grateful was she to Providence for having 
 found so eligible a home. When the lessons 
 were over, by Lady Almondbury's desire, she 
 would come with her pupil and sit with her 
 ladyship ; conversing, or playing and singing, 
 according to the wish of Lady Almondbury, 
 who, herself an admirable musician, and very 
 fond of music, was so extremely indulgent in 
 judging the performance of others, that Selina, 
 though very timid at first singing before so 
 perfect a judge, soon learned not to fear her
 
 300 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 criticism, and acquired much benefit from the 
 refined taste of her kind patroness. The 
 lessons in drawing would also often be given in 
 presence of the countess, who marked with 
 pleasure the progress her child made in this 
 accomplishment. 
 
 The rapid improvement soon visible in this 
 interesting child was a source of the greatest 
 gratification to Lady Almondbury, while it 
 enhanced her esteem and regard for Selina, to 
 whom she believed it was due. When Lady 
 Adelaide had gone to bed, Lady Almondbury 
 would regularly summon the governess to her 
 boudoir to read aloud for her or to converse ; 
 and by degrees formed such a friendship for 
 her, and evinced such an interest, that she 
 drew from her every incident of her past life. 
 The more Selina knew the mother of her pupil, 
 the more did her attachment for her increase. 
 Never previously had she known so fascinating 
 and amiable a person ; and as her fine qualities 
 became revealed, she more than ever felt sur- 
 prised that the husband of such a woman, and 
 in so delicate a state of health too, could leave
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 301 
 
 her for weeks, while he pursued his own amuse- 
 ment, shooting in the Highlands of Scotland, 
 where he had hired a moor for the season. 
 It struck her also as strange that so little refe- 
 rence was made to Lord Almondbury by his 
 wife or child, and as she acquired a greater 
 knowledge of the affectionate nature of both, 
 she felt disposed to augur ill of him from this 
 circumstance. 
 
 One day Lady Almondbury announced to 
 her daughter that her papa might be expected 
 home in a day or two. 
 
 "What, so soon, mamma?" exclaimed the 
 child, her whole countenace changing from its 
 usual sweet expression to one of dissatisfaction. 
 Lady Almondbury "s pale cheek became 
 flushed for a moment, for she knew the in- 
 ference that must be drawn from the little girl's 
 naive remark ; but fearful of drawing forth a 
 further corroboration of how little Lady Ade- 
 laide had missed or regretted the long absence 
 of her father, she dropped the subject. Not so 
 the child, who after a few minutes' silence, and 
 with a more gloomy expression of countenance
 
 302 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 than Selina had ever previously seen her wear, 
 she observed, " I thought papa would stay away 
 a long time, mamma." 
 
 " He has been absent several weeks, my love." 
 " Has he indeed ! Well I'm sure I thought 
 it had been only one or two," was the artless 
 reply. 
 
 There was a nervous trepidation in the 
 manner of Lady Almondbury for the rest of 
 the day ; and, towards evening, a feverish excite- 
 ment replaced the usual gentle calmness and 
 sweetness that formed so peculiar a charac- 
 teristic in her. The little silver bell was re- 
 peatedly had recourse to, and the maitre d'hotel 
 and housekeeper had been more than once sum- 
 moned to her ladyship's presence, to receive 
 injunctions to neglect nothing in the prepara- 
 tions for their lord's arrival. The cook must 
 have every thing ready to furnish a repast for 
 his lordship with as little delay as possible, to 
 be served as soon after his arrival as he might 
 desire. His bath must be ready, his wines in 
 ice; the morning and evening papers ironed, 
 and laid on his library table ; and in short so
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBEE. 303 
 
 numerous and minute were the orders given by 
 the countess for the reception of her lord, that 
 even a less observant person than Selina might 
 have guessed that there was more of fear than 
 of love in this assiduity, even had not the ner- 
 vousness and changed aspect of both mother 
 and child betrayed that it was not a fond 
 husband and father, but an exigeant domestic 
 tyrant, for whom these preparations were made. 
 Lord Almondbury came not that evening, but 
 his wife gave instructions that every thing 
 should be kept prepared in case he arrived 
 during the night. The next day, and another 
 passed, and he appeared not, the whole esta- 
 blishment being kept on the qui mve ; but on 
 the evening of the fourth day from that on 
 which he had been expected, he arrived. 
 
 Selina was in the boudoir with Lady Almond- 
 bury when his lordship entered it, and, had any 
 doubts existed in her mind with regard to his 
 character, they would speedily have been dis- 
 pelled by the manner in which he met his charm- 
 ing and suffering wife after a separation of so 
 many weeks.
 
 304 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " How are you, Frances ? Much as usual, I 
 suppose ; always ailing, or at least always com- 
 plaining ;" and he took the trembling little hand 
 that was extended to him, and just touched the 
 brow of his wife with his lips. He stared rudely 
 at Selina, but without bowing or showing any 
 of the usual observances which men show to 
 women in similar circumstances. Lady Al- 
 mondbury quickly noticed this want of respect 
 towards her favourite, and hastened to name 
 her, saying, " This young lady is Miss Strat- 
 ford, whom I wrote to you about." 
 
 " Oh, Adelaide's governess, is it ? Then I 
 pity her, for by Jupiter she will have anything 
 but a pleasant time with that tiresome trouble- 
 some girl, unless she rules her with a firm hand." 
 
 Lady Almondbury changed colour, and her 
 eyes filled with tears, which she turned her head 
 to conceal, but her husband had noticed them, 
 and there was something brutal in the mode in 
 which he evinced his recognition of his wife's 
 wounded feelings. 
 
 " What! tears !" exclaimed he, " and all be- 
 cause I speak my mind about Adelaide, who,
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 305 
 
 you must confess, is the most disagreeable girl 
 in the world." 
 
 Anxious to change the subject, Lady Al- 
 mondbury, with an effort to control her emotion, 
 that merited a better reward than she could 
 hope from her tyrannical lord and master, ex- 
 pressed a hope that he had enjoyed his sojourn 
 in Scotland, and had good sport. 
 
 " Devilish bad, I can tell you ; but that was 
 owing to my being such a fool as to have taken 
 two fellows with me, who are as good shots as 
 myself, and who consequently destroyed more 
 game than I expected. I asked them, merely 
 to have some one to talk to in the evenings, in 
 case I did not fall asleep ; but never again will 
 I take a fellow who is a good shot that I'm de- 
 termined on. What's going on in town ? But 
 what's the use of asking you ? I dare say you 
 know no more than Adelaide, probably less, 
 for she most likely hears the gossip of the ser- 
 vants." 
 
 " Miss Stratford will guard against that evil/' 
 observed Lady Almondbury. 
 
 " I must go and have some dinner, and, as
 
 306 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 usual, I dare say I shall have a devilish bad 
 one ; but that is sure to be the case when the 
 mistress of a house is sickly and lives on slops. 
 Now it's quite a pleasure to dine at Merling- 
 ham's or Oxenford's; for their wives are epi- 
 cures, and understand the merits of a good 
 cuisine ; while you, Frances," and he glanced 
 contemptuously towards his wife, " can appre- 
 ciate nothing beyond a boiled chicken, a con- 
 somme, or some similarly insipid food for inva- 
 lids." 
 
 When Lord Almondbury left the room, a 
 silence of some duration ensued. It was evi- 
 dent that his wife was pained and embarrassed, 
 and when she spoke it was to attempt some 
 excuse for him. 
 
 "Men, and particularly those blessed with 
 strong constitutions," observed Lady Almond- 
 bury, " are prone to dislike sick rooms, if not 
 sick people ; it is but natural," and a deep sigh 
 followed the admission, " for those to whom ill- 
 ness is a stranger cannot make allowance for the 
 infirmities of invalids, or the privations and con- 
 straint to which they must submit."
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 307 
 
 Selina did not venture to reply, but she thought 
 that hard indeed must be the heart, and unkind 
 the nature of him, whose conduct drew from his 
 fair and gentle wife this attempt to excuse it; 
 but in proportion as her bad opinion of him in- 
 creased did her high one of Lady Almondbury 
 become more firmly established. Her patience 
 and resignation under severe physical suffering, 
 unrelieved, too, by the affection or attention of 
 him who ought to have endeavoured to lighten 
 her sense of them, created the liveliest interest, 
 joined to the most profound respect for her, in 
 the heart of Selina, who devoted herself, with 
 unceasing care, not only to the discharge of her 
 duty towards her pupil, but to render the con- 
 finement of Lady Almondbury less irksome and 
 dull than it had hitherto been. She endeavoured 
 to amuse and interest the lonely valetudinarian, 
 and, above all, delighted her by drawing forth in 
 her presence proofs of the rapid progress made 
 by Lady Adelaide, whose natural cleverness, and 
 facility in acquiring knowledge, was really 
 most gratifying. 
 
 The first time Selina was present at an inter-
 
 308 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 view between Lord Almondbury and his daugh- 
 ter, which took place in the boudoir of Lady 
 Almondbury, she was surprised, and, truth to 
 say, shocked, at the want of natural affection on 
 both sides. The father only nodded to the 
 child, and she in return merely made him a 
 formal curtsey. 
 
 " Go and kiss papa, my dear," said the fond 
 mother timidly. 
 
 " I beg to be excused," was the hard speech 
 of the father. " I have no pleasure in being 
 kissed by children, and above all when the mark 
 of affection is commanded, and not spontaneous." 
 
 " Adelaide would, I am sure, be glad to em- 
 brace you, if you would encourage her a little," 
 remarked Lady Almondbury timidly. 
 
 " Do you wish to kiss me, young lady ?" de- 
 manded the unnatural parent, with a most for- 
 bidding scowl. 
 
 " No," replied the child ; " you never wish 
 to kiss me, and so I don't want to kiss you? 
 
 " Adelaide, my dear," said Lady Almond- 
 bury ; " you should not " 
 
 " What ! would you make the girl false ?"
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 309 
 
 exclaimed the father angrily. " If she has one 
 good quality in her perverse nature that of 
 speaking the truth why should you wish to 
 destroy it ? " 
 
 "You mistake; indeed you do," said the 
 mother ; " you check all your child's advances 
 by your sternness towards her ; but, be assured, 
 it only requires a little kindness to make her 
 love you as fondly as she does me." 
 
 " Do you love me ?"" demanded Lord Almond- 
 bury, again looking sternly at the little girl. 
 
 " No, I don't," was the honest reply. 
 
 " Well, I like you for your frankness, for I 
 hate hypocrisy and fawning," was the ungra- 
 cious observation. 
 
 " You would be pleased to see the progress 
 Adelaide has made in her studies since she has 
 had the advantage of being under Miss Strat- 
 ford's care," said Lady Almondbury. 
 
 " Oh ! spare me the exhibition," exclaimed 
 Lord Almondbury ; " the bare notion sets me 
 yawning !" and, suiting the action to the word, 
 he opened his mouth to its utmost extent, and 
 stretched his arms. " Nothing bores me so much
 
 310 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 as when mothers take it into their heads to 
 show off their children, who, examined by their 
 teachers, repeat their lessons by rote, like par- 
 rots, and understand them as little." 
 
 Lady Almondbury sighed, but did not attempt 
 to reason with her husband. She too well knew 
 the utter uselessness of such a measure, but her 
 silence offended her tyrant almost as much as 
 words would have done, for he arose and left the 
 room, muttering something about " persons who 
 set themselves up as martyrs, in order to excite 
 commiseration." 
 
 When the door closed after him, Lady Ade- 
 laide rushed to her mother, and fondly embraced 
 her. 
 
 " Dear, darling mamma," exclaimed the affec- 
 tionate girl, " how I do love you and hate papa !" 
 
 " Adelaide, how you shock, how you distress 
 me ! Do you not know that it is most sinful, 
 most wicked, for a child not to love its father ?" 
 
 " But papa does not love me the least bit, 
 indeed he doesn't, dear mamma ; and how can I 
 love him, when he doesn't love me ?"
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 311 
 
 " Because it is your duty, Adelaide : how 
 often have I told you this, and repeated to you 
 the deep pain you inflict on me by not Showing 
 a proper affection to your father !" 
 
 " I'm very sorry to give you pain, 'dear kind 
 mamma; but I don't know what -to do. You 
 tell me, and so does dear Miss Stratford, that I 
 must always speak the truth. Now, if I say I 
 love papa, it will not be the truth; and, though 
 I try all I can to love him, I can't ; indeed I can't, 
 mamma !" and the child's eyes filled with tears, 
 and she hid her face in her mother's bosom. 
 
 " You will turn your attention to this point," 
 said Lady Almondbury to Selina in Italian. " It 
 is true, and I deeply regret it ; Lord Almond- 
 bury does not like children, and least of all 
 girls. He was greatly disappointed when this 
 dear child was born ; he wished for a boy ; most, 
 if not all, men do ; and he has never quite got 
 over the disappointment. Point out to my poor 
 Adelaide her duty; make her understand 
 that she is to conciliate her father by every 
 means in her power, for the first wish of my 
 heart is, knowing how precarious my life is, on
 
 312 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 how frail a thread it depends, is to see a mutual 
 affection spring up where it is so natural it 
 should be. How terrible will it be for my poor 
 child, when I am taken from her, to find neither 
 consolation nor affection in her remaining 
 parent !" ., 
 
 Although the little girl did not understand 
 Italian, the mournful expression of her mother's 
 face, and the tremulous movement of her lips, 
 betrayed her agitation, and the little girl sur- 
 mised her grief; so, clinging fondly to her mo- 
 ther's breast, and looking up in her face she ex- 
 claimed, " Ah, dearest mamma ! do not look so 
 sad, and I will do anything to please you. Yes, 
 I will try ever so much to love papa ; indeed I 
 will, for I can't bear to see you unhappy ; in- 
 deed I can't I" 
 
 A few days after this scene Selina and her 
 pupil were passing through the park, on their 
 route to take their daily walk in Kensington 
 Gardens. They saw Lord Almondbury riding 
 with a distinguished-looking elderly man, who 
 seemed to draw his lordship's attention to them. 
 The carriage passed on, without one sign of re-
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 313 
 
 cognition from' the father to his child, nor did a 
 single smile, on her part, mark Lady Adelaide's 
 notice of her parent. 
 
 " What a fine countenance the young lady 
 in your carriage has !" observed the companion 
 of Lord Almondbury. 
 
 " Yes," replied he ; " she has a very fine face. 
 It is a pity, however, that she happens to be one 
 of the saints a perfect pattern of propriety and 
 prudence, in the shape of a governess to my 
 daughter." 
 
 " But in the governess of one's daughter such 
 peculiarities are surely not -to be found fault 
 with I" was the reply. 
 
 " Perhaps not always ; but there are certain 
 positions, and mine is one of them, in which, 
 when a pretty girl is by chance thrown in one's 
 way, without one's having sought her, it would 
 be very agreeable to find that she was neither 
 cold nor prudish." 
 
 " I must confess, although I do not pretend 
 
 to be more severe than most other men, that I 
 
 think one's sins should never be committed at 
 
 home, and that the roof beneath which dwell a 
 
 VOL. i. p
 
 314 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 wife and child should be sacred. To corrupt 
 the morals of the person to whom is confided 
 the education of a daughter, is, in my opinion, 
 
 a crime of deep dye." 
 
 v 
 " When such crimes, as you term them, are 
 
 committed, w.ives are always to blame. If they 
 will be so foolish as to throw temptation in the 
 way of poor weak men, they must take the con- 
 sequences." 
 
 " That is, in other words, if a wife confides 
 in the faith and honour of her husband, which 
 every pure-minded one is prone to do, she ought, 
 according to your doctrine, to be punished for 
 her misplaced confidence. It is precisely this sort 
 of reasoning that renders wives so fearful of 
 engaging handsome governesses, and leaves the 
 last so frequently without employment, as if the 
 gift of beauty debarred them from the possession 
 of the still more precious one virtue. I seldom 
 see a pretty woman enacting the difficult and 
 painful role of governess, without observing that 
 she is exposed to the most humiliating suspi- 
 cions. The common civility due to every one of 
 the sex cannot be paid her, without its exciting
 
 A FEMME DE CHAMBRE. 315 
 
 surmises, which originate less in any just ground, 
 furnished by the slightest levity or encourage- 
 ment on her part, than in the too well-founded 
 knowledge of the laxity of principle of our sex." 
 " I am afraid the best of us all are but sad 
 sinners," observed Lord Alrnondbury, with a 
 self-complacency more suited to the admission 
 of a community in the good qualities of man- 
 kind than in that which dishonours them. This 
 evident self-complacency seemed to disgust his 
 companion, who abruptly wished him good 
 morning, and turned his horse's head in another 
 direction. 
 
 END OF VOL. I.
 
 LONDON I 
 K. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL.
 
 University of California 
 
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