Clara Maynard

Clara Maynard, by W.H.G.
Kingston

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Title: Clara Maynard The True and the False - A Tale of the Times
Author: W.H.G. Kingston
Release Date: October 17, 2007 [EBook #23070]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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MAYNARD ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Clara Maynard; The True and the False--A Tale of the Times, By
W.H.G. Kingston.
CHAPTER ONE.

The blue waters of the British Channel sparkled brightly in the rays of
the sun, shining forth from a cloudless sky, as a light breeze from the
northward filled the sails of a small yacht which glided smoothly along
the southern coast of England. At the helm of the little vessel stood her
owner, Captain Maynard, a retired naval officer. Next to his fair young
daughter, Clara, the old sailor looked upon his yacht as one of the most
beautiful things in existence. Though her crew consisted but of two
men and a boy, and she measured scarcely five-and-twenty tons, he
declared that if it were necessary he would sail round the world in her
without the slightest hesitation.
"Flatten in the jib, and take a pull at the main-sheet, my lads, and we
shall run into the bay without a tack, if the wind holds as it does now,"
he sang out.
The men, as they came aft to execute the latter order, had to disturb
some of the passengers, of whom there were several, seated on cloaks
round the skylight, or standing up holding on to the weather rigging, or
leaning against the main-boom. Clara Maynard, accustomed to
yachting, promptly moved to windward, aided by Harry Caulfield, a
young military officer, who had ridden over that morning to Luton, for
the pleasure of making a trip on board the yacht; but her aunt, Miss
Sarah Pemberton, looked somewhat annoyed at being asked to shift her
seat. Harry, however, came to her assistance, and placed a camp-stool
for her against the weather bulwarks.
"I am sorry, Sarah, to inconvenience you," said the captain,
good-naturedly, "but we haven't as much room on board the Ariadne as
on the deck of a line-of-battle ship."
The captain had called his yacht after the first ship in which he went to
sea.
The cutter having rounded a lofty point, a small and beautiful bay
opened out ahead; and the wind remaining steady, without making
another tack, she stood in directly for it.
"We could not have chosen a more lovely spot for our picnic,"

exclaimed Clara. "See, Aunt Sarah--I am sure you will be pleased when
you get there. Watch those picturesque cliffs, ever changing in shape as
we sail along--and see those breezy downs above them, and the fine
yellow sands below, and that pretty valley with the old fisherman's
cottage on one side, and the clear stream running down its centre, and
leaping over the rocks in a tiny cascade."
"I shall be very glad to get safe on shore," answered Miss Pemberton,
who had been persuaded, much against her will, to venture for the first
time on board the little Ariadne.
She had been invited, on the death of Clara's mother, her younger sister,
to take up her abode with her widowed brother-in-law, and had only
lately accepted his frequently repeated offer. Whatever good qualities
she might have possessed, she was certainly not attractive in
appearance, being tall and thin, with a cold and forbidding manner.
Clara treated her aunt with due respect, and did all she could to win her
affections, though she tried in vain to bestow that love she would
willingly have given. Miss Pemberton presented a strong contrast to her
niece, who was generally admired. Clara was very fair, of moderate
height, and of a slight and elegant figure, with regular features and a
pleasing smile; though a physiognomist might have suspected that she
wanted the valuable quality of firmness, which in her position was
especially necessary; for she already possessed a good fortune, and
would inherit a considerable one. Her father, although a sailor of the
old school, was not destitute of discernment, and thoroughly
understanding her character, earnestly wished to see her married to a
sensible, upright man, who would protect her and take good care of her
property. He had therefore given every encouragement to Harry
Caulfield, son of his old and esteemed friend, General Caulfield. He
had known and liked Harry from his boyhood, and fully believed that
he