The Heir of Redclyffe | Page 9

his most
devoted and indefatigable nurse, giving up everything for his sake, and
watching him night and day. His father attended to his least caprice,
and his sisters were, of course, his slaves; so that he was the undisputed
sovereign of the whole family.
The two elder girls had been entirely under a governess till a month or
two before the opening of our story, when Laura was old enough to be
introduced; and the governess departing, the two sisters became
Charles's companions in the drawing-room, while Mrs. Edmonstone,
who had a peculiar taste and talent for teaching, undertook little
Charlotte's lessons herself.


CHAPTER 2

If the ill spirit have so fair a house, Good things will strive to dwell
with't.--THE TEMPEST
One of the pleasantest rooms at Hollywell was Mrs. Edmonstone's
dressing-room--large and bay-windowed, over the drawing-room,
having little of the dressing-room but the name, and a toilet-table with a
black and gold japanned glass, and curiously shaped boxes to match;
her room opened into it on one side, and Charles's on the other; it was a
sort of up-stairs parlour, where she taught Charlotte, cast up accounts,
spoke to servants, and wrote notes, and where Charles was usually to
be found, when unequal to coming down-stairs. It had an air of great
snugness, with its large folding-screen, covered with prints and
caricatures of ancient date, its book-shelves, its tables, its peculiarly
easy arm-chairs, the great invalid sofa, and the grate, which always
lighted up better than any other in the house.
In the bright glow of the fire, with the shutters closed and curtains
drawn, lay Charles on his couch, one Monday evening, in a gorgeous
dressing-gown of a Chinese pattern, all over pagodas, while little
Charlotte sat opposite to him, curled up on a footstool. He was not
always very civil to Charlotte; she sometimes came into collision with
him, for she, too, was a pet, and had a will of her own, and at other
times she could bore him; but just now they had a common interest, and
he was gracious.
'It is striking six, so they must soon be here. I wish mamma would let
me go down; but I must wait till after dinner.'
'Then, Charlotte, as soon as you come in, hold up your hands, and
exclaim, "What a guy!" There will be a compliment!'
'No, Charlie; I promised mamma and Laura that you should get me into
no more scrapes.'
'Did you? The next promise you make had better depend upon yourself
alone.'
'But Amy said I must be quiet, because poor Sir Guy will be too
sorrowful to like a racket; and when Amy tells me to be quiet, I know
that I must, indeed.'
'Most true,' said Charles, laughing.
'Do you think you shall like Sir Guy?'
'I shall be able to determine,' said Charles, sententiously, 'when I have
seen whether he brushes his hair to the right or left.'

'Philip brushes his to the left.'
'Then undoubtedly Sir Guy will brush his to the right.'
'Is there not some horrid story about those Morvilles of Redclyffe?'
asked Charlotte. 'I asked Laura, and she told me not to be curious, so I
knew there was something in it; and then I asked Amy, and she said it
would be no pleasure to me to know.'
'Ah! I would have you prepared.'
'Why, what is it? Oh! dear Charlie! are you really going to tell me?'
'Did you ever hear of a deadly feud?'
'I have read of them in the history of Scotland. They went on hating and
killing each other for ever. There was one man who made his enemy's
children eat out of a pig-trough, and another who cut off his head.'
'His own?'
'No, his enemy's, and put it on the table, at breakfast, with a piece of
bread in its mouth.'
'Very well; whenever Sir Guy serves up Philip's head at breakfast, with
a piece of bread in his mouth, let me know.'
Charlotte started up. 'Charles, what do you mean? Such things don't
happen now.'
'Nevertheless, there is a deadly feud between the two branches of the
house of Morville.'
'But it is very wrong,' said Charlotte, looking frightened.'
'Wrong? Of course it is.'
'Philip won't do anything wrong. But how will they ever get on?'
'Don't you see? It must be our serious endeavour to keep the peace, and
prevent occasions of discord.'
'Do you think anything will happen?'
'It is much to be apprehended,' said Charles, solemnly.
At that moment the sound of wheels was heard, and Charlotte flew off
to her private post of observation, leaving her brother delighted at
having mystified her. She returned on tip-toe. 'Papa and Sir Guy are
come, but not Philip; I can't see him anywhere.'