Wylders Hand

A free download from http://www.dertz.in


Wylder's Hand

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wylder's Hand, by J. Sheridan Le
Fanu Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check
the copyright laws for your country before downloading or
redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project
Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the
header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the
eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is
important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how
the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a
donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since
1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of
Volunteers!*****
Title: Wylder's Hand
Author: J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Release Date: February, 2006 [EBook #9983] [Yes, we are more than

one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on November 5,
2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WYLDER'S
HAND ***

Produced by Stan Goodman, Thomas Berger and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team.

WYLDER'S HAND
A NOVEL
by
J. SHERIDAN LE FANU

First published 1864

CONTENTS
CHAP.
I.--RELATING HOW I RODE THROUGH THE VILLAGE OF
GYLINGDEN WITH MARK WYLDER'S LETTER IN MY VALISE
II.--IN WHICH I ENTER THE DRAWING-ROOM

III.--OUR DINNER-PARTY AT BRANDON
IV.--IN WHICH WE GO TO THE DRAWING-ROOM AND THE
PARTY BREAKS UP
V.--IN WHICH MY SLUMBER IS DISTURBED
VI.--IN WHICH DORCAS BRANDON SPEAKS
VII.--RELATING HOW A LONDON GENTLEMAN APPEARED IN
REDMAN'S DELL
VIII.--IN WHICH CAPTAIN LAKE TAKES HIS HAT AND STICK
IX.--I SEE THE RING OF THE PERSIAN MAGICIAN
X.--THE ACE OF HEARTS
XI.--IN WHICH LAKE UNDER THE TREES OF BRANDON, AND I
IN MY CHAMBER, SMOKE OUR NOCTURNAL CIGARS
XII.--IN WHICH UNCLE LORNE TROUBLES ME
XIII.--THE PONY CARRIAGE
XIV.--IN WHICH VARIOUS PERSONS GIVE THEIR OPINIONS
OF CAPTAIN STANLEY LAKE
XV.--DORCAS SHOWS HER JEWELS TO MISS LAKE
XVI.--"JENNY PUT THE KETTLE ON"
XVII.--RACHEL LAKE SEES WONDERFUL THINGS BY
MOONLIGHT FROM HER WINDOW
XVIII.--MARK WYLDER'S SLAVE
XIX.--THE TARN IN THE PARK

XX.--CAPTAIN LAKE TAKES AN EVENING STROLL ABOUT
GYLINGDEN
XXI.--IN WHICH CAPTAIN LAKE VISITS HIS SISTER'S SICK
BED
XXII.--IN WHICH CAPTAIN LAKE MEETS A FRIEND NEAR THE
WHITE HOUSE
XXIII.--HOW RACHEL SLEPT THAT NIGHT IN REDMAN'S
FARM
XXIV.--DORCAS BRANDON PAYS RACHEL A VISIT
XXV.--CAPTAIN LAKE LOOKS IN AT NIGHTFALL
XXVI.--CAPTAIN LAKE FOLLOWS TO LONDON
XXVII.--LAWYER LARKIN'S MIND BEGINS TO WORK
XXVIII.--MARK WYLDER'S SUBMISSION
XXIX.--HOW MARK WYLDER'S DISAPPEARANCE AFFECTED
HIS FRIENDS
XXX.--IN BRANDON PARK
XXXI.--IN REDMAN'S DELL
XXXII.--MR. LARKIN AND THE VICAR
XXXIII.--THE LADIES OF GYLINGDEN HEATH
XXXIV.--SIR JULIUS HOCKLEY'S LETTER
XXXV.--THE HUNT BALL
XXXVI.--THE BALL ROOM

XXXVII.--THE SUPPER-ROOM
XXXVIII.--AFTER THE BALL
XXXIX.--IN WHICH MISS RACHEL LAKE COMES TO
BRANDON, AND DOCTOR BUDDLE CALLS AGAIN
XL.--THE ATTORNEY'S ADVENTURES ON THE WAY HOME
XLI.--IN WHICH SIR FRANCIS SEDDLEY MANIPULATES
XLII.--A PARAGRAPH IN THE COUNTY PAPER
XLIII.--AN EVIL EYE LOOKS ON THE VICAR
XLIV.--IN WHICH OLD TAMAR LIFTS UP HER VOICE IN
PROPHECY
XLV.--DEEP AND SHALLOW
XLVI.--DEBATE AND INTERRUPTION
XLVII.--A THREATENING NOTICE
XLVIII.--IN WHICH I GO TO BRANDON, AND SEE AN OLD
ACQUAINTANCE IN THE TAPESTRY ROOM
XLIX.--LARCOM, THE BUTLER, VISITS THE ATTORNEY
L.--NEW LIGHTS
LI.--A FRACAS IN THE LIBRARY
LII.--AN OLD FRIEND LOOKS INTO THE GARDEN AT
REDMAN'S FARM
LIII.--THE VICAR'S COMPLICATIONS, WHICH LIVELY PEOPLE
HAD BETTER NOT READ

LIV.--BRANDON CHAPEL ON SUNDAY
LV.--THE CAPTAIN AND THE ATTORNEY CONVERSE AMONG
THE TOMBS
LVI.--THE BRANDON CONSERVATORY
LVII.--CONCERNING A NEW DANGER WHICH THREATENED
CAPTAIN STANLEY LAKE
LVIII.--MISS RACHEL LAKE BECOMES VIOLENT
LIX.--AN ENEMY IN REDMAN'S DELL
LX.--RACHEL LAKE BEFORE THE ACCUSER
LXI.--IN WHICH DAME DUTTON IS VISITED
LXII.--THE CAPTAIN EXPLAINS WHY MARK WYLDER
ABSCONDED
LXIII.--THE ACE OF HEARTS
LXIV.--IN THE DUTCH ROOM
LXV.--I REVISIT BRANDON HALL
LXVI.--LADY MACBETH
LXVII.--MR. LARKIN IS VIS-A-VIS WITH A CONCEALED
COMPANION
LXVIII.--THE COMPANION DISCLOSES HIMSELF
LXIX.--OF A SPECTRE WHOM OLD TAMAR SAW
LXX.--THE MEETING IN THE LONG POND ALLEY
LXXI.--SIR HARRY BRACTON'S INVASION OF GYLINGDEN

LXXII.--MARK WYLDER'S HAND
LXXIII.--THE MASK FALLS
LXXIV.--WE TAKE LEAVE OF OUR FRIENDS

WYLDER'S HAND.
CHAPTER I.
RELATING HOW I DROVE THROUGH THE VILLAGE OF
GYLINGDEN WITH MARK WYLDER'S LETTER IN MY VALISE.
It was late in the autumn, and I was skimming along, through a rich
English county, in a postchaise, among tall hedgerows gilded, like all
the landscape, with the slanting beams of sunset. The road makes a
long and easy descent into the little town of Gylingden, and down this
we were going at an exhilarating pace, and the jingle of the vehicle
sounded like sledge-bells in my ears, and