The history of Sir Richard Calmady; a romance

🔖 This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901 edition. Excerpt: ...know,"--this from Lady Louisa. "I think one feels it is not quite nice to dwell on a thing of that kind," her sister chimed in, reddening again. "It ought to be ignored."--From a girl, the speaker had enjoyed a reputation for great refinement of mind. "I think it amounts to being more than not nice," echoed Lady Louisa. "I think it is positively wrong, for nobody can tell what accident may not happen to any of us at any moment. And so I am not at all sure that it is not actually unchristian to make a thing like that into a serious objection." "You know, papa, there must be deformed people in some families, just as there is consumption or insanity." "Or under-breeding, or attenuated salaries," Mr. Quayle softly murmured. "It becomes evident, my dear father, you must not expect too much of sons, or I of brothers-in-law." "Think of old Lord Sokeington--I mean the great uncle of the present man, of course--of his temper," Lady Louisa proceeded, regardless of ironical comment. "It amounted almost to mania. And yet Lady Dorothy Hellard would certainly have married him. There never was any question about it." "Would she, though? Bad, old man, Sokeington. Never did approve of Sokeington." "Of course she would. Mrs. Crookenden, who always has been devoted to her, told me so." "Did she, though?" said Lord Fallowfeild. "But the marriage was broken off, my dear." He made this remark triumphantly, feeling it showed great acuteness. "Oh, dear no! indeed it wasn't," his daughter replied. "Lord Sokeington behaved in the most outrageous manner. At the last moment he never proposed to her at all. And then it came out that for years he had been living with one of the still-room maids." "Louisa!" cried Lady Alicia, turning scarlet. "Had he, though? The old...