Lil Grey; or, Arthur Chester's courtship

Front matter

" What a dead-alive life we lead !" P. 35- LIL GEEY; OR, ARTHUR CHESTER'S COURTSHIP. BY Mrs. E. BEAYAN,^, Authoress of "Readings in Rhyme," "Alicia," "Olga Foromme," Jfc. Jfcjnbon : S. W. PAETBIDGE AND CO., 9, PATERNOSTER ROW. UNWIN BBOTHEBS, TUE GEE SHAM STEAM PBESS, LONDON AND CHILWOETH. CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. — A CASUAL GLANCE AT SOMERTON .... - 1 II. A SLIGHT GREY SKETCH ..... 6 HE. CLOUDS IN THE GBEY HORIZON - - - .-11 IV. ARTHUR CHESTER - - - - - - 17 V. DOWNWARD - .- - ... - -22 VI. THE CURTAIN WITHDRAWN - - - - - 28 VII. WAITING FOR PA ------ 33 Vnl. AN UNEXPECTED MOVE - - - - - 40 IX. IN THE SHADOWS ------ 45 X. ADVERSE FATE ------- 50 XI. A MENTAL CLOUD ------ 55 XII. DEEPER DEPTHS ------ 61 XIII. A DESCENT IN THE SOCIAL SCALE - - 66 XIV. OUT IN THIS COLD WORLD - - - - - 72 XV.

HOOLEY'S AND VARLEY'S, HOLBORN - - - 79 XVI. A STAR OF HOPE IN MISERY'S DARKENED SKY - 68 XVH. SUNDAY IN AN ASYLUM - - - - - 95 XVIII. ASHLEY FINDS THE DOOR OF REPENTANCE CLOSED 101 XIX. FETCHING A PATIENT - - .... CONTENTS. CHAPTEB PAGE XX. A DELICATE DILEMMA SOLVED - - - 113 XXI. — 1HE NEW PATIENT ..... 121 XXII. A DISCOVERY ...--- 128 XXIII. IN THE REFRACTORY WARD - - - - 135 XXIV. AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR .... 143 XXV. UNCONSCIOUS RIVALRY ------ 153 XXVI. IN THE CONVALESCENT WARD - - - 164 xxvil — Arthur's idol demolished - - - - 170 XXVIII. — A TIMELY EXPLANATION .... 174 XXIX. — A TALE TOLD IN TWILIGHT - - - - 178 XXX. A HARMLESS REVENGE ----- 184 XXXI. THE ASYLUM GRAND BALL - - - - 189 XXXII. — AN UNSENTIMENTAL POINT - 195 XXXIII. — MAY FLIRTS UNDER THE OAKS ... 200 XXXIV. FACE TO FACE ---'--- 203 XXXV.

CORRESPONDENCE ------ 213 XXXVI. FRIENDLY CHAT - - - - - - 219 XXXVII. — LIL CHESTER ---... 224 XXXVTII. HOLDEN WITH THE CORDS OF SIN - - - 229 XXXIX. THE REAPING ...... LIL GEEY; OR, ARTHUR CHESTER'S COURTSHIP.

Chapter I

A CASUAL GLANCE AT SOMERTON. Somerton is a rather pleasant town. It is blessed with upwards of ten thousand inhabitants, for whom nature has kindly provided it with some far from despicable rural scenery. For instance, there are various shady walks, and a very picturesque lake or pond, over which the willows droop, and on whose bosom divers swans are occasionally seen floating. But the beauty of this lake or pond is somewhat marred by the knowledge, that its seclusion has been frequently an accessory to crime. The pond is deep, and the waters are dark ; and, as they lie calmly and placidly, they seem to speak of rest beneath their still bosom. So the treacherous spirit of the water woos the weary children of earth to their destruction, and the pond has won an evil name. Somerton has not all the advantages of a health resort.

The limpid beverage which the children of Hygeia delight in, is not theirs ; but a superior produc- B tion of nature is plentifully supplied them. Somerton is built on a flat, marshy spot of ground ; and the water of the district has, it must be confessed, an earthy, unpleasantly sweet taste. Its medicinal qualities are many, the inhabitants inform us. Still, the enormous consumption of this cheap medicine does not materially injure the interests of the Somerton doctors. Then the air of Somerton is, to a stranger, rather enervating. There is, however, one hornof the day, and one spot, when Somerton can boast an influx of health. It is by the side of the Ware river, at the tidal hour. The Ware runs a course of sixteen miles down to the sea. At the inflowing of the tide, a huge wave, entering the mouth of the river, rushes along its muddy course with a roar and a swell : the bed of the river — wide and deep — yellow and clayey, with a sluggish brook, scarcely suffi cient to carry a tiny canoe, creeping along, is covered, at one sweep, with a wide-spreading sheet of water, and boats and barges, steamers and sailing vessels float in joyfully on its bosom.

Then sleepy Somerton awakes. The idlers in blue jackets, who have been sitting for hours, with folded arms and elbows on knees, puffing away at smoky little pipes, rise up, and pocketing their favourite toys, haste to the quay-side, and spring on the barges and vessels with an alacrity which shows that — fish-like — they have found their element. The invalid portion of Somerton is seen strolling in the direction of the river at the time the swelling wave is expected, and on its arrival, joyfully inhale draughts of the fresh sea air which accompanies it. The air has lost little of its primitive freshness by the time it has reached Somerton, but the sea water has bidden fare- A CASUAL GLANCE AT SOMERTON. 3 well for ever to its azure hue ; it is transformed into a yellow fluid, uninviting to the eye, and abominable to the taste.

Yet good is found in this seeming evil ; for the fresh clay deposit of every tide is carefully dug out, and after undergoing various operations, becomes a useful article of household utility. Somerton is proud of its river ; and the little public spirit that exists in the town is directed to protecting its interests. The Ware divides Somerton into two parts. South Somerton is a trifle less healthy than its northern neighbour. It is also a little less fashionable, and this may be given as a reason why the rents of its houses are generally rather lower. For this reason, also, it has many streets tenanted by families to whom a trifle more rent is pronounced no consideration, but who, nevertheless, ofttimes, after wary inquiries, pitch their tents in the at once most genteel and economical quarters, giving as their reason the beauty of the sur roundings, or something that has failed to attract general observation.

King-street, South Somerton, reigned unrivalled for combined gentility and economy. It is quiet and shady, and bears a look of privacy — a sort of "no thorough fare " air. Bounded on the north by a church and graveyard, its southern aspect has the somewhat agreeable variation of a dead wall, while its eastern and western boundaries present alternately a collection of humble dwelling-places, and the roughly-piled collec tions of a woodyard. King-street is the property of an old gentleman of wealth, but eccentric habits, named Chester. Some years ago, all the ground on which King-street now stands was a low-lying piece of land, b inundated by every tide. The old gentleman awoke one morning, and vowed that the marshy land should become firm, solid ground, and that he would found a street thereon.

Before the might of gold the sea retired, and on the dry land a street quickly sprang up. But tenants were not as plentiful as desired : so, having finished the street, and erected two semi-detached villas at the northern entrance, old Mr. Chester's building speculations came to an end. It is not much to be wondered at when it is known that not only was the old gentleman eccentric, but very niggardly, which latter fact was too frequently demonstrated to his tenants' dis comfort ; for he acquired a habit of taking the houses, tenanted or untenanted, under his personal supervision, and boasting of not being above undertaking repairs himself, when of a slight nature. He could not be ex pected to be popular under these circumstances, and the "continual dropping" of his meddlesome and inter fering tongue caused the greatest amount of commotion that King-street was ever troubled with.

Mr. Chester was a self-made man. He had acquired the greatest amount of his property from an extensive timber-yard and some widely-known pottery works. The exact extent of his wealth was not known, but its solidity and stability were unquestionable ; and won for him from his fellow-townsmen the respect that wealth can almost invariably buy. One son only had the old gentleman, to inherit his wealth and to be the victim of his caprices, and on his head, and that of his meek-spirited wife, much of his displeasure rested whenever aught went wrong, and he could not give vent to his ill-humour elsewhere. A CASUAL GLANCE AT SOMERTON. King-street was pretty well tenanted some time ago, and Mr. Chester's heart was lifted up on that account, when, lo ! by one fell stroke, the detached villas fell empty.

Empty they remained, until fate ordained that an old Somerton doctor should suddenly take his leave of all sublunary things — his patients, physic, and practice; the latter of which a strange doctor bought up, and came with his three daughters to reside in the corner house — King Villa. A bright brass plate decorated the little swinging gate, and informed the world generally that the new comer's name was Doctor Grey. King-street was not an inquisitive street, and it did not speculate much on Dr. Grey's chances, or trouble itself about the three motherless girls who completed his household. So the Greys quietly established them selves in King Villa, without causing much excitement in any bosom, except that old Mr. Chester, who, after a moment's lull of anxiety on information that his new tenant had not a family of boys or babies, suddenly grew fidgety with wonder and fear — wonder, whether the Misses Grey were rough fast girls, having no mother to look after and control them, and fear lest, the above being the case, they should possess the unladylike habit of slamming the doors, and other property-damaging habits or tricks.

He mentally resolved to give them an early call, and purposely left a door partly unhinged as a specious pretence for spying out his new tenants' defects or excellences, as the case might be. Meanwhile, the Greys dwelt contentedly, in happy ignorance, at King Villa, and Dr. Grey busied himself in " working up " his new practice, which was by no means in so prosperous a condition as he had been led to expect, when he expended almost all his available cash in the purchase of the good-will. But his case was by no means a "new one under the sun," although it fell rather hard upon him.