Parkwater

Front matter

PAEK1ATEE \^ MES. HENRY WOOD, AUTHOR OF "EAST LYNNE." LONDON : RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON, JtaMtsIters tit ©rbtiwvg to Ijsr JJajestg the <SJtum. 1876. (All riylits reserved.) CONTENTS. PARKWATER : CHAP. PAGE i. bringing up . . . .1 ii. home from france . . . . .11 iii. mr. fred lyvett . . . .23 iv. at parkwater . . . . .38 v. captain devereux . . . .52 vi. suspicion . . . . .60 vii. Sophie's desolation . . . .69 viii. haed times . . . . .77 ix. the advertisement in the " times" . 86 x. waening . . . . .94 xi. a stolen maech . . . , . 105 xii. the countrywoman .... 115 xiii. a fit of shivering .... 128 xiv. an expedition in the dusk. . . 137 xv. the child ..... 148 xvi. at mes. cooke's .... 155 xvii. the appeehension .... 167 xviii. at home . . . . .178 xix. condemned . . . . .187 xx. at lady harriet's .... 196 xxi. a race with time .... 205 conclusion .....

CONTENTS. PACK THE FOGGY NIGHT AT OFFOED 223 ME. NORTH'S DREAM . . .' 368 MARTYN WARE'S TEMPTATION 397 FEATHERS AND SPANGLES PARKWATER CHAPTEE I. BRINGING UP. In a certain quiet street of London, chiefly if not entirely filled by lawyers and their offices, there flourished some years ago the eminent firm of Lyvett, Castlerosse, and Lyvett. An extensive practice had they ; and certain other firms in the street would watch with an envious eye the shoals of letters and deeds delivered at their doors by the morning postman, wishing only a tenth part of such shoals would come to them. The partners bore the character of honourable men ; and cer tainly they were so. The three floors in the house were con secrated to business. The ground floor was chiefly appropriated to clerks ; on the first floor were the private and consult ing rooms of the partners ; and on the next story were clerks' rooms again.

This left free the kitchens, which were under ground, and the attics in the roof ; in which apartments dwelt a man of the name of May, his wife, and daughter. May was the trusty porter or messenger of the firm, took care of the house on Sundays and at nights, and was much esteemed by his employers as an honest, respectable servant. Mrs. PARKWATER. 2 May cleaned the offices, made the fires, and scoured the stairs ; and Miss May was a damsel of ten years old. She was being brought up — well, we shall see how. Mr. Lyvett, the first partner in the firm, was a wealthy man. Apart from the proceeds arising from a long and successful practice (which had come down to him from his father), his wife, who was of good family, had brought him a large fortune. They lived at the West End, and mixed more in fashionable life than it is usual for most lawyers to do.