Valerie, by Captain Marryat.
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This book was the last one that Marryat was working on in his last days.
It is unusual for him in that the story concerned the life of a lady,
whereas he normally wrote about the rough-and-tumble of life aboard
ship. There is a preface which explains more about the way in which
this book was conceived and written. It was completed by someone whom I
think may well have been Marryat's wife.
There are some interesting episodes, particularly the way in which the
young Lionel is raised from being a junior servant to regain an estate
which is rightfully his.
What is not so easy to cope with these days is the quantity of reported
speech in the last few chapters. But try it, and see how you get on.
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VALERIE, BY CAPTAIN MARRYAT.