“The Monarch takes his dazzling seat.
… Nobles
Flock, to offer willing homage.”
The presentation of the sisters took place, and threw open, at once,
the floodgates of dissipation: while the London season, at its height,
offered all its fascinating varieties. But, to Julia, every day appeared
the same. The only impression she seemed capable of receiving, from the
ever changing scenes in which she was engaged, was, from all, a sense of
weariness. The newspapers alone, had power to interest her; except, that
she derived a melancholy pleasure from listening to the praises, by Lady
Oswald, of Edmund’s generous kindness to herself, and to her son Arthur,
now our hero’s cousin.
To Frances, on the contrary, all was novelty and brilliancy. She never
felt so much inclined to be quite happy; and would have been so, but
for her sympathy with her sister. She little thought that what so much
exhilarated her spirits, was but the first approach of that desperate
malady, First Love, which, in its more advanced stage, caused the fixed
melancholy of Julia. Frances found a most agreeable variety, in the mode
of passing her time. Mr. Beaumont, for instance, could not venture to
call every day, so that the days he did call, were distinguished by that
memorable event; and the days he did not, by his driving past under the
windows, fifty or an hundred times in his curricle. Or, they met in the
park; or, danced together at one or more of the gay engagements of the
evening; or, he found his way into Lord L.’s box at the opera, or, &c.,
&c., &c.
Beaumont, whose hopes received so much support from his vanity, on the
very first evening, found that prop fail him, as his feelings became more
seriously interested; and doubts and fears accumulated, as the value of
the wished-for object, increased in his estimation.
We pass some splendid alliances, which, it was evident, would have been
offered to Julia, but for the decided discouragement shown by her to
all. Lord L. too, conscious that rank and beauty such as Julia’s, when
accompanied by immense fortune, possessed claims that might, at any time,
secure a suitable establishment, determined not to press upon her any
choice, she did not freely make. Indeed, his answers to such as requested
his permission to address his daughter, were to that effect.
We believe that, added to the above reason, Lord L. had still a lingering
wish, of which he was perhaps unconscious, and for which he would
possibly have found it difficult to account satisfactorily. We mean, a
wish to see Julia united to Fitz-Ullin; to whom he had taken an almost
unreasonable fancy; considering how little he had seen of him.
As to Frances, Beaumont’s declared attentions to her, and her pleased
acceptance of them, kept all others at a distance.
At length the London scene closed, and the family party returned to
Lodore-House, to celebrate the birth-day, which, by making the sisters of
age, placed their being heiresses to Lord L.’s extensive estates, beyond
contingency; for, even in the event of their father marrying again, his
whole property was entailed on the children of his first marriage; in
failure of a son to go, at his death, to such daughter or daughters, as
should live to be of age, and their heirs for ever. Lord L. had been too
much in love when he married, to contemplate the possibility of losing
his beautiful young wife, and wishing to marry again. His Lordship’s
lawyers, indeed, attempted to hint something of the kind; but, with a
countenance of horror, the young lover had refused to listen to such
cold-hearted suggestions.
Such anniversaries as the present, Mrs. Montgomery always wished to have
kept under her own roof, where the actual event had taken place.
Henry had preceded Lord L. and his daughters into Cumberland; for, either
accidentally or purposely, he had been too late for the sailing of the
Euphrasia.