Produced by Clare Graham, using scans from the Internet Archive
BY [M.E. Braddon] THE AUTHOR OF
"LADY AUDLEY'S SECRET,"
ETC. ETC. ETC.
Published by Tinsley Brothers of London in 1863 (third edition).
Is Dedicated
The history of Edward Arundel, second son of Christopher ArundelDangerfield Arundel, of Dangerfield Park, Devonshire, began on acertain dark winter's night upon which the lad, still a schoolboy, wentwith his cousin, Martin Mostyn, to witness a blank-verse tragedy at oneof the London theatres.
There are few men who, looking back at the long story of their lives,cannot point to one page in the record of the past at which the actualhistory of life began. The page may come in the very middle of thebook, perhaps; perhaps almost at the end. But let it come where itwill, it is, after all, only the actual commencement. At an appointedhour in man's existence, the overture which has been going on eversince he was born is brought to a sudden close by the sharp vibrationof the prompter's signal-bell; the curtain rises, and the drama of lifebegins. Very insignificant sometimes are the first scenes of theplay,—common-place, trite, wearisome; but watch them closely, andinterwoven with every word, dimly recognisable in every action, may beseen the awful hand of Destiny. The story has begun: already we, thespectators, can make vague guesses at the plot, and predicate thesolemn climax; it is only the actors who are ignorant of the meaning oftheir several parts, and who are stupidly reckless of the obviouscatastrophe.
The story of young Arundel's life began when he was a light-hearted,heedless lad of seventeen, newly escaped for a brief interval from thecare of his pastors and masters.
The lad had come to London on a Christmas visit to his father's sister,a worldly-minded widow, with a great many sons and daughters, and anincome only large enough to enable her to keep up the appearances ofwealth essential to the family pride of one of the Arundels ofDangerfield.
Laura Arundel had married a Colonel Mostyn, of the East India Company'sservice, and had returned from India after a wandering life of someyears, leaving her dead husband behind her, and bringing away with herfive daughters and three sons, most of whom had been born under canvas.
Mrs. Mostyn bore her troubles bravely, and contrived to do more withher pension, and an additional income of four hundred a year from asmall fortune of her own, than the most consummate womanly managementcan often achieve. Her house in Montague Squ