The Miser’s Daughter ebook

Contents

BOOK I. RANDULPH CREW

CHAPTER I. The Miser’s Dwelling in the Little Sanctuary—Opposite Neighbours— Peter Pokerich and the Fair Thomasine—Jacob Post—Randulph Crew

CHAPTER II. The Miser and His Daughter—Randulph delivers the Package to the former—Its reception

CHAPTER III. The Brothers Beechcroft—Mr. Jukes— The Arrival— The Walk in Saint James’s Park— Randulph’s Introduction to Beau Villiers and Lady Brabazon

CHAPTER IV. Abel Beechcroft’s Sensibility— His Instructions to Mr. Jukes— A Second Nephew—The Loan— Mr. Cripp’s Sense of Honour—The Bribe

CHAPTER V. Abel Again Cautions His Nephew Against the Miser’s Daughter

CHAPTER VI. The Miser and Jacob—A Third Nephew—A Dinner at the Miser’s—Hilda’s Opinion of Her Cousin

CHAPTER VII. The Payment Of The Mortgage Money

CHAPTER VIII. The Mysterious Letter—The Landlord of The Rose and Crown—Cordwell Firebras

CHAPTER IX. The Stranger at the Barbers

CHAPTER X. The Beau’s Levie—The Breakfast— The Embarkation for the Folly

CHAPTER XI. The Miser’s Consultation with His Attorney— Jacob Alarmed by His Master’s Appearance at Night— The Visit of Cordwell Firebras

CHAPTER XII. Hilda’s Interview with Abel Beechcroft

CHAPTER XIII. The Folly on the Thames—Kitty Conway— Randulph Placed in an Awkward Situation by Philip Frewin

CHAPTER XIV. Randulph’s Interview with Cordwell Firebras in the Cloisters of Westminster Abbey

CHAPTER XV. Mrs. Clinton’s Alarm—The Miser’s Unexpected Return— The Disappearance of the Mortgage Money— The Effrontery of Philip Frewin and Diggs

CHAPTER XVI. Lady Brabazon Deposits Her Diamonds with the Miser— Gallantry of the Latter—He Discovers the Contriver of the Robbery of the Mortgage Money

CHAPTER XVII. Mr. Cripps’s Alarming Intelligence—Randulph’s Introduction to the Jacobite Club—Sir Norfolk Salusbury and Father Verselyn—The Treasonable Toast— Dangerous Position of Randulph—His Firmness— Punctiliousness of Sir Norfolk Salusbury

CHAPTER XVIII. The Jacobite Club Surprised by the Guard—The Flight and Pursuit—Mr. Cripps’s Treachery—His Reflections

CHAPTER XIX. Mr. Jukes’s Notions of Domestic Happiness— Trussell a Little the Worse For Wine—Randulph Receives a Note from Firebras—Jacob Post Brings Information to Abel

CHAPTER XX. Abel’s Interview with the Miser— Unexpected Appearance of Randulph and Cordwell Firebras—Result of the Meeting

BOOK II. TRUSSELL BEECHCROFT

CHAPTER I. Trussell’s Appearance after His Debauch— He Proceeds with Randulph to Lady Brabazon’s— The Party Go to Marylebone Gardens

CHAPTER II. Mrs. Nettleship—Mr. Cripps Personates His Master— Marylebone Gardens—Mr. Cripps Detected

CHAPTER III. A Man-of-the-World’s Advice on a Matter of the Heart— The Visit To The Haymarket Theatre, and the Supper Afterwards with Kitty Conway— Randulph again Awkwardly Circumstanced with Hilda

CHAPTER IV. Randulph’s Career of Gaiety— Abel’s Remarks Upon It to Mr. Jukes

CHAPTER V. Randulph Receives a Letter from His Mother—Its Effect upon Him—His Good Resolutions Defeated by Trussell

CHAPTER VI. The Fair Thomasine’s Visit to Hilda— Her Mysterious Communication—In What Way, and by Whom the Attempt to Carry off Hilda Was Prevented— The Miser Buries His Treasure in the Cellar

CHAPTER VII. The Progress of Mr. Cripps’s Love Affair— Mr. Rathbone Appears on the Scene—Stratagem of the Valet—Mr. Jukes Visits the Widow

CHAPTER VIII. The Masquerade at Ranelagh, with the Various Incidents that Occurred at It

CHAPTER IX. Jacob Brings a Piece of Intelligence to Randulph— Trussell and Randulph Go to Drury Lane

CHAPTER X. The Supper at Vauxhall—Beau Villiers’ Attempt to Carry off Hilda Defeated by Randulph

CHAPTER XI. Randulph Worsts Beau Villiers in a Duel in Tothill Fields; and is Worsted Himself in a Second Duel by Sir Norfolk Salusbury

BOOK III. ABEL BEECHCROFT

CHAPTER I. What Became of Randulph after the Duel— How Hilda Received the Intelligence that Randulph Had Been Wounded in the Duel; and What Passed between Cordwell Firebras and the Miser

CHAPTER II. Mrs. Crew—Her Solicitude about Her Son; and Her Conversation with Abel

CHAPTER III. Detailing the Interview between Cordwell Firebras and Mrs. Crew

CHAPTER IV. Treats Of The Miser’s Illness; and the Discovery of the Mysterious Packet by Hilda

CHAPTER V. Abel’s Conduct on Learning of the Miser’s Illness— Sir Singleton Spinke Proposes to the Fair Thomasine— Randulph again Dines with Lady Brabazon—He Receivesy a Note From Kitty Conway; and is Assaulted by Philip Frewin and His Myrmidons on His Way to Sup with Her

CHAPTER VI. By What Device Philip Frewin Got Off; and How Randulph and Trussell Were Locked Up in the Watch-House

CHAPTER VII. Kitty Conway and the Little Barber Play a Trick upon the Fair Thomasine—Sir Singleton Spinke Is Deluded into Marriage with the Pretty Actress at the Fleet

CHAPTER VIII. Of the Visit of Philip Frewin and Diggs to the Miser, and What They Obtained from Him

CHAPTER IX. Mr. Rathbone Divulges His Plan to Mrs. Nettleship and Persuades Her to Act in Concert with Him in His Design Upon the Valet

CHAPTER X. How Mr. Cripps’s Marriage with the Widow Was Interrupted

CHAPTER XI. “Stulte! Hac Nocte Repetunt Animam Tuam; Et Quae Parasti, Cuius Erunt”—Lucas XII

CHAPTER XII. Abel Beechcroft Finds the Body of the Miser in the Cellar—His Reflections Upon It— Jacob’s Grief for His Master

CHAPTER XIII. Diggs and Philip Unexpectedly Arrive— The Miser’s Will Is Read, and Philip Declares His Intention of Acting upon it— Abel Unbosoms Himself To Hilda

CHAPTER XIV. Philip Frewin Is Dangerously Wounded by Randulph— His Last Vindictive Effort

CHAPTER XV. Mr. Cripps’s Altered Appearance— He Mystifies the Fair Thomasine about Lady Spinke— The Seizure of the Jacobite Club Contrived

CHAPTER XVI. The Summer-House at the Chequers— The Old Mill—Randulph Overhears the Plot— Dispersion of the Jacobite Club, and the Fate of Cordwell Firebras

CHAPTER XVII. In Which the Wedding-Day Is Fixed

CHAPTER XVIII. Detailing an Event Which May Possibly Have Been Anticipated from the Preceding Chapter

BOOK I. RANDULPH CREW

CHAPTER I. The Miser’s Dwelling in the Little Sanctuary–Opposite Neighbours– Peter Pokerich and the Fair Thomasine–Jacob Post–Randulph Crew.

In a large, crazy, old-fashioned house at the corner of the Little Sanctuary in Westminster, and facing the abbey, dwelt, in the year 1774, a person named Scarve. From his extraordinary penurious habits, he received the appellation of Starve, and was generally denominated by his neighbours “Miser Starve.” Few, if any, of those who thus designated him, knew much about him, none of them being allowed to cross his threshold; but there was an air, even externally, about his dwelling, strongly indicative of his parsimonious character. Most of the windows in the upper stories, which, as is usual with habitations of that date, far overhung the lower, were boarded up, and those not thus closed were so covered with dust and dirt that it was impossible to discern any object through them. Many parts of the building were in a ruinous condition, and where the dilapidations were not dangerous, were left in that state; but wherever some repairs were absolutely necessary to keep the structure together, they were made in the readiest and cheapest manner. The porch alone preserved its original character. It projected far beyond the doorway, and was ornamented with the arms of a former occupant of the habitation, wrought in bold relief in oak, and supported by two beautifully-carved female figures. All the lower windows were strongly grated, and darkened like the upper with long-accumulated dust. The door was kept constantly bolted and barred, even in the day-time; and the whole building had a dingy, dismal, and dungeon-like aspect.

Mr. Scarve’s opposite neighbour, who was as curious as opposite neighbours generally are, and who was a mercer named Deacle, used to spend hours with his wife and daughter, who was as curious as himself, in reconnoitring the miser’s dwelling. But their curiosity was rarely, if ever, gratified, except by occasionally seeing some member of the family go forth, or return. Another constant spy upon the mysterious abode was Peter Pokerich, a young barber and wig-maker, occupying the next house to the mercer, but whose motives were not like the other’s, entirely those of curiosity. Having completed his apprenticeship about a twelvemonth before, Peter Pokerich had at that time settled in the Little Sanctuary, and had already obtained a fair share of business, being much employed in dressing the wigs of the lawyers frequenting Westminster Hall. He was a smart dapper little fellow, with no contemptible opinion of himself, either as to mental or personal qualifications, and being determined to push his fortune with the sex, had, in the first instance, paid very marked attentions to the mercer’s daughter, Thomasine, or, as she was more familiarly called, Tommy; and these attentions it was pretty evident were not altogether unacceptable. Just, however, as he was on the eve of declaring himself and soliciting the hand of the fair Thomasine, with little apprehension of a refusal, he accidentally beheld the miser’s daughter, Hilda Scarve, and his inflammable heart taking fire at her beauty, which was sufficiently ravishing to captivate a colder breast than the barber’s, he thenceforth became her slave, and could no longer endure the auburn locks, the hazel orbs, the round cheeks, and plump little person, of the fair Thomasine, which had once appeared so attractive in his eyes. Another consideration was not without its weight in turning the scale of his affections. Hilda’s father was reputed to be of immense wealth; she was his only child, at least it was generally understood to be so, and would, of course, inherit the whole of his vast hoards; and as, furthermore, he was an old man, it could not, in the course of nature, be very long before the property must come to her. This consideration decided Peter in favour of the miser’s daughter, and it was the hope of obtaining a glimpse of her that made him play the spy upon her father’s dwelling.

The repairs previously alluded to were made by the miser’s servant, Jacob Post, who, on this occasion, stepped over the way to borrow a ladder from Mr. Deacle. For reasons of his own, the mercer readily complied with the request, and when Jacob’s work was done, and he brought back the ladder, he was invited by its owner to his back parlour, where Mrs. Deacle and the fair Thomasine were seated, and where a substantial repast was laid out. Jacob was next requested to sit down, and with some hesitation complied. A plate, loaded with cold beef, was next offered him, and he cleared it in an inconceivably short space of time. The plate was again filled, and again emptied, and as his appetite seemed in no ways stayed, and the edge-bone was nearly bared, a large remnant of a potato pie in a brown earthenware dish was substituted.

To the astonishment of the party, he soon disposed of it. These viands requiring to be washed down, Mr. Deacle took a jug of ale, which stood at one corner of the table, and pouring out a large foaming glass, offered it to his guest, winking as he did so at his wife, as much as to say, “We have him now.” Whether or not Jacob saw the wink is of little import. He took the glass, drained it to the last drop, and sprang to his feet.

“Why, you’re not going!” cried Mr. Deacle.

“Yes, I am,” replied Jacob, in a deep, gruff voice.

“Well; but stop a bit, I’ve something to say to you,” rejoined Mr. Deacle.

“Master’ll wonder what I’m doing here so long,” returned Jacob. “He watched me cross over with the ladder.”

“You should have thought of that before you sat down,” remarked Mrs. Deacle, somewhat spitefully. “If you would draw another jug of ale, my dear, I dare say Jacob would risk incurring his master’s displeasure, and stay a few minutes longer.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” replied Jacob, looking at the same time wistfully at the jug. “No, I wouldn’t,” he added, slightly softening his tone.

“Try him,” whispered Mrs. Deacle to her spouse.

Mr. Deacle took the hint, and likewise took up the jug, and winking at his wife, proceeded to a side door, opening upon a flight of stone steps, evidently leading to the lower part of the premises, and disappeared. With true feminine tact, Mrs. Deacle had perceived Jacob’s weak point.

He seemed spell-bound. The temptation of the “other jug’ was irresistible. He scratched his forehead with the point of his great thumb-nail, pushed the little brown scratch wig covering the top of his head still higher up, glanced at the door, but did not attempt to withdraw. The figure that he now cut was so ridiculous that both ladies burst into screams of laughter. Not in the slightest degree disconcerted, Jacob maintained his position, and eyed them with a look so stern that their merriment speedily died off in a quaver. The Formidable certainly predominated over the Ridiculous in Jacob’s appearance. He was six feet two in height, with a large-boned frame, not encumbered with too much flesh, and immense hands and feet. Though slightly in-kneed, he held himself as erect as an old soldier. He had a grim black muzzle, a wide mouth garnished with keen white teeth, the masticatory powers of which he had so satisfactorily exhibited, thick and jetty eyebrows, and an enormous nose slightly tinged towards its extremity with a mulberry hue. He wore an old gray cloth coat, of the formal cut, in vogue about twenty years before, with a row of plate buttons extending from the collar to the skirts, as well as others on the pockets, and which coat, though it only reached to his knees, must have dangled down to its original owner’s ankles. His waistcoat was of the same material as the upper garment, and evidently dated back to the same remote period. A dirty neckcloth, which looked positively white from its contrast with his swarthy chin, was twisted round his throat. He possessed great personal strength, and, indeed, was reported to have driven off, single-handed, three housebreakers, who had contrived one night to effect an entrance into his master’s habitation. It was thought that the miser retained him as much for self-defence as for his other services; and it was even said that in some money-lending transactions in which Mr. Scarve had been engaged with suspicious characters, Jacob stood by on guard.

By this time, the mercer had returned with a jug, whose frothing head made Jacob smack his lips. Seeing the effect produced on him, Mr. Deacle indulged in a sly chuckle.

“Ah! Jacob,” he said, in a feigned commiserating tone, “I fear you don’t get such liquor as this with your master. He don’t brew over strong–not too much malt and hops, eh?”

“That’s true enough, Sir,” replied Jacob, gruffly.

“Do you get any ale at all, Jacob?” inquired Mrs. Deacle.

“No,” replied Jacob, in a tone so abrupt that it made the good dame start, and elicited a slight scream from the fair Thomasine.

“Odd’s precious!” exclaimed Mrs. Deacle; “how the fellow does frighten one. And so you have no ale?”–(Jacob shook his head)–“nor small-beer?”–(another negative)–“then what do you drink, for wine or spirits must be out of the question?”

“Treacle-beer,” rejoined Jacob, “and little enough of that.”

“So I should think,” remarked Mr. Deacle, cunningly. “Come, come, friend Jacob,–this may be very well for your master, but it wont do with me. Your nose would never keep its goodly colour on such thin potations.”

A grim smile crossed Jacob’s face, and he tapped the feature in question.

“I understand,” replied the mercer, winking; “private cellar, ah! Perfectly right, Jacob. Private larder, too, I’ll be sworn. You couldn’t live on Miser Starve’s–I mean Mr. Scarve’s–allowance. Impossible, Jacob; impossible. Take a glass, Jacob. Your master must be very rich, eh?”

“I don’t know,” replied Jacob, after tossing off the glass; “he doesn’t live like a rich man.”

“There I differ from you,” returned the mercer, “he lives like a miser, and misers are always rich.”

“Maybe,” replied Jacob, turning away.

“Stop, stop,” cried the ironmonger, “you must finish this jug before you go. Are you the only servant in the house?”

“The only man-servant,” replied Jacob, looking as if he did not relish the question; “but there’s sometimes a cheerwoman, and the two ladies do for themselves.”

“Do for themselves!” ejaculated Mrs.

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