The Project Gutenberg EBook of Father Stafford, by Anthony Hope

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Title: Father Stafford

Author: Anthony Hope

Release Date: January 22, 2005 [EBook #14755]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FATHER STAFFORD ***

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FATHER STAFFORD

BY

ANTHONY HOPE

AUTHOR OF "A MAN OF MARK," "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA."

F. TENNYSON NEELY
PUBLISHER
CHICAGO NEW YORK
1895

CONTENTS.

I. Eugene Lane and his Guests

II. New Faces and Old Feuds

III. Father Stafford Changes his Habits, and Mr. Haddington his Views

IV. Sir Roderick Ayre Inspects Mr. Morewood's Masterpiece

V. How Three Gentlemen Acted for the Best

VI. Father Stafford Keeps Vigil

VII. An Early Train and a Morning's Amusement

VIII. Stafford in Retreat, and Sir Roderick in Action

IX. The Battle of Baden

X. Mr. Morewood is Moved to Indignation

XI. Waiting Lady Claudia's Pleasure

XII. Lady Claudia is Vexed with Mankind

XIII. A Lover's Fate and a Friend's Counsel

XIV. Some People are as Fortunate as they Deserve to Be

XV. An End and a Beginning

FATHER STAFFORD.

CHAPTER I.

Eugene Lane and his Guests.

The world considered Eugene Lane a very fortunate young man; and if
youth, health, social reputation, a seat in Parliament, a large income,
and finally the promised hand of an acknowledged beauty can make a man
happy, the world was right. It is true that Sir Roderick Ayre had been
heard to pity the poor chap on the ground that his father had begun life
in the workhouse; but everybody knew that Sir Roderick was bound to
exalt the claims of birth, inasmuch as he had to rely solely upon them
for a reputation, and discounted the value of his opinion accordingly.
After all, it was not as if the late Mr. Lane had ended life in the
undesirable shelter in question. On the contrary, his latter days had
been spent in the handsome mansion of Millstead Manor; and, as he lay on
his deathbed, listening to the Rector's gentle homily on the vanity of
riches, his eyes would wander to the window and survey a wide t