Project Gutenberg's Lady Hester, or Ursula's Narrative, by Charlotte M. Yonge

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Title: Lady Hester, or Ursula's Narrative

Author: Charlotte M. Yonge

Posting Date: July 19, 2009 [EBook #4659]
Release Date: November, 2003
First Posted: February 23, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LADY HESTER, OR URSULA'S NARRATIVE ***

Produced by Sandra Laythorpe. HTML version by Al Haines.

LADY HESTER;

OR,

URSULA'S NARRATIVE.

by

CHARLOTTE M. YONGE

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. SAULT ST. PIERRE

CHAPTER II. TREVORSHAM

CHAPTER III. THE PEERAGE CASE

CHAPTER IV. SKIMPING'S FARM

CHAPTER V. SPINNEY LAWN

CHAPTER VI. THE WHITE DOE'S WARNING

CHAPTER VII. HUNTING

CHAPTER VIII. DUCK SHOOTING

CHAPTER IX. TREVOR'S LEGACY

CHAPTER I.

SAULT ST. PIERRE.

I write this by desire of my brothers and sisters, that if any reports
of our strange family history should come down to after generations the
thing may be properly understood.

The old times at Trevorsham seem to me so remote, that I can hardly
believe that we are the same who were so happy then. Nay, Jaquetta
laughs, and declares that it is not possible to be happier than we have
been since, and Fulk would have me remember that all was not always
smooth even in those days.

Perhaps not--for him, at least, dear fellow, in those latter times; but
when I think of the old home, the worst troubles that rise before me
are those of the back-board and the stocks, French in the school-room,
and Miss Simmonds' "Lady Ursula, think of your position!"

And as to Jaquetta, she was born under a more benignant star. Nobody
could have put a back-board on her any more than on a kitten.

Our mother had died (oh! how happily for herself!) when Jaquetta was a
baby, and Miss Simmonds most carefully ruled not only over us, but over
Adela Brainerd, my father's ward, who was brought up with us because
she had no other relation in the world.

Besides, my father wished her to marry one of my brothers. It would
have done very well for either Torwood or Bertram, but unluckily, as it
seemed, nei