The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Marriage of Elinor, by Margaret Oliphant

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Title: The Marriage of Elinor

Author: Margaret Oliphant

Release Date: April 29, 2009 [EBook #28637]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE MARRIAGE OF ELINOR

BY

MRS. OLIPHANT

CHICAGO
W. B. CONKEY COMPANY

COPYRIGHT, 1891,
BY
UNITED STATES BOOK COMPANY

[_All rights reserved._]

THE MARRIAGE OF ELINOR.

CHAPTER I.

John Tatham, barrister-at-law, received one summer morning as he sat at
breakfast the following letter. It was written in what was once known
distinctively as a lady's hand, in pointed characters, very fine and
delicate, and was to this effect:--

"DEAR JOHN, Have you heard from Elinor of her new prospects and
intentions? I suppose she must have written to you on the subject. Do
you know anything of the man?... You know how hard it is to convince her
against her will of anything, and also how poorly gifted I am with the
power of convincing any one. And I don't know him, therefore can speak
with no authority. If you can do anything to clear things up, come and
do so. I am very anxious and more than doubtful; but her heart seems set
upon it.

"Your affect.
"M. S. D."

Mr. Tatham was a well-built and vigorous man of five-and-thirty, with
health, good behaviour, and well-being in every line of his cheerful
countenance and every close curl of his brown hair. His hair was very
curly, and helped to give him the cheerful look which was one of his
chief characteristics. Nevertheless, when these innocent seeming words,
"Do you know the man?" which was more certainly demonstrative of
certain facts than had those facts been stated in the fullest detail,
met his eye, Mr. Tatham paused and laid down the letter with a start.
His ruddy colour paled for the moment, and he felt something which was
like the push or poke of