and F.A.S., was the representative
of an ancient family, and a landed proprietor of some
importance. He had married young; not from any
ardent inclination for the connubial state, but in
compliance with the request of his parents. They
took the pains to select his bride; and if they might
have chosen better, they might have chosen worse, which
is more than can be said for many men who choose wives
for themselves. Miss Caroline Brotherton was
in all respects a suitable connection. She had
a pretty fortune, which was of much use in buying a
couple of farms, long desiderated by the Chillinglys
as necessary for the rounding of their property into
a ring-fence. She was highly connected, and brought
into the county that experience of fashionable life
acquired by a young lady who has attended a course
of balls for three seasons, and gone out in matrimonial
honours, with credit to herself and her chaperon.
She was handsome enough to satisfy a husband’s
pride, but not so handsome as to keep perpetually on
the qui vive a husband’s jealousy.
She was considered highly accomplished; that is, she
played upon the pianoforte so that any musician would
say she “was very well taught;” but no
musician would go out of his way to hear her a second
time. She painted in water-colours—well
enough to amuse herself. She knew French and
Italian with an elegance so lady-like that, without
having read more than selected extracts from authors
in those languages, she spoke them both with an accent
more correct than we have any reason to attribute
to Rousseau or Ariosto. What else a young lady
may acquire in order to be styled highly accomplished
I do not pretend to know; but I am sure that the young
lady in question fulfilled that requirement in the
opinion of the best masters. It was not only an
eligible match for Sir Peter Chillingly,—it
was a brilliant match. It was also a very unexceptionable
match for Miss Caroline Brotherton. This excellent
couple got on together as most excellent couples do.
A short time after marriage, Sir Peter, by the death
of his parents—who, having married their
heir, had nothing left in life worth the trouble of
living for—succeeded to the hereditary estates;
he lived for nine months of the year at Exmundham,
going to town for the other three months. Lady
Chillingly and himself were both very glad to go to
town, being bored at Exmundham; and very glad to go
back to Exmundham, being bored in town. With
one exception it was an exceedingly happy marriage,
as marriages go. Lady Chillingly had her way in
small things; Sir Peter his way in great. Small
things happen every day; great things once in three
years. Once in three years Lady Chillingly gave
way to Sir Peter; households so managed go on regularly.
The exception to their connubial happiness was, after
all, but of a negative description. Their affection
was such that they sighed for a pledge of it; fourteen
years had he and Lady Chillingly remained unvisited
by the little stranger.
Copyrights
Kenelm Chillingly — Complete from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
