EBOOK STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS: ITALY ***
Produced by Dagny; John Bickers
STORIES BY ENGLISH AUTHORS
ITALY
CONTENTS
A FAITHFUL RETAINER James Payn
BIANCA W. E. Norris
GONERIL A. Mary F. Robinson
THE BRIGAND'S BRIDE Laurence Oliphant
MRS. GENERAL TALBOYS Anthony Trollope
A FAITHFUL RETAINER, By James Payn
When I lived in the country,--which was a long time ago,--our nearest
neighbours were the Luscombes. They were very great personages in the
country indeed, and the family were greatly "respected"; though not,
so far as I could discern, for any particular reason, except from
their having been there for several generations. People are supposed to
improve, like wine, from keeping--even if they are rather "ordinary" at
starting; and the Luscombes, at the time I knew them, were considered
quite a "vintage" family. They had begun in Charles II.'s time, and
dated their descent from greatness in the female line. That they had
managed to keep a great estate not very much impaired so long was
certainly a proof of great cleverness, since there had been many
spend-thrifts among them; but fortunately there had been a miser or two,
who had restored the average, and their fortunes.
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