Lady Rosamonds Secret

Lady Rosamond's Secret

The Project Gutenberg eBook, Lady Rosamond's Secret, by Rebecca
Agatha Armour
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Lady Rosamond's Secret A Romance of Fredericton
Author: Rebecca Agatha Armour

Release Date: April 10, 2006 [eBook #18145]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LADY
ROSAMOND'S SECRET***
E-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Mary Meehan, and the Project
Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
(http://www.pgdp.net/) from page images generously made available
by Early Canadiana Online (http://www.canadiana.org/eco/)

NOTE: Images of the original pages are available through Early
Canadiana Online. See
http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/ItemRecord/06086?id=b0c2884123a43
f2a

LADY ROSAMOND'S SECRET:
A Romance of Fredericton.
by
RE. AGATHA ARMOUR.

St. John, N. B. Telegraph Printing and Publishing Office. 1878.

INTRODUCTION.
The object of the following story has been to weave simple facts into
form dependent upon the usages of society during the administration of
Sir Howard Douglas, 1824-30. The style is simple and claims no
pretensions for complication of plot. Every means has been employed
to obtain the most reliable authority upon the facts thus embodied. The
writer is deeply indebted to several gentlemen of high social position
who kindly furnished many important facts and showed a lively interest
in the work, and takes the present opportunity of returning thanks for
such support. In producing this little work the public are aware that too
much cannot be expected from an amateur. Hoping that this may meet
the approval of many, the writer also thanks those who have so
generously responded to the subscription list.
Fredericton. August, 1878.

LADY ROSAMOND'S SECRET

A ROMANCE OF FREDERICTON.
CHAPTER I.
OLD GOVERNMENT HOUSE.
Breathes there a man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land!--Scott.
A September sunset in Fredericton, A. D. 1824. Much has been said
and sung about the beauteous scenes of nature in every clime. Scott has
lovingly depicted his native heaths, mountains, lochs and glens. Moore
draws deep inspiration amid scenes of the Emerald Isle, and strikes his
lyre to chords of awakening love, light and song. Cowper, Southey and
Wordsworth raised their voices in tuneful and harmonious lays,
echoing love of native home. Our beloved American poet has wreathed
in song the love of nature's wooing in his immortal Hiawatha. Forests
in their primeval grandeur, lovely landscapes, sunrise, noonday and
sunset--each has attracted the keen poetic gaze. Though not the theme
of poet or pen--who that looks upon our autumn sunset can deny its
charms? The western horizon, a mass of living gold, flitting in
incessant array and mingling with the different layers of purple, violet,
pink, crimson, and tempting hues of indescribable beauty; at intervals
forming regular and successive strata of deep blue and red, deepening
into bright red. Suddenly as with magic wand a golden cloud shoots
through and transforms the whole with dazzling splendour. The
bewildering reflection upon the trees as they raise their heads in lofty
appreciation, forms a pleasing background, while Heaven's ethereal
blue lies calmly floating above. The gently sloping hills lend variety to
the scene, stretching in undulations of soft and rich verdure; luxuriant
meadow and cultivated fields lie in alternate range. The sons of toil are
returning from labour; the birds have sought shelter in their nests; the
nimble squirrel hides beneath the leafy boughs, or finds refuge in the
sheltering grass, until the next day's wants shall urge a repeated attack
upon the goodly spoils of harvest. Soon the golden sheen is departing,
casting backward glances upon the hill tops with studied coyness, as
lingering to caress the deepening charms of nature's unlimited and

priceless wardrobe.
Amid such glowing beauty could the mind hold revel on a glorious
September sunset in Fredericton, 1824. To any one possessed with the
least perception of the beautiful, is there not full scope in this direction?
Is not one fully rewarded by a daily stroll in the suburban districts of
Fredericton, more especially the one now faintly described? If any one
asks why the present site was chosen for Government House in
preference to the lower part of the city, there would be no presumption
in the inference--selected no doubt with due appreciation of its view
both from river and hills on western side. Truly its striking beauty
might give rise to the well established title of "Celestial City." Though
unadorned by lofty monuments of imposing stateliness, costly public
buildings, or princely residences, Fredericton lays claim to a higher and
more primitive order of architecture than that of Hellenic ages. The
Universal Architect lingered lovingly in