Chamberss Edinburgh Journal, No. 452

Edinburgh Journal, No. 452, by
Various

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Title: Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 452 Volume 18, New Series,
August 28, 1852
Author: Various
Editor: William Chambers Robert Chambers
Release Date: July 31, 2007 [EBook #22187]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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CHAMBERS'S EDINBURGH ***

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CHAMBERS' EDINBURGH JOURNAL

CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM AND ROBERT CHAMBERS,
EDITORS OF 'CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE,'
'CHAMBERS'S EDUCATIONAL COURSE,' &c.
No. 452. NEW SERIES. SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 1852. PRICE
1-1/2d.

THE BETROTHAL.
Frances Seymour had been left an orphan and an heiress very early in
life. Her mother had died in giving birth to a second child, which did
not survive its parent, so that Frances had neither brother nor sister; and
her father, an officer of rank and merit, was killed at Waterloo. When
this sad news reached England, the child was spending her vacation
with Mrs Wentworth, a sister of Mrs Seymour, and henceforth this
lady's house became her home; partly, because there was no other
relative to claim her, and partly, because amongst Colonel Seymour's
papers, a letter was found, addressed to Mrs Wentworth, requesting that,
if he fell in the impending conflict, she would take charge of his
daughter. In making this request, it is probable that Colonel Seymour
was more influenced by necessity than choice; Mrs Wentworth being a
gay woman of the world, who was not likely to bestow much thought
or care upon her niece, whom she received under her roof without
unwillingness, but without affection. Had Frances been poor, she would
have felt her a burden; but as she was rich, there was some éclat and no
inconvenience in undertaking the office of her guardian and
chaperone--the rather as she had no daughters of her own with whom
Frances's beauty or wealth could interfere; for as the young heiress
grew into womanhood, the charms of her person were quite remarkable
enough to have excited the jealousy of her cousins, if she had had any;
or to make her own fortune, if she had not possessed one already. She
was, moreover, extremely accomplished, good-tempered, cheerful, and
altogether what is called a very nice girl; but of course she had her fault
like other people: she was too fond of admiration--a fault that had been
very much encouraged at the school where she had been educated;
beauty and wealth, especially when combined, being generally

extremely popular at such establishments. As long, however, as her
admirers were only romantic schoolfellows and calculating
school-mistresses, there was not much harm done; but the period now
approached in which there would be more scope for the exercise of this
passion, and more danger in its indulgence--Frances had reached the
age of seventeen, and was about to make her début in the world of
fashion--an event to which, certain as she was of making numerous
conquests, she looked forward with great delight.
Whilst engaged in preparations for these anticipated triumphs, Mrs
Wentworth said to her one day: 'Now that you are coming out, Frances,
I think it is my duty to communicate to you a wish of your father's,
expressed in the letter that was found after his death. It is a wish
regarding your choice of a husband.'
'Dear me, aunt, how very odd!' exclaimed Frances.
'It is rather odd,' returned Mrs Wentworth; 'and, to be candid, I don't
think it is very wise; for schemes of this sort seldom or never turn out
well.'
'Scheme! What scheme is it?' asked Frances with no little curiosity.
'Why, you must know,' answered her aunt, 'that your father had a very
intimate friend, to whom he was as much attached all his life as if he
had been his brother.'
'You mean Sir Richard Elliott. I remember seeing him and his son at
Otterby, when I was a little girl; and I often heard papa speak of him
afterwards.'
'Well, when young Elliott got his commission, your papa, in
compliance with Sir Richard's request, used his interest to have him
appointed to his own regiment, in order that he might keep him under
his eye. By this means, he became intimately acquainted with the
young man's character, and, I suppose, as much attached to him as to
his father.'

'And the scheme is, that I should marry him, I suppose?'
'Provided you are both so disposed, not otherwise; there is to be