The Argosy — page 185: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

168 Lady Valera. de Cressy. It was in a singularly conscious fashion that he dropped her name into the conversation the first time that he found himself alone with his Curate. Lionel was too frankly surprised to be sus- picious. “Lady Valeria!” he exclaimed in surprise. ‘‘ Where in the world have you been meeting her? Not in St. Fridolin’s Pll engage.” “Why not in St. Fridolin’s.” ‘Would you have all the Meynells turn in their graves with horror at the thoughts of one of the name setting a foot in it? Oliver was a shining light of Exeter Hall you know, and his mantle has fallen on his son’s shoulders. It’s the way of the firm. You know the great bankers, Meynell, Meynell and Mott ?” ‘‘T have seen her name constantly at meetings and on subscription lists. Mr. Meynell is her son ?” “Ves. He’s a good solemn old boy, with a solemn wife and two solemn babies. We don’t see much of each other. Now the daughter, Mabel—Lady Charles Brant— and I are great allies. She’s musical, clever and queer. ‘They’re all odd, more or less.” ‘Do you happen to remember the late Lord Kilmoyne ?” “Valeria’s father ? The maddest old scamp! ‘The regular, typical, claret-drinking, duel-fighting old Irish nobleman: the gayest of young dogs to the day of his death. Howachild of his could ever have married into the Meynell family passes all comprehension.” Mr. Stannard listened to this biographical sketch in meditative silence. ‘‘ Did he not fight some rather notorious duel ?” “With Fighting Fitz-Gerald you mean? That’s the only one I know. Ah, that was a queer story . But here Mr. Stannard somewhat curtly suggested that his business was in arrears and postponed the narration. Looking in the Peerage he could only find Lady Valeria’s name entered as the “‘ youngest daughter of the seventh Earl of Kilmoyne. Born 1823. Married to Oliver Meynell, Esq., 1841.” That was all. In an old copy, procured with some difficulty, he found ‘‘ Kilmoyne, 7th Earl” and a record of his services in the Peninsula. He found the younger brother Claude de Cressy and his wife (Aunt de Cressy, Lionel’s mother) and his sister Lady Catherine de Cressy (‘ old, blind aunt Kitty’). He found a string of names of Lady Valeria’s genera- tion, all but herself dying in infancy or unmarried ; but of any marriage previous to that with Oliver Meynell found he no trace. It had, if it had ever taken place, been kept a family secret to the last. So much the harder to prove it, if it had ever taken place. ‘There was the blot at starting. It was a wretched business all round, and he could do nothing further till more material was given into his hands. After all it was Arbuthnot Corbett who made the first sign. His letter was dated from Queenstown, and, preliminaries over, began : ECORMMICOOOKS.E@)