The next day being Sunday, Lady St.Aubyn, attired in the most elegant undress,and attended by the Earl, madeher appearance at the church: the expensivelace veil which shaded her fairface, and hung loosely below her waist,[Pg 2]prevented the gazing of those around herfrom being too oppressive. The neighbouringfamilies certainly had heardthat Lord St. Aubyn had married ayoung person of a rank in life much inferiorto his own, for secretly as everything had been conducted, as no onecould tell the name or family of his bride,such, at least, were the conjectures ofthose who knew him; yet, in spite ofthe prejudices which had been excitedagainst her, the elegance of her form, andthe modest composure of her demeanour,in a great measure overcame it, and allwho were entitled, by their situation inlife, to visit at the Castle, determined todo so; some prompted by mere curiosity,and some by less unworthy motives.The three or four following days, therefore,brought Ellen many visitors, andher own intuitive sense of propriety,added to the few general directions St.Aubyn had given her, and with the advantageoussupport his respectful atten[Pg 3]tiongave her, prevented her appearing atall awkward; and these visits, which shehad so greatly dreaded, passed over withless pain than she had expected.
Amongst their first visitors were SirWilliam and Miss Cecil; the former ofwhom was a mere common-place character,whom, if you did not happen tosee for sometime, you would be apt toforget you had ever seen at all; but thefine countenance of Laura, her expressivefeatures, and the bright black eyeswhich animated them, charmed Ellen,who had never seen any woman beforeso pleasing: yet Laura was not strictlybeautiful, and at this time the lustre ofher fine eyes was dimmed by the melancholywhich pervaded her mind, for shesaid her little invalid was so much indisposed,and so weak, she would nothave left her to go any where else; butshe wished so very much to be introducedto Lady St. Aubyn she could notresist the temptation.[Pg 4]
The very elegant manner in which shespoke, the clearness of her articulation,and sweetness of her voice, were strikinglyagreeable; and St. Aubyn afterwardssaid that a few years before shehad a gaiety of manner, enlivened by witof a superior nature, with so much playfulnessof expression, that by many peopleshe was considered as merely a livelygirl, and a little satirical; but time andmisfortune had softened what at timesmight have been too severe in her opinions,had