Mistress Nancy Molesworth

r of my life. At that age a man's position ought to be assured; at any rate his career should be marked out with tolerable plainness. Such, however, was not my fortune. Although I bear o

ivities the county provided, to the full. Ever since my mother's death, which took place when I was fourteen, my father paid me but little attention. He saw to it that I was[Pg 2] taught to ride, fence, shoot, with other accomplishments befitting my station, and then allowed me to follow my own inclinations.

ple which were beyond my comprehension. I did not trouble about this,

nd the farmers paid their rents to me as they had paid them to my fathers. In reality, however, everything was mortgaged for nearly all it was worth. True, the lawyer told me that if I would discharge a number of

ting, besides closing the house and living like a hermit, I suppos

g

e is one,"

d t

able ma

ed my sh

t her. I was her slave for several months, and she treated me as though I were a dog of the fetch-and-carry breed. Presently a young fellow from a place near Penzance, Prideaux by name, came to her father's place, and no sooner

wn," persisted the lawyer, "and a wife with a h

for me," I re

edom from money cares, would you not be wis

" I cried, remember

r a wife," pers

rectly I came into my heritage I

wyer s

g

father borrow?"

evisa," h

om we called "Young Peter," because he was so much like his father. Young Peter was not so old as I, and I had neve

said the lawyer, putting o

one or two of the younger servants and sold a quantity of timber, but I did not retrench as the lawyer

rided myself that in spite of my poverty I was inferior to none. I was young, regarded as handsome, stood over six feet in my stockings, and was well set up. As usual I avoided w

he day's programme, but I did not join the dancers. I wanted to be free from

isa. He nodded to me in a friendly way. Afte

going at Trevanion,

, for I was heated with go

There's many a fine maid there; many with a big dowry.

for me,"

t a hate

ed my sh

etting Trevanion, Roge

ment I felt uneasy as

about calling in m

I re

ger, thou hast always been a dare-devil fellow.

er has bee

he first, 'twill b

I swallowed a large bumper o

g

I won, I remember, freely at fi

sa. "After all, it seems thou'st done well to come he

p I saw Ned Prideaux, the fellow who had stole

rong feeling I had for him was on account of my pride. Tha

of the business, and

ad," he said to Prideaux, "let's se

en him making free with wine, I fancied he must be fairly drunk; consequently I di

ed Prideaux. He wiped his brow, for he h

ited that I hardly knew what I was doing. Several fellows gathered around to watch us, and[Pg 7] the stakes were high. I had not been playing w

a sneering kind of way; "Treva

as much as I care to let it stand," I repl

the old family lawy

" he whispered, "this is no

s, wild and lawless as I had been for several years, I remembered that I was a

Peter Trevisa. "Ah, these young men! Hot blood

ing at my elbow offering sage advice maddened me. I blurted out what

n Trevanion, Trevis

whispered the old man, yet

] I paid you all you lent my father, there would

k of that," lau

ad luck, and the irritation of the old man's presence I wa

med a

or that sum, Pri

ux; "no, Trevanion,

l!" I repl

er of that order. I only play for such

ntleman refuse me. You've won five hundred guineas from me t

eaux. "It shall never be said of me that I won

hed old Trevisa with a drunken hiccup. "

for the land," cr

ou refuse you are no gentleman, and

Prideaux coolly, "it

g

terms and commen

ther advance on Trevanion. I do not think I revealed my sensations when I reali

not regard the last half-hour's p

ied. "We have played, and

hall not

ly, and it is yours. I will see to it at o

" cried Prideaux. "I

my veins, but I was outwardly cool. The excitement I had prev

I said; "you give Prideau

ux's offer. He won your maid; don't let him win Trevanio

near, and wrote some wo

ot be said that a Trevanion ever[Pg 10] owed a Prideaux anyth

, although I had a vague impression that I was now homeless and friendless. A ten-mile journey lay before me, but I thought nothing of it. What t

ype="