THE WIDOW BARNABY.
BY FRANCES TROLLOPE,
AUTHOR OF "THE VICAR OF WREXHILL," "A ROMANCE OF VIENNA," ETC.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
LONDON:
RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET.
1839.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY SAMUEL BENTLEY,
Dorset Street, Fleet Street.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER XVI.
CHAPTER XVII.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE WIDOW BARNABY.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION TO THE FAMILY OF THE FUTURE MRS. BARNABY.—FINANCIALDIFFICULTIES.—MATERNAL LOVE.—PREPARATIONS FOR A FETE.
Miss Martha Compton, and Miss Sophia Compton, were, some five-and-twentyyears ago, the leading beauties of the pretty town of Silverton inDevonshire.
The elder of these ladies is the person I propose to present to myreaders as the heroine of my story; but, ere she is placed before themin the station assigned her in my title-page, it will be necessary togive some slight sketch of her early youth, and also such brief noticeof her family as may suffice to make the subsequent events of her life,and the persons connected with them, more clearly understood.
The Reverend Josiah Compton, the father of my heroine and her sister,was an exceedingly worthy man, though more distinguished for theimperturbable tranquillity of his temper, than either for the brillianceof his talents or the profundity of his learning. He was the son of asmall landed proprietor at no great distance from Silverton, who farmedhis own long-descended patrimony of three hundred acres with skilful andunwearied industry, and whose chief ambition in life had been to see hisonly son Josiah privileged to assume the prefix of reverend before hisname. After three trials, and two failures, this blessing was at lastaccorded, and his son ordained, by the help of a very good-naturedexamining chaplain of the then Bishop of Exeter.
This rustic, laborious, and very happy Squire lived to see his soninstalled Curate of Silverton, and blessed with the hand of the dashingMiss Martha Wisett, who, if her pedigree was not of such respectableantiquity as that of her bridegroom, had the glory of being accountedthe handsomest girl at the Silverton balls; and if her race could notcount themselves among the landed gentry, she enjoyed all theconsideration that a fortune of one thousand pounds could give, to atonefor any mortification which the accident of having a ci-devanttallow-chandler for her parent might possibly occasion.
But, notwithstanding all the pride and pleasure which the Squire took inthe prosperity of this succe