AND ITS INMATES. "Love is hurt with jar and fret, Idle habit links us yet, What is Love? for we forget. Ah No. No."-TENNYSON. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, 13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1858. The right of Translation is reserved. 249. X. 342. VIOLET BANK AND ITS INMATES. CHAPTER I. VIOLET BANK is the name of a pretty villa, of tolerable pretensions, about half an hour's walk from the great provincial town of Twiston-cum-Twining. It is a miniature of a large country mansion, and stands, as the French would describe it, between a court and a garden. The time of day is half-past nine in the morning; and in the cheerful breakfast VOL. 1. B room stands a girl of eighteen, her large hazel eyes intently fixed on the window, from which all the arabesques, traced by the night's frost, have long since disappeared. These wonderful eyes are full of expectation, and unbidden smiles play over her lips. The church bells are ringing blithelyclear and sharp-low and musical-old and cracked-all telling the same tale—all proclaiming that "It is a blessed Christmas morning!" The sun is showing a great round red face; but for all his fierce look, anyone, without being an eagle, may stare at him fearlessly; the hard white roads, sparkling as if sprinkled over with diamond-dust, are as cold as if he were not to be seen. The sky has not a cloud with which to cast a shade over the joyous earth,-so joyous, that the echo of every human tread, of every patter of horses' feet on the glistening stones, seems to say "stamp away, foot away-you can't make any impression on me to-day." It is a glorious Christmas morning! Within-a large blazing sea-coal fire, redder and warmer than the sun,-a breakfast-table, spread with a cloth whiter than the snow on the lawn,-and brighter far than any diamonds, are the sweet hazel eyes watching the window. A loud ring at the gate,-it is only the postman-with half-adozen letters or notes. Now enters the widowed mother, Mrs. Lloyd née Scherr-a fine, comely lady, of rather large proportions; and closely following her is her youngest child-the big |