Fortunes Of Nigel St Ronan S Well

Excerpt from Fortunes of Nigel, And, St. Ronan's Well And yet, while that spirit of general extravagance seemed at work over a whole kingdom, another and very different sort of men were gradually forming the staid and resolved characters which afierwards displayed themselves during the civil wars, and powerfully regulated and affected the character of the whole English nation, until, rushing from one extreme to an other, they sunk in a gloomy fanaticism the splendid traces of the reviving fine arts. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The last of the "Waverley Novels" in point of time reaches a period only a few years prior to its day of writing. It is also "upon a plan different from any other that the author had ever written''—that of depicting contemporary social life. The chief thread of the plot, relating to the victimizing of an unfortunate young woman, is somewhat involved (and perhaps weakened by the author's subsequent change in his original MS.) and can be explained more clearly at the outset than by following the development of the story. Clara Mowbray, the only daughter of a wealthy landowner in southern Scotland, is at sixteen the romantic comrade of an older and more unprincipled cousin, Hannah Irwin. Together they roam the countryside and read exotic works of fiction. In the course of these jaunts Clara meets a handsome young stranger, Francis Tyrrel, whose birth is under a cloud. They declare a mutual passion which is fostered by Hannah. Francis's half-brother, Valentine Bulmer, the ostensible heir of their father, the Earl of Etherington, acts as go-between for the young people and arranges a secret marriage at night; but at the ceremony Bulmer substitutes himself as the bridegroom ...

"The Antiquary" is an intimate picture of Scotch neighborhood life in its varied phases, from the fisherman's hut to the nobleman's castle, at the close of the eighteenth century. The popular tumult over the threatened French invasion, following upon the Revolution in that country, is the only hint of historical connection. Jonathan Oldbuck, a gentleman past middle life and of pronounced antiquarian tastes, takes a great liking to a young man known as Lovel, whom he meets on a short journey. Lovel is an army officer, but both his actions and his antecedents are somewhat of a mystery to the curious villagers of Fairport, a seaport town, near Oldbuck's country estate. Oldbuck, however, recognizes him to be a gentleman, and invites him to dinner, where he is presented to Sir Arthur Wardour and his daughter, Isabella. The two young people greet as strangers, although they have met before. In fact, Lovel is then in Fairport to urge his suit for the young lady's hand, but a cloud upon his parentage renders him unsuccessful ...