Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 59: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

46 JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. on their way to Florence, the Tuscan capital. Just as Captain Raymond alighted from the post-chaise, ejaculations of recognition burst from his own lips and from those of an elderly but fine-looking gen- tleman who happened to be traversing the hotel- yard at the moment, “This is indeed an unexpected pleasure to en- counter your lordship here!” said the Captain, as they shook hands in a manner which showed that they were upon intimate terms. “We have been tarrying here for the last two months,” replied the nobleman, “on account of a serious accident which happened to Lady Ring. wold.” “An accident? Indeed!” exclaimed Captain Raymond. “Of what nature ?” “An accident common enough to travellers,” replied Lord Ringwold—for such it appeared was the nobleman’s name,—“ an accident, too, which we often read of in romances, and which is at times most useful to the novelist—I mean the up- setting of our carriage. We were three inside— her ladyship, thyself, and our daughter. I and Olivia escaped with only a few contusions: but Lady Ringwold had the misfortune to fracture her jez —and there was no help for it but to remain in this village until now.” « And how about medical attendance?” inquired Captain Raymond. “Tt fortunately happened,” responded his lora- ship, “that there was an Italian gentleman stop- piug at this hotel at the time; and he, it appeared, had received a medical education, though he had not pursued the profession. He rendered imme- diate assistance; and though he was going else- where, he remained at the hotel for a week in constant attendance upon her ladyship. He was then compelled to leave, to visit some property in a neighbouring district : and as he is now residing there, he regularly visits her ladyship two or three times a week; and she has progressed so well under his skilful treatment, that we have not thought it necessary to call in any other profes- sional aid.” “Tt was most fortunate for your lordship,” observed Captain Raymond, “that you should have fallen in with such an individual.” “Most fortunate,” returned the nobleman: “ for strong symptoms of fever at first developed them- selves—and both Olivia and myself were very much alarmed on her ladyship’s account. How- ever, thanks to Signor Volterra—for that is the Italian’s name—the ordeal has been safely passed through, and the day after to-morrow we purpose to prosecute our journey to Florence.” “And it is precisely to Florence that I myself am bound,” rejoined Captain Raymond. “It was my intention to continue my route to-morrow ¢ * Wherefore not postpone it for a day?” ex- claimed the nobleman; “and we can travel in company—which will be all the more safe as well as agreeable in traversing the Apennines, which, as every traveller m Italy knows, are infested by lawless bands.” “Tt will give me the greatest pleasure to post- pone my journey and accompany your lordship,” answered Captain Raymond. “Indeed, I am the master of my own time—I am travelling merely for amusement—and I had some thoughts of win- tering in Florence: but I was informed the other day that Florence is cold during the winter months.” “Sometimes it is so, when the winters are damp after a rainy autumn,” observed Lord Rinewold : “but with such a splendid autumn as we have had, and which indeed we are still enjoying in this charming spot, there in every reason to anticipate that there will be this year a healthy winter at Flo. rence. At all events, according to our present plans, we purpose to pass the next few months in the Tuscan capital.” “And that will be no mean inducement,” re- an Captain Raymond, “to fix my determination sO.” : * But there is no necessity for us to remain here talking in the court-yard,” ejaculated the nobleman, “Come to my apartments and see the ladies.” Captain Raymond gave me a few hasty instrue- tions as to securing rooms for a couple of days at the hotel; and he accompanied Lord Ringwold to that nobleman’s suite of rcoms. Having attended to the duties which I had to perform, I was shown by a waiter to what might be termed the servants’ hall; and there, amongst the assembled domestics, I found the valet and the lady’s maid who were attached to the service of the Ringwold family. I was much pleased thus to encounter natives of my own country; and we dined together. After the meal I walked out with the valet into the vil- lage,—which, as I have already said, was pictur- esque in its site and its aspect. The trees had lost none of their foliage; and many, if not most of them still retained the verdant appearance of summer in defiance of the embrowning, searing, and mellowing influence of autumn. Indeed the atmosphere was quite warm, although the month of November was close at hand; and there was just a sufficiency of a breeze blowing from the Apennines to impart a healthy freshness to the air. I learnt from the valet that Lord and Lady Ringwold had two daughters—the elder being in England with another branch of the family—and the younger, the Hon. Miss Olivia Sackville, now accompanying her parents on their Continental travels. I was further informed that Olivia was about four-and-twenty years of age and of sur- passing beauty—so that it was somewhat astonish- ing she had not as yet married: unless indeed it were that she had no fortune, and that the family was comparatively a poor one, his lordship’s income not exceeding three thousand a year. The con- versation then turned upon Lady Ringwold’s acci- dent, and the surgical assistance which Signor Volterra had rendered. I learnt that this gentle- man was about seven-and-twenty, and remarkably handsome. Having inherited some little fortune at his father’s death, he had abandoned the medical profession; and as he possessed a small estate some twenty or thirty miles distant, in the territory of Modena, it was thither he had re- paired after his sojourn at the hotel in attendance upon Lady Ringwold. But, as I had overheard his lordship tell Captain Raymond, Signor Volterra regularly visited her ladyship three times a week, —coming on horseback for the purpose. “Of course,” added the valet, “it would be an insult for his lordship to offer a pecuniary recom- pense to Signor Volterra: and therefore a very handsome piece of plate has been procured from ae eer Giyoo cS (CO) thin ae