Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV. 'Gin living worth could win my heart, Ye suld na plead in vain.— Scotch Song. The carriage door was opened, and William Aubrey, springing out, gave his hand to his fair bride, and placing her arm in his, together they ascended the steps, and by richly-ornamented folding doors now thrown wide open, entered a lofty hall—the fine marble columns and fretted roof being shaded from too glaring a light by the colouring of the painted glass of the lancet windows, which sprung from floor to roof. He stood still a few moments, as if to give her time to look round, and as she did so, her eyes fell upon a female figure, advancing towards them from among the arches opposite to her. It was that of a middle-aged woman, whose face and form still bore the vestiges of extraordinary beauty and character. She was plainly dressed in black silk, with a white cap having almost the appearance of a widow's cap, so simple was the oval it described round the face—hair black as the raven's wing was folded plainly under it, beneath which appeared ebony eyebrows, a magnificent forehead, and eyes dark and penetrating, which gleamed with a sort of mournful splendour. They were fixed upon that married pair before her, with a certain sad, earnest, interest, partaking more of that feeling with which a sorrowing, widowed mother might regard her happy children, than of an upper servant receiving her master and mistress. However, her appearance at once showed her to be an upper servant. She moved towards them as they stood still, for so soon as William Aubrey was aware of her presence, he had stopped and Avaited her approach, as a mark of due observance to his bride—now queen and mistress of his household. " Alice," he said—" Mrs Craven, I mean— I present you to your future mistres...