The foggy night at Offord Author:Ellen Wood 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 III. MARIA SAXONBURY. The golden, light of the setting sun was falling on a golden room. It is scarcely wrong to call it such, for the colour preva... more »iling in it was that of gold. Gold-coloured satin curtains and cushioned chairs, gilt cornices, mirrors in gilded frames, gilded consoles whose slabs of the richest lapis lazuli shone with costly toys, paintings in rich enclosures, and golden ornaments. Altogether the room looked a blaze of gold. The large window opened upon a wide terrace, on which rose an ornamental fountain, its glittering spray dancing in the sunlight: and beyond that terrace was a fair domain, stretched out far and wide; the domain of Sir Arthur Saxonbury. Swinging her pretty foot to and fro, and leaning back in one of the gay chairs, was a lovely girl budding into womanhood, with bright features and a laughing eye, the youngest, the most indulged, and the vainest daughter of Sir Arthur. She was in awhite lace evening dress, and wore a pearl necklace and pearl bracelets on her fair neck and arms. They had recently come home after the short London season, which had been half over when they returned from the Continent, and were as yet free from visitors. Lady Saxonbury was in ill health, and Mrs Ashton, the eldest married daughter, was staying with them while her husband was abroad. In a chair, a little behind Miss Saxonbury, as if conscious of the difference between them—for there was a distance—sat Raby Raby. It was said the house was free from visitors, but he was scarcely regarded as such. Sir Arthur, in the plenitude of his heart, had invited him to come and stay a couple of months at Saxonbury; the country air would renovate him; he could have the run of the picture- gallery, and copy some of its cliefs d'oeuvre. And Raby came. Sir Arthur's ear...« less