Pelham Vol I

Pelham Vol I by Edward Bulwer-lytton

Henry Pelham, an only child, opens by describing his family: his father a moderate whig fond of sumptuous dinners, his mother the dowerless daughter of a Scotch peer, fond of diamonds and old china. Their extravagance leads to an execution in the house, during which a bailiff poses as Henry's tutor. A legacy of twenty thousand pounds is spent refurnishing the house rather than paying debts; Lady Frances, dressed as a Sultana at a lavish party, attracts the attentions of the wealthy Seymour Conway, who has already caused two divorces. She agrees to elope with him, but returns for her china monster and French dog, and is caught by Mr. Pelham and the servants before she can leave. The affair is smoothed over quietly, and Conway is instead invited to dinner twice a week. Soon after, Henry's uncle inherits the family title and estates, pays off Mr. Pelham's debts, and in exchange extracts promises of reformed conduct from both parents. Henry is educated at home by his mother on history and manners, then sent to Eton at ten. There he is rescued from bullying by Reginald Glanville, a reserved, melancholy but fiercely loyal boy, and the two become close friends despite their differing temperaments. Henry proceeds to Cambridge, where he spends two years in idle luxury, earning an honorary degree and his tutor's praise for avoiding the coarse habits of his fellow students. In poor health, Henry visits Sir Lionel Garrett's country estate, Garrett Park. He observes Sir Lionel and Lady Harriett's obsession with fashionable society, and meets a circle including Lady Roseville, a beautiful young widow; Lord Vincent, a witty, pedantic man; the caustic writer Mr. Wormwood; the gourmand Mr. Davison; Miss Trafford; and Lady Nelthorpe. Dinner conversation is dominated by puns and Wormwood's cruel wit. Henry's mother writes advising him to cultivate Lady Roseville and pursue an "innocent" liaison with her for social advantage. Henry attempts to court Lady Roseville but finds her unattainable in that way, and instead takes solitary walks, during which his nocturnal wanderings near a farm are mistaken for a ghost. Walking home through a churchyard one night, Henry unexpectedly encounters Glanville, now transformed—gaunt, anguished, weeping over a grave marked only with initials "G. D." Glanville begs to be left alone, promising they will meet again, and vanishes. Henry searches for him the next day, tracing him to a bleak cottage where he had lodged under mysterious, tormented behavior, but finds he has already departed. Henry finds no explanation at the churchyard, only the plain gravestone beside a more elaborate tomb to a "Mrs. Douglas." After leaving Garrett Park, Henry visits Lord and Lady S. at H—t—d, where he meets Lord George Clinton, an old schoolfellow bound for Paris. Henry decides to accompany him abroad; Clinton falls ill en route and returns home, but Henry continues on to Paris alone. In Paris, Henry adopts the affected pose of a coxcomb to distinguish himself in society, charming Madame D'Anville and others with studied languor and wit. His mother's letters continue coaching him in social strategy, flattery, and calculated liaisons. Henry socializes extensively with Lord Vincent, whose character—learned, witty, paradoxical, secretly ambitious—is described at length. At a café, Henry provokes and then duels a French tradesman, disarms him, and offers a graceful apology, which is accepted with emotion; Henry reflects at length on the etiquette of the affair. He befriends Mr. Thornton, his seconding companion. At a dinner party, Vincent debates French and English national character, literature, and philosophy with various French intellectuals, defending French wit and manners against common English prejudices. Henry also studies under a vain, gravity-obsessed French tutor, Monsieur Margot, who boasts of his romantic conquests. Margot is lured by an Englishwoman, Mrs. Green, into a prank: believing himself undertaking a chivalrous test, he descends from her window in a basket, only to be left dangling and dropped, humiliated before a crowd of fellow lodgers. Margot disappears from Paris in shame afterward. Henry later gallantly assists a lady thrown into danger while riding, and discovers she is the Duchesse de Perpignan, who invites him to the English ambassador's gathering. There, Henry overhears Mr. Aberton and Mr. Howard de Howard gossiping about Parisian society and himself. Earlier that day, Henry had glimpsed Thornton walking with a pale, striking stranger whose face reminds him uncannily of someone. The narrative closes with Henry beginning to court the Duchesse de Perpignan at the ambassador's reception, resolving to outshine Aberton in her favor.

By Edward Bulwer-lytton · First published 1828 · Genre: Social Satire, Romance, Adventure · 18 chapters · 28,880 words

First lines

Ou peut-on etre mieux qu'au sein de sa famille? -- French Song. [Where can on be better than in the bosom of one's family? ]

I am an only child. My father was the younger son of one of our oldest earls; my mother the dowerless daughter of a Scotch peer. Mr. Pelham was a moderate whig, and gave sumptuous dinners; Lady Frances was a woman of taste, and particularly fond of diamonds and old china.

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Gothic fiction · Mystery · Thriller · Suspense · Romance · Historical fiction · 19th century literature · English literature · Victorian era · Dark fantasy · Horror elements · Supernatural themes

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