St. Ronan's Well (book summary)

St. Ronan's Well

by: Sir Walter Scott

Soon after the earl's arrival it was reported that he had been shot in the arm by a foot-pad; and, while his wound was healing, he spent his time in gambling with John Mowbray, the young laird of St Ronan's, who had borrowed his sister Clara's money for the purpose of retrieving his luck. Having allowed him to win a considerable sum, his lordship made proposals for Clara's hand, explaining that his grand-uncle had disinherited his only son, and devised his estate to him, on condition that he chose as a wife a lady of the name of Mowbray. In a letter to his friend Jekyl, the earl confessed that he had been winged in a duel with Tyrrel, whom he met on his way to fight Sir Bingo, and that he had wounded his brother. A few days afterwards the company at the Well assembled at Shaw's Castle to take part in a dramatic entertainment, and Mr Touchwood persuaded Rev Mr Cargill to accompany him as one of the guests. While they were walking in the grounds the minister took an opportunity to remind Clara of a secret in his keeping, which made it impossible for her to marry. He also encountered the earl, and, believing him to be Bulmer, attempted to warn him.

The next morning, as John Mowbray was endeavouring to induce Clara to consent to the match, he received an anonymous communication that the earl was an impostor; and, in an interview with him, she rejected his suit with loathing and scorn. His lordship then wrote to Jekyl, telling him the circumstances under which, when he was only sixteen, he had arranged with Mr Cargill for a secret marriage between her and Tyrrel; but, learning subsequently the contents of his uncle's will, had incurred their life-long hatred by personating his brother at the ceremony. Tyrrel, who after the duel had retired to an adjacent village to be cured of his wound, reappeared just in time to rescue Mr Touchwood from drowning; and, at an interview with Jekyl, who undertook to clear his character, offered to forego his claim to the earldom, of which he had proofs, if his brother would refrain from molesting Clara any further. This proposal the earl sneered at, and, as he was forming fresh schemes for attaining his end, he discovered that Hannah Irwin, who had been Clara's companion, was dying at St Ronan's, and anxious to confess her share in the secret marriage. Solmes, the earl's valet, was instructed to carry her off, while his master got the brother into his power by ruining him at play, and then promised to cancel the debt if Clara consented to acknowledge him as her husband within four- and-twenty hours.

Mowbray believed he had prevailed with his sister, when Mr Touchwood unexpectedly arrived, and announced himself as Scrogie, the disinherited son, who by bribing Solmes, and in other ways, had learnt everyone's secrets, and was ready with his fortune to arrange all their difficulties. But he was too late. Clara had escaped from her room during the night, and, after appearing at the manse to forgive her cousin, who had been confided to Mr Cargill's care, had made her way to the Cleikum, where, in a seeming trance, she had a final interview with Tyrrel, and died soon afterwards from congestion of the brain. Mowbray, meanwhile, in his search for her, encountered the earl and his companions engaged in a shooting match, and killed him in a duel arranged on the spot by Captain MacTurk, with whom he fled to the Continent to escape imprisonment. Mr Touchwood had consequently to seek some other outlet for his wealth, and the Etherington estates were never claimed by the rightful heir, who determined to pass the remainder of his life in a Moravian mission.

N\A 29/11/2010

Ενότητα: Book Summaries part 1

Πηγή: Wikipedia