The Red Rat's Daughter By: Guy Newell Boothby (1867-1905)
First Page: [Illustration: Cover art] [Frontispiece: "At last .... he drew her up."] THE RED RAT'S DAUGHTER By Guy Boothby AUTHOR OF "DOCTOR NIKOLA," "THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE DEVIL," "PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN," ETC, ETC ILLUSTRATED BY HENRY AUSTIN LONDON WARD, LOCK AND CO LIMITED NEW YORK AND MELBOURNE 1899 CHAPTER I If John Grantham Browne had a fault which, mind you, I am not prepared to admit it lay in the fact that he was the possessor of a cynical wit which he was apt at times to use upon his friends with somewhat peculiar effect. Circumstances alter cases, and many people would have argued that he was perfectly entitled to say what he pleased. When a man is worth a hundred and twenty thousand pounds a year which, worked out, means ten thousand pounds a month, three hundred and twenty eight pounds, fifteen shillings and fourpence a day, and four and sixpence three farthings, and a fraction over, per minute he may surely be excused if he becomes a little sceptical as to other people's motives, and is apt to be distrustful of the world in general. Old Brown, his father, without the "e," as you have doubtless observed, started life as a bare legged street arab in one of the big manufacturing centres Manchester or Birmingham, I am not quite certain which. His head, however, must have been screwed on the right way, for he made few mistakes, and everything he touched turned to gold. At thirty his bank balance stood at fifteen thousand pounds; at forty it had turned the corner of a hundred thousand; and when he departed this transitory life, a young man in everything but years, he left his widow, young John's mother his second wife, I may remark in passing, and the third daughter of the late Lord Rushbrooke upwards of three and a half million pounds sterling in trust for the boy. As somebody wittily remarked at the time, young John, at his father's death and during his minority, was a monetary Mohammed he hovered between two worlds: the Rushbrookes, on one side, who had not two sixpences to rub against each other, and the Brownes, on the other, who reckoned their wealth in millions and talked of thousands as we humbler mortals do of half crowns. Taken altogether, however, old Brown was not a bad sort of fellow. Unlike so many parvenus, he had the good sense, the "e" always excepted, not to set himself up to be what he certainly was not. He was a working man, he would tell you with a twinkle in his eye, and he had made his own way in the world. He had never in his life owed a halfpenny, nor, to the best of his knowledge, had he ever defrauded anybody; and, if he had made his fortune out of soap, well and here his eyes would glisten soap was at least a useful article, and would wash his millions cleaner than a good many other commodities he might mention. In his tastes and habits he was simplicity itself. Indeed, it was no unusual sight to see the old fellow, preparatory to setting off for the City, coming down the steps of his magnificent town house, dressed in a suit of rough tweed, with the famous bird's eye neck cloth loosely twisted round his throat, and the soft felt hat upon his head two articles of attire which no remonstrance on the part of his wife and no amount of ridicule from the comic journals could ever induce him to discard. His stables were full of carriages, and there was a cab rank within a hundred yards of his front door, yet no one had ever seen him set foot in either. The soles of his boots were thick, and he had been accustomed to walk all his life, he would say, and he had no intention of being carried till he was past caring what became of him. With regard to his son, the apple of his eye, and the pride of his old age, his views were entirely different. Nothing was good enough for the boy. From the moment he opened his eyes upon the light, all the luxuries and advantages wealth could give were showered upon him. Before he was short coated, upwards of a million had been placed to his credit at the bank, not to be touched until he came of age... Continue reading book >>

The Red Rat's Daughter By: Guy Newell Boothby (1867-1905)

First Page:

[Illustration: Cover art]

[Frontispiece: "At last .... he drew her up."]

THE RED RAT'S DAUGHTER

By Guy Boothby

AUTHOR OF "DOCTOR NIKOLA," "THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE DEVIL," "PHAROS, THE EGYPTIAN," ETC, ETC

ILLUSTRATED BY HENRY AUSTIN

LONDON

WARD, LOCK AND CO LIMITED

NEW YORK AND MELBOURNE

1899

CHAPTER I

If John Grantham Browne had a fault which, mind you, I am not prepared to admit it lay in the fact that he was the possessor of a cynical wit which he was apt at times to use upon his friends with somewhat peculiar effect. Circumstances alter cases, and many people would have argued that he was perfectly entitled to say what he pleased. When a man is worth a hundred and twenty thousand pounds a year which, worked out, means ten thousand pounds a month, three hundred and twenty eight pounds, fifteen shillings and fourpence a day, and four and sixpence three farthings, and a fraction over, per minute he may surely be excused if he becomes a little sceptical as to other people's motives, and is apt to be distrustful of the world in general. Old Brown, his father, without the "e," as you have doubtless observed, started life as a bare legged street arab in one of the big manufacturing centres Manchester or Birmingham, I am not quite certain which. His head, however, must have been screwed on the right way, for he made few mistakes, and everything he touched turned to gold. At thirty his bank balance stood at fifteen thousand pounds; at forty it had turned the corner of a hundred thousand; and when he departed this transitory life, a young man in everything but years, he left his widow, young John's mother his second wife, I may remark in passing, and the third daughter of the late Lord Rushbrooke upwards of three and a half million pounds sterling in trust for the boy.

As somebody wittily remarked at the time, young John, at his father's death and during his minority, was a monetary Mohammed he hovered between two worlds: the Rushbrookes, on one side, who had not two sixpences to rub against each other, and the Brownes, on the other, who reckoned their wealth in millions and talked of thousands as we humbler mortals do of half crowns. Taken altogether, however, old Brown was not a bad sort of fellow. Unlike so many parvenus, he had the good sense, the "e" always excepted, not to set himself up to be what he certainly was not. He was a working man, he would tell you with a twinkle in his eye, and he had made his own way in the world. He had never in his life owed a halfpenny, nor, to the best of his knowledge, had he ever defrauded anybody; and, if he had made his fortune out of soap, well and here his eyes would glisten soap was at least a useful article, and would wash his millions cleaner than a good many other commodities he might mention. In his tastes and habits he was simplicity itself. Indeed, it was no unusual sight to see the old fellow, preparatory to setting off for the City, coming down the steps of his magnificent town house, dressed in a suit of rough tweed, with the famous bird's eye neck cloth loosely twisted round his throat, and the soft felt hat upon his head two articles of attire which no remonstrance on the part of his wife and no amount of ridicule from the comic journals could ever induce him to discard. His stables were full of carriages, and there was a cab rank within a hundred yards of his front door, yet no one had ever seen him set foot in either. The soles of his boots were thick, and he had been accustomed to walk all his life, he would say, and he had no intention of being carried till he was past caring what became of him. With regard to his son, the apple of his eye, and the pride of his old age, his views were entirely different. Nothing was good enough for the boy. From the moment he opened his eyes upon the light, all the luxuries and advantages wealth could give were showered upon him. Before he was short coated, upwards of a million had been placed to his credit at the bank, not to be touched until he came of age... Continue reading book >>

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