The contrast, Volume 1 (of 3)

The contrast, Volume 1 (of 3) by Marquess of Constantine Henry Phipps Normanby is a novel written in the early 19th century. It contrasts the calculated polish of London society with the unspoiled candor of a remote coastal community, centering on young Lord Castleton’s tug-of-war between a jaded liaison with Lady Madelina Manfred and a sudden fascination with the innocent Lucy Darnell. Around them orbit the self-advertising host Sir North Saunders and a gallery of clergy, tradespeople, and tenants, through whom questions of class, sincerity, and female character are sharply observed. The opening of the novel follows a London party to Sir North’s newly vaunted Hornscliff Abbey, where theatrical landscaping and social pretensions meet rugged cliffs and a sublime bay. On a guided excursion, Castleton trades flirtations with Lady Madelina for a first encounter with Lucy and her cousin George, a sturdy lad about to go to sea; over a picnic of politics and gossip, Castleton’s interest shifts decisively toward the quiet grace he sees by the fishing boat, punctuated by his impulsive gift of a watch. The scene then turns to the Darnell household: kind, easy Farmer Richard; his precise, grievance-prone wife; and solitary, thoughtful Aunt Alice, who nurtures Lucy’s imagination with Shakespeare. George’s farewell ride to Mayton with his uncle ends at the Queen’s Head, amid a convivial widow landlady and two idle townsmen, before he catches the night coach.

The contrast, Volume 1 (of 3), by Marquess of Constantine Henry Phipps Normanby. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #78688.