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The History of Pendennis

Chapter 1 Shows how First Love may interrupt Breakfast

Word Count: 2205    |    Released on: 18/11/2017

as a chief ornament. As he was one of the finest judges of wine in England, and a man of active, dominating, and inquiring spirit, he had been very properly chosen to be a member

eat man to fly the country. Pendennis's coat, his white gloves, his whiskers, his very cane, were perfect of their kind as specimens of the costume of a military man en retraite. At a distance, or seeing his back merely, you would have taken him to be not more than thirty years old: it was only by a nearer inspection that you saw the factitious nature of his rich brown hair, and that there were a f

, which rendered it impossible for any man to sit and breakfast under his eye; and that table - by the fire, and yet near the window - became his own. His letters were laid out there in expectation of his arrival, and many was the young fellow about town who looked with wonder at the number of those notes, and at the seals and franks which they bore. If there was any question about e

n dinner cards, suggestive of three courses and heavy conversation; there were neat little confidential notes, conveying female entreaties; there was a note on thick official paper from the Marquis of Steyne, telling him to come to Richmond to a little party at the Star and Garter, and speak French, which language the Major possessed very perfectly; and an

e on what days he was disengaged, and which of these ma

liked to dine with bishops - and so went through his list and disposed of them according to his fancy or interest. Then he took his breakfast and looked over the paper, the gazette, the births and deaths, and the

mmediate' by the fair writer, with a strong dash of anxiety under the word, yet the Major had, for reasons of his own, neglected up to the present moment his humble rural petitioner, who to be sure could hardly hope to get a hearing among so many grand folks who attended his levee. The fact wa

engraved upon it, and 'Clavering St. Mary's' for a postmark. It was a double letter

Mr. Glowry, inwardly, "Pendennis would not

lexity. My dearest boy, who has been hitherto everything the fondest mother could wish, is grieving me dreadfully. He has formed - I can hardly write it - a passion, an infatuation,"- the Major g

of himself, for rage and wonder were concentrated in the M

uardian, entreat, command, the wretched child to give up this most deplorable resolution." And, after more entreaties t

he boy has to say;" and he took the other letter, which was written in a great floundering boy's hand, and sealed with the large signet of the Penden

stle ra

, Monday,

according to the present prejudices of society at least, be welcome to my family. My dearest mother, on whom, God knows, I would wish to inflict no needless pain, is deeply moved and grieved, I am sorry to say, by the intelligence which I have this night conveyed to her. I beseech you, my dear Sir, to come down and reason with her and console her. Althoug

enius, who devotes herself to the exercise of one of the noblest professions, for the sacred purpose of maintaining her family, is a being whom we should all love and reverence, rather than

med of love until I saw her - I feel now that I shall die without ever knowing another passion. It is the fate of my life. It was Miss C.'s own delicacy which suggested that the difference of age, which I never felt, might operate as a bar to our union

e towards Emily - that at any age she can be anything but the sole object of my love. Why, then, wait? I entreat you, my dear Uncle, to come down and reconcile my dear mother to our union, and

apart from considerations of fortune - you will admire and appro

te Pendennis. The head of the Pendennises going to marry an actress ten years his senior,- a headstrong boy going to plunge into matrimony. "The mother has spoiled the young rascal," groaned the Major inwardly, "with her cursed sentimentality and romantic rubbish. My nephew marry a tragedy queen! Gracious mercy, people will laugh a

adjoining writing-room, and there ruefully wrote off refusals to the Marquis, the Earl, the Bishop, and all his entertainers; and he ordered his servant to take places in

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1 Preface2 Chapter 1 Shows how First Love may interrupt Breakfast3 Chapter 2 A Pedigree and other Family Matters4 Chapter 3 In which Pendennis appears as a very young Man inde5 Chapter 4 Mrs. Haller6 Chapter 5 Mrs. Haller at Home7 Chapter 6 Contains both Love and War8 Chapter 7 In which the Major makes his Appearance9 Chapter 8 In which Pen is kept waiting at the Door, while the10 Chapter 9 In which the Major opens the Campaign11 Chapter 10 Facing the Enemy12 Chapter 11 Negotiation13 Chapter 12 In which a Shooting Match is proposed14 Chapter 13 A Crisis15 Chapter 14 In which Miss Fotheringay makes a new Engagement16 Chapter 15 The happy Village17 Chapter 16 More Storms in the Puddle18 Chapter 17 Which concludes the first Part of this History19 Chapter 18 Alma Mater20 Chapter 19 Pendennis of Boniface21 Chapter 20 Rake's Progress22 Chapter 21 Flight after Defeat23 Chapter 22 Prodigal's Return24 Chapter 23 New Faces25 Chapter 24 A Little Innocent26 Chapter 25 Contains both Love and Jealousy27 Chapter 26 A House full of Visitors28 Chapter 27 Contains some Ball-practising29 Chapter 28 Which is both Quarrelsome and Sentimental30 Chapter 29 Babylon31 Chapter 30 The Knights of the Temple32 Chapter 31 Old and new Acquaintances33 Chapter 32 In which the Printer's Devil comes to the Door34 Chapter 33 Which is passed in the Neighbourhood of Ludgate Hi35 Chapter 34 In which the History still hovers about Fleet Stre36 Chapter 35 Dinner in the Row37 Chapter 36 The Pall Mall Gazette38 Chapter 37 Where Pen appears in Town and Country39 Chapter 38 In which the Sylph reappears40 Chapter 39 Colonel Altamont appears and disappears41 Chapter 40 Relates to Mr. Harry Foker's Affairs42 Chapter 41 Carries the Reader both to Richmond and Greenwich43 Chapter 42 Contains a novel Incident44 Chapter 43 Alsatia45 Chapter 44 In which the Colonel narrates some of his Adventur46 Chapter 45 A Chapter of Conversations47 Chapter 46 Miss Amory's Partners48 Chapter 47 Monseigneur s'amuse49 Chapter 48 A Visit of Politeness50 Chapter 49 In Shepherd's Inn51 Chapter 50 Or near the Temple Garden52 Chapter 51 The happy Village again53 Chapter 52 Which had very nearly been the last of the Story54 Chapter 53 A critical Chapter55 Chapter 54 Convalescence56 Chapter 55 Fanny's Occupation's gone57 Chapter 56 In which Fanny engages a new Medical Man58 Chapter 57 Foreign Ground59 Chapter 58 "Fairoaks to let"60 Chapter 59 Old Friends61 Chapter 60 Explanations62 Chapter 61 Conversations63 Chapter 62 The Way of the World64 Chapter 63 Which accounts perhaps for Chapter LXI65 Chapter 64 Phyllis and Corydon66 Chapter 65 Temptation67 Chapter 66 In which Pen begins his Canvass68 Chapter 67 In which Pen begins to doubt about his Election69 Chapter 68 In which the Major is bidden to Stand and Deliver70 Chapter 69 In which the Major neither yields his Money nor hi71 Chapter 70 In which Pendennis counts his Eggs72 Chapter 71 Fiat Justitia73 Chapter 72 In which the Decks begin to clear74 Chapter 73 Mr. and Mrs. Sam Huxter75 Chapter 74 Shows how Arthur had better have taken a Return-ti76 Chapter 75 A Chapter of Match-making77 Chapter 76 Exeunt Omnes