Cashel Byron's Profession

Shortly after this, at his desire, she spent a season in London, and

went into English polite society, which she found to be in the main

a temple for the worship of wealth and a market for the sale of

virgins. Having become familiar with both the cult and the trade

elsewhere, she found nothing to interest her except the English

manner of conducting them; and the novelty of this soon wore off.

She was also incommoded by her involuntary power of inspiring

affection in her own sex. Impulsive girls she could keep in awe; but

old women, notably two aunts who had never paid her any attention

during her childhood, now persecuted her with slavish fondness, and

tempted her by mingled entreaties and bribes to desert her father

and live with them for the remainder of their lives. Her reserve

fanned their longing to have her for a pet; and, to escape them, she

returned to the Continent with her father, and ceased to hold any

correspondence with London. Her aunts declared themselves deeply

hurt, and Lydia was held to have treated them very injudiciously;

but when they died, and their wills became public, it was found that

they had vied with one another in enriching her.

When she was twenty-five years old the first startling event of her

life took place. This was the death of her father at Avignon. No

endearments passed between them even on that occasion. She was

sitting opposite to him at the fireside one evening, reading aloud,

when he suddenly said, "My heart has stopped, Lydia. Good-bye!" and

immediately died. She had some difficulty in quelling the tumult

that arose when the bell was answered. The whole household felt

bound to be overwhelmed, and took it rather ill that she seemed

neither grateful to them nor disposed to imitate their behavior.

Carew's relatives agreed that he had made a most unbecoming will. It

was a brief document, dated five years before his death, and was to

the effect that he bequeathed to his dear daughter Lydia all he

possessed. He had, however, left her certain private instructions.

One of these, which excited great indignation in his family, was

that his body should be conveyed to Milan, and there cremated.

Having disposed of her father's remains as he had directed, she came

to set her affairs in order in England, where she inspired much

hopeless passion in the toilers in Lincoln's Inn Fields and Chancery

Lane, and agreeably surprised her solicitors by evincing a capacity

for business, and a patience with the law's delay, that seemed

incompatible with her age and sex. When all was arranged, and she

was once more able to enjoy perfect tranquillity, she returned to

Avignon, and there discharged her last duty to her father. This was

to open a letter she had found in his desk, inscribed by his hand:

"For Lydia. To be read by her at leisure when I and my affairs shall

be finally disposed of."