Orley Farm / by Anthony Trollope / with illustrations by J. E. Millais

‘Talk of honey falling from people’s mouths!—he drops nothing less than champagne and pineapples.’

‘How very difficult of digestion his conversation must be!’

It may feel as if Anthony Trollope (1815–1882) wrote hundreds of novels. In fact there were just 47—about three times as many as Dickens—cranked out at a pace of one or two a year.

One of those 47 novels was Orley Farm. A while back I got a hankering to read it, and . . .

Allow me to vent.

After poring over the options at Major Online Retailer, I carefully selected the one available edition that professed to have the original Millais illustrations. When it arrived, I found myself holding a volume of raw OCR, and realized that Major Online Retailer, unlike its antiquarian-books subsidiary, does not make it easy to identify and exclude Print On Demand books. If I wanted a nice text and the right illustrations, I would have to prepare it myself. This led to a further interesting discovery: the POD volume used the very same publicly down­loadable OCR that I would use as my own starting point. Same missing or invisible punctu­ation, same scanning errors, same uncorrected typos . . . same two missing pages. That’s why OCR, no matter how good, can only be a starting point.

About the Book

Now then. Ahem. Orley Farm was first published serially—not in a periodical, but as 20 free-standing monthly installments—beginning in March 1861. Look closely at the book, and you will see that each 4-chapter chunk is exactly 32 pages long (two octavo signa­tures) and has exactly two illustrations. In fact this is one of the hidden benefits of serial publication. Even if you end up buying the novel in book form, the pictures will be evenly distri­buted through the volume, instead of being huddled together at the beginning, as so often happens.

For “not in a periodical”, read “not in a British periodical”. Beginning in May 1861 and continuing on a two-month delay to the end of the book, each install­ment appeared in Harper’s (New) Monthly Magazine. I don’t know whether this publication was authorized or not; the International Copyright Act was three decades away, so it may be an academic distinction. If it wasn’t authorized, I can only say they did a very good job of copying the engravings.

Food for thought: The plot of Orley Farm revolves around an act of forgery, twenty years in the past. (If you are French, incidentally, you will have no trouble remembering the calendar date of the Significant Event.) The sole motive of the crime . . . was to ensure something that today would be required by law, namely the support of a minor child.

Dramatis Personae

As you might expect, given the subject, Orley Farm has an enormous number of attorneys. You can tick them off as you meet them:

The female characters cannot, of course, be lawyers; instead they are all named Mary. If you include derivatives, compounds and variant forms—Miriam, Maria, Marian, Mary Anne—there are at least seven all told. (Fun fact: In 1922, when women were finally admitted to the English bar, two of the first four were named . . . Mary.)

Illustrations

John Everett Millais signature

John Everett Millais (1829–1896) was not much past 30, but was already a Big Name. In Algernon Graves’s eight-volume list of Royal Academy exhibitors, Millais takes up five double-columned pages, which gives you some idea. Highlights include:

He must have liked Trollope, because he took time off from painting to illustrate several of his novels.

Dalziel signature

The engraver was an equally big name, Dalziel. Didn’t he have a first name? Well, yes, he did: it was George. Or Edward. Or possibly John, or Thomas . . . or Margaret. Or maybe none of these. In addition to the Dalziel Brothers—and sister—themselves, the engraving firm had at least two dozen employees. All used the same “Dalziel” signature.

In this ebook, the illustrations are generally shown where the book put them, shifted to the nearest paragraph break where appropriate. There were some minor rearrange­ments in part 19, involving the frontispiece to Volume II; see notes to part 19 (chapters II.XXXIII-XXXVI).

Formalities

This ebook is based on the 1862 book version (Volume I, Volume II); two missing pages were supplied from a different copy of the same edition. The cover image (above) is from the first serial issue, chosen because the books didn’t have a nice cover. I’ve divided the etext into four-chapter segments, as in the serial version, because it was a convenient size to work with. Besides, it gives a clearer idea of where the cliffhangers—all nineteen of them—fall.

The word “aint” is almost always printed without apostrophe; exceptions—most of them in a single installment—were left as I found them. The words “good­natured” and “illnatured” are sometimes hyphenated, sometimes not. Variation between “The Cleeve” and “the Cleeve” is in the original. It may or may not have been the author’s intention, but it’s what the typesetter set, so there it stands. Line-end hyphens were sometimes invisible. I haven’t identified them indivi­dually; the same goes for other line-final punctuation if the omission was unambiguous. All -ize spellings are in the original. It’s unusual to find these old-fashioned spellings alongside the newfangled single quotation marks (‘inverted commas’)—but, again, there you have it.

The original book was heavily foxed, to the point where a modern humorist would throw in a few additional adjectives like “wolved” or “badgered”. You can expect to find a good many splodges on the illustrations; I didn’t try to clean them up.

Page numbers in [brackets] indicate full-page illustrations that have been moved to the nearest paragraph break. Page numbers ending in “a” were printed as unpaginated plates (blank on the back) facing a numbered page.

Typographical errors are marked with mouse-hover popups and are listed again at the end of each section. The word “invisible” means that the letter or punctuation mark is missing, but there is an appropriately sized blank space.

ORLEY FARM.

BY

ANTHONY TROLLOPE,

AUTHOR OF
“DOCTOR THORNE,” “BARCHESTER TOWERS,” “FRAMLEY PARSONAGE,” ETC.

With Illustrations

BY J. E. MILLAIS.

 

IN TWO VOLUMES.

 

LONDON:
CHAPMAN AND HALL, 193 PICCADILLY.

1862.

[The right of Translation is reserved.]

LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS,
STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.

Contents

Volume I

CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE GREAT ORLEY FARM CASE 1
II. LADY MASON AND HER SON 10
III. THE CLEEVE 21
IV. THE PERILS OF YOUTH 27
V. SIR PEREGRINE MAKES A SECOND PROMISE 33
VI. THE COMMERCIAL ROOM, BULL INN, LEEDS 38
VII. THE MASONS OF GROBY PARK 49
VIII. MRS. MASON’S HOT LUNCHEON 60
IX. A CONVIVIAL MEETING 65
X. MR., MRS., AND MISS FURNIVAL 74
XI. MRS. FURNIVAL AT HOME 81
XII. MR. FURNIVAL’S CHAMBERS 89
XIII. GUILTY, OR NOT GUILTY 97
XIV. DINNER AT THE CLEEVE 105
XV. A MORNING CALL AT MOUNT PLEASANT VILLA 113
XVI. MR. DOCKWRATH IN BEDFORD ROW 121
XVII. VON BAUHR 129
XVIII. THE ENGLISH VON BAUHR 137
XIX. THE STAVELEY FAMILY 143
XX. MR. DOCKWRATH IN HIS OWN OFFICE 154
XXI. CHRISTMAS IN HARLEY STREET 161
XXII. CHRISTMAS AT NONINGSBY 169
XXIII. CHRISTMAS AT GROBY PARK 180
XXIV. CHRISTMAS IN GREAT ST. HELENS 186
XXV. MR. FURNIVAL AGAIN AT HIS CHAMBERS 193
XXVI. WHY SHOULD I NOT? 201
XXVII. COMMERCE 210
XXVIII. MONKTON GRANGE 216
XXIX. BREAKING COVERT 225
XXX. ANOTHER FALL 232
XXXI. FOOTSTEPS IN THE CORRIDOR 240
XXXII. WHAT BRIDGET BOLSTER HAD TO SAY 246
XXXIII. THE ANGEL OF LIGHT 257
XXXIV. MR. FURNIVAL LOOKS FOR ASSISTANCE 265
XXXV. LOVE WAS STILL THE LORD OF ALL 271
XXXVI. WHAT THE YOUNG MEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT 281
XXXVII. PEREGRINE’S ELOQUENCE 289
XXXVIII. OH, INDEED! 296
XXXIX. WHY SHOULD HE GO? 302
XL. I CALL IT AWFUL 315

Volume II

CHAPTER PAGE
I. HOW CAN I SAVE HIM? 1
II. JOHN KENNEBY GOES TO HAMWORTH 9
III. JOHN KENNEBY’S COURTSHIP 15
IV. SHOWING HOW LADY MASON COULD BE VERY NOBLE 22
V. SHOWING HOW MRS. ORME COULD BE VERY WEAK-MINDED 33
VI. A WOMAN’S IDEA OF FRIENDSHIP 42
VII. THE GEM OF THE FOUR FAMILIES 48
VIII. THE ANGEL OF LIGHT UNDER A CLOUD 55
IX. MRS. FURNIVAL CAN’T PUT UP WITH IT 65
X. IT IS QUITE IMPOSSIBLE 72
XI. MRS. FURNIVAL’S JOURNEY TO HAMWORTH 83
XII. SHOWING HOW THINGS WENT ON AT NONINGSBY 90
XIII. LADY MASON RETURNS HOME 97
XIV. TELLING ALL THAT HAPPENED BENEATH THE LAMP-POST 106
XV. WHAT TOOK PLACE IN HARLEY STREET 114
XVI. HOW SIR PEREGRINE DID BUSINESS WITH MR. ROUND 122
XVII. THE LOVES AND HOPES OF ALBERT FITZALLEN 129
XVIII. MISS STAVELEY DECLINES TO EAT MINCED VEAL 136
XIX. NO SURRENDER 145
XX. WHAT REBEKAH DID FOR HER SON 153
XXI. THE STATE OF PUBLIC OPINION 161
XXII. WHAT THE FOUR LAWYERS THOUGHT ABOUT IT 169
XXIII. THE EVENING BEFORE THE TRIAL 176
XXIV. THE FIRST JOURNEY TO ALSTON 185
XXV. FELIX GRAHAM RETURNS TO NONINGSBY 193
XXVI. HOW MISS FURNIVAL TREATED HER LOVERS 202
XXVII. MR. MOULDER BACKS HIS OPINION 210
XXVIII. THE FIRST DAY OF THE TRIAL 216
XXIX. THE TWO JUDGES 225
XXX. HOW AM I TO BEAR IT? 231
XXXI. SHOWING HOW JOHN KENNEBY AND BRIDGET BOLSTER BORE THEMSELVES IN COURT 240
XXXII. MR. FURNIVAL’S SPEECH 250
XXXIII. MRS. ORME TELLS THE STORY 257
XXXIV. YOUNG LOCHINVAR 266
XXXV. THE LAST DAY 273
XXXVI. I LOVE HER STILL 281
XXXVII. JOHN KENNEBY’S DOOM 289
XXXVIII. THE LAST OF THE LAWYERS 296
XXXIX. FAREWELL 305
XL. SHOWING HOW AFFAIRS SETTLED THEMSELVES AT NONINGSBY 314

List of Illustrations

Volume I

PAGE
ORLEY FARM Frontispiece.
SIR PEREGRINE AND HIS HEIR 17
“THERE WAS SORROW IN HER HEART, AND DEEP THOUGHT IN HER MIND” 36
“THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IRON, SIR; NOTHING” 46
AND THEN THEY ALL MARCHED OUT OF THE ROOM, EACH WITH HIS OWN GLASS 73
MR. FURNIVAL’S WELCOME HOME 87
“YOUR SON LUCIUS DID SAY—SHOPPING” 98
OVER THEIR WINE 111
VON BAUHR’S DREAM 136
THE ENGLISH VON BAUHR AND HIS PUPIL 141
CHRISTMAS AT NONINGSBY.—MORNING 169
CHRISTMAS AT NONINGSBY.—EVENING 175
“WHY SHOULD I NOT?” 201
MONKTON GRANGE 216
FELIX GRAHAM IN TROUBLE 227
FOOTSTEPS IN THE CORRIDOR 240
THE ANGEL OF LIGHT 257
LUCIUS MASON IN HIS STUDY 283
PEREGRINE’S ELOQUENCE 289
LADY STAVELEY INTERRUPTING HER SON AND SOPHIA FURNIVAL 306

Volume II

PAGE
LADY MASON LEAVING THE COURT Frontispiece.
JOHN KENNEBY AND MIRIAM DOCKWRATH 11
GUILTY 32
LADY MASON AFTER HER CONFESSION 40
BREAD SAUCE IS SO TICKLISH 48
“NEVER IS A VERY LONG WORD” 77
“TOM,” SHE SAID, “I HAVE COME BACK” 89
LADY MASON GOING BEFORE THE MAGISTRATES 97
SIR PEREGRINE AT MR. ROUND’S OFFICE 126
“TELL ME, MADELINE, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW” 144
NO SURRENDER 149
MR. CHAFFANBRASS AND MR. SOLOMON ARAM 172
THE COURT 191
THE DRAWING ROOM AT NONINGSBY 202
“AND HOW ARE THEY ALL AT NONINGSBY?” 206
HOW CAN I BEAR IT? 240
BRIDGET BOLSTER IN COURT 247
LUCIUS MASON, AS HE LEANED ON THE GATE THAT WAS NO LONGER HIS OWN 265
FAREWELL 305
FAREWELL 311

Notes and Corrections

List of Illustrations

[Volume I] AND THEN THEY ALL MARCHED OUT OF THE ROOM, EACH WITH HIS OWN GLASS   73
page number “73” missing

[Volume II] LADY MASON LEAVING THE COURT   Frontispiece
[This illustration has been moved to its natural position in Chapter II.XXXIII (part 19).]

[Volume II] FAREWELL   311
text has 314
[The duplicate Farewells are not an error: both illustrations in the final installment have the same caption.]