A chaise and for had stopped in the drive, sir Thomas stopped what he had been doing and walked across the short distance towards the chaise A young man dressed in the height of fashion was alighting from the vehicle. Bowing and tipping his hat the young man greeted Sir Thomas with expressions of joy at his finally been at Oakland and been able to reacquaint himself with his old school friend Tom.

‘Why sir young Tom you will not find at home” said Sir Thomas. “Pon my word I hope he will be home soon as it is rather a matter of great significant that brings me to see him” replied the young man. “Indeed Sir Tom is in Africa and not expected home any time soon,” said Sir Thomas

“I find then my trip has been for nothing and I was so depending on him been here,” said the young man. “Pray Sir I know it is not the custom of young men to go about unannounced but you have arrived here quite unexpectedly had you made your coming known to us we would have of course warned you that your call was a fools errant” said Sir Thomas. “I do beg your pardon Sir Thomas I am Harry Smith and I am just back from the late wars not having been in England I am afraid I had quite forgotten my manners I did send a letter when I stopped in town did you not receive it?” asked the young man.

“I have certainly recived no communication of any sort,” replied the old man. But maybe I can be of service to you in what connection was it that you wanted to see young Tom?” enquired Sir Thomas. ‘Ah it is a matter of the heart for I have been having a nick of a time trying to write a love sonnet to a certain lady of my acquaintance but I don’t seem to get it right, I remembered that Tom was rather good with verse when we were at Oxford so I thought I might avail myself of his service,” said Harry.

“Well let me see I was quite good with verse in my youth pray Harry set inside and make yourself at home while I get quill and paper,” said Sir Thomas as he showed the young man to the library, Lady Ann and the remaining children had set out just that morning to pay a call upon the residents of Morton Grange and were not expected back until later in the week.

Once Sir Thomas returned they fell to talking over the matter of the sonnet which young Harry wanted to address to Juniata a Spanish noble woman whose acquaintance he had made while at Waterloo.

Thus Sir Thomas began to write

To the fair Juniata a sonnet of the most profound affections for young Harry had made it known to Sir Thomas that he was deeply in love with the Spanish lady and wanted to wed her none other would do no blushing Bony lass of heaving bosom would do but only the dark eyed Spanish lady of noble birth who had plucked upon his heart strings with an unforgiving grace. So much so that poor Harry was unable to sleep or eat, upon hearing this Sir Thomas called for a kitchen servant to “ bring immediately a glass of warm milk and some of the fruit cake which Lady Ann was so fond for the young gentleman lest he faint from hunger.” Harry great fully accepted these ministrations as Sir Thomas continued to scribble. Upon completion of the light reparse Sir Thomas lead the young man to a bed chamber rand bid him lay down and be at ease for it would take a while for the completion of the sonnet could be affected without his company thus once his unexpected guest had laid down Sir Thomas returned to the library and continued to write. For his inspiration he took his great love for his wife and thought of the many ways in which she had pleased him throughout the years. To these feelings he now added suitable words which after a half an hour had reached three or four pages. Sir Thomas had a fine and distinctive hand indeed when a note went to the village it was easy to tell if the note had been written by Sir Thomas for his penmanship was renowned for its clarity and elegance. So much so that in the open school in the village all young students were taught to emulate the hand of Sir Thomas as best they could.

Upon completion of the opus Magnus Sir Thomas laid it aside sat for a moment and then as an after thought took up the quill once more and wrote a note to the young gentleman that when he rise from his rest he should copy the verses in his own hand and send the copied verse to the lady of his desire. This done he took the note and the sonnet to the chamber where the young man was fast asleep placing them on the table he closed the door and returned to the task which he had been about when his guest had arrived.

Later in the day Harry Smith rose found the note and did as was directed. On completion he destroyed the note however thinking the draft of the sonnet written by Sir Thomas so fair he left it upon the table thinking that maybe Sir Thomas might wish to keep it as a remembrance for it was evident to the young man that it was indeed a rare work of both penmanship and artistic beauty. Thus contrary to Sir Thomas’s instruction the sonnet lay open for any one who chanced upon it. The young man left the chamber to go down stairs to meet with his genial host. To offer him his sincere gratitude and appreciation of the great favor Sir Thomas had done for him, for a great burden had been lifted from the young man’s shoulders.

“Sir Thomas accepted these expressions of gratitude with good grace and bid his guest to stay the night to which the young man agreed... 

Had Sir Thomas but known that his favor for an old friend of his son’s was to cause him such agonies of temperament and the disruption of his peaceful domestic life, he would most probably not have undertaken the task which he had for the young Harry Smith.

Tags: jane austen, regency novel