"Pat Murphy - Menagerie" - читать интересную книгу автора (Murphy Pat)

PAT MURPHY

MENAGE AND MENAGERIE

When Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice, she wasn't writing about a pride of
lions, was she?

THE FAMILY OF RADFORD had been long settled in Devonshire. Their estate was
large, and their residence was at Selwyn Park, in the center of their property,
where, for many generations, they had lived in so respectable a manner as to
engage the general good opinion of their surrounding acquaintance.

Sir Radford, the present owner of the estate, did, in his habits, somewhat
strain the reputation established by his father and his grandfather and his
great grandfather before him. Sir Radford had a passion for exotic animals and
the wealth to indulge that passion. A widower, he lacked the guiding hand of a
wife to temper his eccentricities.

On his estate, he kept a menagerie of exotic creatures, brought to him by
adventurers and explorers from all parts of the globe. A visitor, riding up the
lane toward Sir Radford's large and handsome house, might hear the roar of an
African lion or the shrieking laugh of a wild hyena. Sir Radford's collection
included an Indian tiger, three ostriches from Africa, and an assortment of
gaudily colored birds from the jungles of South America, all obtained at great
expense.

Though Sir Radford's wife had borne him no children, he shared his home with a
young woman whom he had adopted as a daughter. There were those in the county
who said that Miss Selina was his natural daughter, born in one of those exotic
places where he had so often traveled, and brought home to be raised an
Englishwoman. But the story, as Sir Radford told it, was that she was the only
daughter of a gentleman in Russia who had been much like a brother to Sir
Radford. When that gentleman had met with an unfortunate hunting accident, Sir
Radford had taken the man's daughter as his own.

Whatever her ancestry, Miss Selina Radford was a handsome young woman, with
black hair and sparkling hazel eyes. Sir Radford had engaged governesses to
teach her, and she wrote a fine hand, played the pianoforte with considerable
skill, and had a lovely singing voice. She was a hearty girl, given to long
walks on the downs and vigorous rides.

Sir Radford was an exceedingly sociable gentleman. Every year, when spring mists
and rain gave way to warmer weather, he invited his elderly cousin, Lady Dustan
to visit his estate. And so, in the spring of 1828, Lady Dustan came to the
estate with a party of young friends..

Lady Dustan herself was never happier than when she had a noisy party of young
people gathered about her, so that she could watch over them and speculate on
how they might best be paired off, as matchmaking was one of her favorite
occupations. The first evening at Selwyn Park, while Selina played the