Mary Cholmondeley (1859–1925)
Author of Red Pottage
About the Author
Works by Mary Cholmondeley
Associated Works
Dracula's Guest: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Vampire Stories (2010) — Contributor — 302 copies, 37 reviews
The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published (2009) — Contributor — 193 copies, 5 reviews
Dracula's Brood: Neglected Vampire Classics by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, M.R. James, Algernon Blackwood, and Others (1987) — Contributor — 177 copies, 2 reviews
Women's Weird: Strange Stories by Women, 1890-1940 (Handheld Classics) (2019) — Contributor — 74 copies, 1 review
Weird Women: Volume 2: 1840-1925: Classic Supernatural Fiction by Groundbreaking Female Writers (2021) — Contributor — 32 copies
The Rivals of Dracula: Stories from the Golden Age of Gothic Horror (2016) — Contributor — 22 copies, 3 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1859-06-08
- Date of death
- 1925-07-15
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Hodnet, Shropshire, England, UK
- Place of death
- 4 Argyll Road, Kensington, London, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Hodnet, Shropshire, England, UK
London, England, UK
Condover, Shropshire, England, UK - Education
- privately educated
- Occupations
- novelist
essayist
short story writer - Relationships
- Benson, Stella (niece)
- Short biography
- Mary Cholmondeley was the daughter of a rural clergyman. She was educated privately and remained unmarried. After her father retired in 1896, Mary moved with him to London. Ahough largely forgotten today, Mary Cholmondeley was one of the bestselling authors of late 19th century England. She overcame shyness, ill health, and a lack of formal education to begin writing seriously in her teens. She became friends with other famous writers and was a celebrity of literary London.
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THE DEEP ONES: "Let Loose" by Mary Cholmondeley in The Weird Tradition (April 2021)
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Statistics
- Works
- 19
- Also by
- 15
- Members
- 324
- Popularity
- #73,085
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 14
- ISBNs
- 121
- Languages
- 4
Red Pottage follows a period in the lives of two friends, Rachel West and Hester Gresley. Rachel is a wealthy heiress who falls in love with the weak-willed Hugh Scarlett after he has broken off an affair with Lady Newhaven (which he does not originally realize has been discovered by her husband). Hester, a novelist, lives with her judgmental brother, the pompous vicar of the fictional village of Warpington. Hester's brother disapproves of her writing and eventually burns the manuscript of a novel she has been writing. This leads Hester into a prolonged nervous illness. Scarlett who has not been entirely frank with Rachel about his past commits suicide when his dishonourable behaviour is revealed to her and she breaks off their engagement.
Here's a couple of quotes that spoke especially to me.
Doughty Library Hardcover edition 1968
Rachel's ex-fiance:
P.135-6:
" 'we shall never meet again,' he said, holding her hand and looking very much the same without his illusions as he did when he had them on. he had read somewhere a little poem about 'a woman's no', which at the last moment meant 'yes.' and then there was another which chronicled how after several stanzas of upgrading 'we rushed into each other's arms.' Both recurred to him now. He had often thought how true they were.
'I do not think we shall meet again,' said Rachel who apparently had an un poetic nature; 'but I am glad for my own sake that we have met this once, and have had this conversation. I think we owed it to each other and to our - former attachment.'
'Well, goodbye,' he still held her hand. if she was not careful she would lose him.
'goodbye.'
'You understand it is for always?'
'I do.'
he became suddenly livid. He loved her more than ever. would she really let him go?
'I am not the kind of man to be whistled back,' he said fiercely. It was an appeal and a defiance for he was just the kind of man, and they both knew it.
'of course not.'
'that is your last word?'
'my last word.'
He dropped her hand, and half turned to go.
She made no sign.
then he strode violently out of the wood without looking behind him. at the little gate he stopped a moment listening intently. No recalling voice reached him. Poets did not know what they were talking about. What a trembling hand he slammed the gate and departed."
Weak little men who let faithful dogs drown, plague Rachel.
P.143:
"...Hugh put out his whole strength in the Endeavor to raise himself somewhat out of the ice-cold water. But the upturned boat sideled away from him like a skittish horse and after grappling with it he only slipped back again exhausted, and had to clutch it as best he could.
As he clung to the gunwaly he heard a faint coughing and gasping close to his ear. Someone was drowning. Hugh realized that it must be Crack, under the boat. He called to him, he chirruped as if all were well. He stretched one hand as far as he could under the boat feeling for him. But he could not reach him. Presently the faint difficult sound ceased, began again, stopped, and was heard no more."
P.156:
" 'if I were given another,' said Hugh. 'if I might only be given another now in this life, I should take it.'
he was thinking if only he might be let off this dreadful, self-inflicted death. She thought that he meant that he repented of his sin, and would Fain do better.
There was a sound of voices near at hand. Sybell and Mr gresley came down the grass walk towards them....
...that night as Rachel sat in her room she went over that half-made, ruthlessly interrupted confidence.
'he does repent,' she said to herself, recalling the Careworn face. 'if he does, can I overlook the past? Can I help him to make a fresh start? if he had not done this one dishonorable action, I could have cared for him. can I now?' "… (more)