The first edition of this book is dated 1848. The publisher was George Routledge & Sons, Limited. The number of pages is 252.

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General information

“Valerie” was published in 1848, the twenty-sixth, and last, book to flow from Marryat’s pen. It was completed by a member of his family. It is somewhat out of Marryat’s usual style, the hero being a young lady, and the subject matter somewhat refined, instead of the usual strong manly characters of Marryat’s books in general. One is led to suppose that it may in fact have been largely written by his wife, who was, in fact, quite a competent author. All this doesn’t stop it from being a good book.

Created as an eBook in 1998 by Nick Hodson, and reformatted in 2005.

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Contents

Chapter I.
I have titled these pages with nothing more than my baptismal name.

Chapter II.
One day, a short time after this, I was walking out as usual with my little brother Pierre in my arms; I was deep in thought; in imagination I was at Luneville with my dear grandmother, when my foot slipped, and I fell.

Chapter III.
An elder sister of my mother’s resided at Colmar, and I passed most of my time with her during our stay.

Chapter IV.
About an hour afterwards Madame d’Albret, who had left me on the bed while she went down to her sister, came up again, and spoke to me; but from weakness, occasioned by the loss of blood and from excitement, I talked for many minutes in the most incoherent manner, and Madame d’Albret was seriously alarmed.

Chapter V.
For several days I remained quiet in the little antechamber, during which Madame d’Albret had been busy every morning driving in her carriage, and ordering me a wardrobe; and as the various articles came in, I was as much surprised as I was pleased at the taste which had been shown, and the expense which must have been incurred.

Chapter VI.
As I continued for more than an hour on the sofa, gloomily passing in review my short career, my present position, and occasionally venturing a surmise upon the future, a feeling which I had not had before—one which had hitherto been latent—pride, gradually was awakened in my bosom, and as it was aroused, it sustained me.

Chapter VII.
Lady R— sat down before her writing materials, and I took my seat on the sofa, as she had requested, and was soon occupied with my reading.

Chapter VIII.
As arranged by Lady M—, the next day we went to Harking Castle, the family seat, in Dorsetshire, and I was not sorry to be again quiet, after the noise and bustle of a London season.

Chapter IX.
I put the papers down on the table as soon as I had finished them, and for a long while was absorbed in meditation.

Chapter X.
One day he came, accompanied by Mrs. Selwyn, who joined him very earnestly in requesting me to pass a day or two with them at their country house at Kew.

Chapter XI.
We must now read Adèle’s letter.

Chapter XII.
In a few minutes after Lionel’s return, which he had considerately postponed until Monsieur Gironac’s dinner-hour had all but arrived, my good host first, and then kind, merry little madame, made their appearance, and a little while was consumed in introductions, exclamations, admirations, and congratulations, all tinctured not a little by that national vivacity which other folks are in the habit of calling extravagance, and which, as my readers well know already, the good Gironacs had by no means got rid of, even in the course of a long séjour in the matter-of-fact metropolis of England.

Chapter XIII.
There never was a finer morning in the world than that appointed for the review.

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