The Young Visiters Or, Mr. Salteena's Plan
In 1919, publishers released a society novel written by a nine-year-old girl nearly three decades earlier. Daisy Ashford's The Young Visiters (her spelling preserved, mistakes and all) reads like a fever dream of Edwardian romance, where earls hold 'levies,' characters are perpetually 'shaking hands' and 'looking pleased,' and the plot unfolds with the earnest logic of a child who has absorbed grown-up novels but understands almost nothing about how adults actually live. Mr. Salteena, a socially ambitious forty-two-year-old, schemes to win the young Ethel Monticue while attempting to transform himself into a gentleman with the help of an accommodating earl. The result is pure accidental genius: a satire of upper-class romance written with complete seriousness. The humor comes from Ashford faithfully reproducing adult conventions, the dramatic declarations, the class anxieties, the elaborate misunderstandings, while filtering them through a child's glorious incomprehension. J.M. Barrie saw it immediately and wrote an introduction urging readers to appreciate what a remarkable book this is. It's a brief, strange, endlessly entertaining artifact that reveals as much about childhood imagination as it does about the absurdities of Edwardian high society.
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“This is agony cried Mr Salteena clutching hold of a table my life will be sour grapes and ashes without you.””
— Daisy Ashford
“We must go for a day in the country and when surrounded by the gay twittering of the birds and the smell of the cows I will lay my suit at her feet and he waved his arm wildly at the gay thought.””
— Daisy Ashford
“Bernard placed one arm tightly round her. When will you marry me Ethel he uttered you must be my wife it has come to that I love you so intensly that if you say no I shall perforce dash my body to the brink of yon muddy river he panted wildly.””
— Daisy Ashford
“Oh Bernard she sighed fervently I certinly love you madly you are to me like a Heathen god she cried looking at his manly form and handsome flashing face I will indeed marry you.””
— Daisy Ashford
“i see said the duke but my own idear is that these things are as piffle before the wind [from memory...]””
— Daisy Ashford
“Next morning while imbibing his morning tea beneath his pink silken quilt Bernard decided he must marry Ethel with no more delay.””
— Daisy Ashford
“They all went out by a private door and found themselves in a smaller but gorgous room. The Prince tapped on the table and instantly two menials in red tunics appeared. Bring three glasses of champaigne commanded the prince and some ices he added majestikally. The goods appeared as if by majic and the prince drew out a cigar case and passed it round.One grows weary of Court Life he remarked.Ah yes agreed the earl.It upsets me said the prince lapping up his strawberry ice all I want is peace and quiut and a little fun and here I am tied down to this life he said taking off his crown being royal has many painfull drawbacks.””
— Daisy Ashford
“I shall put some red ruge on my face said Ethel because I am very pale owing to the drains in this house.””
— Daisy Ashford
“Be a man said Ethel in a quiet whisper and I shall always think of you in a warm manner.””
— Daisy Ashford
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<a href="https://lex-books.com/book/the-young-visiters-or-mr-salteena-s-plan-8445a328-c71e-4746-8265-85a7e4d8dbfe"><img src="https://lex-books.com/badges/read-on-lex.svg" alt="Read The Young Visiters Or, Mr. Salteena's Plan by Daisy Ashford free on Lex" width="160" height="40"></a>[](https://lex-books.com/book/the-young-visiters-or-mr-salteena-s-plan-8445a328-c71e-4746-8265-85a7e4d8dbfe)[url=https://lex-books.com/book/the-young-visiters-or-mr-salteena-s-plan-8445a328-c71e-4746-8265-85a7e4d8dbfe][img]https://lex-books.com/badges/read-on-lex.svg[/img][/url]Read The Young Visiters Or, Mr. Salteena's Plan by Daisy Ashford free on Lex: https://lex-books.com/book/the-young-visiters-or-mr-salteena-s-plan-8445a328-c71e-4746-8265-85a7e4d8dbfeCite this book
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Ashford, Daisy. The Young Visiters Or, Mr. Salteena's Plan. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-young-visiters-or-mr-salteena-s-plan-8445a328-c71e-4746-8265-85a7e4d8dbfe.Ashford, D. (n.d.). The Young Visiters Or, Mr. Salteena's Plan. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-young-visiters-or-mr-salteena-s-plan-8445a328-c71e-4746-8265-85a7e4d8dbfeAshford, Daisy. The Young Visiters Or, Mr. Salteena's Plan. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-young-visiters-or-mr-salteena-s-plan-8445a328-c71e-4746-8265-85a7e4d8dbfe.
