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THE 
 
 OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 A TALE OF DOMESTIC LIFE. 
 
 BY 
 
 G-. P. R.JAME S, Esq. 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 THE GIPSY, " THE FORGERY,' 
 " THE WOODMAN/' &C. 
 
 Even-handed justice 
 Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice 
 To our own lips. Shakespeare. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. — VOL. I, 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 THOMAS CAUTLEY NEWBY, PUBLISHER, 
 30, WELBECK St., CAVENDISH S<j. 
 
 1850. 
 
DEDICATION, 
 
 TO ONE WHOM I AM PROUD TO CALL MY FRIEND, 
 
 A GENTLEMAN IN HEART AS WELL AS 
 
 MANNERS, 
 
 AN AUTHOR, PURE, VARIED, AND POWERFUL, 
 
 A DRAMATIST, KEEN, WITTY, TOUCHING, 
 
 EXCELLED BY FEW IN THE PAST, 
 
 UNRIVALLED BY ANY IN THE PRESENT TIMES J 
 
 A CRITIC, DISCRIMINATING YET GENEROUS, 
 
 ACUTE BUT KIND, 
 
 WHO HAS ALWAYS HAD GREATER PLEA-SURE 
 
 IN MARKING AN EXCELLENCE THAN IN 
 
 DETECTING A FAULT ; 
 
 WARM-HEARTED, YET DISCREET, 
 
 WITH STRONG ENTHUSIASM, BUT STRONGER 
 
 JUDGMENT, 
 A HEART AND MIND EQUALLY CAPACIOUS : 
 
 To ROBERT BELL Esq. 
 
 THIS WORK IS DEDICATED AS A TESTIMONY 
 OF SINCERE REGARD 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
#23 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Whe^ Sir Walter Scott wrote his first great 
 
 romance, called " Waverley," he added to 
 
 the title, as has been common in title pages 
 
 and police reports, what is called an alias, 
 
 saying, " Or, J Tis sixty years since." The 
 
 words were very significant even then ; but 
 
 they imply much more at present. Within 
 
 the sixty years then just gone past, many 
 
 vast changes had taken place in the politics, 
 
 the manners and the customs of the world. 
 
 The term comprised a great epoch in the 
 
 d history of society. But within the sixty 
 
 years now just past, how much greater has 
 
 "" been the change ! I write in 1849, be it 
 
 -"*- i^emembered ; and if we look back to 1 789 
 
 we shall find that probably no period of the 
 
 VOL. i. B 
 
2 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 world's history affords the record of so 
 many wonderful and important events. I 
 say this with a full knowledge and consi- 
 deration of man's proneness to exaggerate 
 the importance of all that has taken place 
 in his own day ; and I do not forget the 
 many remarkable events which distinguish 
 [(articular periods of history from the crea- 
 tion of the world to this very hour : the 
 fall of Rome, Babylon, and Nineveh ; the 
 passing away of a thousand empires ; the 
 gradual decay or sudden subversion of 
 systems and doctrines that we trace with 
 instruction, admiration, or regret. 
 
 The Deluge and the Advent stand out 
 alone as things separate and not to be 
 mingled in the consideration of mere worldly 
 matters ; but, excepting reverently those 
 two !• stances of God's special wrath and 
 G^ special mercy, no period of sixty 
 years, that I know of, is so remarkable as 
 the last. 
 
 That which is coming may be more so ; 
 for certain it is, that the foundations of all 
 
INTRODUCTION. 3 
 
 things have been shaken by that which is 
 just gone ; and we may be, perhaps, as 
 Arnold thought and said — and he was not 
 a man to think or speak lightly — approach- 
 ing the end of history. 
 
 Sixty years ago, the world was just be- 
 ginning to grow tired of what may be called 
 the metaphysical school of philosophy, to 
 think that facts are better than hypotheses, 
 and that the human mind, unlike the grand 
 Llama of Thibet, may be better employed 
 than in the sole contemplation of its own 
 perfections or imperfections. The material 
 school, the school of the present day, was 
 in fact taking its rise ; though not from 
 the impulse of a physical necessity, which 
 so often directs and controls the efforts of 
 intellect. There was in reality no surplus 
 population in that day. Countries were 
 not overcrowded ; but it seemed as if a 
 prophetic spirit, a warning voice, told men 
 of genius to make provision against the 
 time when that state would be changed, 
 when the means then existing would be 
 b 2 
 
4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 found insufficient for the employment and 
 support of an increasing multitude, and 
 when man's inventive faculties must be 
 taxed to the utmost to extract fresh re- 
 sources from Nature's teeming bosom. 
 Sixty years ago the famous James Watt 
 was in the midst of his great discoveries. 
 The first application of the steam engine 
 to manufactories had just taken place ; and 
 the world had only then received its first 
 impulse in that career of mechanical in- 
 vention which has brought the ends of the 
 earth together and well nigh annihilated 
 time and space. 
 
 Sixty years ago an ancient dynasty was 
 on the throne of France. Sixty years ago 
 a great revolution was preparing in that 
 country which shook the thrones of the 
 most distant Empires, and, like a mighty 
 earthquake, left the whole frame of society 
 shattered and creviced throughout the 
 world. 
 
 Sixty years ago wealth was not the chief 
 title to distinction. Rank, birth, genius, 
 
INTRODUCTION. 5 
 
 all obtained respect. Faint memories of 
 feudal and of chivalrous times tinged with 
 a glow, like that of the setting sun, the 
 manners of all classes of society ; and 
 though the peasant might tread upon the 
 kibe of the peer, he took care not to 
 shoulder him into the gutter. 
 
 Sixty years ago education, but narrowly 
 diffused, was more distinctive than it is at 
 present. Short and ceremonious were its 
 visits even in palaces and mansions ; 
 and rarely, very rarely, did it penetrate 
 the cottage. Only the more remark- 
 able, however, were the exceptions. The 
 circle within which it acted was limited ; 
 but there its powers were intense. Sixty 
 years ago, as I have said, all the countries 
 of Europe were comparatively thinly 
 peopled ; and in this land of ours especially 
 there was more of homely life and quiet 
 domesticity than is to be found almost any- 
 where in the great coifee-house of the 
 present. 
 
THE 
 
 OLD OAK CHEST 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A bright, clear Autumn night, with the 
 harvest moon at full, had brought repose 
 to thelabourer throughout England. Shocks 
 of wheat were still standing in the field ; 
 so that the merry harvest-home had not 
 begun ; and one might see them on the 
 hill sides, standing in little knots, nodding 
 their heads at each other, and throwing 
 long shadows from the moonlight upon the 
 yellow stubble. Here and there, a patch 
 of late grain upon the colder soils or in the 
 
8 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 higher situations, had not yet felt the 
 sickle ; but in most places the rick-yard 
 was full ; and the prospect of abundance 
 cheered the land. 
 
 But in those days the good people of 
 England had not been taught by art, or en- 
 couraged by factitious inducements, or 
 driven by necessity, to bring under the 
 plough and harrow land that never seemed 
 intended by nature for the production of 
 grain. Forest planting indeed went on at 
 a rapid rate ; and we read of lords and 
 gentlemen receiving gold medals for putting 
 a certain number of acorns into the ground, 
 or raising so many firs or beech-trees. 
 
 Nothing of the kind, however, had 
 taken place in the part of the country to 
 which I wish to lead the reader. All the 
 good ground was well cultivated, producing 
 ample crops. A large portion of the second- 
 rate soil was covered with trees ; but they 
 were tall and stately, and of no new plant- 
 ing ; the inferior lands were left very 
 much as nature had made them, though a 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 9 
 
 picturesque taste in some one long dead, 
 had scattered over waste and common little 
 groups of beeches and firs, which diversified 
 and embellished the scene. 
 
 In the midst of one of these commons, 
 of several miles in extent, was a small lake 
 or large pond, computed to be nearly four 
 miles in circuit. It was fed by a little 
 river of remarkably clear water, flowing 
 from the higher ground, and was as irre- 
 gular in shape as could be well conceived. 
 In one place, a sandy point ran out into 
 the water, as if anxious to reach the land 
 on the other side, and then again, a deep 
 sweeping bay presented itself, with high 
 sandstone banks, which aspired almost 
 to the dignity of cliffs, The extremity 
 towards the west was broad ; and the bank 
 there displayed indications of man's handi- 
 work, in the shape of a high raised bul- 
 wark, with a pair of old flood-gates in the 
 midst, to let the water off when it rose too 
 high. But the other end, by which the 
 stream entered, was gradually lost to the 
 B 5 
 
10 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 eye, partly by the winding of the shores, 
 and partly by a number of self-sown trees, 
 which had grouped themselves in various 
 pleasant and fantastic shapes, on the 
 richer ground that lay in that direction. 
 Many another spot along the banks, how- 
 ever, was dotted with birch -trees and firs, 
 and in one or two places, a fine old oak 
 was seen, shooting its roots down to the 
 very water of the pond, and waving its 
 branches and green leaves above. 
 
 Peeping out from amidst the trees 1 
 have mentioned, near the river's mouth, 
 were a thatch, two chimneys, and part of 
 the white walls of a lonely cottage It 
 seemed a comfortable dwelling enough, 
 roomy, and in good repair ; and at a little 
 distance, where the water was deeper, a 
 boat-house, raised upon piles, protruded 
 over the surface of the pond. Before the 
 cottage swung a sign, having emblazoned, 
 in very glaring colours, a somewhat com- 
 plicated coat of arms, in which even the 
 monsters of heraldry were made more 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 11 
 
 monstrous by the skill of the artist 
 who painted it. In one place was a uni- 
 corn, which looked exceedingly like a 
 maimed cow, and in another place, a 
 dragon, which might have frightened St. 
 George himself. On the face of the house 
 was an inscription, which I may have to 
 notice hereafter ; but of which it is enough 
 at present to say, that it afforded a general 
 and pressing invitation to all classes of 
 his Gracious Majesty's lieges. 
 
 On the left side of this great pond, or 
 lake, as one looked from the embankment 
 towards the narrower end, was a road, 
 which without following all the sinuosities 
 of the bank, kept in general very near to 
 the water, passing under the shadow of 
 several different groups of trees, and then 
 running up the dell by the side of the 
 river. On the right hand and on the left 
 stretched the wide common, now covered 
 in all places with heath in full flower ; and 
 as one pursued the road I have mentioned, 
 which chose by preference the lower ground, 
 
12 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 nothing else was to be seen but the sandy 
 hills, tossed about in wild confusion, and 
 covered with a purple coat of bloom, the 
 clear tarn, and the scattered trees. 
 
 Such was the aspect of the scene during 
 the day, and in the broad light of the 
 sun ; but now it was night, as I have said ; 
 and the flood of yellow moonlight was over 
 all, when a woman, with a cloak wrapped 
 round her, walked along that road. The 
 stars were swallowed up in the lustre of 
 the planet ; and not a cloud was in the 
 sky. A faint breeze rippled the water, 
 causing it to break here and there into 
 long lines of gold ; and the purple hue of 
 the heath, though no flower could be dis- 
 tinguished, made itself felt through the 
 shadows of the night. 
 
 The whole scene was very beautiful even 
 then, solemn, and sweet, and calm ; and 
 the deep, brooding silence, seemed to 
 make the heart listen, as if it were the 
 hour for an angel to speak. 
 
 With a wavering and uncertain step, the 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 13 
 
 wanderer pursued her way. She seemed 
 very young, slight and delicate in form ; 
 and there was something in her air and 
 look, which might make one fancy that she 
 was not fitted or accustomed to wander 
 alone on solitary moors. She carried 
 something in her arms too, partly covered 
 by the cloak ; and once or twice she 
 seemed to pause and press it to her more 
 closely, adjusting the garment round it, 
 and sometimes peeping in to look at it by 
 the light of the moon. Once, when the 
 road approached close to the water, she 
 stood still, turned towards the wide and 
 glittering expanse, and gazed over it ear- 
 nestly. 
 
 What were her feelings at that mo- 
 ment \ I fear they were very painful, but 
 such as many a one has felt, such as some 
 have struggled against, and some have 
 yielded to. There it lay, spread out be- 
 fore her, calm, glittering, cool. It seemed 
 to invite to peace and rest, to offer a re- 
 fuge for care, and gnawing want, and fierce 
 
14 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 anxiety, and fiery passion, and the op- 
 pressive load of thought. One step ; and 
 all would be tranquillity within her young 
 and troubled heart. One step ; and the 
 fierce, desolating fight of hope and fear 
 would be at an end for ever. 
 
 It was a fiend that spoke ; and she 
 would not listen. She clasped her arms 
 more tightly round the burden that she 
 carried ; and, as if with greater firmness 
 from a victorious struggle, trod on her 
 way with a less wavering step. 
 
 The road led her past the cottage I 
 have mentioned ; and she paused and 
 looked up at it, as if with a longing to ask 
 shelter there. But it was all dark ; no 
 sign of light or life within ; and, sitting 
 down on a wooden bench, beneath an elm 
 before the door, she took a few mi- 
 nutes' repose, swaying slowly backwards 
 and forwards, with a rocking sort of motion 
 as she sat. Then again she rose, and 
 pursued the path up the stream, as it ran 
 on chequered with light and shade, some- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 15 
 
 times under the full beams of the bright 
 queen of night, sometimes deep in shadow 
 of the overhanging trees. 
 
 The way she had to tread was more 
 than a mile-and-a-half from the cottage by 
 the great pond ; and it well might have 
 seemed a weary way. But it did not. 
 It appeared to her marvellously, painfully 
 short. It was not that she knew every 
 step of the path, every tree by the road 
 side, every bank and stone, every turn of 
 the stream, though she did know them all 
 with the memory of early youth. It was 
 not that the way was pleasant, and the 
 scene fair ; but it was that she had a task 
 to accomplish, a painful, a terrible task, 
 a task that wrung her heart with anguish, 
 even at the distant contemplation. We 
 all know how fast pain runs to meet us, and 
 how slowly joy approaches. 
 
 At length, after the common was left 
 far behind, and the road had run on for 
 nearly half a mile between a bank and 
 the river, there was a gate and a small 
 
16 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 turn-stile on the left hand leading to a 
 path through a green meadow. The 
 wanderer took that path and followed 
 it to the other side of the field which was 
 bounded by an ancient stone wall having 
 at the spot where the path ended three fiat 
 stones projecting from the wall on either 
 side to give admission to foot passengers 
 into the enclosure beyond. 
 
 Carefully and timidly she mounted the 
 steps on one side and descended on the 
 other, and now found herself in a park 
 close by an avenue of trees, up which ran 
 the road she had lately left in order to take 
 the shorter cut across the field. It was 
 not a very widely extended park, nor much 
 varied in its scenery. Hardly a couple of 
 hundred acres would have been found with- 
 in the walls ; and, except a gentle fall of 
 the ground here and there, the only orna- 
 ments the scene possessed were the fine 
 old solemn trees. On the eastern side of 
 the park, at the distance of three or four 
 hundred yards from the wall which formed 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 17 
 
 a part of the enclosure of the garden, stood 
 a house, to our notions, much too large for 
 the surrounding grounds. It was one of 
 those old stone buildings with projecting 
 wings and centres of which many fine 
 specimens still remain, with flat-topped 
 mullioned windows, many, but small, with 
 broad gravelled terrace before the principal 
 door, separated by a light screen of stone- 
 work from the park, steps to descend to 
 the green sward below, and broad steps 
 again to ascend to the entrance hall. Stone 
 vases, filled with large plants, were ranged 
 along the terrace- wall, and a small basin 
 was in the centre, ornamented with a 
 group of statuary. 
 
 It was now just half past ten o'clock at 
 night ; and the shadow of the neighbouring 
 trees fell over two thirds of the terrace. 
 Every window on the great front of the 
 house was dark ; but in several rooms of 
 the side od which the wanderer approached 
 were lights, showing that the household 
 was still up. Crossing the avenue and the 
 
18 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 green sward of the park after looking long 
 and timidly around, she ascended the steps 
 to the terrace. The sound of her own foot- 
 fall on the gravel startled her ; and then 
 pausing, she stood like a statue for a moment 
 or two pressing the burden that she carried 
 tight to her heart. She bent her head over 
 it ; the moonlight was not upon her ; but 
 the drops were very bright that fell from 
 her eyes. 
 
 Hark ! there is the distant sound of a 
 carriage. She runs hastily up the steps to 
 the hall-door ; and, on the broad stone 
 threshold, lays down her burden. Then 
 darting away with a low moan she is lost 
 in the deeper shadow below the terrace. 
 
 The sound of the wheels continued ; and 
 soon a large distant bell was heard to ring. 
 It might be that of the lodge at the park 
 gates. All noise then ceased for a moment 
 or two ; and then a carriage rolled slowly 
 up the avenue, large, heavy, cumbrous, 
 according to the fashion of that day, and 
 drawn by four horses. No servants were 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 19 
 
 behind it, although it was customary to 
 crowd the foot-board upon all occasions 
 of ceremony ; but there were two men in 
 livery, mounted on good stout horsey and 
 furnished, as w r as neither uncustomary nor 
 unnecessary, with pistols at the saddle bow. 
 On the vehicle rolled up the slope to the 
 terrace and stopped before the steps of the 
 great door. One of the men on horseback 
 gave his* rein to the other, and springing to 
 the side of the carriage let down the steps. 
 The sounds, without any ringing of a bell- 
 had brought forth servants from the in- 
 terior of the house ; and the door was 
 opened showing lights within, just as a 
 gentleman somewhat past the middle age 
 got out of the carriage and slowly mounted 
 the steps. 
 
 He was a tall, powerful man, well made 
 in all his proportions and might have seen 
 forty-eight or forty-nine years. 
 
 The light elasticity of youth was 
 w r as gone ; and a little gout and some sor- 
 rows had made him feel, if not look, older 
 
20 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 than he really was. His step then, though 
 firm, was slow ; and there was an air of 
 dignified thought about him which might 
 have given a casual observer a wrong im- 
 pression of his character. It is not neces- 
 sary to dwell upon that character here any 
 farther than to remark that, though his 
 general look bespoke calm and even grave 
 meditation and that sort of imperturbable 
 state of mind which generally accompanies 
 a cold and passionless disposition, yet he 
 was in reality by nature impetuous and 
 somewhat hasty in temper. 
 
 However, not to rest longer on such 
 matters, he ascended the steps slowly and 
 deliberately, and was entering the house, 
 his foot suspended over the very threshold, 
 when something made him suddenly pause 
 and turn round. It might be that a little 
 faint cry met his ear, or that the servant 
 who had opened the carriage door gave an 
 exclamation of surprise, or that the light 
 which the butler held to show his master 
 the way poured its rays somewhat beyond 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 21 
 
 the door, and touched upon an object lying 
 on the top step a little to the left. Be this 
 as it may, the gentleman suddenly turned 
 in that direction, and stooping down, raised 
 up with both his hands what seemed to be 
 a small basket. 
 
 The unexpected movement of his master 
 called the butler further out with the light; 
 and he exclaimed aloud the next moment, 
 
 fc< Good gracious, Sir John, it's a baby !" 
 
 " It is indeed," replied the gentleman, in 
 full, soft, clear tones, in which there was 
 more of pity than surprise. " Who can 
 have placed it here V 9 
 
 " Some hussey or another, I dare say," 
 answered the butler. 
 
 " We cannot tell, my good friend," re- 
 plied his master. "Who can say what 
 misery, what anguish of heart, has reduced 
 the mother of this child to break through 
 all the tenderest and dearest ties, and leave 
 her offspring to the mercy of strangers V 
 
 It would seem that the child made some 
 movement ; for the moment after, he added, 
 
22 THE OLD OAK CHEST, 
 
 " Nay, nay, poor little abandoned one, thou 
 shalt not want a friend — send Mrs. Giles 
 to me." 
 
 " Let me carry it, sir," said the butler. 
 
 " No," replied the gentleman, " I will 
 take it in myself ;" and, walking into the 
 hall, he turned through a door to the right 
 into a large old wainscoted dining-room 
 hung round with finely painted family 
 portraits. 
 
 The butler placed the light upon the 
 table, and went to call the housekeeper as 
 he had been ordered ; but not without 
 casting an inquiring glance at the child and 
 the sort of basket which contained it. 
 The latter, whoever had constructed it, 
 seemed to have been formed upon the 
 pattern of that which once contained the 
 great law-giver of the Jews ; not that it 
 was exactly made of bulrushes, but its 
 principal material was the broad rush or 
 water flag, dried and platted. In shape 
 it was somewhat like a small boat ; and it 
 was lined throughout with very fine flannel. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 23 
 
 The child's face, the man could not see, 
 for it was partly hidden by his master's 
 arm, partly by a piece of thin cambric, 
 against the folds of which its little hands 
 seemed to be striving manfully. There 
 was nothing more to be seen but some lace 
 and some small pink ribbons ; and the man 
 hurried his footsteps as much as possible in 
 order to gain a little time to communi- 
 cate a part at least of the news to Mrs. 
 Giles before any one else. 
 
 That stately lady — a personage of not 
 much less than six feet in height tapering 
 upwards from a wide extent of petticoat 
 below to a small head which looked like the 
 knob on the top of an extinguisher — rose 
 up with surprise and some degree of horror 
 at the butler's tale, and hastened to her 
 master revolving as she went the names 
 and positions of various young women in 
 the neighbourhood whose conduct had ex- 
 cited grave suspicions in her mind. When 
 she reached the dining-room she found her 
 master standing beside the table on which 
 
24 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 he had laid the cradle and the infant that 
 it contained, and gazing intently upon the 
 now uncovered face of the child who was 
 looking round it with large wide open black 
 eyes as if surprised to find itself there. It 
 uttered no cry, and seemed a fine healthy 
 infant. It was well dressed, too, according 
 to the fashion of that day ; and the appear- 
 ance of the little rushy cradle, of the small 
 packet of clothes which lay upon the in- 
 fant's feet, and the fine lawn handkerchief 
 which had been cast over it did not by 
 any means indicate poverty in the parents. 
 All this, Mrs. Giles gathered at a glance, 
 and was more puzzled than ever ; but she 
 remarked another thing ; which was, that 
 her master held a small white paper packet 
 in his hand, which he seemed to have taken 
 from the cradle ; and she argued thence 
 that the mystery would soon be solved. 
 She wondered indeed that Sir John had 
 not already opened the packet, the seal of 
 which was still unbroken ; and perhaps the 
 slightest possible touch of natural but very 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 25 
 
 unjust suspicion crossed her mind in con- 
 sequence of this apparent want of curiosity. 
 She had, however, served her master for 
 more than twenty years ; had seen him pass 
 through many pleasant and many painful 
 scenes of life ; was in reality a good and 
 charitable woman ; knew him well, judged 
 him justly ; and the suspicion vanished 
 instantly. 
 
 The conversation which followed be- 
 tween herself and her master, need not be 
 recapitulated here ; not that it was exactly 
 the same, as that which took place be- 
 tween good Squire Airworthy and Mrs. 
 Deborah Wilkins, under somewhat similar 
 circumstances ; for it was much milder in 
 its tone, Mrs. Giles being a person of far 
 superior education to her worthy proto- 
 type. Still there was but one thing for a 
 dutiful housekeeper to do under such cir- 
 cumstances : to wonder who could be the 
 parents of the child, to trust that it would 
 bring no scandal upon the family, and to 
 declaim a little on the impropriety of 
 
 vol i. c 
 
26 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 the whole transaction, which brought it 
 thither. 
 
 " It ma j not be so bad nor so unwise a 
 proceeding as you think, Mrs. Giles," re- 
 plied her master, mildly, " though cer- 
 tainly a better course might have been pur- 
 sued." 
 
 " La ! Does your worship know any 
 thing of the circumstances V exclaimed 
 the housekeeper. 
 
 " I think I do," replied her master, 
 glancing at the packet in his band. 
 
 " But }'ou have not opened it yet, Sir 
 John," suggested Mrs. Giles, with a fervent 
 desire to see that operation performed. 
 
 Sir John did not take the hint, merely 
 replying, 
 
 " One may gather much from a know- 
 ledge of the handwriting, my good lady. 
 I shall know something more presently. 
 In the mean time, take the poor little 
 thing, and have it well cared for. I really 
 do not know how to proceed in matters I 
 am so little acquainted with. A nurse 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 27 
 
 must be obtained immediately; but T 
 suppose all the people in the village are 
 asleep by this time V 
 
 " Oh, Sir! Martyr, the blacksmith's 
 wife, lost her baby this morning, poor 
 thing," said the housekeeper ; " and I am 
 sure, Sir, if you think fit — " 
 
 " That will do very well," said her 
 master, interrupting her. " Somebody 
 must be procured, at all events ; and I 
 suppose, the sooner the better. All the 
 arrangements I must trust to you, Mrs. 
 Giles. How sweetly the poor little fellow 
 lies looking at us, as if he understood we 
 are settling matters for his future advan- 
 tage." 
 
 * Lord bless you, Sir John," cried Mrs. 
 Giles, laughing, " it is a little girl. Don't 
 you see the cockade is at the side % Well, 
 I will take care of the poor babe ; but for 
 that matter, it could be brought up well 
 enough by hand, for it looks more than 
 three months' old, I think. Only I should 
 c 2 
 
28 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 like, if we could find out whose child it 
 
 is." 
 
 Her master smiled good-humouredly. 
 
 " You are a very discreet and prudent 
 woman, Mrs. Giles," he answered. " I 
 shall see more in a few minutes ; and if I 
 find it right to communicate the facts to 
 any one, depend upon it, the person chosen 
 shall be yourself. Now take it away to 
 your own room, and see what best can be 
 done for it." 
 
 The housekeeper obeyed ; but in passing 
 through the hall she found the butler and 
 a footman, and remarked that the outer 
 door had been left open. 
 
 " Dear me, Mr. Lewellyn, why, you 
 have not shut the door," she said ; " and 
 all the night air is coming in. Do tell 
 Peter to shut it, and then come and speak 
 to me in my room." 
 
 The footman hastened to obey the in- 
 junction, and, while the butler hurried 
 after Mrs, Giles to the housekeepers room, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 29 
 
 closed, locked, and bolted the great 
 outer door. The stream of light, which, 
 while it was open, had poured forth across 
 the terrace and into the park, disappeared. 
 Nothing was left but the moonlight and 
 the deep shadows of the trees ; and then a 
 female figure glided out from behind a tall 
 elm at no great distance from the terrace 
 wall, and took her way back across the 
 avenue and through the meadow at the side 
 of the park. 
 
 You might hear her sob as she went. 
 
30 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 Now for a chapter from Burke's Peerage 
 and Baronetage. 
 
 " Haldimand, Sir John, of Haldistow 
 
 Hall, County of and of Aberewmllyn 
 
 in the County of Glamorgan, Baronet, born 
 13th August 17 — , married 9th December, 
 1 7 — to Ellen only daughter of Lord Robert 
 Fitzavon, who died 7th September 1 7 — s: p. 
 Heir presumptive, William Haldimand Esq. 
 of Eastwick. This very ancient family is 
 said to be descended from Henry de Mande 
 who joined William the Conqueror in 
 England shortly after the battle of Hastings. 
 We find the name variously written in many 
 public documents from that day till the 
 middle of the fourteenth century, when Sir 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 31 
 
 Walter de Haldimand commanded a party 
 of English troops in Brittainy in support of 
 the famous Countess de Montfort. This 
 Sir Walter left three sons, the eldest of 
 whom, John, after greatly distinguishing 
 himself in the wars of Guienne, returned 
 to the family seat at Haldistow and married 
 Margaret daughter of Sir Francis Audley 
 by whom he left several sons. He was 
 succeeded by his eldest surviving child, 
 likewise named John, who took part with 
 the house of York in the wars of the Roses, 
 
 and was high sheriff of the county of 
 
 under Edward V. He joined the Earl of 
 Richmond, however, in the succeeding 
 struggle for the crown, and died shortly 
 after the battle of Bosworth field full of 
 years and honours. Never having married, 
 he was succeeded in the property of 
 Haldistow by the eldest son of his second 
 brother Richard, who likewise served the 
 office of high sheriff in the first year of 
 King Henry VIIL, and died in extreme old 
 age in the third year of the reign of Queen 
 
32 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 Elizabeth, as is stated in an inscription on 
 the superb monument erected to his me- 
 mory in Haldistow Church by his afflicted 
 widow, the Lady Martha, second daughter 
 to the Earl of Flint. He was succeeded 
 by his grandson John who married Eliza- 
 beth, sole heiress of Thomas Lloyd Esqr., 
 by whom the property in Glamorganshire 
 entered into the family of Haldimand. This 
 Sir John was knighted for his service^ in 
 the expedition against Cadiz, and left two 
 sons, Richard and Charles, and one daughter. 
 The two sons successively inherited the 
 property at Haldistow ; and Sir Charles, of 
 whom very few memorials remain, lived to 
 see the restoration of the house of Stuart 
 and died in the second year after that 
 event. He was succeeded by his only son 
 Walter who remained attached to the cause 
 of the unfortunate James II. till after the de- 
 feat of that monarch at the battle of the Boyne. 
 He was created a baronet by King James in 
 the first year of his reign, but narrowly 
 escaped confiscation for his attachment to 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 33 
 
 the King by the interest of the family of 
 his wife, Mary Ann Churchill, closely allied 
 to the great Duke of Marlborough. He 
 died in the third year of the reign of King 
 William, leaving one son under age. The 
 property of the family greatly increased 
 during a long minority. John, the second 
 baronet, likewise died early, having married 
 Margaret Treherne, a Cornish lady by 
 whom he had issue, John and Francis. He 
 was succeeded by his son John in the year 
 1712. John, third baronet married in 1 739 
 Mary, fourth daughter of Sir William Grey 
 of Newtown in the County of Northumber- 
 land, by whom at his death in 1764 he left 
 issue 
 
 " John, present baronet, 
 William Grey, and 
 Richard George." 
 
 These three brothers were all surviving 
 at the time when this tale commences ; 
 and it is with some account of them and 
 C 5 
 
34 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 of their history that this genealogical chap- 
 ter must close. The two elder brothers, 
 John and William, were very nearly of the 
 same age, for only one year and three 
 months had elapsed between the birth of 
 the first and the second. The third was 
 several } r ears younger than either. John 
 from his very birth was of a robust and 
 powerful frame ; and his position gave him 
 great advantages He was the eldest son, 
 born to the inheritance of the great pro- 
 perty of the family, and likely, perhaps, 
 in common with most eldest sons, to be 
 spoiled by the over tenderness of affec- 
 tionate parents. But there was a great 
 deal that kept him from spoiling. In the 
 first place he was naturally of a bold, 
 frank, impetuous disposition, with warm 
 and permanent affections, and a true and 
 guileless heart. From a very early period 
 of life he showed that love of truth, that 
 abhorrence of falsehood, and that touch- 
 stone perception of deceit and affectation 
 in others, which is rather an instinct than 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 35 
 
 a result of reasoning. In the next place 
 his father was a kind and yet a judicious 
 man, somewhat reserved, but always ac- 
 cessible to his child. Then the birth of the 
 next brother soon took away his mother's 
 inclination to spoil him ; for, in all instances, 
 the baby is the favourite, during some time 
 at least ; andsuch was the case here for a longer 
 period than is usual. These are all nega- 
 tives ; but what, it may be asked, was his 
 positive advantage, I mean in the moral 
 sense % It was that being born the in- 
 heritor, and having nothing to look for or 
 to strive for by any slow or intricate pro- 
 cess, a free and liberal spirit had full liberty 
 to act in him ; the natural generosity of 
 his nature was not warped or curtailed by 
 circumstance ; and the only restraints 
 which he was called upon to place over his 
 feelings were those of principle and honour. 
 In short, while his natural character, and 
 the circumstances in which he was placed, 
 nullified all the disadvantages which some- 
 times totally ruin the mind and even the 
 
36 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 manners of an elder son, all the many ad- 
 vantages of that position, and they are 
 many, were secured to him. He was 
 subject to no debasing influences, and sur- 
 rounded by all that could elevate. In point 
 of education he followed the usual course 
 of that day, received good instruction 
 under a judicious tutor at home and at a 
 public school, passed some time at a uni- 
 versity, giving promise of literary distinc- 
 tion which he never attained, made the 
 grand tour, returned home, fell in love, 
 and married some few years after his 
 father's death. He was as happy as heart 
 could wish ; but his happiness was of very 
 short continuance. The wife whom he 
 loved with deep and devoted affection gave 
 birth to a child which survived but a few 
 hours ; and mother and son were laid in 
 the same grave. 
 
 More than cwenty years passed, and Sir 
 John Haldimand never married again. The 
 shock he had received coloured the whole 
 of his life with a certain hue of melancholy 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 37 
 
 which he made no effort to throw off. He 
 lived hospitably, splendidly ; was no enemy 
 to cheerfulness in others ; encouraged all 
 innocent sports, and promoted innocent 
 recreations amongst his poorer neighbours ; 
 was mild to faults and failings, except 
 when affectation, meanness, or deceit, 
 aroused the sarcastic spirit within him ; 
 took part in all the usual occupations of a 
 country gentleman of the time, and sought 
 rather than shunned amusement ; but he 
 did not often smile, and rarely if ever 
 laughed. When he did so, however, it was 
 with that clear, merry, joyous peal which 
 showed what a happy heart had been 
 smothered under the nuns of his domestic 
 peace. He was a good landlord, a good 
 master, a good neighbour, and was very 
 much loved and esteemed by all who knew 
 him, except by a small attorney in the 
 neighbouring town, and by one or two 
 foolish county magistrates from whom he 
 occasionally differed in opinion. 
 
 It may now be time to turn to his two 
 
38 THE OLD OAK CHEST., 
 
 brothers. The elder of these, as I have 
 said, was very nearly of the same age as 
 the baronet, but he was a very different 
 man in appearance and disposition. He 
 was at least four inches shorter, slightly 
 and delicately formed, and remarkably 
 handsome in features. Nevertheless, most 
 men thought Sir John the handsomer man 
 of the two. It was the expression that 
 was different ; and there, indeed, the 
 baronet had greatly the advantage. 
 
 I know not whether it was the suggestion 
 of some foolish nurse in early years, or 
 whether it was an inspiration of the devil 
 himself, which caused a sort of envy of his 
 elder brother to grow up in the mind of 
 William Haldimand ; but certain it is that 
 from a very early period of life he learned 
 to think it hard that he himself was not 
 the eldest son. This may seem very ab- 
 surd, but such was nevertheless the case ; 
 and I believe we should find full as much 
 absurdity in our own feelings whenever we 
 are inclined to grumble at any of the dis- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 39 
 
 pensations of Providence. True, he did 
 not exactly assert, even in his own mind, 
 that of right he ought to have been the 
 eldest son. That might have been going 
 somewhat too far ; but, however his feel- 
 ings were cloaked, it is clear he thought it 
 was hard he was not so. He murmured 
 that eldest sons should have any privileges 
 at all over the younger brothers, that John 
 should have the estates and the title, 
 though I very much doubt whether, had 
 he been in John's position, he would have 
 found so much to condemn in the laws of 
 primogeniture ; nor did he, when he found 
 that he himself was to succeed to his 
 mother's property, which was considerable, 
 ever think of dividing it with his younger 
 brother Richard. Moreover, when he be- 
 came aware that his mother's property was 
 to be his, this did not in the least degree 
 diminish the feelings of envy with which 
 he regarded his elder brother. They grew 
 with his growth and strengthened with his 
 strength ; and he pondered over them 
 
40 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 bitterly during many a solitary hour. Be- 
 ing in his youth a very beautiful but very 
 delicate child, he was greatly spoiled by 
 his mother, and by many of the people 
 about him. He was not only indulged, 
 but he was humoured, which is something 
 more. None of his wayward thoughts and 
 feelings were corrected. Though he was 
 taught much, he was educated little ; and 
 the field of his mind, unplanted with good 
 principles, was suffered to produce a large 
 crop of vices. 
 
 This is perhaps as much as it is needful 
 to say of his character. His brother John 
 would willingly have loved him ; but the 
 younger brother always wrangled with the 
 elder in boyhood ; and when John, in any 
 of their sports, quietly walked away to 
 avoid the petulance of William, the other 
 would accuse him in his heart of haughty 
 pride. 
 
 On the death of their parents, they 
 took their path apart in life ; William 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 41 
 
 living much in London, mingling in busy 
 scenes, and pursuing the crooked paths of 
 policy and intrigue. There seemed, how- 
 ever, a sort of fatality attending his 
 efforts. None of them were successful, 
 at least to the point at which his ambition 
 aimed. There was something about him, 
 which caused men to mistrust him ; and 
 the acerbity of his nature, rendered more 
 sharp by repeated disappointment, caused 
 him to be disliked, notwithstanding many 
 ingenious efforts to please. He married 
 about the same time as his brother, and 
 bought a property at the farther end of the 
 same county, There was no decided 
 quarrel between the two brothers ; and 
 they frequently met. Nay, more, Mr. 
 William Haldimand somewhat courted Sir 
 John ; for the entail of the Haldistow 
 estate ended with the latter ; and when 
 the wife of the former gave birth to a 
 daughter, William Haldimand asked his 
 brother to act as her godfather. Never- 
 theless, the birth of that daughter was a 
 
42 THE OLD OAK CHEST, 
 
 great mortification to the father ; for 
 much depended on his having a son. 
 
 If the reader has remarked the genea- 
 logical history of the family, he must have 
 perceived that ever since the period at 
 which the Glamorganshire property, the 
 most valuable of their possessions, entered 
 into the family, the whole had descended 
 from male to male ; but the Welsh estates 
 were so settled, that they could not pass 
 to any female branch, reverting always to 
 the nearest male. Now Mr. William Hal- 
 dimand was an ambitious man ; and his 
 mind was filled with many of those dreams 
 which flit more frequently before the eyes 
 of the unsuccessfully ambitious than of 
 the successful. When he saw his brother's 
 wife and child both expire within a few 
 days of each other, he completely made 
 up bis mind that Sir John would never 
 marry again. He knew the strength of 
 his brother's attachments, and perhaps 
 based his expectations upon that know- 
 ledge. He saw himself, in imagination, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 43 
 
 possessed of all the large estates of the 
 family; and he flattered himself that his 
 skill and abilities could not fail to add a 
 coronet to the bloody hand. He thought 
 to be the founder of a peerage, and to 
 transmit to his children and his children's 
 children, a title of his own winning. 
 
 The birth of a daughter, then, was a dis- 
 appointment to him ; he disliked the 
 child, and showed it from the first. He 
 hoped, however, that a son would follow ; 
 in that hope he went on from year to year, 
 but was still disappointed ; and that dis- 
 appointment made his unnatural dislike to 
 his daughter but the stronger and the 
 more apparent. He actually treated the 
 child ill ; and this was the cause of the 
 first serious quarrel between himself and 
 his brother. Sir John ventured to remon- 
 strate, and received a sharp reply. Much 
 provoked, he answered with a stinging sar- 
 casm, which showed William Haldimand 
 that he was known to the very core, where 
 he little thought it ; and he gave way to all 
 the fury of passion. 
 
44 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 Sir John ordered his carriage and drove 
 away, resolving to see as little of his 
 brother as possible ; but his was not an 
 implacable spirit ; and he would easily 
 have been brought both to forgive and to 
 forget. Such, however, was not the case 
 w r ith his brother. Mr. William Haldimand 
 never forgave : nay, more, he believed 
 not that any one else did so sincerely. 
 It seemed to him, therefore, that the quar- 
 rel between his brother and himself must 
 be permanent ; that it was, in fact, a 
 struggle and a strife just begun, but which 
 would only end with their lives. He 
 determined to contest the county with his 
 brother ; and. at the very next election, 
 announced himself as a candidate, up- 
 on principles the most opposite to those 
 which his family had always maintain- 
 ed. He had worked underhand for some 
 time before, and entertained good hope of 
 success. In his printed address to the 
 electors, he hypocritically bewailed the 
 unfortunate difference in political opinion 
 which compelled him to oppose his ow 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 45 
 
 brother, declaring that nothing would have 
 induced him to do so but the solicitation of 
 a great body of electors, and the over- 
 powering weight of the questions involved 
 at the time. 
 
 Sir John Haldimand was taken by sur- 
 prise ; but he acted with wonderful cool- 
 ness and tranquillity. He gave himself 
 up for one whole day to thought, and 
 then publicly announced his determination 
 not to contest the county with his brother. 
 He guarded himself carefully, however, 
 against the supposition that he approved 
 either of Mr. William Haldimand's pro- 
 ceedings or of his political principles ; 
 announcing that if another candidate 
 started on whom he ?could rely, he should 
 assuredly give him his vote without the 
 slightest consideration of family connexion. 
 
 Another candidate did soon appear. 
 The contest was fierce and vehement. 
 Although corruption was not at that time, 
 by a great deal, so generally extended as 
 at present, yet bribes were larger, and 
 
46 THE O'lD OAK CHEST. 
 
 expenses enormous. Mr. William Haldi- 
 mand staked all upon the cast. He spent 
 all his ready money; he borrowed here 
 and there ; he mortgaged his lands ; but 
 he was successful for once. He carried the 
 county, and fancied that the position he 
 would attain in Parliament, after such a 
 struggle, and in a moment of great minis- 
 terial necessity, would ensure him rewards 
 sufficient to compensate for all that he had 
 expended. 
 
 Here, however, he was disappointed, 
 a petition was presented against his re- 
 turn. Ministers were prudent, though not 
 grateful — what ministers ever are ? — and 
 they held their hands, till they saw the 
 result of the investigation. Before it was 
 concluded, they were defeated upon two 
 or three important questions, and re- 
 signed. Mr. William Haldimand now saw 
 himself well nigh ruined, and without the 
 slightest prospect of attaining the objects 
 of his ambition. Could anything have 
 given him comfort, it would have been the 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 47 
 
 birth of a son about this time. This was 
 indeed a gratification ; but he had grown 
 morose, irritable, and capricious ; and his 
 conduct towards his daughter, though 
 perhaps somewhat less harsh, was not less 
 unjust and injudicious. She was now a 
 very beautiful girl of some twelve years' 
 old, engaging in her manners, though 
 timid : one that might well have formed a 
 father's happiness. But by her father she 
 was totally neglected. She moved about 
 the house, as if he hardly knew of her 
 existence. He seldom spoke to her, and 
 then almost always sharply. As long as 
 her mother lived, however, she had com- 
 fort ; but that comfort was soon to be 
 taken away. Before she was fifteen, her 
 mother w r as seized with lingering illness, 
 and died at the end of eleven months. 
 Mr. William Haldimand immediately con- 
 tracted all his expenses, shut up his house 
 in the country, established his abode in 
 London, and became as penurious as he 
 had before been profuse. 
 
48 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 But it is now time to turn to the youngest 
 of the three brothers. Richard Haldimand 
 was nearly six years younger than his bro- 
 ther William, and as he succeeded neither 
 to the property of his father nor of his 
 mother, he had been destined by his 
 parents for the church from a very early 
 age ; for there was an exceedingly good 
 living in the gift of the family which had 
 often been made use of as a provision for a 
 younger son. The incumbent was not a 
 very young man when the boy was born ; 
 so that it did not seem likely he would be 
 kept out of the benefice long after he had 
 qualified himself to possess it. Though 
 loved and petted by his father, his mother, 
 and his eldest brother, it seemed that 
 nothing could spoil the gentle amiability of 
 his disposition. He was placable, kind, 
 gentle, good, and obedient. He buckled 
 to his studies for the Church with great 
 zeal and attention, which compensated for 
 some want of ability. But at the period 
 of his father's death, he had not yet taken 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 49 
 
 orders ; and the good old clergyman, 
 whom he was to succeed, was as hale, as 
 healthy, and as active as ever. His situ- 
 ation for a short time was somewhat pain- 
 ful. The late baronet had left very little 
 besides the entail of estates, and those 
 family goods and chattels which naturally 
 descended to the eldest son. With the 
 exception of these, he bequeathed his whole 
 personal estate to the youngest, probably 
 deceiving himself as to its amount, as 
 many people do. When it came to be 
 calculated by men of business, however, 
 they found that it would not produce more 
 than one hundred per annum : equal 
 perhaps to two of the present day, but 
 still a mere pittance, for one who had 
 been brought up with expensive habits 
 and tastes. 
 
 The three brothers were at this time 
 assembled in Haldistow Hall after the 
 funeral ; and two lawyers were also there, 
 arranging the executorial affairs. Richard 
 heard the small amount of his fortune 
 
 vol. I. d 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 with great equanimity ; shrugged his shoul- 
 ders with a quiet smile, and said, 
 
 " Well, I must make it do. I don't 
 doubt. John, that you will give me the 
 living when it falls in, though, God bless 
 good old Mr. Chantry, I trust we shall not 
 miss his white hair and ruddy face out of 
 the pulpit for many a year." 
 
 William Haldimand turned to the win- 
 dow with a somewhat contemptuous smile, 
 for he had no idea of people wishing 
 another man to live who kept them out of 
 an advantage. 
 
 Sir John, however, pressed his youngest 
 brother's hand, saying, 
 
 • The living is your own, Dick. It was 
 always promised to you, and that ought to 
 be as good as if it were given. My poor 
 father could not know how little you would 
 have, or he would have taken better care 
 of you. Come, and let us have a turn 
 on the terrace." 
 
 When he was gone, the family's solicitor 
 who was writing at the table, raised his 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 51 
 
 eyes to Mr. William Haldimand. say- 
 ing, 
 
 " Your brother is quite right, Mr. Wil- 
 liam. Your father always fancied that the 
 personals were three or four times as much 
 as they really are ; otherwise, he would cer- 
 tainly have provided better for so very 
 amiable and good a young man as Sir. 
 Richard." 
 
 " Tanto buon che val niente !" replied 
 William sneeringly ; and with this truly 
 Italian proverb, Italian in spirit as well 
 as language, he walked out of the 
 room. The lawyer resumed his writing, 
 and, in about a quarter of an hour, was 
 joined by Sir John Haldimand, who sat 
 and talked with him for some time. 
 
 Two days after, Richard was to take his 
 departure for Oxford ; but his brother 
 John pressed him earnestly to remain a 
 few days more. William having gone 
 away to London, the eldest and the 
 youngest brother passed their time in 
 calm and quiet occupations, tinged with 
 D 2 
 
 u. jf io: ua 
 
52 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 some sadness from the memory of their 
 recent loss, but interrupted by no matters 
 of business. The last night of Richard's 
 stay arrived, however ; and just as he was 
 wishing Sir John good night, the baronet 
 drew a parchment-packet from his pocket, 
 and put it into his brother's hands, say- 
 
 " There, Dick. We must not all be rich, 
 and you poor, my dear boy — there, not a 
 word !" 
 
 And taking him kindly by the shoulders, 
 he put him out of the room. 
 
 When Richard Haldimand reached his 
 own chamber, opened the parchment, and 
 could make out the meaning of the words 
 it bore, he found that it was a deed settling 
 upon him a thousand a year, chargeable 
 upon the whole Haldistow property, and 
 binding the heirs and executors of his 
 brother as well as Sir John himself. The 
 young man's eyes ran over with tears ; and 
 he invoked a blessing on his brother's head ; 
 but his next words were, " Now, I can 
 marry Lucy ;" and he did marry Lucy. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 53 
 
 The marriage, however, did not take 
 place very soon ; for the parents of the lady, 
 were wise and prudent people, who, though 
 moderate in their wishes and expectations, 
 judged that it would be better for their 
 future son-in-law to be in possession of the 
 living promised him ere he became the 
 husband of their daughter. This delay 
 was of little importance, seeing that 
 both were very young ; the lady just 
 sixteen, and he not yet of age. So that if 
 man can ever count upon time, they had 
 time before them. If the truth must be 
 spoken, perhaps they doubted the character 
 of Richard Haldimand ; for his gentleness 
 and his tenderness gave to all worldly 
 people an idea of weakness. There was a 
 yielding facility about him in all the ordi- 
 nary things of life which made many per- 
 sons believe — and amongst the rest, his 
 brother William — that he had no real 
 stability ; that he was the soft wax, in 
 short, which received its impression from 
 anything near it. Those who so thought, 
 however, did him injustice. He was 
 
54 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 kind and gentle and affectionate ; and 
 he had schooled his heart, when he first 
 determined upon embracing the ecclesiasti- 
 cal profession, to look lightly upon the 
 things of this world and attach but little 
 importance to them. But he did this upon 
 principle ; and principle was very strong 
 within him. Any self-sacrifice he was 
 ready to make ; any whim, caprice or de- 
 sire, he would yield at once for the happi- 
 ness or gratification of another ; but no 
 principle would he yield on any account, 
 although he strove as far as possible to 
 prevent his resistance from seeming harsh 
 and unbending. 
 
 He had nearly five years to wait before 
 the living came into his possession. This 
 was followed by his marriage ; but even 
 then, though he had never cause to regret 
 his choice, his wedded life was not alto- 
 gether without shade. His two first 
 children, he lost in their birth, and was more 
 grieved than he thought to be right. At 
 length, however, a fine, healthy, hardy boy 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 5^ 
 
 was granted him ; and now lie would have 
 been perfectly happy, had not those dissen- 
 sions of which I have already spoken, 
 broken out between his brothers John and 
 William. He tried hard to reconcile them ; 
 and with Sir John he had little or no diffi- 
 culty ; for though of a very different cha- 
 racter from himself, the baronet was not at 
 all of an unforgiving disposition. 
 
 " My dear Dick," he said, in his rapid 
 and decided way, " I will see William when- 
 ever he likes to seek it. I will be recon- 
 ciled to him, as you call it. I will never 
 allude to any cause of offence between us, 
 nor act in any other way than I would have 
 acted before our quarrel. But you must 
 not exactly expect me to forget. I will 
 indeed endeavour to think as little as possi- 
 ble of what has occurred ; and as far as 
 all personal offence goes, I can sweep it 
 away as if it had never existed. But there 
 are things not to be so effaced, my dear 
 Dick, lines which, once drawn, can never be 
 obliterated ; I mean my view of William's 
 
£6 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 character. Each man in setting out in life 
 is furnished with a painting brush and a 
 pot of colours ; and one of his allotted 
 tasks is to paint his own portrait on the 
 hearts and minds of those with whom he is 
 brought much in contact, in strokes that 
 cannot be erased. William has done so 
 with me. I believe the likeness is a good 
 one ; but at all events there it must re- 
 main." 
 
 " But he may change," urged Dick. 
 " Time, experience, God's grace, repen- 
 tance, may work a vast alteration." 
 
 " Then he must paint a new picture," 
 replied Sir John, with a smile ; " but," he 
 added, laying his hand affectionately on his 
 brother's arm, " I promise you, my dear 
 brother, that he shall have every opportu- 
 nity of doing so whenever he chooses 
 to seek it." 
 
 With William, however, Richard Haldi- 
 rnand had a much harder task. He would 
 not make the slightest advance ; and, to 
 tell the truth, he was the less disposed to do 
 so because his brother Richard was the 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST, 57 
 
 mediator ; for he not only undervalued him 
 and misapprehended him altogether, but 
 he was jealous of him. His constant com- 
 munication and affectionate intercourse 
 with their elder brother — Sir John's attach- 
 ment to his little boy, which was very 
 great -and the frequent and lengthened 
 visits of young Charles Haldimand to his 
 uncle's house, were all sources of annoyance 
 to William, who could not be convinced 
 that his brother Richard was not aiming at 
 objects which he considered of vital im- 
 portance. He did not venture to say so 
 broadly, indeed ; but he insinuated that 
 such was the case more than once. Richard, 
 however, did not understand him in the 
 least, and went on with his charitable 
 office ; but his efforts proved of no avail. 
 The two brothers were still alienated from 
 each other, and had not met in public or 
 in private for seven cr eight years, when, 
 as we have seen, a new tenant was intro- 
 duced, under somewhat extraordinary cir- 
 cumstances into the house of Sir John 
 Haldimand. 
 
58 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Having now given the reader a brief sketch 
 of the history of the Haldiraand family, I 
 will take up my tale at the place where I 
 left of!. 
 
 Sir John Haldimand seated himself in 
 the dining-room, opened the packet in his 
 hand, and read. He was some time about 
 it ; for the packet contained two sheets of 
 paper closely written, and some scraps in a 
 more straggling hand. After he had perused 
 every word, the baronet sat with his head 
 leaning on his hand in profound meditation 
 for about half an hour ; and then rising, he 
 walked into his library in which he usually 
 sat. There he rang the bell for the house- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 59 
 
 keeper ; and when Mrs. Giles appeared, 
 he made her shut the door, and also an 
 inner door covered with green baize. This 
 precaution might be against the wind which 
 had a habit of blowing somewhat sharply 
 through the old house ; but it proved very 
 inconvenient to the butler, who could not 
 hear a word of what passed within though 
 his ear was close to the key-hole. He ap- 
 plied that organ first, otherwise he would 
 not have found it necessary to murmur — 
 
 " How quiet they are ! What can Sir 
 John and Mrs. Giles be doing V 
 
 The next instant he brought his eye to 
 bear upon the key-hole, and then became 
 convinced that the baize door on the inside 
 was shut, which accounted for no sounds 
 reaching his ear. As nothing could be 
 gained, and something might be lost by 
 remaining were he was, he walked away 
 as soon as he had made this discovery, 
 thinking— 
 
 " I will get it all out of Mrs. Giles after- 
 wards." 
 
60 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 "But reckoning without the house-keeper is 
 sometimes as bad as reckoning without the 
 host ; and in this instance Mr. Le welly n 
 was disappointed. Nothing did he get out 
 of Mrs. Giles. Nor was any other person, 
 though many tried, more successful. 
 
 In the meantime, everything had been 
 done that could be done to secure good 
 nourishment, health, and comfort to the 
 little visitor. Mrs. Martyr, the black- 
 smith's wife, w r as exceedingly glad of an 
 opportunity of obliging Sir John Haldi- 
 mand, of increasing her husband's income, 
 and of consoling herself for the loss of her 
 own infant by turning her cares and her 
 affections upon another object. So she 
 took the poor babe to her bosom, and al- 
 though she wept a little at first when she 
 received it, yet it proved a comfort to her 
 ere many hours were over. Articles of 
 dress were prepared with the utmost dis- 
 patch ; and the arrival of the baby was 
 quite a god-send to every industrious finger 
 in the village ; for Sir John was exceed- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 61 
 
 ingly liberal in all his arrangements ; and, 
 as the people remarked with a laugh, he 
 could not have dressed the child better 
 had it been his own. 
 
 It may easily be imagined that the pre- 
 sence of the little stranger at Haldistow 
 caused a great deal of conversation and 
 not a little scandal, especially as Sir John 
 gave no explanations whatever as to who 
 she was, or whence she came, to any one, 
 if indeed we except Mrs. Giles. Not that 
 I take upon myself to say that he positively 
 did inform her ; for the conversation 
 between the baronet and the house-keeper 
 in the library reached no ears but their 
 own. At all events Mrs. Giles assumed 
 great knowledge, looked wise, spoke sen- 
 ten tiously, and gave many a person a flat 
 contradiction who presumed to insinuate 
 that there was a nearer connexion between 
 the baronet and the baby than merely that 
 of protector and protected. Although Mrs. 
 Giles was much respected in the village of 
 Haldistow and in the neighbourhood, yet 
 
62 THE OLD OAK CHEST, 
 
 her word would have gone for little or 
 nothing in a case like the present. 
 
 " 0, of course, she will stand up for her 
 master," said one. 
 
 " She is a very discreet woman," said 
 another. " Catch her telling tales out of 
 school." 
 
 " The child is a Haldimand clearly 
 enough," said a third, " It has got Sir 
 John's eyes ; and fine eyes they are too." 
 
 Opinions, however, were somewhat 
 shaken when Sir John Haldimand, the 
 second day after the child's arrival, brought 
 his brother Dick, and his brother Dick's 
 wife, to sec it at the house of Mrs. Martvr. 
 Now as the reverend gentleman's notions 
 of morality were very strict, and his fair 
 wife was held in great reverence by every 
 body, people argued that Sir John would 
 never have done such a thing if there had 
 been anything wrong in the child's advent 
 to Haldistow. Some of the parties held 
 their own opinion, doubtless ; but Mrs. 
 Martyr took care to tell everybody how Mr. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 63 
 
 Richard Haldimand had taken the infant 
 kindly in his arms, and put his hand upon 
 it and said, " God bless thee, poor out- 
 cast !" and how, turning to Sir John, he had 
 asked if she had been baptised, and how 
 Sir John replied, " 0, yes, Dick, They 
 sent the certificate with her ; and her 
 name is Kate." 
 
 Still the news spread* and caused a 
 good deal of commotion ; and whether or 
 not any of the tittle-tattle reached the 
 rector's ears I cannot tell ; but certain it is 
 he took for his text, the next Sunday, one 
 of the commandments of the law which 
 has a reference to not bearing false witness 
 against one's neighbour ; and he expatiated 
 thereon much and at large, turning and 
 twisting his text into every sort of form 
 that it would bear ; now examining it in its 
 narrowest and most limited sense, now ex- 
 panding it till it comprised every species of 
 slander from false accusation to the utmost 
 limits of gossip. Many a man, and still 
 
64 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 more women, went away from the church 
 with their skins a little sore at his castiga- 
 tion of a general vice to which they gave 
 a particular application. 
 
 Even nine days is a long life for a 
 wonder ; and by the end of that time the 
 marvelling at little Kate's appearance was 
 well nigh over. The pleasure which it 
 afforded to some, however, was more dura- 
 ble ; and, perhaps, no one was more de- 
 lighted than young Charles Haldimand, a 
 fine, bold, generous but somewhat way- 
 ward boy. Daily would he walk down to 
 the blacksmith's to see the baby ; and often 
 would he .°ccompany his uncle thither. 
 Mrs. Martyr ventured to give him the child 
 into his arms to hold ; and he proved an 
 excellent nurse. He dandled it as if he had 
 had an apprenticeship to the trade ; and 
 then he loo'.ed up in his uncle's face, and 
 Laughed at his own skill ; then, as if ashamed 
 of his feminine employment, rushed into 
 the forge, and, seizing a sledge hammer, 
 began beating away at a horse-shoe like a 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 65 
 
 young blacksmith. Sir John remarked all 
 this with a quiet smile, and certainly drew 
 his own inferences of what the future man 
 would be from these small traits in the 
 boy. 
 
 After this period, came a very happy 
 season at Haldistow ; but we must touch 
 upon it briefly in order to hurry on to more 
 striking events. 
 
 The little foundling throve and prospered 
 under the good care of Mrs. Martyr till she 
 was about twelve months old, and then she 
 was removed to the hall where a regular 
 nursery-maid was provided for her. Two 
 rooms were set apart for her own especial 
 purposes, and as much care and attention 
 bestowed upon her in all ways as if she had 
 been the daughter and sole heiress of the 
 house. 
 
 Sir John Haldimand soon reaped the 
 reward of his kindness. He had not shown 
 his interest in the little girl in the way that 
 nurses and grandmothers especially ap- 
 prove. From the time when he had carried 
 
66 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 her in her little rush cradle into the dining- 
 room at Haldistow till after she was twelve 
 months of age he had never once taken her 
 in his arms, or dandled her with the usual 
 cries and grimaces by which people attract 
 the attention of young children. If the 
 truth must be told, Sir John doubted 
 his skill in such exercises ; and never 
 having had a quiver full of his own, he be- 
 lieved himself incapable of managing the 
 arrows which are said to be so useful in the 
 hands of the giant. It must not be sup- 
 posed however that he was at all insensi- 
 ble to that inherent loveliness which is in 
 childhood, or to the influence — it seems a 
 kind of magic, or it may be a distant re- 
 trospective vision from the earthly paradise, 
 when man walked in perfect innocence— 
 which steals upon the heart (the higher that 
 heart is, the more powerfully,) when we 
 contemplate the opening graces of a sweet 
 and healthy child. There is no object on 
 which man's eyes rest throughout the whole 
 course of his earthly pilgrimage which is 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 63 
 
 so full of associations as that. It awakens 
 all memories ; it leads us forward into all 
 futurities ; it refers to every linked affec- 
 tion of the human heart. 
 
 Sir John had often walked down to the 
 blacksmith's house and gazed upon the face 
 of the child for many minutes, watching it 
 with deep interest and attention ; and as 
 the feeble movements became strong, the 
 dawning intellect brightened, and the first 
 animal instincts showed their development 
 towards reason and affection, one might 
 read upon his pleasant and noble counten- 
 ance the delight which the contemplation 
 afforded. When the child was removed to 
 Haldistow Hall the pleasure was much 
 heightened. Soon, very soon, she began to 
 run and to prattle ; and many an hour in 
 every day the baronet passed in teaching 
 her little words or leading her by the hand 
 amongst the flowers. Mrs. Giles, the house- 
 keeper, also seemed to have got a new ob- 
 ject in life. Though a capital economist 
 and a devoted slave to the duties of her 
 
68 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 station, it must be acknowledged that the 
 housekeeper's room and the still room too 
 were frequently neglected to pass an hour 
 in the nursery ; and often good Mrs. 
 Giles has had to sit up far beyond her 
 ordinary bed-time to regulate accounts 
 which had been forgotten or at all events 
 left un arranged while she sported in some- 
 what starched hilarity with the little 
 Catherine. But never did she breathe a 
 word to any living soul of what she knew, 
 or did not know, regarding the child. The 
 utmost approach to indiscretion that she 
 ever committed occurred one day when, 
 having sent the nurse away upon some 
 errand, she concluded a long romp with the 
 little Kate by catching her in her arms and 
 kissing her, exclaiming, " Bless thee, rose- 
 blossom, thou wilt be heiress of Haldistow 
 one day. I am sure of that I" 
 
 Hardly were the words out of her mouth 
 when the nurse re-entered the room ; and 
 they certainly had not escaped her ; for 
 before the next morning a rumour spread 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 69 
 
 through the servant's hall and reached every 
 domestic in the family that little Kate 
 would be the heiress of Haldistow. 
 
 Nor was it alone upon the affections of 
 good Mrs. Giles and Sir John Haldimand 
 that the young visitor seemed to win. The 
 worthy rector never came to his brother's 
 house without asking to see her ; and his 
 good wife was consulted in all the little 
 events of her bringing up. As Mrs. 
 Richard Haldimand had now no nursery of 
 her own, she consoled herself for the loss 
 by frequent visits to the nursery at the 
 Hall ; and during the sicknesses of child- 
 hood she showed herself as devoted to 
 little Kate as if the babe had been her 
 own. The very mystery of the child's 
 appearance at Haldistow seemed to afford 
 an additional motive for tenderness ; and 
 far from entertaining the slightest feeling 
 of jealousy towards the little Kate on 
 account of the hold she had obtained upon 
 Sir John Haldimand's affection, Richard 
 and his wife not only shared in his love for 
 
70 TilE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 the foundling but rejoiced that their good 
 brother had obtained an object of interest 
 and attachment. 
 
 Such, however, were not the feelings of 
 all the baronet's relations. Some distant 
 cousins residing in the couiit}^ though they 
 did not venture to interfere in any way, 
 spoke their thoughts very plainly ; and they 
 were wrong thoughts. It is probable that, 
 by this means, the rumours of what was 
 taking place at Haldistow, reached the 
 ears of Mr. William Haldimand, who was 
 now, as I have said, living in London. He 
 was not likely to hear it from any other 
 channel, as, for years, he had held no com- 
 munication with Sir John, and kept up 
 hardly any correspondence with his brother 
 Richard. He affected to believe, and per- 
 haps did believe — for there is no knowing 
 to what length self-deceit will go — that he 
 had been somewhat ill-treated by both. As 
 he could find no true subject of offence he 
 manufactured many, with which it may not 
 be necessary to trouble the reader further 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 71 
 
 than to say that, perhaps, one letter in the 
 year was all that ever passed between 
 Richard and himself ; and that was always 
 drawn forth from him by an epistle from 
 the clergyman, who did not choose to re- 
 vise the existence of any ill-feeling on 
 the part of his brother ; and, though he 
 wrote seldom, continued to write exactly in 
 the same tone and style as if William had 
 not so completely alienated himself. 
 
 It seems that Kate had reached the 
 age of four ere Mr. William Hald mand re- 
 ceived any intelligence of her existence or 
 of her appearance at Haldistow. The first 
 explosion of his surprise and anger was 
 \ei'Y vehement ; but he soon curbed his 
 passion ; and, about a week after, the rector 
 received a letter from him, the first which 
 he had volunteered for more than ten 
 year.-. Strange to say, notwithstanding the 
 irritable and angry state of his mind, it was 
 far more affectionate than any that had 
 been written before ; and as it was short 
 and strongly illustrative of the man's cha- 
 
72 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 racter, it may well find insertion here. It 
 was to the following effect : 
 
 " My Dear Dick, 
 
 " I have not heard of you or yours for 
 some time ; and I am anxious to know how 
 you are all going on, although my own 
 sorrows and cares which, as doubtless you 
 know, have been very great, have occupied 
 much of my attention — too much, perhaps, 
 for reason and philosophy to justify. 
 
 " I trust you and Mrs. Richard are both 
 quite well, and that your boy Charles, is 
 getting on as you could wish. He must 
 now be growing towards a young man — 
 thirteen or fourteen, if I recollect rightly. 
 What do you intend to do with him 1 
 
 " A piece of intelligence has reached my 
 ears, which I trust, is nothing more than 
 one of the lies of that scandalous jade, 
 Dame Rumour. It is to the following 
 effect : — that our sage and steady brother 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 73 
 
 John, so severe upon other peoples' faults 
 and failings, has been playing the fool with 
 some woman, and has taken his illegitimate 
 child — I will not give it the proper old 
 English name, as it might shock ears or eyes 
 polite, and I suspect you show all your let- 
 ters to Mrs. Richard — but has taken this 
 child, I say, to live at Haldistow. The 
 mother may be there also, for aught I know ; 
 for when men once begin such vagaries 
 there is no knowing where they will end. 
 However, I hope, for the credit of the 
 family, that the whole story is false. It 
 goes on to say — but that is too absurd and 
 outrageous to be believed — that John 
 openly declares the child is to be his heiress 
 — for it is a girl, I find — and that he will 
 leave her the Haldistow property. This I 
 cannot give any credence to. That he may 
 show himself a fool, is very possible ; but 
 that he would commit such a gross act of 
 injustice to me and to my son, I will not 
 believe, for that would show him a rogue 
 also. 
 
 VOL. 1. E 
 
74 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 " Pray let me hear what you know of 
 this affair, for I want my mind set at rest 
 upon the subject ; and believe me, my dear 
 Dick, 
 
 "Your ever affectionate brother, 
 
 " William Haldimand ." 
 
 This letter pained and mortified the 
 worthy clergyman very much ; for he was 
 one'of those, who even in their own minds 
 are fond of throwing a veil over other 
 people's sins ; and he had done his best 
 not to understand the thorough selfishness 
 and malevolence of his brother William s 
 character. He took two or three days to 
 answer the letter lest he should say any- 
 thing that was severe or cutting ; but, at 
 length, he produced an epistle, of which 
 the following is a copy. 
 
 " My dear William, 
 
 " I received your letter three 
 days ago ; and I am happy to tell you tha 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 75 
 
 we are all quite well. Charles will be 
 fourteen in September ; and his progress 
 in all respects gives me the highest satis- 
 faction. He is affectionate, kind, and 
 vigorous in mind and body. 
 
 " Our brother John, too, is very well. I 
 can clearly see from your letter that some 
 malicious person has been busily en- 
 deavouring to irritate you. John has not 
 been playing the fool in any way that I 
 know of, but has been acting in all things 
 with his usual mixture of good sense and 
 generosity. The little girl, Kate, who is 
 at Haldistow, is not his child at all, but a 
 foundling, who was laid on the steps of the 
 hall four years ago, and found by him and 
 the servants when he came home from the 
 annual county dinner. He is in possession 
 of all the facts regarding the child's birth ; 
 and the circumstances induced him, after 
 much consideration and conversation with 
 me, to resolve upon educating the poor 
 child as his own, and providing for it. He 
 was quite well aware at the time he took 
 E 2 
 
76 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 this resolution of all that a scandalous 
 world might and would say in conse- 
 quence : but John is not a man to be 
 turned from acting in a right and proper 
 manner by any such considerations. God 
 forbid that he should be. 
 
 " As to making her the heiress of the 
 Haldistow estate, you have been as much 
 deceived as in regard to the child's birth. 
 John has never announced any such inten- 
 tion, I must have heard of it, if he had. 
 The property is his own to leave how and 
 where he likes ; and I am sure, he has 
 quite sufficient confidence in me to mention 
 his views to me if he mentioned them to 
 any one. He has never, however, let fall 
 ard upon the subject ; and although I 
 am quite sure that he will provide amply 
 for the poor child he has adopted, I do not 
 think that as yet he has formed any fixed 
 plan for that purpose, or determined either 
 the amount or the nature of the provision. 
 " I cannot, my dear William, close this 
 letter without once more urging upon you 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 77 
 
 the expediency of a reconciliation with 
 John. I believe you have been very much 
 deceived by bad and designing people ; and 
 I grieve to perceive that their suggestions 
 have had the effect of making you take 
 the worst view of everything that our 
 brother does. Had you suffered yourself 
 to enjoy the same opportunities of judging 
 his character that I have had, you 
 would know that he is incapable of any- 
 thing that is mean, wicked, or unjust. He 
 is all that is kind, generous, and, let me 
 add, forgiving. I pray daily that you may 
 be induced to take advantage of this dis- 
 position on his part ; and I know that you 
 would find him ready at once to hold out 
 his hand to you, and forget all that is 
 past. 
 
 " Your affectionate brother, 
 
 " Richard Halddiand." 
 
 This letter threw William Haldimand 
 into a perfect fury. His first impulse 
 
78 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 led him to cast it into the fire. He 
 snatched it out again, however, immedi- 
 ately, and without giving himself time to 
 consider farther, replied to it with the pas- 
 sion still upon him. 
 
 " How can you be such a fool, 
 Richard V he wrote. " You are past forty. 
 You have not been shut up in a monastery 
 all your life. You must have seen some- 
 thing of the world, if it be but the world 
 of your own parish. A foundling laid on 
 the step of his door, forsooth ! Poo, poo ! 
 Do you suppose men of sense believe such 
 tales \ It is clear he has not told you the 
 history of the child, though you say he 
 knows all about it ; and there I certainly 
 believe you are quite right. Know all 
 about it 1 To be sure he does ! 
 
 " As to his right of disposing of the 
 Haldistow property according to his plea- 
 sure, I beg leave to differ from you entirely. 
 Law and right are two very different 
 things, as I think a clergyman might have 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 79 
 
 comprehended without being told. As to 
 the character of Sir John Haldimand, I beg 
 leave to differ with you as much as upon 
 every other point. Whether he is forgiv- 
 ing or not, I have little to do with. I do 
 not require him to forgive me, there being 
 nothing to forgive ; and I confess myself 
 not quite so placable. He has contrived 
 well nigh to ruin me by starting another 
 candidate for the county against me, when 
 he had not spirit to stand against me him- 
 self ; and now you talk about his forgiving 
 me, I cannot forget things from which I 
 am smarting every day, especially when 
 he seems inclined to add to the obligation, 
 by leaving away from me that which ought 
 to be mine, or my son's, at his death. I 
 have no cause to speak well of his generosity, 
 though doubtless you have, as he settled 
 upon you a thousand a year, besides giving 
 you the living which was intended for 
 you. Those may laugh that win. 
 " Yours, 
 "William Halidmand 
 
80 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 When the letter was in the post and be- 
 yond recall, he heartily wished it had not 
 been written ; but he received no answer 
 to it ; and years rolled on pleasantly and 
 sweetly at Haldistow, though very, very 
 differently in the house of William Haldi- 
 mand in London. 
 
 In the gradual cultivation of a fine in- 
 tellect, which, not chance, but Providence 
 had assigned to him to rear and to direct 
 — in watching the development of a thou- 
 sand beauties and graces, Sir John Haldi- 
 rnand passed easily and lightly from mid- 
 dle life towards old age. At forty-eight, 
 eighteen years makes a great difference. 
 It is the period of loss and decay. Ac- 
 quisition, fruition is past, the spring and 
 the summer gone, the morning and the 
 noon over ; and all that remains for most 
 men is the fading twilight, the dark season, 
 the coming winter. Sir John Haldimand, 
 however, seemed to feel the touch of time 
 very little. His hair became white indeed : 
 and a line or two of thought gathered upon 
 
THE OLD OAK CHUST. SI 
 
 his brow ; but his step was not less elastic, 
 his figure as upright, his teeth as hue, his 
 eyes as bright and clear as ever. A fine, 
 high heart is a wonderful preservative ; 
 and that he possessed, if ever man did ; 
 but it is not improbable that the prese 
 of Catherine, who was now by universal 
 consent called Catherine Haldimand, ha I 
 aided to keep him in that perfect state of 
 health, wdiich had not known interruption 
 for a 1 hour since she was laid upon the 
 step of his door. It weaned him from 
 memories that were painful ; it gave 
 an object of interest and affection ; it sup- 
 plied him with motives fjr sweet and plea- 
 sant thought ; it afforded him those occupa- 
 tions which expand the heart and elevate tlvj 
 mind She was a treasure to him, and 
 knowing no other father, she loved him with 
 all a daughter's love. 
 
 I will not pause to describe Catherine 
 herself. Suffice it, that she grew up ex- 
 ceedingly beautiful, and from a very early 
 perioJ, displayed that grace which is more 
 E 5 
 
82 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 than beauty. Her mind had been richly 
 cultivated ; but her heart had been edu- 
 cated too ; and both were well worth the 
 care. 
 
 The rectory still contained Mr. and Mrs. 
 Richard Haklimand ; but their son was 
 now very seldom there. He had been sent 
 to Eton, and had then shown a strong in- 
 clination for the army. His father had a 
 great distaste for that profession, and could 
 little comprehend how Charles could choose 
 it. He resisted for some time ; and the 
 young man submitted with dutiful patience ; 
 but he grew somewhat grave and sad, and, 
 when questioned, acknowledged that his 
 wishes were unchanged, although he was 
 willing to submit entirely to his father's 
 will. Sir John, however, now interfered, 
 and persuaded his brother to yield to so 
 strong and permanent an inclination. A 
 commission was easily procured, all arrange- 
 ments made, and Charles Haldimand soon 
 justified the course which had been pur- 
 sued towards him, by distinguishing him- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 83 
 
 self greatly in the wars which then con- 
 vulsed Europe. 
 
 So much for Haldistow. We shall by- 
 and-bye give a glance at the house of 
 Mr. William Haldimand in London. Am- 
 bition, as I have before shown, had by this 
 time given way to avarice. He began 
 by careful saving to regain only the 
 money which he had squandered away ; 
 but when this object was accomplished, the 
 habit had become a passion; and although 
 he did not present the appearance, or live 
 exactly the life, of a miser yet there was a 
 meanness, a grasping, a penury unsuitable 
 to his station and his means. He was called 
 upon for no great expense indeed for some 
 years; for his family was now by one cir- 
 cumstance or another reduced to himself 
 and one son. 
 
81 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Eighteen years of improvement had not 
 passed over the thatch of the llaldimand 
 Arms in vain. There still stood the 
 cottage, which we once pointed out to the 
 reader, on the same spot at the head of the 
 little lake which was commonly called, in 
 the country, Haidistow Mere ; and its win- 
 dows looked all down the water, affording 
 a view of the headlands and banks and 
 sandy points to the very end. A slight 
 change had taken place, however, not only 
 in the outward appearance of the cottage, 
 but even in the very face of nature. For- 
 merly the Haldimand Arms consisted but 
 of a long parallelogram of two floors, with 
 plain whitewashed walls and a very rude 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 85 
 
 and somewhat dilapidated thatch. Now, a 
 little projecting wing had been joined to 
 each side, adding no less than four very 
 good rooms to the mterior accommodation 
 of the house. But that was not all. Ad- 
 vantage had been taken of the opportunity 
 afforded by the building of these two little 
 wings to re-thatch the whole dwelling ; 
 and, as the changes were made at the ex- 
 pense of Sir John Haldimand, who Was a 
 very liberal landlord, the builder thought 
 he might as well suggest that it would add 
 greatly to the beauty of the house and to 
 the comfort of the inhabitants, if a little 
 rustic verandah was run along the front from 
 one wing to the other. Sir John Haldimand 
 went down and looked at the building; 
 and the verandah was ordered. 
 
 These improvements suggested others ; a 
 new spirit seemed to seize upon the tenant. 
 He planted, at the foot of each post of the 
 verandah, the most beautiful and the most 
 durable creeping plants he could find; one 
 thing led him on to another; the ground 
 
86 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 in front of the house was smoothed and 
 turfed; he turned the road to the back 
 with his own hands, fenced in, with his 
 landlord's permission, the space between 
 the cottage and the water's edge, laid it 
 out as a garden, and decorated it with 
 evergreens and flowers. 
 
 So much for the house and its site ; but 
 now for the change which had taken place 
 in the scene. That change was not very 
 important ; but it had a great effect upon 
 the picturesque beauty of the place. The 
 stream, which was about seven or eight 
 yards broad, or perhaps a little more, had, 
 at the time when this tale began, been 
 deep and rapid at the spot where it flowed 
 into the Mere, but smooth and glassy. As 
 it came from the higher lands, however, 
 the descent between the lake and its sources 
 was very considerable; and advantage had 
 been taken of this circumstance to build a 
 mill about four miles higher up, where a 
 strong and very serviceable fall of water was 
 obtained of more than twenty feet in depth. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 87 
 
 The miller, who was a very greedy person- 
 age, not content with one fall, had by erect- 
 ing strong dams brought a large stream 
 from the river round to the other side of 
 his house, and established a second wheel 
 on that side also, quite separate from, and 
 independent of, the first. He had thus 
 made a sort of island of the ground on 
 which the mill stood; and as he had some 
 meadows lying to the left, the body of 
 water which he had separated from the 
 main stream was led through these mea- 
 dows after turning the wheel, and joined 
 the river again at a considerable distance 
 farther down. 
 
 The great storm, however, of November 
 
 17 , overturned all these comfortable 
 
 arrangements. The tremendous fall of rain, 
 and the hurricane with which it was ac- 
 companied, swept, with peculiar violence, 
 over that part of the country. Multitudes 
 of houses were unroofed, chimneys, and 
 even spires of churches blown down ; and in 
 short, it seemed as if a great broom hadbeen 
 
88 THE OLD OAK CHEST, 
 
 sent over the land to sweep away every 
 thing that was rickety and unstable. Now 
 the miller though he had undoubtedly 
 done much to effect improvements which 
 might bring in money, had done nothing to 
 secure the comfort of himself and his 
 family. The mill itself, in an elevated 
 situation, had received no repairs except 
 in its machinery, for many years ; and in 
 the morning after the storm, not a vestige 
 of it remained except the stone founda- 
 tions. The miller, his wife and daughter, 
 had escaped in time ; but everything the rail! 
 contained had been swept into the river. 
 Nor was this all. Dams, dykes and troughs, 
 had been carried away together by the 
 immense pressure of the water which came 
 down from above. The whole meadows 
 round presented the appearance of a lake ; 
 and when the flood subsided, it was found 
 that the stream thought it best to pursue 
 the course which the miller had cut fur a 
 part of its water, and abandoning its old 
 bed which had become encumbered by a 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 89 
 
 vast quantity of debris, to wind along in a 
 smooth and quiet manner, through the 
 fields to the left. The flood, the wind, and, 
 it was affirmed, a slight shock of an 
 earthquake, had shaken and undermined a 
 large sandstone bank on the left side of the 
 stream near its mouth ; the new course 
 which the water had taken affected it 
 also ; and, after remaining with great fis- 
 sures, apparent in various places through- 
 out a long and hard winter, the very first 
 thaw saw many thousand tons fall over 
 right athwart the stream. 
 
 These things happened in the night ; 
 and all that the good man of the Haldi- 
 mand A rms heard of the event till the next 
 morning, was a loud report, which he took 
 to be a tremendous clap of thunder. When 
 he went forth the next day, however, he 
 found the character of the river completely 
 changed. Instead of a calm and tranquil 
 line of deep flowing water, it was a tor- 
 rent rushing for some way in violent rapids 
 amongst large masses of rock, and then 
 
90 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 plunging over the stony barrier that strove 
 to obstruct it in a white and sparkling fall 
 of about nine feet. The road, too, was 
 injured and obstructed by the fall of a 
 bank on the other side, and the trees which 
 had covered it ; but that was soon reme- 
 died ; and when the landlord of the Haldi- 
 mand Arms looked at the glistening cascade 
 and the deep tumbling pool at its foot, he 
 rubbed his hands and said, with a look of 
 satisfaction : 
 
 " Capital fishing there, by-and-by." 
 Now, the landlord of the Haldimand 
 Arms did not thus rejoice without cause ; 
 for the inscription on the front of his house 
 was different from that which might be 
 seen on most public houses ; and in addi- 
 tion to the usual offer of accommodating 
 men and horses, it stated that tickets of 
 leave to fish in Haldistow Mere were to be 
 procured within, and that parties were pro- 
 vided with all the requisites for carrying on 
 the war against the finny tribe. 
 
 To say the truth, the good landlord's 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 91 
 
 guests consisted almost altogether of ama- 
 teur fishermen ; and he himself bore the 
 honorable office of fisherman and game- 
 keeper on the moor to Sir John Haldimand, 
 for whose exclusive amusement, part of the 
 lake was reserved. The office had been 
 bestowed upon him by the baronet when 
 he was quite a youth, and for a reason 
 which has procured office for many another 
 man, namely, that those interested in him 
 did not know what else to do with 
 him. He was the son of an old ser- 
 vant of the Haldimand family, and had 
 been an odd boy, an odd lad, and an odd 
 young man. Some thought he was a 
 genius, some thought he was a fool ; and 
 certain it is he read a great deal of very 
 strange matter in his youth, all of which 
 seemed to sink in upon his mind as upon 
 blotting-paper, producing vague and indis- 
 tinct impressions which sometimes came to 
 light again in very strange ways. Twice 
 before he was twenty years of age he was 
 brought up for poaching ; and in verity his 
 
92 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 gun or his fishing rod was seldom out of 
 his hand ; but he fully convinced Sir John 
 Haldimand that the head and front of his 
 offence, was the shooting of any strange 
 birds or beasts that he might see for the 
 purpose of stuffing them afterwards ; and, 
 as his mother had often pressed for some 
 employment for him, Sir John made him a 
 game-keeper to prevent the other game- 
 keepers from meddling with him. 
 
 He lived for three years in the little 
 cottage by the Mere before it ever entered 
 into his imagination to make a public house 
 of it ; but many people came to ask for 
 permission to fish during that time, and 
 were sent up to the great house to obtain 
 it. The good-humoured baronet took into 
 consideration this great additional labour, 
 and bestowed upon the keeper the privilege 
 of granting permission, only adding an in- 
 junction to see that the visitors fished fair. 
 Many of them wanted bread and cheese 
 and a draught of ale, which could not be 
 supplied without sending three miles ; and 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 93 
 
 it suddenly struck Tom, as a bright idea, 
 that it might be as well to supply them 
 with ale himself. Sir John made no ob- 
 jection ; and the Haldimand Arms was 
 established. Then a bed-room was added 
 for such gentlemen as wanted more than 
 one day's fishing, and then the two wings ; 
 till at lengt] the place assumed the ap- 
 pearance I have described with its neat 
 little garden, turfed and gravel-walked, 
 and ever-greened and flowered, running 
 down quite into the Mere, the picturesque 
 boat-house at a little distance on the right, 
 and the river coming tumbling over its 
 cascade at the distance of some quarter of 
 a mile on the left. 
 
 It was to this scene about the 14th., or 
 1 5th. of April 1 7 — that a man, wl\o seemed 
 in the middle of all things, rode up, towards 
 the evening, on a stout, handsome bay geld- 
 ing. He was about the middle height, and 
 of about the middle age, and seemed to be 
 of the middle class of society. Some per- 
 sons fancy they can distinguish a gentle- 
 
94 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 man by his hat, some, by his gloves, and 
 some, by his boots ; and all these articles 
 on the stranger's person were very middling. 
 His hat had seen some service ; his boots, 
 though perfectly whole, were neither new 
 nor fashionable in shape ; and his gloves of 
 thick doeskin with the seams on the out- 
 side had evidently been cleaned many a 
 time and oft. He wore a sort of sporting 
 jacket with wide flaps, and pockets large 
 and many ; and round his neck was wrapped 
 a cravat which would have made any ten 
 of modern days. He rode exceedingly 
 well however, and was altogether a good 
 looking man of forty-three or forty-four 
 years of age. It would appear that he 
 was an expected guest ; for the landlord 
 himself came out to meet him followed by 
 a boy with shoes but no stockings, to take 
 the traveller's horse. 
 
 " Well, Tom," said the new comer, ad- 
 dressing the landlord by his christian name, 
 " you have got ready for me, I suppose." . 
 
 Mr. Thomas Notbeame, for such was the 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 95 
 
 fisherman -landlord's name, nodded his 
 head. 
 
 The stranger was evidently acquainted 
 with his ways, and required no other 
 reply. 
 
 " Have my trunks come by the waggon 
 yet V asked the visitor. 
 
 Tom Notbeame shook his head. 
 
 " That is very unfortunate," said the 
 stranger. " What can be the meaning of 
 that T 
 
 Tom answered nothing ; but a female 
 voice from an open window on the ground 
 floor exclaimed, 
 
 " Lord, master, why don't you tell the 
 gentleman that the carrier comes later now 
 than he did last year T and an antiquated 
 maid-servant stepping forth, added, with a 
 curtsey — " They'll be here safe enough, 
 Mr. Greenshield ; but I dare say 'twill be 
 an hour first. The carrier comes quite 
 regular, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays ; 
 and as he has got a new blunderbuss that 
 holds I don't know how many bullets, he' r 
 
96 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 not like to be stopped again as he was last 
 spring. Everything is quite ready in your 
 room, sir ; and I've made up a bit of fire 
 'cause the evenings is cold. 'Tis that what 
 makes master so foolish and grim-like. He 
 wont speak a word to-night, 111 answer for 
 it, till the shutters is up. Then may be 
 he'll talk more than one wants." 
 
 This was all said in the immediate pre- 
 sence of her master whom she seemed to 
 suppose deprived of hearing, as well as of 
 speech, for the time being ; and certainly 
 he took not the slightest notice of her un- 
 ceremonious account of himself, but, turn- 
 ing on his heel with his hands in his pockets, 
 walked quietly to the end of the gar- 
 den and gazed up and down the Mere. 
 Mr. Greenshield in the mean time entered 
 the house, proceeded to the bed-room where 
 he had lodged a year before, unloaded his 
 pockets of a great number of different 
 articles, and then, having given some orders 
 in reference to supper, followed the landlord 
 down to the end of the garden. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 97 
 
 " Why, what is the meaning of this, 
 Tom V he said, with an exclamation of 
 surprise, as he looked up the water and 
 saw the changed appearance of the river. 
 -i Why, you have been manufacturing a 
 cascade." 
 
 " Ha !" said Tom Notbeame, with a look 
 of some satisfaction ; but he gave no ex- 
 planation ; and the stranger proceeded to 
 put some other questions to him, to which 
 he received as copious replies. 
 
 Two or three minutes after, some- 
 thing on the opposite side of the lake 
 seemed not only to catch his attention but 
 to rouse him in an instant from his silent 
 fit. " On my life and soul there's a bus- 
 tard," he cried, " the first I've seen these 
 five year. There, don't you see, don't 
 you see, running along upon the ridge of 
 sand agin the light 1 Jack, Jack, bring out 
 my gun. I'll have him. I know where 
 he'll go." 
 
 The boy to whom he called was all eager- 
 ness in a moment ; gun, shot -pouch and 
 
 VOL i. f 
 
93 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 powder-flask were brought out ; and run- 
 ning down to the boat-house followed by 
 the boy, Tom pushed off and went skimming 
 across the water to the other shore. In the 
 meantime the visiter looked after him with 
 a smile, saying, " Thou art a strange 
 creature, but a good one, 1 believe." 
 
 He then turned and re-entered the house. 
 Not long after, the carrier arrived with 
 his luggage which consisted of two long 
 boxes of a somewhat un-English shape. In 
 the disposal of the articles which these 
 contained, Mr. Greenshield passed about 
 three quarters of an hour, towards the 
 middle of which time he heard the report 
 of a gun. 
 
 He next descended to the public sitting- 
 room of the house, a neat, clean parlour 
 with a sanded floor, in which he found a 
 cloth and a knife and fork laid for his 
 supper. The meal itself soon followed, 
 and in the midst thereof there was a little 
 bustle and calling about in the house, after 
 which the parlour was invaded by Tom 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 99 
 
 Notbeame and his boy Jack. The former 
 carried an enormous fowl in his hand which 
 he held up in the stranger's sight with a 
 look of triumph, but without saying a 
 word ; and his guest exclaimed, " A beau- 
 tiful bustard indeed, Tom ! I should like 
 to have that fellow roasted for my dinner 
 to-morrow." 
 
 " Likely," answered Tom ; " but you 
 wont ;" and then he added with a sort of 
 convulsive burst as if he forced himself to 
 speak against his will, " No, no, this is for 
 .Sir John ; and let who will want it, they 
 shan't have it." 
 
 Mr. Greenshield laughed good-humOur- 
 edly, saying— 
 
 " Well, well, I must content myself with 
 a barn-door fowl then." The next instant 
 another personage entered the room, seem- 
 ingly a traveller of the lower orders. He was 
 a tall, thin man, of about forty, somewhat 
 sallow in complexion, and with very keen 
 black eyes, wmich he fixed sharply upon 
 every one in the room for a single instant, 
 F 2 
 
100 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 and then withdrew them again. Mr. 
 Greenshield's brow knit a little as if he 
 did not like the man's impertinent stare ; 
 and the landlord looked at the intruder 
 without speaking, but with not a very pla- 
 cable countenance. 
 
 " Well, what do you want here V he 
 asked as soon as he could bring himself 
 to speak. " Why don't you stay in the 
 tap r 
 
 "Because I'm going on to Haldistow, 
 Master Notbeame," replied the other ; 
 " and I want to know what is to pay. I 
 have had some bread and cheese and a pint 
 of ale." 
 
 " Nothing," answered the landlord. " Take 
 it and welcome. You shan't pay in my 
 house the first thing you do after you come 
 back." 
 
 The stranger nodded his head and de- 
 parted ; and Mr. Greenshield looking up, 
 asked — 
 
 " Who is that, Tom V 
 
 " A great rogue," replied Tom Notbeame, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 101 
 
 " and one who has spent twenty years in 
 Lunnun, sharpening his roguery, or Fm 
 mistaken," 
 
 Mr. Greenshield perceived that Toms 
 taciturnity was breaking down ; and, put- 
 ting away his knife and fork, he said — 
 
 " Come, my good friend, let us have a 
 glass of wine together. It is growing 
 dark. We'll have the window shut, and 
 the candles lighted, and a bottle of your 
 best port." 
 
 The reader may think it rather strange 
 that Mr. Greenshield should ask his land- 
 lord to drink wine with him ; but, if he 
 can carry his mind so far back, he will re- 
 collect that such a custom was not at all 
 uncommon in the simpler and less fastidious: 
 times of our ancestors. Besides, Mr. 
 Greenshield really enjoyed a chat with his 
 present landlord, when it could be obtained ; 
 for his mind was stored, as I have hinted, 
 with a great many odd scraps of informa- 
 tion, mingled with strange notions and 
 queer conceits, which often, at the close of 
 
102 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 one of his silent fits, were poured forth hi 
 a very amusing manner. 
 
 In days of yore, there were old ladies 
 who passed a great part of their time in 
 fabricating quilts of many colors and 
 strange patterns. These ladies had usually 
 a large bag containing shreds of silks and 
 cotton, and all sorts of stuffs, of every hue 
 in the rainbow, and a great many besides. 
 This was called their patch-bag ; and when 
 they wanted a piece of any particular 
 colour to fit into the figure they were pro- 
 ducing in their patch-work, they would 
 shake out the whole contents and display 
 a most extraordinary collection of those 
 things which Hamlet supposed to enter 
 into the composition of his stepfather when 
 he called him a " king of shreds and patches. *> 
 This bag affords the best possible idea 
 that I can furnish of Tom Notbeame's 
 mind; and its turning out, of his conversa- 
 tion. 
 
 But before we dwell upon what passed 
 after this, a word or two must be said upon 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST 103 
 
 the personage who had just left the inn to 
 go on to Haldistow. 
 
 Were such a thing possible as to go back 
 again upon the high road of Time, and could 
 the reader trace the steps of that personage 
 along the course of the last four days, he 
 would suddenly come upon a scene which 
 shall be described in the succeeding chapter. 
 
104 THE OLD OAK CHEST, 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 In a small house in one of the most fashion- 
 able parts of London, with everything 
 about him in very neat and orderly con- 
 dition, sat an elderly, or rather an old, man, 
 in a tall-backed arm-chair. He looked, at 
 least, five or six years older than Sir John 
 Haldimand, although the snowy whiteness 
 of his hair was concealed by the powder 
 w T ith w T hich it was filled ; and much pains 
 had been bestowed upon his dress. His 
 lean and shrivelled figure — his sunken 
 cheek and wrinkled brow — the coarse and 
 heavy -formed ear, and the dry, large- 
 jointed hand, all spoke of age. He did 
 not seem feeble, it is true : he was not 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 105 
 
 bent ; and his eye was clear, bright and 
 piercing, with a certain greedy, keen ex- 
 pression, that was very disagreeable. He 
 wore spectacles, indeed, yet he could read 
 and write very well without them ; and he 
 used them more frequently when he was 
 conversing with others, especially upon 
 matters of business, than when he was oc- 
 cupied with matters which seemed to re- 
 quire more eyesight. It was a common 
 jest at Court, that he wore spectacles to 
 look into other peoples' eyes and to hide 
 his own. 
 
 This was William Haldimand, the younger 
 brother of Sir John ; he who had once been 
 the beautiful and petted boy, jealous of his 
 brother's elder birth ; and such had he be- 
 come at the end of little more than sixty 
 years of passions, schemes, disappointments, 
 and successes. 
 
 On the present occasion he was not 
 alone ; for the man we have shown looking 
 into the inn parlour now stood before him ; 
 and Mr. William Haldimand was gazing 
 
106 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 at him through his spectacles. There was 
 a slight look of alarm on the man's coun- 
 tenance ; for it was unusual for his master 
 to call for him at that hour ; and it was 
 not pleasant to him to be taken by sur- 
 prise at any time. It was very near a 
 minute before Mr. Haldimand spoke ; and 
 when he did, his words were not very reas- 
 suring ; but the man by that time had re- 
 covered all his self-possession and cool im- 
 pudence. 
 
 " You are a great scoundrel, Matthew," 
 said his master, in a cool, deliberate tone, 
 without ever taking his eyes off his face ; 
 " you are a great scoundrel ; and you 
 know it." 
 
 The man bowed low, but answered not 
 a word ; and Mr. Haldimand proceeded in 
 the same quiet manner — 
 
 " Ten years ago," he said, " you stole 
 two guineas off my table — there, don't 
 deny it. I know all about it as well as 
 you do, and have always known it. Then 
 three years ago you swindled me about 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 107 
 
 the price of the horse you bought at 
 Hackney. You got seventy pounds from 
 me for him ; and you only paid the man fifty. 
 The real price of the horse was forty -five ; 
 but you gave him five more to make him 
 hold his tongue and sign the receipt. He 
 nevertheless told all about it when I 
 brought him before a magistrate ; and I 
 have got his declaration properly signed 
 and witnessed. I saved you then, or you 
 would have gone to Botany Bay." 
 
 " I am very grateful, sir," replied the 
 man, when he heard his master pause ; 
 but Mr. Haldimand instantly stopped him. 
 
 "Pooh, pooh," he said, " not grateful 
 at all, nor any need of gratitude. 1 
 saved you because I wanted you. But, 
 my good friend, there must be a limit to 
 such things. You made a great mistake 
 when you took the diamond ring that I 
 left upon the washing stand at my house 
 in Richmond, and a eery great mistake 
 in taking it yourself to pledge at a pawn- 
 broker's, in my olive-green suit." 
 
108 THE OLD OAK CHEST; 
 
 The man turned deadly pale ; for, 
 whether from imagination or not I cannot 
 tell, but his cravat seemed to press very 
 tight round his neck with a cord-like, ropy 
 sensation, which was not at all pleasant m 
 its associations. His lips moved, however, 
 as if he were going to try a bold denial ; 
 but his master again cut him short. 
 
 " Not a word, Matthew," he said, " or 
 you'll force me to hang you. The case is 
 quite complete against you. The pawn- 
 broker was brought this morning, saw you 
 through the window of my dressing-room, 
 and is ready to swear to you. The ring I 
 have here." 
 
 And he produced it. 
 
 The man's teeth chattered a little in his 
 head ; but still there was some consolation 
 to be extracted from his master's words. 
 They were vague indeed ; and he longed 
 for an explanation ; but they did not show 
 a disposition actually to hang him ; and, 
 knowing that Mr. Haldimand had gene- 
 rally his own particular objects, he asked 
 himself internally, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 109 
 
 " What is to be the equivalent T 
 Still his master gazed at him through 
 his spectacles, marking with a very prac- 
 tised eye, and with a thorough knowledge of 
 the man himself, those traces of emotion 
 which the other could not fully conceal. 
 He wished to alarm him, but not too 
 much. All that was necessary to his 
 purpose, was to show the servant that his 
 life was completely in his masters power ; 
 and that object, he saw, was attained. 
 He therefore, as was sometimes his wont, 
 began a disquisition, seemingly foreign to 
 the subject, in order to let the man come 
 fully to his senses after the fright he had 
 received. 
 
 " You talked of gratitude just now, 
 Matthew," he said. " I wonder that a 
 shrewd man like yourself should speak 
 such nonsense, especially to me. Grati- 
 tude is all trash. It is one of those mere 
 names, which people use instead of ideas. 
 Nobody is grateful in reality. All is traffic 
 in this world. One man serves another, 
 
110 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 because he expects another man to serve 
 him ; and the other is grateful, as you call 
 it, simply by way of exchange, that they 
 may carry on their trade in services like 
 any other two merchants. He is a foolish 
 fellow, however, who sells anything, without 
 either getting money down or a bill of 
 exchange for the amount. Now I have 
 taken your bill, Matthew, very often, and 
 cannot say that you have paid it regu- 
 larly. I must now have money down/' 
 
 The man seemed to comprehend him 
 entirely; and the footing of equality, ou 
 which his master put their dealings, was a 
 very comfortable encouragement to no in- 
 considerable growth of native impudence. 
 He lifted his hand to his head, and rubbed 
 his temple with his finger, saying, 
 
 " In what coin, sir 1 I am afraid 1 
 have not much ready cash at command." 
 
 " I will tell you," said Mr. HaLlimand in 
 a musing tone. " You see in the first 
 place, my good friend, you will have to 
 quit London immediately, for this business 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. Ill 
 
 with the pawnbroker is likely, before the 
 day is out, to bring visitors to the house 
 who had better find you not at home." 
 
 " I am ready to go this instant, sir," said 
 the man looking towards the door. 
 
 " Stay, stay, no such hurry," said Mr. 
 Haldimand with a cynical smile at the mans 
 terror. " I will insure you for the next 
 six hours. You must consider first where 
 you will go ; and I think no place could 
 be better than Haldistow. I took you 
 thence a good deal more than twenty years 
 ago, because you seemed a sharp and ser- 
 viceable boy. I had you taught to read 
 and write, and dress hair, and cypher ; and 
 I believe you have acquired one or two 
 foreign languages in my service. Now 
 with all these accomplishments I wish to 
 send you back." 
 
 " But, sir — " said the servant. 
 
 Mr. Haldimand, however, cut him short, 
 waving his hand. 
 
 " I know what you would say," he ex- 
 claimed : " that it will be terribly painful 
 
112 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 to you to quit the service of so good a 
 master, and all that. Moreover, that peo- 
 ple may think of looking for you at Haldis- 
 tow ; but make your mind easy on both 
 points. You shall still remain in my ser- 
 vice at Haldistow as well as in London ; 
 and in regard to the constables, you must 
 know I have not given information yet. 
 The pawnbroker, I think I can keep from 
 doing so, by paying him the value of the 
 ring, which I have promised to do, unless 
 I return it and prosecute. But even sup- 
 posing the worst, that he should be indis- 
 creet, and that those active gentlemen at 
 Bow-street should make some enquiries, 
 good master pawnbroker has no knowledge 
 whatever of what you are or whence you 
 came. I showed him a somewhat smart 
 and foppish-looking man through the win- 
 dow of my dressing-room ; but he does 
 not know who that man is, nor anything 
 about him. — The best thing you can do is 
 to go down to Haldistow." 
 
 " And what am I to do there, sir V 
 asked the man, somewhat comforted. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 118 
 
 " You must endeavour/' replied Mr. 
 William Haldimand, " to enter into the 
 service of my brother John — without quit- 
 ting my service, you understand. His old 
 butler, Le welly n, is just dead ; and he is 
 looking for another. I will give such a 
 letter in your favour to my brother Rich- 
 ard, as I think will secure you the place." 
 
 " Shall I wait for the letter, sir V asked 
 Matthew in an insinuating tone. 
 
 " No, my good friend, no," replied Mr. 
 Haldimand, with a quiet but significant 
 nod of the head. " I will send the letter 
 by post. I cannot venture to give a certi- 
 ficate of good conduct into your own hands, 
 while my memory is encumbered with 
 two or three unpleasant little facts. That 
 might be considered as compounding 
 felony, you know, Matthew. I will send 
 the letter, my good friend. When you 
 get to Haldistow, call upon Mr. Richard, 
 and tell him that you left me because you 
 thought you should die in London if you 
 stayed. That is true, you know ; and 
 
114 THE OLD OAK CHEStf. 
 
 your sallow face will very well bear out 
 the tale. You will find that I have written 
 to him ; and I think the plan will take 
 effect." 
 
 " I am sure, sir, I am deeply indebted 
 to you," answered the excellent Matthew, 
 " and wish I knew how I could ever repay 
 you ; but I do not understand how I am 
 to be your servant, and Sir John's butler 
 too. A m I to take wages from both V 
 
 Mr. William Haldimand looked sharp 
 and stern. Some very mingled feelings 
 might be under that look. In the first 
 place, he did not at all like to pay the 
 man wages and yet lose his services in his 
 house. He had, nevertheless, upon full 
 consideration, determined to do it, for h^ 
 believed it to be necessary to give him a 
 bribe of some kind to ensure a stronger 
 hold upon him than that which he already 
 possessed ; but he did not like the idea of 
 parting with his money when it came to 
 the point. In the next place it is always 
 disagreeable for a man who has a sinister 
 
THE OLD OAK CHRST. 115 
 
 object in view, to be compelled to give 
 explanations. Explanations are very un- 
 pleasant things in such circumstances ; and 
 Mr. William Haldimand was angry that 
 the man did not help him in any degree. 
 but seemed to be perfectly stolid, which his 
 master knew right well he was not by 
 nature. He smoothed himself down, how- 
 ever, and replied : 
 
 " Yes, you are to take wages from both ; 
 and I will soon show you how you can re- 
 pay me, and how you can serve me, and 
 yet be my brother's butler. 7 ' 
 
 He paused for a moment or two, to con- 
 sider every word he was going to use, and 
 then proceeded thus : 
 
 " You know that Sir John Haldimand 
 and I have not been upon terms for some 
 years ; but perhaps you are not aware that 
 after our serious quarrel he took an illegi- 
 timate daughter of his into the house, pre- 
 tending that she was a foundling." 
 
 " I have heard something about it, sir," 
 said the man. " She was nursed by my 
 aunt Martyr." 
 
116 THE OLD OAK CHEST, 
 
 " For which I am in no way obliged to 
 your aunt Martyr," replied his master 
 sharply. " However, this child Sir John 
 has reared up in every respect as his daugh- 
 ter. She has had the most accomplished 
 and expensive teachers. She is introduce! I 
 into every society as Miss Haldimand ; and 
 I understand — at least it is generally re- 
 ported — that Sir John intends to leave her 
 the Haldistow property, quite contrary to 
 right and justice, although perhaps he may 
 have the law on his side. My brother Dick 
 pretends that it is no such thing. Now, 
 Matthew, I want to know the truth of this 
 matter — I want to assure myself whether 
 it be really my brother's intention to sever 
 the Haldistow property, which has been so 
 many centuries in the family, from the name 
 of Haldimand, and convey it, with the hand 
 of his natural daughter, to some other race. 
 Dick, the parson, is such a good-humoured 
 fool that there is no relying upon his re- 
 ports ; but you are shrewd, keen, observant, 
 not very scrupulous, and would not think 
 it any great sin or shame to go a little out 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 117 
 
 of the way to serve a master who has bene- 
 fitted you, and — n he added the latter 
 words in a low tone — " and who has your 
 life in his power." 
 
 " Certainly not, sir," replied the man. 
 " Now I understand all about it. You 
 wish me by hook or by crook to find out 
 whether Sir John has made a will, and what 
 sort of a will he has made — I'll do it." 
 
 His master smiled, well pleased. The 
 great difficulty was over. 
 
 " That is the first object," he replied. 
 " I maj have one or two other things for 
 you to do down there ; but all that can be 
 arranged afterwards, as they are matters 
 of smaller moment. However, we must 
 arrange how our correspondence — " 
 
 At that moment the door opened, and 
 in walked a young man somewhere between 
 twenty and thirty — he might be nearer to 
 the latter period — dressed in the most ex- 
 travagant height of the fashion, with an 
 effeminate look, and the step of a dancing- 
 master. 
 
118 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 k - Ah, my beloved papa," he exclaimed, 
 " I knew not that you were holding secret 
 counsel with your honest and sapient 
 minister, worthy Master Matthew Hush ; 
 but I must just trouble you to sign me a 
 cheque for a little money. I am infinitely 
 poorer than any ecclesiastical mouse that 
 went without pockets for the lack of some- 
 thing to put into them ; and I have a very 
 pressing necessity at this moment for five 
 hundred pounds." 
 
 " T am sorry to hear it, Henry," replied 
 his father drily ; " for I have not the most 
 remote notion where you will get it. Cer- 
 tainly not from me." 
 
 " Well, in that case I must apply to Judas 
 Iscariot," said the young man lightly. 
 " Pray how old are you, my dear dad ? 
 that we may draw the post-obits with some 
 sort of decency." 
 
 " I think all sort of decency has left you, 
 Harry," answered his father, sternly. 
 
 " By no manner of means," answered 
 the young man. " I am the most decent 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 119 
 
 personage in town. Nobody can say 
 they ever saw me in dirty linen, with my 
 nails foul, or my hands unwashed. Why, 
 I am the sole support of the reputation of 
 the family, the prop and pillar of the house 
 of Haldimand ; and if my father will not 
 give me a pitiful five hundred pounds to 
 meet my necessities, I must have recourse 
 to the usual means and appliances whereby 
 other men of figure remedy the ill will of 
 fortune or the sternness of their paternal 
 Brutuses. Nay, my dear father, pray do 
 not frown. The age of Catoism is passed 
 away ; and not a vestige of the old Roman 
 survived the introduction of hair-powder, 
 snuff, and umbrellas. The simple fact is, 
 I must pay Lord George Sackville a bet of 
 three hundred guineas this very morning, or 
 fight him and stand dishonoured. The first 
 alternative would be a very easy process ; for 
 I suspect I am as good a master of fence as 
 his lordship ; but the second would come 
 whether I fought or not ; and it would be 
 no great credit to the family that I cut 
 
120 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 Sackey's throat rather than pay him a debt 
 of honour." 
 
 " Give me the cheque book/' said Mr. 
 Haldimand, in a stern and bitter tone. " I 
 will draw you a cheque for three hundred 
 guineas." 
 
 " No use at all, most liberal of papas," 
 replied the son. " I would rather not have 
 it : for I must have two hundred pounds 
 more, and get it from Judas ; so that it 
 will be a want of proper economy and a 
 waste of paper to make you sign a cheque 
 and him too." 
 
 " You shall have the money, sir, without 
 having recourse to such disgraceful means," 
 replied Mr. Haldimand gloomily ; " but let 
 me warn you of one thing, Harry. All 
 that you can command, even after my death, 
 is your mother's fortune. Everything else 
 is my own to leave to whom I like. You 
 have already seen how I can act towards a 
 child who offends me. Do not provoke me 
 too far." 
 
 The young man was grave instantly ; 
 
TEE OLD OAK CHEST. 121 
 
 and a cloud came upon his brow. " If you 
 will give me a settled income, sir/' he said, 
 " I will try to live within it. At all everts 
 I have not offended you in the way my 
 sister did, but have endeavoured to make 
 my inclinations subservient to your wishes." 
 
 " I shall certainly not make my son al- 
 together independent of myself," replied 
 Mr. Haldimand, " at least till his conduct 
 is somewhat more reasonable ; but I am 
 busy now, and cannot speak with you on 
 such subjects. There is the cheque. Do 
 not come to me for any more for the next 
 three months at least ; and now leave me." 
 
 " Charming papa," said the young man, 
 taking the cheque with all his levity in full 
 force again. Making a low and sweep- 
 ing bow to his father and his father's com- 
 panion, he added, " I leave you to the ex- 
 cogitation of some admirable scheme for 
 the good of society or the benefit of your 
 own individualities ;" and then he tripped 
 out of the room closing the door carefully 
 behind him. 
 
 VOL. I. G 
 
122 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 The servant looked at the master, and 
 the master at the servant ; and, strange to 
 say, both smiled. They then applied them- 
 selves to business again, which they soon 
 settled ; and about an hour after, Mr. 
 Matthew Hush called a hackney coach to 
 the door, got into it, with several trunks 
 and packages, which it might have been 
 as wise in his master, considering all 
 things, to have had examined before they 
 departed, and began rolling away towards 
 the west end of the town. Ere he had got 
 a quarter of a mile, however, he put his 
 head out of the window, and told the 
 coachman to drive in a totally different 
 direction. At four o'clock, he was safely 
 packed in a Dorchester coach, with his 
 goods and chattels on the top. The next 
 morning he stopped at a small town some 
 distance from the place of the stage's des- 
 tination. There he breakfasted, and re- 
 dressed himself in somewhat different 
 costume from that in which he had hitherto 
 appeared. He thought fit, however, to 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 123 
 
 wait for some hours in the place where he 
 then was, in order to speak with the carrier 
 about the conveyance of his luggage ; after 
 which he set off on foot for Haldistow, to 
 which place there was no regular convey- 
 ance. 
 
 G 2 
 
124 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The last chapter was an interlude. I have 
 many doubts whether it ought to have 
 been in the book at all ; for these dances 
 between the acts are very abominable 
 things, interrupting the course of action or 
 of thought, and carrying the mind to 
 entrechats and pirouettes which have 
 nothing in general to do with the main 
 business in hand. I say, in general ; for 
 there are exceptions. Shakespeare, when 
 he introduces the ghost of old Gower to 
 speak a prologue to every act of " Pericles," 
 and also to appear in the middle of some 
 of the acts, does so, not to interrupt the 
 march of the story, but fully to illustrate 
 its progress ; and even ballet-masters have 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 125 
 
 been seen endowed with sufficient imagina- 
 tion and judgment to make the contortions 
 of their "saltimbanks" and "tomblesteres" 
 act as a sort of argument or introduction to 
 what was to follow. In the present case, 
 it seemed somewhat necessary, too, to say 
 something of persons at a distance from 
 the actual scene, inasmuch as in writing a 
 book like this, there is some danger of ac- 
 cumulating so many explanations for the 
 end of the work, that I have known the 
 whole of the last volume occupied in 
 laborious efforts to make the reader under- 
 stand how Mr. So-and-So happened to do 
 such and such a thing, recorded several 
 hundred pages before, and comprehend the 
 other events of the history which other- 
 wise appeared exceedingly strange and in- 
 explicable. In short, I do not think the 
 poet's rule, to jump into the middle of 
 things, is always quite applicable to 
 romance-writing, and not always quite 
 pleasant in poetry either. 
 
 To return however to Haldistow, and to 
 
126 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 the Haldimand Arms. The bottle of wine 
 which Mr. Greenshield ordered was pro- 
 duced, richly decorated with cobwebs, not 
 recently collected and imposed upon the 
 glass as is sometimes the case, but 
 gathered slowly by various industrious 
 spinners during the passing of many years. 
 "Well might the cobwebs accumulate in 
 that bin ; for very rarely was the old port 
 disturbed except when Mr. Greenshield 
 was in the house. Ale, brandy, or rum 
 satisfied the great majority of Tom Not- 
 beame's guests ; and not a bottle had been 
 abstracted from the pile during the twelve 
 months which had elapsed since his present 
 guest had been there before. 
 
 As one glass after another stole down 
 the throat of Thomas Notbeame, it untied 
 his tongue, and opened all the sources of 
 his eloquence. 
 
 " And so, Tom," said Mr. Greenshield, 
 " the bustard is for Sir John. I dare say 
 he does not want it." 
 
 " Whether he wants it or not he shall 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 127 
 
 have it," answered the landlord. " He has 
 got a number of people up at the hall ; 
 and such a bird is not to be seen every 
 day, let me tell you. They used to be as 
 plentiful as magpies ; for I read once in an 
 old book of a man having counted twenty 
 of them riding across Salisbury plain ; and 
 he took them for little men that they called 
 pigmies, and was frightened out of his life 
 till he found out what they were, though 
 why a man should be more frightened at 
 little men than big, I can't tell." 
 
 " Men are always inclined to be fright- 
 ened at unusual sights," said Mr. Green- 
 shield. 
 
 " Not all men," answered Tom, " or I 
 should have been frightened out of my wits 
 long ago ; for I have seen many an unusual 
 one." 
 
 "As what - ?" asked his guest. 
 
 " Ay, that doesn't matter," answered 
 Tom. " I hold my tongue and say nothing, 
 though I see and even hear more than people 
 think. In thiswild placemenfancy but little 
 
128 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 goes on ; but there's plenty, I can tell you, 
 besides what happens amongst the birds 
 and beasts, and there's enough of that, for 
 I do think more fowls of the air, and four- 
 footed things come up to this moor and 
 down by this Mere than in any part of 
 England, be it where it will. This place 
 always puts me in mind of the hundred 
 and fourth psalm, where it says, 
 
 1 He sendeth the springs 
 
 to strong streames or lakes, 
 Which runne doe full swift e 
 
 among the huge hils ; 
 Where both the wilde asses 
 
 their thirst oft times slakes, 
 And beastes of the mountaines 
 
 thereof drinke their fils. 
 By these pleasaunt springs 
 
 of fountain es full faire, 
 The fowles of the aire 
 
 abide shall and dwell, 
 Who moved by nature 
 
 to hop here and there, 
 Among the greene branches 
 
 their songs shall excell.' 
 
 I knew it all once; but things slip 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 129 
 
 sadly out of my head ; but it's all up there 
 in that little black book, if you like to see 
 it, Mr. Greenshield." 
 
 " I know the book," answered the guest ; 
 " I took it down and looked at it when I 
 was last here ; and a very curious old work 
 it is." 
 
 " So it is," replied Tom Notbeame ; " yet 
 I don't agree with what old Sternhold and 
 Hopkins say in the beginning — that 'balades 
 tend only to the nourishing of vice, and 
 corrupting of youth/ for I often think 
 ballads do a great deal of good, such as 
 those to be found in ' The Garland of Good- 
 will.' I am sure I've often sat and cried, 
 when I was a boy, at the story of Fair 
 Rosamond in the ballad, 'specially where 
 she prayed so hard for pity. Don't you 
 remember I 
 
 " ' I will renounce my sinful life, 
 
 And in some cloister bide, 
 Or else be banished, if you please, 
 
 To range the world so wide. 
 G 5 
 
130 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 And for the fault which I have done, 
 
 Though I was forced thereto, 
 Preserve my life, and punish me 
 
 As you think good to do.' 
 
 She must have been a hard-hearted old 
 queen, that. And then the story of Bate- 
 man's tragedy, what a story that is to make 
 one mind what one's about ! Well, well. 
 I've seen strange things and read strange 
 things too; and I can't help thinking if 
 people read old ballads more they'd mind 
 what they do better. They kept me from 
 ever having anything to do with love, 
 though I've heard folks talk a great deal 
 about it ; and I'm very glad of it, for I'm 
 sure love is bad enough, and matrimony 
 must be still worse." 
 
 " Come, Tom, tell us some of your 
 strange tales," said Mr. Greenshield. " One 
 wants something to enliven oneself this dull 
 night. Do you hear how the wind is get- 
 ting up, and the rain beginning to fall V 
 
 " Ay," answered Tom Notbeame, " it is 
 not always on the foulest nights that the 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 131 
 
 worst things happen. It was as fair a 
 night as ever I knew, and as bright a moon 
 shining, when I saw one of the saddest 
 sights that could be seen." 
 
 Mr. Greenshield knew that to ask him 
 to go on was the precise way to stop him. 
 So he quietly put the bottle across to him. 
 and Tom took another glass. 
 
 " Ay, it was a sad sight, that," he con- 
 tinued thoughtfully, sipping the wine. " I 
 was liggingover behind the first sand-hills by 
 the mere -side looking out for anything that 
 was going on upon the moor, when I saw a 
 poor young thing with a baby in her arms 
 walk along by the side of the water, and 
 sometimes stop, till I thought she was 
 going to throw herself in, baby and all* 
 So I watched her sharply, creeping along 
 in the shadow. And when she went along 
 the road, I went too ; for some people are 
 very fanciful about suicide, and like 
 one place better than another to do it in. 
 When she passed this house, she sat herself 
 down on that bench, and rested for a while. 
 
132 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 I've never had it moved for her sake, poor 
 thing ; and when she walked np along the 
 stream I crept along still on the top of the 
 bank, peeping at her through the trees till 
 she got close to the park ; and then I said 
 to myself — ' What's going to come of it 
 now V So I got over the park wall when 
 she went over the stile ; and presently I 
 saw her put the baby down on the step at 
 the great door, and hide herself under the 
 terrace. It seemed to me all very odd, 
 odder than you can think ; and I was sure 
 enough that her heart was well nigh break- 
 ing, poor thing ! before she went to do 
 such a thing as that. However, when Sir 
 John came home he took up the babe, and 
 carried it into the house ; and I knew that 
 there it was safe enough ; and so she knew 
 too ; but she went away sobbing for all 
 that, as if she were half strangled, and I 
 followed her all the way down, and over 
 the moor to see what became of her ; for 
 I feared she might fall into some mis- 
 chief." 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 133 
 
 " And what did become of her V asked 
 Mr. Greenshield. 
 
 " Ay, that's another story," answered 
 Tom. " I wont tell that to-night." 
 
 " And did you ever find out who she 
 was V enquired his guest. 
 
 " No need of finding out," answered 
 Tom Notbeame. " I knew all the time ; 
 but I'm not going to tell. That would 
 never do." 
 
 " And what became of the child ¥' asked 
 Mr. Greenshield, in a careless tone. 
 
 " Why, Lord bless you, you've seen her 
 often enough," replied the landlord, " sit- 
 ting in Sir John's pew at church. I'm sure 
 you used to stare at her enough." 
 
 " What, you mean Miss Haldimand V- 
 said the guest. " I thought her one of 
 the most beautiful girls I ever beheld." 
 
 " Ay, and as good as beautiful," answered 
 Tom Notbeame ; " but she has no right to 
 the name of Haldimand for all that, and 
 for all the lies the gossiping people may 
 tell. Sir John don't care about it ; and s< . 
 
134 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 IVe no need to trouble myself ; but they 
 sometimes do make me angry." 
 
 " He seems very fond of her," answered 
 the guest ; " and all the people call her his 
 daughter." 
 
 " Ay, ay, they know no better," answered 
 the landlord. " However, he loves her 
 like a daughter ; and she has been a 
 daughter to him. I should not wonder to 
 see her the heiress of Haldistow. But this 
 rain '11 make good fishing to-morrow ; and 
 we shall have them all down ; for Sir John 
 is as keen of the sport as when he was a 
 lad. So you must keep the lower end of 
 the water, sir, if you please." 
 
 " I shall not fish at all, if Sir John comes 
 to fish," replied Mr. Greenshield. " It 
 would not be courteous or civil, my good 
 friend ; but I can walk about and amuse 
 myself ; and now I shall go to bed." 
 
 " Well, sir, good night," replied Tom, 
 as the other rose. 
 
 1 May good sleep attend you, 
 And kind dreams befriend you*' 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 135 
 
 That's not to say, however, that you need 
 mind fishing if you like it ; for Sir John 
 never cares provided gentlemen keep to the 
 mark. So you can do quite as you like." 
 
 The stranger, however, did not think fit 
 to fish ; for very early in the morning, the 
 rain having cleared away, but the clouds 
 still skimming over the sky and sporting 
 with the sunbeams, several signs and 
 tokens gave notice of Sir John Haldi- 
 mand's intention to come down with a 
 party from the Hall and fish the mere 
 himself. A large store of fishing-tackle 
 was brought down by a servant ; the boat 
 was carefully swept out and cleaned ; and 
 Mr. Greenshield, retiring to his own cham- 
 ber, put off his rough and somewhat rustic 
 costume, took some pains with the arrange- 
 ment of his hair, fitted on a new pair of 
 gloves, and came down again, a very dif- 
 ferent looking man from that which he 
 went up. His dress indeed did not pre- 
 tend to anything like smartness ; but there 
 was a neat, clean propriety about it which 
 
136 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 gave him a much more gentlemanly and 
 distinguished appearance than lace and 
 embroidery could have afforded. Thus 
 attired, after having breakfasted, he went 
 out into the little garden, and seating him- 
 self under a tree, took a book out of his 
 pocket filled with strange looking charac- 
 ters. Tom Notbeame was at the moment 
 waiting anxiously for the appearance of 
 his landlord and master ; but the sight of 
 a book had always a strange sort of fasci- 
 nation for him ; and he ventured to look 
 over Mr. Greenshield's shoulder, and then 
 exclaimed — 
 
 " Lord, sir, what funny letters ! They 
 are Greek, I suppose V' 
 
 " No, my good friend," replied the 
 guest. " They are Persian. It is the work 
 of a famous poet of that country ; and 
 this is a song in praise of love and wine." 
 
 " Ay, love and wine," said Tom Kot- 
 beame, " that's the burden of all the old 
 songs, or almost all of them ; but I think 
 the wine is the best part of the ballad, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 137 
 
 though I mustn't say so, or I shall have 
 my ears pulled." 
 
 * These women all, 
 Both great and small, 
 
 Are wavering to and fro, 
 Now here, now there, 
 Now everywhere, 
 
 But I must not say so. 
 
 They love to range, 
 Their minds to change, 
 
 And make their friend their foe ; 
 For lovers true, 
 Each day choose new ; 
 
 But I may not say so. 
 
 Thus one and another 
 Taketh after their mother, 
 
 As cock by kind doth crow. 
 My song is ended. 
 The best may be mended, 
 
 But I may not say so.' 
 
 " Fie, fie, Tom/' said Mr. Greenshield, 
 " you must not lampoon ladies or you 
 will fare worse for it some day. The 
 
138 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 shrewdest of us may be caught at last ; and 
 when you take unto you a wife, she may, 
 perhaps, make you pay dear for your wicked 
 satires." 
 
 " Ah, sir, if ever such a foul fate befall 
 me," said Tom Notbeame, " I shall give 
 myself up entirely to her rule and govern- 
 ance : — 
 
 1 There is no man 
 
 Whose wisdom can 
 Reform a wilful wife ; 
 
 But only God 
 
 Who made the rod 
 For our unthrifty life.' 
 
 But, sometimes I think, sir, you are look- 
 ing out for a wife," he continued, with a 
 glance at Mr. Greenshield's trim apparel. "I 
 hope I shan't scare you with my idle songs," 
 and he laughed loud and merrily. 
 
 " No, no, Tom," said his guest. " No 
 man in love was ever scared from his fancy 
 by a song. But, my good friend, I shall 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 139 
 
 never see forty-five again ; and that is 
 somewhat too old for love." 
 
 " But not for penance, sir," answered 
 Tom, laughing still more. "However, here 
 comes Sir John and all the people from the 
 Hall. Jack, Jack, quick, get hold of the 
 chain of the boat I" 
 
 " Who is that young gentleman in the 
 blue frock, with the gold lace, talking so 
 busily to Miss Haldimand V demanded Mr. 
 Greenshield, eyeing the party as it came 
 down the road. 
 
 " That's the Colonel, sir," answered Tom 
 Notbeame ; "Colonel Charles, Mr. Richard's 
 son." 
 
 " And who is the lady behind with the 
 gentleman in brown 1" asked his guest. 
 
 " Hang it, sir, I can't stop," replied Tom 
 Notbeame ; " and if I could, I shouldn't be 
 able to tell, for I don't know." So say- 
 ing, he walked away out of his garden-gate 
 to meet his master, hat in hand. 
 
 The worthy old baronet, dressed in 
 sporting attire and with a lady of middle age 
 
140 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 upon his arm, came down the road with a 
 step as elastic as if he had been in youth. 
 He looked gayer and more cheerful than 
 when he was first presented to the reader ; 
 for the society of the sweet girl, who fol- 
 lowed him closely, had exercised a balmy 
 influence, even more powerful than that of 
 time ; healing the wounds of the heart, and 
 softening the memory of the one great sor- 
 row which had affected all his early life. 
 Walking rapidly on, he nodded and spoke 
 kindly to Tom Notbeame ; and, taking his 
 way round the house, accompanied by that 
 personage, proceeded to the boat-house and 
 handed the ladies of the party into the 
 boat. His eye rested for a moment upon 
 Mr. Greenshield, who continued sitting in 
 the garden ; but he took no further notice 
 of the stranger ; and the boat was soon seen 
 pushed off from the land. 
 
 Mr. Greenshield continued in the same 
 spot where he had seated himself, watching 
 the proceedings of the party with evident 
 interest. Though he still held the book in 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 141 
 
 his hand, he did not take his eyes off the 
 boat for a moment ; and the sight of a 
 large fish struck, hooked, skilfully played, 
 and taken, soon gratified him — if it was 
 the old angler spirit which excited so much 
 interest in the scene. 
 
 For nearly two hours he continued to watch 
 the party, without ever stirring from the spot ; 
 and then a slow, quiet step behind, startled him 
 from his contemplation and made him sud- 
 denly turn round. The person who ap- 
 proached, was a man somewhat past the 
 middle age, dressed in the garb of a clergy- 
 man — which, in those days, was more dis- 
 tinctly marked than at present ; and, as he 
 advanced towards the edge of the waters 
 he bowed to Mr. Greenshield with a kind 
 and benevolent smile. The year before, and 
 the year before that, during about six 
 weeks in the spring, and for a short period 
 in the autumn, Mr. Richard Haldimand had 
 seen Tom Notbeame's lodger regularly in 
 the parish church every Sunday. He had 
 
142 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 never, indeed, met him before in any of his 
 walks ; but the face had impressed itself 
 strongly on the clergyman's memory, from 
 the fact of Mr. Greenshield having been 
 taken ill and obliged to leave the church 
 on the very first Sunday of his appearance 
 in the congregation. Mr. Greenshield in- 
 stantly rose, and returned the rector's saluta- 
 tion with grace and dignity ; and a few 
 words regarding the weather, the universal 
 opening of conversation in England, soon 
 led them to talk of other things as they 
 walked on together quite to the edge of the 
 water. 
 
 " I thought I should have found my bro- 
 ther returning," said the clergyman, as he 
 looked over the Mere and saw the boat 
 with Sir John and his party at a consider- 
 able distance ; " but he seems as busily en- 
 gaged in his sport as ever." 
 
 "And will be, for an hour or two, I 
 should think," replied Mr. Greenshield ; 
 " for I see the fish are very ravenous this 
 morning ; and the spot is so beautiful 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 143 
 
 that, even were the sport at an end, one 
 might very well prolong the hours, floating 
 in dreamy contemplation on the Mere." 
 
 Richard Haldimand smiled, saying — 
 
 " It is, indeed, a very lovely scene ; and, 
 though I have been familiar with it from 
 boyhood, it never loses its charm for me. 
 I have an affection for every sandy point and 
 old tree, a sort of fellowship with the 
 shrubs of the wood and the clifts of the 
 rock." 
 
 " Nevertheless," answered Mr. Green- 
 shield, " I think something might be done 
 to improve even what is beautiful. I think 
 that wood over there casts too much un- 
 broken shadow on the water, especially 
 when the sun is to the west. A little in- 
 terlucation would not be amiss ; for I 
 know nothing more beautiful than a gleam 
 of the setting sun pouring here and there 
 through the trees upon the water." 
 
 " I dare say you speak with the judg- 
 ment of a painter," replied the clergyman ; 
 " but yet I could hardly spare any of the 
 
144 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 old trees. I hate the sound of an axe. 
 J have a sort of fanciful impression that 
 fchere is life and feeling in these ancient 
 giants ; and I do not love to see them 
 fall." 
 
 " Oh, yes, I would always reverence 
 the Hamadryads," answered his compa- 
 nion ; " but yet, a fondness for picturesque 
 beauty struggles against such charity." 
 
 Richard Haldimand was not an inquisi- 
 tive man ; but }^et the stranger's conversa- 
 tion excited some degree of curiosity. He 
 found him a man of much taste, of con- 
 siderable learning, and of very general 
 information ; and he could not imagine 
 what could have brought such a person 
 down, to spend long weeks in so dull and 
 quiet a place as Haldistow. 
 
 " 1 am afraid you must find your resi- 
 dence here somewhat uninteresting," he 
 said ; " for there is not much society in the 
 place." 
 
 " I have none," replied Mr. Greenshield ; 
 " but I make my society, while here, in the 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 145 
 
 woods and moors, where I endeavour to 
 realize the words of the great poet, 
 and 
 
 1 Find tongue in trees, books in the running- 
 brooks, 
 Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.' 
 
 To say truth, living a great deal in 
 London, T am glad enough to escape from 
 tune to time to the quiet of the country, 
 and be free from the sight of the vice, 
 the wickedness, and the folly of a great 
 town." 
 
 " It is indeed a horrible place," replied 
 Richard Haldimand, " at least to my taste ; 
 and when I am there, which is very rarely, 
 I cannot help feeling a sort of contami- 
 nation in the very air, from which I am 
 glad to escape, as from the atmosphere 
 of a city stricken with the plague." 
 
 " Vice is certainly infectious," said Mr. 
 
 Greenshield ; " but nevertheless, not so 
 
 much so, I trust, as that no one can escape 
 VOL i. H 
 
146 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 the contagion, even in crowded cities. 
 There, I believe, we shall find the highest 
 virtues, as well as the darkest vices ; and 
 each have their reward : 
 
 1 The impartial Gods, who, from the mounted 
 
 Heavens, 
 View us, their mortal herd, behold who err, 
 And in their time chastise.' 
 
 I have passed much of my time in cities, 
 in that wrestling with the world which 
 you probably have never known ; and one 
 of the effects has been to give the face of 
 nature and all the beautiful features it dis- 
 plays, a glory and a loveliness in my eyes, 
 which those who have not been denied the 
 sight for months and years together, can- 
 not, I believe, comprehend. It is not 
 indeed," he added, somewhat abruptly, 
 " that I dislike society. Far from it. I 
 enjoy it much, when it is quiet and intelli- 
 gent. But there is no such thing as so- 
 ciety in great capitals. There are visitings, 
 and parties, and spectacles, and courts, 
 but very little, if any, society." 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 147 
 
 The clergyman mused, and then en- 
 quired if his companion intended to stay 
 long at Haldistow. 
 
 " My usual time, about six weeks," re- 
 plied Mr. Greenshield. " You must know 
 that I am an angler too, and am exceed- 
 ingly fond of the sport." 
 
 " How happens it you are not on the 
 water to-day then V 9 asked Richard Hal- 
 dimand. 
 
 The stranger explained ; but his com- 
 panion assured him that his brother would 
 be much grieved to hear that he had 
 refrained from enjoying any amusement 
 on his account, adding — " There is room 
 upon the Mere for many more parties than 
 one." 
 
 A few minutes after, the boat was seen 
 returning towards the shore ; and the 
 clergyman, going to join his brother as the 
 party landed, left Mr. Greenshield in the 
 garden, but carried with him a very plea- 
 sant impression of that gentleman's mind 
 and manners. 
 
 H 2 
 
148 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 On the evening of Mr. Greenshield's first 
 arrival at the house of Tom Notbeame, a 
 personage was introduced to the reader, 
 of whose antecedents some slight notion 
 was given in the subsequent chapter. After 
 leaving the inn, well satisfied at not being 
 called upon to do a thing he particularly 
 disliked, namely to pay, Matthew Hush 
 walked on along the road, passed the end 
 of the little path, which crossed a meadow 
 and led to the park stile, then left the gates 
 of the park behind him, and turning to 
 the right, wound his way down to the lit- 
 tle village of Haldistow, with the curious 
 old church of early English architecture 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 149 
 
 rising on the highest point of the ground 
 — the parsonage, a fine old mansion, with 
 good gardens just opposite — and a 
 little stream running by the side of the 
 village green. On this green, detached 
 from all other houses, stood the stithy, 
 with a neat white cottage attached to it of 
 no mean extent ; for Jack Martyr, the 
 smith, was well to do in the world, and 
 carried on what might be called, a 
 roaring trade, besides having the advan- 
 tage of shoeing all Sir John Haldimand's 
 horses. 
 
 The twilight was very gray when 
 Matthew Hush approached ; but from 
 the light of the sky and the light of the 
 forge, he could distinguish plainly enough 
 the carrier's cart standing before the stithy, 
 several packages upon the ground, and the 
 carrier conversing with a stout, broad-built, 
 grey-headed man, the sleeves of whose 
 shirt were rolled up, according to custom, 
 far above the elbows. 
 
 " To be left here !" cried Jack Martyr, 
 
153 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 in a rough, hoarse voice. " What the devil 
 should he send them here for 1 I know 
 who he is well enough ; for unluckily he 
 is my wife's nephew ; but I have not seen 
 or heard of him for more than five and 
 twenty years ; and if he isn't mended 
 since he went, the less one hears of him 
 the better, maybe." 
 
 " Well, I was to leave them here, how- 
 ever/' said the earner ; " and, as they are 
 paid for, there can be no great harm in 
 taking them in, Mr. Martyr." 
 
 " Not so sure of that," answered the black- 
 smith gruffly. " Here, Bill, call my missis ; 
 I'll ask her what's to be done. He's a 
 fellow that sticks tight when once he gets 
 hold. He welds himself on to another 
 man, as it were ; and you might as well 
 try to break a plough coulter with a pair 
 of wire nippers, as to shake him off when 
 once he's fastened and cold." 
 
 The greater part of these speeches, not 
 very satisfactory to his ear, were heard by 
 Matthew Hush as he approached ; but he 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 151 
 
 had gone through a great deal too much 
 in life to be daunted by a blacksmith ; 
 and without the slightest loss of confidence 
 or composure he walked straight up to 
 good Jack Martyr, saying, in his easy, self- 
 satisfied tone : 
 
 " Ah, my right dear and well-beloved 
 uncle, how have you been this long while ? 
 You see I have come back at last to spend a 
 little time in my native place ; and I am 
 glad to see my trunks have arrived before 
 me." 
 
 The blacksmith drew back and eyed 
 him from head to foot with a look of sur- 
 prise. 
 
 " And are you young Matthew Hush V 
 he exclaimed. " Well, I should not have 
 known you anywhere ; and if you are as 
 much changed inside as out, you may be 
 worth something after all." 
 
 " To be sure I am," answered Matthew 
 Hush. " I have grown steady as well as 
 old, uncle Martyr ; and the best proof of 
 it is that I have remained in one family so 
 many years." 
 
152 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 The blacksmith grumbled forth some- 
 thing which was not very distinct ; but a 
 few of the words had certainly reference 
 to birds of a feather ; and as one of his 
 workmen had called forth good Mrs. 
 Martyr according to his orders, the rest of 
 his speech was cut short by the appear- 
 ance of the dame herself. 
 
 " There, missis," he said, in his usual 
 gruff tones, " there's your nephew — you 
 must do something with him I suppose ;" 
 and quietly turning into the stithy, in two 
 minutes he was hammering red hot iron 
 again. 
 
 The matter was soon arranged between 
 Mrs. Martyr and her nephew ; for she was 
 of that peculiar species of human being 
 called, the good sort of woman ; and she 
 agreed to furnish Matthew Hush with 
 board and lodging for a few days till he 
 could look about him. The good black- 
 smith, when he came in to supper and 
 found his worthy connexion seated in the 
 parlour, seemed to take it all as a matter 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 153 
 
 of course ; and though it cannot be affirmed 
 that he was very civil, (for he could not 
 brush out from the chest of memory many 
 of the cobwebs which good Matthew's pre- 
 vious conduct had left behind), yet he was 
 not absolutely rude ; and that was some- 
 thing. His two sons, gay, light-hearted 
 lads, were delighted to see their cousin ; 
 and he contrived to ingratiate himself with 
 them by tales and anecdotes and smart 
 sayings so far, as somewhat to alarm the 
 father, who took an opportunity, before 
 they went to bed, of saying privately to 
 them : 
 
 "Do not you have too much to do with that 
 fellow till we see more of him. He was a 
 bad one when he was a lad ; and he has 
 lived all his life in a place where he was 
 not likely to be made a good one." 
 
 Upon the whole, Matthew Hush's recep- 
 tion in his native village was not very 
 auspicious, but compensation came on the 
 following day. As soon as he thought thai 
 Mr. Richard Haldimaad had breakfasted 
 H 5 
 
154 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 he set off to pay his respects, as he had 
 arranged with his master, and was admit- 
 ted immediately. He found the clergy- 
 man reading a letter in which he recognized 
 Mr. William Haldimand's hand ; but his 
 reception was very gracious ; and after he 
 had finished the perusal of the epistle, the 
 rector laid it on the table, saying — " I have 
 just had a letter about you, Matthew, 
 from my brother William. He tells me 
 you have been in ill health, which I am 
 sorry to hear. What has been the matter 
 with you V 
 
 Now this was a question which was 
 difficult to answer with anything like truth : 
 not that such a circumstance was likely to 
 stand much in Master Matthew Hush's 
 way ; but he did not know exactly whether 
 his master had stated any specific com- 
 plaint ; and he also had a pleasure — that 
 sort of pleasure which the skilful in any art 
 experience from dexterous manipulation — 
 in lying like truth. After a moment's, or 
 half a moment's, consideration he replied : 
 
THE OLD OAK CHESt. 155 
 
 " I am very much obliged to you, sir. 
 London never agreed with me well ; and 
 lately I have been threatened with an affec- 
 tion of the throat, which the gentleman I 
 consulted thought might prove dangerous 
 if I remained longer in town. I was very 
 sorry to quit my master, who has always been 
 a good master to me ; but, he said himself, 
 as he thought his permitting me to come 
 down here might save me from worse, he 
 was kind enough to let me go." 
 
 " Have you been to see my brother 
 John'?" asked the clergyman thoughtfully. 
 
 " No, sir, I did not venture to go to 
 him," replied Matthew ; " not because my 
 father voted against him at the election, 
 for I knew he would forgive that; but be- 
 cause when I was down here, as a lad, I 
 offended Sir John a good deal, I am afraid. 
 I was a very thoughtless youth, and had 
 got in with a parcel of wild young scamps, 
 who led me whatever way they pleased. 
 I am sure the kindness of Mr. William in 
 taking me into his service has been the 
 
156 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 saving of me. God bless him for it. I 
 shall ever be most grateful to him, I am 
 sure," 
 
 It is wonderful how well Matthew Hush 
 knew his man. He was well aware that 
 Mr. Richard Haldimand had no very great 
 attachment to, or respect for, his master; 
 but he was also quite sure that to say one 
 word against Mr. William Haldimand, or even 
 to appear the least ungrateful, was the last 
 way in the world to recommend himself to 
 the clergyman. 
 
 Richard was very well pleased with his 
 answer. There seemed no affectation about 
 it which could startle even a suspicious 
 heart; and that, Heaven knows, his was 
 not. He therefore paused for a moment, 
 in his deliberate way, and then enquired 
 what his visitor intended to do with him- 
 self. 
 
 " I must look about for some occupation; 
 sir/' replied Matthew Hush, in an indiffe- 
 rent tone. " I feel myself quite refreshed 
 and better already ; and although I have 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 157 
 
 saved a little money in Mr. William's ser- 
 vice, it will not do to be idle." 
 
 " Certainly not/' answered the clergy- 
 man. " What employment are you looking- 
 for?" 
 
 " Oh, really I do not know, sir," answered 
 the worthy Matthew, " anything I can get. 
 I do not care much whether it is high or 
 low, whether the wages are great or not, 
 provided the family doesn't live in London, 
 where I should be sure to have the feeling 
 of strangling come back upon me. I have 
 been acting as valet and butler in Mr. Wil- 
 liam's house for the last six years ; but I 
 must not be particular." 
 
 " I will see what can be done for you," 
 said Mr. Richard Iialdimand. " Old Lewel- 
 lyn, my brother John's butler, is dead ; and 
 he has not yet got another ; for all the other 
 men in the house are too young. I will 
 speak to him about you ; but of course I can 
 promise you nothing till I hear what he 
 says." 
 
 " Oh, sir, don't take the trouble," said 
 Matthew Hush, in the most modest manner 
 
1£8 THE OLD OAK CHEST 
 
 possible. " I am very much obliged to you ; 
 but I am sure Sir John would never think 
 of taking me. People don't easily forget 
 the pranks that foolish young men play in 
 their youth. Why even Martyr, my aunt's 
 husband, though he knows I have been 
 going on as steadily as possible for more 
 than twenty years, looked quite cold upon 
 me at first when I came back last night." 
 
 " Martyr is a very worthy, but a some- 
 what rude man," answered Richard Haldi- 
 mand ; " and I have remarked it is very 
 difficult to remove from his mind any 
 opinion he has once taken up. My brother 
 John is a very different person." 
 
 " Of course, sir, of course," replied Mat- 
 thew Hush. " Sir John is a noble-minded 
 gentleman in every way, and few like him 
 for learning; but when there are so many 
 who would be glad enough to serve him, 
 he is not likely to take one whom he may 
 not think well of." 
 
 "We shall see, we shall see," replied 
 Mr. Richard Haldimand. " Of course I 
 can promise nothing, as I said; but I will 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 159 
 
 take the first opportunity of speaking to 
 him, lest other people should apply; and 
 you shall hear the result." 
 
 Some farther conversation followed ; 
 and then Mr. Hush took his leave. He 
 was an admirable actor, practised upon the 
 stage, up to every trick of the scene, trod 
 the boards firmly, and never forgot the 
 by-play. When about three quarters of 
 an hour afterwards Mr. Richard Haldimand 
 issued forth with the purpose of walking 
 down to the Mere and meeting his brother 
 as he returned from fishing, he had to pass 
 through the churchyard ; and there at some 
 distance from the path on the right hand 
 side, where he was neither very conspicuous 
 nor very much hidden, he saw the figure of 
 Mr. Matthew Hush, seated in a thoughtful 
 attitude gazing at a grave- stone. He took 
 no notice, and passed on ; but upon reflec- 
 tion he remembered that just about the 
 place where he had seen the man sitting, 
 lay buried the body of Martha, widow of 
 Josiah Hush, and mother of Matthew. His 
 
160 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 meeting with his brother at the edge of the 
 lake has been described ; but, in the course 
 of the walk back to the hall, Mr. Haldimand 
 found an opportunity of commending the 
 case of Matthew Hush to his brother's 
 notice. 
 
 The name did not seem very savoury to 
 Sir John Haldimand. " I know not what 
 he is now, Dick," said the baronet, " but 
 he was a bad fellow when he went away ; 
 and I don't like the school he has been 
 studying in." 
 
 This brought forth an elaborate defence 
 of Matthew Hush from the worthy clergy- 
 man, who told all the man had said, and 
 all he himself had remarked. 
 
 " Well, Dick, well," replied Sir John, " I 
 am very willing to do anything I can for 
 him, and should have no objection, on your 
 report, to give him a trial ; but there is an 
 obstacle which may prevent my doing so. 
 Sir Harrington Hounslow is parting with his 
 butler ; the man has applied for my place ; 
 and I have appointed two o'clock this day 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. lb'l 
 
 for seeing him. First come, you know, 
 Richard, first served. If the man's cha- 
 racter is what I like, he will have the place. 
 If not, I may try your friend, Matthew 
 Hush, after I have had a little conversation 
 with him myself J but let him clearly 
 understand that the slightest appearance of 
 returning to old tricks will produce his im- 
 mediate discharge. Who was that you 
 were talking with in the garden, just now \ 
 He seemed a very gentleman-like man in 
 his appearance ; and his face is familiar to 
 me." 
 
 " He is a man of extraordinary inform- 
 ation and very agreeable manners," answered 
 the clergyman. " I dare say you have seen 
 him in church ; for he has been down here 
 fishing every spring for the last two or 
 three years. I never spoke to him till to- 
 day, and was quite surprised and pleased. 
 — Will you let me know, John, when you 
 have decided in regard to Hush V 
 
 " You shall hear as soon as I have seen 
 the other man," answered his brother. " If 
 
162 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 I do take him, it will only be upon -trial, 
 Dick ; for you are easily cozened, my dear 
 boy — " and then seeing the colour mount 
 a little in his brother's cheek, he added, 
 with an affectionate pressure of his brother's 
 hand, " God forbid that it should be other- 
 wise, Richard ; for to be a mere suspicious 
 man would not make you a happier man, 
 and would certainly make you a worse 
 clergyman. There, there is Kate looking 
 back. You have not said a word to her 
 to-day. You go and talk to her while I 
 flirt with the old ladies." 
 
 That same evening Mr. Richard Haldi- 
 mand received a note from his brother to 
 the following effect : 
 
 "My Dear Dick, 
 
 " Hounslow's butler will not do. I can 
 see from the cautious character he has 
 written of him that the man is a sot if not 
 a thief into the bargain. He says he has 
 never detected him in any act of dishonesty, 
 and that he parts with him because he had 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 163 
 
 remarkedhimtobenot sober on one occasion. 
 Poor commendation this, I think. The 
 man attempted to explain ; but his excuses 
 were as old as the time of Noah ; and his 
 nose bore testimony against him. I never 
 saw such a nose manufactured out of any- 
 thing but port wine. 
 
 " If you know where to find him, send 
 up Hush to me to-morrow at ten. I will 
 see what I can make of him. Let me have 
 a sight of William's letter too. You can 
 send it up by the bearer to 
 
 " Your affectionate brother, 
 
 "John Haldimafd." 
 
 When he got William's letter to Richard, 
 Sir John read it attentively ; once or twice 
 looked very grave, and once or twice smiled 
 slightly. 
 
 " Somewhat stupid ! M he exclaimed, as 
 he read one passage. " That's the highest 
 commendation William has yet given ; but 
 Master Hush used not to have that charac- 
 
164 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 ter. I wonder what William calls sharp. 
 I suppose the man has really turned 
 honest, otherwise he could not with Wil- 
 liam have worked out the reputation of 
 being stupid." 
 
 The next morning, precisely at ten, Mr. 
 Hush stood in the presence of Sir John 
 Haldimand. He seemed a little nervous, 
 and was so really ; for he knew that he 
 had a very different person to deal with 
 from the clergyman. 
 
 " And so you have left my brother Wil- 
 liam V 9 said Sir John, keeping a steady eye 
 upon the man. " Had you any reason to 
 be dissatisfied with my brother, or with 
 the place V 
 
 "None in the world, sir," answered 
 Matthew Hush. " A better master never 
 was ; and I would willingly have gone on 
 serving him till my dying day if I could 
 have had my health in London." 
 
 This answer pleased Sir John as it had 
 pleased Mr. Richard Haldimand ; but see- 
 ing that the man's manner was still some- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 165 
 
 what agitated, he said, "What was your 
 complaint ? Was it a nervous disorder V 
 
 " Oh, dear no, sir/' answered Hush, who 
 knew how to draw advantage even from 
 his own infirmities. " I am only a little 
 nervous at presenting myself before you, 
 sir, after all that happened before I went 
 away. I cannot think that even now you 
 can look over it. Forget it, I am sure you 
 cannot/' 
 
 " Of course not," replied Sir John Hal- 
 dimand ; " but if you show me that your 
 character and your conduct are changed, 
 and that you have seen the folly as well as 
 the wickedness of such courses, the past 
 will only be remembered by me to your 
 honour ; for though every man is weak 
 enough to fall, upon occasions, not every 
 one is strong enough to rise again un- 
 injured." 
 
 How often do we pour water into sand 
 in this life ! It is one of man's most con- 
 stant occupations. We may well conceive 
 that Sir John Haldimand, though by no 
 
166 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 means given to preach, had in his exhor- 
 tation to good Matthew Hush been simply 
 pouring water upon sand. It seemed to 
 sink in, to be drawn up every drop ; but 
 the sand was no moister than before. 
 
 Mr. Hush, however, not having read the 
 lessons of the world in vain, had remarked 
 that strong professions formed the vulgar 
 resource of the very lowest cast of hypo- 
 crites, and that people were much upon 
 their guard against them. He took care 
 therefore always to be extremely moderate 
 in his promises, which had two good 
 effects. It did not startle or alarm by ex- 
 aggeration ; and when he found it con- 
 venient to break those he had made, the 
 fault appeared less. He therefore replied, 
 in a humble yet decided tone, " No man 
 can ever answer for himself sir, when once 
 he has committed such follies as I have 
 done ; but I will do my best to avoid them 
 always. I do not think anybody can ac- 
 cuse me of anything of the kind for the 
 last twenty years and more ; so that I 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 167 
 
 have had some trial ; and the temptations 
 to go wrong are not likely to be as great 
 here as in London. I trust, therefore, I 
 shall not give you occasion to regret your 
 kindness if you think fit to engage me." 
 
 " You may consider yourself engaged," 
 replied the old baronet, who, though not so 
 fully deceived as his brother Richard, yet 
 conceived good hope that Matthew Hush 
 might be an altered man. " When do you 
 think you will be well enough to come V 
 
 " Whenever you please, sir," answered 
 Matthew Hush. " I felt myself better the 
 moment I quitted London, and have lost 
 all that unpleasant sensation I had, as if I 
 should not be able to draw my breath 
 much longer." 
 
 " It must have been nervous," said the 
 baronet. 
 
 " Probably it was, sir," replied Matthew ; 
 " for I had a great deal of shaking and 
 sinking of the heart too ; but I have quite 
 got over that now, and can come to-night 
 if you like." 
 
168 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 " So be it, then," answered Sir John 
 Haldimand. " I have several persons stay- 
 ing in the house ; and the want of a ser- 
 vant is inconvenient. Nevertheless I by 
 no means desire you to come if you do 
 not feel yourself quite capable." 
 
 So, however, it was arranged. Matthew 
 Hush had a great idea of doing business 
 rapidly ; and he took possession of his 
 place that very night. He showed himself 
 at once perfectly competent to his duties, 
 and performed his functions at the side- 
 board with all the grave, graceful and im- 
 posing dignity of a London butler. When 
 he retired to his room for the night, how- 
 ever, before he proceeded to take repose, 
 he, in a true philosophical spirit, wound up 
 the day with meditation. He thought he 
 might as well consider a little his plan of 
 action, and what was to be the result of 
 his operations. If we might clothe his 
 thoughts in words, they would be some- 
 what to the following effect : 
 
 " So far, so well. Capital progress in 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 169 
 
 four days, I think, and all owing to my 
 own abilities ; for that humbug letter did 
 little or nothing for me. They know him 
 too well to trust him much ; but now what 
 am I to do \ What's to be the next step \ 
 Am I to go on working all the time for 
 him just because he has got a grip upon 
 •my neck, and then when I've done all that 
 he wants, leave him with his hold on still 
 to give me another squeeze whenever he 
 wants anything else % Ko, no, Mr. Haldi- 
 mand, I must have some hold on you to 
 balance your hold on me. I must contrive 
 some way to make things equal ; for this 
 is not fair play. However, the first thing 
 is to seem to be doing everything he wants. 
 Ay, and to do it too, as far as it is needful. 
 I must get some information about this 
 will somehow. I will try and come over 
 old Mrs. Giles, the housekeeper, who looks 
 as fresh and well-preserved as she was five 
 and twenty years ago. She was always in 
 Sir John's confidence ; and, though she has 
 looked at me to-night as if I were a toad, 
 
 VOL. I. I 
 
170 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 I'll come round her. She must have a soft 
 spot somewhere. Perhaps she may not 
 know all ; but she must guess ; and 
 guesses may lead to certainties. Nothing 
 like putting two and two together ; and 
 my first attack shall be upon her." 
 
 With this sage reflection, Mr. Hush 
 went to bed, and, as we novelists say, 
 slept the sweet sleep of infancy. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 1 71 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The morning was fine after a showery 
 day ; and Colonel Charles Haldimand was. 
 up almost with the dawn. It was not that 
 he rose refreshed from the pleasant repose 
 which a high heart and a favourable posi- 
 tion in society, good health, good spirits, 
 and a conscience clear of reproaoh might 
 well be supposed to know ; for he had hardly 
 closed an eye all night. He, nevertheless, 
 opened one of the glass doors of the 
 rectory, and walked out into the garden. 
 There he paced up and down the longest of 
 the gravel walks for nearly an hour. Flowers 
 were bursting into bloom all around him ; 
 but he noticed them not. The bright rain- 
 I 2 
 
172 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 drops on the leaves and on the grass, 
 were no longer gems in his sight as they 
 used to be in other days. He heeded not 
 the songs of the birds, once so musical to 
 his ear. Colonel Haldimand was evidently 
 uneasy. There was something that op- 
 pressed him. It had oppressed him all the 
 evening before at his uncle's house, whither 
 he had gone to dine with his father and 
 mother ; and his demeanour had been 
 •grave, if not sad ; his manner, though per- 
 fectly gentlemanly, somewhat abrupt. 
 
 The father had not remarked this. He 
 had conversed sometimes with Sir John, 
 sometimes with his brother's guest, Lady 
 Martindale, who was a first cousin of the 
 late Lady Haldimand ; sometimes with her 
 son, the young Lord Martindale, sometimes 
 with her niece Alice, a sweet girl of eighteen, 
 and sometimes with his brother's adopted 
 daughter Catherine ; but he had taken 
 little notice of his son's demeanour to any 
 of them. 
 
 Men's eyes are not very microscopical. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 173 
 
 In general they do not easily perceive small 
 things ; but women do, and Mrs. Haldi- 
 mand perceived, and perceived with pain, 
 that something made her son uneasy. Of 
 course she did not rest satisfied thus ; but 
 watched, with a mother's anxious tenderness, 
 for every little trait which might lead her 
 step by step towards a discovery of the 
 cause ; and she thought she made some 
 progress. She remarked that, when young 
 Lord Martindale approached Kate Haldi- 
 mand, and entered into conversation with 
 her, Charles turned his eyes away, and 
 pertinaciously would not look at them. If 
 they were near enough for him to hear what 
 they said, he walked to the other side of 
 the room, and talked to somebody else, 
 though with an evident effort. He did not, 
 as usual, go close to Kate's chair when she 
 was singing, and left Lord Martindale to 
 turn over the leaves of the music book. 
 Mrs. Haldimand perceived all this ; and a 
 light began to dawn upon her, which per- 
 haps ought to have dawned upon her before. 
 
174 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 It is no excuse for her blindness that the 
 light had not dawned upon Colonel Haldi- 
 mand himself ; but still so it was, and she 
 meditated sagely upon all she saw now that 
 her eyes were opened. She resolved indeed 
 to see more, and learn more, before she 
 spoke with her husband on the subject ; for, 
 though she had the utmost love for him, 
 and confidence in him, she judged that 
 with a matter such as she believed this to 
 be, a woman was better fitted to deal, at 
 least in the beginning, than a man. 
 
 When Colonel Haldimand had walked up 
 and down the garden for nearly an hour, 
 as I have said, meditating so deeply that 
 he saw nothing around, his mother put her 
 head out of the glass door by which he had 
 gone forth, then returned, for a moment, 
 into the house to procure a shawl, and then 
 came back again and joined him in his 
 walk. She was a simple-minded, gentle, 
 kind woman, but by no means deficient in 
 good sense or strength of character ; and 
 she thought it always the best way to begin 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 1 75 
 
 a conversation on anything important with 
 the subject itself. 
 
 " What is the matter my dear Charles V 
 she said, after having wished her son good 
 morning. " You are evidently uneasy about 
 something." 
 
 " I am trying to find out, my dear mo- 
 ther," answered Charles Haldimand, frankly. 
 " I am not in very good spirits, it is 
 true." 
 
 " Let me help you, Charles," said his 
 mother ; " for it is better you should have 
 some one to consult with than rack your 
 own brains and torture your own heart by 
 keeping all the struggle that is going on 
 within your own bosom." 
 
 " I shall be very happy, indeed, of any 
 help," responded Charles Haldimand, " al- 
 though I do not see what good it can 
 do." 
 
 " 0, a great deal," replied Mrs. Haldi- 
 mand. " Answer me truly, then, my dear 
 son. Have you not felt this uneasiness ever 
 since you saw young Lord Martindale 
 
176 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 paying such particular attention to our dear 
 Kate V 
 
 " No," answered Colonel Haldimand, " I 
 do not think so. The day of the fishing 
 party, I heard him talking soft nonsense to 
 her in the boat ; but that did not make me 
 at all uneasy ; for I felt sure that Kate 
 would only think it trash." 
 
 " My dear Charles," replied Mrs. Haldi- 
 mand, " all men talk soft nonsense to wo- 
 men when they are in love with them ; and 
 women have a sort of instinct that it must 
 be so, which prevents them from classing, 
 under as trash words which they might 
 laugh at other circumstances." 
 
 " Then you believe he is in love with 
 her V 3 demanded Colonel Haldimand, turn- 
 ing upon his mother so quickly as almost to 
 startle her. 
 
 She answered him truly, however, say- 
 ing — " I do ; but not desperately in love. 
 Now, my dear Charles," she continued, 
 seeing him turn very pale and then very 
 red, " you have been eager and impetuous 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 177 
 
 from your boyhood. You must promise 
 me that you will act in no degree 
 rashly." 
 
 *' I do not see, mother, how I can act at 
 all," answered her son. " I do not un- 
 derstand what you mean by acting rashly." 
 
 " Why, jealousy is a very angry sort of 
 passion, Charles," answered his mother ; 
 " and people, under its influence, are very 
 apt to find causes of quarrel, where none 
 are really given." 
 
 " Can you really suspect me of such a 
 thing V asked Colonel Haldimancl, in a 
 calm but sad tone. " I can pretend to no 
 right, my dear mother, to prevent Lord 
 Martindale from paying his addresses to 
 Kate. Nor can I put myself in any com- 
 petition with him. He has wealth and 
 station to offer her ; and, for aught I know, 
 higher qualities of heart and mind than 
 myself. He is a younger man, too, than I am, 
 and will have more opportunity. It would 
 be unjust to Kate, unjust to him, and dis- 
 creditable to myself, were I to attempt to 
 
178 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 stop him/' And again folding his arms 
 upon his chest, he walked slowly on by his 
 mother's side. 
 
 Mrs. Haldimand kept silence likewise for r 
 a moment or two, not very well knowing 
 whether it might not be better to suffer her 
 son's gloomy view of the case to remain, at 
 least till she saw how affairs might turn; 
 but then maternal affection prompted her 
 to comfort him; and she thought that it 
 would be unfair to suffer him to give up a 
 pursuit in despair which so much affected 
 his happiness, and to her appeared by no 
 means desperate. 
 
 " To attempt to stop him," she said at 
 length, " would be at once wrong and im- 
 politic; but to attempt to make your own 
 cause good with Kate, if you really love 
 her, Charles, would, I think, be only fair to 
 her and to yourself. She is not one, my 
 dear son, to look upon either rank or wealth 
 as any very striking recommendations; 
 and you have this great advantage over 
 Lord Martindale, that she has known you 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 179 
 
 and had the strongest affection for you 
 from childhood." 
 
 " Oh, yes, she has loved me as an elder 
 Ibrother," replied Colonel Haldimand; " but 
 that is all, my dear mother; and I am 
 sure I never knew that I loved her as 
 anything but as a sister till I returned after 
 this long two years' absence. Then it was 
 I saw how beautiful and how graceful she 
 really is, how unlike and, surely I may say, 
 superior to any of the young women with 
 whom I have mingled in the world. Even 
 then I should not have known that it was 
 love I felt towards her, and should have 
 gone away perhaps just as I came, had it 
 not been that this young lordling^s atten- 
 tions made me so uneasy, and set me to 
 question my own heart as to its feelings 
 towards Kate." 
 
 Mrs. Haldimand had listened with a 
 quiet smile ; but now she replied, " May it 
 not be the same with Kate, Charles'? She 
 may not know how well she loves you 
 either, and is not likely to know till, by 
 
180 THE 01 J) OAK CHEST. 
 
 some means, you make her heart ask itself 
 the question." 
 
 " Then you do not think she loves him?" 
 asked Charles eagerly. 
 
 " I must not take upon me to say that," 
 replied his mother. " From what I see, I 
 should judge, not yet at all events. She 
 she has as little coquetry in her disposi- 
 tion as any girl I ever saw; and she cer- 
 tainly did not seem to treat Lord Martindale 
 as anything more than a pleasant acquaint- 
 ance ; and you must acknowledge, Charles, 
 that he is a very agreeable, well-informed, 
 gentlemanly young man." 
 
 u So people say," answered Colonel Hal- 
 dimand, with the slightest possible touch 
 of impatience in his tone ; " for my own part 
 I do not see anything particularly attractive 
 in him." 
 
 His mother smiled; and, interpreting 
 her look in his own way, he continued, 
 " Well, it may be prejudice ; and perhaps 
 in this case I am not a fair judge; but 
 yet-" 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 181 
 
 " Nay, Charles, do not fight with sha- 
 dows/' said his mother. " I smiled to think 
 that you should be really jealous of a man 
 for whom you have so little esteem and 
 admiration. However, I think it but fair 
 to let Kate know your feelings towards 
 her; but before you propose, I suppose, of 
 course, you will speak to your father." 
 
 Colonel Haldimand fell into thought; 
 and it was not till after he had passed some 
 minutes in silence that he said in a medi- 
 tative kind of way. " Propose ! — what 
 have I to propose? Will it be really fair 
 to her to tell her that I love her at all? I 
 have nothing to offer, my dear mother. I 
 have my sword and my good name, the 
 allowance which my father makes me out 
 of an income not over large for himself. 
 Ought I to say a word? Ought I not 
 rather to remain silent as I have hitherto 
 done, and let her find happiness else- 
 where ?" 
 
 " No," answered his mother, in a decided 
 one. " I have often heard your excellent 
 
182 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 uncle say that he had provided amply for 
 Kate. Nor has your father, my dear 
 Charles, been unmindful of his son. I do 
 not mean to say that in a union with you 
 she would find wealth ; but, at all events, 
 you would both have competence ; and I 
 am quite sure that would be all she would 
 desire. I would therefore put such 
 considerations out of the question, and 
 merely consider whether, from what you 
 have seen and know of her, she is likely to 
 accept you. It is an old adage, that no 
 gentleman was ever refused by a lady, 
 meaning, I suppose, that no man of real 
 gentlemanly feeling would offer his hand, 
 without such encouragement as no lady, 
 worthy of the name, could give, and then 
 reject his proposals ; but that does not im- 
 ply that you should not take every means 
 to let her see and know your affection, in 
 order that she may regulate her own con- 
 duct to you accordingly." 
 
 Mrs. Haldimand paused for a moment, 
 and then added, " Of one thing, how* 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 183 
 
 ever, my dear Charles, be certain, that 
 the way to win a woman's affection is not 
 by quarrelling with another lover." 
 
 Her son smiled, understanding his mo- 
 ther's apprehensions, and not a little en- 
 couraged by her brighter view. "Do not 
 be afraid," he said. " I trust I shall al- 
 ways be ready to vindicate my honour ; 
 but I feel in this instance, my dear mother, 
 that you are right. It would be quite un- 
 justifiable to seek a quarrel with any man 
 for loving a person whom I think worthy 
 of all love. However, I will leave Kate in 
 doubt no longer ; and then let her decide. 
 Do you know how long these people are 
 going to stay - ?" 
 
 " Till Monday, I understand," replied 
 Mrs. Haldimaud ; " but I think, Charles, 
 whatever you do, you should speak to your 
 father first ; for a want of confidence on 
 your part would, I am sure, .give him very 
 great pain." 
 
 " He shall never suffer that pain from 
 any fault of mine, my dear mother," an- 
 
184 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 swered Charles ; " but I had better speak 
 to him as soon as possible ; for delays are, 
 I suppose, in such cases, as dangerous as 
 in all others ; and I would fain learn my 
 fate as soon as possible." 
 
 " Ever impetuous, Charles," said his 
 mother ; " but still, perhaps, you are 
 right ; and now I will go in and make 
 breakfast." 
 
 In less than two hours, Colonel Haldi- 
 mand was on his horse's back, and 
 cantering towards the hall. As the family 
 at the rectory were a good deal more matu- 
 tinal in their habits than the household 
 of Sir John Haldimand, he found breakfast 
 not over when he arrived. Lord Martin- 
 dale was seated by the side of Kate ; and 
 Sir John himself was next to her on the 
 other side ; but she welcomed Colonel Hal- 
 dimand with more warmth and affection 
 even than was usual with her ; and her 
 bright dark eyes sparkled, and her co- 
 lour deepened in hue, as he entered the 
 room. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 185 
 
 These were very comfortable signs to 
 the lover ; but yet he doubted whether he 
 ought in reality to derive comfort from 
 them. All lovers are sad tormentors of 
 their own hearts : he knew that Kate had 
 the strongest sisterly affection for him ; 
 and he was accustomed to see the quick, 
 generous blood of the heart, upon very 
 slight emotions, rush over her cheek and 
 brow, dyeing the fair skin, as the sun's 
 last look touches the light clouds of even- 
 ing. 
 
 " It was but that she did not expect me 
 till dinner time," he said within himself ; 
 but still, in spite of the heart's perversity, 
 he was comforted by his reception. 
 
 He sat down to the table beside Lady 
 Martindale, not to breakfast again, but to 
 watch for the opportunity he longed for ; 
 and by a strong resolution he banished from 
 his manner not only all traces of the un- 
 easiness which he betrayed but too strongly 
 the night before, but also all appearance of 
 that earnest thoughtfulness which the feel- 
 
186 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 ings so busy at his heart had a strong ten- 
 dency to produce. 
 
 " What is to be the expedition for to 
 day, my dear uncle V he said, as he 
 seated himself. " And may I be permitted 
 to make one V 
 
 " No expedition at all, soldier," said Sir 
 John. " You do not think that my house 
 is a camp, do you, and that we must always 
 be out foraging 1 No, my dear Charles. 
 Lady Martindale is rather tired with all 
 her expeditions ; so we will put off our 
 visit to Burg-loft till to-morrow, when we 
 shall count upon you either in the saddle 
 or the carriage as you may think fit." 
 
 " And 0, Charles," exclaimed Kate, 
 with a slight blush fluttering over her cheek 
 again, " remember before you go to-day I 
 want to speak to you for a minute. I have 
 a petition to present, which I do not know 
 whether you will grant or not ; and I won't 
 be refused in public." 
 
 Charles could have got up and kissed 
 her. He knew how rarely opportunity is 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 187 
 
 granted to those who watch for it, while it 
 falls to those who neither seek nor use it. 
 
 " La fortune frappe a la porte, et Ton n'ouvre pas/' 
 
 He contrived, however, to answer with a 
 free and disembarrassed air — 
 
 " I am difficult, and ready to refuse you 
 anything, am not I, Kate 1 However, our 
 private conference, when you please, fair 
 lady — that is to say," he added, suddenly, 
 " after I have had one with my uncle ; for 
 I have got something to ask of him, and 
 must do so immediately after breakfast. 
 So you see, Kate, it will much depend upon 
 his granting or refusing my request whe- 
 ther I am in a good-humour or not." 
 
 " Oh, pray do grant it then, my dear 
 father," exclaimed Kate, gaily ; and Sir 
 John replied with a smile, laying strong 
 emphasis on the personal pronouns — 
 
 u I do not think that /am likely to refuse 
 him anything that he will ask. It is a 
 trick that I have still to learn, Kate." 
 
188 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 They sat at table about twenty 
 minutes longer ; and Charles Haldimand 
 thought he remarked that Lord Martindale's 
 face had become somewhat grave, as if he 
 disliked the thought of his private inter- 
 view with Kate. The suspicion was but 
 one of the shadows of a lover's fancy, how- 
 ever ; for the whole conversation had 
 passed so easily and naturally, that the 
 young nobleman, who had a very fair 
 opinion of his own captivating powers, 
 little feared the existence of any rival. At 
 length Sir John Haldimand rose, saying — 
 
 " Now, v :arles, come with me ; and 
 you shall have, yes or no." 
 
 Charles followed, it must be owned, 
 with a beating heart ; for, though he knew 
 his uncle's affection for him well, and had 
 never been refused anything that his own 
 good feelings had permitted him to ask, 
 yet this was a greater boon than all he had 
 previously dreamed of soliciting ; and 
 upon it he felt depended in a great measure 
 the happiness of his future life. Sir John 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 189 
 
 led the way straight into the library ; and 
 then uncle and nephew stood face to face 
 with a strong likeness between the old man 
 and the young one, both in feature and ex- 
 pression. 
 
 " Well, Charles, what is it T said Sir 
 John. " Something mighty important that 
 it requires a private conference." 
 
 " So important, my dear uncle," replied 
 Charles, frankly, " that I will acknowledge 
 my heart has never beat as much in 
 going up to an enemy's battery. That 
 which I wish to ask you for, is the hand of 
 our dear Kate, if she will consent that it 
 shall be given to me." 
 
 Sir John Haldimand looked a little em- 
 barrassed, and paused for a moment or two 
 before he replied. They were very painful 
 moments to his nephew ; but, at length, he 
 answered, with a smile, " There, don't be 
 alarmed, Charles ; in such a matter there is 
 much to be considered ; and you speak to 
 me of Kate's marriage much sooner than I 
 expected." 
 
190 THE OLD OAK CHEST 
 
 "Much sooner, my dear uncle, than I 
 thought of doing so myself," replied Colo- 
 nel Haldimand ; " but I spoke to my father 
 and mother upon the subject this morning ; 
 and they both advised me to tell you all 
 my feelings at once, without any hesita- 
 tion or delay. So I came off directly to 
 do so." 
 
 " Like them, and like you, Charles," an- 
 swered his uncle. " Nor will I deny, my 
 boy, that to see you united to Kate will be 
 the fulfilment of one of the dearest wishes 
 of my heart. It would secure your hap- 
 piness and hers. Yet there is a temporary 
 obstacle, Charles, which must prevent her 
 marrying any man till she is of age. You 
 know well that, though she calls me father, 
 and I am a father to her in heart and spi- 
 rit, yet she is no child of mine ; I have no 
 right to dispose of her hand ; and there 
 are others who may come forward to claim 
 that right at any time. When she is of 
 age, she can dispose of it herself ; but, in 
 the meantime, we must pause." 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 1.91 
 
 " But, may I not, my dear uncle, may I 
 not, at least, so far plead my own cause 
 with her, as to let her know that I love 
 her, and seek her handT demanded 
 Colonel Haldimand. " My profession com- 
 pels me often to be absent ; and if I take 
 no means to win her affection I may 
 lose a precious jewel which can never be 
 regained/' 
 
 "To that there can be no possible ob- 
 jection/' answered his uncle at once. " Nay, 
 I think it but right and just both to your- 
 self and her ; and from what I see, I 
 think it had better be done as soon as pos- 
 sible." 
 
 " You mean from the conduct of Lord 
 Martindale V said Charles ; " but do you 
 think he has already made any great pro- 
 gress in her regard \ When I compare 
 what / can offer with what he can offer, I 
 cannot but feel that my chance is not a 
 favorable one." 
 
 "Poo, poo," said Sir John Haldimand 
 " Love is making a fool of you, Charles, 
 
192 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 and the wrong way too. You used not to 
 be given to despair of success. But why is 
 your situation so much inferior to that of 
 this young lord ? You have not a title ; 
 but there ends the difference." 
 
 " But, my dear uncle, I am poor," re- 
 plied Charles. " Richer, indeed, than I 
 believed myself this morning ; for my 
 father tells me that he has generously 
 saved fifteen thousand pounds out of his 
 income to enable me to marry when I 
 pleased. But still, what is that ?" 
 
 " Not enough for you^ and Kate, cer- 
 tainly, even with your pay, my dear boy," 
 replied Sir John. " But then, Charles, I 
 have left Kate sixty thousand pounds in 
 my will, and will give it to her upon her 
 marriage. Neither have I forgotten you. 
 So rest assured that, if you and Kate can 
 agree, and wait patiently for a couple of 
 years till she is of age, you will have quite 
 enough for happiness ; and I, who know 
 her so well, can tell you that she will 
 desire no more. Do not say a word; but 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 193 
 
 go away to her and tell her your own 
 tale ;" and taking him by the arm, he walked 
 out of the room with him. 
 
 In the drawing-room they found Lord 
 Martindale and his young cousin, Miss 
 Richmond, talking with Kate in the win- 
 dow. Smoothing down all signs of agi- 
 tation as much as he could, Colonel 
 Haldimand began at once, by saying — 
 " Now, Kate, for our conference if you are 
 not busy ; for I have promised my father 
 if I did not find you going out upon some 
 expedition, to go down with him to call 
 upon a strange man he has got hold of at 
 Tom Notbeame's, who seems to have cap- 
 tivated his fancy very much/' 
 
 "I am quite ready," answered Kate. 
 " So come out into the garden, gallant 
 Colonel, or into the park; which shall it 
 be \ But first tell me, has Sir John granted 
 your request, and are you in a good hu- 
 mour V 
 
 An imprudent answer sprang to Charles's 
 lips; but he repressed it; and replied 
 
 VOL. I. K 
 
194 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 calmly, " He has partly granted and partly 
 denied, Kate; but nevertheless I am in a 
 very good humour ; and so now is the time. 
 Let us go into the park ; for it is nearest." 
 
 " You are in a hurry," said Kate, open- 
 ing the glass door and going out. " Well, I 
 won't detain you a minute." 
 
 Charles smiled, almost sadly, but fol- 
 lowed her down to the terrace ; and then, 
 drawing her arm through his, walked on 
 with her to the avenue of trees which has 
 been before described. For a minute or 
 two they were both silent; but then Colo- 
 nel Haldimand inquired, " Well, dear Kate, 
 what is this important request you have to 
 make % Can you suppose that I would re- 
 fuse you anything?' 
 
 " Oh, it was only," said Kate, with some 
 hesitation, " oh, it was only to ask if you 
 would lend me your black charger to ride 
 over to Burg-loft to-morrow. I have heard 
 you say that he will carry a lady." 
 
 " Like a lamb," answered Colonel Haldi- 
 mand ; " and you shall have him, of course. 
 But was that all V 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST, 195 
 
 Kate hesitated again. 
 
 " No, not all," she said, with her voice 
 trembling. " It was, Charles, that you 
 should tell me what was the matter with 
 you all yesterday. You seemed melan- 
 choly and uneasy — as I have never seen 
 you before. Sometimes T thought you 
 must be unwell, sometimes that you must 
 have had bad news, sometimes that I must 
 have offended you ; and any one of these 
 cases was surely enough to make me un- 
 happy, and long to know what was the 
 matter; for no sister ever loved brother 
 better/' 
 
 The assurance had its sweet, and yet its 
 bitter too ; and Charles Haldimand paused 
 for an instant ere he answered. 
 
 " I did not know that I bad shown my 
 uneasiness so foolishly," he replied. " My 
 mother saw it as well as you; but the 
 cause was neither that I was unwell, nor 
 that I had received bad news — " 
 
 He paused for an instant ; and then Kate 
 K 2 
 
196 THE OLD OAK CHEST, 
 
 exclaimed, " Then I must have done some- 
 thing to pain you, Charles." 
 
 " No, no, indeed," exclaimed Colonel 
 Haldimand, looking at her with a glance 
 of strong affection. " Never in your life 
 did you do anything to give me pain, Kate ; 
 but let me ask you, dear girl, is it possible 
 for me to contemplate the chance of losing 
 you and not feel grief that it is impossible 
 to express. Yes, dear Kate, do not look 
 surprised— I say the chance of .losing you ; 
 for I cannot see such attentions paid to you 
 as have been offered within the last few 
 days, without contemplating such a chance 
 most sorrowfully." 
 
 "What do you mean, Charles T exclaimed 
 Kate. " Who by ?— Lord Martindale 1 Oh, 
 Charles, no! He surely did not pay me 
 more attention than a gentleman usually 
 pays to a lady ; and if he did, surely I gave 
 him no encouragement." 
 
 Her face was all glowing as she spoke ; 
 but she fixed her beautiful eyes, soft, though 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 197 
 
 bright, upon Colonel Haldimand's face, as if 
 there was no feeling at the bottom of those 
 deep wells of light that he might not see 
 unshrouded. 
 
 " He certainly did pay you more than 
 usual attention, dear girl," replied the 
 young officer ; " but I mean not to say 
 that you gave him any encouragement. 
 Indeed I remarked that you refused to 
 sing again, though he asked you." 
 
 " I know not why 1 did so," replied 
 Kate, casting down her eyes and musing. 
 But the next moment she looked up again, 
 saying simply, " I believe it was because I 
 was thinking of you, Charles, and fancied 
 you might be unhappy about something." 
 
 " Dear, dear Kate," said Colonel Haldi- 
 mand, laying his hand upon hers, " it is in 
 your power to make me altogether happy 
 — happy now, happy always." 
 
 If his words could be mistaken, his 
 looks could not. The truth seemed to 
 break suddenly on the beautiful girl by his 
 side ; and, whether joyful or painful, the 
 
198 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 effect was overpowering. There was a seat 
 near, between two trees in the avenue ; 
 and she stretched out her hand towards it, 
 as if she wonld fain rest there. Colonel 
 Haldimand led her trembling steps thither ; 
 and, sitting down, she pressed her hand 
 upon her heart, keeping her eyes fixed 
 upon the ground, with the colour varying 
 every instant in her cheek. Sometimes it 
 glowed ; and sometimes it was pale ; and 
 sometimes her sweet lips moved, as if she 
 were about to speak ; but yet she remained 
 silent. 
 
 " 0, answer me, dear Kate," said Charles 
 Haldimand, not knowing how to read all 
 he saw. " I have agitated you, I fear ; 
 yet answer me." 
 
 Kate laid her hand gently upon his, and 
 murmured — " One moment, Charles, one 
 moment." 
 
 She was trying to quiet the busy tumult 
 of feelings in her heart. The truth had 
 broken upon her so suddenly, as almost to 
 deprive her of the power of .thought — 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 199 
 
 the truth not only of his feelings towards 
 her, but of her feelings towards him. 
 Contented with her fate, happy in her 
 home, loving and beloved by all around 
 her, fancy had never even risen from sleep 
 or dreamed pleasant dreams of the future. 
 Even the delight that she felt in his so- 
 ciety, even the anxiety which she felt for 
 his safety and his happiness, even the 
 anxious, trembling fear and hope which 
 agitated her when she heard of battles 
 fought where she knew he must have been 
 present, even the joy and pride which 
 filled her bosom when she learned that he 
 had escaped unhurt and had won honor 
 and renown, had never opened her eyes 
 to the real state of her affection. It 
 seemed all so natural. She had been 
 brought up with him as a sister ; she loved 
 him as a sister ; she took a sister's' interest 
 in his fate and happiness ; and she fancied 
 it was nothing more. But now the key of 
 her sensations was given to her ; the door 
 of the prison chamber in her heart, where 
 they had remained so long unknown, was 
 
200 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 thrown open to them ; and out they rushed, 
 a joyful, tumultuous crowd, trampling down 
 everything in their way, thought, reflection, 
 memory, foresight, all. She loved, and 
 was beloved. That was all that presented 
 itself to her mind. 
 
 Colonel Haldimand paused for a moment 
 or two in some anxiety ; and seeing her 
 eyes still bent upon the ground, he said in 
 a low tone, " Kate, I beseech you, let me 
 hear my fate at once. You know not how 
 terrible suspense is." 
 
 She turned suddenly towards him with 
 a glowing cheek and a beaming eye. " For- 
 give me, Charles, forgive me," she said. 
 " I am overpowered ; but I am very, very 
 happy. The thought of giving you hap- 
 piness is delight indeed." 
 
 Surely that was enough for any man ; 
 but yet lovers, and especially happy lovers, 
 are very exacting. Charles Haldimand 
 would know more, would know all. He 
 could hardly believe, in their full extent, 
 the joyful words he heard. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 201 
 
 " Dear, kind Kate !" he exclaimed ; 
 x 'but yet, dear girl, say something more. 
 You told me just now that you loved me 
 as a brother. I must have better love 
 than that, Kate, to make me happy." 
 
 " Be happy then," said Kate, with her 
 cheek glowing warmly. 
 
 " Have you tried your own heart, dear 
 girl V asked her lover. " Have you in- 
 quired of it whether it can be wholly 
 mine, as the bride, as the wife, instead of 
 the sister or the friend V 
 
 " No, no, Charles," she answered, " I 
 have asked it nothing ; but it has told me 
 all — all in one moment What would you 
 have me say, Charles, that to be yours, to 
 be with you always, to contribute to your 
 happiness, to find mine alone in you, has 
 been a prospect of joy so beyond all my 
 hopes, that I never suffered it to enter 
 into my dreams till you told me that it 
 might be so. It seemed enough to be per- 
 mitted to love you as a sister ; but oh, I 
 too, can feel there is a dearer love than 
 
202 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 that. But tell me, Charles," she continued 
 with a sudden start. " Do you know all 1 
 Surety you are aware that I am not your 
 uncle's daughter ; that I am a mere found- 
 ling brought up upon his bounty. Have 
 you spoken to him % have you spoken to 
 your own father V 
 
 "To both, dearest Kate/' replied Charles 
 Haldimand ; " and it was part of my re- 
 quest to my uncle this morning that I 
 might speak to you as I have now spoken ;" 
 and he went on to tell her all. 
 
 Gradually, as they conversed, she be- 
 came more tranquil, and lie more firm and 
 reassured. At length, the recollection of 
 how long they had stayed away came back 
 to agitate her ; and they returned to the 
 house across the greensward of the park 
 where all eyes could see them from the 
 window. Still she hung upon his arm 
 more tenderly than when she went. She 
 felt that she had something to cling to, and 
 that she needed it. She feared that her 
 appearance would betray her agitation ; 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 203 
 
 and she would fain have gone round to the 
 other side of the house ; but Sir John 
 Haldimand and all his guests were at the 
 window of the drawing-room ; and the 
 appearance of avoiding them might have 
 seemed strange. Summoning courage, then, 
 she approached the door at once ; but Sir 
 John was a skilful tactician ; and, though 
 an old man, he had not forgotten the feel- 
 ings and emotions of youth. So he covered 
 her retreat shrewdly. 
 
 " Kate, Kate," he said, opening the door 
 to meet her, " what careless animals 
 young girls are ! After all the rain of last 
 night you walk across the grass in those 
 thin shoes. Go and change them this mo- 
 ment." 
 
 Kate ran away through the hall ; and 
 glad she was to do so ; for the colour was 
 too bright in her cheek to have passed 
 without observation, had she remained. 
 
 " Well, Charles, have you granted her 
 request V demanded the baronet, as he 
 entered the drawing-room with his nephew. 
 
204 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 " Oh, yes," replied Colonel Haldimand 
 in a careless tone. " It was but to ride my 
 black charger to-morrow instead of her 
 own horse, which is too light for such a 
 long distance. You have no objection, I 
 suppose, sir ; for he is quite a lamb com- 
 pared with that skittish brute she was 
 riding the other day." 
 
 " If you will warrant his temper, 
 Charles," replied the baronet ; " and I 
 don't think you would like to have her 
 hurt." 
 
 " He has carried my friend Brown's wife 
 often," replied Colonel Haldimand ; " and 
 has no trick or vice in the world ; but to 
 make all sure, I will give him an hour's 
 gallop after I return from my walk. I 
 shall join you at dinner, if you will give me 
 any." 
 
 " Of course, of course," replied Sir John. 
 " So now away with you." 
 
 He spoke with a slight smile ; for he read 
 in the gay and beaming expression of his 
 nephew's countenance that he was happy 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 205 
 
 at heart ; and he knew right well that Kate 
 would be so likewise. 
 
 Lord Martindale was not quite so thorough- 
 ly satisfied. He knew not very well why ; 
 but he did not altogether like the length of 
 time which Kate had been absent with her 
 cousin ; and after a few moment's conver- 
 sation on other matters he whispered a 
 word or two to his mother. Soon after, 
 that lady put Sir John in mind that he 
 had promised to show her the picture 
 gallery ; and he walked away with her for 
 that purpose. Alice Richmond and her 
 noble cousin remained alone in the drawing- 
 room where he looked out of one window 
 in silence, and she out of another. At 
 length Alice drew a deep sigh ; and, with 
 a step so quiet that it made no sound upon 
 the carpet, withdrew from.the room. 
 
206 THE OLD OAK CHEST, 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 It was about mid-day when Mr. Richard 
 Haldimand and his son set out to walk 
 down to the side of the Mere, a time when 
 fishes often cease from biting, and when the 
 clergyman calculated they were likely to 
 find his new acquaintance at home. Was 
 not Charles Haldimand's step firm and joy- 
 ful as he walked on by his father's side \ 
 People fancy that dissolving views are a 
 new invention ; but man's mind has been 
 carrying on the same process from the 
 time of Noah or perhaps before. How 
 dark and gloomy had everything looked 
 when Charles rose that morning ! and now 
 one little circumstance in his fate had 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 20 7 
 
 dispelled the mists and called forth the 
 sunshine. The face of nature seemed 
 fairer than it had ever appeared before, the 
 song of the spring choristers more sweet ; 
 and happily did he talk of all his future 
 prospects with his kind and gentle-hearted 
 companion as he walked along. Their 
 conversation may be easily imagined, if the 
 reader likes to take the trouble of sitting 
 down to fancy what it was. For my part, 
 I shall land them at once at the gate of 
 Tom Notbeame's garden where the good 
 landlord himself was sitting smoking a long 
 white pipe which had often been smoked 
 before. He was wrapped in one of his 
 meditations, with fancies, very like the 
 smoke, he puffed rolling and twisting before 
 the mind's eye ; but Mr. Richard's voice 
 roused him in a moment ; and, starting up, 
 he knocked the ashes out of his pipe, reply- 
 ing that the gentleman was on the Mere. 
 
 Now Mr. Richard Haldimand had only 
 inquired if his lodger was at home ; for, to 
 say the truth, though he had come with 
 
208 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 the charitable aim of opening the door for 
 a little society to a gentleman who, he 
 thought, must be in woful need of some 
 such consolation, yet Mr. Richard Haldi- 
 mand had not the least idea of what was 
 the stranger's name. 
 
 This formed the subject of his next in- 
 quiry ; and Tom Notbeame, touching his 
 hat, replied, " Greenshield, Mr. Richard — 
 a queer name, isn't it, your reverence ¥' 
 
 " It is a very good old Kentish name," 
 replied Richard Haldimand; and he was pro- 
 ceeding to explain to Tom Notbeamc, 
 whose own name, by the way, w r as exactly 
 in the same predicament as Mr. Green- 
 shield'*, that when surnames first began to 
 be used, people adopted them, or were 
 dubbed with them by others, from any little 
 accidental circumstance of birth, habits, 
 profession, or residence, and that probably 
 one of Mr. Greenshield's ancestors, about 
 that time, had been in the custom of carry- 
 ing a green shield, when the good landlord 
 interrupted him with a deprecatory touch 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 20 9 
 
 of the hat, saying, " There he comes, sir. 
 I beg your reverence's pardon. He's pull- 
 ing in now. He generally comes in about 
 half past twelve, and waits till three before 
 he goes out again. Oh, he knows what 
 he's about. I think he must have been a 
 fish one day himself, he knows all their 
 doings so well. I'll answer for it, he has 
 got some good fish this morning It took 
 him a good half hour or more to kill one of 
 them." 
 
 " We will wait for him thee," replied the 
 clergyman ; and in a few minutes more, the 
 boat ran up to the edge of the garden. 
 
 Mr. Greenshield stepped quietly out, 
 while the man who was in the boat with 
 him threw the fish upon tjie turf; and 
 Tom Notbeame darting forward, lifted an 
 enormous trout, such as is rarely seen in 
 any English lake or river. 
 
 " Ah, old fellow," he exclaimed, apostro- 
 phising the fish, " hast thou been caught at 
 last, for all thy cunning tricks ? Well, well, 
 I trust my luck may not be like thine." 
 
210 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 " Why, you seem to know him, Tom," 
 said Colonel Haldimand, as his father ad- 
 vanced to Mr. Greenshield. 
 
 " Know him! to be sure," exclaimed Tom 
 Notbeame. " Lord bless you, Colonel, I 
 know him as well as my own father. He 
 and I have sat and looked at each other 
 for hours together many a time, just by 
 the stump of the old oak, there where the 
 river falls into the Mere. Bless my heart, 
 how I have tempted him with everything 
 I could think of — all sorts of flies, and 
 every kind of fish ; but no, no, he would 
 not take them — not one of them ; and if 
 I teazed him too much, he put on his hat 
 and walked away." 
 
 In the meantime salutations had passed 
 between the clergyman and the angler ; 
 and Mr. Haldimand, turning round, intro- 
 duced his son. The commencements of all 
 conversations are stupid. Even intimate 
 friends generally begin with something 
 insipid as a sort of stepping-stone to cross 
 the brook and get upon common ground. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 211 
 
 The merit of a man is very often discover- 
 able by the rapidity with which he gets out 
 of common places into matters of more 
 interest. Mr, Greenshield did so very 
 rapidly, though of course the conference 
 began with a disquisition about the wea- 
 ther. 
 
 " A very fine day after a bad night," 
 said the clergyman, as they turned towards 
 the house at their companion s invitation. 
 
 " A delightful night for a fisherman, my 
 dear sir," replied Mr. Greenshield — " full 
 of glorious promise for the morrow's sport. 
 We need no wine to cheer us when we hear 
 the thick rain dropping as we sit over the 
 evening meal. If Horace had been an 
 angler, we should never have had some of 
 his best lines — 
 
 1 Horrida tempestas coelum contraxit , et imbres 
 Nivesque deducunt Jovem; nunc mare, nunnc siluse 
 
 Threicio aquilone sonant ; rapiamus, amici, 
 Occasionem de die ; dumque virent genua, 
 
 Et decet, obducta solvatur fronte senectus. 
 Tu vina Torquato move Consule pressa meo.» 
 
212 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 Though the nives, and Boreas also, might 
 be spared by an angler ; for there is an old 
 saying ' When water is cold, fish will not 
 bite/ " 
 
 " I am afraid Horace was given to less 
 innocent amusements," replied Mr. Haldi- 
 mand. " It is- a curious thing that amongst 
 all their sects of philosophers, having a 
 multitude of wise men, and a great many 
 good men amongst them, neither Romans 
 nor Greeks ever found out in what true 
 happiness consists. Socrates, Plato, and 
 Cicero, perhaps, came nearer it than any 
 others ; but it is clear that they could not 
 frame a system of morals for themselves 
 without the aid of revelation/' 
 
 " I am afraid/' replied Mr. Greenshield, 
 " many others long since, with all the aid 
 of revelation, are as far off as ever — the 
 French for instance, who have no notion 
 whatever of what morality is. — I must ask 
 you into what is merely the common par- 
 lour of this little inn, for I tenant but one 
 chamber; what is called a private sitting- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 213 
 
 room, being, I imagine, unknown ; but yet 
 it is a very pleasant abode ; and a man 
 may be happier here, perhaps, than in the 
 midst of splendour." • 
 
 Thus saying, he ushered them- into the 
 room he mentioned which was tacitly re- 
 served for his own private uses while he 
 was there ; and the conversation flowed on 
 in the same quiet and easy manner. Colonel 
 Haldimand, who had little expected to 
 meet such a person, knowing that his 
 father was one of those most blessed of all 
 creatures, a man easily pleased, was struck 
 and surprised both at the highly polished 
 manners and extensive information of their 
 new acquaintance. His profession had 
 called him into many countries ; and he 
 had seen much of men and manners ; but 
 he found that every place he had visited, 
 and a multitude of others far beyond the 
 usual range of pleasure-travellers, were as 
 familiar to Mr. Greenshield as if they had 
 been his home ; and at the same time the 
 observations he had made, and the reflec- 
 
214 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 tions to which they had given rise, were not 
 only shrewd and profound, but so arranged 
 and classified as always to be available in a 
 moment. 
 
 After spending nearly three quarters of 
 an hour with him in very agreeable con- 
 versation, Mr. Richard Haldimand turned 
 to the object of his visit. 
 
 " I am very sorry, Mr. Greenshield," he 
 said, " that I had not the good fortune to 
 make your acquaintance before, in order 
 to show you any little attention in my 
 power. Not, indeed, that any effort could 
 render Haldistow a very lively or amusing 
 place, though it may be an interesting one ; 
 but yet a little society of any kind may in 
 some degree break its monotony for you. 
 One of my objects in calling upon you to- 
 day was to ask if you would give me up 
 an evening when I might have the pleasure 
 of your company at dinner." 
 
 " I cannot plead many engagements," 
 answered Mr. Greenshield, with a faint 
 smile, " but I really very rarely go into 
 society, and — " 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 215 
 
 " Nay, nay," answered the worthy 
 rector, " I really will take no denial, and 
 will only permit you to say when it shall 
 be. In the words of the poet you have 
 just quoted, 
 
 " ' Quando repostum Ccecubum ad festas dapes, 
 ****** 
 
 Tecum sub alta, sic Jovi gratum, domo, 
 Beate Maecenas bibam V 
 
 Though, let me add, mine is by no means a 
 magnificent abode, as doubtless you are 
 well aware. However, I trust my brother, 
 Sir John, will be able to join us ; and his 
 cheerful spirit, and bright, well stored mind, 
 gives sunshine wherever he comes." 
 
 " Well, my dear sir, when you please," 
 replied Mr. Greenshield. " On next Tues- 
 day, if you like, I will be with you." 
 
 " That will just do," replied Mr. Haldi- 
 mand ; " for to-morrow, Saturday, all the 
 party from the hall are going over to see a 
 
216 THE OLD OAK CHEST, 
 
 curious old house, some part of which they 
 say was built by the Saxons. .Sunday, 
 being somewhat rigid in my notions, I never 
 receive any one ; and on Monday the party 
 at the hall are going away, and doubtless 
 my brother will escort them along some 
 part of the road. It is a good old custom 
 which he keeps up with all friends who are 
 dear to him. So I shall expect you on 
 Tuesday at five o'clock. I am obliged to 
 make my dinner hour rather late for I have 
 frequently as much to do as I can well get 
 into the time." 
 
 " I will not fail," replied Mr. Greenshield ; 
 " but, may I ask what is the name of this 
 old house % for I have dabbled a little in 
 antiquities myself." 
 
 " It is called Burg-loft," replied Colonel 
 Haldimand, " a name of which we have 
 not been able to discover the origin." 
 
 " Does it stand high V asked Mr. Green- 
 shield. 
 
 " Yes," replied the young officer, " upon 
 the top of a very curious crag, which starts 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 2L7 
 
 up abruptly, and commands a view of the 
 whole country round." 
 
 " Then, probably, the name is derived 
 from the German," observed Mr. Green- 
 shield. 
 
 " So it has been supposed," replied Colo- 
 nel Haldimand, " or, at least, from the 
 Saxon, burg signifying an old town or castle, 
 I believe. So that they say it means, Lofty 
 Castle." 
 
 " But Inft means the open air, the sky, 
 the heaven, in modern German, at least/ 
 said Mr. Greenshield ; " and the interpreta- 
 tion, therefore, may be Air Castle, or Castle 
 Airy. All the German nations are fond 
 of giving their abodes rather fanciful 
 names associated with some circumstance 
 of their condition. We see traces of it, 
 even in our own country, in the names of 
 both counties and towns, wherever the 
 Saxons have not adopted more ancient 
 terms; but I must not enter into a disquisi- 
 tion which might lead us afar." 
 
 " Well, then, my dear sir, I shall trust 
 
 VOL. I. L 
 
218 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 to carry it on for you another time when 
 this young soldier is out of the way," said 
 Mr. Haldimand, rising. Shaking Mr. 
 Greenshield by the hand, the two visitors 
 took their leave and retired. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 219 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Matthew Hush glided about Haldistow 
 Hall as quietly as a cat. He seemed to be 
 shod with felt. Whether long practice had 
 made him perfect, or that some peculiar 
 enchantment, proceeding from the tips of his 
 fingers and the soles of his feet, rendered 
 everything silent when he touched it, cer- 
 tain it is, that neither vaulted stone pas- 
 sage, nor marble hall, nor hard oak floor, 
 seemed to return any sound to his footfall ; 
 and even the handles of doors and the pivots 
 of hinges, which had acquired, by pre- 
 scription beyond the memory of man, the 
 right of rattling and creaking, seemed to 
 L 2 
 
220 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 yield to his fascinating influence without 
 cry or resistance. 
 
 This was assuredly an admirable quality 
 in the eyes of good Mrs. Giles, the house- 
 keeper, who had a great dislike to noise of 
 any kind. That worthy lady had now 
 become, as the reader may imagine, an old 
 woman. Still she w r as almost as active as 
 ever, and boasted that she had not known 
 an hour's ill-health for thirty years. Her 
 intellect w r as as perfect, and most of her 
 corporeal senses were as sharp as they 
 had been at the age of forty. Her hearing 
 was even more acute, though her eyesight, 
 she w T as forced to admit, had a little failed : 
 that is to say, she used spectacles to thread 
 a fine needle and read small print ; but 
 upon other occasions, she did very well 
 without. The greatest ravages that time 
 had made w r ere apparent about the mouth ; 
 not that the persevering enemy of mortal 
 strength had taken the stones from the 
 mill ; for, on the contrary, her teeth were 
 very good ; but those in front, which had 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 221 
 
 always been very large and somewhat 
 horse-shaped, were now larger and more 
 prominent than ever, and had got a certain 
 straggling look about them, leaning a lit- 
 tle away from each other, like a party of 
 gentleman slightly intoxicated who find a 
 difficulty in walking arm in arm. To hide 
 this, she had got into a habit of drawing 
 the upper lip, which was somewhat long 
 naturally, as far as possible, over the 
 front teeth, adding greatly, to a certain 
 natural primness of countenance, and ren- 
 dering it somewhat difficult to smile. Hea- 
 ven bless the old woman ! We all have our 
 little vanities, and why not she % 
 
 Mrs. Giles was not at all pleased at 
 the introduction of Matthew Hush into the 
 house, in the quality of butler. She 
 recollected Matthew Hush a very naughty 
 boy, fond of stealing fruit and breaking 
 down fences, with no application to any 
 thing good, and very little reverence for 
 houseksepers. She recollected him, more- 
 over, a somewhat disreputable lad, asso- 
 
222 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 ciated with poachers, and smugglers, and 
 deerstealers, the offences of which last- 
 named body, Mrs. Giles, having a venera- 
 tion for venison, would hardly have for- 
 given if the}' had written all the plays of 
 Shakespeare, with those of Beaumont and 
 Fletcher to boot. But more than all this. 
 Mrs. Giles recollected the father of Mat- 
 thew Hush, and how he had behaved most 
 ungratefully and scandalously to Sir John, 
 " who had been the making of him/' voting 
 against him at an election, and canvassing 
 for the opposite party, even in Haldistow- 
 itself, " under Sir John's very nose.'* 
 His mother, indeed, she was forced to 
 admit, had been a very good sort of wo- 
 man ; but still she fixed all her thoughts 
 upon the father, and often repeated a pro- 
 verb which we got from the Greeks, 
 " Bad the crow and bad the egg" 
 
 Such was not very favourable ground to 
 work upon ; but yet Matthew Hush took a 
 sort of pride in overcoming prejudices 
 against him ; and he calculated confidently 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 223 
 
 upon twisting good Mrs. Giles round his 
 finger. 
 
 Accordingly, one morning, as soon as 
 he was shaved, dressed, and decorated, 
 he proceeded to the housekeeper's room, 
 and tapped quietly at the door. 
 
 " Come in," said Mrs. Giles, thinking 
 that it was the still-room maid, from the 
 silence of her approach ; and Mr. Hush 
 entered at once. The old lady looked up 
 at him from a book of choice receipts that 
 she was perusing, and by the aid of which 
 she contrived to place Sir John Haldi- 
 mand s table half a century behind the 
 tables of the capital ; and when she saw 
 who it was, she drew her upper lip still 
 farther over her front teeth, resolved to 
 give the butler no encouragement to trouble 
 her often, without, however, showing him 
 any discourtesy. 
 
 " Good morning, madam," said Mr. 
 Hush, with a very reverential tone. " I 
 took the liberty of intruding, to inquire if 
 you have any commands for me this morn- 
 
224 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 ing, that you might not have the trouble 
 of sending, in case anything should be 
 wanting in my department." 
 
 " No, I thank you, Mr. Hush," replied 
 the housekeeper, somewhat drily ; and she 
 looked at her book again. 
 
 " I have no right to ask any favours of 
 you, Mrs. Giles," said Matthew Hush, who 
 was a man not easily rebuffed ; " but it 
 would put me under a great obligation, if 
 at any time you would give me a hint in 
 regard to Sir John's wishes and customs ; 
 for, having had the good fortune to regain 
 his good opinion, after most justly losing- 
 it, I am most anxious to retain it by every 
 means in my power." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it, Mr. Hush," re- 
 plied Mrs. Giles, not a bit mollified. " I 
 suppose you know your business in the 
 place which you have undertaken ; and I 
 cannot say that I see anything else is re- 
 quired but to perforin that properly. Sir 
 John is a very easy man to please when 
 people do their duty." 
 
THE OLD OAK t!HEST. 225 
 
 " Oh, every gentleman has his own par- 
 ticular ways," replied Matthew Hush ; 
 " and I should think — nay, I may say, hope 
 ■ — that Sir John's ways are somewhat diffe- 
 rent from those of my late master, Mr. 
 William Haldimand." 
 
 The cunning villain had calculated and 
 weighed every word to a hair. He had seen 
 every thought which was passing in Mrs. 
 Giles's mind while he spoke. He had 
 heard her clearly say to herself, though she 
 uttered not a word of the kind aloud, 
 " Fine words butter no parsnips '? and 
 therefore he determined to open his attack 
 upon another angle of the fortification. 
 From everything he knew, had heard, seen 
 or read of that peculiar branch of society, 
 which may be called the servant- world, he 
 was led to believe that there was no person 
 existing in it who would think it at all wrong 
 in another to speak ill of his late master ; 
 and in Mrs. Giles's case, whose devoted 
 attachment to Sir John was well known, he 
 judged that insinuations against his brother 
 l 5 
 
226 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 which would have been most offensive to 
 the baronet, would be rather pleasant than 
 otherwise to the housekeeper, who looked 
 upon Mr. William Haldimand as a sort of 
 personal enemy of her master. He had 
 some knowledge of the fair sex too ; and 
 he concluded that her curiosity would be 
 somewhat excited by the hint he threw 
 out, and thus a new course of communica- 
 tion would be established between him and 
 her. 
 
 " I am sure I don't know what Mr. 
 William Haldimand's ways are/' said Mrs. 
 Giles bridling. " I cannot say I think he 
 has behaved well in anyway to his brother; 
 but as to his private ways, I know nothing 
 about thern." 
 
 " His private and public ways are much 
 alike, Mrs. Giles," replied Matthew Hush, 
 seeing that so far his aim was attained, and 
 judging that it might be as well to stimu- 
 late curiosity a little farther. " However, 
 it does not become me to say a word 
 against him. He was a kind master to 
 me ; and I owe him a great deal, though 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 227 
 
 I owed far more, I must confess, to my lady 
 and poor Miss Emily. Before her death, 
 when I was a wild reprobate sort of 
 lad, Mrs. Haldimand had me instructed 
 and gave me quite a new view of things — 
 I may say that she was my salvation. But 
 it would take too much time to tell you all 
 about that, Mrs. Giles ; and I see that you 
 are busy ; and therefore I'll only say that 
 you really will oblige me very much if you 
 would tell me anything to do that you think 
 may give Sir John satisfaction,, Good 
 morning, ma'am ;" and Mr. Hush turned 
 towards the door. 
 
 Before it was quite closed behind him, 
 however, the voice of Mrs. Giles was heard 
 exclaiming — 
 
 " Mr. Hush, Mr. Hush, won't you come 
 and take tea with me to-night V 
 
 " I am afraid I can't, ma'am," replied 
 Mr. Hush, u for dinner will be later to-day ; 
 and I like to see all the wine that remains 
 put carefully by, and to count the plate, 
 and put it in a safe place. The head foot- 
 man tells me Mr. Le welly n used to leave 
 
228 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 all that till the next morning ; and perhaps 
 it may not be so necessary in the country ; 
 but it is a habit I got in London, where 
 none of the servants are much to be de- 
 pended upon ; and I think it is a very good 
 rule." 
 
 ' ; Certainly, certainly," replied Mrs. 
 Giles, in whose opinion Matthew Hush was 
 undoubtedly rising, whether she would or 
 not. " Let it be to-morrow then, Mr. 
 Hush. Sir John always dines half an hour 
 earlier on Sunday. So you will be able 
 to get away in time." 
 
 The butler promised, and retiring from 
 the awful house -keeperian province, closed 
 the door behind him. A slight smile 
 passed over his countenance as he did so, 
 such as a skilful general might display 
 when, having entirely changed his system 
 of tactics in presence of a fresh adversary, 
 he found that he was gaining equal 
 advantages by slow and cautious manoeu- 
 vres with those which he had previously 
 gained by bold and daring strokes. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 229 
 
 By this time the breakfast hour was ap- 
 proaching ; and Mr. Hush betook himself 
 to the room, where that meal was to be 
 taken, with the same silent step which I 
 have mentioned. For a moment or two 
 he went about his professional avoca- 
 tions, moving some chairs and tables, and 
 making other arrangements ; but presently 
 he heard the sound of voices in the draw- 
 ing-room which was contiguous, and being 
 not unwilling on any occasion to overhear 
 what other people were saying, he ap- 
 proached the door between the two rooms. 
 Now that door was a double door ; and 
 though Mr. Hush was well aware that the 
 one next himself would open under his 
 hand without making any noise, he re- 
 flected that the one on the drawing-room 
 side might be open or might be shaken by 
 the draught of wind as he pulled back the 
 other. He was a very considerate man. 
 He always considered everything ; and 
 therefore he pushed back the shield which 
 covered the keyhole to see if any light 
 
230 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 would shine through. No light came ; 
 but then he remembered that the door 
 might be ajar ; and he rather thought it 
 was so from the clearness with which he 
 heard the sounds. Laying his hand then 
 upon the lock steadily and slowly so as not 
 to shake it in the least, he turned the 
 handle in the same manner; and then, with 
 such gentleness as almost to render the 
 movement imperceptible, drew the door 
 towards him, having an excuse ready for 
 going into the drawing-room if he should 
 be detected. The inner door was, as he 
 supposed, ajar ; and he left the outer door 
 in the same condition, taking care to re- 
 main close to the aperture. 
 
 The voices he now heard were those 
 of Lady Martindale and her son ; and when 
 he perceived this to be the case Mr. Hush 
 was on the point of moving away, not 
 conceiving it likely that their conversa- 
 tion could have any interest for him. In- 
 formation is alwa} r s useful however ; and 
 habit, nature, and philosophy induced him 
 to remain for a moment longer. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 231 
 
 " Trust to me, trust to me, my dear Ar- 
 thur," said the voice of Lady Martindale, 
 " and follow my advice. Go no farther in 
 this business at present. Let us get away 
 from this place on Monday, and in the 
 meantime do not alter towards her at all, 
 but do not take any step in advance. If 
 she were to be the heiress of Haldistow, 
 that might obviate all the many objections 
 which exist." 
 
 How Matthew Hush pricked up his ears ! 
 
 " But Sir John himself told me," con- 
 tinued the lady, "that he had left her 
 sixty thousand pounds in his will. Now 
 that is nothing, you know." 
 
 "But, my dear mother," replied Lord 
 Martindale, " there are some other things 
 to be considered besides money ; and sixty 
 thousand pounds is certainly a very hand- 
 some fortune." 
 
 " Would it not be better that she should 
 have Haldistow too V asked Lady Martin- 
 dale, impressively ; " and if I can bring it 
 about, will not that be conferring a great 
 
232 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 favour upon her as well as benefiting you f 
 Now I think I can do this, Arthur ; for 
 you see how he dotes upon her ; and by 
 touching his pride a little, I think it can be 
 accomplished. You must not appear in 
 the business, however, at all. You are to 
 be nothing but the lover. Leave the 
 business part to me ; and I do not fear to 
 bring it about. As soon as we get home, I 
 will write to him, so as to take care that 
 nobody else steps in." 
 
 " Ay, 'tis that which I fear," replied Lord 
 Martindale. 
 
 " Well, we are losing nothing in the 
 mean time," said Lady Martindale ; " and 
 four and twenty hours will bring him my 
 letter. I went as far as I could yesterday 
 evening without saying anything decided. 
 How I do wish I could see the will, and 
 find out whether he has actually disposed 
 of HaMistow !" 
 
 " So do I," thought Matthew Hush ; but 
 at all events he was one step in advance ; 
 and somebody else coming into the draw- 
 ing-room, the conversation ceased. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 233 
 
 Matthew Hush set about the prepara- 
 tions for breakfast, diligently, and waited, 
 all attention, on the guests. One would 
 have imagined that every thought of his 
 mind was engaged in the duties of his 
 office ; and so indeed it was. Not that he 
 undervalued the importance of the infor- 
 mation he had accidentally obtained ; far 
 from it. But, as we have seen, Matthew 
 was a most considerate person. He had 
 very few great emotions — seldom anything 
 like hesitation. In the present instance, 
 he did not, as some ordinary rogues might 
 have done, say to himself first, " I will 
 write the intelligence to Mr. William Hal- 
 dimand," and then, " no, I will not." He 
 only asked himself — " Shall I tell him or 
 not V and the answer was — " I will con- 
 sider of it after breakfast." 
 
 He did accordingly proceed to the im- 
 portant consideration as soon as, in car- 
 riages and on horseback, the whole party 
 had set out for Burg-loft. He then placed 
 his hat on his head, his hands behind his 
 
234 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 back, and strolled out into the park There 
 he turned the question round and round, 
 and looked at it on every side. 
 
 " If I let Mr. William Haldimand know 
 what I have ascertained," he said, in- 
 ternally, "it will prove I have diligently 
 obeyed his orders. I may also attribute 
 to my own skill what was merely the effect 
 of accident ; and make a merit of a dis- 
 covery which has cost me no trouble but 
 turning the handle of a door. But what 
 shall I get by it \ Nothing. He will con- 
 sider it only as the cancelling of an old 
 debt, not an obligation. He has no opinion 
 of gratitude ; not he. It is all traffic in 
 this world. So I must make the best use 
 of my goods. I must keep them till I can 
 take them to a good market. I must hold 
 my secret myself till I can turn it to some 
 advantage, or till he forces me to tell it. 
 Who knows, if I were to tell it to him now, 
 whether he would not think that, having 
 done all he wanted, he might just as well 
 hang me to-morrow \ No, no, Mr. Haldi- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 235 
 
 mand, I will have some hold upon you 
 first ; and I think I shall be able to get 
 one." 
 
 The cogitations of Matthew Hush lasted 
 somewhat longer, for, to say sooth, they 
 occupied more than an hour ; but such as 
 I have stated was the course of his reason- 
 ing ; and when he had satisfied himself 
 that he had left no branch of the subject 
 unconsidered, he walked back to the Hall 
 at a brisk pace. 
 
236 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 The expedition to Burg-Loft was a plea- 
 sant expedition. The day turned out 
 to be beautiful. There are certain days, as 
 the reader well knows, which seem to 
 prompt excursions, when every thing appears 
 travelling, or inclined to travel — when the 
 clouds are seen hurrying over the sky, 
 as if hunting some vaporous stag through 
 the air — when the winds cry out " Halloo ! 
 Go along !" and the sunshine and the sha- 
 dow chase each other, like greyhounds, 
 over the hills, and the arms of the trees 
 point their long fingers on the way we 
 ought to go ; and the swallows skim, and 
 the butterflies flutter, and the rook wends 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 237 
 
 his way straightly and steadily across the 
 sky like an old citizen walking to Change. 
 Those are the days for getting into the 
 saddle, or into the open carriage, and 
 dashing along over hill and dale, seeing a 
 thousand bright things flit by, awaken- 
 ing momentary delights, and then giving 
 place to others, like sweet touches of me- 
 lody running through some light and 
 sparkling piece of music, where the notes 
 give a thrill, and are lost in the other thril- 
 ling sounds that succeed. 
 
 Such was the day, when Sir John Haldi- 
 mand and his party set out for Burg -Loft. 
 The baronet himself, Lady Martindale and 
 her fair niece in an open barouche, and 
 Colonel Haldimand, Kate, and Lord Mar- 
 tindale on horseback. The latter concate- 
 nation might in some degree have been 
 disagreeable, from the peculiar circum- 
 stances of the parties ; but rivalry is a 
 great touch-stone of character, and often 
 discovers the gold, often the baser metal. 
 Now, during the course of one day, it had 
 
238 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 not had a very favourable effect upon 
 Colonel Haldimand, the reader perhaps 
 may say ; but the feelings which on that 
 occasion he experienced were not exactly 
 those of rivalry. They were more those 
 of despair ; and despair is always evil, 
 and produces evil. The case was very 
 different now. He had regained hope and 
 confidence ; and on Lord Martindale's part, 
 there was no want of confidence in his own 
 powers either. 
 
 It is but justice to him to say, however, 
 that even if he had perceived that Colonel 
 Haldimand was a lover of Kate, which he 
 did not perceive, he would not have suf- 
 fered that circumstance to render him less 
 courteous and attentive. First, he would 
 not much have feared to enter the lists for 
 a fair lady's favour with any man ; 
 secondly, he knew right well that ill-hu- 
 mour is not the way to win love ; and 
 thirdly, although he had his faults, he was 
 both by nature and habit courteous and 
 kindly. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 239 
 
 The ride passed very pleasantly then, 
 with all the exhilaration of rapid exer- 
 cise. Kate rode Colonel Haldimand's 
 charger beautifully and gracefully; and 
 the fine horse under her hand was as do- 
 cile as a dog. Both gentlemen talked 
 gaily to her as they went ; not much to 
 each other, it is true ; but whatever they 
 did say was perfectly civil and good-hu- 
 moured ; and she, with her bright eyes 
 glittering through the long dark lashes, 
 and her colour raised by the air and 
 exercise, and her lips smiling with each 
 moment's enjoyment, and her whole face 
 beaming, not only with the happy heart, 
 but with the light of first early love — she 
 was certainly as charming a creature as the 
 eye could rest on, and might well repre- 
 sent the last crowning work of creation. 
 
 On they went gaily, rapidly, taking ad- 
 vantage of every green slope or vacant 
 turfy space by the road-side to canter their 
 horses, riding them slowly down hill, but 
 galloping them wherever they found a 
 
240 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 good flat piece of common. The commons 
 however grew more scanty ; for the road 
 led them more and more into the interior 
 of the country, where cultivation was richer 
 and lanes and hedge-rows plenty. Colonel 
 Haldimand knew every step of the way, 
 however, and for many a mile on either 
 side of the road, so that he could take ad- 
 vantage of every facility for galloping 
 that the country afforded, and would cut off 
 an angle here or save a mile there, always 
 taking care to choose his path so as to 
 bring out the beauties of the country to 
 the eyes which he wished to enjoy them. 
 
 From time to time they stopped to gaze ; 
 but still the rapid rate at which they went, 
 and the shorter path they took, brought 
 them to the little inn at the foot of Burg- 
 hill, some time before the party in the 
 carriage. Thus, when Sir John and Lady 
 Martindale arrived, the horses were already 
 in the stable ; and Kate, dismounted, was 
 standing with her riding whip in her hand, 
 the train of her habit cast over her arm, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 241 
 
 and the tiny little foot just appearing from 
 below the edge. She was not the least 
 like Diana in the world ; but I very much 
 doubt whether the huntress-goddess was 
 half as beautiful as she was — at least I 
 know that none of those who lived in 
 Diana's own day, and ought to have known 
 most about her, ever represented her in 
 marble half so lovely as Kate stood there 
 in something much better than the purest 
 Parian or Pentelicon either. 
 
 Lady Martindale looked at her while 
 getting out of the carriage with a critical 
 eye, and made her own comments inter- 
 nally. Now Lady Martindale was a 
 woman of the world, and was considered a 
 great judge in matters of taste. She was 
 full of conventionalities, though a person 
 of very shrewd sense, which she only em- 
 ployed, it is true, in dealing with those 
 conventionalities to the best advantage. A 
 builder must have bricks, or stones, or 
 something to build with ; and if he be a 
 good builder he may erect a very tolerable 
 
 VOL. I. M 
 
242 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 house even with bad materials. But still 
 he must have bricks ; and those are ge- 
 nerally supplied to him by others. Now 
 conventionalities were Lady Martindale's 
 bricks ; and her mind being the builder, 
 everything that it raised was constructed 
 of them. It is a pity that the bricks were 
 not better ; but they had been supplied 
 to her by others : and so she was not alto- 
 gether responsible. 
 
 She looked at Kate, then, with a critical eye, 
 as she would have looked at a piece of fur- 
 niture for her son's house. She asked her- 
 self, in short, how she would do for Lady 
 Marti ndale ; and she could not help ac- 
 knowledging that she would do very well. 
 First, she w T as exceedingly beautiful. 
 That was a great thing in society. Then 
 she was exceedingly graceful. That w r as 
 still more. Then there was nothing the 
 least exaggerated about her. In mannt 
 and in conversation Lady Martindale hau 
 never been able to discover the least touch 
 •f romance, or sentimentality, or even en- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 243 
 
 thusiasm ; and although nothing, it is 
 true, had occurred to call forth any of these 
 characteristics, Lady Martindale, trusting 
 greatly in her own shrewdness, thought 
 she must have discovered them had they 
 existed. Then demeanour was an enor- 
 mous point with Lady Martindale. She 
 judged people as much by their attitude 
 as by anything else ; and as Kate stood 
 there with her drapery gathered round her, 
 her riding-whip held lightly and dropping 
 gracefully, one foot and ancle slightly ad- 
 vanced so as just to be seen somewhat 
 shaded, and the weight of the figure thrown 
 a little on one side so as to vary the 
 outline, and to bring the contour into 
 the most graceful point of view, Lady 
 Martindale admitted that it was perfect, 
 and internally declared that she could not 
 have done it better if she had been taught 
 by Parisot. 
 
 Poor Kate did not in the least know that 
 she was doing anything at all. 
 
 All Lady Martindale's considerations and 
 M 2 
 
244 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 reflections, though they were many, occu- 
 pied no more time than was necessary for 
 the carriage door to be opened, the steps 
 to be let down, and her ladyship to des- 
 cend. Then immediately advancing to 
 Kate, she brushed back a stray lock of hair 
 which the wind had blown over her fore- 
 head, saying, " My dear Kate, you look 
 lovely." 
 
 Kate had nearly forfeited for ever her 
 high place in Lady Martindale's esteem by 
 blushing like a milk-maid; but she could 
 not help it; for the eyes of both Charles 
 Haldimand and Lord Martindale were upon 
 her at the moment ; and both seemed to say 
 that Lady Martindale was very right. The 
 blush, however, was so lovely that even 
 her ladyship could hardly wish it had been 
 spared. 
 
 " The carriage can go no farther, dear 
 Lady Martindale," said Sir John, seeing 
 her look up towards the hill ; " but if you 
 think the walk will be too much for you, 
 saddle-donkeys are to be procured here for 
 the ascent." 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 245 
 
 " But it is so steep," said Lady Martin- 
 dale. 
 
 " Nay, nay," said the old baronet, " we 
 shall not require you to walk or ride either 
 up the wall of a house. There is a path 
 which winds round the hill so that the 
 ascent is hardly felt." 
 
 Lady Martindale preferred to walk under 
 these circumstances ; and the ascent began. 
 A broad sandy path commencing about a 
 hundred yards from the inn, wound round 
 and round the hill taking advantage of the 
 tops of all the craggy banks which occasion- 
 ally formed, on one side at least, a natural 
 terrace for it. Seats had been placed at 
 various distances along the road, and every- 
 thing done for the accommodation of the 
 visitor; for Burg-loft was an object of in- 
 terest to all the county, and a place of pil- 
 grimage from a large town some ten miles 
 off; so that the good people of the inn 
 found it worth their while to render the 
 ascent as easy and comfortable as possible. 
 Nevertheless the walk was somewhat long; 
 
246 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 for the castle was seated on a very high 
 point. What seemed a little copse of scat- 
 tered bushes, when you stood at the foot, 
 proved to be a wood of tall trees when you 
 approached the top ; and through this wood 
 the road was carried till one reached the 
 old portal of the castle, which had suffered 
 less from decay than any other part of the 
 building. Nevertheless, Lady Martindale 
 was very tired. She sat down once; she 
 sat down twice ; she sat down three times. 
 Whatever nature had intended her for, the 
 habits of fashionable life had long deprived 
 her of the faculty of climbing hills with 
 satisfaction. To her, therefore, the expe- 
 dition, from the moment that the foot of 
 Burg-hill was reached, became what in 
 vulgar parlance is called a bore. The 
 others enjoyed the walk much, paused here 
 and paused there to view the ever-growing 
 beauties of the prospect round, which 1 
 must not pause to describe, and seemed 
 hardly to feel that they were climbing. 
 Lord Martindale offered his arm to Kate; 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 247 
 
 but she declined to take it, with a gay 
 boast of her strength and activity. But 
 Lady Martindale pulled heavily upon Sir 
 John's arm the whole way up, and, seating 
 herself on a long fallen mass of the old 
 masonry, declared she was quite exhausted. 
 The baronet was all courtesy, though he 
 smiled a little at the excellent lady's deli- 
 cacy. 
 
 " Well, dear Lady Martindale," he ob- 
 served, " 1 have a capital plan in my head. 
 Instead of going to the inn for luncheon we 
 will have it brought up here Asses and 
 panniers will soon furnish us wherewithal 
 to refresh ourselves and re-invigorate you for 
 our descent." 
 
 " But who will you send V asked Lady 
 Martindale. 
 
 "Oh, Charles will go," exclaimed Sir 
 John. " Here, Charles, Charles, I wish you 
 would run down, my dear boy, and tell the 
 people of the inn to send up here the 
 luncheon I ordered. We will have it in 
 the great court. Many people do." 
 
248 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 Now Charles was at this time enjoying 
 the pleasantest moment he had had during 
 the day. Lord Martindale had gone into 
 one of the old arched door- ways and was 
 looking out thence upon the view. Fair 
 Alice Richmond was standing hy him, look- 
 ing out too ; and the opportunity of a few 
 dear private words with Kate was afforded 
 which Colonel Haldimand did not neglect. 
 At his uncle's voice, however, he instantly 
 went to the gate, received his commis- 
 sion, and hurried down by a shorter and 
 steeper path to execute it. Kate turned 
 to look after him. Lord Martindale turned 
 to look at her ; and, seeing her alone, in- 
 stantly left the place where he was standing 
 to join her. As he hurried on he heard a 
 deep sigh, and looking round saw his fair 
 cousin with her eyes bent on the ground 
 and her cheek very pale. He asked him- 
 self what could be the matter with her ; 
 but he did not stop to ask her. Kate, 
 however, the moment he joined her, walked 
 to the doorway where Alice was standing, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 249 
 
 and linking her arm in hers gfzcl out 
 upon the view. 
 
 Sir John and Lady Martin dale joined 
 them the moment after ; and the latter 
 putting her head out, exclaimed, 
 
 " Well, it is a beautiful scene indeed ! 
 What a world of hill and dale and plain 
 and wood. It is worth ascending that 
 terrible hill to see it. — Dear me, there is 
 somebody coming up that hill on horse- 
 back ! Surely Colonel Haldimand cannot 
 have got down to the bottom of the hill al- 
 ready and be coming up again." 
 
 " No, no/' said Sir John. " Charles 
 would never gallop his horse up in that 
 reckless way without cause or necessity. 
 He is too old a soldier, lady, to risk break- 
 ing a poor beast's wind with no object." 
 
 "He seems a gentleman," said Lady 
 Martindale, as the new comer passed along 
 the turn of the road directly under the 
 part of the walls where they stood. " I 
 wonder who he can be V 
 
 " Oh, some stranger," replied Sir John. 
 M 5 
 
250 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 " We are not the only ones who visit Burg- 
 loft. "Now dear lady, what do you say 1 
 Have you recovered breath to climb the 
 tower ? The staircase is sound and even : 
 but it has ninety-three steps, I grieve to 
 say." 
 
 " Mercy, mercy ! Sir John," cried Lady 
 Martindale, laughing. " Really before I 
 climb another mountain, I must have a little 
 repose, if not a little refreshment. But 
 pray do not let me stop anybody else ; for 
 it is not fair that my infirmity should bar 
 their enjoyment." 
 
 While she was speaking, the sound of a 
 horse's hoofs was heard at the great gate- 
 Avay ; and, the moment, after a very gentle- 
 manly young man, dressed in a travelling 
 suit of the day, entered the courtyard, and 
 gazed about him. As soon as he perceived 
 the party which it contained, he approached 
 with an easy nonchalant air, and, pulling 
 off his hat, bowed with formal courtesy to 
 the ladies of the party, then performed the 
 same ceremony towards Sir John and Lord 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 251 
 
 Martindale ; and addressing the former, he 
 said, * 
 
 " A magnificent ruin, this, sir. I per- 
 ceive vestiges of every age of architecture 
 from the Saxon period down to Henry, 
 the wife -slayer. I suppose its history is 
 buried in oblivion, or, what is still worse, 
 swallowed up in the sweet quick-sand of 
 tradition." 
 
 Sir John Haldimand, who had returned 
 his bow with formal courtesy, replied, 
 
 " Of course, sir, it has its tradition ; 
 for people where they cannot find a history 
 ready made, are always sure to make one, 
 and when they do find one are sure to em- 
 bellish it." 
 
 " May I ask, then," said the stranger, in 
 the same sort of light and easy tone, " if 
 the devil, Oliver Cromwell, or Julius Caesar 
 have had anything to do with this castle ? 
 I have seldom, if ever, known an old military 
 building in which one or the other of them 
 had not some share in putting it up or knock- 
 ing it down." 
 
252 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 The whole party smiled ; and Sir John 
 replied, 
 
 " Oliver, sir, Oliver was the person in 
 this case. If we are to believe the ac- 
 credited story, he left it in the state m 
 which we now find it, though, to tell the 
 truth, I do not believe he ever saw it in his 
 life ; and if he battered it down with 
 cannon balls, as the people tell us, where 
 he put his cannon, I do not know ; for 
 there is no spot of height sufficient within 
 range of the castle." 
 
 " Perhaps, sir, he made a mountain for 
 the purpose, and took it away when he 
 went," replied the other. " But I fear 1 am 
 interrupting you ;" and turning towards 
 the high tower, or keep of the castle, he 
 ran lightly up the stairs, and soon appeared 
 upon the battlements at the top. 
 
 In the meantime speculations were 
 going on below as to his station and 
 character. 
 
 " Who can he be V said Lady Martin- 
 dale ; " a very dry and amusing person ; 
 and his face is quite familiar to me." 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 253 
 
 " I have seen him several times at 
 court," said Lord Martindale ; " but I do 
 not know his name. I think he is one of 
 the Marquis of Rockingham's set." 
 
 " We bumpkins who only present our- 
 selves at court once in live or six years," 
 said Sir John Haldimand, " cannot be ex- 
 pected to remember all the faces of you 
 courtly people. Nevertheless, his face 
 seems in some degree familiar to me 
 too. As he seems to amuse you, Lady 
 Martindale, shall I ask him to join us at 
 luncheon'?" 
 
 " 0, pray do, Sir John," replied the 
 lady. " I think he will amuse us very 
 much, if we can bring him out ; for 
 he seems one of the oddest men that ever 
 lived." 
 
 " 0, no, my dear mother, there are a 
 great many like him," said Lord Martin- 
 dale. " A quaint sort of superciliousness 
 is quite the mode now. However, I will 
 go up and join him in the tower, and bring 
 him back to you." 
 
254 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 " Ask him, then, to luncheon, Martin- 
 dale," said the baronet ; and the young 
 nobleman disappeared up the stairs. 
 
 It would appear that he had considera- 
 ble difficulty in finding the object of his 
 search, who ran from one part of the 
 building to another with extraordinary 
 rapidity, appearing now here, now there, 
 upon the walls, and knocking off the tops 
 of wall-flowers and other high-perching 
 plants, as he went, with a small cane which 
 he carried in his hand, as if he were only 
 seeking to dissipate an idle hour. At 
 length, however, he was caught ; and walk- 
 ing on more slowly with Lord Martindale, 
 made a complete circuit round the walls, 
 and then descended towards the rest of the 
 party, who were endeavouring to make out 
 a more than half effaced inscription on a 
 broad stone over the principal door of the 
 keep. 
 
 " Very happy to have the honour of 
 lunching with you, sir," he said, advancing 
 to Sir John Haldimand. " I have learned 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 255 
 
 from my excellent papa, who is a wise man 
 in his generation, never to refuse a good 
 thing when it is offered. Now, for a man 
 who has travelled five-and-twenty miles in 
 the profound solitude of a hack post-chaise, 
 and cantered up a hill with the only com- 
 panionship of an inn horse, luncheon of 
 any kind is a very good and desirable 
 thing ; and more especially when it is sea- 
 soned and garnished, as cooks would say, 
 with the spice of agreeable society and 
 the flowers of beauty." And he bowed all 
 round with a sort of mocking smile, as if 
 he was half laughing at, and half with, his 
 companions. 
 
 His dry merriment was somewhat in- 
 fectious. Even Sir John caught it ; so 
 that when Colonel Haldimand rejoined them 
 the next moment, he found the whole party 
 laughing. To the surprise of all, however, 
 he held out his hand to their new compa- 
 nion, exclaiming — • 
 
 " Ah, Harry, what has brought you out 
 of the gay world in April V 
 
256 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 The other gave a sort of affected theatri- 
 cal start, and then opening his arms, em- 
 braced Colonel Haldimand after the French 
 fashion, saying — 
 
 " My dear Charles, this is an unexpected 
 pleasure. I thought you were gone to In- 
 dia, or to some other place equally, or even 
 more potently, hot. As to what brought 
 me out of London at this season of the 
 year, that is soon explained. My papa 
 would tell you, dear man, that it was the 
 influence of the goddess which rules all my 
 actions, Caprice. But I can assure you, 
 that lady had nothing to do with it, though 
 I have a great respect for her, and gene- 
 rally do whatever she tells me. The case 
 was this : I lost a bet of three hundred 
 pounds to Lord George Sackville — you 
 know Sackey, don't you, Charles V 
 
 " Oh, yes, I know him," answered Colo- 
 nel Haldimand, with a nod. 
 
 " Well, by dint of eloquence and vigour,'' 
 continued the other, "I got five hundred 
 pounds out of my beloved parent. True, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 257 
 
 it was like digging out a crocodile's teeth 
 with a turnscrew ; but I got it, and with it 
 a warning not to come again for more for I 
 don't know how long. Well, I went away 
 to Sackey' s, paid him the money ; and 
 as we had nothing to do, no cards in the 
 house, nor any spotted cubes, Sackey pro- 
 posed that we should draw horse-hairs 
 out of the chair cushions — fifty guineas on 
 the longest hair. As this is quite as good 
 as any other sporting amusement, I of 
 course assented at once. Fortune favored 
 me ; and I not only won back my three 
 hundred pounds, but two hundred more, 
 drawing, by the will of the fickle goddess, 
 the ten longest hairs that ever sprouted on 
 an equine tail. Sackey saw that he was 
 not in luck, so he would not go,on ; and 
 when I came away enriched, I bethought 
 myself for the first time in my life, of what 
 I should do with my tim e and my money. Now, 
 I knew that if I staid in London, I should in- 
 evitably waste both ; and I was seized with 
 certain yearnings of the stomach — which 
 
258 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 people often mistakenly call the heart — 
 to set eyes upon some of my kindred whom 
 I have not seen since I was a curly-headed 
 boy. I therefore made my valet pack up 
 my portmanteau — gave him leave of ab- 
 sence, as I did not want to be worried to 
 death with being looked after — told him to 
 tell papa when he came home, that I was 
 gone into the country to fight a duel — 
 which you see was considerate, as I knew 
 he would want some mental excitement 
 during my long absence — and then, put- 
 ting myself into a hack P. C, travelled 
 down here by short and slow stages ; stop- 
 ping whenever I found anything was to be 
 seen, whether it was a church steeple, an 
 old castle, a rock, a spring, a river or a 
 lake ; till, at length, I reached the foot of 
 this hill, and determined instantly to take 
 it in and write a picturesque tour through 
 the western counties, with notes antiqua- 
 rian, philosophical, philological an statis- 
 tical." 
 
 " Well, I trust, Harry/' said Colonel, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 259 
 
 Haldimand, " that the relations you wanted 
 to get a glance of, are those you see around 
 
 you." 
 
 " I have for some time had an idea," 
 replied the other gentleman, " that I was 
 in the society of Sir John Haldimand ; 
 but I did not know how my enchanting 
 uncle might be affected by the apparition 
 of his virtuous and amiable nephew unless 
 the sad fact of his bodily appearance at 
 Burg-loft were broken to him w T ith proper 
 gentleness and delicacy." 
 
 Sir John Haldimand gazed at him from 
 head to foot with a good-humoured smile, 
 then shook him by the hand, saying : 
 
 " Harry, my dear boy, I am very glad 
 to see you. I certainly never should have 
 discovered the curly-headed boy, not higher 
 than my walking stick, in the tall man 
 perfumed and belaced. But you are wel- 
 come notwithstanding. Let me introduce 
 you to Lady Martindale, Miss Richmond, 
 Lord Martindale." 
 
 " And this," said Harry Haldimand, after 
 
260 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 having paid due reverence to the other 
 introductions, " this is the lovely Kate of 
 whom I have heard so much. Well may 
 certain people be afraid of the influence of 
 those bright eyes/' And taking her hand 
 gallantly, he pressed his lips upon it. 
 
 " Come, come," said Sir John Haldimand, 
 laughing, " no courtly grimaces here, mas- 
 ter Harry. We are all very glad to see 
 you. You, I will not doubt, are glad to 
 see us ; and there are other relations not 
 many miles distant whom you will be 
 well pleased to see also." 
 
 " You mean my uncle Richard," said 
 Henry Haldimand. " Glad indeed shall I 
 be to see him, or any other relation ; al- 
 though the one, the best, and best be- 
 loved — " and his brow grew very dark and 
 sad — " I shall never see again." 
 
 " I think the luncheon must be coming 
 up," said Sir John, suddenly turning the 
 conversation. Looking out down the 
 road, he perceived a couple of heavily- 
 laden donkeys wending slowly up the hill, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 261 
 
 under earnest solicitations applied to their 
 backs by a waiter and a professional don- 
 key -drubber. The meal was soon spread 
 out upon the grass ; and everything passed 
 cheerfully. 
 
 When all was over, the castle visited 
 throughout all its holes and corners, and 
 the party walking down the hill, Sir John 
 turned frankly to his nephew, saying : 
 
 " Of course, Harry, you will go on with 
 us to the hall." 
 
 " No, mine uncle," replied the young 
 man. " I must consider in some little 
 degree the prejudices of my sweet papa. 
 If you will permit me, I would rather in- 
 vite myself to the dwelling of my uncle 
 Dick. There I shall be under reverend 
 care and tutelage, and do my devoir in 
 visiting you humbly at your hall. But if 
 I were to take up my dwelling with you, 
 my patriarch might say — ' Son, thou con- 
 sortest with mine enemies.' " 
 
 " Well, well, be it as you please, Harry," 
 replied Sir John, not in the least offended. 
 
262 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 " It is an old saying, that few men know 
 their real friends. In your father's case, 
 I am sure he does not know his real 
 enemies." 
 
 " With reverence be it spoken," replied 
 Henry Haldimand, " if he did know them 
 he might have more difficulty in get- 
 ting rid of them than of the friends he looks 
 upon as foes. Nevertheless, my papa is a 
 wise man, and knows his own business 
 best. At least so he tells me whenever I 
 venture humbly and deferentially to ex- 
 press a different opinion from his own. 
 But as I can only stay one day, it does not 
 in truth much matter where I lodge." 
 
 " Only one day, Harry!" exclaimed Colo- 
 nel Haldimand. " Why, it was hardly 
 worth coming so far for so short a sojourn." 
 
 " Ah, sweet Charles," replied his cousin, 
 in a tone in which feeling and jest were 
 strangely mingled, " you who live all your 
 life amidst kindred affections cannot judge 
 how much pleasure even one day with 
 those we have not seen for years can give 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 263 
 
 to us poor exiles from the ancestral hearth. 
 But the truth is, I have some business to 
 transact, some thirty miles further on, 
 which may occupy a good deal of time; 
 and after that I must return to London, or 
 my father will think that I am not only 
 dead but buried." 
 
 "Business!" exclaimed Colonel Haldi- 
 mand. " The idea of your transacting 
 business is like that of a race-horse draw- 
 ing a brewer's dray." 
 
 " Even so," replied his cousin; "but if 
 there is no other horse to draw, the race- 
 horse must do it; and at all events I shall 
 look for a welcome at your father's for to- 
 night and to-morrow night : then on again 
 upon my fluttering course, like a swallow 
 that sticks flat against the wall of the parson- 
 age house for a moment, and then skims 
 away no one knows whither. Is not that 
 a pretty simile, sweet Kate'?" 
 
264 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 It was Sunday morning ; and Mr. Greenshield 
 set off to walk to church. The wind was 
 blowing freshly and pleasantly down the 
 valley ; and the sweet sound of the Sab- 
 bath-bell came rising and falling upon the 
 gusty air as he went along. Well-dressed, 
 erect, and easy in his movements, he seemed 
 a very good-looking man, but, strange to 
 say, appeared somewhat older than in his 
 traveller's or his fisherman's attire. He 
 passed more than one group as he pro- 
 ceeded; and many of the country people, 
 knowing him by sight, touched their hats 
 to the strange gentleman, and made way 
 for him. He was within a hundred or a 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 265 
 
 hundred and fifty yards of the church when 
 the gate of the rectory-gardens opened, 
 and Mr. Haldimancl came forth in his full 
 canonicals. Behind him was his wife, 
 leaning on the arm of her son ; and, walking 
 beside him, though I wot it was a walk in 
 an unusual direction, was gay Harry Hal- 
 dimand, glittering in the height of fashion. 
 
 Suddenly Mr. Greenshield stopped, and, 
 to the surprise of the group just behind 
 him, turned sharply round upon his heel, 
 and walked back again straight towards 
 Haldistow Mere. He relaxed not his pace 
 for a moment till he reached Tom Not- 
 beame's house, and there retiring to his 
 own room, sat down and read till the 
 worthy landlord returned from church. 
 The moment he did so, Mr. Greenshield 
 called him into his room, and a conversa- 
 tion ensued which must have had a very 
 witty spirit, if brevity is the soul of wit. 
 
 "Who was that with Mr. Haldimand, 
 Tom V enquired Mr. Greenshield. 
 
 VOL. 1. x 
 
266 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 " Young Harry Haldimand, old William's 
 son," answered Tom Notbeame. 
 
 " Humph !" ejaculated Mr. Greenshield. 
 " Do jou know how long he is going to 
 stay \ Does he often stay here long V 
 
 " Not been here these twenty years,' 7 
 replied Tom Notbeame- " Shouldn't have 
 known him, only one of the servants told 
 me. Don't know how long he stays. He 
 shouldn't stay long, if I was the parson." 
 
 " You must find out for me, Tom," said 
 Mr. Greenshield. " I must know, and to- 
 night." 
 
 Tom scratched his head. 
 
 " Well, sir, 111 try," he answered ; " but 
 I don't know that I shall succeed." 
 
 Tom Notbeame did try, and did suc- 
 ceed, so far as to learn that Mr. Henry 
 Haldimand would leave Haldistow before 
 Tuesday. On the following morning, by 
 the grey daylight, Mr. Greenshield's horse 
 was led out of the stable ; and he himself 
 descended to mount it. Both man and 
 beast were full of rest ; for the horse had 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST 267 
 
 not been out for three days ; and Mr. 
 Greenshield's foot had not crossed the 
 threshold since eleven o'clock on the pre- 
 ceding day. They set off at a quick pace, 
 crossed the moor, left the village of 
 Haldistow, the park and the hall on the 
 right, and entered the high road about two 
 miles beyond. There Mr. Greenshield 
 pulled in his rein, and brought his horse 
 to a quiet walk. At the end of about half- 
 an-hour more, a yellow postchaise with 
 long, flat, lanky sides and strange looking 
 perpendicular springs, overtook and passed 
 him just at the top of a hill ; but the next 
 moment, as it was rattling on, a head was 
 thrust out of the window, and a voice 
 called to the postilion. 
 
 " Stop, boy, stop, and let me out." 
 Almost at the same time, the door was 
 thrown open, the steps came floundering 
 down, and Harry Haldimand sprang forth 
 upon the road even before the horses could 
 be brought up. 
 
 Whether this proceeding did not please 
 V 2 
 
268 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 Mr. Green shield, or whether he was sud- 
 denly seized with that sort of frantic desire 
 for a jump and a gallop which sometimes 
 takes possession of old fox-hunters, I cannot 
 pretend to say ; but, there being a five 
 barred gate at hand, a good green meadow 
 beyond, and a piece of common ground 
 farther on, he suddenly turned his horse's 
 head towards the gate, leaped him ov r er it, 
 cantered him across the field, took the fence 
 on the opposite side, and in two or three 
 minutes more was seen skimming along 
 over the common as if there were a whole 
 pack of hounds before him. 
 
 All that Harry. Haldimand said on re- 
 marking this proceeding was, " Damna- 
 tion !" and then he got into the post-chaise 
 again and told the boy to drive on. 
 
 In the meanwhile Mr. Greenshield had 
 a pleasant ride. He seemed an exceedingly 
 good horseman, though he neither rode like 
 a jockey, nor a soldier, nor a fox-hunter. 
 He sat his horse with ease and grace, 
 though with somewhat of a foreign air. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 269 
 
 Away he went like an arrow, seeming to 
 think no more of the casual rencontre 
 when it was once over. Nevertheless, he 
 soon abandoned the high road after he 
 had regained it, choosing a narrow lane 
 on the right, and following it till he came 
 to another branch of the public highway 
 on which, at the end of two miles, he came 
 to a small but exceedingly neat little inn 
 situated on a triangle of green turf 
 dotted with elm trees. 
 
 There he stopped, and put up his horse, 
 said a word or two to the landlady, with 
 whom he seemed to have some acquaint- 
 ance, borrowed a fishing-rod and line, and 
 w r ent out to throw a fly in a little river that 
 ran near. 
 
 He had named four o'clock for his dinner 
 to be ready ; and now he walked up the 
 stream and down the stream, catching some 
 very tolerable fish till a little past eleven 
 o'clock. Then seating himself under a 
 tree close by the river side, he took a book 
 out of his pocket and whiled away the 
 
270 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 sultry hours of noon in reading. Often he 
 looked off the page and gazed upon the 
 water as it ran rippling and glittering by ; 
 and often he meditated deeply — perhaps 
 on what he had been reading, perhaps on 
 the memories which store themselves up 
 so thickly in the breast during the first and 
 middle portions of life; then, rising with a 
 heavy and somewhat listless sigh, he began 
 to whip the waters once more with not 
 very much success. 
 
 The day had become exceedingly hot, 
 though the wind, when one encountered 
 it, was cold ; and the trout did not seem 
 to have much appetite. 
 
 A country boy was wending along. 
 Mr Greenshield called to him, told him to 
 carry the fish he had caught to the inn 
 for his dinner, and gave him sixpence for 
 his pains. 
 
 " Ay, they won't bite now," said the boy, 
 who seemed to have a turn for angling ; 
 " but they'll take famous presently ; for I 
 saw a great cloud as I came over the hill 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 271 
 
 as black as a slated roof, and much of that 
 shape too ; and when the rain comes down 
 hard, how they do gobble the flies !" 
 
 Mr. Greenshield did not wait for the 
 cloud, but went on fishing while the boy 
 trudged away. To say the truth he looked 
 more than once towards the sky, not at all 
 enjoying the thought of being completely 
 wet through with nothing at hand to change 
 his clothes. In short, he determined to 
 beat a retreat before the enemy assailed 
 him, if the voices of all the trout in the 
 stream besought his stay ; and a lirtle after 
 three o'clock he put up his rod and line, 
 and walked quietly back. 
 
 " Lord, sir, the dinner is not ready," 
 said the landlady, as he entered. 
 
 " Never mind, I will wait," replied Mr. 
 Greenshield, entering the room prepared 
 for him, 
 
 While the good dame proceeded to get 
 dinner as fast as possible, Mr. Green- 
 shield walked to the window and looked 
 out. The sun was still shining with only 
 
272 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 the greater splendour because a thick black 
 cloud had crept over nearly one half of 
 the sky. The scene was neither very ex- 
 tensive, nor very beautiful, nor very in- 
 teresting. There were four old elms, and 
 a horse-trough beneath them ; a sign, almost 
 as ancient as the trees themselves, swing- 
 ing amongst the branches ; a good broad 
 turnpike road with a cut across it to let 
 the water off just beyond the trees ; a high 
 hill on the left, another not quite so steep 
 on the right, and a bank opposite, which 
 shut out all farther view. The only living 
 objects in the scene were a labourer sitting- 
 wiping his brow on the bench, and a stable- 
 boy with a horse which he led to water at 
 the trough. But it was all bright with 
 sunshine ; and it seemed a pleasant little, 
 out-of-the-world nook enough. Mr. Green- 
 shield stood and gazed at it ; but, as he did 
 so, the scene became entirely changed. 
 The cloud crept rapidly over the sun ; the 
 light and the brightness passed away, and 
 the quiet, secluded spot looked cold and 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 273 
 
 desolate, like a heart whose affections have 
 been concentrated upon few objects when 
 the brightest of them is taken away. 
 Presently the rain began to fall, first with 
 a few drops, slow and heavy, and then 
 with a thick continuous shower, pouring 
 down in long black lines, and filling the air 
 with darkness and mist. 
 
 " Well, I do declare," cried the hostess, 
 entering the room with pepper, or salt, or 
 bread, or some one of those numerous 
 articles which people at inns bring in one 
 by one, " you were just in time, sir. What 
 a pour ! I should not wonder if it thun- 
 dered." And proceeding to the windows, 
 she closed them ; for the rain was coming 
 into the room. 
 
 Mr. Greenshield was still looking out, 
 when down the slope to the right came 
 dashing a barouche with four horses at the 
 utmost speed which two wet postilions could 
 obtain from their wet beasts. 
 
 " Ay, there's Sir John coming back 
 again," said the hostess ; and she hurried 
 n 5 
 
274 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 out of the room to curtsey to the baronet 
 at the door. 
 
 Mr. Greenshield continued at the win- 
 dow ; and as barouches in those days had 
 no glazed fronts to keep out the weather, 
 being a newly invented carriage which had 
 not yet attained perfection, he saw an old 
 gentleman and a young lady getting nearly 
 as wet in the inside as the drivers and 
 servants were on the out ; but whether 
 there was a third person in the carriage or 
 not he could not distinguish. It was a 
 state of things not destined to last long. 
 Down came the barouche at a spanking pace 
 to the bottom of the hill, and dashed over 
 the little piece of flat ground in order to 
 take advantage of the impetus given by 
 the descent to mount the higher rise oppo- 
 site at a canter. Just when crossing the 
 cut I have mentioned in the road, it gave 
 a bound over the obstruction, and swayed 
 to one side, when away flew a front wheel ; 
 and the carriage came down, not absolutely 
 overturned but nearly so, checking sud- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 275 
 
 denly the horses and remaining fixed in the 
 middle of the highway. 
 
 For a moment or two Mr. Greenshield 
 seemed to hesitate as to what he should 
 do ; but the next instant he retired from 
 the window, seated himself in a corner, 
 and took up the Newgate Calendar, which 
 lay upon a table at the side of the room. 
 The door was not stout enough to prevent 
 sounds from entering. During the next 
 two moments there was a good deal of 
 bustle and confusion in the inn ; and then 
 was heard the voice of the landlady ex- 
 claiming, " Dear me, Sir John, what a pity! 
 Why, the axle is broken smack through the 
 middle ! Your worship must be quite 
 drenched I am sure, and Miss Kate as wet 
 as water. Pray walk in here. There's 
 nobody but a gentleman." 
 
 " How far off is there a blacksmith. 
 Goodie V asked Sir John Haldimand. 
 
 " Not nearer than the village, Sir John ; 
 and that's two miles and a half." 
 
 " Then I am afraid we must have a 
 
276 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 chaise," said Sir John, quietly ; " for, 
 allowing an hour for the man to be brought, 
 and two hours to mend the carriage, would 
 keep us longer than I can well stay." 
 
 " Now isn't that unfortunate V cried the 
 landlady. " The chaise was broke all to 
 smash last Wednesday was a week ; and 
 there's not another within ten miles ; and 
 that's at Tripley. Pray walk in, Sir John; 
 and I'll get you some dry things, ma'am. 
 There's nobody but a gentleman just going 
 to take his dinner." 
 
 " Perhaps he may not like so much com- 
 pany at his dinner," said Sir John, with a 
 good-humoured laugh. " However, I must 
 stay somewhere till I can send one of the 
 men to the Hall for another carriage. Have 
 you no other sitting-room, Goodie T 
 
 " None but the tap, sir ; and that's full 
 of smoke," said the hostess ; " but the gen- 
 tleman, I am sure, will be quite agreeable ;" 
 and without further ceremony she threw 
 open the door. 
 
 Mr. Greens! ueld was quite prepared for 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 277 
 
 his fate ; for he had heard every word ; 
 and rising as Sir John and Kate entered' 
 he bowed courteously but without speaking 8 
 He looked beyond them indeed, as if expect- 
 ing to see some other figure enter ; and it 
 was evidently a relief to him to perceive 
 that they were accompanied only by the 
 landlady. 
 
 " I am afraid we intrude upon you, sir/' 
 said Sir John Haldimand, as he entered ; 
 " but my carriage has met with an acci- 
 dent just before the door ; and we must 
 crave hospitality here for a short time till 
 I send to my house for another vehicle." 
 
 " I trust, Sir John, you will allow me to 
 make it hospitality indeed by partaking of 
 my dinner in the meanwhile/' said Mr. 
 Greenshield, courteously putting a chair 
 for Kate. " I will answer for there being- 
 trout enough for the whole party. For 
 the rest of the fare, our hostess must be 
 responsible, as I have had nothing to do 
 with catching the chickens, although I have 
 with catching the fish." 
 
278 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 " Oh dear, sir, there's a plenty," cried 
 the hostess, with a low curtsey, " if Sir John 
 will condescend." 
 
 " No great condescension, my good lady, 
 to eat when one is hungry," said Sir John 
 Haldimand. " But I really fear," he con- 
 tinued, turning again to Mr. Greenshield, 
 " that we are intruding upon you most un- 
 warrantably." 
 
 " Solitude is not so very valuable to me, 
 Sir John," replied Mr. Greenshield, with a 
 smile, " that I cannot dispense with it for 
 a few hours ; and indeed, though I love not 
 crowds, I love society, and look upon my- 
 self as a very sociable being, though I can- 
 not drink two bottles of port after dinner, 
 and would not if I could. But I am afraid, 
 while we are ceremonious, your daughter 
 is catching cold. You must be wet I think, 
 Miss Haldimand." 
 
 " No, indeed," answered Kate, throwing 
 oif a mantle of a peculiar form, which was 
 then fashionable, and which has since made 
 its re-appearance amongst us ; for all things 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 279 
 
 move in circles, the fashions as well as the 
 planets. " This cloak is thick, and has kept 
 me quite dry." 
 
 The matter was then speedily arranged. 
 It was agreed that Sir John Haldimand 
 and Kate should remain and dine with Mr. 
 Greenshield at the little inn ; one of Sir 
 John's postilions was sent off to bring the 
 chariot from Haldistow ; the barouche was 
 moved with some difficulty under the shelter 
 of the elm trees ; and the dinner, with such 
 additions as the good hostess could make 
 in haste, was set upon the table in about 
 twenty minutes. 
 
 The whole affair seemed a very simple 
 one, neither very agreeable, nor very much 
 the contrary : the breaking down of a car- 
 riage in a wet day, the being forced to wait 
 two or three hours at a very small 
 country inn, and to dine with a stranger in 
 a fishing jacket ; but yet it was a very im- 
 portant and resultful event for Kate Haldi- 
 mand. 
 
 Sir John on his part did not appear in 
 
280 THE OLD OAK CHM. 
 
 any degree to recognise his present enter- 
 tainer as the lodger at the Haidistow Arms J 
 and indeed he had never seen his face dis- 
 tinctly till that moment. Kate, however, 
 remembered him well ; and as they sat 
 down to their homely dinner she said ; 
 with a smile — 
 
 " If I am not much mistaken we are fore- 
 stalling Mr. Richard Haldimand. I think 
 we are to have the pleasure of meeting you 
 at his house to-morrow V 
 
 This was a new light to Sir John, who 
 laughed at his own unconsciousness, and 
 then apologised for not having called 
 on his present companion, upon the 
 plea of having been cumbered with com- 
 pany. The conversation then took a gen- 
 eral turn, and flowed easily and quietly ; 
 but it dealt with very different subjects 
 from that which had taken place between 
 Mr. Greenshield and the baronet's brother. 
 As if purposely, the former abstained from 
 all classical allusions ; and if he indulged 
 in a quotation at any time, which, being a 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 281 
 
 habit, he could hardly restrain, it was 
 chosen from some English, French, or Ita- 
 lian poet. But on the whole the conver- 
 sation was of a grave cast, notwithstanding 
 the presence of a lady. It turned upon 
 education, upon the progress of society, 
 upon different forms of government, 
 and upon the dealings of the rich with the 
 poor ; all subjects of much interest to S r 
 John Haldimand, and upon which Mr. 
 Greenshield had evidently thought deeply. 
 The latter indeed was like a skilful sword- 
 player who could handle a heavy weapon 
 so easily that it seemed light in his grasp. 
 This in debate is not always an advantage, 
 but in conversation it is a great art ; and 
 the subjects, serious as they were, did not 
 seem dull even to Kate Haldimand. 
 
 To people who have any mind — they 
 are few — small things suggest greater ones. 
 The fine trout that were first set on the 
 table soon led to other things. 
 
 " You are a great and skilful fisherman 
 I understand, Mr. Greenshield," said Sir 
 
282 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 John ; " and however lightly the sport may 
 be looked upon, I am sufficiently a disciple 
 of Cotton and Walton to know that great 
 practice is needful to the attainment of 
 skill." 
 
 " A disciple of Walton rather than of 
 Cotton, I should think, Sir John." said 
 Mr. Greenshield. " The latter, in spite 
 of his many literary merits, was but a 
 poor creature compared with noble old 
 Isaac. Skill is, of course, acquired by 
 practice ; but that which I have was princi- 
 pally attained in my boyish days. I do not 
 bestow much time upon it now, although 
 I cannot altogether think it the waste of 
 time which some persons do. To me it is 
 always a period of thought ; and, unlike 
 other occupations, I am seldom so successful 
 therein as when I am thinking of some- 
 thing else. Perhaps I wasted a little time 
 upon it in my youth ; but I am not sure 
 that it was all lost either." 
 
 " 0, youth must have recreation," said 
 Sir John Haldimand, " even to a proverb, 
 my dear sir. The eternal cultivation of 
 
*HE OLD OAK CHEST. 283 
 
 the mind is like overcropping a field. We 
 are sure to exhaust the soil, and lose much 
 for the future in order to gain a little more 
 for the present." 
 
 " I am afraid our system of agriculture 
 is very defective as yet," said Mr. Green- 
 shield, with a smile, as he followed Sir 
 John's figure of speech. " A succession 
 of crops is a very good thing, and well that 
 some of them should be very light." 
 
 " True," answered Sir John Haldimand ; 
 " and I am afraid moreover that there is a 
 great deal of waste land in the realm which 
 might well bear cultivation. It is a strange 
 thing that, in this literary, scientific, 
 energetic land, we have fewer persons who 
 can even read and write than in most other 
 countries." 
 
 It must be recollected that he spoke 
 many years ago ; and Mr. Greenshield re- 
 plied, in a musing tone, 
 
 " I think that evil will cure itself in 
 time, Sir John ; but reading and writing, 
 or in fact any branch of instruction what- 
 
284 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 soever, may or may not be beneficial to the 
 individual who receives it, but will be of 
 little benefit through him to society unless 
 it is accompanied by that moral training 
 which will teach him how to use it to the 
 best purposes. It is a subject full of many 
 considerations and some difficulties ; but 
 one thing is clear, that in this country even 
 where we educate the mind, we rarely think 
 of educating the heart." 
 
 " That, I think, should be one of the 
 first considerations," said Sir John Haldi- 
 mand ; " and certainly if any one were 
 entrusted to mefor education, I should much 
 prefer filling the heart with high principles, 
 and generous and noble feelings, than 
 cramming the mind with all the accom- 
 plishments, or all the learning that ever 
 was given." 
 
 It was a small table ; and those who sat 
 at it were somewhat close together. By 
 an impulse that she could not resist, Kate 
 stretched out her hand, and laid it on that 
 of Sir John while her eyes fixed on his 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 285 
 
 face with a look of tender gratitude and 
 affection. Perhaps Mr. Greenshield did not 
 see the gesture ; for his eyes were bent on 
 the table, and he seemed to have fallen 
 into a fit of absent thought. 
 
 The conversation then turned in a dif- 
 ferent direction, and roamed over a multi- 
 tude of various subjects. In all, or almost 
 all, Mr. Greenshield seemed to be perfectly 
 at home. From parish law and practical 
 husbandry up to the highest branches of 
 philosophical inquiry, nothing seemed to 
 come amiss to him ; and Sir John Haldi- 
 mand, who always thought over the 
 characters of those with whom he was 
 brought in contact, asked himself more 
 than once what was the source of the pecu- 
 liar power and charm in his companion's 
 conversation. He settled it at last that it 
 was thorough good sense kept in continual 
 and watchful activity. Nothing seemed 
 ever lost that had once been obtained. 
 Nothing seemed confused or out of order 
 in the intellectual store-house. Reason ap- 
 
28 b' THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 peared to be very powerful ; and he attri- 
 buted much to its influence ; but he admitted 
 to the fullest extent that man is a mixed 
 being possessing qualities, and even faculties, 
 which reason might be called upon to guide 
 but not to render useless. 
 
 Strange to say, he made himself to the 
 full as agreeable to Kate as he did to the 
 baronet. I must pause a moment upon 
 his demeanour towards her, lest there 
 should be any mistake, and the reader 
 ahould be led to imagine that Mr. Green - 
 shield, an elderly gentleman, had literally, 
 as Tom Notbeame had jestingly insinuated, 
 fallen in love with Sir John Haldimand's 
 adopted daughter, and began to show it. 
 His manner was exceedingly courteous ; 
 and it must be admitted it had a certain 
 degree of gentle tenderness in it ; but 
 there are many various shades in tender- 
 ness of manner ; and Kate Haldimand had 
 no difficulty in ranging his according to its 
 class. He spoke to her as an old man to 
 a young girl, assuming rather a fatherly 
 
fHE OLD OAK CHEST. 28 
 
 N 
 
 tone than otherwise ; and the touch 
 of tenderness in it was nothing more 
 than that sort of mingling of melancholy 
 regret for our own youth passed away, with 
 interest in those who are springing forward 
 to run the same course over flowers and 
 thorns, which every right-hearted man, 
 advanced in life, experiences in the pre- 
 sence of youth. He had, moreover, two 
 great charms for woman, especially in her 
 early years. His imagination seemed un- 
 dimmed, his heart unchilled by the years 
 which had rolled over his head. 
 
 Thus then passed the evening, agreeably 
 to all ; and when Sir John Haldimand's 
 carriage arrived, both he and Kate felt as 
 if it had come too soon. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 While Sir John Haldimand and Kate 
 were thus quietly enjoying themselves at a 
 country inn, Mr. Matthew Hush was as 
 quietly enjoying himself at Haldistow Hall. 
 With his noiseless step he went over almost 
 every part of the house ; he looked here ; 
 he looked there ; he walked along this cor- 
 ridor and that ; and he made himself com- 
 pletely master of the locality if he was 
 not so before. He remarked everything, 
 and had no need of a memorandum book 
 to put down all he saw ; for his mind 
 had a tablet in it expressly reserved for 
 such observations where they were written 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 289 
 
 in a fine clear hand which admitted no 
 mistake. 
 
 Towards half-past four the servants 
 began to be somewhat surprised that Sir 
 John did not return. By this time, how- 
 ever, Mr. Hush was at his post again ; his 
 hours of leisure were over. He was the 
 butler in full force, arranging the table 
 and the sideboard, sneering quietly at the 
 clumsiness of the footman who assisted 
 him, and replacing with more exact 
 precision all that the other placed 
 wrong. Five o'clock arrived, the hour ap- 
 pointed for dinner, and no Sir John. Mrs. 
 Giles was in a fuss, and the cook still more 
 so. Colonel Haldimand appeared ; but, as 
 if for the express purpose of saving him 
 from uneasiness, one of Sir John's postilions 
 arrived with intelligence of the accident 
 that had occurred, and an immediate de- 
 mand for the chariot. Charles Haldimand 
 had not offered to accompany Sir John 
 and Kate in escorting Lady Marti tidale's 
 party a portion of the way home. He had his 
 
 vol. i. o 
 
290 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 own reasons for not liking it ; and he 
 sacrificed the pleasure of a morning in 
 Kate's society, promising himself compen- 
 sation in the evening. Knowing that he 
 would be a welcome guest, he went up to 
 the Hall, at the dinner hour, uninvited ; 
 but he did not think himself justified in 
 sitting down to his uncle's dinner in his 
 absence, and after having satisfied himself 
 that neither Sir John nor Kate were in 
 any way hurt, he returned to the rectory. 
 
 Mr. Hush had now once more the house 
 to himself ; but he always proceeded very 
 systematically. There was nothing desul- 
 tory or irregular about his plans. Every 
 stray piece of knowledge that came was 
 very acceptable ; but he always followed 
 perseveringly any object he placed before 
 him ; and having set his heart upon 
 winning the confidence of Mrs. Giles, he 
 glided away the instant he had heard the 
 postilion's statement to relieve the anxiety 
 of that lady regarding her master. It 
 was an act of attention which Mrs. Giles 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 291 
 
 fully appreciated. The dinner was counter- 
 ordered ; the preparations for the meal 
 swept away ; and Mrs. Giles and Mr. Hush 
 once more sat down to tea together. On 
 the preceding day, he had not been suc- 
 cessful in his advances. Whether jams 
 and jellies had got mouldy, whether the 
 spearmint water had been spoilt in the dis- 
 tilling, whether the hens had refused to 
 lay as many eggs as they were directed, 
 or whether the cow had kicked over the 
 milkpail, or the cream had turned sour, 
 who shall say \ The anxieties of a house- 
 keeper are innumerable ; each is a source 
 of irritation ; and Mrs. Giles on that 
 day was decidedly in a bad humour. 
 When a housekeeper is in a bad humour, 
 her suspicions and her perspicacity are 
 acuminated in a marvellous degree ; and, 
 well aware of this fact, Mr. Hush would 
 not risk anything by indiscreet enquiries. 
 
 But now, his intelligence of Sir John's 
 safety plumped out her heart like a dried 
 raisin in a pudding ; and a little piece of 
 
 o 2 
 
292 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 attention on the part of Mr. Hush rendered 
 her still more placable. He had remarked 
 that ? putting the tea into the tea-pot, she 
 made use of an ordinary spoon, and when 
 he seated himself on the opposite side of 
 the board, he quietly drew from his pocket a 
 neat little filigree cockle-shell of silver tidily 
 wrapped up in thin paper, and presented it 
 to her as small a gift from London. How he 
 came by it, Heaven only knows ; but Mrs. 
 Giles took it for granted that it was honestly 
 obtained, and appropriated the gift accord- 
 ingly. She was very condescending and 
 sociable ; and every now and then, Mr. 
 Hush ventured upon a quiet joke. 
 
 " You were a good bit frightened about 
 Sir John, Mrs. Giles/' he said, with a 
 smile. " Is he so exceedingly punctual that 
 there is cause for alarm if he doesn't come 
 home at the dinner hour V 
 
 " He is always sure to come or send," 
 said Mrs. Giles ; " and if there is a chance 
 of his not returning, he is certain to men- 
 tion it before he goes. He is an old man 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 293 
 
 now, Mr. Hush ; and a great deal depends 
 upon his life." 
 
 "What, I suppose he has not made 
 his will, then/' observed her companion. 
 " That would be a pity ; for then Miss 
 Kate, I suppose, would be badly oft ; and 
 a nice young lady she is as ever I 
 saw r 
 
 " 0, don't you trouble yourself, Mr. 
 Hush," said the housekeeper, with a slight 
 bridling toss of the head. " She is well 
 taken care of. Sir John 's not a man to 
 leave his will unmade. Don't you suppose 
 that." 
 
 " O, there's never any knowing," said Mr, 
 Mr. Hush, with a shrewd smile. " I'll 
 thank you for a little more sugar, Mrs. 
 Giles. The wisest men sometimes neglect 
 those things or forget them ; and there is 
 no knowing that a will is made till one has 
 seen it." 
 
 " But I have seen it," exclaimed the 
 housekeeper. " I don't mean to say, sir, 
 that I saw what it contained ; for Sir John 
 
294 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 is too wise to talk of his business to ser- 
 vants ; but I was one of those who wit- 
 nessed the will, several years ago now, 
 when the other will was destroyed and this 
 made." 
 
 " He may have destroyed this too," sug- 
 gested Mr. Hush. 
 
 " No he hasn't, sir," said the housekeeper, 
 sharply ; "for he told me only the other 
 day, to remember that it was in the old oak 
 chest with all the other papers." 
 
 " Aye, it's safe enough, then," said Mr. 
 Hush, quietly " I am glad to hear that, 
 Mrs. Giles ; for I'm sure any one who sees 
 our young lady and hears her speak, so 
 gentle and so kind, must wish her well." 
 
 I am not quite sure that this was altoge- 
 ther affected. As I have never known any 
 perfect character, so have I never known 
 any one so bad, any one whose heart was 
 so scorched and dried up by the fire of 
 p assion or of vice as to have no green spot 
 in the desert. However that might be, 
 Mr. Hush sipped his tea quietly for about 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 295 
 
 five or ten minutes more ; and then, pre- 
 tending that he had forgotten something 
 which he ought to have done, wished Mrs. 
 Giles good evening and retired to his pantry. 
 Thence he crept forth again in a few 
 minutes, walked into the dining-room, the 
 drawing-room, the library, and Sir John's 
 private study. Undoubtedly he was seeing 
 that everything was in order in expectation 
 of his master's return. But in the private 
 study he stopped for several minutes, and 
 gazed by the fading light upon an object 
 which stood in the corner near one of 
 the windows. It was a large old oak 
 chest, richly carved, and hooped with 
 massy bands of iron. I know not whether 
 Mr. Hush was a connoisseur in wood- 
 carving ; but he certainly examined that 
 box with very great interest and attention. 
 Nay, more, he put his hand in his pocket 
 and pulled out a pencil, as if he were 
 going to draw its picture. He satisfied 
 himself, however, with taking the length 
 and width of the key -hole on his thumb- 
 
296 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 Bail ; and then he retired to his own bed- 
 room, where he fell into a profound con- 
 templation of various pieces of crooked 
 iron, which he took from one of his boxes. 
 Still he had a lingering affection for that 
 strange-looking old oak chest ; and after a 
 few minutes he returned to it, though by 
 this time it was dark, or very nearly so ; 
 and he carried no candle. He stooped 
 clown over it, and felt about the lock, 
 having one of those iron things in his 
 hand all the time. It was a curious old 
 lock, with great steel ornaments all about 
 it, such as had not been manufactured by 
 the hands of man for some centuries be- 
 fore ; but it seemed not to suit the views 
 of Mr. Hush ; for after a moment or two 
 spent in fingering it delicately, he rose, 
 saying, in a low tone, " That won't do," 
 and retired again to his bed-room. Then 
 he lighted a candle, took out a bunch of 
 keys, as numerous as if he had been house- 
 keeper to an ogre, or a locksmith in large 
 practice. He measured several of these 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 297 
 
 upon his thumb-nail, before he could find 
 one that suited him. When this was ac- 
 complished, however, he smeared both 
 sides of the key which he selected thickly 
 over with tallow, which he suffered to cool, 
 aud then descended again towards the 
 room which contained the old oak chest. 
 Still he had no light with him ; and sud- 
 denly he stopped on the stairs, for he 
 heard a step passing along the passages 
 below. He generally knew the sound of a 
 step, and could tell in an instant, by the 
 foot-fall, to whom it belonged, if he had 
 heard it frequently before ; but he had 
 been too short a time at Haldistow Hall to 
 have learned the foot-falls by heart ; and 
 he waited till it had passed away and all 
 was silent. Then again he descended, 
 approached the old oak chest once more, 
 put the key into the lock very delicately, 
 pressed it hard to the one side and to the 
 other, and then withdrew it ; for turn it 
 would not. Then, with a due regard to 
 cleanliness and neatness, he took a silk 
 
298 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped 
 the key-hole of the lock, to insure that no 
 tallow remained to disfigure its quaint 
 face ; after which he glided silently to his 
 room again, shut and locked the door, and 
 examined the key he held in his hand by 
 the light of the candle. Deeply indented 
 in the tallow, appeared a complete pattern 
 of the wards of the lock into which it had 
 been insinuated ; and Mr. Hush sat down, 
 to draw upon a piece of paper a perma- 
 nent memorial of the curious design pro- 
 duced. He did it as well as if he had 
 been an artist ; and then, after slowly rub- 
 bing his hands twice, he wiped the tallow 
 carefully off the key, and replaced it in 
 his trunk, with all the rest of his appa- 
 ratus, except the candle. 
 
 Mr. Hush was evidently highly pleased ; 
 for his curiosity seemed very likely to be 
 gratified by a sight of Sir John Haldi- 
 mand's will. He knew where it was 
 placed ; and he knew the exact sort of 
 key which would afford him the means of 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 299 
 
 inspecting it ; but there may be some 
 doubts whether the satisfaction which he 
 felt arose entirely from the prospective 
 gratification of his curiosity. There was 
 a certain degree of pride in it — of vanity, 
 perhaps, I should say. His progress 
 seemed in his own eyes extraordinary, 
 marvellous, almost sublime. " It is hardly 
 a week," he thought, " since I left Lon- 
 don ; and I fancy I have got on pretty 
 well." 
 
 There might be, perchance, something 
 beyond the gratification of curiosity in the 
 prospect, something in the satisfaction he 
 felt more comfortable than the self-gratu- 
 lation of skilful knavery, something more 
 proud than the knowledge of having 
 served his employer well ; for he ended 
 a long and silent cogitation with the half 
 muttered words : " And then I shall be 
 safe enough, and perhaps have a hold upon 
 your neck, my master, instead of you upon 
 mine." 
 
 While he was thus pondering, the clock 
 
300 THE OLD OAlv CHEST. 
 
 struck seven ; and, knowing that Sir John 
 wot 1 Id not be much longer absent, he 
 descended to his pantry, lest it should be 
 remarked that he sat moping in his room 
 
 upstairs. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST 301 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " Please, sir, I have brought the' cha- 
 riot/' broke up as pleasant a conversation 
 as Sir John Haldimand and Kate ever en- 
 joyed. Something which Mr. Greenshield 
 had let fall, made them acquainted with 
 the fact that he was about to return to 
 the borders of Haldistow Mere that night ; 
 and Sir John first and Kate afterwards 
 pressed him to take a seat in the chariot. 
 
 " Pray do," said Kate. " You say you 
 are going to ride back ; and it is still rain- 
 ing very hard. There is plenty of room, 
 I can assure you." 
 
 " For nearly twenty years, my dear 
 young lady," he replied, I have accustomed 
 
302 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 myself to be drenched with the rain, and 
 scorched with the sun, and buffeted by the 
 wind. So that a deluge, I believe, would 
 hardly scare me. It is good to accustom 
 oneself to such things ; and there is no 
 more unpleasantness to me in riding twelve 
 or fourteen miles in such a night as this, than 
 in journeying on under a grey and cloudy 
 sky. I would rather have the moonlight 
 and the bright stars above me, true ; but if 
 I am not to have them, it little matters to 
 me whether it be raining or not. It was first 
 a matter of necessity. It is now a matter 
 of habit ; and though, by a foolish conces- 
 sion to custom, I bought a carriage some 
 years ago, and a pair of horses to boot, 
 yet I have rarely if ever set my foot in the 
 vehicle, and have always wished myself 
 out as soon as I was in. We have all our 
 crotchets," he added with a smile ; " and 
 in elderly gentlemen they become very 
 stiff and rusty. I shall have the pleasure 
 at all events of seeing you to-morrow at 
 dinner ; and you will find that I am not 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 303 
 
 the least the worse for the wetting to- 
 night." 
 
 Kate and Sir John bade him an adieu 
 which might almost be called affectionate, 
 and returned to Haldistow. They reached 
 the Hall about half past seven ; and in 
 half an hour more Colonel Haldimand was 
 in the drawing-room. They had tea, and 
 talked cheerfully ; and Charles and Kate 
 were very happy. I need not, I think, 
 say more on that subject. The very young 
 may divine, the old may remember ; and 
 those in the harvest time of life may feel 
 what it was that made them so happy. 
 
 After Sir John had taken his tea, he 
 got up and walked into the library. Now 
 the library lay between the drawing-room 
 and his own private study ; and there 
 were doors throughout from one room to 
 the other. It is more than probable that 
 he was taking his way to the latter ; but 
 he stopped at the library table, set down 
 the candle which he carried, and took up 
 a letter which lay upon a pile of blotting 
 paper. 
 
304 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 It is a funny thing, the mind of man, 
 and very difficult to account for some 
 of its freaks. To look at the address of 
 a letter in order to ascertain that it is 
 really intended for ourselves, is a highly 
 commendable custom ; but I have re- 
 marked a thousand times, that if a man 
 receives a letter addressed to himself in 
 a hand he does not know, instead of break- 
 ing it open at once to ascertain from whom 
 it comes, he pauses longer, studying the 
 handwriting, than upon any other occasion. 
 In fact there is a pleasure in exercising 
 the fancy ; and though he is very anxious 
 all the time to know who the writer is, 
 he pauses, and lets imagination work ere 
 he takes the direct means of ascertaining 
 the fact. Sir John Haldimand looked at 
 the address ; the handwriting was utterly 
 unknown to him ; and he held it to the 
 light for full one minute ere he opened 
 it. As soon as he did open it, however, 
 he seated himself in the easy chair, and 
 with some interest read the following 
 words : 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 305 
 
 "My Dearly Beloved Uncle, 
 
 " Being the most modest of human 
 creatures, as you must doubtless have per- 
 ceived, I could not make up my mind to 
 speak to you yesterday upon a matter of 
 some importance ; and indeed had no 
 opportunity even if I had had impudence. 
 I cannot however leave your part of the 
 country and probably England for a long 
 time without giving you one little bit of 
 warning. Now whether you think fit to 
 act upon it or not, or in whatever way you 
 may act, I beseech you not to make a fuss 
 about it, and especially not to let it be 
 known that the warning came from me. I 
 know not what hand my venerated parent 
 may have had in the transaction of which 
 I am about to speak, or whether he have 
 had any hand at all ; but one thing I do 
 know, which is, that being a strong-minded 
 man and subject to few weaknesses, he does 
 not easily forgive any one who thwarts his 
 plans. Neither does he, as you must well 
 
306 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 know, take into much consideration blood 
 or kindred, when he is angry. The worst 
 of it, too, is that his anger lasts for a long 
 time. Twenty years to his wrath is but a 
 tea-spoonful of water to a house on fire. 
 Therefore if he has had anything to do 
 with this matter and you let him know the 
 warning came from me, you might as well 
 break the neck of your hopeful nephew. 
 
 "But, to come to the point, I saw yester- 
 day at your house and acting in the quality 
 of your butler a personage not unknown 
 to me, named Matthew Hush. I have had 
 the best possible opportunity of becoming 
 acquainted with the character, habits and 
 views of that delicate gentleman, and al- 
 ways imagined that my father kept him 
 upon the same principle on which I hired 
 my own valet, namely, that he was one of 
 the greatest and most serviceable rogues in 
 London. My valet is a rushlight to him, 
 though I chose him out of a hundred for 
 his roguery. 
 
 " The sight of Matthew Hush in your 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 307 
 
 house raised up every spark of wonder 
 that is left in my nature into a flame ; for 
 when last I saw him before, he was in deep 
 and amicable conference with my angelic 
 papa upon their matters of state ; and I 
 thought that, although William Haldimand 
 Esq. knew perfectly that the said Matthew 
 Hush robbed, pillaged and cheated him — 
 no, he did not cheat him, that is im- 
 possible — he would as soon have parted 
 with him as with his right hand. However, 
 knowing him to be a rogue of the very 
 clearest, purest and most unclouded water, 
 seeing him in your house and suspecting 
 much that he is not there for any good, I 
 feel myself bound to let you know what 
 sort of person he is that you may deal 
 with his case as you may be advised. I 
 dare not send this letter by any ordinary 
 course ; for, amongst other faculties pos- 
 sessed by the admirable Matthew, is that of 
 seeing through the outside of all epistles ; 
 and recognition of my hand on the back 
 would be quite sufficient to convey my 
 
308 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 communication to the fire in the butler's 
 pantry. I have therefore deviated a little 
 from my direct way to place this in the 
 hands of a good man who taught me to 
 fish when I was a boy, and who has pro- 
 mised — although he does not seem very 
 fond of me now — either to. deliver this 
 himself or to insure that it shall reach 
 your hands. I write it at his house, the 
 Haldimand Arms, which is the cause why 
 the paper is neither gilt nor scented. 
 
 " There was one thing more which I would 
 fain have spoken about ; for Haldistow has 
 been full of apparitions to me ; and some 
 fancies — nay, I will not call them fancies, 
 nor doubts either — have been greatly 
 strengthened by seeing twice in this neigh- 
 bourhood a person who evidently wishes 
 to avoid me. Though each time I got but 
 a glimpse, yet I feel quite sure I am right. 
 However, I have said enough on these mat- 
 ters. 
 
 " As to myself, my clear 'uncle, I begin 
 to be sadly afraid that a change is about 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 309 
 
 to come over my habits and disposition. 
 I feel that I cannot look so lightly and 
 philosophically upon all things as I used 
 to do. I fear even that my visit to you 
 in the country has done me harm in this 
 respect ; but, knowing that it is no use to 
 struggle against such impressions, and that 
 when either wine or water has got troubled 
 and muddy, the only way is to let it work 
 itself clear, I have determined to take a 
 long tour on the continent, where every- 
 thing being in a state of fermentation imy 
 be expected to produce either spirit or 
 vinegar before it has done. In truth, my 
 dear uncle, and in sober seriousness, I am 
 tired of the life I have been living. Sur- 
 rounded by circumstances which I could 
 not control, I had no refuge but levity. 
 Even that, however, gets tiresome ; and 1 
 am resolved to break away. Perhaps my 
 own fate and my own mind may get set- 
 tled by time and absence ; and if not I 
 shall be no worse than I was before. 
 
 " I have still one journey to make be- 
 
310 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 fore I go. I shall have enough left when 
 I reach London to carry me some way on 
 the grand tour. I have no need of a 
 valet, a tutor, an opera dancer, or any 
 other expensive luxury ; and if, when my 
 little stock of money is exhausted, my 
 father does not choose to supply me with 
 more, I can at all events turn fencing 
 master or a dealer in modern antiques. 
 
 " Vale, vale, excellent uncle mine. I 
 fear eveiwthis letter will make you think 
 me incorrigible, but nevertheless believe 
 me to be 
 
 " Your affectionate nephew, 
 
 " Hakey Haldimand." 
 
 After he had read the letter, Sir John 
 mused for several minutes, and then rang 
 the bell. A footman appeared ; for 
 Mr. Hush was otherwise engaged. Sir 
 John asked if Tom Notbeame had been 
 there that night ; and the man at once 
 answered that he had. 
 
 "He brought up four very large trout, 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 311 
 
 sir/' said the man, " and wanted to see 
 you very much. He remained for an hour 
 or more waiting." 
 
 "When did he say he would come again V 
 asked Sir John. 
 
 " I did not see him, sir, when he went," 
 replied the footman ; " but I dare say 
 some of the other servants know." 
 
 " It does not matter," said his master. 
 " Let him be admitted whenever he comes." 
 
 Having thus dismissed the servant, he 
 turned to reflect upon the letter again ; 
 and we may well note some of his thoughts. 
 His mind first turned to his nephew. 
 
 " This lad is better at heart than on 
 the surface," he said to himself. " In this 
 matter he has acted honestly and honor- 
 ably in giving me a warning which might 
 be of importance. Yet I can take no steps 
 with regard to this fellow, Hush, unless he 
 gives me cause. That would be unfair to 
 the man ; and he must have his trial fairly. 
 I may be a little more watchful of his 
 proceedings ; but even that is not pleasant. 
 
312 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 Nothing so painful as the necessity of be- 
 ing always upon one's guard. What can 
 the boy mean by the hint that his father 
 can have anything to do with the busi- 
 ness ? William could have no object in 
 sending the man down hither. Hash, 
 petulant and implacable as he is, and with- 
 out any great scruples as to means too, yet 
 he never does anything without an object ; 
 and he could have no motive in this case. 
 He certainly does not seem to have im- 
 pressed the mind of his son with any 
 great reverence. The most disagreeable 
 trait in the young man, is the levity 
 with which he speaks of his father. Yet 
 some allowance must be made for him too, 
 after all that has happened. I fear William 
 is harsh, very harsh. Who can be the 
 third person he alludes to as connected 
 with these 1 Well, it does not much mat- 
 ter. The good people must take their , 
 own course. The policy of honesty and' <~ 
 straightforward dealing is displayed in 
 nothing more than in its constantly frus- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 313 
 
 trating the designs of those who do not 
 follow it. I will let matters go on as they 
 may. If master Hush behaves ill, 111 
 turn him out ; but I cannot spend my 
 time in setting man-traps or watching 
 coppices." 
 
 He paused and pondered on this branch 
 of the subject for some minutes more; and 
 then his mind turned to the situation of his 
 nephew. He fancied that he had perceived 
 the germs of better things in his nature ; 
 that his spirit was not so light and reckless 
 as it appeared, and that his heart was more 
 upright and pure than it seemed. He 
 thought that absence from the scenes in 
 which he had played an idle part, and from 
 the companions who might have misled and 
 injured him, would probably have a bene- 
 ficial influence. And he ended by say- 
 ing, " At all events, the poor fellow must 
 not want money." 
 
 Without more ado he drew the pen and 
 
 ink and paper towards him, and wrote a 
 
 few lines in a bold, quick hand. He never 
 vol. i. p 
 
314 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 wrote long letters ; for it was his practice 
 to say all he meant as briefly as possible; 
 and he never said anything more. 
 
 " Many thanks for your word of 
 warning, my dear Harry/' he wrote. " I 
 will attend to it. Speak more reverently 
 of your father, my good lad. Three things 
 should be sacred from persiflage, your God, 
 3^our country, and your parents. You sati- 
 rize yourself when you sneer at any of the 
 three. 
 
 " I approve of your intended expedition. 
 You may gain much, if you try to gain, 
 and can lose little, I should think, by ab- 
 sence from London, by the disruption of 
 ties perhaps not very creditable, and cer- 
 tainly not beneficial, and by an acquaint- 
 ance with new people who may furnish 
 new views. If you were going to the con- 
 tinent, only as a sort of university to finish 
 an education begun in a somewhat corrupt 
 school, I should say, do not go; but I 
 gather from your letter that you have dif- 
 ferent and better objects; and I know that 
 
THE OLD OAK CHESt. 315 
 
 you may attain them if you have strength 
 and perseverance to pursue them. 
 
 " At all events, my dear Harry, do not 
 suffer yourself to be put to inconvenience 
 for want of means. It may not always be 
 convenient to your father to supply you. 
 I live a homely life, considerably within 
 my income ; and I have generally a few 
 thousand pounds at command. So confi- 
 dent am I that you would not apply to me 
 without necessity, nor for any purpose that 
 you know I should disapprove, that I have 
 no hesitation in bidding you, should you 
 find yourself in a difficulty, to draw at once 
 upon 
 
 " Your affectionate uncle, 
 
 "John Haldimand. 
 
 " Postscriptum : — My bankers shall have 
 orders by the next post. Address any 
 draft there." 
 
 Sir John folded and sealed the letter, 
 and then walked with it into the other 
 room. 
 
 p 2 
 
3 I 6 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 "I dare say, Charles," he said, "you 
 know Harry Haldimand's haunts. I should 
 like to have this letter given to him with- 
 out sending it to his father's house; for 
 William and I have so long ceased all com- 
 munication with each other that I do not 
 choose to begin it again through the son." 
 
 " I can easily get it done," replied Colo- 
 nel Haldimand. "I can send it to my 
 agent in town, and bid him have it delivered 
 at White's or Brookes's. I forget which 
 Harry belongs to ; but the agent will easily 
 find out." 
 
 Sir John gave him the letter, and then, 
 casting all farther thought of the matter 
 from his mind, spent the rest of the even- 
 ing in the enjoyment of that calm and 
 quiet sort of happiness which the toilers 
 and strugglers and negotiators of courts 
 and cities cannot know. 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 317 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 We must now follow for a while the mo- 
 tions both corporeal and mental of Mr. 
 Matthew Hush. For the second time in 
 his life, something immediately affecting 
 himself had happened, as we have seen, 
 without his knowing anything about it ; 
 and utterly unconscious of the warning 
 which had been given to Sir John Haldi- 
 mand, he felt quite at his ease, and moved 
 about with a proud consciousness of tri- 
 umphant success. When he thought fit, 
 he could be a very industrious man ; and 
 that night he proved it to be the fact 
 The direction in which he chose to exercise 
 his powers was the avocation of a black 
 
318 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 smith ; and with a file in one hand and the 
 key which we have seen him employ in 
 the other, he kept filing away during full 
 one half of the night, with the pattern which 
 he had drawn upon paper lying before him. 
 The occupation of his hands, however, did 
 not at all interrupt the operations of his 
 head. He filed and he thought — he thought 
 and he filed — without the least cessation of 
 either process ; and it was not till the clock 
 struck two that he retired to rest. 
 
 He possessed a faculty, however, which 
 most great men are endowed with. He 
 could cast all care from his mind and go 
 to sleep in an instant ; and he could wake 
 again at almost any hour which he thought 
 fit to fix upon. 
 
 Although so late in seeking repose, he 
 was up on the following morning before six ; 
 and now the hoarded thoughts of the pre- 
 ceding night found vent upon paper in the 
 form of a letter to Mr. William Haldimand. 
 It was a very curious and cautious document, 
 written in a beautiful and almost feminine 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 319 
 
 hand, in terms of perfect propriety, and 
 pointed with the most scrupulous accuracy. 
 
 " Honored and respected sir," it began ; 
 and then went on, notwithstanding Mr. 
 Haldimand's expressed opinion of gratitude, 
 to pour forth abundant thanks for all the 
 kindness he had received at his hands. 
 Next came an account of his reception at 
 Haldistow, and his success in obtaining an 
 entrance into the service of Sir John, of 
 whom he spoke as reverently as if the 
 baronet had been looking over his shoulder. 
 Then followed the pith of the letter. 
 
 " I may flatter myself, sir," he said, 
 using the most guarded terms, in order to 
 prevent Mr. Haldimand from thinking that 
 he had any design of entrapping him into 
 too plain speaking in return — " I may flat- 
 ter myself, sir, that I have succeeded as 
 far as possible in the matters which I had 
 in charge ; but accident has assisted with 
 far more effect than any skill of my own," 
 (modest creature !) " I overheard a con- 
 versation between Lady Martindale and her 
 
320 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 son, who have lately been staying here, im- 
 mediately after her ladyship had held a 
 conference with Sir John, in regard to a 
 proposed marriage between Miss Catherine 
 and the young lord. From that conversa- 
 tion I learned that the young lady will 
 certainly possess the bulk of Sir John's 
 property," (he was not very sincere ; but 
 he had his motives). " This fact has been 
 confirmed to me by Mrs. Giles, the house- 
 keeper here, who is one of the witnesses to 
 Sir John's will. From her also I have 
 learned the exact spot where the will is 
 deposited, and understand that it is the 
 only copy in existence. It would be a 
 matter of the most perfect ease, I imagine, 
 to obtain a sight of the document, so as to 
 ascertain all the particulars ■; but, incase 
 it should be thought desirable to use any 
 ulterior means in order to secure a more 
 just transmission of the property, it may 
 be as well to pause for some time, lest the 
 absence of a valuable paper should be re- 
 marked by the parties on examination, and 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 321 
 
 a fresh will prepared to the same effect. 
 These are all matters for your consideration, 
 however. I am, as in duty bound, merely 
 an instrument in your hands, ready to act 
 as I am directed ; and you may trust on 
 my obeying you with the utmost zeal and 
 punctuality. 
 
 " Although you gave me no orders upon 
 the subject, I think you may be pleased to 
 hear something of the young lady herself, 
 who is to inherit the fortune of Sir John. 
 She is rather tall than otherwise, and ex- 
 ceedingly handsome, with very beautiful 
 eyes, dark, but not what are called black. 
 She is quite a lady in her manners, and 
 plays and sings beautifully. I have heard 
 many at the opera not sing near as well. 
 She is so exceedingly kind and gentle to 
 every one, and is much loved by all the 
 servants and the people of the place. Over 
 Sir John himself, she has unbounded in- 
 fluence ; and he treats her in every respect 
 as his daughter." 
 
 Here Matthew Hush paused and rubbed 
 
322 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 his hands, with the utmost possible degree 
 of satisfaction, the cause of which shall be 
 explained in a moment or two. He re- 
 sumed the pen, however, and went on. 
 
 " I have mentioned these facts regarding 
 Miss Haldimand, principally because when 
 Mr. Henry was here the other day, he 
 seemed very much struck with the young 
 lady ; and, perhaps, if a marriage were to take 
 place between them, it might save all other 
 trouble. I do not know, sir, whether Mr. 
 Henry came by your directions ; but he 
 seemed very much surprised at seeing me in 
 his uncle's service, and said, * What, are 
 you here, you damned rogue V but did not 
 w r ait for an answer. His kind remark was 
 not heard by any one else, which was, per- 
 haps, as well ; and he did not seem to take 
 any farther notice of me during the time of 
 his stay, which was very short. Trusting 
 that this will find you in good health, 
 " Honored and respected sir, 
 " I remain, 
 
 " Your most faithful servant to command, 
 " Matthew Hush," 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 323 
 
 Now this letter contained almost every- 
 thing that was likely to irritate and per- 
 plex Mr. William Haldimand. The worthy 
 Matthew knew it, and rejoiced. 
 
 " It will drive him half mad," he said, 
 to himself. " How he will splutter at my 
 thanks and gratitude ! and then he will 
 not know what to do about the will. He 
 will fancy in a minute that, if he does no- 
 thing, the whole property he is hankering 
 after will go away from him ; and then he 
 will see that if he tells me to take the will 
 he will put himself in my power — which 
 he won t like at all, though it is but making 
 us quits. He won t know how to act ; and 
 hell curse and swear at me for not acting 
 for him without his orders. A nod may 
 be as good as a wink to a blind horse ; but 
 I am none ; and that he ought to know. 
 Then hell be in a great fright about the 
 young Lord Martindale ; for it would not 
 suit him to have Miss Kate married to a 
 nobleman, and the whole property settled. 
 How he does hate her, to be sure ! He'd 
 
324 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 break her neck if he dared ; and he'll go as 
 wild as a woodman with the description of 
 her beauty, and her kindness, and her be- 
 ing loved, and all that. Then, if he does 
 not know of Master Harry's having been 
 here, the news will drive him half frantic. 
 I wonder what he'll do about the will ! I'll 
 have it whether he orders it or not ; for 
 that will give me some hold upon him ; and 
 I can at any time swear that he told me 
 to take it ; but I would rather have an 
 order under his own hand. I'll take a copy 
 of this at all events. How mad it will 
 make him !" 
 
 Nor was Mr. Hush wrong in his conjec- 
 ture. The effect of his letter upon Mr. 
 William Haldimand was much what he an- 
 ticipated. It was delivered to him in the 
 morning as he sat at breakfast. The first 
 few lines he read with a smile of con- 
 tempt, They referred to gratitude. The 
 next paragraph called up an expression of 
 satisfaction in his face ; for it told of suc- 
 cessful progress ; but the next caused him 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 325 
 
 to look anxious and thoughtful ; and lay- 
 ing down the letter, he muttered — 
 
 " This must be stopped — but how V' 
 
 After a few minutes' thought, he took up 
 the letter again, and read on, commenting 
 to himself with such expressions as — 
 
 " The d — d scoundrel ! Does he think 
 I'll trust him with such a thing ? He'd be- 
 tray his own soul for a guinea. I must 
 consider of this matter. If the will could 
 be destroyed at the proper moment, all 
 would be safe." 
 
 Then he read further ; and his cheek 
 grew burning hot, as his eye rested upon 
 the description of Kate. He did curse 
 and swear, and give her more bad names 
 than I will put down ; but Master Hush 
 himself did not escape altogether without 
 objurgation for writing to him about her 
 at all ; and when he came to the part re- 
 ferring to his son's visit to Haldistow, he 
 went into a perfect frenzy, swearing he 
 would disinherit him, turn him out of his 
 house, and never see his face again. 
 
326 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 Strange and manifold were the sensa- 
 tions which that letter produced ; but his 
 mind rested principally upon one point. 
 With the cunning of a demon, Matthew 
 Hush had suggested to him, in a distinct 
 and tangible manner, an idea which might 
 have been present to his mind previously 
 in a misty and indistinct form, but which 
 he had been ever unwilling to grasp and 
 define. Four or five times he read over 
 the words — 
 
 " In case it should be thought desirable 
 to use any ulterior means in order to 
 secure a more just transmission of the 
 property." 
 
 How was that to be secured'? There 
 was but one way, the abstraction and de- 
 struction of the will. To that course the 
 man clearly pointed ; but the perils were 
 very great ; and the greatest of them lay 
 in the necessity of using such an instru- 
 ment as Matthew Hush himself. 
 
 For an instant, as Mr. Haldimand paused 
 and thought, the idea of seeking a recon- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 327 
 
 ciliation with his brother, and taking ad- 
 vantage of it for his own purposes, crossed 
 his mind ; but the next instant he struck 
 the table with his hand, and exclaimed — 
 
 " No. I will die first !" 
 
 He returned to the consideration of the 
 other means before him ; and leaning his 
 head upon his hand, he shut his eyes to 
 exclude everything which might draw his 
 attention from the subject. 
 
 " It must be done," he thought ; " and 
 this fellow must do it ; but I will not com- 
 mit myself in writing. I will go down 
 part of the way, and send for him to come 
 and see me. I must make him learn to 
 take a hint. He can do so readily enough 
 when he likes it. Suppose he will not ; 
 for he is shrewd, and can be dogged 
 enough. Then Fll hang him for his pains. 
 He will not hesitate long, I should think, 
 in the choice between a halter and a thou- 
 sand pounds." 
 
 Just as he came to this conclusion, a 
 carriage rattled up to the door ; and ring- 
 
328 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 ing the bell, he gave the servant a quick, 
 sharp order not to admit any one, but to 
 say he was out. 
 
 " 'Tis Mr, Henry, sir," said the servant. 
 " John has just let him in." 
 
 " Oh," replied his master, with a sneer 
 upon his lip. " Pray let me have the 
 benefit of his company." 
 
 The servant had no occasion to convey 
 the request ; for as he opened the door, 
 Henry Haldimand entered, with his usual 
 light and jaunty step. 
 
 " Ah, dearly beloved parent," he ex- 
 claimed, " I am rejoiced to see you in such 
 a high state of preservation. The air of 
 London seems to keep you as an old 
 woman's linen drawer keeps apples, almost 
 as fresh as ever. Why, you do not seem 
 much older since I left you." 
 
 " About a week ago," said his father, 
 drily. 
 
 " It has seemed an age to me," said 
 Harry, with a slight laugh. " Richard, 
 brins; me some coffee and some toast." 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 329 
 
 " Perhaps a few words I have to say to 
 you may take away your appetite for your 
 breakfast," said his father, with a cold 
 sneer. " I understand that you have been 
 down to see your excellent uncle, Sir John 
 Haldimand, at Haldistow Hall. Do not 
 reply till you have heard me. Now you 
 know the degree of affection which exists 
 between him and me ; but perhaps you do 
 not know that any one who is his friend 
 cannot be mine. If my son seeks the 
 house of his father's enemy, he is no longer 
 a son of mine ; and having made your 
 choice, sir, you must abide by it." 
 
 Harry Haldimand laughed. " Now my 
 sweet papa," he said, " for a wise man and 
 a great general, you suffer yourself strangely 
 to be misled by false intelligence ; and, 
 knowing a man perfectly well to be a liar 
 and a scoundrel, you place implicit faith in 
 what he tells you to the disparagement of 
 the son of your bosom. Oh, Matthew 
 Hush, Matthew Hush ! The Lord deliver 
 me from Matthew Hush ! I know just as 
 
330 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 well as you do that the tidings came from 
 him ; and you trust in them as implicitly 
 as if they were not Matthew's lies hut 
 Matthew's gospel. Let me just strip the 
 tale of its ornaments. I have been at 
 Haldistow ; not at Haldistow Hall, but at 
 Haldistow Rectory. You have always 
 been upon friendly terms with my uncle 
 Dick, and rather encouraged my acquaint- 
 ance with Charles than otherwise — but 
 listen, now listen like a dutiful father. I 
 am sure I have listened to you like a duti- 
 ful son. I went down towards Haldistow 
 in order to see my cousin Charles and my 
 uncle Richard — I might wish to catch a 
 glimpse of the lovely Kate whom I have 
 heard you abuse so much — I don't deny it. 
 You know, my dear papa, in all books 
 sons are bound to fall in love with the 
 ladies their fathers hate most. It's quite 
 according to rule and etiquette. Now don't 
 be afraid. I would do anything possible to 
 oblige you in that way, and would willingly 
 fall in love with her to your heart's con- 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 331 
 
 tent ; but I could not manage it. Well, 
 but hear me out. As I was going, I saw 
 an old castle on the hill called Burg-loft, 
 hired a horse, cantered up, found a party 
 in the ruins, amongst whom were mine 
 uncle, Sir John, my cousin the Colonel, the 
 lovely Kate as aforesaid, and the young 
 Lord Martindale, apparently in a state of 
 inflammation. My uncle Sir John was ex- 
 ceedingly civil, acknowledged me as his 
 nephew, though on my word of honour I 
 never claimed the distinction, and might 
 have passed without notice had not Charles 
 let the cat out of the bag. Well, Sir John 
 asked me to come and stay at the Hall ; 
 but I declined ; telling him, exceedingly 
 civilly, but not the less distinctly, that my 
 amiable papa had a mortal aversion to him 
 from sundry passages in past times which 
 I never pretend to understand — you know 
 the limited range of my capacity — how- 
 ever, you and Lord Chesterfield have taught 
 me that politeness is the first virtue of a 
 gentleman ; and I could not do less in 
 
332 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 common civility than make a morning call 
 at Halaistow Hall while I was staying at 
 the Rectory. I did not go to take another 
 peep at Kate's ankles, I can assure you ; 
 for, though they are exceedingly pretty 
 ankles indeed, and the feet quite indes- 
 cribable, yet they are very likely, I believe, 
 soon to belong to somebody else according 
 to the pleasantest mode that I know of be- 
 coming a quadruped — for if a married man 
 be of one flesh and bone with his wife, you 
 see, my admirable parent, he must be a 
 four-footed beast unless he marries the 
 dwarf woman who sews fine-stitch and 
 paints miniatures without either legs or 
 arms. I see you are impatient, and will 
 therefore only add, that the very next clay 
 I took myself off that I might be in no 
 danger either of displeasing you or pleasing 
 myself too much/' 
 
 " Well, sir, your conduct has not been 
 so bad as 1 imagined," repied his father ; 
 " but let this business be a warning to you, 
 and remember that even such a visit as you 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 333 
 
 have now made must not be repeated. 
 There must be no communication between 
 you and Sir John Haldimand whatever, 
 or you are no longer my son ; and you 
 had better limit your acquaintance even 
 with Charles Haldimand to the period of 
 his visits to London." 
 
 " You shall be obeyed even beyond the 
 letter/' replied Harry ; " for it is my in- 
 tention, with your kind leave and benign 
 benediction, to travel for some months on 
 the continent. My education is not com- 
 plete, although I have seen Paris and a 
 small court in Germany. Yet the grand 
 tour, my dear papa, the grand tour re- 
 mains to be completed." 
 
 " I have no money to waste upon grand 
 tours," exclaimed Mr. Haldimand. 
 
 " Generous parent, no money shall be 
 required for at least six months to come," 
 answered his son. " 1 have had a run of 
 luck, and can relieve you from the fright- 
 ful calamity of supplying my extravagances 
 for some time." 
 
334 THE OLD OAK CHEST. 
 
 I once saw a little boy in a menagerie 
 who seemed to find great pleasure in tick- 
 ling the whiskers of a tiger. I think it 
 was natural ; and at all events the feelings 
 of Henry Haldimand in presence of his 
 father were very like the boy's. Thtfre was 
 an irresistible desire to tease the somewhat 
 savage creature before him, although he 
 every moment expected a paw to be thrust 
 forth to tear him. However, on the present 
 occasion he escaped unhurt. His father, 
 though smarting a good deal at his half 
 concealed sarcasms, consented to the plan 
 he proposed ; and he was soon in the bustle 
 of preparation. When he visited his club 
 on the following day, a letter was put into 
 his hand, which he read in the window 
 with a very varying expression of counte- 
 nance. Sometimes he smiled ; sometimes 
 his cheek flushed; and when he ended some- 
 thing very like a tear swam in his eye. On 
 the following day he took his departure for 
 Dover, and commenced his journey with 
 better feelings and resolutions than had 
 
THE OLD OAK CHEST. 335 
 
 found place in his heart for many a year 
 before. The heart was a good heart, and 
 capacious enough ; but hitherto the house 
 had been badly tenanted. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 T C. Newby, Printer, 30, Welbeck-street, Cavendish -sq. 
 
Mr. NEWBY'S NEW WORKS. 
 
 In Three Vols. 
 
 SIR ARTHUR BOUVERIE. 
 
 By the Author of ' Lady Granard's Nieces.' 
 
 " A beautifully and powerfully written story of 
 domestic life, of deep feeling — of intense interest — 
 it opens with an extraordinary mystery which remains 
 long undeveloped ; but the denouement is finely, 
 skilfully, exquisitely worked out. As a lady's novel, 
 par excellence, it is the most delightful that we have 
 for a long time read. We cannot too warmly con- 
 gratulate the fair author on her success. — Naval 
 and Military Gazette. 
 
 Ill Three Vols. 
 
 OUR GUARDIAN. 
 
 A Novel. By Mrs. Mackenzie Daniel, 
 
 One of the most striking and admirable traits of 
 the authoress, is the strength and yet severe simpli- 
 city of the diction. The reputation which Mrs. 
 Daniel has already obtained by her former works, 
 such as ' My sister Minnie/ ' Poor Cousin,' &c. will 
 be considerably increased by the real merits of 
 this novel. Our extracts will give a fair specimen 
 of Mrs. Daniels literary power.... Dispatch. 
 
 It exhibits Mrs. Daniel's wonted elegance of style 
 and pathos. — Spectator. 
 
 We must rank this production as one of the 
 ' upper form,' of its class. — Atlas. 
 
 In Three Vols. {Now ready) 
 
 KINGSCONNELL. 
 
 By the author of ' The Fortunes of the Falconers ' 
 The book we feel sure is destined to a repuf ation much 
 more permanent than the duration of ' the season in which to 
 appears.— Weekly Chronicle. 
 
■ijij'H 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 3 0112 084214854 
 
 
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