W. H. SMITH & SON'S 
 
 SUBSCRtPTION LIBRARY. 
 
 186, STRAND, LONDON. 
 
 (terms : 
 ONE GUINEA PER ANNUM. 
 
 Boolfs exbiaaged at the.Bailway Stations without extra charge. 
 
 
 L I B R.AFLY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 or ILLINOIS 
 
 823 
 B765 
 
 V. I
 
 /.^-^^-^■^/C//^
 
 MAIDENTHOEPE 
 
 OR, 
 
 INTERESTING EVENTS 
 
 ABOUT THE YEAR 1825. 
 
 BY 
 
 JEREMIAH BEIEELESS, ESQ., 
 
 OF THE OUTER TEMPLE, FELLOW OF NO SOCIETY, 
 
 The Bee extracts matter from the Flowers of the Garden and the Field, but works 
 and fashions it by its own efforts." — Bacon, 1620. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY RICHARD BENTLEY^ 
 
 NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 
 
 1861.
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY C. ROWORTH AND SONS, 
 BELL YARD, TEMPLE BAR.
 
 ?^3 
 
 C t) >; T E N T S 
 
 VOL. 
 
 CHAPTEU 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 I. 
 
 The Resclte . . 
 
 4 
 
 II. 
 
 The Family 
 
 r 
 
 III. 
 
 Improved Acquaintance 
 
 ^«5 
 
 ^ 
 
 lY. 
 
 The Plot 
 
 
 V. 
 
 The Detection 
 
 
 VI. 
 
 Correspondence . . 
 
 
 VII. 
 
 Comparing Notes 
 
 :^ 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Narrative 
 
 
 IX. 
 
 The Parsonage 
 
 
 X. 
 
 Tuition . . 
 
 
 XI. 
 
 A Trip to Scarborough 
 
 
 XII. 
 
 A Rival . . 
 
 c^ 
 
 XIII. 
 
 First Instalment 
 
 -p.. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Northern Tactics 
 
 \ 
 
 XV. 
 
 Circuit, etc. . . 
 
 -^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 XVI. 
 XVII. 
 
 York, and a Race Ball 
 Ems and Coblenz 
 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 Belle Yue 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 
 '^ 
 
 
 
 PAGE 
 1 
 
 19 
 
 .. 34 
 
 48 
 
 .. 63 
 
 83 
 
 .. 91 
 
 100 
 .. 120 
 
 145 
 .. 169 
 
 182 
 .. 199 
 
 212 
 .. 217 
 
 220 
 .. 247 
 
 291 
 
 ^
 
 MAIDENTHOEPE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE RESCUE. 
 
 f\^ a sultry day about the latter end of August, Lady 
 Bewdley and her niece Lady Susan Altham took 
 their departure from Oak Abbey, the seat of Gordon 
 Forrester, Esq., near Linton, to return to the house of 
 the lady first mentioned at Maidenthorpe, adjacent to 
 the village of Stagbrook, about fifteen miles from York. 
 The Forresters were distant relations of the late 
 husband of Lady Bewdley, and long settled in York- 
 shire, and the family estate and character were sufficient 
 to give them a high position in the county. The present 
 generation was rather numerous : Mr. Forrester had three 
 sons and five daughters, so that individually they could 
 not look forward to a large inheritance. The eldest of 
 the sons, Mr. Frank, as usually called, had been destined
 
 2 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 to the study of the law, but he could not be induced to 
 apply himself to it with sufficient zeal and perseverance 
 to ensure him independence,- — for this he might have 
 attained by an appointment to some post, had he been so 
 far qualified, though he had not abilities to carry him 
 on to any high grade of honour or emolument in the 
 profession ; but though he was not remarkable for energy 
 or talent, his manners were cheerful, agreeable and kind, 
 and he was not wanting in repartee and disposition to 
 merriment, so that he was a great favourite in the family; 
 he was not handsome, but the young lady^ Susan, just 
 escaped from boarding school, thought him diverting, 
 agreeable and an unassuming pleasant companion. 
 
 On the morning of the breaking up of the party this 
 heir apparent set off to join some college friends who 
 were enjoying themselves in the wildest and most remote 
 Highlands on the western coast of Scotland, carrying 
 with him a vivid recollection of the charms of his distant 
 cousin. Lady Susan, — a circumstance not to be wondered 
 at, for the face and figure of this beautiful creature fasci- 
 nated all beholders, nor on further acquaintance could 
 anything be discovered to weaken this first impression, 
 for she was continually cheerful, devoid of affectation, 
 possessed of intelligence and wit, restrained however by 
 natural good taste and sense of propriety, her refinement 
 and modesty rendered school discipline almost unneces- 
 sary, so that she was not a creature of the drill, but a 
 natural lady, whose beauty and engaging qualities were
 
 THE RESCUE. 3 
 
 set-ofFby an exquisite all-pervading and most captivating 
 grace. This sweet creature, then between eighteen and 
 nineteen, was the daughter of the Earl of Bosworth, and 
 had been detained at the eminent finishing school of 
 Mrs. Lofty till an unusually late period, on account of 
 her father having been employed in a diplomatic post on 
 the Continent, south of the Alps, and her' aunt had paid 
 large sums for her maintenance at school, rather than 
 permit her to be contaminated and sacrificed by the 
 laxity of foreign manners and principles, to which she 
 well knew that Lord B. would without scruple expose 
 her darling. 
 
 It could not be denied that in this visit, which upon 
 the whole afforded great delight to Lady Susan, she felt 
 a little perplexed in adapting her manners to the tone of 
 the young ladies to whom she was introduced and who 
 had received their education at home, — their familiarity 
 and disregard of punctilio formed a contrast with the 
 strict adherence to ceremony in which she had been so 
 long trained by Mrs. Lofty, and which now, for the first 
 time, she saw entirely dispensed with ; but her good 
 sense and delicate perception of propriety made her 
 acquiesce in their style with the very best humour, and 
 indeed feel pleasure in their candid disregard of form 
 and phrase : perhaps also the first taste of entire liberty 
 gave a charm to everything, and imparted the tint of 
 the rose to every aspect of nature. 
 
 The departure of the two ladies was somewhat past 
 b2
 
 4 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 ten o'clock, and the length of their journey twenty-five 
 miles ; but the chariot being rather heavy, and much 
 encumbered with luggage, its progress over a hilly road 
 was necessarily slow. About two o'clock a halt was 
 allowed for the baiting of the horses and refreshment of 
 the party, and a thunderstorm and violent rain, and 
 one of the horses requiring a new shoe, prolonged the 
 stoppage so much that they did not set forward till about 
 four o'clock. It was even then thought that the carriage 
 might reach home soon after seven o'clock, notwith- 
 standing the hills. Mike Somerton, the coachman, pro- 
 mised to do his best, but he well knew that his horses 
 were not in very high condition, and that one of them 
 was rather too old, and the other too young, to con- 
 stitute a capital team : however he made way as well as 
 he could, more than once explaining to his impatient 
 mistress, that " it would never do to take too much out of 
 his horses before they came to Trapstone Hill ; for her 
 ladyship should recollect that that hill was one of the 
 worst in the country side, and he wished it had been at 
 the beginning of the journey instead of the end of it, and 
 it was an uncommon dangerous place for horses not to 
 be able to stand to their work, because of the precipice 
 on the off side, and the wall was very low and shame- 
 fully out of repair in some parts." 
 
 There was no combatting Mike's reasoning; so the 
 lady contented herself with a great many regrets about 
 their late start, and her being over persuaded, and so on,
 
 THE RESCUE. 5 
 
 and her niece's suggestions, as to its being of no import- 
 ance going some part of the journey in the dark because 
 they had Hghts to the carriage, &c. &c., were received in no 
 kindly temper by the old lady, so that whether sleeping 
 or waking the party travelled in some degree of gloom 
 even before they arrived at this formidable Trapstone 
 Hill, which the old lady had resolved that she and all 
 the party should walk up, but this intention was frustrated 
 by the commencement of rain and the indications of a 
 second thunderstorm just at the period of their arrival 
 at the foot of it, so that the ascent was undertaken 
 without any diminution of the load, for the footman 
 found it needful to hoist an umbrella in order to pre- 
 serve as much as possible the liveries of himself and 
 his companion. This rain, and the darkness, which 
 an hour's anticipation of their start would have saved 
 them from, made the old lady inside very cross, and Lady 
 Susan much regretted the vexation of her aunt, and 
 moreover was perhaps a little mortified to think that 
 the luggage on the roof and other parts of the carriage, 
 containing the choicest of her wardrobe, must fare badly 
 in the war of the elements, which increased in fury as 
 they ascended the hill. The progress of the carriage was 
 slow, and there were now and then checks, which made 
 the ladies suspicious of the horses being frightened at 
 tlie lightning, while Lady Susan saw by means of it the 
 danger they were exposed to from the precipice before 
 alluded to by the coachman, and though they crept on
 
 6 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 without any perceptible obstacle, yet a feeling of alarm, 
 which had long before taken possession of her aunt, 
 gradually overspread her also ; when suddenly, after they 
 had accomplished more than half the ascent, the coach- 
 man shouted out, "Josh, down with the umbrella!" 
 which was, of course, immediately dropped by his 
 companion, and in its fall was seen to pass the window 
 and lamp on the left side ; at the same moment Mike 
 commenced flogging the horses violently in order to 
 drive them on, while it was apparent that a counteracting 
 power was exerted to force them back, and amidst the 
 shrieks of Josh, and frightful imprecations by some 
 assailing parties, and the roar of the tempest. Lady 
 Susan saw a man on the right side of the horses holding 
 up a pistol at Mike, and threatening to shoot him. In the 
 midst of this frightful din, they were almost blinded by 
 a flash of forked lightning, and the immediate crash of 
 thunder gave the idea of the bolt having descended upon 
 them, however the man at the head of the horses, who 
 was endeavouring to drive the whole party over the 
 precipice, was struck down, and the young horse, which 
 happened to be on the off* side, and found his head sud- 
 denly released from the grasp of the dead man, reared 
 and forced the pole to the left, and owing to the hames- 
 strap having given way, the harness dropped about his 
 heels, and being held only by the bit he nearly dragged 
 Mike off' the box, after which he began kicking, and 
 luckily struck the man who was aiming the pistol and
 
 THE RESCUE. 7 
 
 crippled his right arm, at the same time discharging the 
 pistol, which however did no execution. The horse 
 then, getting entangled among the harness, fell. At this 
 time the rain came down in torrents, and neither party 
 knew the exact state of the battle, but at any rate, no 
 one had at that moment anything to do with the horses' 
 heads but Mike, and he was meditating the possibility of 
 jumping down, and grappling with the ruffian who had 
 fired at him, when a pistol was fired on the left side of 
 the carriage, which was followed almost immediately by 
 a loud shriek of the most horrible character. The 
 murderer on the off side of the carriage heard this, and 
 looked over the horses, but seeing no enemy, shortly 
 after drew another pistol, and raising it with his left 
 hand said to Mike, " Now, d — n thee, TU do for thee," 
 and poor Mike thought he was doomed ; not daring to 
 make much use of his whip to disturb the villain's aim, 
 when, most unexpectedly, an unseen ally darted from 
 behind the lamp on the right side of the carriage, and 
 his fierce thrust of a knife penetrated to the neighbour- 
 hood of the villain's heart, and down they came together, 
 the pistol being again discharged without effect. A 
 vivid flash of lightning accompanied this, so that Mike 
 saw the whole, and notwithstanding the thunder could 
 distinguish the frightful shrieks of his now prostrate 
 foe. 
 
 The gentleman who had come to the relief of this 
 distressed party lay among the heels of the horses, and
 
 8 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 the dead body partly covered him, for the strong ruffian 
 in struggHng and throwing himself about with the most 
 hideous contortions had, in his agony, cast himself so 
 as to expire on the body of the other, and caused Mike 
 to be in some doubt whether both had not perished. 
 
 The whole of the actors in the scene remained for 
 some time in a state of frightful suspense, of which they 
 could not expect the slightest alleviation till the rever- 
 beration of the thunder ceased ; but when at last there 
 was a lull, a voice from the ground called, " Coachman !" 
 "Aye, aye," says Mike, "are you a friend?" "Yes," said 
 the first, evidently speaking faintly and with difficulty, 
 " tell that young man to jump down, and chock the off 
 fore wheel, after which you may tell the ladies they are 
 quite safe, and then come down and help me." 
 
 While the servant was doing what the prostrate cham- 
 pion recommended, which he could not easily be per- 
 suaded to undertake, he also disengaged the trace from, 
 the splinter bar, thereby releasing the off horse, who 
 immediately took the opportunity of getting on his legs, 
 but in so doing struck the newly-arrived friend so violent 
 a blow on his head that he stunned him, and happening 
 to have a new shoe on, at the same time cut his scalp to 
 the bone. 
 
 Immediately that Josh had executed his commission 
 he clambered up on to the box again, for he thought 
 either that, or the other side of the carriage, much safer 
 than the little territory he had been standing upon
 
 THE RESCUE. 9 
 
 between the struggling horse and the brink of the pre- 
 cipice. 
 
 The coachman then made him take hold of the reins, 
 with strict orders to keep perfectly quiet, and descended 
 himself on the near side of the carriage, when the first 
 object that met his view was a man on the ground, ap- 
 parently dead, and close under the back part of the fore 
 wheel. 
 
 Mike then went to look after the hind wheels of the 
 carriage, and was surprised to find them well chocked, 
 which was conclusive evidence that there were friends as 
 well as enemies in the field : he then quickly opened 
 the door of the carriage, on the near side, and having 
 assured the ladies all was quite right, he closed it directly 
 to go to the horses' heads. He ordered Josh to slacken 
 the reins so as to give their heads liberty, and patted them, 
 and spoke kindly to them, for the poor animals were in a 
 pitiable state of terror. When he found they were dis- 
 posed to stand quiet he stooped to examine the bodies of 
 three men under his feet, and on the top of the heap he 
 recognized at once the fellow that had so particularly 
 marked him for destruction, and threw and kicked his 
 body on one side and then began to lift the next, who 
 was a different sort of person from the others, and had a 
 fine countenance, and was thinly clad in a shooting 
 jacket. He was just able to perceive the treatment of 
 the first, and with difficulty said, "Take care of me, I 
 saved you !" The coachman lifted him up, and kneeling
 
 10 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 on one knee placed him on the other. After leaning his 
 head against Mike's shoulder for a few seconds he re- 
 covered of his faintness, and desired to be set down on 
 the ground, with his head leaning against the wall, after 
 which Mike ran to the carriage, and was fortunately able 
 to get him a pocket bottle of wine and some sandwiches, 
 and was amazed at the avidity with which he took them 
 and said, " They have saved my life for the present !" 
 He told Mike to examine the other fellow w^ho had seized 
 the horses' heads, for he had knocked him down by a 
 piece of rock thrown from above, and the blow might 
 only have stunned him ; but the villain's neck was broken, 
 and his body and the piece of rock were cleared out of 
 the way ; he afterwards desired Mike to search the 
 pockets of the men for any letters or written papers, 
 which might be the means of tracing them. 
 
 The coachman then called Josh down to help set the 
 harness to rights, and one of the two was able to furnish 
 a pocket handkerchief to tie up their friend's head with. 
 
 When Josh got down, a lady inside said, " Mike, for 
 heaven's sake, don't leave us alone !" Mike called out, 
 *' My lady, all's right but the harness, and I can't get it 
 put safe together single handed, but we are at the horses' 
 heads, and they don't wish to move, — indeed the poor 
 creatures are almost frightened to death." 
 
 " I am rather revived now," said the wounded gentle- 
 man, " and if you will assist in raising me I think I 
 could manage to get to the carriage and explain to the
 
 THE RESCUE. 11 
 
 lady how matters stand." " That would be a good job 
 if you couldj Sir, for it stops all if Josh or I go away." 
 Accordingly, being set on his legs and so placed that he 
 could support himself by the horse and afterwards by 
 different parts of the carriage, he arrived in a little time 
 opposite the side of it. 
 
 The Lady Susan retreated at first from the window, 
 but soon forming a more correct judgment of the face of 
 her visitor, which was pretty well washed by the rain, 
 she gave earnest attention to his words. 
 
 " You must be aware, Madam, that the coachman 
 cannot leave his horses' heads. The harness needs some 
 repairs, and by good fortune they are such as he and his 
 comrade, who has just left the box, will be able to ac- 
 complish, he has shown me what is needful to be done, 
 and they are very eager to get home and will not lose a 
 moment, and the coachman is so well satisfied of the ne- 
 cessity of making all secure that I feel perfect reliance 
 on him, and the horses want a little time to recover their 
 tone, the trembling of the poor creatures manifested their 
 terror in a way that was distressing to witness." 
 
 " You are very kind, Sir, for giving this information. 
 I wish my poor aunt could have the benefit of it also ; 
 but, alas ! she has fainted, and it seems impossible to 
 restore her, — indeed, if the carriage had been going 
 down hill I should have been unable to keep her on the 
 seat." 
 
 " I am glad to see that she is upright at present, that
 
 12 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 is much the best posture for any one in a state of 
 syncope ; you have appUed stimulants of course ?" 
 
 *' Yes, but without any effect ; however, if the horses 
 can be set going, we shall be at home soon." 
 
 "J am very glad to hear that you are near home." 
 
 " About three miles from it, I think ; but pray. Sir, 
 can you tell me something about this dreadful fray 
 which has so terrified us." 
 
 " Upon my word. Madam, it is a tale of horrors 
 which would shock your feelings greatly ; rather thank 
 God for a most wonderful escape." 
 
 " But I presume. Sir, that our gratitude is due to 
 you for this rescue." 
 
 '' Indeed, Madam, I claim nothing but as being the 
 agent of a superior power ; for the accidents of to-day 
 which put a weapon into my hands, and brought me to 
 this spot in the very crisis of your fate, seem to me 
 absolutely miraculous, and I cannot describe to you the 
 grateful exultation I feel at having been appointed to 
 accomplish this deliverance." 
 
 " But have you escaped without being wounded ?" 
 
 " I cannot say that, — you know that those who engage 
 in fight must expect knocks." 
 
 " But can you, Sir, rejoice under such circumstances ? 
 I am sure it would destroy the satisfaction I feel, if I 
 thought you were seriously hurt." 
 
 " Indeed, Madam, I am quite prepared for the worst. 
 I was impelled to engage in this mortal combat without
 
 THE RESCUE. 13 
 
 knowing who T was called upon to defend, and now that 
 I have triumphed, and have seen you preserved from 
 destruction, I cannot repine at my destiny, be the issue 
 of the battle what it may." 
 
 " Indeed, Sir," said the lady, with a faint but kind 
 smile, "this is not a time for compliments, but I am 
 distressed beyond measure at the idea of your gallantry 
 being fatal to yourself." 
 
 " Well, Madam, compliments aside, as you very 
 sensibly suggest, excuse my troubling you about myself 
 and my own affairs. I am here owing to losing my way. 
 I feel that it will be impossible for me to get to York 
 to-night, but I am most anxious to dispatch two letters. 
 My sister in London is in a most critical state, and I 
 want to anticipate any other account of this affair, in 
 order to prevent an alarm to her which might possibly 
 be fatal. To enable me for this, I need sustenance, 
 warmth, writing materials, and as fast a messenger as I 
 can obtain. This last I can possibly arrange with the 
 coachman." 
 
 " Indeed, Sir, I will attend myself to the matters you 
 have mentioned." 
 
 " You are very kind, and it encourages me to beg 
 another favour, namely, that you will not allow me to 
 be consigned to public-house quarters ; the noise and 
 detestable smells would kill me." 
 
 " There can be no doubt about that, for our house is 
 sufficiently spacious to spare you a bed room, were it
 
 14 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 otherwise, I would much rather sleep out myself than 
 let you want good accommodation." 
 
 The rain had now considerably abated, and the distant 
 lightning enabled this pair to see one another, and the 
 expression of our hero's warm and grateful acknowledg- 
 ments for this were by no means unpleasing to the lady, 
 who immediately called Mike, and told him that she 
 was determined to have this gentleman into the car- 
 riage. 
 
 Mike said, " Indeed, my lady, I am right glad to 
 hear of it, for he's very faint, and it's a poor chance for 
 him to stand in the wet and cold after losing so much 
 blood, but it will spoil the lining of the carriage." 
 
 " Never mind the carriage, or my dress either, I insist 
 on its being so." 
 
 Our hero remonstrated also, but Mike bethought 
 himself of tying him up in one of the horse cloths which 
 he had in the boot, and lifting him into his place 
 like a bale of goods; indeed by this time, what with 
 wounds, excitement, fatigue and loss of blood, the un- 
 known champion was at a very low ebb. When he was 
 seated, and enjoyed the comfort and warmth of the 
 carriage, he said, " Well, Madam, my present relief is 
 due to your great and efficient kindness, and so much do 
 I perceive the advantage of the change, that I can say 
 with perfect sincerity, if I have saved your life, you have 
 reciprocated the benefit by preserving mine." 
 
 The lady urged him to keep quiet and endeavour to
 
 THE RESCUE. 15 
 
 sleep, for she was sure it would be a necessary relief to 
 him, considering that he had other work to do on his 
 arrival at Maidenthorpe, the house of her aunt, but she 
 could not refrain from asking one question, namely, 
 whether the dreadful shriek she had heard by the side 
 of the carriage came from him. 
 
 " No," he said, '' it was from one of your fiillen enemies, 
 and I assure you he well deserved his fate." 
 
 In another minute he became quite unconscious and 
 slept for about half an hour, that is, till after the arrival 
 and unloading of the carriage at the door of Lady 
 Bewdley, when Mike lifted him out and placed him in 
 an arm chair in the entrance hall, where, as the use 
 of his powers was restored, the lights gradually opened 
 to his comprehension the scene in which he was placed. 
 Before the carriage was drawn off, Mike promised to 
 hire a horse for the journey to York, and return forth- 
 with ; and the beautiful creature that he had rescued, 
 having sent to Stagbrook after surgical assistance, and 
 placed her aunt in the care of the housekeeper and her 
 own maid, presented herself before him to ascertain 
 what kind of stimulant he required. 
 
 " Half port wine, half hot water, if you please, and 
 also some bread." 
 
 The lady ordered these to be provided instantly, and 
 fetched the writing materials herself. 
 
 Before he began to write, it was also needful to wash 
 the blood off his hands, after this he swallowed the wine
 
 16 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 and bread eagerly, and then wrote oft' his first letter as 
 follows : — 
 
 Maiden thorpe, Stagbrook, 
 York. 
 " Dearest Clara, 
 
 " I left the Court at Lancaster much ex- 
 hausted, for not only was my last case very long and 
 difficult, but the judge was against me all the w^ay 
 through, and notwithstanding that I got the verdict, my 
 mind and nerves were so agitated that I determined to 
 unstring the bow, and fly to solitude and bodily exertion, 
 for the purpose of calming my excitement and renovating 
 my spirits. I equipped myself from a slopseller, and 
 walked away fifteen miles, chiefly in the dark, and 
 got an appetite for supper, and, after reading your 
 charming letter, was also rewarded by a long sleep, 
 without dreaming of courts, clients or fees. I had pro- 
 cured a pocket compass and chart, having determined 
 to traverse the country on foot without a guide, and 
 with the expectation of reaching York to-night : but I 
 am at this place, fifteen miles short of it, staying with a 
 lady whom I had an opportunity of obliging, in the 
 most delightful house you can imagine, fairy land, where 
 I am treated with all sorts of delicacies, instead of the 
 hard fare and smoky spirits of the wild mountainous 
 tract that I have found my way across. I am too tired 
 to tell you anything to-night about ' autres vast' and 
 * deserts idle,' or swamps and quagmires which bothered 
 my cockney ignorance more than anything else, but
 
 THE RESCUE. 17 
 
 these things will amuse us some evening when I shall 
 
 have so arranged my * moving accidents by flood and 
 
 field' as to make a * Winter's Tale' for your fireside. 
 
 Thanks for your dear letter : how I lament that I cannot 
 
 hear to-night of a certain anticipated event, and of your 
 
 well doing. In order to save me trouble, let me beg that 
 
 Charles may take this to our excellent friend Mr. Har- 
 
 grave immediately , it will half fulfil my promise to write 
 
 to him to-night, and with love to Mama and all your 
 
 family, 
 
 " Believe me, most affectionately yours, 
 
 " Alfred Bohun." 
 
 This letter he directed to Mrs. Foster, Vicarage, 
 
 London. 
 
 The other letter ran thus : — 
 
 Maiden thorpe, Stagbrook, 
 York. 
 " My dear Sir, 
 
 " I have had an encounter with footpads and 
 
 am wounded severely, — in what degree dangerously, 
 
 I cannot say till I have undergone surgical examination. 
 
 My great anxiety is to keep this adventure out of the 
 
 London papers, so that our dear Clara and my mother 
 
 may not be suddenly alarmed, and if you would kindly 
 
 add your influence to the persuasion of Foster, I think 
 
 it might be managed. Scott, of the Times, is a con of 
 
 mine, and I think he would lend his aid, and point out 
 
 the way to get at others. This is written hastily to save 
 
 c
 
 18 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 the post, Skinner shall give you further information to- 
 morrow. Have the goodness to furnish me with a supply 
 of money. 
 
 " And believe me ever, 
 
 ** Yours faithfully and obliged, 
 " A. B." 
 
 and this letter was addressed to Geo. Hargrave, Esq., 
 
 London. 
 
 Lady Susan read these letters in succession, not 
 without tears, and folded them, and directed the last, for 
 the writer had tasked himself severely to get through 
 the contents, and the failure of his powers was, towards 
 the end, very distinguishable in the writing.
 
 ( 19 ) 
 
 CHA.PTER II. 
 
 THE FAMILY. 
 
 n\ T IKE now came in and said, " He had been able to 
 hire a good and fresh horse, and the owner 
 undertook to drive him to York Post Office in an hour 
 and a half." 
 
 Our hero then told Mike to turn up the sleeve of his 
 coat and put his hand into the left pocket of his (Bohun's) 
 waistcoat and pull out his watch and money ; but when 
 Mike complied with this, he drew out with the watch a 
 large clotted mass of blood, which so shocked the lady 
 that she drew back and sank into a chair just in the 
 rear of Bohun. 
 
 The basin and towel were on the table still, and Mike 
 washed the watch and money, which comprised coin 
 of various sorts, all which was consigned over to him — 
 it was found that the silver hunting watch was actually 
 perforated by the pistol ball, and some of the money 
 bent, which gave rise to the idea that the ball had 
 probably been by that obstacle diverted from its original 
 direction. 
 
 Mike contrived to get the seal off, so that our hero
 
 20 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 fulfilled his particular desire to seal the letters with his 
 own seal. 
 
 He then scrawled a few words to Mr. Skinner, his 
 clerk, which he was also able to seal and direct, and 
 his last instruction to Mike was, " to return as speedily 
 as he could in a post chaise, and bring back with him 
 from the barracks an hospital surgeon who had seen 
 service in the late war, and also Skinner, unless he 
 made a difficulty about coming, but in no case to inform 
 him or any one but the surgeon what had happened." 
 
 When this was settled, and Mike closed the door, our 
 hero cast his eyes about for the lady, who was gone 
 from the post she had occupied, but as by that time he 
 was entirely unable to move, he could not see her, 
 though she remained in the seat she had dropped down 
 upon, not far from his left elbow. 
 
 " Ah," he said, " that angel has disappeared — and she 
 has carried my heart away with her — my blood flags — 
 I wish this village Esculapius were here to tell me 
 whether I am to die for her. I am prepared. But oh ! 
 what a blessed fate it would be to live with her." 
 
 At this time the noise of wheels was heard, and in a 
 minute servants were running to let in the doctor, and 
 the lady slipped away from her position and got inter- 
 mixed with the general assemblage. 
 
 The doctor entered in a bustle, and, looking at Bohun, 
 said, " What's this ?" 
 
 "Why, Mr. Hallifax," said Lady Susan, "this gentle-
 
 THE FAMILY. 21 
 
 man has saved our lives by endangering his own, and I 
 fear he is badly wounded." 
 
 The doctor seized his hand and felt his pulse, *' Very 
 low — very low indeed — intermitting." Then, addressing 
 the assistant who accompanied him, he said, " Grant, 
 away with him to the kitchen fire, while I go up to 
 Lady Bewdley, get warmth into him — feet in warm 
 ^ater — strip him — sponge him, and so on." 
 
 " Where are your wounds ?" 
 
 " A cut in the head and a pistol-shot in the body." 
 
 *' Cut away the hair, or shave it." " Have you any 
 objection to having your head shaved ?" 
 
 "None at all." 
 
 " Then send for Spriggs, and have it done. Keep him 
 warm, and keep him up with wine or what he fancies." 
 
 So saying he sprang up stairs to attend the old lady 
 who had fainted, and Lady Susan of course accompanied 
 him. 
 
 The assistant, with the aid of Josh, dragged Bohun 
 in the chair that he occupied to the kitchen, and when 
 the horse cloth was taken off the mass of blood that was 
 displayed greatly shocked not only the female but the 
 male part of the party. 
 
 Mr. Grant ordered hot cloths of all sorts to be got 
 ready, and bottles filled with hot water and wrapped in 
 cloth to warm his feet, and the stripping and washing 
 were speedily accompHshed, and the hair removed, and 
 some soup was made warm and given to him.
 
 22 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 It then became evident that the bullet must have 
 been deflected, for though it entered in front it had 
 passed out through his ribs, two of which were severed, 
 but where the ball entered the abdomen there was a very 
 considerable bruise, indicating that the blow of the ball, 
 striking as it did against a metallic mass, must have 
 been very severe, and, in fact, if Bohun had not been 
 pressing violently forward at the time the mere blow 
 must have knocked him down, and at the time it hurt 
 him exceedingly, though at that moment he was suffi- 
 ciently excited to endure it without sinking. 
 
 Mr. Spriggs performed the shaving very dexterously, 
 and Mr. Hallifax, who just at that time joined the party, 
 judged it prudent to close the wound in the head by 
 adhesive plaister, covering the whole with a bandage 
 and night cap ; after which he examined the side, and 
 went out with the assistant to inspect the clothes, in 
 order to get further proof that the bullet had passed out, 
 which they found to be the case, but were unable to 
 account for the violent hemorrhage, neither of them 
 being aware of any considerable vein in that neighbour- 
 hood, and the cessation of the flow of blood, notwith- 
 standing their pressure of the intestines and other 
 examination of the body, convinced them that there was 
 no wound of an artery or large vein ; this result was not 
 surprising, for in fact the greater part of the blood came 
 from the ruffian he had stabbed. 
 
 Two of the ribs were severed by the passage of the
 
 * THE FAMILY. 23 
 
 ball, but upon the whole Mr. Hallifax expressed his 
 hope *' that the wounds might not be fatal," and this, 
 echoed from one to another, soon reached Lady Susan 
 and filled her with the liveliest satisfaction, and induced 
 her to go down to talk with the doctor about both his 
 patients. 
 
 He had been informed that a surgeon had been sent 
 for from York, and therefore postponed the dressing 
 of the wound, and the final opinion about the safety 
 of Bohun, till after the consultation, but he said " that 
 the state of Lady Bewdley was very alarming, and that 
 it must be studied above all things not to excite her, and 
 that every one must carefully avoid to allude in the 
 slightest manner to this frightful attempt on their lives, 
 indeed, he said, he would rather have taken the young 
 man in himself than that a risk of alarm should be 
 incurred by her hearing anything about him.'* 
 
 Lady Susan told him what had passed about that, and 
 said he had had a promise, and it should not be evaded : 
 and it may be told that her ladyship's wish was not 
 parent to any such thought. 
 
 Bohun was put into a warm bed and the same appli- 
 ances continued to keep up the circulation, and the two 
 or three hours between that period and the arrival of the 
 party from York were not passed without sleep by many 
 of the family. 
 
 The regimental surgeon arrived a little past one 
 o'clock, and after a careful examination of the whole per-
 
 24 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 son of the patient, and a consultation with Mr. Hallifax 
 on the nature of the wound, the opinion of both was 
 favourable, and they also agreed as to the mode of 
 treating it. 
 
 Lady Susan, who had of course set up on account of 
 her aunt, had an interview with the two medical gen- 
 tlemen, and she asked the surgeon from York, Mr. 
 Macdonnell, " Whether he thought the wounded gentle- 
 man in much danger?" 
 
 " Why, me lady, this young fellow has fallen into very 
 good quarters, and therefore he has a much better chance 
 than if he had to follow the movements of an army in a 
 baggage waggon, along with others no better off than 
 himself, and with no great quantity of straw under 'em, 
 but at the same time mind ye don't kill him with kind- 
 ness : he must have air no less than warmth, and those 
 who look after him must make up their minds to wrap up 
 well and to keep him as warm as themselves if they can, 
 and his head wrapped up." 
 
 '' But do you think he will recover ?" 
 
 " Faith, do I ; his pluck is all in his favour, and he'll 
 have very good nursing and the skill of my friend Mr. 
 Hallifax into the bargain, so that unless he has any 
 constitutional defect, or has led a very dissolute life, the 
 odds are in his favour ; he is certainly very low at pre- 
 sent ; we have ordered the frequent supply of good things 
 till his pulse be revived, it's surprisingly faint now. Mr. 
 Grant and a nurse are going to spend the night with
 
 THE FAMILY. 25 
 
 him, and that poor creature, his clerk, that we brought 
 over in the post chaise cannot be got out of the room." 
 
 " Is that on account of regard for his master ?" 
 
 *' Just so ; when your coachman was telUng about the 
 fight, as we came along in the chaise, I could hardly 
 keep life in the poor creature, but now that I have told 
 him there is not much danger in the case, he has become 
 alert and animated and insists upon staying in the 
 room, so as he may be useful now and then ; I have per- 
 mitted him to remain on the condition that he shall 
 betray no affliction or fright." 
 
 The two gentlemen then agreed to take some refresh- 
 ment where they were, and Mr. Macdonnell accepted the 
 offer of a bed from his professional brother, " in order," 
 as he told the lady when he went away, " that he might 
 see Bohun again by daylight, for," as he said, "he took 
 a great interest in so brave a young fellow, and he should 
 like to make his friends and other people happy about 
 him if he could, remarking that the clerk and the coach- 
 man who had brought him, Mr. Macdonnell, from York 
 seemed to love him as if he were their brother," which 
 remark brought tears into the lady's eyes. 
 
 Both the doctors then insisted on Lady Susan going 
 to bed immediately, in the confidence that every thing 
 had been done to secure the safety of both patients. 
 The cheerful tone of the surgeon had a soothing effect 
 on the mind of the young lady, and the fatigue, the ex- 
 citement she had endured during the battle, and the
 
 26 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 anxiety about the fate of her aunt and of the wounded 
 knight errant, had so wasted her spirits and strength that 
 the plan of the doctors, and the composing draught they 
 administered, caused her to sink very soon into a pro- 
 found sleep, which lasted till after the morning visit of 
 the medical gentlemen and the departure of Mr. Mac- 
 donnell for York ; she then found that her aunt was in a 
 very weak and semiconscious state, but Mr. Hallifax 
 had given his opinion that no great change could be 
 expected as yet, and that in the absence of all stimu- 
 lants, arid also necessarily the diminution of her usual 
 nourishment, the restoration of her health and strength 
 could only take place very gradually. All that she 
 could learn about Mr. Bohun was that, without actually 
 waking up, he had swallowed the nourishing things that 
 had been supplied to him, owing to which, and the care 
 taken to keep him warm, the circulation was certainly 
 improved and his pulse steady and more full than the 
 night before ; he might be said to shew more signs of 
 life, but it was many hours longer before he could com- 
 prehend his situation and give expression to his feelings. 
 When a revival took place, he was much pleased in 
 the first moments of returning consciousness to see his 
 clerk Skinner at his bed-side, and he uttered his name 
 and desired him to perform some services to make him 
 more easy, after which he immediately dozed again, but 
 towards evening other remarks were faintly uttered, which 
 convinced Skinner that his master was restored to the
 
 THE FAMILY. 27 
 
 exercise of his reason, so that he became as much elated 
 as he had before been sunk in despair, and as the sick 
 room was not the place for giving utterance to his emo- 
 tions, he withdrew into the passage, and Lady Susan 
 happening to pass along while he was on his knees 
 weeping and returning thanks to God, he instantly broke 
 out, " Oh Miss ! he's getting better, he knows me and 
 talks quite rationally, depend upon it it's only the out- 
 side of his head — he'll come out as bright as ever." 
 
 The charming lady expressed great delight and 
 thanked him warmly for the intelligence, though she was 
 too much on her guard to disclose to him the rapturous 
 emotions that swelled her heart, but she hastily withdrew 
 to her own room to give vent to her feelings, and pom- 
 out her thanks to God for preserving a life so infinitely 
 precious to her. 
 
 Her anxiety about his recovery and the safety of her 
 aunt, also that there should be no failure of attention — 
 no omission of any medicine or in the supply of anything 
 that was thought likely to sustain or revive either of the 
 invalids — so filled her mind and thoughts and occupied 
 her time, that the state of her heart had never before 
 been brought home to her apprehension, but after this 
 it could no longer be a secret to herself that a passion 
 for Bohun had taken complete possession of it. She 
 also felt assured that the impression was reciprocal, and 
 her heart glowed with a blissful feeling far surpassing 
 any idea of happiness she had ever before formed, but
 
 28 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 after revelling in this for some minutes, doubt — chilling 
 doubts — began to creep over her. What would Lady 
 Bewdley say ? Could her father allow of an alliance so 
 totally at variance with every idea which had been incul- 
 cated throughout her whole education and family inter- 
 course? Alas! the subject of love was absolutely a new 
 theme — neither her aunt or Mrs. Lofty had ever men- 
 tioned the word. Among the staid servants of the latter 
 lady, and the masters who assisted in the education of 
 her pupils, the word was rigidly taboo'd. 
 
 But a short time had elapsed since the Lady Susan 
 had been removed from that high-class establishment, 
 w^hich deserved the estimation in which it was held on 
 account of the earnest pains taken in the personal, 
 mental and moral culture of the young ladies. Nothing 
 could be better organised than the various branches of 
 study, and the vigilance of the presiding genius seemed 
 never to sleep. Mrs. Lofty kept time herself with the 
 progress of every class, both in regard to the manner, 
 judgment and industry of the teachers and the progress 
 of the pupils, which she promoted by rewards and the 
 kindest encouragement, at the same time that she guarded 
 those, not actually capable of great mental achievement, 
 from being disheartened and depressed by the more rapid 
 advance of their competitors in study. The cultivation 
 of manners and deportment was also one of the chief 
 objects of Mrs. Lofty, for the young ladies were mostly of 
 high station in society, and this branch was Jier peculiar
 
 THE FAMILY. 29 
 
 share of their education, and she was very able for it, 
 incessantly painstaking and remarkably successful. Her 
 establishment was eminently aristocratic, in fact she might 
 be said to teach aristocracy, so that her pupils insensibly 
 imbibed an opinion, implanted without much difficulty, 
 that they were ultimately destined to move in that sphere 
 of life for which their education adapted them, and that 
 dukes and lords, baronets and knights of the shire, 
 would in due course unfold their pretensions to be made 
 happy by ladies so exquisitely fitted to move with eclat 
 in those elevated stations. 
 
 Love ! vain imagination ! Mrs. Lofty was of opinion 
 that busy occupation and unceasing superintendence 
 would, during those years of their life when young ladies 
 are most liable to be infected by it, guard them from that 
 dangerous and unquiet sentiment, and she flattered her- 
 self that her young ladies were too well fortified by her 
 lessons of prudence and duty to degrade themselves by 
 any thought unworthy of their mission, as pointed out 
 by that lady, and as she was in the habit of call- 
 ing it. 
 
 She occasionally hinted to some of the elder pupils, 
 those on the eve of quitting the happy seclusion of her 
 establishment for the rocks, storms and perils in the 
 ocean of life, that papas, mamas and guardians were 
 always keenly on the watch for securing them a proper 
 settlement, and that they should never condescend to 
 notice the attentions of persons not patronized by those
 
 30 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 SO much better qualified than themselves to judge of 
 such matters. 
 
 The amiable disposition and well-known kindness of 
 heart of the captivating Lady Susan made Mrs. Lofty 
 esteem her in this respect an object of particular solici- 
 tude, and when she returned to her aunt's home, fortified 
 by the soundest advice on this subject, Mrs. Lofty 
 reported with equal pride and pleasure, that the young 
 lady was unrivalled in attainments, and that her senti- 
 ments were as refined and elevated as her deportment. 
 
 Could the recollection of these circumstances fail to 
 cross the mind of the sweet lady at this crisis, and over- 
 whelm her with a sense of self-condemnation? What 
 shame ! what degradation ! to fall desperately in love, 
 almost at first sight, with a young man lifted out of the 
 mud and tied up in a horse cloth, and whom, moreover, 
 she had never before seen or heard of. Alas ! busy 
 conscience did summon all these phantasms to the mind 
 of the young lady, and well satisfied was she what a 
 mortal shock such an event as this would be to that 
 inexorable judge Mrs. Lofty, and how vain and hopeless 
 would have been the attempt to produce any sentiment 
 in that lady's mind but amazement and horror. But 
 that Rhadamanthus-like lady was not in fact the judge 
 then on the bench, but in her place the amiable, com- 
 passionate and grateful Lady Susan herself, and it was 
 not unnatural or surprising for her to take the side 
 of the absent party, and argue that he had ventured his
 
 THE FAMILY. 31 
 
 life to save her in the very extremity of danger, and, 
 when the bloody fight was over, had thought so little 
 comparatively of his own sufferings as to apply himself 
 chiefly to her consolation, when, by his composed and 
 gentlemanly manner, and clear recital of the actual state 
 of affairs, he had contrived to allay her fears and restore 
 peace to her mind by proving not only that all danger 
 was past, but that she might speedily and safely be con- 
 veyed home. Neither had he made any boast of his 
 own exploits, on the contrary, her estimate of his doings 
 was partly from her own observation, partly from Mike's 
 tales of his boldness, presence of mind, determined 
 resolution and disregard of his own safety and sufferings, 
 and out of these elements it had been her task to fashion 
 him into a hero, and, naturally, a lover, and worthy to be 
 loved ; his tenderness towards his sister and the affection 
 of his clerk were confirmatory of this character, and the 
 compliments to the lady herself were not without their 
 influence, though not mentioned in court. 
 
 And so the superstructure erected by Mrs. Lofty with 
 so much care and perseverance, in order to deaden the 
 sensibility and harden the heart of her fair pupil, 
 vanished into air at the first test of its stability; but 
 in justice to that celebrated lady, let it be considered 
 that an extraordinary combination of circumstances, not 
 to have been anticipated by her, occurred in this in- 
 stance, and though a handsome young man, eminently 
 gifted with the power to please, and of whose merit so
 
 32 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 many facts conspired to convince Lady Susan, did at 
 once kindle the flame of love in her heart, it would not 
 be fair to condemn the system of Mrs. Lofty on account 
 of a single and anomalous case of failure. 
 
 Maidenthorpe was for some time changed into an hos- 
 pital. It is true that only two of the inmates were 
 patients, but all the rest were employed in watching 
 these and ministering to their comforts, and the deepest 
 interest was felt in their advance towards recovery, in 
 which the young gentleman at first took precedence of 
 the old lady. 
 
 The news of this adventure spread abroad and pro- 
 duced many enquiries, but Lady Susan answered them 
 as briefly as possible, and with no allusion to Bohun, un- 
 less he happened to be spoken of or enquired after in the 
 letter, and as it was made known that the injury to the 
 family consisted of no more than a very serious alarm, 
 the interest of the neighbourhood gradually abated. 
 
 On the third day succeeding the adventure the Lady 
 Cecilia Altham, aunt of Lady Susan, came over from 
 York for a visit, and to express concern, condolence, etc. 
 
 This lady, who was of Scotch descent, was the wife of 
 the Hon. and Rev. Augustus Altham, canon of York, 
 who happened to be then absent on a sporting excursion 
 in the Highlands of Scotland with Lord Westcliff, a par- 
 ticular friend and boon companion of that divine. 
 
 This lady saw Mr. Hallifax, who gave her hopes of 
 the restoration of Lady Bewdley, and after some conver-
 
 THE FAMILY. 33 
 
 sation about her case, the lady inquh-ed after Bohun, 
 and was rather surprised to find that he was in the 
 house instead of being carried to an inn. The facts of 
 the case were communicated to her, but she desired Mr. 
 HalHfax to get him removed away from the house as 
 soon as possible, which he undertook in obedience to 
 her injunction, but magnified the danger of the case, 
 which made the lady regret that there had not been an 
 hospital in Stagbrook. 
 
 Lady Susan sat by without taking part in this discus- 
 sion, but suffering much indignation and pain, though 
 by a strong effort, sustained by the system of caution 
 with which she had been indoctrinated at Mrs. Lofty's, 
 she made shift to conceal the interest she took in it, but 
 this want of compassion for Bohun by no means tended 
 to remove the dislike she had before felt for this amiable 
 relative.
 
 ( 34 ) 
 
 CHAFTER III. 
 
 IMPROVED ACQUAINTANCE. 
 
 rpHIS interview made poor Lady Susan see that there 
 was little time for improving her acquaintance with 
 Bohun, and that it was necessary to give him opportu- 
 nities of intercourse so as to ascertain whether, now that 
 any fever of the spirits must be abated by suffering and 
 confinement, his feelings towards her remained the same, 
 and also that she might get further insight into his 
 mind, character and manners. 
 
 In the village full justice was done to the gallant con- 
 duct of our hero, which Mike delighted to celebrate, and 
 the clergyman Mr. Oakley, and his lady, sympathized 
 perfectly in the admiration with which the victorious 
 champion had inspired the flock of their worthy pastor. 
 
 It may be considered surprising that the same senti- 
 ment did not prevail universally throughout the family 
 at Maidenthorpe, but that, like families in general, being 
 divided into parties, there were dissentients ; beside Mike, 
 the cook, lady's maid, housemaid and man servant Josh 
 were heart and soul adherents of the hero of the rescue, 
 but the butler and kitchen maid constituted a vehement 
 and formidable though silent opposition.
 
 IMPROVED ACQUAINTANCE. 35 
 
 In the afternoon of that day, and subsequent to the 
 interview above narrated, and the departure of Lady 
 Cecilia, while Lady Susan was sitting in her aunt's 
 room, which was in the front of the house, she saw the 
 servant go to the gate and introduce a young man who 
 appeared to her to have on a travelling dress, and it 
 immediately struck her that it might be a messenger to 
 Bohun, and hearing an altercation in the hall she partly 
 descended the stairs, when, by what she overheard, she 
 became convinced that her conjecture was right, for the 
 butler Stokes was endeavouring to get rid of the en- 
 quiring party. This appeared to her very strange, 
 and she came down into the hall and insisted that the* 
 gentleman should see Skinner and communicate with 
 him, and in the meantime he was requested to sit down 
 in the room called the justice room till there was an 
 opportunity of ascertaining whether Mr. Bohun could 
 see him. 
 
 Lady Susan introduced herself for the purpose of 
 enquiring about Mrs. Foster, but she could get no 
 information, the only fact she could be assured of was 
 the distress of Mr. Hargrave. When Skinner arrived, 
 he said he was just going up to the bedroom, and he 
 would communicate his errand to Mr. Bohun. 
 
 After a short detention he returned, and the messenger, 
 who was the clerk of Mr. Hargrave, was introduced, 
 and stated that his urgency arose from his having been 
 dispatched by that gentleman with strict orders to see 
 
 d2
 
 36 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 Mr. Bohun, and to deliver to him two hundred pounds 
 in order to supply all his wants, and he also had di- 
 rections to remain in the village till the surgeons reported 
 that Mr. B. was entirely out of danger. 
 
 The invalid assured him of his own belief that he 
 made progress towards recovery, but referred him to 
 Mr. Hallifax, and appointed him to attend whenever that 
 gentleman thought proper to dress the wound in the 
 head, which operation took place that same night ; and 
 Skinner was directed to ask for the attendance of Mr. 
 Macdonnell the next day but one, so that by the dressing 
 of the gun shot wound also he, Mr. Cropper, might be 
 assured of the state of both. 
 
 Lady Susan assisted the messenger to writing ma- 
 terials, so that he was able to dispatch a letter to York 
 in time for that night's post to London, and it was 
 arranged between the messenger and Skinner that Lady 
 Susan should for the present take charge of the money, 
 and that its arrival in the house should be kept a secret. 
 
 The extraordinary conduct of Stokes first excited a 
 suspicion in the mind of Lady Susan that all the 
 members of the family did not sympathize in her grateful 
 feeling towards Bohun, but he himself had before arrived 
 at a similar conclusion, and on more substantial grounds, 
 which will be explained hereafter. 
 
 On the morning succeeding the arrival of Mr. Har- 
 grave's messenger. Lady Susan was surprised by the 
 receipt of the following letter from an old school-fellow^,
 
 IMPROVED ACQUAINTANCE. 37 
 
 who was known as Miss Hargrave at Mrs. Lofty's, but 
 who had now acquired rank and title by a matrimonial 
 alliance with the Earl of Bayswater. The letter was as 
 follows : — 
 
 " Grosvenor Square, &c., &c. 
 
 " My dear Lady Susan Altham, 
 
 " I hope you will make allowance for this 
 abrupt renewal of our correspondence, and favour me 
 with an answer to this by return of post, if you possibly 
 can. I looked in here to say a few words to papa after 
 his return from the east end of the town, and found him 
 in a more depressed and desponding state than I ever 
 saw him before ; in fact, he is generally as imperturbable 
 as a rock, and therefore I was much alarmed, and, in 
 reply to my inquiry, he put a letter from Mr. Bohun into 
 my hands, dated from Lady Bewdley's, and mentioning 
 his being seriously wounded. The date of the letter 
 immediately revived my remembrance of the place, and 
 of you, and I mentioned my acquaintance with you, and 
 that you generally resided with Lady Bewdley at Maiden- 
 thorpe ; the consequence of which was, that he urged 
 me to write to you for information, and desired, as a 
 great favour, that you would give him particulars of the 
 surgeon's report of the wounds, and in what degree 
 they were considered dangerous, and also explain what 
 you knew of the adventure that caused them. Time 
 presses, and papa's servant is waiting at the door, on
 
 38 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 horseback, to get this letter into the post office, so that 
 it may be dispatched to-night. Pray, therefore, my dear, 
 excuse the trouble, and address your answer to me here 
 at Fred. Hargrave, Esq,, Grosvenor Square, and — 
 
 " Believe me, most affectionately yours, 
 
 " Eliza Bayswater." 
 
 Lady Susan had no great esteem for the writer of this 
 letter, but Mr. Hargrave's liberality to Bohun, and the 
 deep interest that gentleman manifested in his fate, deter- 
 mined her to give, by her own pen, and the aid of others, 
 the most complete answer that she could to this desire 
 for information. She therefore told Skinner of the letter, 
 and directed him to seek a conference with Mike, and to 
 take down from his lips a distinct statement of the battle 
 and rescue, and confine the description within the limits 
 of a half sheet of paper. She next demanded from 
 Mr. Hallifax a brief written description of the nature 
 of the wounds and their present state, and what proba- 
 bility he could suggest of a favourable issue. She then 
 wrote herself the manner of Bohun's arrival in the hall, 
 and of his determination to write two letters, and of the 
 sending those to York by an express, so that they might 
 be dispatched by the post the same night, and of an 
 experienced army surgeon having been brought back 
 from York barracks, and also Mr. Skinner, the clerk of 
 the invalid, and she described the great and painful 
 alarm that existed for a length of time, and that Mr.
 
 IMPROVED ACQUAINTANCE. 39 
 
 Macdonnell, the army surgeon, had, at the time of her 
 writing, seen Mr. Bohun twice, and, by his recent report, 
 much allayed their apprehensions. Of course the con- 
 dition of her poor aunt was mentioned, in order to 
 account for the distress and anxiety of the family. 
 
 After the conclusion of this letter, but before sealing it, 
 she contrived to see and speak to the poor wounded man 
 herself, but the particulars of what passed at that inter- 
 view were not among the topics touched on in her 
 letter. 
 
 To accomplish this, she watched an opportunity when 
 Bohun's bed-room was very tranquil, and the door open, 
 and Lady Susan announced herself by a gentle tap, 
 which, as the patient was not asleep, produced the usual 
 answer " come in," when, to the great amazement of the 
 invalid, it turned out that the visitor was no other than 
 the young lady who, on the night of his arrival, had 
 produced such a vivid impression on his feelings ; she 
 was just come from the garden and had not taken off 
 her bonnet or scarf, intending probably to return again 
 immediately, and being now free from alarm and distress, 
 though perhaps a little excited about the step she was 
 taking, her lovely features were seen to the highest 
 advantage, and Bohun was more than ever amazed at 
 her transcendent beauty. 
 
 At length he said, with an expression of delight, 
 " How kind this is of you to come and enliven my 
 solitude."
 
 40 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 " I have brought some grape s^ Mr. Bohun, which 
 I thought might be agreeable to you." 
 
 " Oh," he said, " never v^^as anything in Paradise so 
 refreshing or," — looking at the lady, — " so angelic !" 
 
 Perceiving that this made her look rather grave, he 
 said, " Pray, now, do me the great kindness to take a 
 chair for a few minutes ; it would be an immense boon 
 to a poor lonely creature." 
 
 She complied with this, but in rather a formal manner, 
 and then said, " It was also my object to enquire about 
 yourself and your sister, Mrs. Foster, hoping both of 
 you are going on favourably." 
 
 " I have nothing about my darling Clara since Foster's 
 first letter, which lies on the bed, and of which I think 
 you have heard." 
 
 " Yes ; may I take the letter to read ?" 
 
 " Certainly. As for myself, you see the whole extent 
 of my illness ; that is to say, the weakness of infancy, 
 without its charms. The moment the doctor said he 
 did not expect a fatal result, I knew at once that the 
 case resolved itself into a temporary imprisonment, which 
 I bear with what patience I can muster." 
 
 " But your wounds ?" 
 
 " Oh, they take their course ; they are the surgeon's 
 affair. I am more annoyed with dreams than anything." 
 
 " Dreams !" said the lady, with an amazed look. 
 
 " Yes, indeed. I fall asleep ; my posture after a time 
 becomes a little uneasy, and then, being incapable of
 
 IMPROVED ACQUAINTANCE. 41 
 
 shifting it more or less, as a man at liberty would do, 
 I begin dreaming of things disagreeable, unpleasant, 
 frightful, horrible, even painful in imagination, and at 
 last I wake." 
 
 " I am sorry for that. What a pity you cannot be 
 watched and moved whenever any expression of your 
 features denotes uneasiness !" 
 
 " Ah," said he, laughing, " what a fate for the poor 
 watchman ! He would inevitably fall asleep also. I was 
 just waking up from one of those distressing dreams 
 when you came into the room, and really the contrast 
 thrilled through my whole frame; for ahiQOst before I 
 recovered my consciousness, lo ! before my eyes the 
 most enchanting vision that ever blessed the sight of 
 man." 
 
 " Now pray, Mr. Bohun, refrain from these absurd 
 compliments, otherwise, in fact, you banish me from this 
 room." 
 
 " Pardon, pardon, dear lady. Imagine me on my 
 knees before you, begging forgiveness, and promising in 
 future to be more on my guard in expressing my 
 thoughts." 
 
 " Then pray go on eating your grapes, and let me 
 thank you, as I wished to do, for our preservation from 
 a dreadful death by your astonishing generosity and 
 bravery." 
 
 " Forgive me for interrupting you, but I dread that 
 topic; it is the staple of my frightful dreams, which I
 
 42 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 think the vision of you and your heavenly ministering 
 will counteract, because these will now dwell on my 
 imagination, and have a cheering effect and drive away 
 horrors, and for another reason : I want you to think 
 that violence is quite foreign to my disposition, and 
 therefore to raze out that frightful scene from your 
 memory, and believe me to be a man of peace both in 
 character and by profession." 
 
 " Indeed, Sir, I cannot doubt it, so I will say no more 
 than that / cannot forget being indebted to you for my 
 life." 
 
 " And pray how is the other lady that was in the 
 carriage ?" 
 
 "My poor aunt is very ill, but Mr. Hallifax begins to 
 think that the perfect calm and good nursing will revive 
 her, her pulse is getting more steady ; but pray instead 
 of talking to me eat the grapes." 
 
 " Fear not, they are delicious, and far more nourishing 
 and reviving than the doctor's draughts." 
 
 " I most sincerely hope so, for I perceive by your 
 hand that you are sadly reduced." 
 
 " Yes, but my head is almost recovered already." 
 
 " Indeed ! that is very rapid." 
 
 " I don't mean to speak of the external wound, but of 
 my faculties ; my perception, judgment and memory 
 seem to be as they were, and my pulse has recovered its 
 regularity, so that I may expect gradually to regain my 
 flesh and my strength."
 
 IMPROVED ACQUAIJ^TANCE. 43 
 
 " I assure you that my prayers for your recovery will 
 not be wanting." 
 
 The feeling of gratitude and pleasure excited an 
 animated smile, but the lady instantly put her finger on 
 her lip to enjoin silence, remarking at the same time " I 
 must leave you now in the hope that the grapes cannot 
 be otherwise than beneficial in your present state." 
 
 " Beneficial ! why this visit has advanced me a week ; 
 the dulness and seclusion of a bed room, debarred from 
 sight of the human face divine, is the great hardship of 
 my case, for my wounds not being of a character ulti- 
 mately to impair my strength or debilitate my consti- 
 tution, I think only of the inactivity and solitude they 
 subject me to." 
 
 " Well, Mr. Bohun, if opportunity offers, I will dis- 
 turb that solitude again, but Mr. Hallifax says your 
 wounds are very serious, and that you ought not to talk, 
 for it will weaken you and retard your recovery." 
 
 " Then do you talk, and I will be silent as a midnight 
 landscape drinking in the melody of the nightingale." 
 
 He then held out his hand, and the sweet lady con- 
 descended to give him hers, and was not quite so 
 resentful as might have been expected in a pupil of 
 Mrs. Lofty at its undergoing a slight pressure. 
 
 Nothing could be more delicious to Bohun than the 
 recollection of this interview with Lady Susan ; he was 
 very much in love wnth the young lady before, and 
 this short conversation, which perfected his enchant-
 
 44 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 ment, also made him dare to hope that this most lovely 
 creature was by some means or other (perhaps the light- 
 ning which first enabled them to see one another had 
 electrified both in that very instant) strongly prepossessed 
 in his favour, if not nearly as much in love as himself. 
 
 Sweet to the female ear is the first note of love : sweet 
 and grateful had the whole of this interview been to 
 Lady Susan, and she withdrew to her own room to 
 enjoy over again and at liberty Bohun's expressions 
 of fervent admiration of her beauty and delight in her 
 society, and the anxiety she had suffered about the 
 danger of his wounds was very much relieved. She 
 required no short-hand writer to record what passed in 
 his room ; every word was graven on her memory, and 
 no less the expression of eye and countenance which 
 accompanied it. Was there a word that she now re- 
 gretted to have listened to ? No, her companion had 
 not once, or in the slightest degree, assumed a tone of 
 familiarity, and she could not blame him for expressing 
 the delight, the tender respect and the admiration with 
 which he was inspired, and the manner of vindicating 
 his character had been pecuharly grateful to her feelings. 
 
 She also read over the following letter from Mr. Foster, 
 the brother-in-law of the invalid, which she had taken 
 out of the sick chamber, viz. : — ^' Blessed be God, my 
 dear Alfred, our darling Clara is safe and well, and has 
 a boy. The child was born nearly twenty-four hours 
 back, but too late for me to write by last night's post.
 
 IMPEOVED ACQUAINTANCE. 45 
 
 I have seen the doctor just now, who considers that all 
 has gone as well as possible, and that we have the best 
 grounds for hoping that she is out of danger. It is 
 amazing how this has aroused your dear mother, she 
 appears on the scene more alert and in better spirits 
 than I have ever known her. We are entirely in a 
 mind about naming the boy ' Alfred.' We owe our union 
 to your kindness and generosity, and the name is dear 
 to your poor mother. I hope that my letter of to-morrow 
 will convey more good news. Mr. Hargrave seemed 
 delighted when I carried him the intelligence, and sent 
 his love to *' the lady in the straw," and placed the con- 
 tents of his cellar at her disposal. We are longing to 
 hear of your journey across the moors being accom- 
 plished. Turnpike road travelling for me, now that I 
 am a family man. — Ever faithfully yours, —Charles 
 Foster." 
 
 Much of this gave her great pleasure, but it made her 
 shudder to think what might have been the effect of the 
 frightful news of Bohun's life being in danger breaking 
 in suddenly upon such a family of love at such a 
 juncture. 
 
 However, in spite of these very interesting circum- 
 stances, the lady forwarded the letter of reply to Lady 
 Bayswater by that night's post. 
 
 Lady Susan had lost her mother early, and there was 
 no tenderness of heart in her father to supply that warm 
 affection of which she was then deprived. On the con-
 
 46 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 trary, he neither felt or pretended to feel much interest 
 in her, and consented to Lady Bewdley assuming the 
 care of her with much indifference, and ever after treated 
 with contemptuous disregard the promises he had made 
 to pay Lady B. a certain annual amount for taking the 
 child off his hands. Lady Bewdley performed her task 
 nobly for the sake of her lost sister, she spared no 
 expense in her education, though she insisted on great 
 economy in her niece's style of dress, but neither this 
 lady or Mrs. Lofty felt anything like the passionate 
 fondness of a mother, though the former was proud 
 of her niece, and admired her, and was fond of her in as 
 great a degree as she was capable of that sentiment, and 
 her niece responded to it with gratitude, respect and 
 affection ; but there was one in the house now, capable 
 of more tender and ardent love than she had ever before 
 seen in others or felt herself, and the new passion was 
 genial to her heart. 
 
 Under the promise of another interview, Bohun deter- 
 mined to exhibit himself in better trim the next day, 
 and called in the aid of Mr. Spriggs to shave and wash 
 him well, which that dexterous practitioner performed 
 very satisfactorily, after having caused him to be some- 
 what raised up, dealing out during the operation as much 
 froth in the way of compliment as he bestowed on the 
 chin ; our hero also sported a black cap, after its being 
 a little let out by the village tailor in order to cover the 
 bandage, and all this being done, and a clean white band
 
 IMPROVED ACQUAINTANCE. 47 
 
 round his neck, he felt prepared to make a figure more 
 to his own satisfaction than it had been on occasion 
 of the first and unexpected visit of Lady Susan. 
 
 Our hero was not like the tender young lady a novice 
 in love affairs, but his experience had been of rather a 
 painful nature, for when he was at Vienna about three 
 years before the present acquaintance commenced, he 
 had been obliged to make his escape precipitately and in 
 disguise, in order to break off an entanglement which 
 threatened the m.ost fatal consequences to his prospects 
 and character, wherefore on his return to England he 
 worked and studied in his profession with the greatest 
 energy, and lived as sparely as a man having hard work 
 to do could live, in order to avoid being again fascinated 
 before he had laid the foundation of a fortune, but love 
 had now mastered the prudent man and driven away 
 caution, and he thought only how he might obtain this 
 lovely creature, whose manners, sweetness, intelligence, 
 indeed everything, conspired to charm him, and who had 
 entitled him to entertain the flattering idea that a kin- 
 dred sentiment was implanted in her breast : and so he 
 indulged in a dream of future happiness, such as, alas ! 
 in too many cases constitutes the real golden age of 
 love.
 
 ( 48 ) 
 
 THE PLOT. 
 
 "TTTHEN his fair visitor arrived the following day she 
 was pleased at his improved appearance, and 
 felt flattered by the efforts he had made to set himself 
 off. She brought with her a second supply of grapes, 
 and Bohun said " he was deeply indebted to her for a 
 better and calmer night than he had previously enjoyed, 
 and was going on as favourably as possible, and hoped 
 that was the case with Lady Bewdley ;" to which inquiry 
 he received rather an unsatisfactory answer, inasmuch 
 as "her aunt's nervous excitement being still consider- 
 able her friends were in great distress about her." 
 
 The young lady then continued the conversation for 
 the benefit of her other patient, and, in compliance with 
 his wish, gave a short sketch of the circumstances of 
 their journey, with which he was much gratified, for 
 the manner of doing it proved that she was well in- 
 structed, and, at the same time, extremely pleasing in 
 her style of description and address. 
 
 She also made him further acquainted with Mr. Hal- 
 lifax, his medical attendant, and gave information about 
 the place itself and the adjacent village, and stated how
 
 THE PLOT. 49 
 
 pleased they were with their clergyman Mr. Oakley, 
 and that a great intercourse existed between Maiden- 
 thorpe and the Parsonage, because both Mr. Oakley 
 and his lady were very sociable, and the latter was her 
 favourite companion, and she never failed to visit her 
 when she could be spared from attendance on her aunt. 
 
 She then said, " it was necessary to leave him, but 
 that she hoped some day to be made acquainted with 
 those adventures of his own which he had before alluded 
 to, and which must be infinitely more interesting than 
 her simple narrative." 
 
 He answered, "that if her curiosity survived till he 
 was able to tell his adventures, he should be proud to 
 have such an audience." After which the sad moment 
 of departure arrived, and he held out his hand, at the 
 same time expressing his gratitude, and saying, "he 
 lamented that the pure sweet stream could refresh the 
 desert no longer;" and the lady, without any seeming 
 effort, gave her hand, which he was so bold as to press 
 to his lips. 
 
 " Ah ! Mr. Bohun," she said, with a slight blush, 
 "recollect your engagement not to exclude me by your 
 own indiscretion." 
 
 " Only a momentary forgetfulness ; don't, for that, 
 leave me in a state of terror." 
 
 She laughed slightly and left the room. 
 
 Bohun was always eager for fresh air, and particularly 
 desired at present to keep that of his room as pure as
 
 50 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 possible, and Skinner had a hint to open the front door 
 of the house and let the wind in when he saw all the room 
 doors shut, which caused a current throughout the house. 
 
 On the afternoon of this day, when Skinner had 
 availed himself of an opportunity of doing this, and was 
 sitting in the hall to guard the open door, he was joined 
 by Lucy, the lady's maid, to whom he told the reason of 
 this proceeding, which led to a little conversation. 
 
 " I think, Mr. Skinner, that your master seems to be 
 in a more hopeful way now." 
 
 " You mean Mr. Bohun, miss ; I don't consider him 
 in the light of a master, Miss Lucy. I am his clerk, but 
 not his servant, though I would do anything in the world 
 to oblige him." 
 
 " Well, but does not he pay you, Mr. Skinner ?" 
 
 ^* No ; indeed he does not, but if you please, miss, 
 we'll drop that subject at present." 
 
 " Well," said the damsel, " he must be a wonderful 
 cute man, to see how to go about that fight all in 
 a moment, for Mike tells me that it wasn't much above 
 three minutes, from the beginning of the battle, till the 
 robbers were all dead." 
 
 *' Why, yes, miss, he's very clever indeed, or else 
 he wouldn't be so well off as he is ; you know people 
 always choose the cleverest man they can get for a 
 lawyer." 
 
 *' Yes, that stands to reason ; and pray, Mr, Skinner, 
 is he a very handsome man ?"
 
 THE PLOT. 51 
 
 " Why, Miss Lucy, you saw him when he came here, 
 didn't you ?" 
 
 " Yes, but then he was as pale as a ghost and his face 
 bloody, and by what little I saw of him, I thought, to be 
 sure, that he was brought here to die; but you must be 
 always in his office, and can tell what he is when all's 
 right with him," 
 
 " We don't call it office, miss, but chambers ; but if 
 you want to know what I think of him, I should say 
 he's one of the handsomest men I ever saw, but he looks 
 best of all when he's got his wig and gown on." 
 
 " Law ! you don't mean that surely, a young man like 
 that in a wig and gown — why he must look like an old 
 judge — there's a picture of one in the library here, and 
 it does look awful grave, to be sure." 
 
 " Judges are painted very grave, of course, miss ; and 
 they are so when they have serious business to do, but, I 
 can tell you, they like fun of all sorts just as much as you 
 or I do, and the counsel have as much life in them as any 
 set of men going, and so they'd need, for they've so much 
 writing and study that they'd die of the blue-devils if 
 they didn't get a change now and then." 
 
 " Oh, indeed ! I suppose so, and what particular fun 
 is Mr. Bohun fond of then ?" 
 
 " Why, Miss Lucy, I've nothing to do with him but 
 about law, but by what I've heard at odd times, I think 
 there's three things that he seems to be partial to — one 
 is billiards (he's wonderful at that), they say he's about 
 
 e2 
 
 
 ^^umis
 
 52 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 the best gentleman player in London ; then he practises 
 pistol firing, and he's very quick and true in his aim in 
 handling the pistols ; ah ! if he had but had them at that 
 Trapstone Hill job, he'd have knocked those villains 
 over like nine-pins, without being hurt himself." 
 
 " What's the use of his learning," said Lucy, " if he 
 does not carry his pistols about with him." 
 
 " Oh, miss, he practises to make himself quick and 
 sharp in other things, and, besides, it might be useful at 
 a pinch — he's found use enough for them before now in 
 his travels in foreign parts : however, his chief pursuit, 
 and what he thinks most about now, when he can find 
 time for it, is music. You see his mother likes it, and 
 Mr. and Mrs. Foster have had a good deal of time for 
 it since they married, though I guess they've other things 
 to think of now ; and there's Signor Pulchiano, who 
 taught Mr. Bohim to play on a very big fiddle, called the 
 violenchello, and in vacation those two sometimes play 
 together at Mr. B.'s chambers, and they go uncommon 
 smart together, I assure you." 
 
 " And does Mrs. Foster sing?" 
 
 " Yes, and her husband and Mr. Bohun, and I've heard 
 them once or twice, and Mrs. Foster plays the pianeer 
 and Signor Pulchiano the big fiddle, and that's the best 
 of all. I could sit to hear them singing glees, as they 
 call them, all night, but it will be a good while before 
 Mrs. Foster and Mr. Bohun can sing again, either toge- 
 ther or apart."
 
 THE PLOT. 53 
 
 '* Well," said Lucy, " she must get her husband to 
 sing to her, as the cock bird does to the hen when she's 
 sitting." 
 
 " Upon my word, Miss Lucy, when I get to town I'll 
 tell Mr. Foster of your notion, and I think he'll approve 
 of the idea ; but I wish Mr. Bohun had somebody to 
 sing to him, for its very dull in that room for one that 
 can't look out of the window into your beautiful gar- 
 den." 
 
 " Well, but has not my young lady popped in there 
 once or twice and taken him some nice grapes ?" 
 
 " I knew he had some grapes, miss, and seemed to 
 enjoy 'em very much, and it raised his spirits greatly, and 
 he said an angel had brought them ; I didn't ask any 
 questions, but having had some experience in these 
 matters I guessed it was a pretty girl ; pray, is she one 
 of the ladies that was in the carriage ?" 
 
 " Yes ; and a blessing it was that he saved her, for 
 she's as good as she's handsome." 
 
 " And, pray, what's her name, miss ?" 
 
 "Why, she's Lady Susan Altham, the daughter of 
 Lord Bosworth." 
 
 " Oh !" said Skinner, with a look of wonder, " then 
 you're all rank and quality together here, miss." 
 
 " Why yes, may be, in this house, but we're not much 
 the better for it, for it's a dull place ; we don't keep 
 much company ; it's a pity to see that beautiful young 
 lady buried, in a manner of speaking : for her father
 
 54 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 lives abroad, indeed, I have heard, that he's over head 
 and ears in debt." 
 
 Lucy was summoned away at this period of the con- 
 versation, and Skinner shut the house door quietly and 
 retired also, and it was not very long before Lady Susan 
 had from her maid a version of wliat had passed, and 
 Bohun heard something of it soon after from his clerk. 
 
 It is necessary now to refer to other matters of a less 
 pleasing character than the later portions of our his- 
 tory. 
 
 It happened that in the morning preceding the battle 
 from which Bohun escaped victorious, the face of the 
 villain, who twice aimed a pistol at the coachman, had 
 been for a time directed towards 1dm ; and it might well 
 be supposed that its features and expression had been 
 deeply graven on his memory, because at that time he, 
 Bohun, was the object of the same fierce and malignant 
 expression which had so appalled Josh, while there was 
 mingled with it a sense of exulting power, arising from 
 the conviction that his victim was entirely helpless, and 
 without the chance of escape. 
 
 There is nothing more common than the expression 
 *' a strong family likeness," and yet the fact is, in few 
 cases, universally assented to. It will be found, perhaps, 
 that the resemblance is often more perceptible in the 
 expression of the countenance and the play of features 
 than in their form and lineaments, but it is most striking 
 and indisputable when, in the same instance, the genius,
 
 THE PLOT. 55 
 
 humour, passion or predominant feeling, is transparently 
 displayed both in the form and movement of the face. 
 
 At the time Bohun was carried into the kitchen by 
 direction of Mr. Hallifax, his strength was gone, and his 
 powers were, to the apprehension of those who witnessed 
 his condition, in a state of utter exhaustion ; but, though 
 he made no effort to give proof of it, he was still in pos- 
 session of his senses and his faculties, and able, in ob- 
 serving the group there, to single out the face of the 
 kitchen-maid, whose resemblance to his late formidable 
 foe was so strong as to strike him at once with the idea 
 of their relationship, and that impression induced him to 
 watch her with all the attention in his power, though 
 not without the greatest care, and in the result he saw 
 enough of her disposition and feeling towards him to 
 convince him that his first impression was just, and 
 therefore that he had in that house an enemy to contend 
 with at least as dangerous as her father had been ; but 
 he grew weaker and weaker, and finally there was no 
 one to whom he could have communicated his suspi- 
 cions, even supposing him not destitute of the power. 
 
 It has been before mentioned that after his being put 
 to bed his life remained for many hours in imminent dan- 
 ger, but this period of suspense, which was agonizing to 
 some and painful to others, was endured by Mr. Stokes, 
 the butler, with perfect equanimity, and with anxious 
 hope of a fatal result by the female above alluded to, 
 who would most gladly have terminated it by destroying
 
 56 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 Bohun with her own hands, which she was well able to 
 do, being tail and powerful, though at the same time 
 rather good looking, when not excited by her violent 
 temper. 
 
 The butler was not free from indignant feelings 
 against Bohun, excited by the misappropriation, as he 
 considered it, of so much port wine, in which he felt 
 that he had a larger interest than any other member 
 of the family, and partly through sympathy with his par- 
 ticular favourite, the female last mentioned. 
 
 It has been before narrated that with returning con- 
 sciousness Bohun found his clerk Skinner by his bedside, 
 who in the lapse of a few hours became convinced of the 
 thorough intellectual restoration of his master, so that his 
 habitual respect for his instructions and entire submis- 
 sion to his will were at once re-established. 
 
 On the second or third day, when Bohun was quite 
 satisfied of this, he began telling Skinner something of 
 his adventure, which the latter told him he had been 
 thoroughly informed about before by Mike ; and being 
 assured of that, and at the same time enjoining the 
 strictest secrecy, he communicated to Skinner his per- 
 ception of this likeness, and that he considered himself 
 in great danger of this woman's endeavouring to destroy 
 him, in order to revenge the death of her father, and 
 thought that, owing to the opportunities her situation 
 afforded, the attempt would be made by mixing poison 
 with his food.
 
 THE PLOT. O/ 
 
 " Of course," he went on to say, '' arsenic is the poison 
 best known and most commonly resorted to, and as this 
 dreadful mineral is not to be found among family stores, 
 she would have to purchase it by some means," and he 
 desired Skinner to find, by cautious enquiry, whether 
 there was any shop in the village where it could be pro- 
 cured except the doctor's. 
 
 He also desired him to take care that he was not left 
 alone for a day or two, and to let Mike know that he 
 wished to have some talk with him after the coroner's 
 inquest, if the progress of his recovery corresponded to 
 his own expectations and enabled him to talk, and to 
 ask, as soon as he could, if any papers were found in the 
 pockets of the dead men. 
 
 This desired interview with Mike took place in a day 
 or two, and he heard with much satisfaction that the 
 result of the inquest was a verdict of justifiable homicide, 
 and also that he had found some papers and dried them, 
 and had put them all into Mr. Skinner's hands, who was 
 at work trying to piece them together, and he intended 
 to lay them before Mr. Bohun the next day, by which 
 time he would have arranged them to the best of his 
 ability. 
 
 Our hero then told Mike to look in upon him occa- 
 sionally, and to keep within hearing of his windows or 
 within doors when he could, because if he wanted any 
 attendance he would rather have him or Skinner than 
 anybody else, and moreover he liked to see him.
 
 58 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 The next morning Bohun was more capable of talking 
 with his clerk, and they examined the papers together, 
 which were ragged and much defaced by wet, but they 
 found fragments of sentences and connection between 
 the scraps, and finally were able so to arrange them, by 
 means of gum, as to map out the sequence, thereby 
 proving that an intercourse had been carried on between 
 one of the murderers and a female, and the day of the 
 return of the family was mentioned : though the signa- 
 ture and the date of the letter had been torn off, and 
 the address was hardly distinguishable, yet Bohun 
 thought he could trace the name of Smith, with an ad- 
 ditional syllable. This confirmed his sense of danger; 
 and having by this time ascertained that no arsenic was 
 to be had in the village but at Mr. Hallifax's, he ordered 
 Skinner to feign all manner of illness and to go to the 
 doctor's, complaining first of his head, then of his 
 stomach, and sham with more or less urgency, so as 
 to keep about the shop, paying well for all he had, 
 whether he took the medicines or not, and ingratiating 
 himself with the assistant, so as occasionally to be able 
 to talk about arsenic, and thereby keep time with any 
 dealings in it, and ascertain who were the purchasers. 
 
 When Bohun was receiving his breakfast from 
 Skinner he had some more explanation from him about 
 the message from Mr. Hargrave, and the money, and 
 how it had been disposed of; and when his clerk men- 
 tioned the name of Lady Susan Altham, he inquired if
 
 THE PLOT. 59 
 
 that was the young lady who was in the carriage at the 
 time of the attack. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; and her father is Lord Bosworth. We 
 have had his papers often in our chambers for your 
 opinions from Chevron and Pale, and also from 
 Mr. Stringer, on account of Mr. Hargrave, and from 
 other clients. His lordship is pretty well known in 
 Lincoln's Inn, but Chevron and Pale have had the best 
 of him, his estate has been a little fortune to them, but 
 by what I understand it's all gone now ;" and he referred 
 to what had passed at the interview with the lady's maid. 
 
 " All that you say about Lord B.'s affairs, Skinner, is 
 well known to me ; though I knew not the name of the 
 young lady ; and according to my recollection she is an 
 only child." 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 *' Well, now, remember my strict desire that you do 
 not mention a word about Lord Bosworth or his affairs 
 to anybody in the family, or appear to know anything 
 about the matter." 
 
 " Certainly, sir, I will attend to it." 
 
 " I am to take some medicine to-day, inform Mike of 
 it, and ask him to watch me whenever he can be spared, 
 for you must be about in the village when you can. 
 What's your principal complaint now?" said Bohun, 
 laughing. 
 
 " A terrible pain in the small of my back, sir. 
 Mr. Hallifax thinks my kidneys are affected."
 
 60 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 " That's well thought of: it will last as long as you 
 require to take physic." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; but I hope he'll forgive me for breaking 
 through rules in the matter of beer, for he orders me to 
 drink nothing but water." 
 
 The next morning Mr. Hargrave's messenger, Mr. 
 Cropper, was present at the dressing of the gun-shot 
 wound, which Mr. Macdonnell came over from York to 
 assist in, and that gentleman attended with Mr. Hallifax, 
 after breakfasting at his house. Poor Mr. Cropper 
 could hardly be kept from fainting during this operation, 
 not only from the aspect of the wound, but on account 
 of what he thought the cruel treatment of the suffer- 
 ing patient in probing it. In fact, so much was done, 
 that the doctors thought perfect quiet was necessary, 
 and desired that Bohun should be kept as much to 
 himself as possible, and he had several hours sleep ; in 
 fact they had given him something to promote it, so 
 that he had to be roused to take his dinner at three 
 o'clock, and after eating it fell asleep again immediately. 
 
 However, about six, Skinner came to the sick room, 
 and told the patient privately some news that roused 
 him much more than was desirable, for he informed him 
 that in walking about the town he had seen Stokes 
 coming out of Mr. Hallifax's shop, and by being on his 
 guard contrived to avoid being noticed himself; but 
 that when he took the proper opportunity of making 
 inquiry he discovered that this man had actually pur-
 
 THE PLOT. bl 
 
 chased three ounces of arsenic ; and in consequence 
 Bohun desired his clerk to go to Lady Susan, and ask 
 as a particular favour that her ladyship would honour 
 him by sending to the sick room a cup of tea made by 
 herself, and some bread and butter cut by her own 
 hands, and that he would of course wait till her usual 
 time of drinking tea. 
 
 Skinner delivered his message, hoping "her ladyship 
 would forgive such a strange fancy, and not be offended 
 at the liberty he was taking." 
 
 Lady Susan said that nothing could be more agree- 
 able to her than to carry into effect any of Mr. Bohun's 
 wishes, and asked if it would Be better done at once ; 
 but he said that if Mr. Bohun took it between eight and 
 nine it would be a suitable time for him to settle into 
 his night's sleep, for, he remarked, he had never seen 
 him so drowsy as he appeared at that time. 
 
 Of course it made no difference to Lady Susan, and 
 at the proper time the meal of Bohun was sent up 
 according to his desire by the hands of Skinner ; and 
 after having made arrangements about his breakfast he 
 settled again to sleep. The breakfast was privately 
 brought in from the publichouse. It consisted of beer 
 and water mixed, in lieu of tea, and some sandwiches of 
 roast meat, both which he swallowed with a gusto. His 
 proper breakfast was then brought up by Mr. Stokes, 
 and that he did not eat, but Skinner put the bread and 
 butter away in his pocket in lieu of the sandwiches, and
 
 62 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 emptied the tea into the bottle which had brought the 
 diluted beer; after which he disappeared for a time, 
 knowing that at that period of the day Lady Susan 
 would be about the house herself, or Lucy would be 
 desired to watch the room. 
 
 Mr. Spriggs attended about noon to shave and wash 
 him, and Mike assisted in dressing him, during which 
 Mr. Stokes brought in his meal of broth, after which, 
 his aid being declined, he retired ; and finally Bohun 
 caused himself to be seated in the easy chair, supported 
 by pillows, and with his small table before him, upon 
 which the basin of broth was placed, and he caused 
 Mike to put the empty wash basin beside the other, 
 after which he took some measures, and made some 
 communication to Mike that made the poor fellow 
 tremble, and some time after he had performed his own 
 part of the business he dispatched Mike on an important 
 errand.
 
 ( 63 ) 
 
 CHA.PTER V. 
 
 THE DETECTION. 
 
 rpHE personal exertion and anxiety that Bohun had 
 undergone made him feel much fatigued, but the 
 emergency aroused him, and he arranged the proceed- 
 ings about to take place with his customary business 
 talent, and planned the conduct of the case ; after which, 
 he thanked God most gratefully for the success that had 
 so far attended his precautionary measures, and then, 
 leaning his head against the side of his great chair, 
 enjoyed the gaiety of the flower garden and at the same 
 time inhaled with delight the sweet country air which 
 came to him more freshly than when he had only the 
 opportunity of breathing it as he lay in his bed. He had 
 been in this posture about a quarter of an hour, and 
 had become comparatively tranquil, when he perceived 
 the Lady Susan turn into the walk at its further end, 
 and slowly approach the house ; and though he made 
 no movement that might betray his feelings, most 
 anxious was he to attract her notice: this happened, 
 however, according to his wish, owing perhaps to the 
 black cap which he wore contrasting so strongly with 
 the white lining of his easy chair; and when her recog-
 
 64 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 nition of him was evident, and that she walked rather 
 more quickly in consequence of it, he lifted his cap, and 
 she waved her parasol in acknowledgment, and, shortly 
 afterwards, having tapped at the door to announce her 
 arrival, he had the pleasure of seeing her by his side, 
 and his grateful expression of the delight her presence 
 •afforded him was graciously accepted by the lady. 
 
 " I was not aware of your intention to get up this 
 afternoon," she said, " or I would have inquired of the 
 doctor, this morning, whether it was expedient to visit 
 you." 
 
 Bohun replied, " at all events I am very happy to see 
 you, for it will relieve me of some anxiety." 
 
 " Anxiety, Mr. Bohun ! why, you know that I was 
 not hurt in the encounter or in consequence of it in 
 any way." 
 
 " Yes, I have had the pleasure of hearing that ; but 
 I will, in a moment, explain my anxiety, which arises 
 from a different cause. My clerk has informed me of 
 your being a lady of rank— the daughter of an earl — 
 and I fear that you must have thought my style of 
 address sadly different from what you have been accus- 
 tomed to, and have, therefore, rated me as rather a rude 
 fellow." 
 
 The lady smiled kindly, and said, " it was impossible 
 to put such a construction on any part of your conduct, 
 and, in fact, I considered your taking the trouble to 
 come to the carriage door and explain away our causes
 
 THE DETECTION. 65 
 
 of alarm not only the act of a gentleman but of a very 
 kind one." 
 
 " Then as you are so good as to overlook the past, I 
 shall henceforward endeavour to show that I am sen- 
 sible, deeply sensible (with a sigh), of the vast difference 
 between us." 
 
 " Pooh ! pooh !" said the lady, " dismiss all this from 
 your mind. When you stop me from expressing my 
 gratitude for our wonderful deliverance, don't impose 
 the observance of rigid form and ceremony on yourself, 
 which would really be disagreeable to me." 
 
 "You are in all things kind and amiable; and it 
 emboldens me to trespass on you to-day with rather a 
 longer story than usual touching the petty history of the 
 sick room, which you must be aware is usually the 
 scene of restlessness and egotism, particularly with men, 
 who, being shut out from their usual active occupations, 
 endeavour to make business during their confinement. 
 But previous to this, your great kindness and my inca- 
 pacity make me venture to ask that you will oblige me 
 by removing this basin to the washing table, and then 
 that you will grant me the favour to sit on the bed 
 opposite me, in order that I may enjoy the advantage 
 of talking without turning my head. 
 
 This being effected, he said, " I need not remind you 
 of my impertinent request to have my tea supplied from 
 your table last night, feeling assured that you are too 
 gracious to be offended at such a whim; this morning I 
 
 F
 
 6Q MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 had an agreeable breakfast from another quarter, and 
 I made also a peculiar arrangement about my dinner ; in 
 fact, for these two meals I got in some sandwiches, pre- 
 pared at the public house in the village, and made from 
 some excellent beef which my clerk had noticed there, 
 and (having learnt that trade while I was a fag at Eton) 
 1 contrived with him the mode of smuggling those and 
 some beer also into my room here, both of which have 
 since been disposed of very much to my satisfaction, and 
 without the privity of any other person." 
 
 Seeing that the countenance of the lady expressed 
 great astonishment, and not without a little tinge of 
 affront, he said, " pray bear with me, for, in the result, you 
 will perhaps see this schoolboy prank under a different 
 aspect. My broth was brought here punctually at the 
 usual time by your butler, and I desired him to leave 
 it on the table, as I was engaged with the person, whose 
 attendance I had secured at that time, to shave and help 
 wash me ; and when his ofhce was concluded, I desired 
 him, with the aid of my friend Mike, to put me in the 
 best trim he could and set me up in this chair. I then 
 bowed my friend out ; after which Mike placed my broth 
 before me, and was not a little astonished when I made 
 him master of the great secret that I had dined already. 
 I then detained him while I transferred the contents 
 of the basin of broth slowly and carefully by means of 
 the spoon into the basin, which, at my request you have 
 just now condescended to replace on that table, and the
 
 THE DETECTION. 67 
 
 residue at the bottom of the broth I drained carefully and 
 entirely into this tumbler, and then made Mike replace 
 the broth in the basin, and I have twice washed that 
 residual portion which I had selected by a large ad- 
 mixture of water well stirred up, in order that the 
 fibrous and flocculent matters might float, and I poured 
 that off, after allowing in each case a few minutes for 
 the subsidence of the heavier particles ; by that process 
 I have finally secured a net little remainder which you 
 can distinguish as easily as I." 
 
 " Yes," said the lady, who betrayed a serious, anxious 
 feeling, " I perceive some white powder at the bottom of 
 the tumbler ; do you know what it is ?" 
 
 " I will not at present take upon me to say. Mike 
 has my directions how to dispose of the broth. It would 
 be better to suspend conjecture or discussion on the 
 subject till he returns with the basin." 
 
 The lady became alarmed and agitated. " I begin to 
 apprehend, Mr. Bohun, that there is matter much more 
 serious in this than your calmness might lead me to ex- 
 pect. Is it desirable that I should remain in the dark ?" 
 
 " Why, my lady, I hardly dare to speak out more 
 plainly ; it might create an impression of my being un- 
 generously suspicious ; but I will be guided by your 
 wish." 
 
 " Then pray conceal nothing. It is impossible for 
 me to form any inference unfavourable to you." 
 
 " Then," said he, bowing, *' I go back to my removal 
 F 2
 
 68 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 to the kitchen on the night of my arrival here, and beg 
 to make you aware that we lawyers have a professional 
 habit of reconnoitring countenances, in accordance 
 with which I immediately took a survey of the party 
 there, and among them I was struck with one set of 
 features of very fearful import. The woman who ap- 
 peared to be assistant to your cook, a tall, stout, rather 
 well-looking person, was the feminine fac-simile of one 
 of the men who was killed in the fight, but so much 
 younger, that I decided at once she must be his daughter. 
 I never saw a more perfect resemblance, not merely 
 in form and movement of features, but in the style of 
 speaking also, and what completed my conviction of the 
 affinity was a malignant expression of the eye and coun- 
 tenance, corresponding exactly to that of her father, 
 when the possibility of my recovery was announced. 
 Immediately after that I fell into a deep sleep or stupor, 
 in which I remained nearly two days, as perhaps," he 
 said, " you may remember ?" 
 
 " Yes, indeed, I do," said Lady Susan, " and ever 
 shall, for it was a time of fearful anxiety." 
 
 " When I recovered my consciousness and intellectual 
 power I was much gratified by finding my clerk, Mr. 
 Skinner, at my bedside, and soon afterwards I succeeded 
 in indoctrinating him with the grounds of an alarm I had 
 imbibed and in arranging with him a protective course 
 of action, which he has followed up with great zeal,- 
 assiduity and success."
 
 THE DETECTION. 69 
 
 At this moment Mike broke into the room, with the 
 basin in his hand, in a state of extreme horror and agita- 
 tion. When he saw Lady Susan he woukl have retired, 
 but Bohun insisted on his coming in, and in vain desired 
 him to be calm and give him the basin. 
 
 " Now that I see you, Mike," Bohun said, " I require 
 no further information : " but let me entreat of you, my 
 good fellow, to calm yourself; there is much yet to be 
 done, and I cannot get on without your assistance ; so 
 pray be composed, and don't terrify others." 
 
 "Ah, sir," said Mike, "we ar'nt all made like you!" 
 and holding his handkerchief to his face, sobbed aloud ; 
 " and beside, sir, you didn't see the poor creature's tor- 
 m.ents." 
 
 " But you put him out of his misery ?" 
 
 " Oh, certainly, sir, when he swelled and foamed at 
 the mouth, as you said he would, I finished him at once, 
 but it was dreadful, really it was." 
 
 Lady Susan heard all this in a sort of animate stupor ; 
 her mouth and eyes were open, but she was speechless, 
 and when Bohun looked from Mike to her he was dread- 
 fully shocked, and attempted to rise to give her some 
 water, but recollecting that the tumbler had a deposit of 
 arsenic at the bottom, he sank down again helpless, 
 clutching fast to the tumbler. 
 
 " Let me implore you. Lady Susan," he said, " to 
 retire from this scene, and suspend your curiosity for a 
 short time. Depend upon it, we are all safe, perfectly
 
 70 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 safe ; actually this is the first moment I have been able 
 to consider myself so since I entered this house ; but 
 still there is much to do, and caution, silence and dispatch 
 are indispensable. When I am alone with my trusty 
 friend, Mike, he will soon revive and be fit for active 
 service, and all my plans will be carried out ably by his 
 care and skill." 
 
 " Oh, certainly, sir," said Mike, making a rally, " I'll 
 put it off my mind for a bit, and do just what you bid 
 me." 
 
 The lady had knelt down by the bedside and buried 
 her face in the quilt, and appeared much agitated, but 
 strongly endeavouring to control the expression of her 
 feelings, she said — " Give your orders to Mike and let 
 him depart to obey them, but I must remain here till I 
 am more composed." 
 
 Bohun then told Mike to fasten quietly the door that 
 opened to the back stairs, and then to steal out of the 
 house and beg of the nearest magistrate to call here 
 immediately and inquire for Lady Susan, after which, 
 taking such a direction as to avoid being seen from 
 the house, to make his way to Dr. Hallifax, and desire 
 his attendance here, but if he were out, not to await his 
 return, but in the next place to procure a constable, 
 with a pair of handcuffs, and take him into the kitchen 
 and secure the kitchen-maid, and also to detain the cook, 
 but letting him know, at the same time, that he thought 
 the maid was the guilty person, and desiring that the
 
 THE DETECTION. 71 
 
 handcuffs should be immediately put upon her, if she 
 showed a desire to move off. 
 
 When Mike was gone, the lady, who was able to 
 attend to all that passed, gradually recovered, but it was 
 some time before she was able to address Bohun, and he 
 in the mean time leaned his head against the chair, as if 
 he had been overpowered by the scene, and was almost 
 unconscious. She took him by the hand and said, " I 
 am afraid, Mr. Bohun, that 1 have contributed to your 
 uneasiness by exhibiting emotions that quite overpowered 
 me, but I trust you will not think it unnatural," — here 
 her voice failed her, and again she was obliged to throw 
 herself on the bed. 
 
 " Oh, most generous lady, I perceive now the sad 
 consequences of your being alarmed and shocked at the 
 idea of a murder being perpetrated under this hospitable 
 roof, but pray make an effort and drive it from your 
 thoughts, and without attempting to speak another word, 
 take advantage of the furniture for enabling you to reach 
 the door and quit the room, and when you have changed 
 the scene you will soon recover your usual spirits ; and 
 as for the magistrate, pray let him, without any preface, 
 be ushered into this room to me." 
 
 Lady Susan felt the good sense and delicacy of this 
 suggestion and acted upon it, and Bohun had the plea- 
 sure of seeing her cross the room to the door, which he 
 begged her to lock and secure the key till the arrival of 
 Mr. Oakley, himself continuing in his easy chair, in which
 
 72 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 position he observed that both doors were attempted pre- 
 vious to any result of Mike's commission. 
 
 At length a man's voice and step were audible in the 
 passage, which made Bohun feel his seat in the easy 
 chair secure and comfortable. 
 
 When the poor lady found herself alone she had great 
 difficulty in subduing her feelings ; but, by degrees, the 
 strong assurance of Bohun that he considered himself 
 perfectly safe, combined with her consciousness of the 
 urgent necessity for concealing her agitation as much as 
 possible, enabled her to assume a tolerably composed 
 aspect by the time that Mr. Oakley, the clergyman and 
 magistrate of the village, arrived at the house. 
 
 She then told that gentleman that there had been 
 an attempt to poison Mr. Bohun by mixing arsenic 
 into his broth, and she begged that he would see the 
 invalid and inquire into the subject magisterially, and 
 she accordingly introduced him, and Bohun requested 
 that her ladyship would also supply pen, ink and paper, 
 and a Bible or Testament. 
 
 After the arrival of these he told Mr. Oakley that he 
 had discovered a plot to poison him by the mixture of 
 arsenic into his broth, and therefore begged his assistance 
 in an enquiry on oath into the circumstances of the case. 
 The reverend gentleman rather demurred to this with- 
 out the aid of his clerk, the attorney of a neighbouring 
 town, or another magistrate, to support him ; but Bohun 
 reminded him that he was a barrister, and knew all
 
 THE DETECTION. 73 
 
 the facts of the case, and the motives of the parties, and 
 desired to conduct the examination himself if Mr. Oakley 
 would administer the oaths and take down the depo- 
 sitions, and on this plan it was settled to proceed ; and 
 the bell being rung, the butler made his appearance, but 
 when he entered the sick chamber, the sight of a new 
 inmate in it rather gave his nerves a shock, and when 
 Mr. Oakley told him that there had been an important 
 event in the family, and that an enquiry on oath was 
 necessary, he became very pale, and with some trembling 
 of the jaws said " that he had done nothing wrong ;" the 
 clergyman said " he was glad of it," and administered 
 the oath. 
 
 Bohun then enquired " whether there was any arsenic 
 then in his possession, or whether he had had any in 
 the course of the day ?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Had you any yesterday ?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Let me know the quantity you had, and at what hour 
 of the day you procured it ?" 
 
 " I got three ounces about three o'clock." 
 
 " At Mr. Hallifax's ?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Then, as you say you have not any now, when did 
 you part with it ?" 
 
 " I think it was about four o'clock yesterday after- 
 noon."
 
 74 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 " Did you part with the whole or only a portion ?" 
 
 " The whole." 
 
 " Did you open the packet before you parted with it?" 
 
 " No ; I did not." 
 
 " To whom did you give the arsenic ?" 
 
 " To the kitchen-maid." 
 
 " You must, of course, kno^^^ that arsenic is a deadly 
 poison : how came you to buy such a thing ?" 
 
 '^ She asked me to get it for her." 
 
 " Did she state any reason for wanting it ?" 
 
 " Yes ; she said her rest was disturbed at night by 
 rats, and that she wanted to kill them." 
 
 " That is, to poison them ?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Did you ever hear any rats in the night ?" 
 
 " No ; I sleep very sound." 
 
 " As you gave this woman the whole of the arsenic, 
 did you receive from her the money that you paid Mr. 
 Hallifax for it ?" 
 
 " No, I can't say I did." 
 
 " Then did you mean to make her a present of it ?" 
 
 " No ; I considered it as house expenses." 
 
 " And who pays you those expenses ?" 
 
 "My book is made up once a week, and then it is 
 paid." 
 
 " And did it appear to you right to lay out your mis- 
 tress's money in arsenic without her order ?" 
 
 " I couldn't trouble her ladyship at this time."
 
 THE DETECTION. 75 
 
 " Have you set it down in your book as so much paid 
 for arsenic ?" 
 
 *' No ; I have not." 
 
 " Very well ; I shall see your book by-and-by, but 
 you must stay here for the present." 
 
 Bohun then told the clergyman that it would, for very 
 obvious reasons, be desirable not to allow of any commu- 
 nication between this witness and other parties not yet 
 examined, and therefore begged that he might be locked 
 up in the upper part of the house, and subsequently that 
 the cook be called up, presuming that the coachman had 
 returned, for his presence was necessary in the kitchen 
 previous to her leaving it. 
 
 In both these, matters our hero was satisfied, and the 
 cook, rather to her discomfort, made her appearance and 
 was very much concerned when the oath was admin- 
 istered to her ; but Bohun assured her in the kindest tone 
 " that nothing was intended against her, that he had the 
 most perfect confidence in her goodness and integrity, 
 and felt very much gratitude to her for her most valuable 
 services to him ever since he had been in the house." 
 
 " Now," he said, " Mrs. Barker, I beg to ask whether 
 you made the broth which was sent up here at one 
 o'clock to-day for my dinner ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " Will you be kind enough to tell me everything that 
 you made use of in making that broth ?" 
 
 " Oh ! yes, there was meat and vegetables, some turnips
 
 76 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 and an onion or two and a little pearl barley, but I strained 
 it all through a sieve so as to draw off the clear broth." 
 
 " Did you pour the broth into the basin that was sent 
 up to me ?" 
 
 « Yes." 
 
 " There was some toast in the basin, did you put that 
 in?" 
 
 " No, my kitchen-maid toasted it and cut it, and put it 
 into the basin." 
 
 " Did you give it to the butler ?" 
 
 " No, she took it away and gave it to him." 
 
 " In your presence ?" 
 
 " No, I didn't look after her any more." 
 
 " And did you put nothing else whatever into the 
 broth ?" 
 
 *' Yes, I put some salt in, that's all." 
 
 " Pray how long has your kitchen-maid lived here ?" 
 
 " About seven or eight months." 
 
 "Is she very steady ?" 
 
 " I can't say as she's over and above, and she don't 
 take pains to learn, which she might do in this place." 
 
 " Has she ever talked about going away ?" 
 
 " Oh yes ! often, and she has a notion of going abroad, 
 and I advised her not." 
 
 " Her name is Sally Rush, I think ?" 
 
 « Yes." 
 
 " Can she write ?" 
 
 •" No, nor read neither."
 
 THE DETECTION. 77 
 
 " Perhaps she may have ask'd you to write letters for 
 her r 
 
 " Why yes, she has sometimes." 
 
 " Has she done so lately ?" 
 
 " Yes, about eleven or tv^^elve days ago." 
 
 " And what did she say in that letter ?" 
 
 " That she should like very much indeed to go to 
 America, and hoped her father would let her." 
 
 " And a few more things." 
 
 '' Yes." 
 
 " And did she say when the ladies were coming home?" 
 
 " Why yes, she said they were to be at home that 
 afternoon, as they came." 
 
 " Now, Mrs. Barker, you mentioned her father, was 
 the letter addressed to him ?" 
 
 *' Yes, it was some place near Bolton." 
 
 " And pray what was his name ?" 
 
 The poor woman seem'd very much struck and agitated 
 by this, *' Dear me, sir," she said, " you took me unawares, 
 or I'm sure I shouldn't have told you a story about the 
 matter, but her real name is Smithson, and that's her 
 father's name, but with us she always went by the name 
 of Rush. I found out her right name by a letter she got 
 me to read to her some time ago, and I thought there 
 warn't much in a name, and so I said nothing about it, 
 but I'm very sorry for it now. You see, sir, I thought 
 she might have run away from her own country on 
 account of a chance child or something of that sort, and
 
 78 MAIDENTHORPE 
 
 if she'd a mind to take up and be steady, I thought it was 
 better to let bygones be bygones^ and so may be not 
 drive her to bad courses." 
 
 This part of the evidence was rather interrupted by 
 some tears and ejaculations; but Bohun, who was glad to 
 hear this detail, comforted her, and said " he thought 
 her conduct very natural, and that he did not blame her 
 for it in the least." He then terrified the poor woman 
 very much by producing the fragments of a letter stained 
 with blood, and the ink made pale and to run, as if it had 
 been dipped in water, and asked her if that was the letter 
 she wrote," and she acknowledged that it was. 
 
 The magistrate then went down to the kitchen with 
 the witness, and ordering the handcuffs to be put on 
 immediately, he caused the cook to search the person of 
 her deputy, and the paper with arsenic in it was found 
 in her pocket. He then asked if she had anything to 
 say in her own defence, and instead of replying to this 
 she broke out into a storm of blasphemy and abuse 
 of the most frightful kind, upon which Mr. Oakley went 
 up stairs, and made out a warrant for her committal to 
 York Castle for trial at the next assizes, and the con- 
 stable required Mike's aid to enable him to keep her in 
 subjection ; but before she went away her box was 
 brought down stairs, and several things belonging to the 
 family, and her fellow servants, were taken out of it, and 
 placed in the keeping of the constable, the remainder, 
 consisting of her own things, being locked up in the box
 
 THE DETECTION. 79 
 
 and sent in the cart with her to York ; and the humbled 
 Mr. Stokes had an admonitory lecture from Mr. Oakley, 
 and did not recover again the insolent bearing he had 
 been accustomed to assume among the other servants 
 and elsewhere. 
 
 The rage and fury of this violent woman became 
 converted into perfect madness in the course of the 
 journey to York, and the full strength of Mike and the 
 constable would have been insufficient to prevent her 
 from throwing herself out of the cart, if they had not also 
 secured her with a strong cord. 
 
 More than twelve months elapsed before she could be 
 reported sufficiently rational to be tried, but in the result 
 she was transported for life. 
 
 Mr. Hallifax came in towards the close of the exami- 
 nation, and Bohun requested Mr. Oakley to permit him 
 at a future time to read the depositions, and in conclusion 
 pointed out the necessity of most carefully avoiding to 
 express suspicion of Stokes, because it might rather shut 
 him up, whereas in the alternative, his great anxiety for 
 his own reputation would lead him to throw the blame 
 entirely on the woman, who was in fact the chief cri- 
 minal. 
 
 After the conclusion of the examination, and Bohun's 
 strict direction that the arsenic in the tumbler should be 
 dried and sealed up in a packet, and preserved by Mr. 
 Oakley, he fell asleep in his chair and was by Skinner 
 and Mr. Hallifax replaced in bed without waking him,
 
 80 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 and he slept soundly till near midnight, when he was 
 able to take some refreshment, after which he slept for 
 eight hours more, and was ready to take a good break- 
 fast after being woke up by a wash. 
 
 Bohun raised his reputation by this in many quarters ; 
 all the servants thought him something of a magician, 
 for he had desired Skinner not to make known the steps 
 by which he had tracked out this horrible conspiracy, 
 and fortunately for him it led Mr. Oakley to form a high 
 opinion of his capacity, though it was several days before 
 the whole clue of the case was revealed to him. 
 
 Poor Lady Susan was gradually relieved of her terrors 
 by hearing that he slept and slept in answer to her inqui- 
 ries, and Mr. Oakley and his wife came and drank tea 
 with her, and that gentleman very sensibly argued the 
 matter with the young lady, and convinced her what a 
 happy thing it was for the family, as well as Mr. Bohun, 
 that this vile woman was got rid of, and that after the 
 invalid could go to sleep without fear he would recover 
 far more rapidly. Mrs. Oakley was enthusiastic in her 
 admiration of him, and declared her ardent desire to see 
 a man who had displayed such courage and acuteness of 
 mind. Owing to the kind offices of these good friends. 
 Lady Susan was able to get a good sleep herself. 
 
 Skinner was with Bohun next morning, and assisted 
 him into his arm-chair, and, being well supported by 
 cushions, he was able to sit up and write a few lines to 
 Mrs. Foster to congratulate her, but he was obliged to
 
 THE DETECTION. 81 
 
 cut the correspondence very short "on the score of 
 business," as he said, but in reahty because he felt his 
 strength failing, and was desirous not to betray it by 
 his writing, and he dispatched Skinner with his letter, 
 and desired him to call on Mr. Hallifax and pay what 
 was owing on his own account, remarking, " I think you 
 may tell him, that, owing to the wonderful efficacy of 
 his medicines, you now feel as well as ever." 
 
 " Yes, sir, and I will empty all his bottles and return 
 them to him." 
 
 " Right," said our hero, " and I think that, now this 
 fiend is removed from the house, I shall begin to trust 
 in the cook, rather than in him ; but keep that to your- 
 self." 
 
 The exhaustion told upon Bohun for nearly twenty- 
 four hours ; but after that, when his wounds were dressed, 
 he brightened up and did not betray any outward sign 
 of despondency even under the shock of a very dis- 
 agreeable, and no less surprising, communication made 
 to him by Mr. Hallifax ; who now, for the first time, 
 gave him to understand " that his being in the house 
 had never been made known to Lady Bewdley, because 
 the real cause of her illness was, for sufficing reasons, 
 concealed from her, and everything must be betrayed, 
 and Mr. Hallifax's character most disagreeably compro- 
 mised, if Bohun continued to be an inmate now that she 
 was recovering, and had a general knowledge of what 
 was passing in the house." 
 
 G
 
 82 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 Our hero could not demur to this appeal, and without 
 hesitation acceded to the offer of Mr. Hallifax to have 
 a pair of stays made to support him in the necessary 
 removal.
 
 ( 83 ) 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 TTIS next visitor was of a different stamp : the Lady 
 Susan herself walked in with that dose which 
 was his most peculiar delight, namely, a small basket of 
 fine ripe grapes. He clasped his hands in an ecstacy of 
 delight, exclaiming " Oh, most kind and lovely lady, 
 how can I ever make you sensible of the gratitude these 
 favours inspire me with !" 
 
 "Now, Mr. Bohun," said his visitor, "a truce with 
 these raptures, you are an eminent barrister, then surely 
 your ordinary style of conversation must be different 
 from this, and I really do not want to be made an 
 exception of, nay it is, as I have before mentioned, 
 unpleasant to me, and puts an end to conversation, 
 therefore let us drop that style in future, and then I 
 shall of course look in upon you as often as I have the 
 opportunity." 
 
 *' Dear lady," said he, looking very crest-fallen, " I 
 reverence your injunction, and will abide by it, but do 
 me the justice to consider that I am not the lawyer now 
 or at any time in private life. I live at home with very 
 
 g2
 
 84 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 kind and affectionate people, and I have imbibed a 
 manner which is rather out of place elsewhere, but in 
 future I will do my best to obey you." 
 
 " Why now you go beyond my desires, but no more 
 of this, we shall understand one another in time. Tell 
 me how you feel." 
 
 " Mr. Hallifax brags of my improvement, and he is 
 the best judge, but at all events I am subject to no 
 drawbacks, now that dreadful woman is gone out of the 
 house. I wonder that I even made the progress I did 
 during my feebleness while under the terror of her, 
 and while the continual preparation of broth and gruel 
 which was requisite for me was going on, and, moreover, 
 probably passed through her hands." 
 
 " It was a dreadful interval," said the lady. " If I 
 had known of these things I would have superintended 
 all the cooking myself; but, diank God, it is all over 
 now, and I understand that during the journey to York 
 she became raving mad." 
 
 " I cannot regret that, for in that case she cannot be 
 tried, and we shall none of us have to appear as wit- 
 nesses." 
 
 " Indeed, Mr. Bohun, I am very glad of that too, for 
 I dreaded an examination in the court." 
 
 " And pray how is Lady Bewdley ?" 
 
 " Oh, she gets on too, she will soon be able to leave 
 her room, we think, and Mr. Hallifax says it is desirable
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 85 
 
 to get her out in the carriage, even if she have to be 
 lifted into it, and I hope you also will soon be able to 
 take the air." 
 
 " I dare say that I shall ; Mr. Hallifax has had me 
 measured for stays, in which I shall be laced up like an 
 old fashioned lady, but my first movements must be in 
 minuet style." 
 
 " There is a summons," said the lady suddenly, " and 
 1 must fly." 
 
 Bohun drew a deep sigh. " I suppose," he said, " I 
 must make as low a bow as I can." 
 
 " You are a perverse man," said the lady, and she held 
 her hand to him, which he pressed and held to his lips, 
 saying " Oh, let me implore you to repeat your visit." 
 
 The letter of Lady Susan to his daughter reached 
 Mr. Hargrave before Lady Bayswater arrived, and he 
 opened it without scruple and read it two or three times, 
 and the more he read it the more he was struck by the 
 cleverness of the young lady, and the judicious plan she 
 had adopted for supplying perfect information, and he 
 started for the city in much better spirits than he had 
 enjoyed since first hearing of the accident : but he 
 sealed up Lady Susan's letter, and desired Lady B. to 
 acknowledge it in the most grateful terms, and say how 
 much her papa was struck with the excellent plan 
 adopted by the young lady, and the pains she had 
 taken to satisfy him so promptly in every particular, 
 and he concluded by the remark " she must be one of a
 
 86 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 thousand." He also desired her to say, "it should be 
 his first task to communicate the good news to Foster." 
 
 His daughter in her reply omitted, none of her papa's 
 expressions of approval and gratitude and admiration, 
 and she also mentioned her own esteem for Bohun. 
 
 When this letter came to hand Lady Susan felt highly 
 pleased, and fully rewarded for the pains she had taken, 
 and in looking forward to the next interview with the 
 invalid, and acquainting him with this correspondence. 
 
 On second thoughts, however, she gave the letter to 
 Skinner for Mr. Bohun, and with it Lady Bayswater's 
 first letter to her, and said "that in the afternoon, if 
 she knew the time of his being awake, she would look 
 in to receive the two letters back." 
 
 This was a good reason for the afternoon's visit, and 
 after a few words of introduction, the two letters became 
 of course the subject of conversation, and Bohun ex- 
 pressed his amazement and delight that she had so 
 excited the admiration of Mr. Hargrave, and parti- 
 cularly begged to know how she had written to the lady. 
 
 His fair companion told him the plan she had hit 
 upon for giving the particulars that Mr. Hargrave 
 wished in the most complete manner. 
 
 " Well might he call you one of a thousand," said 
 Bohun ; " but if he who has not seen you says that, can 
 you wonder at and upbraid my enthusiasm ?" 
 
 The lady was desirous of turning the conversation, 
 and casting her eyes on the bed, where some letters
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 87 
 
 were lying open, said, " Have you any good news to tell 
 
 me r 
 
 " Yes, there is a pleasant letter from Foster, saying 
 that my darling Clara and her infant and my mother are 
 all going on well, but anxious to hear from me again. 
 Then there is a letter from an attorney at York, enclosing 
 two letters from counsel who are to conduct a cause 
 before me in which I am appointed arbitrator. Pray 
 read all the letters, if you please. I shall answer them 
 to-morrow, though I am a little puzzled what to do with 
 the lawyers." 
 
 " Don't let law or anything else disturb your mind at 
 present ; I think you have a chance to get on now you 
 can feel in security, so pray don't submit to be molested 
 by law.*' 
 
 " Oh," said Bohun, " I can dictate to Skinner an 
 answer to the lawyers ; but I hope to write a few 
 lines in my own hand to Foster, he will be glad to see 
 that evidence of my recovery, and a night's rest will 
 make a great difference in my strength now." 
 
 The lady then said, " I feel that it is my duty to leave 
 you ;" and "they parted as if each of them felt regret, but 
 the lady took the papers. 
 
 The letters carried off by the lady included those of 
 the two lawyers, which were as follows, viz. : — 
 
 " London, 
 " Dear Bohun, " 1st September. 
 
 " We are all very sorry, very sorry indeed, 
 and, as the footpad took a bad aim, no set-off. I met
 
 88 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 old Judge Touchwood yesterday, and he said he was 
 very sorry too ; but some expressions dropped rather 
 significant of his opinion that it was a judgment upon 
 you for detaining the Court an extra day at Lancaster 
 about an infernal question of accounts which, as he 
 said, never ought to be settled in Court. As a dutiful 
 young satellite of this great light of the law, I assented 
 with most deferential gravity, and pleased old Absolute 
 so much that he invited me to dine. A good dinner it 
 was too, and such port wine! quite a different thing 
 from what we get at taverns. And now, my dear fellow, 
 I'll give you a word of advice, — you are going a-head 
 fast, and will soon be able to give dinners, lay in a pipe 
 of port, the best vintage, — you can well afford it, — and 
 in half a dozen years you'll think me the best friend 
 you ever had. 
 
 " At one period after dinner you were the subject of 
 our discourse, i. e. abuse, but in the midst of it I got a 
 lick from the rough side of the old fellow's tongue, 
 for when I inquired, in a tone of strong dubitation, 
 whether you really had much knowledge of law, the old 
 tyrant said, ' he has as much law in his little finger as 
 you have in your whole body.' 
 
 " However, business is business, and I want to know 
 when I can get away to Somersetshire to have some 
 shooting, which this confounded bore of a reference 
 comes in the way of. There's no occasion for you to 
 be up, your clerk can note the evidence, and Appleyard 
 and I will sign it, and then we can both be off, for he
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 89 
 
 wants to go to Paris, and, between ourselves, I think 
 
 the spooney is going to get married. My notion is that 
 
 a fellow's a great fool who marries before he has got a 
 
 silk gown. I would not, even if one of the maids of 
 
 honour asked me. Most sincerely, my dear fellow, 1 
 
 desire nothing that could interfere with your recovery, 
 
 but pray let Skinner give me a few lines about you and 
 
 about this matter. 
 
 " &c, &c., 
 
 " Herbert Conway." 
 
 The other letter was as follows : — 
 
 " London, 
 
 " 1st September. 
 
 " No one of your friends, my dear Bohun, 
 laments more than I this melancholy event, which has 
 so cruelly interfered with all your arrangements and 
 mine, and I pray most earnestly that nothing may occur 
 to retard your progress in recovery, but that it may 
 be speedy and perfectly complete. I happened to have 
 set my heart on a trip to the Continent this season, but 
 of course I must regard your convenience, which, under 
 the circumstances, is paramount to everything; but I 
 know your great goodnature will incline you to give us 
 whatever recreation can be afforded in vacation, and 
 therefore I beg that you will allow your clerk to give 
 me a line, chiefly to satisfy me that you are going on 
 well, which is the universal wish of the Bar, and finally
 
 90 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 to know whether you have been able to make up your 
 mind when you will call upon us, or whether the hearing 
 must be postponed. 
 
 " &c. &c., 
 
 " Augustus Appleyard." 
 
 On the following day Bohun insisted on sitting up in 
 his easy chair, being well swathed to prevent the wound 
 suffering from any movement, and he wrote his various 
 letters, and saw Mr. Hargrave's messenger, and insisted 
 on his returning to town, and reporting that he was now 
 past all anxiety, and he wrote himself a line expressive 
 of his gratitude to his good friend. He was too tired 
 to write more, but desired this gentleman, Mr. Cropper, 
 to call on Mr. Oakley and explain his situation.
 
 ( 91 ) 
 
 CHA.I>TER VII. 
 
 COMPARING NOTES. 
 
 II /TR. HALLIFAX had ordered over a stay-maker 
 from York, who took measure of him for a pair 
 of stays, the form of which was very skilfully planned ; 
 and after this man was gone, Mr. Hallifax proceeded 
 with rather a sorrowful countenance to propose his 
 immediate removal from Maidenthorpe, stating, among 
 other causes, the urgent injunction of Lady Cecilia 
 Altham, and the concealment that had been practised 
 on Lady Bewdley, in order to save her from unneces- 
 sary alarm, and his own personal dread of hazard to 
 himself arising from this, if the lady discovered that she 
 had been imposed upon by a false story. 
 
 This grievous piece of intelligence was not unexpected 
 by Bohun, but it made the consciousness of his advance- 
 ment towards recovery cease to produce an enlivening 
 effect. 
 
 When Lady Susan entered the invalid's room soon 
 after this interview, she immediately remarked, " Why, 
 Mr. Bohun, your appearance does not confirm Mr. 
 Hallifax's account of your progress : he said your reco- 
 very was much advanced, but you appear to me to be 
 faint and dispirited."
 
 92 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 " Most kind lady, do me the honour to take a seat, 
 and let me relate what has passed between Mr. Hallifax 
 and me this morning. After he had finished the dress- 
 ing of my wounds, he told me, as I presume he has 
 since told you, that my recovery was considerably ad- 
 vanced, and that I could now be removed. I replied that 
 the charming air of this place, and the very kind and 
 careful nursing I had received, made me very unwilling 
 to be taken away, for it was quite evident that I could 
 gain no advantage by it. He then told me that it was 
 necessary that I should quit this house, because Lady 
 Bewdley had not been informed of my being here, and, 
 indeed, she had been kept in ignorance of the whole 
 affair, and it had tended much to her recovery, and she 
 was getting so alert and observant that she would in- 
 evitably learn that I was in the house if I remained 
 longer, and that the tale of those horrors, which we had 
 all suffered by, would have a very injurious effect on 
 her imagination and spirits, and inevitably derange her 
 nervous system, besides compromising him. Under this 
 moral compulsion I felt myself obliged to go, but not 
 to leave the village." 
 
 The cheerfulness of Lady Susan gradually subsided 
 as the narrative went on, and she became at last as sad 
 and dejected as her companion. 
 
 " But you are not going to the wretched inn here ?" 
 
 " No, and Mr. Hallifax ofJered me lodging in his 
 house, but that I declined at once, telling him I would
 
 COMPARING NOTES. 93 
 
 not be at a place where medical practice was carried on. 
 He has had me measured for stays, which are to be 
 here on the day after to-morrow, and I have sent 
 Skinner to Mr. Oakley to try if he can get me received 
 there, and told him to offer even ten guineas a week if 
 the matter turned on price, and this I did, dear lady, in 
 the hope that I might possibly, owing to your knowing 
 and visiting them, have now and then the opportunity 
 of seeing you, for really those cheering visits, 'angel 
 visits' I may truly call them, which you have from time 
 to time honoured me with, are beyond everything else 
 conducive to my recovery." 
 
 " You must remember, Mr. Bohun, that in Mr. 
 Oakley's house I have no opportunity of going up- 
 stairs." 
 
 " Oh, of course I had thought of that, and shall be 
 urgent to have an apartment on the ground floor." 
 
 " Well, if you can manage that, there is a chance of 
 our meeting, for I shall not discontinue my visits to 
 Mrs. Oakley." 
 
 " And will you not also in the abundance of your 
 kindness think of a poor lonely languishing creature, 
 like a plant shut out from the sun's rays, and enliven 
 him with a glow of light and warmth when you can ?" 
 
 There was a stir at this moment which compelled 
 Lady Susan to retire, but not without a smile and giving 
 her hand to Bohun, and the pressure it endured was not 
 perhaps unexpected.
 
 94 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 The visit was repeated on the following morning, but 
 she did not come to it with the same hopeful and de- 
 lighted aspect as usual. The present emergency had 
 forced both of them to think, and many difficulties had 
 presented themselves to the mind of each ; but Bohun 
 felt that a full explanation of his circumstances and 
 views was now peremptorily called for, and the subject 
 being uppermost in his mind he entered upon it almost 
 immediately they met. 
 
 *' My dear Lady Susan," he said, " if I now venture 
 precipitately to assure you of my fervent unalterable 
 love, I hope you will compassionately revert to my early 
 ignorance, but for which I might possibly have been 
 deterred from giving myself up to such an unreasonable 
 passion. I say so, because your relations will have 
 regard to rank and wealth also in disposing of your 
 hand, and I, alas ! possess neither. I commenced the 
 world without anything, and have not yet had the 
 opportunity of getting rich ; but I have been able to 
 repay the cost of my college expenses, and also for my 
 legal instruction previous to commencing practice at the 
 Bar, which required some years of persevering industry 
 and rigid economy ; but owing to the continuance of the 
 same habits, my practice has gradually advanced to 
 £2,000 a year, and is on the increase ; but I was in- 
 duced a short time ago to borrow of Mr. Hargrave 
 £4,000, and until I have repaid that, I cannot consider 
 that I possess any income of my own. You will perhaps
 
 COMPARING NOTES. 95 
 
 wonder at my doing this, but there are others interested 
 in the transaction, and it ought to be private, and at the 
 time I thought of nothing but giving up two years' 
 work." 
 
 " May I ask," said the lady, '^ whether Mr. Hargrave 
 would have lost the money if you had perished in that 
 dreadful contest." 
 
 " No," said Bohun, " it was a necessary part of the 
 bargain that I insured my life for £5,000, and trans- 
 ferred the policy to him, so that in the event of my 
 death from any cause he would have been repaid. He 
 approved of the purpose for which I borrowed the 
 money ; and though I have the interest to pay him, and 
 the premium to pay to the Insurance Office, I shall 
 have £1,000 ready to pay him, as a first instalment of 
 the debt, as soon as I get to London ; and as my 
 practice at the Bar improves from day to day, I have no 
 doubt of rendering myself free of debt before the end of 
 two years. 
 
 " I have before said that when first I saw you I was 
 not aware of the vast difference in our position in life ; 
 but, under the actual circumstances, I am led to the 
 painful conclusion that I must wait two years before I 
 can with honour aspire to the hand of your ladyship. 
 In other words, I feel that I am not warranted in saying 
 more than that, in the event of your remaining un- 
 married, I will at that time prefer my suit, and, as I 
 firmly trust, under far more favourable auspices, that is
 
 96 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 to say, as an independent man, free of debt and with an 
 annual income of not less than £2,500." 
 
 " Pray Alfred," said the lady, " what was your idea 
 of me when you first conversed with me in the hall ?" 
 
 " My idea of you — why, as an angel sent to charm 
 away the pain of wounds, and render me insensible of 
 the approach of death." 
 
 ^' Alfred," said the lady, " you are so extravagant." 
 
 " I beg your pardon ; that presented itself to my 
 mind as a candid and appropriate answer." 
 
 The lady reverted to the scene in the hall on the 
 night of his arrival, and remembered that he had so 
 designated her when he thought she was out of hearing. 
 
 " Well," she said with a smile, " you are wrong to 
 flatter me, but my question was meant to refer to my 
 situation in the family." 
 
 " Why, I saw in you the polish of high breeding, 
 grafted on to the most exquisite natural grace, but 
 though you possessed all the attributes of a lady, the 
 rank and wealth were not an inevitable sequence, and 
 your great efficiency in the care of me made me think 
 that you had been brought up under discipline, and 
 were not unaccustomed to exertion, and let me remind 
 you that Lady Bewdley's name does not figure in the 
 Peerage." 
 
 " And how would you have acted in the alternative 
 of my being merely an undistinguished inmate of tlie 
 house."
 
 COMPARING NOTES. 97 
 
 " I hope nearly as I have done with your ladyship ; 
 because matrimony requires some expenditure in the 
 outset, and a house to live in, which I have not, and 
 some income, even for the most parsimonious and in- 
 ferior style of keeping house, perfectly different from 
 anything that you, Lady Susan, have been accustomed 
 to." 
 
 " Do you think my aunt would afford us any aid." 
 
 *' I lament to express my opinion that your father 
 Lord Bosworth and Lady Bewdley would spurn the 
 idea of such an alliance, and that the mere mention of 
 it would lead most probably to your being sent out of 
 the country, or placed under some dreadful system of 
 restraint." 
 
 '^ And you consider marriage quite out of the question 
 at present." 
 
 " I think it would be ill-judged as regards your lady- 
 ship. I am not acquainted with Lord Bosworth, but if 
 he chose to exercise the power he might apply to the 
 civil court to have such a marriage annulled." 
 
 " Oh ! dreadful ; it is better to wait two years than 
 run such a risk as that." 
 
 "It is very much against my interest, dear lady, to 
 suggest this delay, for it will render two of the best 
 years of my life entirely barren of enjoyment; but my 
 conscience suggests that you. Lady Susan, ought to 
 possess some knowledge of my sex, and the world in 
 general, before you trust a man with the important, 
 
 H
 
 98 MAIDENTHORPE 
 
 though delightful duty, of securing your welfare and 
 happiness." 
 
 The lady was silent ; her heart sank under the con- 
 viction that her lover had taken a right view of the case, 
 and that his suit would meet with overwhelming oppo- 
 sition on the part of her aunt and her father. She 
 remained still and pale for a time, but said afterwards, 
 with a deep sigh, " I must wait and rely upon your 
 honour." 
 
 '* It is exquisitely kind of you to form such a reso- 
 lution ; but pray, rather than speak of my honour, think 
 of the power of such beauty as yours, and of the fasci- 
 nating influence of sense, refinement, taste and goodness 
 in their utmost perfection, of a total that man would not 
 only admire and delight in, but even worship : what 
 honour is there in waiting two years, or twenty years, 
 for such an angel ; and it is something in addition to 
 this that you are placed in a more exalted sphere than I 
 have had the chance of moving in." 
 
 It was necessary for the lady to leave him at this 
 time, and they shook hands cordially, but he resigned 
 hers with a sigh. 
 
 Bohun triumphed in the part he had taken, and was 
 enchanted with his success. He had formed a right 
 notion of the way in which the feelings of Lady Susan 
 had been inclined towards him ; she knew that he had 
 saved her life in a crisis of imminent danger ; she had 
 lived in a state of pupilage, and without its being
 
 COMPARING NOTES. 99 
 
 softened by the enjoyment of a mother's tenderness. 
 Her father was a hard-hearted man, absolutely given up 
 to gambling, and who thought nothing about his 
 daughter, but of marrying her in such a way as would 
 enable him to raise more money out of the family pro- 
 perty. Her aunt too, though she loved Lady Susan, 
 was a rigid disciplinarian, and was not in the habit of 
 expressing her affection by bursts of passionate fondness. 
 Nor could it be forgotten that Bohun was thrown in her 
 way at a period of her life, nearly nineteen, when the 
 heart expands to other feelings than those of the 
 daughter and the school girl, so that his admiration and 
 enthusiastic passion were just what she was disposed to 
 delight in and in some degree to reciprocate. 
 
 h2
 
 ( 100 ) 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 NARRATIVE. 
 
 rnHE letter of the York attorney which enclosed the 
 two letters of counsel before stated mentioned the 
 necessity of examining the master and mate and some of 
 the crew of the ship " Good Intent," expected to arrive 
 at Hull from a voyage to the Baltic, and in fact due in a 
 day or two, and he wished to know what Mr. Bohun, in 
 his character of arbitrator, would be able to do " in the 
 premises," for the unloading of the ship would not 
 occupy more than a week, and after that there would be 
 a charge for her demurrage of three guineas per day. 
 
 He could not reply finally to this without inquiry 
 about his proposed quarters, but in the meantime said 
 he felt the desirableness of proceeding at once if it were 
 any way possible, and promised to give the very earliest 
 intelligence what arrangement he could make. 
 
 He then dispatched Skinner to Mr. Oakley's, to tell 
 that gentleman his situation, and beg the favour of an 
 interview the following day at Maidenthorpe with him 
 and his lady, and he succeeded in obtaining from them 
 a room on the ground floor, with the bed placed in it, 
 and in obtaining their consent to hold his Court of
 
 NARRATIVE. 101 
 
 Arbitration there, and examine the witnesses through 
 the window. Inside the room were to be accommodated 
 the two counsel, two attornies. Skinner and himself, and 
 the sitting was to take place at the end of a week from 
 the date of his letter. 
 
 Bohun was delighted with the cordiality and obliging 
 disposition of the amiable people he was going to live 
 "with, and Lady Susan, who had joined the party after 
 all matters were agreed upon, was comforted by the 
 good understanding which she saw established, and said 
 that " she thought her poor dear aunt would one day 
 become acquainted with the important accommodation 
 they had afforded Mr. Bohun, and be very grateful to 
 Mr. and Mrs. Oakley for their great kindness." 
 
 Of course she retired when they did, but sent a mes- 
 sage afterwards by Skinner, to say "that if he found 
 himself well enough for the recital, she should like to 
 hear his narrative of the journey across the moors before 
 he left the house, and begged to know how early she 
 might have the pleasure of seeing him," and he under- 
 took to be prepared by ten next morning, and to wait 
 her pleasure afterwards. 
 
 The lady had to attend her aunt at her breakfast, 
 after which she knew that the old lady would take a 
 nap, and she made her entrance into Bohun's room 
 about half-past ten. Skinner had been appointed to 
 keep guard. 
 
 The lady said "excuse my curiosity, or rather the
 
 102 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 interest I take in the subject, and which you promised 
 to gratify, but if you find the task too much for you, do 
 not let me cause you fatigue that might be injurious ; I 
 would prefer waiting to that." 
 
 " Pray do not think of it, dear lady. I think I told 
 you that the accidents which led to my being at Trap- 
 stone Hill at the time of the attack on your carriage 
 were very remarkable. You shall judge : — You have 
 read a little of my correspondence with my sister about 
 the commencement and cause of this freak of knight 
 errantry, but I do assure you I shall engage in nothing 
 more of the sort, but plod on in the regular high road 
 of life." 
 
 " I am very glad to hear you say that," said the lady, 
 '^ though on this occasion we have profited wonderfully 
 by your remarkable deviation from the beaten track." 
 
 " Then," said Bohun, with a bow of acknowledgment, 
 " I commence my tale with my departure from Lancaster 
 at the close of the assizes, that is to say, five days 
 before I had the pleasure of seeing your ladyship ; and 
 pray allow me to remind you of the mention in my 
 letter to my sister of the last cause tried at Lancaster 
 having been long and difficult, the result depending 
 on figures and matters of account involving great in- 
 tricacy, which made my opposing counsel desire an 
 arbitration instead of proceeding with the trial, and the 
 judge also was unwilling to hear it out, and the struggle 
 I had to enforce this (because I had witnesses from
 
 NARRATIVE. 103 
 
 foreign countries, whose evidence I must have lost if 
 the case had not been then heard and decided), was very 
 arduous. I do not recollect how much I said about 
 this in my letter, but there was a great deal of asperity 
 in the course of the trial, and the fatigue I had under- 
 gone in preparing the case, and my anxiety during the 
 hearing, made me resolve upon an entire abstinence 
 from mental occupation for a short time, and the substi- 
 tution of bodily labour in lieu of it, by taking a solitary 
 walk across the country from Lancaster to York, which 
 I hoped to accomplish in four days." 
 
 "Pray, Mr. Bohun," said Lady Susan, "excuse my 
 asking whether you won this cause after all ?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, I had it all my own way, for I believe I 
 was the only man in court who understood it, and I 
 baffled the adverse accountant, and carried the jury with 
 me in spite of the judge, but it was a dreadful strain 
 upon my nerves. 
 
 " I equipped myself the same afternoon with a light 
 shooting jacket, nailed shoes, and a garb suited to a 
 pedestrian tourist, and set out on a walk of fifteen miles 
 the same evening, by which time I had recovered my 
 appetite, and after a moderate supper I enjoyed a sound 
 sleep. Now I must acknowledge that I was barbarous 
 enough to put into my pocket at Lancaster the letter 
 which arrived that afternoon from my dear sister after 
 merely glancing over the contents, and it was not till 
 breakfast time next morning that I read it carefully, and
 
 104 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 her sweet and kind recollections of me, combined with 
 fine weather and the absence of all care, prepared me to 
 start on my journey in tip-top spirits. 
 
 " The people of the inn recommended me to take a 
 guide, but I would not hear of it, and set forth fresh 
 and sanguine to traverse the mountain road to the east, 
 having laid in a small store of provisions in case my 
 career should not lead me among the haunts of men in 
 due time. I must confess that, though my spirits made 
 me relish for a time the total seclusion and the grand 
 and wild scenery over and through which I travelled, 
 yet in many instances I found my compass a deceitful 
 guide, because through these mountain tracts it was 
 impossible to proceed in anything like a straight course, 
 or keep a reckoning. In the afternoon the west wind 
 blew up clouds, which overcast the heavens, and about 
 five o'clock a thick drizzling rain set in, which pre- 
 vented my seeing to any distance before me, and thereby 
 destroyed all confidence in my own scheme of making 
 progress, and made me when too late regret that I had 
 not the assistance of a guide : however, I determined 
 not to be cast down by the first difficulty in an excur- 
 sion which I had voluntarily adopted for the very pur- 
 pose of an effectual change, and though I not long 
 afterwards lost the light of the sun, I kept my course, 
 though with great caution, in what seemed to me a path, 
 thinking that the moon would rise soon, and that I 
 should again have the advantage of my compass, beside
 
 NARRATIVE. 105 
 
 being in some degree capable of guiding myself by that 
 luminary ; but in the meantime the rain gradually became 
 more heavy, and the wind rendered my footing uncertain, 
 and after some time I suddenly slipped and fell, and 
 found myself rolling down a steep declivity so thinly 
 covered with soil that there was nothing to grapple to, 
 and, therefore, I went on upwards of twenty feet towards 
 what I for the moment deemed inevitable destruction, 
 but my progress was arrested by a small piece of rock, 
 which jutted out at a sharp angle from the surface. In 
 the collision I broke two of my ribs, and suffered great 
 pain, because at first and for some time I was unable to 
 move, and breathed with great difficulty, but by degrees 
 I made efforts to use my left hand, and partly groped 
 out the shape of the rock, and then contrived to move 
 in such a degree as to relieve the part most injured ; and 
 I remained thus a considerable time, the wind and rain 
 continuing, but at lengtb they ceased and the moon 
 appeared shining brilliantly; but its light disclosed to 
 me that I was on the verge of a precipice, though it 
 also showed that it might be possible by great exertion 
 to reach some other projecting peaks' immediately in 
 advance of me ; and, stimulated by the grand impulse 
 of self-preservation, I gradually worked my way for- 
 ward obliquely with painful exertion and the utmost 
 caution to the summit of the ridge on which I had been 
 walking, when I found my notion of its being a path 
 confirmed, and thought I perceived at about a mile dis-
 
 106 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 tance a hut or small house, and of course I proceeded 
 in that direction, and had the infinite delight to find 
 the object what I expected, but when I knocked at the 
 door and begged admittance, I received the most churl- 
 ish reply possible, accompanied with a threat that my 
 brains would be blown out if I did not walk off. I 
 stated my case with what eloquence I could as to my 
 being an unfortunate tourist who knew nothing of the 
 locality, and had suffered by a very severe accident, 
 that I was willing to pay amply for any shelter and sus- 
 tenance they might afford me, and that if they were 
 withheld I must inevitably perish before morning, for 
 my strength was quite exhausted. ' Who are you ? 
 said a voice from within. ^Alfred Bohun, a barrister, 
 and having been much engaged at the assizes, I resolved 
 on this solitary ramble to give some rest to my mind.' 
 * How can you prove that to me ?' which at first seemed 
 a stumbling block ; but I recollected my dear sister's 
 letter, and told him if he could make a little clearance 
 under the door for its admission I would give him a 
 letter, and accordingly, having lifted the door as much 
 as he could, I found means to shove it under, notwith- 
 standing its being wet. When he had read this letter, 
 which not only substantiated my information, but spread 
 before him views and feelings of a novel character, the 
 door opened, and I was let in in a fainting state. The 
 old man who occupied the house and his housekeeper 
 betrayed no want of tenderness and alacrity in rendering
 
 NARRATIVE. 107 
 
 me assistance, and when my wet and dirty clothes were 
 stripped off, he examined my injured side, and swathed 
 me round with a bandage, and gave me some tea, and 
 then left me to sleep on his bed, and the next morning 
 he and the housekeeper gave me a good breakfast, and 
 two or three hours after I found myself able to dress 
 with the assistance of my host ; after w^hich he referred 
 to my sister's letter, which he had then dried, and 
 remarked that it w^as characteristic of a very sensible 
 and amiable person, and asked if he could be allowed 
 to keep it, but I told him, for more reasons than one, I 
 should not like to part with a letter that had saved my 
 life, but any extracts that he would like to have I would 
 promptly copy for him. This he consented to, and the 
 part which he desired to have copied related to a person 
 mentioned in the letter who had been the object of my 
 sister's care." 
 
 " And your's, too, Mr. Bohun," said the young lady, 
 '* for you recollect you authorized me to read that 
 letter." 
 
 " Granted, fair lady : she is an old acquaintance of 
 mine. Of course being under his roof I did not make 
 any comment on this, though I formed a conclusion that 
 this person was a relative of his ; and I was confirmed 
 in this by his asking me to sign my copy and date it 
 from his residence, which having done, I wrote under- 
 neath, of my own accord, ' wherein I have found shelter 
 and relief in my utmost distress and need.' This
 
 108 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 pleased him, and he supphed me with a stick, and for 
 some time I took advantage of his arm till my stiffness 
 wore off." 
 
 " What !" said Lady Susan, " did you set off to walk 
 with two broken ribs ?" 
 
 " There was no alternative, my lady ; I was under a 
 pressing engagement to get to York in four days." 
 
 The lady sighed deeply. 
 
 " Previous to my departure I took an opportunity to 
 remunerate the housekeeper, through whose care my 
 linen was made tolerably clean and my clothes somewhat 
 set to rights, and my careful landlord had wound up my 
 watch and set it to the time of the locality. On our 
 walk my host talked of various features of the country, 
 and I was entirely occupied with listening to his advice 
 and information, when, suddenly stopping, he said, 
 * Your sister describes a certain person in her letter as 
 your protege ; I wish you would inform me the whole 
 of your knowledge of that person, and your intercourse 
 with her.' I told him that he had not set me an agree- 
 able task, for it recalled a most distressing period of my 
 life, but he had laid me under such important obligations 
 to him that I must regard his desire as a command, and 
 accordingly, being seated on a ledge of rock, I told him 
 every circumstance connected with the subject. When 
 I had finished, he said, ' You have told your story like 
 a lawyer, and brought yourself out very fair ; but can 
 you, as an honest man, swear to me that you have not
 
 NARRATIVE. 109 
 
 committed sin with this woman?' 'Never,' I said, 'as I 
 hope for salvation. Remember, I have confessed to 
 folly, gross folly ; and surely you must have had ex- 
 perience enough of the vanity of human nature to be 
 sensible that it is harder for a man to acknowledge 
 weakness than sin.' He then inquired after a man whom 
 I had mentioned in the course of my narrative as her 
 accomplice and betrayer, and I told him that I had 
 been the means of bringing that villain to justice in 
 Germany, upon another crime of a deep dye, and pro- 
 cured his being sentenced to the Austrian galleys for 
 life ; and he was much gratified at my assurance that a 
 more severe punishment could hardly be conceived. 
 After this I told him that it was now perfectly plain to me 
 that he had a personal interest in this poor woman, whose 
 repentance my sister had described, that I remembered 
 what she was before an abandoned course of life had 
 destroyed her beauty, and that there was between her 
 and him a palpable resemblance, and his conduct con- 
 vinced me of his feeling an interest in this unfortunate 
 creature. I told him that this interview should not be 
 mentioned to her, but I hoped that for his own sake he 
 would be merciful to this broken spirit, and try to re- 
 ceive the penitent with the same benevolent feeling that 
 strangers had exhibited ; he seemed much staggered, and 
 I thought it better not to say more at that time, but we 
 parted on cordial terms after he had pointed out the road
 
 110 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 to a village where 1 could have good accommodation and 
 a good mealj of which I stood in much need. 
 
 " From thence 1 proceeded for some distance in a 
 stage coach, which conveyed me rather out of my proper 
 line, in a direction to the north-east of York, so that it 
 was not all gain, but at night I was some miles nearer to 
 the end of my journey, and found a tolerable inn. 
 
 " Next day I had to travel through a more pleasant line 
 of country, and though in my comparatively debilitated 
 state I could not calculate on reaching York on foot, yet 
 1 expected to cut into the turnpike road and find easily 
 some kind of conveyance. 
 
 " The following day 1 was many hours on foot to com- 
 plete my journey, but did not walk very fast, and at night 
 I had to lodge at a very indifferent hostelry, and neither 
 my fare nor my bed were adapted to set me off on my 
 journey in great vivacity next morning, and 1 did not 
 begin walking till after 9 o'clock. I knew my line across 
 the moors, and the air of this fine open country was very 
 agreeable, and nothing prevented my taking a due south 
 direction ; and about 1 o'clock I picked up a wounded 
 grouse, which I killed, and, being very hungry, I made 
 my way to a house which I saw not far off, and which I 
 found to be an ancient weather-beaten structure of the 
 rudest description, but there was a sign indicative of hos- 
 pitality, namely, an overflowing can, and I requested the 
 woman to grill the bird on the fire for me, and I asked
 
 NARRATIVE. Ill 
 
 for a can of beer, the hostess told me ungraciously she 
 had nothing but whiskey, and having obtained more of 
 that than I wanted, and some water to mix with a small 
 portion of it, and also some black bread, I began upon 
 both these, looking forward to my grouse as soon as it 
 might be sufficiently scorched, for the woman laid it upon 
 a large peat fire, which by blowing she brought to a red 
 heat. Now, at the time I entered this house, I thought 
 it looked as if we were going to have thunder, and the 
 accumulation of clouds went on rapidly after T had got 
 in, and the atmosphere became murky, which, combined 
 with the extremely sullen looks of the landlady, made me 
 regret venturing into the house ; and in the midst of this, 
 before my savoury meat could be displayed on the board, 
 three men rushed into the house, one of them remarking, 
 * well it's a coming in earnest,' and all the signs of a 
 tempest began to show themselves. One of the fellows 
 immediately came to the table and drank my whiskey, 
 upon which I ordered the mistress to give the other two 
 a glass a-piece, all which I paid for, taking care not to 
 display more coin than was needful, and I went on 
 eating the black bread and washing it down with my 
 thin mixture, which was beneath their notice. ' I say 
 Mistress,' says one of them, * where didst te get this 
 bird?' * T' chap there brought it in.' 'Didst thee 
 shoot it?' the fellow then said, addressing me. ' No,' I 
 replied, 'I am no sportsman ; I picked it up.' ' Why 
 tlien it's my bird,' said the other, * for / shot it, and /'//
 
 112 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 eat it.' Of course there never was a decree of the Lord 
 Chancellor more conclusive than this. I therefore went 
 on with my unrelishing bread, which I found it a difficult 
 task to swallow; for on the outside the darkness con- 
 tinued to increase, and within, in front of me, by the 
 side of the fire, sat that sturdy ruffian, of most truculent 
 aspect, who had established so indisputable a title to the 
 grouse, and whose ferocious countenance seemed to 
 exult in his power of destruction, while on either side 
 sat a man of the same stamp, each having a gun in his 
 hand, beside which the man who entered first was ac- 
 companied by a mastiff dog, which seemed to place him- 
 self at his master's feet, though I have since thought he 
 might have been attracted to that spot by the scent of 
 the bird on the fire. The still darkening gloom outside 
 gave anything but relief to the sombre scene within, 
 which appeared to me of a character to render my 
 situation hopeless, because the men had not attacked me 
 as yet ; and even if I had been disposed to sell my life 
 dearly in this unequal contest, by commencing the fray, 
 I had not actually any warrantable ground for assuming 
 on their part that murderous intent, of which I felt no 
 doubt, so all I could do was to keep fast hold of my 
 knife and wait the result, at the same time putting up a 
 prayer, and almost choking myself in determined efforts 
 to keep up the appearance of eating, when, after the 
 darkness had increased almost to night, there came a 
 most tremendous flash of lightning, and in the very
 
 NARRATIVE. 113 
 
 instant the crash of thunder with it, and the gable end 
 of the house, opposite which I sat, came tumbling down, 
 and the whole place was filled with smoke, dust and 
 sulphurous smell. Now you may remember that I sat 
 opposite the fire, the table intervening, and I saw that 
 there was a chasm at the back of the chimney, through 
 which I might attempt my escape. I instantly pushed 
 the table right over against the man with the dog, and 
 then rushed through the gap, knife in hand, and rolling 
 over the bricks and stones was soon on my legs again, 
 and put them to the best use I was able. The man who 
 had been next the fire forced through after me, and I 
 began to be afraid of his shot, but no gun was fired, at 
 any rate I heard none, and from recollection of the 
 smell and smoke am inclined to think that the lightning 
 discharged that gun and also killed the dog. It is not 
 improbable that the continuance of the storm, accom- 
 panied by violent rain, deterred them from pursuit." 
 
 Poor Lady Susan, who had listened pale and breath- 
 less during the latter part of the story, fetched a deep 
 sigh at its conclusion and in uttering " thank God," the 
 tears came into her eyes. " Heavens, what an escape !" 
 she said. 
 
 *' Yes it was, as I before ventured to call it, a mira- 
 culous escape," said Bohun, " but the adventure was 
 not without profit, for it caused me to be furnished with 
 a weapon, and made me thoroughly acquainted with the 
 
 I
 
 1 14 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 three ruffians with whom I was destined to have a 
 bloody encounter at night." 
 
 " But," said Lady Susan, " wounded and tired and 
 starved as you must have been, I wonder how you 
 could live, and be able to engage in that dreadful fight 
 which you allude to." 
 
 "After I could run no longer, my lady, I scrambled 
 along till I got to the hut of a man who looked after 
 cattle on the hills, and from him I was able to pur- 
 chase a little food of a very coarse kind, and I lay 
 down and slept on his bed, which consisted of a ledge 
 of rock in the hut, and he threw over me a bit of 
 sheepskin which was his own coverlid. I had pre- 
 viously arranged with him to call me in two hours, that 
 is to say, when the sun had reached the brow of a 
 certain hill on the horizon, a mark which my compass 
 had led me to elect, and for doing this, and conducting 
 me to within sight of the York road, I engaged to give 
 him the munificent reward of two shillings. 
 
 " The distance of this was greater than he had led 
 me to expect, or perhaps my lameness made me think 
 so, and the moment he was able to point out the road at 
 a great distance, when it was getting dark, and the signs 
 of another storm were apparent, he said he ^ dared not 
 go any further,' but told me * if I went straight I must get 
 to Trapstone Hill and catch the coach,' of which he 
 insisted ' that two specks of light in the distance were
 
 NARRATIVE. 115 
 
 the lamps.' I advanced as well as I could over very 
 irregular ground, from time to time watching the lamps, 
 and could soon distinguish them in slow ascent at the 
 bottom of the hill, and I walked towards the point 
 where I should come upon the road, but I arrived at it 
 rather higher up the hill, where the line of road had 
 been formed by cutting down below the top of the pre- 
 cipice, so I walked down to find a convenient place to 
 descend to the road, and in my progress saw the very 
 commencement of the assault on the carriage, and it 
 happily occurred to me to cast down upon the most 
 active of the assailants a piece of rock, which put him 
 hors de combat, and now, if you please, we will cut the 
 story short, for all the rest has been village gossip for 
 above a week : but I think I met with no less than four 
 pieces of good fortune in the course of my adventure 
 worth noticing, one was, the deflection of the ball by 
 my watch ; the second, that the weak part, where the 
 ribs had been fractured, admitted of the easier passage 
 of the ball, for I am convinced that it made its exit at 
 that part, and it might otherwise have been directed 
 round to the back bone ; thirdly, the acquisition of a 
 weapon which happened in such a manner that it may 
 almost be said to have been put into my hand by the 
 murderers themselves ; and, lastly, the knowledge I 
 acquired of the persons of those wretches, which 
 enabled me at a glance to judge of their murderous 
 purpose, and to act against them with confidence and 
 
 1 2
 
 116 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 without scruple ; and, indeed, it was owing to the same 
 cause that I was able to guard against your traitorous 
 maid servant." 
 
 " It is an extraordinary combination of wonders that 
 has brought us together, Alfred," said the lady, '' and all 
 to your disadvantage, and to me, of life benefit ; I can 
 only pray that you may never again suffer for my sake." 
 
 " You take the matter too seriously, dear lady, I con- 
 sider myself the most fortunate of men, and assure you 
 that to serve and guard you will henceforward be the 
 ambition and glory of my life." 
 
 The lady smiled upon this sentiment, and left him 
 after cordially shaking hands and the promise of another 
 visit the next morning. 
 
 The lady was so much wanted by her aunt, that she 
 could not rely upon an opportunity of making it at any 
 other period of the day, and indeed Bohun was so 
 fatigued by his narration that he slept a great deal 
 during the afternoon, and when Mr. Hallifax called, he 
 prescribed an extra glass of port wine. 
 
 After the greetings were over, when they met the next 
 morning, he asked, as it were in a cursory manner, 
 " whether she ever came to London," which, as he 
 expected, was answered in the negative. She then said, 
 "that Mr. Hallifax spoke rather less cheerfully about 
 him yesterday, and that she blamed herself for permitting 
 him to talk so long in the morning, and that to-day he 
 must be silent."
 
 NARRATIVE. 117 
 
 Then he said '' dear lady, while my lips are sealed, 
 perhaps you will favour me with some further family 
 intelligence, it will I assure you be highly interesting to 
 me." 
 
 The lady then informed him ^' that her father was 
 abroad in the character of ambassador to one of the 
 Italian States, and had often expressed a desire to have 
 her company in Italy, but her aunt, who had taken upon 
 herself the charge of her education, had been always 
 unwilling to let her go ; and that both she and her father 
 did not like to act in direct opposition to her wishes " 
 (though by her manner of speaking Bohun thought that 
 an inclination to do it was slightly apparent on the part 
 of his interesting companion) : she said, " it was many 
 years since she had been at the family mansion, Conquest 
 Hall, where there was a large park, with a river running 
 through it, and she was sure Bohun would think it a 
 charming place, and she wondered that anything could 
 induce her papa to live away from it for so great a length 
 of time, however delightful the scenery and climate of 
 Italy might be." 
 
 Bohun, who, as before mentioned, knew a great deal 
 about the noble and right honorable parent of his lovely 
 companion, "could have told her that owing to a long 
 career of extravagance, dissolute habits, and gambling, he 
 had spent every thing he could lay his hands on, and 
 mortgaged his estates till it was no longer possible during 
 Ills life to raise a shilling upon them, that he was still
 
 118 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 loaded with debt and waiting impatiently for his daughter's 
 coming of age, when he projected the making her join in 
 some deed, which she could not at present execute, for 
 enabling him to convert to his own use that residue 
 of the estates which was settled for her benefit, and 
 which, in the event of his success, would soon be wasted 
 like all the rest, leaving her without any provision ; but of 
 all this his countenance betrayed no consciousness during 
 her short statement, and he did not tell Lady Susan that 
 her papa lived abroad because he could not live in 
 England. 
 
 When the lady had finished, he said, " he hoped that 
 she would forgive him for entirely agreeing with her 
 aunt on this subject, for he knew well the principles and 
 habits of the people of most parts of the Continent, and 
 he thought she could derive no pleasure from such 
 society, and certainly could never sympathize with them." 
 
 " But papa says they are very agreeable." 
 
 " So they are in public, but their family life would 
 shock your ladyship." 
 
 " Well, Alfred, I must now be guided by you, and I 
 shall side with my aunt as much as possible, if this 
 matter be debated again." 
 
 "Your confidence delights me, because I think it may 
 contribute to your safety. If you went abroad some- 
 thing might occur to cause you to repent it, but if you 
 stay at home I shall have the satisfaction of knowing 
 that you are in security."
 
 NARRATIVE. 119 
 
 They had some conversation on indifferent subjects, 
 and then he reminded her, '^that as he departed from 
 Maidenthorpe the following morning, their next meeting 
 must be at the Rectory," and he begged "that Mike 
 might be the organ of communication, for though he had 
 no distrust of her own maid Lucy, he could not help 
 thinking there was a little levity about her, and he 
 should prefer the steady sobriety of his friend Mike." 
 Their adieu was very affectionate : not without tears on 
 the part of the lady, and her poor hand was pressed and 
 kissed with the due fervour of a lover.
 
 ^ 120 ) 
 
 CHAI^TEI^ IX. 
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 
 
 rnHE next morning Mike had the carnage out early, 
 and took in Mr. Bohun at the back door with his 
 baggage, which Skinner, who was his companion in the 
 carriage, had carefully gathered together, and two pil- 
 lows were put in to aid in the support of the patient, 
 and Mike, having a man to stand at the horses' heads, 
 was very useful in aiding the descent from the chariot 
 and in the walk to the house ; and afterwards he drove 
 the carriage up and down the road for some time to try 
 the horses in harness, in case his old lady were to hear 
 of the carriage being taken out and inquire the cause. 
 
 Our hero, when he was placed in his large easy 
 chair, felt the apartment and the view from its window 
 quite as much to his taste as the room he had occu- 
 pied at Maidenthorpe, and during the day he slept a 
 good deal, but in the afternoon he had the pleasure to 
 receive a supply of grapes from the Hall, Skinner 
 having gone to report the result of the removal, and 
 the lady, when she gave him the grapes, desired to 
 have his report for a day or two, after which she 
 would call herself
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 121 
 
 His new hostess was very kind and anxious to please, 
 and, Mr. Hallifax having called, the trio fully agreed 
 upon every thing that was requisite for the accommo- 
 dation and sustentation of our hero ; and the lady of 
 the house, who had been much prepossessed in favour 
 of her lodger, was eager to do every thing that might 
 promote his comfort and conduce to his recovery. 
 
 The suspension of his intercourse with Lady Susan, 
 owing to the change of his quarters, grieved Bohun 
 sadly ; but he was obliged to resume the exercise of his 
 profession, for the attorney at York was pressing about 
 the arbitration, and wrote again to remind him of the 
 cost of the demurrage, which, as the ship was nearly 
 unloaded, would be a charge of three guineas per day 
 during her detention afterwards, and he wished to take 
 Mr. B.'s pleasure as to the examining of witnesses; 
 but said at the same time, "the parties did not mind 
 paying for a few days if there was a chance of Mr. Bohun 
 being able to attend to the matter in any reasonable 
 time." Therefore, a day after the removal, Bohun ap- 
 pointed the attorney to come to him at Mr. Oakley's, 
 and in their conference it was settled to have the hear- 
 ing there at the expiration of five days, and that he 
 should take the evidence in his own room, and the wit- 
 nesses to appear outside at the open window to be 
 examined. 
 
 Mr. Conway and Mr. Appleyard were written to that 
 night, and the attorney undertook to supply charts and
 
 122 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 the log books, and to have the witnesses sworn at 
 York. 
 
 All parties were so eager to have it over, that the 
 hearing took place accordingly ; and Skinner was 
 amanuensis, and Bohun made the two counsel sign each 
 leaf of the evidence, and took notes himself; and each 
 of the counsel addressed a few words to him after the 
 hearing, of which he also took notes. This occupied 
 two days owing to his want of strength ; after which 
 the parties were dismissed, but he retained the charts 
 and log books to be delivered up with the award. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Oakley and Skinner were requested to 
 say little if they were interrogated on the subject of 
 the adventure, and Bohun pleaded weakness when he 
 was asked anything about it, by which means he got rid 
 of all these parties, who also were intent upon other 
 objects. 
 
 The charming Lady Susan called on Mrs. Oakley 
 the day after their departure, and Bohun hearing of 
 her arrival joined the party, which consisted only of 
 the two ladies, in the room on the other side of the 
 passage ; and the meeting was a very happy one for 
 Bohun, who, owing to the fatigue, was not improved in 
 looks, but the delight he felt from the sight of the 
 lady gave vivacity to his features, and the change from 
 charts, witnesses, lawyers and law books to the kind 
 looks of his charming friend animated him so much 
 that he begged the two ladies to accompany him in
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 123 
 
 a walk in the garden, and Mrs. Oakley, offering him 
 her arm, they walked out accordingly, and he felt the 
 air most inspiring ; and the ladies pointed out the 
 situation of Trapstone Hill at some distance in the 
 West. 
 
 Of course the lovers were very much on their guard ; 
 but the visit and the walk were repeated next day, and 
 the following day the walk (owing to matters which 
 detained Lady Susan at Maidenthorpe) was later in the 
 day, and they ventured on the high road, and just as 
 they got to the spot where they intended to turn back 
 a light shower overtook them, coming up from the 
 quarter of the heavens opposite to the sun, which ap- 
 peared to promise a very glorious sunset. 
 
 A fine tree, standing just within the fence, overhung 
 the footpath near where they were, and under this they 
 took shelter from the passing shower. Just afterwards, 
 a poor woman arrived at the same spot, looking almost 
 worn out with fatigue. She would have walked on 
 heedless of the rain, but Bohun stopped her. " Come, 
 my good woman," he said, " God sends the shower, but 
 this tree which protects us is God's gift also, and you 
 have as much right to the shelter of it as we ; remem- 
 ber the text, that 'God is no respecter of persons.'" 
 
 The woman curtsied and stopped ; when Bohun said, 
 " you look very tired, where did you come from ?" 
 
 " From Hull, sir." 
 
 " And where are you bound to ?" 
 
 " Liverpool, sir."
 
 124 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 " What carried you so far from home ?" 
 
 " I went to meet my husband on his arrival at Hull ; 
 I hadn't seen him for some time, your honour ; but I had 
 to stop longer than usual, because my husband and 
 some more of the crew had to go a good way inland 
 to speak before a lawyer: drat him, why couldn't he 
 have come to Hull : and then, when he came back, 
 there was three days more before the ship sailed, and I 
 didn't like to leave him, but it run away with all the 
 money." 
 
 " You did very right, nevertheless, for there are rocks 
 and quicksands in harbours as well as in the ocean, and 
 he could not have a better pilot than you." 
 
 " Indeed there are, sir ; besides, I mended up all his 
 clothes for him." 
 
 "That's right; and how's the locker off for shot 
 now ?" 
 
 " Why sir," she said, pulling eleven shillings out of 
 her pocket, " this is all that I've got left to carry me to 
 Liverpool." 
 
 "A short supply, eh! Well, I will pay your fare 
 outside the coach. I think it is two pounds," he said, 
 producing two sovereigns. 
 
 " God bless you, sir," said the poor woman sobbing ; 
 *' but mightn't I have the money and walk ?" 
 
 " No, you might be robbed ; besides, it will be better 
 for you and your children that you should get home 
 and be able to work, instead of being worn out with 
 fatigue, and perhaps take a fever."
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 
 
 125 
 
 " Lord bless me, sir, you are a careful gentleman ; 
 I'm sure I shall do as you order me." 
 
 " That's the best way ; and perhaps," he said, ad- 
 dressing himself partly to Lady Susan, " this kind lady 
 will let her coachman go to the Fitzwilliam Arms, where 
 the coach stops, and try to make a bargain for the use 
 of an old box coat for you, so that you may travel both 
 dry and warm." 
 
 " Dear me, sir, to be sure you're the kindest, care- 
 fullest gentleman that ever I met with." 
 ■ " And now tell me the name of your husband," he 
 said. 
 
 " Please, sir, his name is Owen Benbow ; and he is 
 much used to the Baltic trade, and also to the American." 
 
 " Very good, but now comes the touch-stone. Can 
 he write and read ?" 
 
 " Ah ! dear me ; no, sir, I am sorry to say he can do 
 neither." 
 
 " That's unlucky ; it's hard to make a man's fortune 
 when he can neither read nor write ; but I'll take his 
 name down, and if a chance happens I won't forget 
 him." 
 
 By this time they had arrived at Maidenthorpe, and 
 Lady Susan promised to give Mike orders to go to the 
 inn; and when she did so, she told him to pay the 
 traveller's expenses there, and also for a paper of sand- 
 wiches to support her on the journey. 
 
 For all these things and coachman's fees a contribu-
 
 12f) MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 tion was levied on Lady Susan's purse to the amount of 
 ten shillings. 
 
 When Bohun and Mrs. Oakley were by themselves, 
 she said, " T do not blame your generosity, but if you 
 pursue this system, we shall be overwhelmed with 
 tramps ; for they all make known to one another where 
 money is to be had for asking." 
 
 " My dear madam," said Bohun, " that woman is not 
 a tramp; I saw at once that she was suffering, but 
 retained a feeling of independence ; and very soon, in 
 the little discussion between us, I discovered that her 
 husband was one of the sailors who have been here 
 to give evidence before me ; and a very clever fellow 
 he was: but you see how the fatal neglect of the 
 rudiments of education prevents his rising above the 
 common herd. I could easily have got him promotion 
 through the interest of Mr. Hargrave if he could have 
 kept the log and the very small accounts of the ship ; 
 but now, alas ! the utmost I may be able to do, will be 
 to get him a mate's berth in a sailing ship, or a good 
 well-paid service in a yacht, which last I dare say his 
 wife would prefer to any thing else." 
 
 " Well, Mr. Bohun," said the lady, " you conquer us 
 all, and I bow without reluctance to your superior dis- 
 crimination." 
 
 But what was the surprise of both of them when, the 
 next morning, Mike called to add his warm thanks to 
 those of the woman, for he found that she was a niece
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 127 
 
 of his own who had been severely treated by her family 
 on account of this marriage. Mike, himself, helped her 
 with a little more money, remarking with tears in his 
 eyes, "what would have become of the poor creature, 
 Mr. Bohun, if it had not been for you ?" 
 
 For two or three days he continued these walks, 
 taking care to secure the company of Lady Susan, 
 but he always held the arm of Mrs. Oakley, while he 
 supported himself with the stick on the other side. 
 
 On the succeeding Friday he determined to pro- 
 pound a new scheme, which, happily, met with the 
 concurrence of the two ladies — that is to say, he an- 
 nounced his desire to go to church ; and, as Lady 
 Susan started no objection, he prevailed on Mrs. Oakley 
 to call on Lady Bewdley, and try to obtain permission 
 for him to ride to and from the church in her ladyship's 
 carriage. 
 
 The old lady was at first amazed at such a request. 
 '' Why, Mrs. Oakley, I never heard of such a thing ; 
 put my niece into a carriage with a stranger, and a 
 man of no rank either ; why, he must have bewitched 
 you!" 
 
 "You put it on a wrong footing, my lady; a man 
 who is desperately wounded in the head — for which 
 his head has been shaved — and who also had a pistol 
 ball through his body, which in its exit broke two 
 ribs, causing a dreadful wound which is still open, may 
 naturally wish to go and return thanks to God in His 
 own house for his escape."
 
 1 28 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 " Yes, that's all very well ; but why should he parade 
 there in my carriage ?" 
 
 " Because, my lady, your carriage is very roomy, and 
 so charmingly easy, and I could ride bodkin between 
 your niece and Mr. Bohun." 
 
 " Oh, that's his name is it ; is he an Irishman ?" 
 
 "Oh, no, my lady, he's of ancient English descent; 
 and his father, Lieutenant-Colonel Bohun, was killed 
 in the Peninsular war." 
 
 "And what is he himself; has he been brought up 
 to trade ?" 
 
 " No ; he was brought up by the great London mer- 
 chant, Mr. Hargrave, and has been to college ; and he's 
 a barrister." 
 
 " But if he has such a bad wound in his body, how 
 can he sit up in the carriage ?" 
 
 " He is supported by a pair of stays, which Mr. Hal- 
 lifax had made for him." 
 
 This did not conclude the botheration that Mrs. 
 Oakley underwent ; but she was staunch for her client : 
 and finally, to the surprise and delight of Lady Susan, 
 who sat by working as diligently as she could, the 
 consent was granted; and on the next Sunday the 
 carriage conveyed the happy trio to the church, and 
 Lady Susan returned to her aunt's alone after her two 
 companions had been deposited at the Rectory. 
 
 In this result the old lady was disappointed, for she 
 had a desire to see this hero. Fighting men are favo- 
 rites even with old ladies, though perhaps in a less
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 129 
 
 degree than with young ones ; a fact which Lady 
 Bewdley did not happen at that time to take into 
 her consideration. 
 
 During the night the idea returned upon her more 
 than once, and, as she was in the habit of giving the 
 rein to her own fancies, she sent Mike to say, "that 
 if Mr. Bohun was not the worse for going to church, 
 she would call at the Rectory and give him an airing.'* 
 
 The amazed invalid, who had slept famously after the 
 labour of going to church, accepted her ladyship's invi- 
 tation with gladness, and, in due time, found himself 
 seated again in the old carriage, side by side with the 
 mistress of Maidenthorpe. 
 
 Of course he began the conversation with warm ex- 
 pressions of gratitude for her ladyship's vast kindness 
 in enabling him to go to church. Then he spoke in 
 raptures of the country air, and the beautiful site that 
 her house stood upon, advantages of the mountain 
 scenery in the background, &c. 
 
 The lady bore with this for a time, but then she 
 desired the particulars of the contest in the course of 
 which he had received these wounds ; but he told her 
 that he had the most positive injunction from Mr. Hal- 
 lifax never to touch upon that subject, for his brain had 
 been long in a state of inanition, and any excitement of 
 his nerves might at present cause a relapse. 
 
 The lady then said, " she heard that he was a bar- 
 rister." 
 
 K
 
 130 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 " You have been rightly informed, my lady ; and right 
 glad I am that this tap on the head was bestowed on 
 me in vacation time, for it would have thrown me out 
 of my practice, and caused me a great loss if it had 
 happened while the Courts were sitting." 
 
 " Do you get a good income by this practice, which 
 you say would have been suspended in that alternative?" 
 
 " My practice at the bar and in chambers brings me 
 in two thousand a year." 
 
 " Two thousand a year !" said the lady, echoing him 
 once or twice ; " why, that's the rental of an estate !" 
 
 " Rather a different thing though, my lady ; for if this 
 topper had finished me, the practice would have been 
 extinguished in the same instant; but the landed estate, 
 mansion, parks, pleasure grounds, arable and pasture 
 land and downs, ^ where the nibbling sheep do stray,' 
 endure for ever." 
 
 " Yes," said the lady, recovering her aplomb ; " but 
 still two thousand pounds is a great income. I wonder 
 you did not travel in a post-chaise." 
 
 "A pretty income certainly, my lady; but then it 
 happens in my case, as in very many others, that it is 
 not net." 
 
 " Oh !" said the lady ; " what's the drawback ?" 
 
 " The drawback, my lady, is a debt of four thousand 
 pounds." 
 
 " You in debt four thousand pounds !" 
 
 " It seems to amaze you, my lady ; but, according to
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 131 
 
 my experience, a state of indebtedness appears to be 
 the natural condition of man in civilized society. As 
 I walk from the Temple to Westminster Hall, I always 
 consider two men out of every three that I meet to be 
 in the same predicament as myself, though some not to 
 so large an amount." 
 
 " Well, Mr. Bohun, I don't mean to offend you, but 
 it does really fill me with surprize to learn that anybody 
 would lend you such a large sum." 
 
 " My friend Mr. Hargrave is a high-minded liberal 
 man ; and he advanced this money because he approved 
 of the intended application of it, and felt confident that 
 I should work zealously to redeem the debt." 
 
 " Is that the gentleman that sent his clerk here to 
 bring you money, and inquire about you ?" 
 
 "The same, my lady; he is an old friend of mine, 
 and was the friend of my father also." 
 
 " Very good, and I suppose when he heard of your 
 adventure he thought his four thousand pounds in great 
 jeopardy." 
 
 " No, when the money was lent, I insured my life for 
 five thousand pounds, and made the policy over to him to 
 secure payment of principal and interest : so that if I had 
 been killed, he would immediately have been reimbursed 
 by the assurance company, and had a residue to transfer 
 to my poor sister or my mother, if she had survived my 
 loss." 
 
 " And when shall you be able to pay him off?"
 
 132 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 " 111 rather less than two years. I shall clear off one 
 thousand pounds as a first instalment as soon as I get 
 back to London." 
 
 There was a little pause after this, and Bohun shut 
 his eyes during the time, and was tickled at the thought 
 what a strict examination he had undergone, and that 
 there were not many men at the Bar who could have 
 purged his conscience so effectually. 
 
 After a little consideration, the old lady thought that 
 her companion had spoken out on all subjects quite to 
 her satisfaction, and she felt disposed to be more gra- 
 cious to him during the remainder of the ride, and she 
 talked about her return from a visit a short time ago, 
 and how the carriage had been struck with lightning in 
 ascending that hill which she pointed out in the distance, 
 and that the lining of the carriage had to be renovated. 
 
 Our hero was amazed with her ladyship's version of 
 the adventure, but looked very grave and attentive, and 
 introduced ejaculations to suit the various epochs of the 
 narration, and, when she concluded, said, " it was a great 
 mercy that they all escaped, and a most fortunate thing 
 that the shock took place so near her ladyship's resi- 
 dence, for it would have been dreadful to have been put 
 to bed in an inn." 
 
 " An inn ! an inn of this country ! the idea of it is 
 perfectly disgusting," said the lady; *' I am sure the 
 horrors of such a place would have killed me at once." 
 
 After this they got into general conversation; and
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 133 
 
 she arrived, at the conclusion of her airing, so pleased 
 with her companion, that she asked him to dinner ; but 
 he said, " the remainder of that day must be spent in 
 entire rest: but if the next day were perfectly conve- 
 nient, and her ladyship could spare her equipage to 
 carry him, he should be proud and happy :" and it was 
 so arranged. 
 
 Well, thought Bohun, there are only I think twenty 
 days or three weeks of the Long Vacation past, and I 
 see my way into that house, and I hope to maintain my 
 footing there to a large extent, throughout the next 
 month : I shall have time enough left for the sea then. 
 
 Bohun wished to show as little of the invalid as he 
 could at this party, and Skinner, his valet pro tem., was 
 equally so disposed, for a reason had crept into his 
 mind for setting him off in good style, for dining with a 
 lady of rank ; and this is not a bad opportunity for saying 
 a little about the person of the hero of this tale. 
 
 His height was an inch or two under six feet, and 
 though at this time he was very spare, he was by no 
 means what would be called a slender man, his frame 
 being well knit, chest ample, legs clean and adapted for 
 activity and strength. His hands, now diverted of the 
 ink dye by which they were often disfigured, and at 
 present thin and delicate, were not in form inconsistent 
 with strength, his neck and shoulders were in perfect 
 harmony with his chest, and his head was set on majes- 
 tically. The bandage was removed from his head, and 
 the black cap contracted accordingly, and below that his
 
 134 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 hair appeared much as usual, for Spriggs had been 
 merciful to the lower part, when he cleared the crown 
 and scalp, and the friseur, besides shaving him, trimmed 
 the hair about his face to the best advantage, after which 
 Bohun managed to get on his black coat and white 
 waistcoat, notwithstanding the stays, which were rather 
 razeed for the occasion, and the servants at the hall were 
 astonished at seeing such a renovation of the poor 
 wounded creature that had been carried up to bed three 
 weeks before, and Lady Susan, who happened to be in 
 the drawing room before her aunt, contemplated his 
 restoration to his own proper figure with pure delight. 
 
 The lovers had for a few minutes the felicity of an 
 unobserved interchange of ideas and sentiments in 
 which there was no want of reciprocity, but nothing 
 passed which they intended for the public eye, and he 
 apprised her that at dinner he must never dare to look 
 at her, and in the course of the evening Bohun advised 
 her to destroy all the letters she happened to possess, 
 except those of Lady Bayswater, which she promised to 
 do before she slept. 
 
 The old lady made her appearance in superb costume, 
 but did not think it worth while to send for her diamonds, 
 which were deposited with the bankers at York. 
 
 The meeting of the lady and her guest was very 
 cordial, the latter observing that *'he thought by her 
 ladyship's looks, that she must have entirely recovered 
 from the frightful accident that she described to him ;" 
 to which she replied, *' that it was wonderful how her
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 135 
 
 constitution withstood it," and she soon led the way in to 
 dinner, Bohun taking the aid of Mike's arm in addition 
 to his own good stick. 
 
 He ate a hearty dinner, but though he praised the 
 wine, which it justly deserved, he drank but three 
 glasses ; he was not in a hurry for display, but as his 
 hostess, who liked to be amused, encouraged him, he 
 launched out more, and it may easily be supposed that 
 a young man abounding in information and anecdote, 
 and also full of spirits and inclined to fun, and a good 
 mimic, and having an excellent memory, was able to 
 divert the old lady to her heart's content. 
 
 The ladies did not soon withdraw to the other room, 
 and Bohun did not accompany them, but when soon after 
 the butler offered his arm, he said, " that after his good 
 dinner he needed no support but his stick," and when 
 he joined the ladies, he said, " he did not dare to drink 
 anything but water at night." 
 
 After a little talk the lady said, " I think I have 
 generally observed, Mr. Bohun, that gentlemen of your 
 profession are not musical." 
 
 " I have not taken much notice of the private habits 
 of men at the Bar," he replied; "but probably your 
 ladyship's remark is just, because, if they spend their 
 time as they ought, they have not much opportunity for 
 the study or practice of music." 
 
 " Then I presume it is an art that you are indifferent 
 to."
 
 136 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 " Quite the reverse, my lady ; I am very fond of 
 music, and have indulged in musical practice and study 
 all my life ; and I took a degree in music at Cambridge ; 
 on which occasion I was obliged to give proof of my 
 capacity for musical composition : so that I am a 
 musician." 
 
 " And do you practise both law and music ?" 
 
 " No, my lady, I have adopted law as a profession, 
 thinking the seat on the woolsack a much nobler object 
 of ambition than the being leader of a musical band; 
 but I was brought up in a musical family, and have 
 always practised music more or less as a recreation. 
 My mother and sister are very fond of it, and my 
 brother in law, Mr. Foster, having the same taste, we 
 indulge in glee singing, and occasionally have little 
 concerts, with the help of my excellent and valuable 
 friend Signor Pulciano, whose acquaintance I made 
 casually a few years ago." 
 
 " And, in those concerts, how are your parts ar- 
 ranged ?" 
 
 " Mr. Pulciano's skill on the violoncello is unrivalled. 
 I take the violin, and my sister the piano, but Mr. Pul- 
 ciano and I play on either of the three instruments, and 
 he sometimes condescends to play a duet with me on two 
 violoncellos." 
 
 ** You say condescends, is he a man of rank ?" 
 
 " His rank is professional, and consists in his being a 
 musician of the highest order. He lives by the exercise
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 137 
 
 of his skill at the opera and in concerts, and by teaching 
 music ; and he was so kind as to teach me the violon- 
 cello." 
 
 " My niece, Lady Susan, has been taught by the best 
 masters. I should like you to hear her sing." 
 
 " Nothing could give me greater pleasure." 
 
 " But, my dear aunt," said Lady Susan, "you know it 
 is impossible to sing to that instrument ; it is so out of 
 tune that it baffles every attempt to sing in tune." 
 
 The old lady was going to remonstrate; but Bohun 
 interposed, saying, " let me try the instrument." And 
 having with some difficulty made his way to it, Lady 
 Susan supplying a chair for him, he sat down and tried 
 various chords, embracing in the whole every key on 
 the instrument, looking more aghast and disgusted every 
 chord he struck : finally, he turned round and told the 
 old lady, " that the harpsichord v/as utterly useless ; had 
 been made by an inferior builder in the first instance, 
 and was irreparably worn out :" and he went on to say, 
 " I have no doubt that a great many guineas have been 
 expended in teaching this young lady to sing, but those 
 guineas will be turned into brass counters, and her voice 
 effiictually disharmonized, if you make her sing to that 
 vile instrument." 
 
 This authoritative verdict was by no means pleasing 
 to the old lady, though her conscience told her that it 
 was just ; but it seemed to take away all the lady's 
 taste for music for the present.
 
 138 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 However, Bohun was determined not to let the sub- 
 ject drop ; and he asked " permission to see the young 
 lady's music and songs," which rather amused him, 
 though he did not betray what he felt. 
 
 " May I take the liberty," he said, addressing Lady 
 Susan, " to ask the pitch of your voice ?" 
 
 " They tell me that mine is a soprano." 
 
 " The songs in your book are for the most part the 
 bravura songs of the operas from which they are se- 
 lected. I hope you will pardon me for asking whether 
 you find them within the compass of your voice ?" 
 
 " Indeed, I do not ; 1 was obliged to sing them, and 
 the more noise I made the more applause I got from 
 Signor Volcano, who had a surprising voice himself: 
 and as for Mrs. Lofty, my governess, she had no ear 
 for -music, and therefore assumed that Signor Volcano 
 was infallible in his own art; but I really think he 
 cared more about my making noise enough, and arti- 
 culating the words, than being strictly in tune." 
 
 "There is nothing of Handel's here," said Bohun, 
 turning over the music. 
 
 " Ah," said the old lady, " do you know Handel ? I 
 remember hearing him with great delight in my younger 
 days, but he is out of fashion now." 
 
 " Perhaps so, my lady, and yet when great effects are 
 to be produced by chorusses, and the finest music is 
 wanted for grand occasions, what composer can com- 
 pete with Handel ?"
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 139 
 
 *' I remember," said Lady Bewdley, " pieces of his 
 which I heard with something like rapture, but I do not 
 comprehend the Italian music they have introduced of 
 late years." 
 
 " If I were well enough," said Bohun, " I would 
 endeavour to recall some of those pieces to your lady- 
 ship, for I must tell you that Handel is my idol, I am 
 intimately acquainted with his works, and appreciate all 
 the infinite variety of talent and musical feeling they 
 display. His oratorios, his anthems, his operas, his oc- 
 casional pieces, call liy turns for every phase of expres- 
 sion, solemn, religious, animating, sentimental, pastoral, 
 profoundly grave or exquisitely gay, yet, where do we 
 feel him wanting ? Can we imagine anything to surpass 
 his power of elevating poetry and oratory, of delighting 
 the senses, and kindling the imagination or the pas- 
 sions, of exciting or soothing the feelings, and of en- 
 hancing the sublimity of holy writ ?" 
 
 " Upon my word," said Lady Susan, " you make me 
 quite anxious to learn something of Handel, is his music 
 very difficult ?" 
 
 " I wish I could borrow a fiddle," said Bohun, " I 
 think I am well enough to play one of his easy songs, 
 and I should like to show you that the demerit of 
 Handel lies in nothing but his being out of fashion." 
 
 " Ring the bell, my dear, and I will send Stokes in 
 search of one," said Lady Bewdley to her niece. 
 
 Accordingly that worthy was dispatched to Mr. Oakley
 
 140 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 to make inquiries about a fiddle, and go wherever needful 
 in the village in search of it. 
 
 After the departure of this fellow, Bohun asked " if 
 there was any ruled music paper in the house ?" And 
 there happened to be a very old book belonging to the 
 old lady, which was with difficulty rummaged out, and 
 then Bohun began writing out the song he meant first 
 to introduce to her, viz. " He shall feed his flock," so 
 that the young lady might read the words and follow the 
 music as he played it. 
 
 The violin finally made its appearance, and Bohun 
 having put the instrument in order and played a volun- 
 tary to test its capabilities, desired the lady to take the 
 copy he had written and follow his playing, and saying 
 that "if Lady Susan would sing the first part after he 
 had played it once or twice, he should be much grati- 
 fied." 
 
 After one or two trials and a note or two of his own 
 voice, where aid was wanted, Lady Susan, to the great 
 delight of her aunt, sang the measure perfectly right. 
 
 " Now," said Bohun, addressing Lady Susan, " I 
 consider that one of Handel's most charming melodies, 
 do you think anything in Italian superior to it?" 
 
 " No," said Lady Bewdley, " this is the music for me ; 
 but pray are you too weak to go through the tune ?" 
 
 " Oh no, I will play it, but I think Lady Susan had 
 better render herself perfect in the first part, before she 
 attempts to acquire the remainder," and before the
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 141 
 
 evening was out, he was able to refresh the memory of 
 the old lady by the revival of several melodies, which in 
 her youth she had listened to with delight : so that the 
 musical debate, which in the commencement seemed to 
 threaten a quarrel, ended very pleasantly, and from that 
 time forward rather advanced Bohun in her favour. 
 
 When he retired Lady Bewdley asked *' if he would 
 like to take a ride with her the next day," but he ex- 
 pressed his regret " that as the wound in his side was to 
 be examined and dressed, he must confine himself en- 
 tirely to the sofa." 
 
 The lady then asked if she could see him about four 
 o'clock in the afternoon, as she would like to have some 
 talk with him about a musical instrument. 
 
 This was gladly acquiesced in, and he got a good 
 sleep, and the wound was dealt with the next day, but 
 the progress of it not turning out quite satisfactory to 
 Mr. Hallifax, the stays were laid aside, he was swathed 
 again, and put to bed for three days, so that it might be 
 dressed daily, much to his own vexation and that of 
 Skinner, and also, it maybe told, that the change excited 
 a tender alarm in the bosom of Lady Susan. 
 
 Lady Bewdley's visit having been postponed, she 
 decided (Bohun not forbidding) to have this conversation 
 with him as he lay in bed the next morning. 
 
 When they met she expressed herself full of sorrow 
 for his relapse, but said, that having been influenced by 
 his opinion of the harpsichord, she meant to condemn it,
 
 142 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 and desired his advice how to proceed about getting a 
 good instrument. 
 
 Bohun told her that he thought she must make up her 
 mind to lay out eighty guineas, which appeared a large 
 sum, but he laid great stress upon securing an excellent 
 instrument, which she might do by the intervention 
 of Signor Pulciano, who had selected one for his sister 
 Mrs. Foster, which, according to the price, was a capital 
 piano, and he thought that Signor Pulciano would have 
 it in his power to obtain some discount for her, and 
 secure the safe conveyance of the instrument to her 
 house. 
 
 The old lady had no sooner made up her mind to do 
 a thing than she was impatient for its accomplishment, 
 and Bohun gratified her eager disposition by writing fully 
 on the subject to the signor by that night's post. 
 
 The next day Mr. Macdonnel came over from York to 
 examine him, and he gave it as his opinion that the 
 patient had been put too forward, and that there ought 
 to have been more regard to the great loss of blood that 
 he had sustained, and he decreed his imprisonment for a 
 full week, or till the wound exhibited a more decidedly 
 healthy appearance. 
 
 This was a great blow, and it was felt by no one more 
 than by the young lady at Maidenthorpe, who was rather 
 alarmed by the report of the doctors, and not only dis- 
 appointed of his visits there, but could scarcely ever 
 get to the Rectory without the company of her aunt,
 
 THE PARSONAGE. 143 
 
 and then she was mainly kept out of the sick chamber, 
 though Bohun took pains to make it deserve that title as 
 little as possible, for his cheerfulness never gave way. 
 
 The day after he first wrote to Signor Pulciano he 
 bethought himself of some of Handel's choice airs, such 
 as he considered suited to the pitch of Lady Susan's 
 voice, and also of Haydn's, not forgetting his canzonets, 
 beside which he mentioned some pleasing English songs 
 and duets, and he requested the signor to procure those 
 for him, with some tolerably easy instrumental music 
 of Pleyel's, and he sent up a five pound bank note to pay 
 for them, and with instructions to put the package into 
 the case with the piano. 
 
 The signor was too happy to receive a commission 
 from his dear young friend, of whom he had heard 
 rather unfavourable reports ; but this letter revived his 
 spirits, and he was most assiduous in fulfilling his 
 wishes, so that in a week after Bohun's dispatch of 
 the commission, a letter was received from the signor 
 saying that he had been most fortunate in finding an 
 instrument of the highest merit, and very firm and 
 strong in construction, which, being packed with every 
 precaution, was to be forwarded by one of Pickford's 
 spring vans, with an engagement that it should be 
 carried the whole way to her ladyship's door on springs. 
 The carriage was to be paid by Lady Bewdley (about 
 five or six pounds); and he said that if she sent him a 
 cheque for seventy-two pounds on its arrival, he would
 
 144 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 transmit the maker's account with a receipt in full — the 
 difference between that sum and her ladyship's commis- 
 sion being discount. 
 
 To the amazement and high gratification of the two 
 ladies the case arrived in less than a week, and Bohun 
 was present at the delivery and unpacking ; and when 
 the piano was set up in Lady Bewdley's drawing room, 
 it was considered not only very handsome, but, after 
 a thorough examination, was found to be entirely free 
 from injury and so little out of tune that Bohun set it 
 quite to rights himself, and then in the height of his 
 glee he sat down and played the air of " When the heart 
 of a man is oppress'd with care."
 
 ( 145 ) 
 
 CHA_PTER X. 
 
 TUITION. 
 
 TTTHEN more composed, he again took his seat and 
 played the first and last parts of Handel's " Over- 
 ture to Samson," in the one producing a grandeur of effect 
 they had no notion of before from a single instrument, 
 and, in the minuet, delighting them by the sweet and 
 rich harmony in which the instrument gave utterance 
 to this fine conception of the author. 
 
 As for the music, "he hoped her ladyship would 
 permit him to present that little selection to Lady Susan 
 Altham ; it seemed rather a contrast to the music which 
 that young lady had been accustomed to, but in render- 
 ing herself thoroughly acquainted with these, her lady- 
 ship would find herself trained for the acquisition of the 
 bravura songs she had brought home from Mrs. Lofty's, 
 and besides, these airs might be highly pleasing to some 
 who had not acquired a taste for Italian theatrical 
 music." 
 
 " But, Mr. Bohun, have not all these been first pro- 
 duced in theatrical pieces ?" 
 
 " Some have, certainly, but not all ; for instance, this 
 canzonet of Haydn's, *My mother bids me bind my 
 
 L
 
 146 MAIDENTHOBPE. 
 
 hair,' a very popular song, notwithstanding its being 
 very elegant; I dare say Lady Susan knows it." 
 
 " No, she had never heard it." 
 
 " Then I will play it, and sing parts where I can ; 
 but I cannot, without suffering, fill my lungs." 
 
 The ladies were both charmed with the song, and 
 Lady Bewdley then remembered the air ; and he played 
 it again, making Lady Susan sing it with him, and 
 appointing her to dwell on those notes where his voice 
 failed, and the young lady did her best, and surprised 
 her aunt. 
 
 "Well," said Bohun to Lady Bewdley at the end, 
 "to which do you give a preference, this, or the 
 bravuras ?" 
 
 " Oh !" said the lady, " this is sweet and pleasing ; 
 but I never perceived that in the others." 
 
 The next day she gave him a cheque on Messrs. 
 Swan & Co., her bankers at York, for the amount, and 
 he wrote to the signor an eloquent description of the 
 admiration, delight and gratitude of the party who were 
 to enjoy the instrument, added to his own, and their 
 surprise at its volume of tone, and the exquisitely sweet 
 harmony throughout its parts. 
 
 He sent Skinner to York to request that the bankers 
 would give an order on their London correspondents to 
 pay the signor the amount of the cheque, and this was 
 enclosed in the letter and forwarded the same nio^ht. 
 
 The practice on the piano and the instruction went on 
 daily, the Lady Bewdley being all the while present and
 
 TUITION. 147 
 
 enjoying the advance of her niece, and now that the 
 exchange was accomplished, and she possessed the re- 
 ceipt of Messrs. , the makers of the new instru- 
 ment, she wondered that the change which was done so 
 well, and with so little trouble to herself, had not been 
 made before. 
 
 The vigilance of Lady Bewdley prevented idleness, 
 and prevented flirting, but the little god disdains such 
 obstacles, and amidst sweet words, kind looks and be- 
 witching smiles, he revelled in his power and exulted in 
 his triumph, for the music master and his pupil became 
 more in love from day to day. 
 
 This delightful intercourse went on for some time, the 
 old carriage taking him to Maidenthorpe in the morning, 
 where, after the music practice was over, he had lunch, 
 and then the old lady engrossed him for a ride in the 
 carriage, which was always tete a tete, and the lady 
 wrapped herself up, so as to allow him to have plenty of 
 air, which he always found most reviving after the 
 indoor employment ; but on the Sunday it was ordered, 
 as in the first instance ; and, on these occasions, Bohun 
 was separated from the young lady and was obliged to 
 think of higher things than earthly affections, for he sat 
 in the pew of Mrs. Oakley, and fulfilled his duties as 
 well as any other parishioner, and he listened to the 
 sermon with respect, but he occasionally found cause to 
 regret that the worthy pastor was rather behind the age in 
 scientific knowledge. He entirely eschewed geology, for 
 
 l2
 
 148 MAIDENTHORPE 
 
 which, considering its speculative character, he coukl not 
 be blamed ; but in a sermon one Sunday, when he very 
 properly advised his parishioners to be thankful to the 
 Almighty for the crop which they had commenced 
 gathering in, he accounted rather unsatisfactorily for the 
 causes of those variations of the seasons which in their 
 result produced this vast benefit, whereby Bohun per- 
 ceived that his mind was rather perplexed between the 
 astronomical doctrines of Moses and those of Copernicus, 
 and, on his way home, he expressed " the regret he felt 
 on account of the unavoidable ignorance of so large 
 a portion of the human race of the cause of those great 
 natural events, because, according to his notion, nothing 
 showed so plainly the ' power, wisdom and goodness of 
 God,' as the true explication of his plan for bringing 
 these great things to pass." 
 
 " But surely, Mr. Bohun," said Mrs. Oakley, " is it 
 not enough to know that God wills it, and therefore it 
 takes place ?" 
 
 " That is all that the great majority of people can 
 know," said Bohun, " those of whom the poet feelingly 
 says: — 
 
 * But knowledge to their eyes her ample page 
 
 * Rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unroll/ 
 
 But those to whom that page has been revealed, — 
 I mean those who by education are made capable of 
 comprehending the Almighty arrangements, — are more 
 profoundly filled with wonder and admiration than those
 
 TUITION. 149 
 
 who only see and feel the results, and reap the benefit of 
 them." 
 
 " If that be the case, Mr. Bohun," said Mrs. Oakley, 
 " I am sorry to confess the neglect I have suffered from, 
 for, touching these important arrangements, I am no 
 wiser than the ignorant and vulgar." 
 
 "And," said Lady Susan, "though I certainly learned 
 something of astronomy, the little I know makes me 
 desirous to be further enlightened as to those important 
 matters alluded to by Mr. Bohun." 
 
 " Well, ladies," said the latter, " I think in one or at 
 most two lectures (and I say this owing to the proba- 
 bility of my being arrested by want of strength), I 
 should be able fully to elucidate the causes, and most of 
 the consequences, of the changes of the seasons, but I 
 would prefer doing it in the presence of Mr. Oakley, 
 who will, of course, immediately interfere if he saw a 
 probability of my misleading you." 
 
 As Bohun was engaged to Lady Bewdley to take 
 lunch and also a ride with that lady afterwards, Mrs. 
 Oakley had an opportunity of explaining what had 
 passed with Bohun to Jier husband, and she prevailed 
 on him, with some small degree of difficulty, to agree 
 to the proposition of Mr. Bohun to illuminate the 
 ladies, urging that he had not pretended to be able to 
 teach him, and the next morning Mrs. Oakley went to 
 Maidenthorpe, and being supported also by a little of 
 Lady Susan's advocacy, she persuaded the lady of the 
 house to assent to the scheme, though she was rather
 
 150 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 angry that her niece should want any further knowledge 
 of astronomy, for she had been taught it for many years 
 at Mrs. Lofty's, " but I suppose," she said, " their 
 astronomy was like their music, of a superficial cha- 
 racter," and her consent was accompanied with a con- 
 dition " that the lecture should be at Maidenthorpe, as 
 she should like to hear it herself," and then she made 
 her niece play and sing a song to Mrs. Oakley to show 
 off her instrument, and the lady was delighted and 
 astonished with its power and sweetness, and said she 
 had never heard Lady Susan sing so charmingly before, 
 and she did not retire till she had heard a second song, 
 which no less pleased than surprised her, and she re- 
 marked as she left the room, *' that now the young lady 
 had got this delightful instrument she should often be a 
 petitioner for a musical treat." 
 
 On the Monday there was no great change from 
 the ordinary routine, but our hero declined dining at 
 Maidenthorpe, for he felt that he had rather hastily 
 committed himself to this undertaking, but, as it was 
 most important to succeed, he determined to spare no 
 pains to render his description perfectly intelligible to 
 his audience, and was more than in any other respect 
 anxious not to suffer in the estimation of his hostess, 
 who had imbibed a favourable opinion of his talents. 
 
 Being sensible that some apparatus would be needful 
 for illustrating his verbal description of phenomena, 
 Bohun caused to be prepared for that purpose a ball or 
 sphere of white wood six inches in diameter, with a pin
 
 TUITION. 151 
 
 through the centre like an axis, and the pin was of a 
 dark colour. He then took two circular pieces of paper, 
 about five inches in diameter, one yellow and the other 
 green, each having a round hole in the centre large 
 enough to slip over the projecting ends of the axis, and 
 he pasted the yellow piece on one side of the ball and 
 the green piece on to the opposite side. The ends of 
 the pin projected about an inch and a half, and on the 
 end of one of these corresponding to the yellow patch 
 he pasted a narrow slip of white paper along one side 
 of the spindle, for the purpose of an index to the revo- 
 lution of the ball. He then procured from the village 
 tinman a circular cup, indeed hemispherical in form, just 
 lar^re enoucrh to receive into it one-half of the ball above 
 described, but so that it could be moved in and out and 
 turned round while in the cup without difficulty. In 
 one side of the cup he cut a small semicircular notch, 
 but on the opposite side he made one wide enough to 
 receive the axis, and descending from the rim two and 
 a half inches towards the bottom of the cup. The two 
 instruments may be thus represented, and the outside of 
 the cup was painted black.
 
 152 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 When the evening of the lecture arrived, Bohun Imcl 
 the shutters of the lecture room closed and the fire 
 extinguished, and he placed on the middle of a large 
 round table a thick piece of wax candle alight, the light 
 being a few inches above the surface of the table. 
 
 The assemblage consisted of Lady Bewdley and her 
 niece, Mr. and Mrs. Oakley, Mr. Hallifax and, owing 
 to his particular request, Skinner. 
 
 The lecturer told his audience " that for the purpose 
 he had in view, namely, making them acquainted with 
 the cause of day and night, the changes of the seasons, 
 and the alternate lengthening and shortening of the 
 days, he must call upon them for the time being to 
 consider the light in the middle of the table as the 
 representative of that stupendous luminary the sun, and 
 the small ball which he held in his hand as the earth." 
 He then went on, " I presume you consider this ball a 
 very small and inadequate representative of the great 
 globe which we inhabit, and which is about 25,000 
 miles round, and still more the light in the centre of 
 the table a faint image of the glorious sun, which is 
 much more than a million times as large as the earth, 
 and 90 millions of miles distant from it, but in the vast- 
 ness of space perhaps the sun and the earth are compa- 
 ratively no more than these makeshift images of them 
 before you. There is rather an apposite illustration of 
 this in the planet Venus, the beauty of which we so 
 much admire. That planet is about the same size as
 
 TUITION. 153 
 
 the earth, and to those who, by means of a very good 
 telescope, are able to see the form of that planet, it 
 appears to be a globe about the same size as the model 
 which I hold in my hand, and if an inhabitant of that 
 planet had the same opportmiity of looking at our earth, 
 its appearance from that distance would not be larger, 
 and the stars which we behold at immeasurable dis- 
 tances in celestial space are thought to be at least as 
 large as our sun, and some of them larger. The line 
 which I have marked round the middle of this model is 
 called the equator, and technically * the line,' and if the 
 earth were cut in two at that line the two parts would 
 be called hemispheres or half globes. We are in the 
 habit of talking of the axis of the earth, and calling the 
 ends of that axis, as I show them in this model, its 
 poles, but this is only figurative, we know nothing of 
 the centre of the earth or of its poles, but we adopt 
 those terms to aid our conception and description of the 
 daily revolution of the globe which produces day and 
 night." 
 
 He then carried the model round the table, remarking 
 "that the axis was not perpendicular to that motion, 
 but that throughout the revolution of the earth round 
 the sun, the north pole, which in the model was sur- 
 rounded by a yellow patch, at all times invariably 
 pointed to a distant part of the heavens called the 
 north, which point was very near the star called the 
 north star, and sometimes the polar star, and the caith.
 
 154 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 which made its great revolution round the sun in a year, 
 turned round upon its own axis or centre every twenty- 
 four hours, making in all 365 of those revolutions, each 
 of which produced day and night for its inhabitants." 
 To elucidate this he stuck a small piece of black paper 
 on the surface of the model globe and held the cup 
 behind it, and as he turned the globe round on its axis, 
 called on the party to observe " that as the black spot 
 emerged from the cup (which was the type of night) on 
 one side, the view of the sun dawned upon it, that 
 being the period of morning, and that in its gradual 
 progress it arrived at noon or midday, that is to say, 
 exactly opposite the sun, but owing to its progress con- 
 tinuing, it sank first into evening, and then into night, 
 on the side opposite to that where it emerged from 
 darkness into the dawn of light, and this motion of the 
 earth is precisely the same throughout the whole year, 
 but it is attended with very different effects upon the 
 surface of the earth during its circuit round the sun." 
 
 He then took the model globe to that side of the 
 table which his pocket compass showed to be the north; 
 and explained " that owing to the inclination of the 
 axis, the north pole, and, indeed, the inhabitants of all 
 that part of the globe covered with the yellow patch, 
 which is called the ' Arctic Circle,' were shut out from 
 the light of the sun during the revolution of the globe, 
 and during a considerable period of the earth's circuit 
 round the sun were in perpetual darkness, mitigated.
 
 TUITION. 155 
 
 however, by the brilliant light of the stars, and the 
 aurora borealis, which is very bright and very frequent 
 there ; and, as the polar axis points now, the northern 
 hemisphere is in midwinter, and only partially illumi- 
 nated; for," he said, putting the black cup on, and 
 which covered, beside other parts, the entire arctic 
 circle, " you must remember that one-half of the globe 
 is always illuminated, and, therefore, though it is mid- 
 winter in the northern hemisphere, it is midsummer in 
 the southern; and you see that on turning the globe 
 round, no part of the patch in the southern hemisphere, 
 called the * Antarctic Circle,' is deprived of the sun's 
 rays during any part of the twenty-four hours. 
 
 "The next matter I have to describe to you is the 
 revolution of the earth round the sun ; and I may men- 
 tion that, according to our knowledge and experience, 
 these two great motions are never interrupted, and, 
 subject to the will of God, they may be eternal. 
 
 " Having told you that the earth never stops, I will 
 set out with the globe from the point I have described 
 of midwinter in the northern hemisphere — being always 
 careful to keep the polar axis pointed to the north." 
 And in that way he gently travelled to a point one 
 quarter round the table, where he again tested the 
 direction of the axis with his pocket compass, and 
 pointed out, "that at that period the whole globe and 
 every part of it had daily an equal duration of the sun's 
 light — in other words, an equal duration of day and
 
 156 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 night," which he verified by again applying the black 
 cup on the side opposite the sun, and turning the ball 
 round, wliich proved that, from pole to pole, there was 
 an equal duration of light throughout every part. 
 
 "Now," he said, "we have moved on from midwinter 
 in the northern hemisphere to the vernal equinox, but 
 the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere would say 
 we have left midsummer and arrived at the autumnal 
 equinox ; after that, I go on to the side of the table 
 opposite the point where I set out, and arrive at mid- 
 summer for the northern hemisphere, and mid-winter in 
 the southern, by reason of the polar axis being still duly 
 pointed to the north, and having, therefore, that full 
 view of the sun wdiich gives to the arctic circle con- 
 tinual day, while it produces continual darkness in the 
 southern or antarctic :" and this he exemplified by ap- 
 plying the black cup in the rear of the globe and 
 turning the latter round. 
 
 He then moved the earth with the same care round 
 another quarter of the table, and there pointed out " that 
 this was the autumnal equinox of the northern hemi- 
 sphere which had gradually retreated from summer, but 
 it was the vernal equinox of the southern hemisphere 
 which was gradually advancing from winter, and that, 
 for a second time in the revolution of the earth round 
 the sun, it was, as the name implied, a period of equal 
 day and equal night throughout the globe." 
 
 He then proceeded gradually with the model to the
 
 TUITION. 157 
 
 point where he had started, remarking '* That this 
 finished the year, reckoning from winter back again to 
 winter in the northern, and from midsummer round again 
 to midsummer in the southern hemisphere, and he was 
 only sorry that he could not turn the globe round con- 
 tinually so as to show the alternations of day and night 
 throughout every part of its revolution round the sun, 
 and the gradual lengthening and shortening of the day 
 in either hemisphere according to the. earth's retreat 
 from or approach to midsummer; and now," he said, 
 " let me recall to your minds certain great facts which I 
 have endeavoured to make plain by this lecture: — 
 *' First. — That the sun is an immense body of fire 
 which heats and illuminates the earth and other 
 planets, all which move round it in great circles 
 called orbits. 
 *' Second. — That our earth, beside revolving round the 
 sun in S65 days, revolves also on its own axis 
 in 24 hours ; the first being the year motion, the 
 second the day and night motion ; and that both 
 these motions are unceasing. 
 " Third. — That in consequence of the axis of the 
 earth being inclined instead of perpendicular, and 
 one end or pole always pointing to the north, it 
 happens that during one part of the year the 
 north pole also points obliquely towards the sun, 
 which is the period of midsummer in the northern 
 hemisphere ; but in the winter the north pole
 
 158 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 points away from the sun, and the other end of 
 the earth's axis, namely, the south pole, points 
 obliquely towards it, and then it is midsummer 
 in the southern hemisphere. 
 " Fourth. — That in the circuit of the earth round the 
 sun there are two points, namely, when the earth 
 is due east and when it is due west of the sun, 
 when day and night are of equal length all over 
 the world, which periods are therefore called the 
 equinoxes, namely, the vernal and the autumnal, 
 and while one hemisphere enjoys the vernal the op- 
 posite has the autumnal, and in the annual circuit 
 of the earth round the sun these epochs occur 
 alternately to each hemisphere, and in conse- 
 quence of the gradual march of the earth round 
 the sun, the changes which produce the seasons 
 take place without shock or disturbance to its 
 inhabitants." 
 Some further explanations were sought, and he took 
 pains to explain away every misapprehension and clear 
 up every difficulty, but after that he expressed '' his in- 
 ability to proceed into the other branches of the subject 
 till after a day's rest," and he accepted with thankfulness 
 the offer of a glass of wine from the lady of the house. 
 
 As in the succeeding forty-eight hours no event oc- 
 curred in Stagbrook to disturb the even course of time 
 in a country village, so we may consign. that interval to 
 oblivion, and suppose the same parties assembled again
 
 TUITION. 159 
 
 in the lecture room, which was arranged exactly as on 
 the previous occasion, and Bohun recommenced " I en- 
 deavoured in my last lecture to explain the effects of the 
 earth's daily rotation on its own axis, the pole of which 
 always points to the north, and its annual revolution 
 round the sun, and I trust it will not be necessary now 
 to recapitulate those effects, but if in any case what I 
 then described has not been perfectly comprehended, I 
 have things in the same state that they were, and am 
 in readiness for further illustration if needful. In the 
 exemplification I have attempted of this wonderful work 
 of the Almighty I have barely mentioned the seasons and 
 their effects, because these are as perfectly known by 
 every one present as by myself, and rather than attempt 
 their description I should decidedly prefer to call in the 
 aid of the poet ; but I must explain that the degree of 
 heat on every part of the surface of the earth corresponds 
 to its direct exposure to the sun's rays, but this is consi- 
 derably modified by circumstances in spring and autumn, 
 because in each hemisphere the spring season, which 
 comes after winter, is much colder than the autumn, 
 which follows summer, for the earth and sea in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the pole have been frozen, and not only 
 covered with ice, but with an immense accumulation of 
 ice in winter, and all of a degree of cold fifty degrees 
 below the freezing point, and the effect of spring is to 
 bring down cold winds from this region ; while autumn 
 succeeds summer, during which the land and sea near
 
 160 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 the pole are warmed and much of the ice melted ; and 
 also that though the greatest power of the sun in our 
 part of the world is coeval with the greatest length of 
 days, the heat is chiefly to be attributed to the rays 
 striking the earth more directly at that period, though 
 they never strike perpendicularly upon our heads, as is 
 the case at times within the tropics. 
 
 " I have now drawn another line round the earth, 
 which is called the ecliptic, and," carrying the ball again 
 round the sun, he made them observe, " that the direct 
 line of the sun's rays to the centre of the earth always 
 passed through some point on that line on account of the 
 inclination of the earth's axis, so that the middle zone of 
 the earth, called the space within the tropics, was always 
 more hot than any other part, and the whole widdi of 
 this zone amounted to about 47 degrees, viz. 23 J degrees 
 on the north, and the same on the south of the equator. 
 
 " I have already alluded to the effects of the seasons 
 on ourselves and on vegetation, and all creatures in- 
 habiting the earth, the air and the sea, but the effects on 
 the two important elements, air and w^ater, are not 
 limited to the mere change of temperature, for continual 
 change and agitation of both these elements are ab- 
 solutely necessary for maintaining their salubrity. 
 
 " To begin with air — the mass surrounding our earth 
 is computed to be about forty miles in height, but, being 
 an elastic body, its incumbent weight renders the air 
 much more dense near the earth than it is in great
 
 TUITION. ]61 
 
 elevations above the level of the sea, so that people as- 
 cending to great heights on mountains and in balloons 
 find it hardly possible to breathe, and the want of the 
 usual pressure on the lungs sometimes causes blood-ves- 
 sels to burst. One chief characteristic of this element 
 is, that it contracts with cold and expands with heat, the 
 consequence of which is, that in the winter months, in 
 either hemisphere, the air circumjacent to the pole 
 becomes condensed, that is, mechanically diminished in 
 volume, and the vapour contained in it becomes pre- 
 cipitated in the form of snow or icy particles on the sur- 
 face of the earth or ocean in those unknown regions, and 
 owing to the prodigious diminution in bulk of that por- 
 tion of the atmosphere a great deal of air which during 
 summer has been heated and expanded by the sun's rays, 
 and thereby spread over other parts of the earth flows 
 back towards the pole : so that during autumn in our 
 hemisphere, we generally experience that large currents 
 of air loaded with vapour make their way towards the 
 north, and the vapour they carry with them is pre- 
 cipitated in the shape of rain or snow as the air 
 becomes cooled in its progress northward. All the 
 great aerial movements, such as trade-winds, mon- 
 soons and other periodical currents of air, can be traced 
 to the alternate warming and cooling down of the air in 
 each hemisphere, and the tendency to produce aerial 
 movements is doubly efficacious, because the gradual 
 warming and expansion of the air in one hemisphere is 
 
 M
 
 162 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 combined with the gradual cooling and contraction of it 
 in the other; and, owing to the vast circulation and 
 shifting about produced by this cause, we have the air 
 that surrounds us always adapted for the support of life. 
 Nor must it be forgotten that these changes are needful 
 for the support of all vegetation as well as for all animal 
 life, because we find that the air itself transports carbon 
 in a gaseous state, which enters into the substance of 
 plants and trees during vegetation; and, moreover, it 
 conveys to them the vapour destined to descend in rain 
 and dew, and thereby supply the vast exhaustion of sap 
 which takes place during the development of vegetation 
 and growth in spring and summer. And now I may 
 point out the benefit of the change from day to night in 
 the revolution of the globe : plants and trees could not 
 live without it, and man and all animals, except beasts of 
 prey, most enjoy repose in that season when darkness 
 naturally puts a stop to the exercise of their faculties. 
 
 " There are great changes produced in the sea, owing 
 to immense accumulations of ice near either pole during 
 its winter, and to the tides, but how greatly is it agitated 
 by storms and aerial currents, which produce disturbance 
 far below the surface of it. 
 
 " There is a quality in water not much adverted to by 
 those unaccustomed to philosophical pursuits, which 
 renders the sea of the greatest value to the earth, that is 
 to say, its tendency to give off vapour under the in- 
 fluence of heat ; and to this quality we are indebted for
 
 TUITION. 163 
 
 all the fresh water enjoyed upon earth, and which is ob- 
 viously indispensable to our existence at the same time 
 that it serves us in great variety of ways. Almost all the 
 water above the level of the sea is fresh, and we owe our 
 springs, wells, ponds, lakes and rivers to the deposit on 
 the surface of the earth of the water which has been 
 exhaled from the ocean, and conveyed by aerial currents 
 to vast distances from it, and in many cases to the 
 summit of the highest mountains. There is commonly 
 most fresh water where most rain falls, and all the great 
 rivers of the earth are traceable to that cause, or to the 
 melting of snow (which is frozen aqueous vapour) ac- 
 cumulated on mountains or high table lands. The great 
 rivers of North America are mostly formed in the manner 
 last described, and when, in the month of May, the sun's 
 heat suddenly gets the better of the frost, the heaped up 
 snow is melted, and lakes and rivers are at once sub- 
 jected to an enormous increase. The great rivers of 
 South America owe their existence to the trade winds, 
 which, in the summer of the southern hemisphere, carry 
 loads of vapour inland, quite to the foot of the Andes, 
 and at the time the sea and air are hottest the quantity of 
 vapour which in its progress westward reaches the higher 
 land, and is cjondensed, is so great that the rivers Ori- 
 noque and Amazon cannot carry off the water without 
 rising 60 and 70 feet perpendicular, and inundating the 
 country. The Nile and rivers of the middle zone of 
 
 M 2
 
 164 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 Africa are formed by the immense masses of aqueous 
 vapours precipitated on the Abyssinian and other moun- 
 tains in the interior of Africa, and carried there by the 
 monsoons of the Indian Ocean, which alternately deluge 
 the Himalaya and Ghaut mountains, when they blow in 
 the opposite direction, and give rise to the Indus, the 
 Ganges, and many other rivers. Those large European 
 rivers, the Rhone and the Rhine, are derived from the 
 Swiss mountains, and the Danube from the Scharswarld, 
 a district of mountainous land in the S.W. of Germany, 
 but in summer it is much increased before it reaches 
 Vienna by the Inn, the Lech, and other affluents from 
 the Alps of the Tyrol, and also in the lower part of its 
 course. 
 
 " The proportion of vapour in the atmosphere almost 
 always corresponds to the heat of the sea and of the air 
 above it, and when this vapour is precipitated in rain, 
 the difference in the quantity that falls in different 
 localities is extraordinary; for instance, in England -we 
 think a depth of one and a half inches in twenty- four 
 hours a great rainfall, but in the East and West Indies 
 the rainfall is often three feet in depth in the same space 
 of time, and occasionally more, and lasts for many days 
 together. 
 
 " These great phenomena which accompany the 
 change of seasons, and result from the varying opera- 
 tion of heat on the two elements, are adapted to innu-
 
 TUITION. 165 
 
 merable purposes, not only of vegetable but animal life ; 
 for instance, whole tribes of insects, and myriads of fish 
 are wakened into life by the warmth of spring and 
 summer : nor must the unequal heat distributed to dif- 
 ferent zones of the earth be thought unimportant ; on 
 the contrary, it is of the greatest advantage on account 
 of its leading to infinite variety in the produce of 
 different countries, thereby promoting commerce and 
 friendly intercourse between the different nations of the 
 earth. To comprehend this, consider that we in Eng- 
 land cannot produce silk, cotton, sugar, coffee, cocoa, 
 tea, rice, wine, oil, tobacco, spices, medicinal drugs, 
 indigo, madder, cochineal, and a variety of other dyeing 
 materials, raisins, nuts, oranges and dried fruits of va- 
 rious kinds ; we also want ivory, and mahogany, and 
 other fine woods for furniture : and all these can only be 
 produced in climes much hotter than England. Wool, 
 flax and hemp do grow in our country, but not nearly 
 enough of them for the demands of factories ; but we 
 obtain all these things by commerce and not by war. 
 The Romans, and other rude, stupid and savage nations 
 of former times, had no idea of obtaining the produc- 
 tions of foreign countries but by conquest, oppression 
 and robbery, but we have now arrived at a time wdien 
 all these and other things are obtained peaceably and 
 with satisfaction to both parties by commerce, which I 
 consider more consonant to the will of the Almighty,
 
 166 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 when He constituted the earth after this fashion, than 
 the acquiring them by spohation, bloodshed and murder. 
 " And now let us reflect on the marvellous proofs of 
 God's design in the peculiar form and character and 
 destiny of this planet. I think that all we see and 
 acquire a knowledge of, show the Master's hand and 
 the Master's benevolent will, if I may so speak of the 
 works of God; but how ought we to wonder at the 
 simple means ! We behold the earth at present re- 
 plenished according to His will with vegetation and 
 animal life, and the means of supporting them; and 
 all this resulting from that great but simple plan of 
 causing the axis of it to be in a line pointing con- 
 tinually to the north, and, therefore, throughout the 
 revolution round the sun, inclining invariably at an 
 angle of 23 1 degrees from the perpendicular, as com- 
 pared with the plane of that orbit. Had the earth 
 been made to move round the sun with its axis upright, 
 we should have had no change of seasons, and none 
 of the results I have been explaining could possibly 
 have come to pass, except day and night, provided 
 the earth had continued to revolve on its axis as at 
 present, though that would have been of little use if 
 pure air, and pure water, and the change of seasons had 
 been wanting. If we enjoy and admire this curiously 
 organized specimen of God's power — and even with 
 gratitude — we ought surely at the same time to lament
 
 TUITION. 167 
 
 that our feeble attempts to imitate the vast benevolence 
 of the Creator fall so very short even of our limited 
 power." 
 
 When he sat down exhausted and almost fainting, 
 owing to this premature exertion of his powers, Lady 
 Susan and Mrs. Oakley were prompt with smelling 
 bottles, and the lady of the house rang for refreshments, 
 but she was informed that a little supper was spread in 
 the next room and to that they all withdrew, Bohun 
 supported between the other two gentlemen, and when 
 there he speedily swallowed a glass of port wine, and 
 after a short repose he was able to take some other 
 refreshment; fortunately he had no further occasion to 
 talk, for the ladies and Mr. Hallifax were loud in their 
 praises, all of them declaring that they had never under- 
 stood anything about it before. The divine admitted 
 that Mr. Bohun had expressed himself very clearly and 
 with due respect as to the works of God, and his im- 
 pression was that he was correct in his facts and rea- 
 soning, but he would rather take the matter into consi- 
 deration, and after a candid examination of Mr. Bohun's 
 lecture trusted he should coincide with all his conclu- 
 sions. 
 
 Bohun was bent on acquiring golden opinions and 
 therefore bowed complacently to this piece of pedantry.
 
 168 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 but it did not arrest the full stream of respect and admi- 
 ration which flowed from all the other members of the 
 party. 
 
 When it broke up Lady Susan watched an opportu- 
 nity for saying, " My delight has been mingled with pain, 
 for I think you exceed your strength." 
 
 " Well," said Bohun, as he smilingly squeezed her 
 hand, ^' it is over now, and I confess I am not sorry 
 for it."
 
 ( 169 ) 
 
 CH^PTEI^ XI. 
 
 A TRIP TO SCARBOROUGH. 
 
 rpHERE was short interval between the summer and 
 winter of this affectionate pair, and their separation 
 came from a quarter whence they had not expected such 
 a disaster. 
 
 It happened that on the morning after the last lecture 
 Mr. Macdonnell came over on the top of the coach, with 
 the kind motive of inquiring how things went on, and 
 he marched into Mr. Hallifax's house just as the family 
 were sitting down to breakfast. He was heartily wel- 
 comed, and the supply of bacon and eggs was increased, 
 and not without reason, for as he said, " It's true the 
 morning's very fine, but at the same time the air is very 
 appetizing." 
 
 After the meal was over he withdrew with Hallifax to 
 talk about their patient, saying, " That he was a pretty 
 fellow, and had a very good natural idea of fighting," 
 and the apothecary gave an account of what had passed, 
 and said, " He did not make progress to his satisfaction," 
 when the following dialogue took place between them. 
 
 " Come then, Hallifax, give me an account of what 
 you've been at with the lad?" 
 
 " Why I have strictly adhered to the plan you laid
 
 170 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 down, in fact it never occurred to me that I could better 
 it ; but you see he's full of activity, both bodily and 
 mental, and he's got established at Maidenthorpe on a 
 most intimate footing, and it's far too exciting for him." 
 
 " What ! I suppose he's struck up an intimacy with 
 that pretty girl?" 
 
 " Just so ; they're on the most brotherly and sisterly 
 terms — he teaches her music, but Lady Bewdley keeps 
 watch over them very strictly." 
 
 " Ah, ha! old lady, that's your fond imagination is it. 
 By the powers the young ones understand one another 
 in spite of her watching. I'll be bound if this Bohun 
 held up his finger she'd be off with him to Gretna." 
 
 " Oh ! no, my good friend, they have no opportunity 
 of talking together, for Mrs. Oakley or Lady Bewdley is 
 always with them." 
 
 " Pooh, pooh ! a little difficulty only makes the result 
 more certain. You English don't understand the passion 
 at all, at all : so make your mind easy about that, and 
 depend upon it this young fighting cock has settled the 
 matter before this." 
 
 " Well, Mr. Macdonnell, my opinion is that he'll never 
 get well if he remains here ; there's decidedly something 
 that stops his progress." 
 
 " To be sure there is, so as we're both convinced of 
 that we'll just walk away to the parsonage and examine 
 him." And Bohun was soon roused up by seeing the 
 two doctors at his bedside.
 
 A TRIP TO SCARBOROUGH. 171 
 
 " Ah ! Mr. Macdonnell," he said, " I am very glad to 
 see you, has Mr. HaUifax requested further assistance ? " 
 
 *' No, indeed ; I was tempted to take a ride this fine 
 morning just to talk with my friend Hallifax about you, 
 and being so far he proposed to me to accompany him in 
 his visit, and now we'll look at the wounds." 
 
 The opinion expressed by both surgeons was unfa- 
 vourable, and Mr. Macdonnell pronounced that '^ a re- 
 moval to the sea was indispensable, and that there had 
 been too much trifling with so serious a wound as that 
 in the side," and finally they were both of opinion that 
 he should set off the very next day. 
 
 Bohun remonstrated, but they suggested " that he 
 might revisit Stagbrook when his wounds were closed, 
 so that in the end he would gain by his prompt removal." 
 
 There was no resisting this, so Bohun had Mrs. 
 Oakley called in and the case stated to her, and she 
 acquiesced very kindly, and walked with Mr. Hallifax to 
 Maidenthorpe to relate what had been determined upon, 
 and that Mr. Bohun felt himself compelled to yield the 
 point, as both the doctors were very decided as to its 
 urgent importance. 
 
 The interview was a sad one, but poor Lady Susan 
 behaved heroically. Had it been only Mrs. Oakley she 
 might perhaps have given vent to her feelings, but the 
 presence of Mr. Hallifax restrained her, and she listened 
 to the conversation without betraying the interest she 
 took in it, and was somewhat comforted when her aunt
 
 172 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 proposed that the invalid should take Stagbrook on his 
 way home, and sent a message to Mr. Bohun " that she 
 should be very happy if he would come and spend a 
 few days with her at Maidenthorpe when he was suffi- 
 ciently recovered." 
 
 This had also an enlivening effect on our hero, who 
 arranged with Mr. Macdonnell to send a post-chaise for 
 him the next morning, and to meet him at dinner on his 
 arrival at the Royal Hotel, York, and to engage two 
 places in the mail to Scarborough, so that he and 
 Skinner might get there the following night, and ordered 
 the places to be taken in the name of Bohn, so that he 
 might not be worried by inquiries during his stay, and 
 he afterwards requested Mr. Hallifax to furnish his 
 account that day, because he wanted to leave Stagbrook 
 entirely free from debt, and he made all his arrange- 
 ments, and performed his packing by the aid of Skinner, 
 and paid Mrs. Oakley and everything else before the 
 arrival of poor disappointed Mr. Hallifax : however, that 
 worthy, with the help of his wife, contrived to spin it 
 out to £15, and when Skinner delivered it and heard 
 the amount he was thrown into a state of great indig- 
 nation. " Why, sir," said he, " when my wife lies in 
 the whole of the doctor's bill does not amount to £10, 
 and here he charges you every visit; I'll be bound he 
 always puts down the same to Lady Bewdley as well." 
 
 " Holloa, Master Skinner," said Bohun, " do not we 
 take sej^arate fees for every individual included in an
 
 A TRIP TO SCARBOROUGH. 173 
 
 indictment ? do not grumble at the poor apothecary 
 having a gainful job for once in a way. I heartily wish 
 that he could make as much of the old lady as he 
 does by me, for his profession is of immense import- 
 ance, though at the same time of very scant emolument, 
 but lest there should be any hint of complaint, ask him 
 quietly to call on me touching the said bill ;" and when 
 the professor of the healing art attended, he was highly 
 gratified and surprised by Bohun presenting him with 
 twenty-five pounds, but at the same time with a strict 
 injunction that Mr. Hallifax should not mention this 
 circumstance to any person whatever. 
 
 Bohun also sent handsome fees to the servants at 
 Maidenthorpe, but Mike refused to take anything, 
 saying " that he was overpaid for anything that he had 
 done, for that if it had not been for Mr. Bohun he and 
 all the rest would have been smashed." 
 
 Our hero was much gratified by this proof of Mike's 
 disinterestedness, and desired to shake hands with him 
 before he went away, and between them a plan was 
 arranged for enabling him to have a parting farewell 
 with Lady Susan, which was managed by the appoint- 
 ment of a meeting while he was at breakfast at the 
 parsonage, and, owing to a temporary absence of Mrs. 
 Oakley, he was blessed with a parting kiss. 
 
 Bohun said, "that if he laid up in earnest he was 
 sure that a month would complete his cure, and enable 
 him to visit Maidenthorpe under better auspices."
 
 174 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 They parted with as much calmness as each could 
 possibly assume, and Bohun before he set off dis- 
 patched a farewell letter to Lady Bewdley, thanking 
 her for her kindness and hospitality and the use of her 
 ladyship's carriage, which had been so very beneficial to 
 him, and above all for the kind invitation which he had 
 had the honour to receive from her, and which he 
 should be proud to avail himself of. 
 
 Lady Susan stayed at the Oakleys to see the last of 
 the poor invalid, though she considered his absence 
 only temporary, resolved of course to control her 
 feelings, but the last pressure of his hand sapped her 
 resolution, and, in sympathy with tender-hearted Mrs. 
 Oakley and zealous affectionate Mike, her tears gushed 
 forth as the door of the chaise clapped to. 
 
 And so Bohun and his clerk were off in the post-chaise, 
 and at York Mr. Macdonnell attended him again, saying 
 that the places were secured in the mail coach which 
 would take them up at one in the morning, and he had 
 written to the inn at Scarborough to order beds to be in 
 readiness for them on their arrival, and recommended 
 Bohun to have his warmed and when in to keep posses- 
 sion of it for the next twenty-four hours, and he gave the 
 name of a practitioner there whom he highly respected, 
 recommending that when Bohun applied to him he 
 should not neglect to present his (Macdonnell's) card. 
 
 So that notwithstanding a good deal of suffering in 
 the course of the journey, in the event he got into a
 
 A TRIP TO SCARBOROUGH. 175 
 
 warm bed and after some breakfast fell into a sound nap 
 which lasted six hom's, that is till his stomach roused 
 him again, and he imagined from the state of his appe- 
 tite that the sea air might have some peculiar effect, and 
 after a good dinner he sent for the medical gentleman 
 recommended by Mr. Macdonnell, whom he found to be 
 in full possession of the particulars of his case, by means 
 of a letter which Mr. Macdonnell had been kind enough 
 to forward. 
 
 After the wound was dressed this gentleman told his 
 patient " that a month passed at the sea side without 
 excitement or exertion of any kind would quite set him 
 up ;" which system Bohun promised carefully to pursue, 
 and at the same time requested the surgeon to say 
 nothing of his case and to conceal his real name, because 
 he particularly desired not to make acquaintance or be 
 known, and he desired to be denominated Mr. Bohn. 
 
 He detained Skinner two or three days, during which 
 he quietly read over the evidence in the arbitration case, 
 examined the charts and log books, and finally made his 
 award, and the whole being sealed up. Skinner carried it 
 up with him to London, and gave notice to the respective 
 attornies to take up the award, previously paying Bohun's 
 charge, namely thirty-five pounds. 
 
 Skinner made the voyage by the smack, of his own 
 free choice, but though there were no strictly equinoctial 
 gales the vessel rolled about, so that the poor clerk never 
 eat or drank (not even brandy and water) for two whole
 
 1 76 MAIDENTHOR PE. 
 
 days, and was unable even to smoke a cigar till the vessel 
 got above Gravesend, but he was well enough to eat one 
 good meal in smooth water before he left the ship. 
 
 When this matter of business was despatched, Bohun 
 calmly turned over in his own mind the circumstances 
 of his situation, and felt really much gratified by the 
 pleasing retrospective glance afforded in that review. In 
 the first place he had left no enemy behind him. He 
 could rely on Mike as a sure friend, and he considered 
 Lucy and the other servants propitiated by the handsome 
 fees he had given them. Mr. Hallifax had been too 
 warm in his expressions of gratitude and regard to leave 
 a doubt there, and as for the Oakleys they were his most 
 cordial friends. He could not fail to remember that 
 Mrs. Oakley had grounds for suspecting the truth, but 
 she had no cruelty in her character, and he felt assured 
 that she loved Lady Susan too much to cause her pain 
 on any account. The lady's maid, Lucy, might have sus- 
 picions too, but Bohun knew that she was a coquette 
 herself, and he felt sure that if she knew of her mistress 
 having a little private " tendresse," it would only render 
 her more anxious to aid in the harmless progress of it. 
 The Lady Bewdley liked to be amused, and he knew by 
 experience that his manner and powers of entertainment 
 had been appreciated, and as for the fair and fascinating 
 Lady Susan, he thought that if in a state of sickness and 
 debility he could excite a favourable sentiment, he might 
 not please less when he approached her with a firm
 
 A TRIP TO SCARBOROUGH. 177 
 
 elastic step, his strength restored, and the full glow of 
 health manifesting itself throughout his form and features. 
 
 He therefore cheerfully settled down to his present 
 seclusion, and adhered to all rules and avoided general 
 society, thinking that he might look forward to the most 
 exquisite happiness after this mild temporary purgatory. 
 He therefore kept himself apart from the generality of 
 the visitors to Scarborough, and only formed a slight 
 acquaintance with a Dr. Bower, one of the canons of 
 York Cathedral, and whose pursuits were architectural, 
 though he also professed a taste for and an acquaintance 
 with music, in both which he was humoured by Bohun, 
 who really listened with unfeigned attention to his lec- 
 tures on Gothic architecture and took notes, and finally 
 the canon said, " if he ever had the opportunity of illus- 
 trating what he had described at York Cathedral by 
 pointing out the structural principles of the edifice and 
 the beauty of all the accessories and the ornaments of 
 that noble work of art, he thought Mr. Bohun would 
 imbibe a higher estimation of the science, skill and taste 
 of our ancestors than he ever entertained before." The 
 two gentlemen were good talkers, and Bohun obtained 
 so much favour as to be invited to tea once or twice with 
 his venerable friend's wife and daughter, a young lady 
 just leaving school. 
 
 In this way time wore on, and improvement took 
 place, though not with that celerity that he wished ; but 
 the calls from London began to be pressing: so, not- 
 
 N
 
 178 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 withstanding that his looking-glass still reflected rather 
 hollow cheeks, and hands retaining a distant resem- 
 blance to a bird's claw, yet the time for his visit being 
 then or not at all, he dispatched his brief and polite 
 epistle to Lady Bewdley, indulging in the hope that, 
 probably, the old lady might delegate to his queen of 
 beauty the office of writing a short formal reply ; and 
 he took a place in the mail to York, which should start 
 next after the time when the post would arrive with his 
 anticipated answer, and paid all his debts close up, and 
 packed every thing that he was not going to take in his 
 bag with him, and bid adieu to the select few with whom 
 he had formed any acquaintance ; and when the arrival 
 of the post took place, and he had paid the postman, and 
 torn open the letter, anticipating this bon bon, his eager 
 eye was saluted with the following curt epistle, written 
 in a very crabbed hand : — 
 
 " Maiden thorpe, 26tb Oct. 
 *' Sir, 
 
 " In reply to your's, I have to say that what 
 you propose would be highly inconvenient ; and, more- 
 over, it is my desire that you do not repeat your visits 
 to this place. 
 
 " I am, yours, &c., 
 " To A. Bohun, Esq." " Amelia Bewdley." 
 
 Bohun's surprise and mortification may be imagined, 
 but cannot be described. He threw himself on the sofa.
 
 A TRIP TO SCARBOROUGH. 179 
 
 and could hardly endure this painful and unexpected 
 blow ; it was some time before he could rouse himself 
 to read the letter again, and for a time he busied his 
 imagination in endeavours to account for it ; but it was 
 in vain : and he gave up the attempt to soften its dis- 
 agreeable features. However, after walking up and 
 down the room for some time, and watching a boat 
 putting out to sea in very rough weather, he roused 
 himself and determined to be a man as he had before 
 proved himself in many desperate emergencies, and, as 
 he continued his walk to and fro, commented fitfully 
 on the lady's letter: — "Upon my word, Lady Bewdley, 
 a mighty severe dose for an invalid - kill or cure, eh ! 
 No reasons — no upbraiding — merely sic volo. Not a 
 word about Lady Susan. There must have been an 
 unpleasant eclaircissement. I wonder what compulsion 
 they have put her under, poor thing. I don't fear 
 Mike — and I don't think Mrs. Oakley would betray the 
 little she knows. Lucy may have her suspicions, but 
 she's too fond of a little intrigue to get her mistress into 
 a scrape. After all, there may not have been an explo- 
 sion ; the old lady has perhaps heard a little, and is 
 determined to extinguish the embryo passion — to snufF 
 out such a flame as ours with her thumb and finger ; 
 but her devilish clever letter leaves no present help. 
 So, hey, for London town." 
 
 Accordingly, he was off by the mail; but, either owing 
 to this shock, or to his having overrated his own powers, 
 
 n2
 
 180 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 he found much difficulty in accomplishing the journey, 
 and it took him four days to get from Scarborough to 
 London. 
 
 In one of his halting places on the road, he wrote to 
 appoint Skinner to meet him at the Bull and Mouth at 
 the hour fixed for the arrival of the coach, and it was 
 not an easy task to get him from thence to his chambers, 
 where he was put to bed. Skinner having dispatched a 
 messenger for a surgeon ; and when this gentleman 
 arrived, he found there was something of a tumour 
 formed, owing to the too speedy closing of the wound, 
 and by opening this, he at once relieved the pain that 
 Bohun had been suffering ; but he told Skinner " that 
 his patient required good nursing, and the very best 
 nourishment, and that, with proper attention he would 
 soon recover." 
 
 When this gentleman retired. Skinner ran off to Mr. 
 Foster's, and between them they contrived to get a 
 nurse, and some good soup ; and early the next morning 
 Skinner went up to inform Mr. Hargrave of the state of 
 affairs, and, as he expected, he was loaded back with 
 three bottles of hock and six of port wine, of excellent 
 quality. And now, as our hero is safe in his chambers, 
 surrounded with good friends, and with every appliance 
 that his case required, we will leave him to get well, 
 in which he so far succeeded as to be able to make his 
 appearance at the commencement of Term, and he was 
 glad to find that his ancient clients had not lost their
 
 A TRIP TO SCARBOROUGH. 181 
 
 confidence in him, and that they were as much as ever 
 disposed to rely upon his abihty. 
 
 We may now revert to the period of our history when 
 he left Stagbrook ; and truly the scene there was by 
 no means cheerful after his departure, for very many 
 lamented his absence. The Lady Susan set off home 
 immediately that the chaise drove away, well aware of 
 the necessity of rallying her powers, and recovering her 
 composure, so as to avoid disclosing to her aunt, and 
 other people, the agitation and pain she had undergone 
 about an event which, in their eyes, was a matter of 
 comparative indifference ; and before those with whom 
 she had intercourse she sustained her part pretty well, 
 though the effort caused her much exertion and even 
 suffering.
 
 ( 182 ) 
 
 CHA.PTEK XII. 
 
 A RIVAL. 
 
 "lyrAIDENTHORPE was dull, and Lady Bewdley 
 ■^ ^ could not help saying while they were at lun- 
 cheon, " I wish Mr. Bohun was here, he was a lively 
 fellow, and generally made me laugh ; and now, Susan, 
 the truth is, we are very stupid and miss the amusement 
 we have got accustomed to." 
 
 "It will take some little time, dear aunt, to settle 
 again into our old habits, but I dare say that after a few 
 days we shall enjoy our usual routine as before." 
 
 " That is, settle down into the humdrum of a country 
 village." 
 
 " But, my dear aunt, it is a very healthy and charming 
 spot, and the walks and rides are delightful." 
 
 ti Very true, my dear, but I, who have been accus- 
 tomed formerly to the best society, have been re- 
 minded by this man of its cheering, exciting influence, 
 which, after all, contributes more to happiness than any 
 locality whatever; and the vivacity, cleverness and 
 general knowledge of this Bohun force me to remember 
 what we miss by burying ourselves in the country." 
 
 '' Then, my dear aunt, let us look forward to his
 
 A RIVAL. 183 
 
 return ; he promised to be here again in three weeks 
 or a month." 
 
 " Yes, my dear, he'll come if it suits him, but I don't 
 much reckon upon it ; these lawyers are at the call of 
 everybody, that is the nature of their profession ; in fact, 
 he talked of going off in a hurry to Northumberland to 
 fulfil some long standing business engagement, but 
 Hallifax made him write an excuse, having convinced 
 him that it would endanger his life. He proposes 
 I know to go to Scarborough, and there to remain till 
 the wound is healed and his strength restored ; but, in 
 truth, I don't think there is time for him to do that and 
 spend any more time here." 
 
 Just at this time Stokes brought in a letter from Lady 
 Bewdley's brother-in-law, The Honourable and Reverend 
 Canon Altham, dated from York. Lady Bewdley ob- 
 served the postmark and knew the hand-writing, and as 
 she opened the letter, said audibly, '' he shall have no 
 more of my money !" That divine stated in the letter 
 " that he had just returned from grouse shooting and 
 deer stalking in the Highlands, with his particular 
 friend Colonel the Marquess of Westcliff, and if her 
 ladyship had recovered of her indisposition (which, 
 when he heard of it, had caused him great distress) and 
 could make it convenient to receive him and his friend 
 the marquess at Maidenthorpe for a day or two, they 
 would drive over to dinner on the following Thursday." 
 
 Now Lady Bewdley had no great regard for this
 
 184 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 dignitary, for his letters and visits generally betokened 
 a claim on her purse, and she absolutely hated his lady, 
 who has been mentioned before in this history ; but the 
 frame of her mind at that time made the prospect of 
 visitors not disagreeable, and accordingly the answer was 
 acquiescent, and it was more readily decided upon 
 because her ladyship had a very great esteem for rank, a 
 disposition rather characteristic of her charming sex, and 
 the probability that her niece might make a conquest of 
 the marquess readily occurred to her imagination. The 
 ages of the parties seemed to be very suitable for an 
 union, for her peerage informed her that the marquess 
 was little more than thirty. 
 
 Having ruminated on this for some time, she opened 
 the subject to Lady Susan after dinner, and was much 
 astonished that the young lady did not exult according 
 to her expectations in the prospect of so grand a career : 
 Lady Susan merely said "that she must of course meet 
 this nobleman, and form her own opinion, but she would 
 decline marrying him or any other man that was not 
 entirely pleasing to her, and she was not so devoted to 
 rank as to be misled by the glitter of it, as her poor 
 unfortunate mother had been." 
 
 Her aunt was all amazement— horror struck. ^' Did 
 I," she said, "send you to Mrs. Lofty to be indoctri- 
 nated with such romantic stuff as this ? Where did 
 you pick up those absurd notions ?" 
 
 ^^ I really cannot say, dear aunt, that I am at all
 
 A RIVAL. 185 
 
 influenced in this matter by any teaching of Mrs. 
 Lofty 's ; I hope I have paid proper attention to all her 
 kind instructions, but on this subject, which I may 
 truly say involves my happiness or misery, I feel en- 
 titled to exercise my own judgment, and resolve to take 
 plenty of time before I make up my mind." 
 
 At this period of the conversation the old lady was 
 overcome with amazement and rage, and Lady Susan 
 thought it better to retire for a time. 
 
 When Lady Bew^dley found herself alone, she could 
 not help thinking a little about the present state of 
 affairs, and by degrees, and also for want of fuel, the 
 blaze of her fury became spent, and it occurred to her 
 that it would be as well not to press the matter at this 
 time, but to await the arrival of the peer, for most pro- 
 bably his handsome person, genteel address ^nd agree- 
 able manners might have far more influence than either 
 her persuasion or her threats. 
 
 ' The intercourse of the two ladies was not quite so 
 cordial as before, but Lady Susan, feeling relieved from 
 the horror of an explosion, was particularly kind and 
 sought in every possible way to make herself agreeable, 
 and entertain her aunt, but when alone she rejoiced 
 that the first struggle was over, and that her aunt was 
 made aware of the force of her character. 
 
 The day of the visit arrived, and in his way to 
 Maidenthorpe, Canon Altham required the marquess to 
 stop at the apothecary's shop in Stagbrook, in order
 
 186 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 that he might inquire about Lady Bewdley, and ascer- 
 tain something about this Bohun, as he called him, and 
 he went forward with confidence and alacrity after 
 hearing that her ladyship was very well and not 
 acquainted with the share that Bohun had in her deli- 
 verance, and that the latter was not well, but was gone 
 to Scarborough for the chance of recovery from his 
 wounds. 
 
 He did not like to detain the marquess, or he would 
 have been much more diligent in his inquiries, but he 
 thought the certainty of " the fellow" having been got 
 away from the village was satisfactory, and they drove 
 up to Maidenthorpe, the marquess saying, as he drew 
 
 near to it, " what a d — d formal old house, by it 
 
 just reminds me of the big inn called the 'Cutlers' Arms' 
 at Sheffield." 
 
 His companion laughed, as in duty bound, but said 
 "my dear marquess, for Heaven's sake, do not swear 
 here, they are absurdly strict and quite under the thumb 
 of a methodistical sort of parson, and you will get my 
 name scratched out of the old girl's will, if you are not 
 quite nimini pimini." 
 
 " Well, old fellow, for your sake I will try my best, 
 but it is a confounded bore." 
 
 The canon introduced his noble and military friend 
 in a style of great exaltation, but, at the same time, 
 having an eye to the aforesaid will, he felt the necessity 
 of showing quite as much deference to the old lady as
 
 A RIVAL. 187 
 
 to the military hero. The latter was somehow drawn 
 into the same line of behaviour, for the elder lady 
 betrayed in her manner a decided sense of her own 
 independence and consequence, and the young lady 
 maintained a self-possession and dignified, though 
 graceful, deportment, which, combined with her beauty, 
 gave to the burly lord a sentiment of awe he had never 
 experienced before, and he could only mutter out a few 
 ill-concocted sentences about *'the happiness he felt," 
 and " his misfortune in not having the pleasure of 
 knowing Lord Bosworth, who, as he understood, was 
 in Italy," &c. &c. 
 
 Canon Altham then took him round the garden and 
 stables, and when they came in they were informed that 
 there was only just time to dress for dinner, and as the 
 sharp air had given both of them an appetite, the news 
 was very agreeable, and they shortly appeared in the 
 drawing room very genteelly dressed, and did ample 
 justice to Lady Bewdley's good dinner, which was 
 capitally cooked and sent up warm, and in better style 
 than his lordship had been accustomed to ; the wines 
 also were superior to anything that the two gentlemen 
 met with in ordinary, and they both declared their ad- 
 miration, and confirmed it by the frequent emptying 
 of their glasses, and the marquess recovered himself, 
 and began talking of his stud and the races he had 
 won, and in a disgusting manner described his method
 
 188 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 of obtaining fine stock, so that Lady Susan looked with 
 indignant astonishment at her aunt, and the latter said 
 to Mr. Altham, as a sudden resource for changing the 
 subject of conversation, ''do you know anything of a 
 Mr. Bohun, who got wounded and has been staying in 
 Stagbrook some time? I believe he is a barrister and 
 goes the northern circuit, and he appears to be a very 
 clever man." 
 
 " I may have heard his name ; but he is a low class 
 man, poor, and perhaps hard working in the lower 
 grade of the profession, but depend upon it he will 
 never get anything above his present standing in it, he 
 wants talent and position in society, in fact he is a 
 scrub and will always remain among the dregs." 
 
 The young lady said nothing, but a slight expression 
 of disgust might have been distinguished by a keen 
 observer. 
 
 " I knew him at Eton," said Lord Westcliff, " and an 
 impudent fellow he was ; in fact, he dared to insult me 
 once, but I gave him such a thrashing as he will 
 remember to his dying day, for one of my chance blows 
 broke his collar bone ; he went away soon after, but I 
 remember hearing that he robbed his master, a rich 
 merchant in the city, I think his name was Harvey or 
 Harding, and he was sentenced to the rope, but the old 
 merchant was a weak compassionate sort of man, and 
 begged him off."
 
 A RIVAL. 189 
 
 " Oh ! I recollect it all now," said the canon, " I 
 wonder, if they did not hang him, that he got off without 
 transportation." 
 
 " Why," said his lordship, " this Hardy (I cannot 
 positively remember the name) was a man of great in- 
 fluence." 
 
 " Was it Hargrave ?" said Lady Susan. 
 
 " Yes, by Jove, that is it," said the lord, when sud- 
 denly recollecting the danger of this admission, his face 
 became blank, and he got more and more confused as 
 he reflected on this surprisal and what it might lead to. 
 
 '^ I did not know," said her uncle the canon, " that 
 you were so well acquainted with city people. Lady 
 Susan." 
 
 " I should not have known this," said the lady in 
 reply, " but I had a school-fellow at Mrs. Lofty's of that 
 name, and I understood that her father was immensely 
 rich and she is now the Countess of Bayswater." 
 
 The old lady saw that the gentlemen were, to use a 
 nautical phrase, "taken aback," and proposed that she 
 and her niece should retire to the drawing-room, and 
 when they got there Lady Bewdley condemned the in- 
 terference of Lady Susan, and said '' it was a discussion 
 of the gentlemen and she had nothing to do with it." 
 
 " Why, my dear aunt, what could be more apropos 
 than my supplying the name which both gentlemen 
 seemed quite at fault about?" 
 
 " I tell you, child, that you had nothing to do with it."
 
 190 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 ^' I must yield to your judgment, dear aunt, but really 
 I did not imagine that the story would be spoiled by my 
 dropping one little morsel of truth into it." 
 
 " Do you dare to insinuate that what those highly 
 honorable men told me was not true ? " 
 
 " Pray don't imagine, my dear aunt, that I had an 
 idea of offending you, but I confess I thought the hero 
 and the divine both looked rather staggered when I hap- 
 pened to aid their memories by supplying the name." 
 
 " Then you choose to infer that the account, the cir- 
 cumstantial account, of these two gentlemen is false?" 
 
 " Indeed, indeed, my dear aunt, I care nothing about 
 their story, but you know they will, perhaps, be here in 
 a minute or two, and you and I ought to be quite calm 
 and placid, in fact all smiles and sweetness ; that was one 
 of Mrs. Lofty's most particular directions, and I think 
 the only way to bring that about is to put an end to this 
 unprofitable discussion." 
 
 Lady Bewdley assumed an amazed look and was going 
 to say something harsh, but the young lady saying, with 
 a kind and merry expression, *' Pray, my dear aunt," put 
 a stop to it. 
 
 The gentlemen did not join them till they were hardly 
 in proper trim for conversation, so after coffee Lady 
 Bewdley sat her niece down to the piano, and she sang 
 some songs with a taste and fluency that astonished her 
 uncle, and which also drew his attention to the charming 
 instrument that her aunt had given her, and she said,
 
 A RIVAL. 191 
 
 " that owing to its keeping in tune she could now prac- 
 tise without injury to her voice, and indeed it amused 
 her, and her aunt did not mind the noise." 
 
 The divine and the soldier both liked music, so that 
 by singing them English songs she amused and some- 
 what surprised them, but most happy was she when bed 
 candles were brought and she and her aunt retired. 
 
 " She's something out of the common," said the canon. 
 
 "Yes, by !" said the man of war, ** she shows 
 
 blood in every thing. I never saw a completer one than 
 she is, but it was deuced odd that she should drop so 
 plump upon the name of Hargrave." 
 
 " No ; you heard her say that she had gone to school 
 with his daughter, and being quick and having a good 
 memory she was, I suppose, proud of applying it when 
 we were at fault." 
 
 " Perhaps so ;" said his lordship, " but must we go to 
 bed?" 
 
 " No ;" said the canon, ringing the bell, " we'll have 
 some piquet first." 
 
 When the butler came the canon asked, " Which was 
 the best room for smoking in?" 
 
 " The justice-room, please your reverence." 
 
 " Is there a fire there ?" 
 
 *' No, your reverence." 
 
 " Then let one be lighted immediately — throw on 
 plenty of wood and make a good blaze, and let us have 
 cards and brandy and water."
 
 192 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 Stokes was quick out of the room to obey these orders, 
 and in little time the two gentlemen were set in for their 
 usual evening's amusement, which occupied them till 
 between one and two o'clock. 
 
 The ladies were up in good time the next morning, 
 but the gentlemen had no such thought, for though his 
 lordship's valet called them both at nine o'clock, they 
 declared that they could not be disturbed before eleven, 
 each being opprest with violent headache, so that the 
 valet when he returned at that time brought up for each 
 a cup of strong tea, which enabled them to prepare by 
 degrees for exhibition down stairs. 
 
 Lady Susan obtained admission to her aunt before 
 she had completed her morning toilet, and found her in 
 very bad humour. The old lady had been awoke in the 
 night with a sense of suffocation, and it was some little 
 time before she discovered, with immense disgust, that 
 it was tobacco, but conceiving rightly how the smoke 
 originated, she did not like to disturb her two guests, 
 and some time later she had the annoyance of hearing 
 their voices on the landing of the stairs, and was shocked 
 at the votary of Mars introducing a great many oaths 
 into his discourse, but his companion had wit enough to 
 get him into the bed room, and desire the valet to put 
 out his master's candle before he went to his own 
 dormitory. 
 
 The old lady had got to sleep, after a short watch, 
 but her slumbers were not so tranquil as usual, because
 
 A RIVAL. 193 
 
 she dreamed of being smothered, and more than once 
 woke up in alarm ; however, on being called by her 
 own servant, she found herself equal to the routine of 
 dressing, for her life being a system of clock work, she 
 wished to breakfast at her usual time ; but before she 
 left her room. Lady Susan called in, saying, — 
 
 " My dear aunt, I am glad to find I don't disturb you, 
 for I wish as early as possible to explain why I suggested 
 the name of Hargrave in Lord WestclifF's history of 
 Mr. Bohun." 
 
 " Indeed, my dear, you need not trouble yourself 
 about the two gentlemen or anything they said, for in the 
 night they almost suffocated me with tobacco smoke, 
 which spread over the whole house, and they sat up 
 drinking brandy and playing cards till near 2 o'clock 
 this morning. I don't think they'll be able to leave 
 their rooms very early to-day, but, my dear, you and I 
 will not wait their pleasure, but breakfast at once." 
 
 " I am very glad to hear of your intention, dear aunt, 
 but you must spare me two or three minutes just to 
 satisfy you upon what ground T ventured to interfere 
 before I had asked your permission. Some two or three 
 weeks ago, that is, during your illness, I received a letter 
 from Lady Bayswater which I have here, and will read 
 to you :" and accordingly she read over the letter before 
 mentioned, stating the extreme interest of her father in 
 Bohun, and his distress of mind, and that immediately 
 he was informed of the writer being acquainted with
 
 194 MAIDENTIIORPE. 
 
 Lady Susan who resided at Stagbrook he urged her to 
 write in the most pressing terms for information about 
 the w^ounded man. Lady Susan then described the 
 means she had adopted for getting the two accounts into 
 one sheet of letter paper, leaving room for her, Lady 
 Susan, to write a few lines, in order that she might 
 explain her mode of proceeding, and express kind 
 remembrances to her old schoolfellow, and the letter 
 was dispatched by that night's post. 
 
 " Why did you not let each of them write a letter ?" 
 
 " For two reasons, my dear aunt ; first, by my plan, 
 I made sure of the letters going, for 1 was satisfied of 
 both Hallifax and Skinner attending to me ; and, 
 secondly, because I made one letter do instead of 
 three, according to the strict injunctions of Mrs. Lofty 
 that I should never be neglectful of economy." 
 
 " Indeed, that's all very right ; but I wish she had 
 studied it as earnestly in her half-yearly bills, for they 
 appeared to me to be terribly spun out, as if she had 
 put in every charge she could possibly think of." 
 
 " I am afraid, dear aunt, I am not worth the expense 
 I have caused you." 
 
 " No, no, my dear, the bills are all paid, and done 
 with, and you are a very great darling." This was 
 accompanied with a kiss, after which Lady Susan read 
 the answer from the Countess, which pleased the old 
 lady vastly, — and after that she said, " indeed, my dear 
 aunt, I would do everything in my power to please you, 
 but this Marquess is a horror."
 
 A RIVAL. 195 
 
 " Well, well, say no more about him for the present, 
 but I heartily wish he had been a suitable man ; my 
 only object of ambition now is, to see you married 
 according to your own rank and desert." 
 
 " And so, perhaps, you may, my dear aunt, but we have 
 plenty of time yet, for I hope you will live many years, 
 and I am very happy with yow." 
 
 " Thank you, my dear, but that must be according to 
 God's will." 
 
 The ladies breakfasted together very pleasantly, after 
 which Lady Susan went to call on Mrs. Oakley, being 
 desirous to make a long visit, so as to avoid further 
 intercourse with the visitors, if possible. 
 
 When the second breakfast was over, the pair from 
 York walked in the garden, and talked over the dinner 
 and the ladies, when the divine said, " I rather wonder 
 you take the matter so coolly — my niece is undeniably 
 the most beautiful creature I ever saw." 
 
 " Yes, I think she'd be the finest woman in the park, 
 and old George himself would be struck with amazement 
 at seeing her; but you see she's cut us.'* 
 
 " I don't think much of that, you went rather fast. 
 I saw last night that your talk about the stud and stock, 
 and so on, did not please, for here they're rather pru- 
 dish." 
 
 "D- it!" said the lord, "that never struck me; 
 
 why did you not caution me ?" 
 
 "Wliy, it didn't occur to strike me that you would 
 o2
 
 196 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 take that line in the company of ladies. However it's 
 no use talking of that, and time is short. You see Lady 
 Bewdley has adopted this daughter of my brother, and 
 the old girl loves her as if she were really her own child, 
 and you may depend upon it this estate goes to her." 
 
 " ' Cutlers' Arms' and all," said his lordship, with a 
 jeering laugh. 
 
 "Ah ! my dear marquess, no joke in the matter at all, 
 the estate is two thousand a year, though awfully under- 
 let. A land agent in York once told me that it would 
 fetch eighty thousand pounds if brought to the hammer." 
 
 His companion was amazed. " I'd no idea of such a 
 
 thing, by , that girl with eighty thousand pounds 
 
 is a partner for a prince." 
 
 " Beside which," said the clergyman, "you must re- 
 member that the estate of her father the earl is entailed 
 to her after his death." 
 
 " Yes, that may be ; but, bless you, he's good for fifty 
 years longer." 
 
 " I don't think it," said the canon, " he's older than I 
 am ; but if you marry this girl you and he might sell the 
 estate as soon as she's of age and divide the proceeds, 
 for the estate is worth above twice as much as it's mort- 
 gaged for. You know there are great drawbacks in 
 mortgaging; you pay for insuring your life and all that, 
 which cuts into the proceeds terribly." 
 
 " Yes, by , I know all that, they are like 
 
 leeches."
 
 A RIVAL. 197 
 
 " Well, and don't you think he will like to getr'some- 
 thing out of the mess, for I believe he's lost every 
 thing?" 
 
 *'By Jove, you're right; I'll propose to her directly." 
 
 " Not so fast, marquess, you must appear in a new 
 character and keep sober, and not let your conversation 
 be of horses, dogs, hunting and shooting." 
 
 *' What the devil am I to talk of then ?" 
 
 '^ Why, if you have fears about the matter, talk about 
 the news of the day or talk but little, and let me and the 
 ladies talk, which will draw Lady Susan out and then 
 you'll see more about her. Recollect that these young 
 things are skittish at first, you can't be too mild and 
 gentle with them." 
 
 "Just so ; then manage it your ow^n way, only let me 
 have the chance of speaking to her about it as soon as 
 you can. But I say, old one, how came she to pop in 
 about Hargrave yesterday ?" 
 
 " Why, marquess, that was an unlucky cast of yours, 
 and I was to blame too for not drawing you back, but you 
 see he was in the village sometime, and the apothecary 
 there (Halliflix) who looked after his wounds, attended 
 the old lady while she was ill, and that would account 
 for the name of Hargrave getting here." 
 
 " Ah, I see it now," said the peer, " well, it is done, 
 and cannot be helped." 
 
 " I think," said the divine, " we had better not stop 
 the day, but apologize to the old one, and say that you
 
 198 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 forgot that the manners and style of the mess room 
 should not be introduced into a lady's house, and that 
 you hope she will excuse it, and let you have the honour 
 of visiting her again." 
 
 " D n, 1 cannot say all that." 
 
 " Well, my lord, you may easily take leave of Maiden- 
 thorpe for good and all, if you like to do so.'* 
 
 " Well, curse it, — if I must, say it over again." 
 
 The divine repeated it for him with emphasis, and 
 observed, "You must say this very politely and grace- 
 fully, and as if you meant it, or the words will go for 
 nothing." 
 
 In the hall they met Lady Susan just returned from 
 her walk, and his lordship was more surprised at her 
 beauty in morning costume than he had been in the 
 evening before, and needed no more caution or directing 
 from the canon ; and by his humility and apology, and 
 endeavour to please her, he produced a rather favourable 
 impression on the old lady, though the Lady Susan con- 
 tinued as distantly polite as ever, but she watched her 
 uncle quietly and carefully, and drew the conclusion 
 that he had brought the peer there that he might make 
 a purchase of the young heiress, from which, if effected, 
 he intended to secure some benefit to himself, but it 
 happened in this instance, as with Robinson Crusoe, that 
 it was a good while before she saw a second print of the 
 cannibal's foot in the sand : so we will return to poor 
 Bohun, whom we left confined to his sick bed.
 
 ( 199 ) 
 
 CHA_PTER XIII. 
 
 FIRST INSTALMENT. 
 
 fTlHE gentleman who was called in there explained, 
 that a wound made by a pistol ball deadened the 
 parts the ball came in contact with, and every particle 
 of dead matter must come away, because, if absorbed or 
 incorporated, it would poison the whole system, so that 
 Bohun must pay no regard to the inconvenience, but 
 live very well, and move about gently, and not exert 
 himself in his profession, but do what he could by 
 proxy. 
 
 During the few days that he was confined to his bed, 
 he was attended for three or four hours in the morning 
 by his sister, and in the afternoon her husband gave him 
 some of his company, and in these morning visits his 
 sister, without much art or design, got possession of the 
 grand secret that he had another internal wound of equal 
 importance with that made by the pistol ball, and in the 
 sequel he told her how he was situated, and his puzzle 
 as to what events preceded the dispatch of this heart- 
 rending letter. 
 
 " I cannot undertake," said Mrs. Foster, " to account 
 for the sending of this peremptory letter, but I would
 
 200 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 stake my life on the fidelity of the young lady, for she 
 knows what you have done for her, and could not abandon 
 her affection or change so readily. 
 
 Bohun said, " I am glad to find your opinion confirm 
 mine, and in a few days I shall be able to write a letter 
 to Mrs. Oakley, which will be much the same as writing 
 to her, and by that means make known to her what has 
 passed. 
 
 This was approved of, and in a few days he wrote the 
 epistle subsequently mentioned, but he determined to 
 send a shawl to Mrs. Oakley, and enclose with it a 
 packet of six English songs for Lady Susan. Now it 
 happened that while at Maidenthorpe, during some con- 
 fidential talk with the last-mentioned lady, Bohun said 
 that his love would be like all other real loyalty, and 
 repeated the following couplet from Hudibras as ex- 
 quisitely illustrative of its nature, viz. : — 
 
 " True as the dial to the sun. 
 Although it be not shone upon." 
 
 and it occurred to him, as soon as he got to London, to 
 procure a small seal with a sun dial upon it, the sun's 
 rays being intercepted by a tree, so that if a chance arose 
 he might perhaps by that image remind his lady love 
 of the highly poetical couplet he had first made her 
 acquainted with, and of which she admired the beauty, at 
 the same time that she was pleased with the new sense 
 in which the figure was applied by him.
 
 FIRST INSTALMENT. 201 
 
 The packet of songs, addressed in a formal manner, 
 contained no more than this, on an open sheet of note 
 paper, viz. : — 
 
 " Mr. Bohun has the honour of presenting his com- 
 pliments to Lady Susan Altham, and of forwarding six 
 other, and more modern, English songs, which his sister, 
 Mrs. Foster, has thought suitable for a lady's voice." 
 
 The packet was carefully folded in white paper, and 
 sealed with his little new seal in five places, and en- 
 veloped in the shawl, and when Mrs. Oakley delivered 
 it in the presence of the old lady (as Bohun requested) 
 she wore her shawl, and mentioned an accompanying 
 letter, and as the ladies expressed in their looks a desire 
 to know more about the letter, she read it as follows : — 
 
 " Dear Mrs. Oakley, 
 
 " I tried to thank you when my agreeable 
 visit to your house came to an end ; but I doubt whether 
 I expressed as heartily as I ought to have done my 
 sense of your services, and kindness, and unfailing good 
 humour. Believe and pray remember that I felt all 
 this deeply, and also that my vanity makes me wish to 
 be remembered by you and Mr. Oakley, to which end 
 pray receive the little token sent with this, namely, a 
 shawl, the use of which may, as I hope, ward off 
 rheumatism for a score of years at least. I started from 
 Scarborough for the South with my wound closed by an
 
 202 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 adhesive plaister (instead of by nature), and after under- 
 going a good deal of pain in my journey to this place, 
 which occupied four days, the surgeon gave me ease by 
 opening the wound again, and I have now made shift to 
 get on my legs and think of going on happily to reco- 
 very, but I am to go to Bath when the term is over, and 
 a trip to the Highlands or some great change is pre- 
 scribed for next summer, for I am quite unable to work 
 with my accustomed spirit. This is a dull recital, but, 
 in addition to it, I can only express my wish that 'you 
 and Mr. Oakley, and other friends at Stagbrook, may 
 take half the interest in hearing about me that I should 
 in hearing of the welfare and happiness of them and you, 
 and (as other beggars say) if you bestow a few lines upon 
 a poor creature they will be most gratefully received." 
 
 &c., &c., &c. 
 
 The old lady attended carefully to the letter, and 
 breathed more freely at its conclusion. " Well," she 
 said, " it is a very civil letter, I suppose you mean to 
 keep the shawl." 
 
 " Oh ! indeed, my lady, it is just come at the right 
 time for the winter, and is really handsome as well as 
 very warm." 
 
 " Yes," said Lady Bewdley, " it is a very handsome 
 present to you, but we are not down in the list." 
 
 " Indeed, aunt, I have got one in these songs, and 
 I almost regard my beloved piano as Mr. Bohun's 
 present."
 
 FIRST INSTALMENT. 203 
 
 " How can you talk so, child ! Did not I pay for 
 the piano and carriage and all ?" 
 
 " True, dear aunt, but you must allow that Mr. Bohun 
 made you buy it." 
 
 "Well, no more about it, or him either;" and then 
 she begun talking to Mrs. Oakley about parish matters. 
 
 Lady Susan was now convinced that Bohun had quite 
 lost the kindly feeling of her aunt, and a thought struck 
 her that his silence, and the formality of the present note, 
 and his non-appearance at Maidenthorpe, might all be 
 attributable to that cause, and to the change of sentiment 
 being made known to him. She had felt the misery of 
 hope deferred, and it was some relief to her to think that 
 there was now great probability that it was not caused 
 by her lover's neglect, but that he had been as much 
 disappointed as herself, and she withdrew to her room 
 with her songs in the envelope, to think about some 
 means of discovering what had taken place, when by 
 chance she noticed one of the little seals, and she was 
 just in the humour to examine it, and when she saw the 
 sun dial the train ignited, and she clasped her hands in 
 an ecstacy of delight in this memento of his truth. 
 
 The kind Mrs. Oakley did not like the entire indif- 
 ference of the elder lady, which was the first symptom 
 she had seen of a change of feeling in her, but it 
 convinced her that Bohun's alarm was not without 
 grounds, and it excited her curiosity and continued in 
 her thoughts throughout her early dinner, but she too
 
 204 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 had a fear of Stokes, and knew that she and her hus- 
 band might suffer if they ventured on any step that 
 thwarted the views of the lady paramount of the parish, 
 but in the afternoon, while she was turning this in her 
 mind, and it happening also to be just the time of Lady 
 Bewdley's ride in the carriage, she saw the Lady Susan 
 pass the house, though without looking towards it, and 
 proceed in the direction of the church, so she slipped 
 on her bonnet and shawl, went out by the back of the 
 house, and kept the young lady in sight, and, knowing 
 every path in the neighbourhood, she contrived to meet 
 her soon face to face, and after a kind greeting they 
 walked on together towards a stile, and when they 
 reached it Lady Susan said, " shall I go first ?" on 
 which Mrs. Oakley gently took hold of the young lady, 
 and said " this is a private place, allow me to talk with 
 you here a minute or two on an interesting matter. 
 The fact is, I received two letters from Mr. Bohun, 
 might I ask you to read the second, which I dared not 
 produce this morning?" Lady Susan drew back with a 
 slight blush. " I assure you," said her companion, " it 
 is entirely harmless and business like ; but you had, 
 perhaps, better let me read it to you;" she then pro- 
 duced the " postscript," and they read it together, poor 
 Lady Susan, contrary to her intention, shedding many 
 tears. 
 
 '' Postscript" (which was written on a separate sheet). 
 — " And now, my dear madam, I have to touch upon a
 
 FIRST INSTALMENT. 205 
 
 subject which I hope you will consider of a private 
 nature. You are very well aware that when I left your 
 house it was settled that I should pay a visit to Maiden- 
 thorpe so soon as, by the effect of sea air and sea 
 bathing, the healing of my wound was perfected, and 
 I may tell you further, that the prospect of that pleasure 
 had no small influence on the curative process. Never- 
 theless it was impeded by travel and some needful 
 attention to business, so that nature did not work with 
 quite such rapid effect as I wished, and it was late 
 before the state of my wound enabled me to write to 
 Lady Bewdley ; but when I ventured on that step, and 
 proposed a time for my visit, I received a reply by 
 return of post peremptorily declining to receive me, and 
 signifying her ladyship's desire to cut short all inter- 
 course between her family and me. I need not tell you 
 what a blow this was, or describe the amazement and 
 the pain it caused me ; but, after much deliberation, 
 always bearing in mind that my correspondent was a 
 lady, I felt that I had no other course than to submit, 
 and, instead of enjoying my promised happiness, comply 
 with the urgent request of my family, and also of 
 Skinner, by returning to London ; but the caresses 
 of my family, the congratulations of my friends, and the 
 compliments I received from the Bench on its being in 
 my power to appear in Court, have not withdrawn my 
 thoughts from Stagbrook, or healed the wound that 
 Lady B.'s letter inflicted.
 
 206 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 " Under these circumstances, I hope I am not taking 
 too great a liberty in asking you to inform me whether 
 you have been acquainted with the cause of this, or 
 whether you have observed circumstances that prevent 
 your being surprised by it as I was, after reverting to my 
 reception as a guest at Maidenthorpe, and the continued 
 civiUty and kindness of her ladyship, and the desire 
 of our meeting again, which, up to the last moment 
 of our intercourse, she very forcibly expressed. 
 
 " If, however, you have been informed of the cause 
 of this severe prohibition, and think the banishment 
 expedient, I would not desire to trouble you with any 
 explanation or discussion respecting it ; indeed, I con- 
 fess that I am hardly warranted in troubling you at all, 
 but my hopeful disposition inclines me to think you will 
 excuse it, and provided you do not concur in the justice 
 or necessity of this sentence, do pray alleviate my intense 
 anxiety by informing me whether you are aware of the 
 cause of it. I do not ask that you should make en- 
 quiries, or in the slightest degree betray confidence, but 
 merely acquaint me with anything that has been in some 
 degree made public. 
 
 " I am too much confined by business, and too weak, 
 to do any thing at present, nor should I think of any 
 step not sanctioned by you, and I consider remonstrance 
 or supplication to Lady Bewdley quite out of the 
 question; but you would do a great deal towards my 
 recovery were it in your power to aflford some quiet to
 
 FIRST INSTALMENT. 207 
 
 my mind on this subject. As I mark this private and 
 confidential, I cannot venture upon sending any messages, 
 but in the event of your communicating with Lady 
 Susan about this matter, I leave it for you to decide 
 whether it may be right to mention the constraint under 
 which I suffer." 
 
 When the reading was concluded Mrs. Oakley said, 
 " I infer, with regret, from your manner that Mr. Bohun's 
 banishment from Maidenthorpe has been determined 
 upon, and I am exceedingly sorry to think so." 
 
 " My aunt's letter to Mr. Bohun proves it," said the 
 lady, " but this letter is the first I have heard about it, 
 and it also gives me pain to think that I am excluded 
 from my aunt's confidence. I should have thought it 
 the work of my uncle Altham, but he has not been here 
 lately." 
 
 " Pardon me," said Mrs. Oakley, " he was here exactly 
 a fortnight ago." 
 
 " Dear me," said Lady Susan, after a little considera- 
 tion, " that accounts for it. I went out that day to dine 
 and sleep at Mrs. Grant's, and the opportunity was per- 
 haps made for him. I have no doubt the letter was 
 written in my absence. I suppose you are going to write 
 to Mr. Bohun?" 
 
 " Oh, yes ; immediately." 
 
 '' Then pray tell him that you communicated the post- 
 script to me, and that I was much grieved at first, and
 
 208 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 that I deeply lament he has been no better recompensed 
 for preserving our lives, but I don't think this is the 
 proper time for making that great achievement known to 
 my aunt." 
 
 Lady Susan then dried her tears, and said, *' they had 
 better separate;" and, by walking as quickly as she 
 could, she reached the house before the return of her 
 aunt. 
 
 When Lady Bewdley came in Lady Susan asked, " if 
 this present of songs ought to be acknowledged?" 
 
 "Yes, my dear, just in the same brief style as the note 
 which accompanied them," 
 
 And accordingly she wrote merely the following: — 
 
 " Lady Susan Altham has the honor to acknowledge 
 the receipt of six very pleasing songs from Mr. Bohun, 
 for which polite attention she is still further indebted to 
 his kindness." 
 
 The old lady rather turned up her nose at it, but said, 
 "Well, you may send that;" and accordingly it was 
 sealed in her presence and despatched, it being just post 
 time, but there had been a minute and delicate little slip 
 of paper introduced between the leaves on which was 
 written, 'I was delighted with your new seal, — Yours, 
 
 s. a:' 
 
 Lady Susan, satisfied with her little correspondence 
 with Bohun, passed two or three months with her aunt 
 cheerfully and happily, using in the mean time all her 
 efforts to raise the spirits of that lady, but these were
 
 FIRST INSTALMENT. 209 
 
 not fully successful, for no penitent lord made his appear- 
 ance at Maidenthorpe, and the honourable and reverend 
 canon dared not, even after the retreat of his gout, front 
 the Lady Bewdley, for it was impossible to account for 
 the absence of Lord WestclifF in any way but from in- 
 difference, which plain inference neither pleased Lady 
 Bewdley, or the amiable Lady Cecilia, or the canon her 
 spouse ; yet the latter talked impudently in public of 
 the devotion of the marquess and the suitableness of the 
 match, and the approbation of the old lady, and causing 
 those things to be generally believed, he created a kind 
 of barrier round Lady Susan, so that she remained in 
 tranquillity, while her aunt growled over the con- 
 temptible supineness of the " men of this generation," 
 and really began to think that the bills of Mrs. Lofty 
 had been a useless drain of money, for no one attainment 
 or accomplishment of her niece seemed to excite much 
 interest among their country acquaintance, except that 
 Mrs. Oakley was really her enthusiastic admirer, and 
 generally attended a morning's practice at least once a 
 week after the English songs came in. 
 
 The scrap from Lady Susan, and the more ample letter 
 from Mrs. Oakley, restored to Bohun his manhood and 
 his spirits ; he declined the visit to Bath, but enjoyed 
 himself with his family and the party at the vicarage, 
 which was once enlarged by a visit of Signor Pulciano ; 
 and his gradual improvement and revived spirits made
 
 210 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 them all very happy, particularly his mother, who had 
 been unable to get up to his chambers in the Temple, 
 and from whom the alarm on his first arrival could not 
 be entirely concealed. He was also soon enabled to call 
 on Mr. Hargrave and thank him warmly for his genero- 
 sity and kind friendship, and for the trouble he had 
 taken to promote his welfare and comfort. 
 
 " I suppose your money's all gone," said his old 
 friend. 
 
 " Not exactly, my dear sir, for I've brought you a 
 thousand pounds as a first instalment of my large debt 
 to you." 
 
 Mr. Hargrave searched for the bond, and wrote off 
 that sum on the back, and said, " he was pleased that 
 he had been so successful." 
 
 When Bohun took the opportunity of saying, " I have 
 disposed of the £200 you kindly sent me ; am I to con- 
 sider myself in your debt for it?" 
 
 " No, my dear fellow ; as it has been the means of 
 bringing you here in safety, I think it is well laid out." 
 
 " Well, sir, the last of it went in a shawl to my kind 
 hostess, Mrs. Oakley; and she and I are very much 
 obliged to you for it." 
 
 They parted cordially — the old gentleman most glad 
 of his return, for he needed him more than ever as he 
 advanced in years ; and frequently he had business con- 
 sultations with him; and he also found that he could
 
 FIRST INSTALMENT. 211 
 
 trust to the calculations of Bohun more safely than to 
 any one in his own establishment, all which he was not 
 unwilHng to pay for liberally, so that the fees of the old 
 gentleman in the course of the next year amounted to 
 near about £1,000. 
 
 p 2
 
 ( 212 ) 
 
 NORTHERN TACTICS. 
 
 TTTE have as yet only surmised the cause of Bohun's 
 banishment from Maidenthorpe ; but the con- 
 jecture of Lady Susan was right — he owed it to the 
 intervention of the Hon. and Rev. Canon Altham, who, 
 having been apprized by the old lady when he might 
 have a tete a tete dinner with his sister-in-law, went 
 over to talk in very different language from that of the 
 soldier, and persuaded the old lady, " that his friend the 
 marquess was devotedly in love with Lady Susan; and 
 that, though he had run through some twenty or thirty 
 thousand pounds, his estates were so considerable that, 
 as soon as he married and settled down quietly with 
 such a lovely, accomplished and sensible girl as his 
 niece, they would soon be re-established and rendered 
 more productive than ever." 
 
 After a great deal of this the lady said, " I have 
 nothing to do with it, her father will dispose of her; 
 but if I see this lord put on the manners of a gentleman, 
 and conduct himself like one, of course we can take it 
 into consideration."
 
 NORTHERN TACTICS. 213 
 
 " That's very good and very sensible, my dear sister ; 
 but there's another thing to get over." 
 
 " Indeed ! what do you refer to ?" 
 
 " Why, I don't know whether it has occurred to your 
 ladyship, that it would be very undesirable to have this 
 Bohun here again." 
 
 The good lady seldom acquiesced in the suggestions 
 of others ; and, besides, she liked Bohun, and was de- 
 sirous of being again entertained by him : and, therefore, 
 said, " I don't know ; he is a very sensible and amusing 
 person, and he seems to do very well in his profession ; 
 and it does not signify to me whether he was tried as 
 you say or not." 
 
 " But has not your ladyship adverted to another 
 important consideration. I mean your making him the 
 companion of Lady Susan." 
 
 " He would only meet her under my surveillance ; 
 and if I perceived the least endeavour on his part to 
 excite an interest in her, I would instantly dismiss him ; 
 a lady of rank can do that you know, but in fact I 
 cannot entertain the slightest idea of such a thing. 
 Mrs. Lofty assured me that, of all the young ladies 
 who had been under her care, she had never known 
 one in whom a sense of dignity was so happily blended 
 with perfect modesty, and that her behaviour was on all 
 occasions properly courteous and refined." 
 
 " I have not the honour of personal acquaintance with 
 Mrs. Lofty," said the divine ; " and I must say, that,
 
 214 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 according to my observation, every thing confirms her 
 favourable report of my niece ; but, I have generally 
 remarked of your charming sex, my lady, that about 
 the age of eighteen (I think that is the age of Lady 
 Susan ?)"— 
 
 " Yes, approaching rather to nineteen." 
 
 " Well, that sensibility of character is so developed 
 about that period, that it is not prudent to expose a 
 young woman to the contagion, I will venture to call it, 
 of a sensible, agreeable young man, as you describe 
 this Bohun." 
 
 " But he is such a poor emaciated creature, not at all 
 fitted to take the fancy of a young woman." 
 
 " Perhaps so, at the time he was here ; but in a state 
 of health and strength the effect may be different ; 
 however, I leave that to your ladyship's better judgment, 
 only it just occurs to me that this person, whom I don't 
 know, might, perhaps, on some future occasion, have to 
 boast of his acquaintance with the Yorkshire beauty, 
 Lady Susan Altham. And one thing I must mention, 
 that I think the very notion of his being here would 
 drive away WestclifF, for it is evident there is an ill- 
 feeling between them." 
 
 " Are you aware of the cause ?" 
 
 " No ; but one may conceive that he has been em- 
 ployed in some case adverse to his lordship, and you 
 know the license that is permitted to these fellows." 
 
 " Well, that makes it rather awkward ; I'll think 
 about it."
 
 NORTHERN TACTICS. 215 
 
 Just at that time dinner was announced, and the canon 
 (satisfied that as the lady consented to deliberate upon 
 it he had won his cause) made himself as agreeable as 
 possible throughout the evening, and the next morning 
 Bohun's note happened to arrive, and he wrote the laconic 
 epistle we have heard of, and the lady copied and sent it. 
 It's true that the abruptness w^as very distasteful to her, 
 and she remonstrated at first; but the canon said, ''my 
 dear lady, that's the only way to avoid a voluminous cor- 
 respondence :" so she yielded, and Stokes w^as ordered to 
 say nothing about her brother-in-law being there, and to 
 give orders to the other servants not to mention it, under 
 pain of dismissal, and Lucy and. Mike were absent with 
 the young lady: so that Lady Susan might have con- 
 tinued ignorant of the visit but for the accidental com- 
 munication with Mrs, Oakley, and now she could only 
 conjecture about the letters, so she determined to be in 
 every respect as watchful and guarded as possible. 
 
 The canon returned to York and pleased his amiable 
 spouse with the account of his success, and, mentally, he 
 compared himself to a skilful general taking the com- 
 mand of a defeated, broken army, and by superior 
 tactics collecting the scattered forces, so as to present 
 a solid front to the enemy; but, alas ! who can command 
 success ? when he went to the barracks next morning to 
 make known to his ally the improved state of aflPairs, he 
 found that the gallant hero, for whom he had made clear 
 the path to victory, had taken flight, owing to a sudden
 
 216 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 call to the last October Meeting at Newmarket, where a 
 very important race was to come off, from whence he 
 could not help being attracted to Melton, and there he 
 stayed for nearly the whole of the hunting season, and 
 fully imbibed the spirit of the field, and rode so well up 
 to the hounds, that he killed one horse, and ruined two 
 more ; a friend in the field remarking, as they walked 
 their horses home on the last of these occasions, that 
 " when a man of his lordship's size and weight chose to 
 * live with the hounds' it always cost him a good deal in 
 horse-flesh." 
 
 But how grievously disappointed was the unfortunate 
 canon. All his devotion and generalship thrown away, 
 in fact, his vexation was so great that it brought on a 
 fit of the gout, in which he had to be nursed by the 
 ill-tempered and ill-pleased Lady Cecilia.
 
 ( 217 ) 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CIRCUIT, ETC. 
 
 THROM that period all the parties mentioned in this 
 narrative went on nearly in their usual routine. 
 Lady Bewdley was sulky and disappointed ; Lady Susan 
 cheerful after a time, when the fear of a visit from 
 York had died away ; Bohun regaining his health not- 
 withstanding his being very hard worked; Mr. Har- 
 grave increasing in love and confidence in him, and the 
 Fosters and their mother enjoying complete happiness 
 in the growth and improvement of their little Alfred. 
 
 These events were in the year 1824, and the multi- 
 tude and amount of speculation that our hero gradually 
 became acquainted with amazed and alarmed him, the 
 excitement arising from share investments in mines and 
 other things, and the profits accruing to the projectors 
 and to those holders who promptly realized, and the 
 contagion which he saw spreading from this, carried 
 people away from the ordinary pursuits of trade and 
 commerce and led them into the dangerous vortex of 
 speculation, into which many cast themselves who had 
 money and a still greater number who had nothing, and 
 the infatuation spread throughout the country ; and
 
 218 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 Bohun, being commercially known and connected, was 
 in very many instances preferred to draw articles, deeds 
 of trust, charters, &c., and as he understood the nature 
 of these things, and followed up his knowledge by 
 careful examination of authorities and all the law he 
 could rummage out bearing upon it, he made himself 
 thoroughly master of that branch of the profession, and 
 therefore deserved, and well maintained, the reputation 
 that he was given credit for, so that his name gave a 
 sort of assurance to the public, which suited the pur- 
 pose of the not over sincere men who promoted the 
 various schemes for speedy enrichment. 
 
 One Sunday he went rather early to Mr. Hargrave 
 and had some talk with that gentleman before dinner, 
 and rather wakened up his attention to the signs of the 
 times, and when they met the next time after Mr. Har- 
 grave had more particularly looked into the state of 
 commercial affairs, and examined the lists of individuals 
 embarking in these things, both in London and all over 
 the country, he made up his mind that sooner or later 
 money would be very " tight," as he called it, and that a 
 scarcity, and perhaps a panic, would ensue, and he 
 shaped his own course so as to prepare for the hur- 
 ricane whenever it might arrive. 
 
 Bohun simply adopted the plan to make every soli- 
 citor demanding these legal instruments pay before he 
 took the draft away, so that the cash rolled in both for 
 him and Skinner, and the banker in Fleet Street was
 
 CIRCUIT, ETC. 219 
 
 rather astonished at the augmentation of his account. 
 However he kept his own council, and warned Skinner 
 to be on his guard also, lest his regular clients might 
 think he was devoting himself to this temporary specu- 
 lative business, and intended to abandon the ordinary 
 routine of the profession. In order to act up to this he 
 went the circuit as usual ; but as York races occurred 
 towards the conclusion of it, and he was not retained 
 for any business on the last day of the sitting at Lan- 
 caster, he started off in a coach to York, thinking that 
 either in the morning of the race, or at the ball which 
 usually took place after it, he might perhaps get a sight 
 of his lady love.
 
 ( 220 ) 
 
 CHAI^TER XVI 
 
 T)OHUN slept a good deal in the coach, and after a 
 good supper at the Royal Hotel, he chose to take 
 a sanguine view of his prospects, and thereupon again 
 slept soundly, for, in truth, his mind had been so 
 worked of late that the refreshment of rest was bene- 
 ficial to his brain, and when he rose and was shaved 
 and genteelly dressed he looked himself again, that is, 
 had very much the appearance of a gentleman. He was 
 in time for the morning service at the cathedral, 
 indeed got inside the building, and, as the choristers 
 were going in, he begged one of them to " let him try 
 the anthem in his place," when the other asked "are you 
 going to the races ?" 
 
 " No, I am not." 
 
 "Then will you take my duty in the afternoon for 
 me?" 
 
 He promised to do so if possible. 
 
 The Vicar Choral clothed him in his cassock and 
 band, and as soon as he had heard him sing three or 
 four bars, set off for the races, perfectly satisfied that he 
 had provided a good substitute.
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 221 
 
 After prayers were over he made a hearty breakfast 
 at the inn and looked at the programme of the races, and 
 having by that, and enquiring aftervrards in the hotel, 
 ascertained at what time the most fashionable company 
 left York to attend them, he returned to the Abbey to 
 make a full and careful survey of that glorious edifice, 
 and perambulating the close, and surveying for some 
 time the grand exterior, he almost ran over his old 
 Scarborough acquaintance, Dr. Bower ; but the altera- 
 tion of his own appearance made it necessary to explain 
 how and where they had met ; this of course led to many 
 congratulations, and Dr. B. was much pleased to find 
 that his encomiums had induced Bohun to examine the 
 Minster with more attention than he had done previously, 
 and he volunteered to explain its construction, which 
 was entirely a labour of love, tlie old gentleman being 
 deeply impressed with its solemn grandeur, harmonious 
 proportions, with the variety and appropriateness of its 
 exquisite decorations, and with the singularity, symmetry 
 and delicacy of all its details. And, furthermore, practice 
 in writing and lecturing upon this theme had rendered 
 him exceedingly clear and eloquent in discussing it, 
 which was fortunate for our hero, as he could by no 
 other means have acquired so complete a knowledge as 
 the harangue of Dr. Bower communicated. This was 
 not apparently in the act of terminating at the expiration 
 of an hour and a half, when Miss Bower, whom he had 
 also met at Scarborough, came to tell her papa that
 
 222 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 mama wanted him at home immediately, as they were 
 going to dress, and she had some things to arrange with 
 him about the excursion. A second introduction of 
 Bohun to the young lady by her papa was also needful, 
 and she appeared not a little pleased at the improvement 
 in her sea-side acquaintance, for she did not part with 
 him without regret even in his illness. 
 
 " Oh ! then, you are come to York for the sake of the 
 Races." 
 
 " No ; but I may take a walk to look at the company 
 on their way to the race course." 
 
 " Well, you will see all York on the road in about 
 an liour's time, for the race between Lord WestclifTs 
 'Champagne' and the Honourable Mr. Clay's ^Filagree' 
 excites great interest." 
 
 The parent enquired at parting if he meant to come 
 to the Minster again? and he promised to meet him 
 there after the afternoon service. 
 
 Bohun then made very promptly a little improvement 
 in his toilet, and set forth on his promenade on the York 
 road, from the footpath of which he proposed to take a 
 view of the various equipages. Of course his attention 
 was peculiarly directed to the most splendid and dashing 
 among them, and after several disappdintments he at 
 length saw approach a very elegant barouche with four 
 horses, and outriders in advance, all the servants dis- 
 playing military cockades. His anticipations were not 
 disappointed in this instance, for he found that Lady
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 223 
 
 Susan was the Sultana of the party, and accompanied 
 by Lady Bewdley, Lord WestcHff, and the Hon. and 
 Rev. Canon Altham ; he knew the last three very well, 
 but the Lady Susan was the peculiar object of his 
 attention ; and, as the equipage was prevented by the 
 throng from passing at a rapid rate, he had a full view 
 of her, and without happening to attract the notice 
 of her companions. She looked more delicate and 
 pale than he was accustomed to see her, but hardly 
 less beautiful on that account. She was of course 
 elegantly dressed, and altogether in a state and style 
 more suited to her rank than he had ever seen her 
 before. One who is " the observed of all observers" is 
 generally sensible of that pre-eminence, and also notices, 
 almost unconsciously, the admiration she excites, and 
 those in whom it is manifested, and the figure of Bohun 
 attracted and riveted her attention, but it was only at the 
 time of the carriage passing that she recognized his eye 
 and features and smile of delight. Li the next moment 
 they were cut off as it were from the view of each other 
 by the progress of the carriage. The effect upon the 
 lady was electric, she became deadly pale, and, indeed, 
 almost fainted. Her illness was apparent to her com- 
 panions, though' the shock that caused it was not com- 
 prehended. She spoke of a sudden pain in her head, 
 but after a few moments she partly recovered, but could 
 not regain her spirits, and the party shortly afterwards 
 arrived at the grand stand, and she was glad to enter
 
 224 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 upon the bustle of the scene, which diverted everybody's 
 mind from the incidents of the little coterie in the 
 carriage. 
 
 His lordship, of course, made his way to the betting- 
 stand accompanied by the canon and one of the officers 
 who rode on the box, while the other did his best to 
 entertain the two ladies; but his small talk and scandal 
 and mess-room anecdotes received only a civil attention, 
 so that he groaned inwardly at his doom to find amuse- 
 ment for two haughty and reserved women instead of 
 enjoying himself, like others, in the animated and genial 
 scene that he looked forth upon perched up as he was in 
 the grand stand. 
 
 The Lady Susan returned from the excursion much 
 fatigued, which the depression of her spirits rendered 
 her unusually sensible of, and she summoned her 
 attendant, Lucy, to assist in taking off some of her 
 dress, in order that she might be at ease in her dressing 
 gown, with a view to taking some repose in her easy 
 chair, or perhaps on the sofa: after the maid had con- 
 cluded her duties about her mistress, during which she 
 had not spoken a word, she employed herself in folding 
 up the dress, and rather lingered in her work, so at last 
 Lady Susan said, ^' I do not want you, you need not 
 stop to do that now." 
 
 This breaking of the silence by her mistress encou- 
 raged Lucy to say, "if you please, my lady, might 
 I speak to you before I go ?"
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 225 
 
 " Be quick then, what do you want to say ?" 
 
 " Only, my lady, I saw Mr. Bohun this morning." 
 
 " Saw Mr. Bohun ! what, here in York ? and did you 
 speak to him ?" 
 
 " No, my lady, he spoke to me." 
 
 After a moment's consideration the lady, recollecting 
 that Lucy was not in her confidence, said, " I rather 
 wonder that he should do that after having left in the 
 manner he did, and taken no further notice of my aunt 
 or anybody." 
 
 " But, my lady, that's just what we talked about to- 
 day." 
 
 " Well, can you remember what passed ?" 
 
 " Yes, my lady, pretty well, I think." 
 
 " Then, my good girl, let me hear the whole from 
 beginning to end exactly, don't forget anything." 
 
 " Well, my lady, I were going along Briggate, and I 
 saw two gentlemen talking together at the corner of one 
 of the streets, and I just look'd at 'em and didn't seem 
 to take any notice, but I saw one of the two rather 
 look'd hard at me ; however, I walk'd straight on, but 
 after I'd gone about a hundred yards, I stopp'd, for a 
 thought suddenly came across me that it was like 
 Mr. Bohun, only, to be sure, he was a good deal better 
 looking ; well, I stood some time looking at some very 
 pretty caps and bonnets in the windows of a milliner's 
 shop, though I never turned my head back; but, pre- 
 sently, the gentleman came up, and said, * Lucy, I am very 
 
 Q
 
 226 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 glad to meet you, pray how is your lady ?' So I pretended 
 not to know him, and then he said, * you don't remember 
 me I see, — Mr. Bohun.' ' Oh ! indeed,' I said, ' Lady 
 Bewdley is very well ;' and he look'd at me rather droll 
 like, with a smile on his face, and then he took out 
 a half sovereign from his waistcoat pocket, and gave it 
 me, and said, ' Now, Lucy, just suppose you were trying 
 on one of these smart little caps and looking in the 
 glass to see how it suited your hair and your complexion, 
 and then consider whether a man is most likely to 
 enquire after an old lady or a young one ;' and so, my 
 lady, I thought it was not worth while to be rude to him, 
 and I said ' your ladyship was pretty well, but not quite 
 so hearty as when he was at Maidenthorpe.' ' I am very 
 sorry for it,' he says ; * if my prayers were heard. Lady 
 Susan would be as well and as happy as she is good and 
 beautiful.' '' 
 
 " Did he say that ?" 
 
 " Yes, my lady ; and I told him, ' I wondered at his 
 talking in that way, when he didn't think it worth while 
 to come back to Maidenthorpe according to his promise.' 
 * Ah !' he said ; ^ do you think Lady Susan does not 
 know why I didn't come back V ' Well,' I says, ' I don't 
 know as my lady troubles her head about it ; only I 
 think you talked of coming back, and, naturally, we all 
 expected you ;' and then he said, ' pray now answer me 
 this question, do you think Lady Susan expected it like 
 yourself?' Upon that I told him as, of course, ' I didn't
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 227 
 
 know ; but I thought so/ * And do you think,' he said, 
 *that her ladyship doesn't know that I was ordered by 
 her aunt never to enter her house again?' So I told 
 him, * I was quite surprised, and that, certainly, I didn't 
 think as you did know it,' my lady; *and beside,' I 
 said, ' Mr. Bohun, are you positive sure about it ?' and 
 he said, ' yes ; that he stayed some time at Scarborough, 
 and then wrote to Lady Bewdley to tell her he would 
 visit her again a day or two afterwards if quite convenient, 
 and to that he received back an answer that Lady 
 Bewdley desired never to see him again ;' and he said, 
 * this letter cut him up very much ; and he thought that, 
 of course, your ladyship knew about it.' Well, I then 
 made bold to tell him that ' I felt certain sure your 
 ladyship knew nothing about that.' I hope, my lady, 
 you'll forgive me." 
 
 " Oh ! certainly ; you were quite right, I knew nothing 
 about it ; and pray what more passed between you ?" 
 
 " Why, my lady, he said, as I'd ' taken a weight off his 
 heart ; and that my lady's letter had made him very ill, 
 and particularly because he considered that your lady- 
 ship must have known all about it.' And then he said, 
 *he supposed that your ladyship might lose your spirits 
 because it was dull at Maidenthorpe and out of the way 
 of what was going on in the world;' but I told him 'that 
 your ladyship had had plenty of visitors, and that Lord 
 Westcliff and the Honourable and Reverend Mr. Altham 
 came to Maidenthorpe just after he left, and that you'd 
 
 q2
 
 228 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 been very much out in society since ;' and then he said, 
 *he was glad to hear it; and that your ladyship ought 
 to see as much as possible of good society, and that you 
 would be a great ornament to it.' And then he said, 
 *pray, Lucy, can you give any guess why I should be 
 ordered off in that way ?' Whereupon I told him, ^ I 
 didn't like to answer that question, but thought he must 
 be able to tell himself;' and besides, I thought he might 
 be offended if I gave my opinion what the reason was ; 
 and he pressed very hard for an answer as to my thoughts 
 about the matter, and said ' he would take it as a favour 
 if I would let him know whatever it might be ;' so I 
 up and told him that I had heard he was a very bad 
 man. And he laughed a little, and said 'he should like 
 a little more explanation as to that, for sometimes when 
 ladies called a man a naughty man, or a wicked man, 
 they did not at the time consider him so very unpar- 
 donably criminal.' ' So,' I said, ' I guessed what he 
 meant, but that was not the thing ;' and told him * I 
 understood he was a downright bad man ;' and he said 
 * Do you think that is the real and only reason why I 
 was ordered away.' ' Yes, I do,' I said, ' and reason 
 enough too.' And he laughed and said, ' that was another 
 piece of good news, and it made him very happy, for he 
 thought there might be something else ;' and then I 
 wanted to go, and he said ^stop, Lucy, one word more,' 
 and he looked at me and said, ' Do you think I am a 
 bad man ?' ' Vm sure, sir,' says I, ' I cannot tell, how
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 229 
 
 should I know anything about it.' ^ And pray, my good 
 girl,' he said, ' did you tell your mistress that I was a 
 bad man V ' Oh, dear no, sir,' I said. ' Then did your 
 mistress tell you?' *No,' I said, ' she never said any- 
 thing about it.' ' And pray,' he said, ' how soon after I 
 went away did you hear of my being a bad man?' 
 * Well,' I said, * it is very hard to be catechised in this 
 way ; but it was just afterwards, I think.' * Well, my 
 good girl, you must forgive me for troubling you, but 
 you know character is a valuable thing, now do give me 
 your honest opinion whether Lady Susan thinks I am a 
 bad man ;' so I said, ' how should I know, unless your 
 ladyship had said something about it.' * I'll tell you 
 how you would know,' he said, ' pure and modest and 
 heavenly minded as Lady Susan is, the very name of a 
 bad man would be odious to her, and the recollection of 
 having admitted such a person into her society would be 
 a constant source of regret and mortification ; have you 
 then heard her express those sentiments about me ?' 
 And when I told him ' I could not say that I had heard 
 anything of the kind,' he smiled and said, ' your lady- 
 ship was too just to condemn him unheard ;' and then I 
 asked *if I should tell your ladyship whether I had seen 
 him ;' and he said *he left that to my better judgment;' 
 but looking rather in a jaunty way said, ^ what shall you 
 say about me ?' ' Why, that you look uncommonly 
 well, and that I hardly knew you.' And then he said, 
 just if he had been serious, * I desire you will tell your
 
 230 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 mistress, that I am not changed in the least since I saw 
 her,' and so he was oiF in a moment, and I saw no more 
 of him." 
 
 This conversation amused and revived Lady Susan 
 very much, and she told Lucy " that she did not know 
 she was such a clever girl, and as she did not intend to 
 use her green dress any more she would let her have it." 
 
 The domicile of the Maidenthorpe party at York was 
 with the canon and his lady, who had a good house in 
 the cloisters, and they were seated in the drawing-room 
 before dinner, not dressed for the ball, when the canon, 
 who got home late, called Lady Bewdley out for a 
 minute and told her, " that Bohun was at York and would 
 be at the ball that night, and now," he said, " this proves 
 the young fellow's design, and you must be decided with 
 your niece and tell her to cut him point blank." 
 
 " Very well, I will either do that or insist upon her 
 not dancing with him." 
 
 This did not pass unnoticed by the young lady, who 
 eat very little, and when after dinner her aunt joined her 
 in her dressing-room and made known the circumstance, 
 she only said, " that she was too unwell to go to the ball, 
 and therefore there was no need to discuss who she 
 should dance with." 
 
 Her aunt cast an eye of vexation on the very hand- 
 some dress that had been made for the occasion, but 
 Lady Susan said, " that will do another time, and you 
 may be sure, as his lordship's horse has won, the gentle-
 
 YORK^ AND A RACE BALL. 231 
 
 men will have had too much wine to-night to know one 
 dress from another, even if they know one girl from 
 another." So the matter dropped, and till the next day 
 she knew nothing about the ball, but under the circum- 
 stances of seeing and hearing good tidings of her lover, 
 she thought it was better to stay at home than cause a 
 brawl, or perhaps a challenge at the ball, and she smiled 
 with pleasure when she thought of Bohun's ingenious 
 device for giving her assurance of his constancy. 
 
 Next morning Lady Susan had appeared at breakfast 
 rather pale, but better than the day before and free from 
 headache, and some time after she had retired to her 
 own room her young friend, Miss Bower, sent up to 
 know if she could see her, and was gladly admitted, and 
 Lady Susan soon declared her entire relief from pain, 
 and listened with great pleasure while her voluble young 
 friend freely poured out all her impressions about the 
 party. "It wasn't a very pleasant ball, at least the 
 officers came late, and then they had been drinking too 
 much wine in honour of their colonel's horse winning 
 the race, for most of them had backed him, and soon 
 after they entered the room there was an unpleasant 
 disturbance which would have ended in a duel but for 
 the prompt interference of your uncle ; so that, in fact, 
 if it had not been for one very pleasant dance at the 
 beginning, I should not have liked it at all." 
 
 " Oh, oh ! so you had a pleasant dance at the begin-
 
 232 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 ning. Well, that of course means that you had a pleasant 
 partner." 
 
 "Yes," said the young lady, with a slight improve- 
 ment of her complexion, " a gentleman that we met at 
 Scarborough, and papa got acquainted with him, and he 
 came to tea with us there once or twice, and was merry 
 and pleasant at times when papa gave him an opportu- 
 nity by leaving off talking about church architecture, 
 and 'Pa said, ' that, of course, he was one of those wild 
 young fellows about town who ruined their constitutions 
 with debauchery, and then came to the sea-side to re- 
 cover, if possible, for another campaign;' so, at that 
 time, I did not think much about him, but in the ball 
 room last night papa brought me a very fine handsome 
 young man to be my partner, and said, * that he was Mr. 
 Bohun, whom we met at Scarborough last autumn,' and 
 'Ma was quite surprised, for really she did not know 
 him at first, but when he came to talk and laugh she 
 knew him, and then I felt quite certain that he had never 
 ruined his constitution, for he was full of life and spirits 
 as possible. Well, after two quadrilles they called for a 
 waltz, and then he asked me * if I would dance one with 
 him,' but papa had strictly forbid it, so I was obliged to 
 decline, and just at that time your aunt came in and I told 
 him Uhat was Lady Bewdley,' and said Hhat if he would 
 like to be introduced to her, I was sure papa would have 
 great pleasure in doing it, for he was well acquainted 
 with her brother-in-law the Reverend Canon Altham ;'
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 233 
 
 but Mr. Bohun said ' he would rather decline the honor/ 
 and after that he made an odd remark that * he had once 
 dared to plant his barbarian foot within the celestial 
 empire of aristocracy, but was hurled back into his own 
 sphere with a shock which he could never forget.' I 
 could not ask what he meant, for just at that moment 
 papa came and carried me away to present me to Lady 
 Bewdley, and I remained with her, and for some time I 
 could not notice anything about Mr. Bohun, but shortly 
 afterwards I saw him dancing in the waltz with a 
 German lady, who by some accident came to the assem- 
 bly, and they certainly did it in a very different style 
 from the rest, in fact I never saw such beautiful dancing 
 before, but the lady leant upon him and clung to him in 
 a manner that seemed to me anything but delicate. 
 However, they were much admired and there was a 
 crowd round, for at last they had it almost to themselves, 
 and your aunt was in the front rank and nobody seemed 
 to enjoy it more than she did. Well, in the midst of this 
 Lord WestclifF and some of the officers came in, and 
 forced through all the party to approach your aunt, but 
 the dancers going round full swing, without thinking 
 about his lordship, came against him with such force that 
 away he was driven before them, and if he had not come 
 against a bulky alderman he must have been thrown 
 down ; of course this stopped the waltz, and the lady 
 laughed without scruple at the disturbance of the crowd, 
 but this only made Lord Westcliff more enraged, and
 
 234 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 approaching Mr. Bohun in a furious threatening manner, 
 he said in a loud tone, * I hope this colHsion was acci- 
 dental, sir ?' * I am glad to hear your lordship say so,' 
 said Mr. Bohun, looking as fierce as the other, ^ for I 
 thought you placed yourself purposely to occasion it.' 
 Your uncle then, seeing the danger, interfered, and in a 
 very soft tone said he claimed to speak as a bystander, 
 and to say ' that the encounter was purely accidental, for 
 that the face of the lady was towards his lordship, so that 
 Mr. Bohun could not of course perceive his proximity ;' 
 but he might also have said, for I plainly saw it, ^ that 
 the lady pushed Mr. Bohun with all her force.' How- 
 ever, the combatants were separated, so that no other 
 angry words could pass, and Bohun soon after left the 
 room, which of course I was glad of, for at the first 
 onset he looked so indignant at Lord WestclifF that I 
 thought there must be a fight." 
 
 " It's a lesson for you, my dear, as to the uncertainty 
 of pleasures. And did you really see him no more ?" 
 
 " No, indeed. I saw his partner walking about with 
 her German husband, who had been vastly delighted 
 with his wife's exhibition in the waltz, which seem'd to 
 me very strange. I danced afterwards with Cornet 
 Kid, and Captain Craven, but they both talked so of 
 horses and races, that I was quite tired of them. Oh ! 
 dear, I shall never see Mr. Bohun again, that's certain, 
 for T am afraid he's gone from York, and that 'Pa is very 
 much prejudiced against him."
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 235 
 
 " Is not this your first ball, my dear Louisa ?" 
 
 " Yes, it is." 
 
 "Are you not a little unreasonable, my dear, in sup- 
 posing you are to carry off the very first man that falls 
 to your lot as a partner ?" 
 
 *' Dear Lady Susan, you are as bad as mamma: she 
 laughs at me, and says, * I am in too great a hurry,' and 
 is very provoking, considering that papa introduced him 
 to me, and he's so agreeable : the men in general will go 
 through two quadrilles without saying a word, but he 
 talked so pleasantly that it was quite charming." 
 
 " But I suppose he did not talk about that subject 
 that was running in your head." 
 
 " Now, my dear Lady Susan, that's very unkind of 
 you." 
 
 " Believe me, my dear Louisa, I don't mean to be 
 unkind ; but you hinted that your papa was prejudiced 
 against him, now what could be the cause of that ?" 
 
 " Why I think it was something he heard from your 
 aunt, or fi'om Canon Altham, but he did not state what 
 that was." 
 
 " Then, I think, my love, you had better ask that of 
 your papa ; for, perhaps, it might influence you also." 
 
 " Influence me ! I would not believe anything against 
 him if all the canons in the chapter were to say it, and 
 the dean into the bargain." 
 
 " You are a little excited my dear Louisa," said Lady 
 Susan, kissing her, but smiling also, " however, we must
 
 236 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 not continue this conversation at present ; indeed, I have 
 not time, for I must alter my dress a httle before I go 
 down to my aunt." 
 
 The fact was, she wished to be alone, for the infor- 
 mation communicated by Miss Bower interested her 
 seriously, and when alone she wept bitter tears at the 
 prevention of this interview, which her lover had evi- 
 dently taken much pains to effect, and also at the 
 prospect of a long interruption of all intercourse between 
 them. 
 
 She found that her aunt was not likely to get up, and 
 in order to recover herself and avoid other suitors, she 
 resolved on taking a ride on horseback with Mike. The 
 horses were at the door as soon as she had got her habit 
 on, and she took the road opposite to that which led to 
 the barracks, cleared the town as quickly as she could, 
 and set off on a hand gallop till she had got to some 
 distance, when she pulled up into a walk, and Mike rode 
 up abreast of her, and, touching his hat, asked, if he 
 might take the liberty to speak to her. 
 
 " Oh ! certainly, speak on." 
 
 " Please you, my lady, I saw Mr. Bohun last night." 
 
 " Did you, Mike," said the lady, " and where is he 
 now ?" 
 
 '* Why, my lady, he went off by the London mail this 
 morning." 
 
 '* And how did he look ?" 
 
 " As handsome as a pink, my lady, and as fresh as a
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 237 
 
 yearling colt. I wondered when I used to carry him 
 about at Stagbrook how such a poor bag of bones as 
 he were could think of attacktin them three powerful 
 ruffians ; but, lord, to see him now that he's got into 
 condition, I should say he's the primest light weight in 
 England." 
 
 " And did you speak to him ?" 
 
 **Yes, my lady; if I may make so bold, I'll tell you 
 just how it was. I was smoking a pipe with Jemmy 
 Wren in the booking office of the Royal Hotel — he and 
 I run opposition once, and Jemmy hadn't quite strength 
 enough for that work, and there was an overturn and he 
 had his thigh broke ; but as it happened that he was a 
 good scholar they made him a bookkeeper, — and while we 
 was talking over old times there came in a fine handsome 
 gentleman, and he asked if he could have a place in the 
 up mail ; and Jem said that if he would deposit a guinea 
 he would book him for the first chance ; so he put down 
 the money and t'other says, ' what name, sir ?' whereby 
 he says * Bohun,* and I chucked away my pipe and went 
 up to him, and said, ' God bless you, Mr. Bohun, it does 
 my heart good to see you;' and he shook hands with 
 me, quite kind, and really when he went out he took out 
 his handkerchief, for he was rather overcome, and I'm 
 sure I was ; but by the time we had walked into the 
 Minster Close, he said, ' he was wonderful happy to 
 meet with a friend, for he thought every one was set 
 against him ;' and I said, ' I never heard a word spoke
 
 238 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 against him myself, except for not coming back according 
 to his word ;' so he said, ' Ha ! do you think that every- 
 body does not know the reason of that ?' * Certainly,' 
 says I, * nobody knows of any reason for it ;' and there- 
 upon he said, * Indeed, Mike, there was reason enough, 
 for my lady wrote to order me to keep away, and not 
 come to Maidenthorpe any more/ So, in course, I 
 were very much surprised at this, and then he asked, 
 
 * If I thought your ladyship knew about it ; and, 
 naturally, that pulled me up pretty sharp at first, but 
 when I had taken time to think about it, I said * I 
 was sure your ladyship had nothing to do with it, for 
 I had heard you say you wondered he didn't return ;' 
 and then he pulled a letter out of his pocket, and said, 
 
 * I wish her ladyship could see this ;' so I said, * that if 
 he would write a letter and put it in, I would undertake 
 that your ladyship should have it ;' and at first he said, 
 ^ it might give great offence if he took such a liberty.' 
 
 * Well,' I says, * Mr. Bohun, you know best, but there 
 can't be much harm in a civil letter, and what's more, 
 there's little enough time for writing it, so you'd better 
 be sharp, for if I'm ordered up, I must go.' So he went 
 into the office and wrote this letter, my lady, and the 
 t'other's inside of it, and please, my lady, I'll just be so 
 bold as to name one thing." 
 
 " Speak out, be quick." 
 
 " Well, my lady, it's only just this — not to tell that 
 my lord made up a story against him at Maidenthorpe ;
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 239 
 
 for if Mr. Bohun knew that, there might be more 
 challenging and fighting, and depend upon it my lord 
 would get the worst of it." 
 
 " You are right, Mike ; I don't at all know what I shall 
 do till I have read the letter ; but, at all events, I'll take 
 care not to give cause for that." 
 
 The lady hastened home after having deposited the 
 letter in the most secure part of her dress that she could 
 think of, that is to say, inside her habit, and in a place 
 not very distant from her heart. Of course the horses' 
 heads were immediately turned towards York, and when 
 the lady arrived, she found his lordship at the door, on 
 horseback, having called to request her company; but in 
 this she took care that he should be disappointed, for 
 she declared herself fatigued and incapable, and re- 
 treated hastily to her bed-room, and secured her letter 
 from the knowledge of Lucy before the riding dress was 
 taken off, and when she had got a dressing gown thrown 
 over her, she desired her handmaid to leave her, as she 
 wanted some rest ; and in another minute the door was 
 locked and the seal of the letter broken. The letter of 
 her lover was first read, which was as follows : — 
 
 " Most adored Lady, 
 
 " I attended the ball at York, thinking and 
 hoping that under the natural disguise of restored health 
 I might quietly and unobserved obtain a sight of you 
 (alas ! you know that I am debarred from attempting
 
 ^40 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 more) ; but it would have been a source of exquisite 
 present bliss and future content if I had been even so 
 far successful ; fortune, however, was adverse, and I am 
 obliged to return to London rewarded only by the 
 remembrance of that blessed light of beauty which for 
 a passing moment beamed upon me in the morning. I 
 need not tell you that the disappointment was very 
 painful ; but in the last moment of my stay at York I 
 met my old friend Mike, and beside his giving me 
 assurance of your being well, he spoke some kind and 
 cheering things to myself, and offered to convey this 
 letter, which ought to he nothing hut an apology ; but I 
 thought it desirable that you should see the enclosed, 
 and hope that by his care it may be conveyed safely to 
 you, and that you may be kind enough to forgive this 
 rash proceeding, and forgive also my imprudent but 
 irresistible desire for the indulgence of a brief gratifica- 
 tion. Believe me, angelic creature, more enchanted than 
 ever, and full of love and gratitude, 
 
 " Yours, A. B. 
 
 " P.S. — I shall be very proud if it affords you pleasure 
 to hear that my practice in the Spring of this year has 
 increased sufficiently to enable me to reduce my debt to 
 £2,000 by Midsummer." 
 
 The other letter was that from her aunt to Bohun, 
 which has appeared before. 
 
 The sweet lady wept over these pictures of her aunt's
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 241 
 
 cruelty and her lover's disappointment, and, in token 
 of that indulgence and forgiveness that he prayed for, 
 she kissed his letter over and over again, and, being 
 commanded to destroy it, she read it repeatedly, till she 
 knew it by heart ; and then followed his directions by 
 burning both letters, after making a memorandum of his 
 address in the Temple, in case she should think it 
 needful to answer his letter ; it did once strike her mind 
 that his love rather bordered on the extravagant; but 
 she reflected on the natural ardour of his character, and 
 the precipitation in which he wrote, and finally gave her 
 full approval. 
 
 Nothing particular happened that day, but a ride in 
 his lordship's barouche, in the course of which he made 
 a faint apology for being late at the ball, and said that if 
 he had known of Lady Susan's absence he would not 
 have gone there at all. 
 
 Lady Bewdley felt ofi^ended at this, and said that 
 there had been some very beautiful dancing before his 
 lordship came. 
 
 " Ha !" said his lordship, " I dare say the girls and 
 boys that got there first showed off the steps they had 
 been practising at school." 
 
 " Yes, my lord, and as the young men had not been 
 taking wine the waltzing that we had in the early part 
 of the evening was very beautiful." 
 
 His lordship said he had given up waltzing lately, the 
 whirl of it disagreed with him.
 
 242 MAIDENTIIORPE. 
 
 " I observed," said the malicious old lady, *' that the 
 junior officers of the regiment found the movement rather 
 troublesome. I was a good deal amused with some 
 of them." 
 
 " Upon my word," said the offended peer, *' I don't 
 look after their dancing, the discipline of the regiment 
 is my care, and every one allows that their drill is 
 excellent." 
 
 " So Canon Altham tells me," said her ladyship, "and 
 I suppose he is a judge of these matters, for he bestows 
 more attention on military than on ecclesiastical affairs." 
 
 " He is a very pleasant fellow," said his lordship, " I 
 wish he was a bishop." 
 
 "It is very lucky, my lord, that the patronage of the 
 Church is not in your hands," replied the tart old lady. 
 
 Lady Susan felt that it was desirable to give a turn to 
 the conversation, and said that she much lamented that 
 her headache had kept her away, for of course the 
 presence of so many cavalry officers must have made it 
 very splendid. 
 
 " Why, yes," said the lord, " all the ladies must allow 
 that ; though some of us may be a little out of practice 
 in the waltz." 
 
 " I have a faint notion," said the old lady, " that if the 
 cellar had been locked up immediately after dinner the 
 gentlemen in the splendid uniforms would have been 
 earlier in their attendance, and as capable of making a 
 display in the waltz as any of the party."
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 243 
 
 " No doubt/' said my lord, " without even excepting 
 that impudent puppy Mr. Bohun, who had reason to be 
 thankful for the protection of Canon Altham last night ; 
 and I have heard this morning that he is off by the mail 
 to his native place, London, in order I suppose to place 
 himself in security, for all the officers of a regiment 
 sympathize of course in an insult to their colonel." 
 
 " Well," said the old lady, " I never expected to hear 
 of that again, for it appeared to me that no affi-ont was 
 intended, and I cannot understand the possibility of 
 insult without intention. Besides, I don't consider this 
 man rude, for though he had seen me before he did not 
 offer to speak to me, and I had no idea who he was at 
 the time I was admiring his dancing. However, as he 
 has gone to London there is no use talking more about 
 him." 
 
 Upon this hint of the lady the subject dropped ; and 
 some other matters w^hich passed in the course of the 
 ride were entirely unworthy of being recorded. 
 
 After the ladies got home no conversation took place, 
 either touching the events of the ball or the pretensions 
 of his lordship ; and the dinner and evening were rather 
 dull ; but the last thing at night Lady Susan sent word 
 to Mike that she would repeat her ride next morning. 
 
 The direction of the ride was much the same as 
 before, and the commencement of the lady's intercourse 
 with Mike was nearly at the same distance from home. 
 She then inquired if he had any fresh news to com- 
 
 r2
 
 244 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 municate ; and he told her that the day before, as soon 
 as he found that the carriage would not be wanted by 
 reason of Lady Bewdley and herself going out in his 
 lordship's barouche, he went down to the barracks to 
 see Doctor Macdonnell, for he thought that that gen- 
 tleman had come to the door of the coach office with 
 Mr. Bohun, and Mike's relation of what passed at the 
 interview was nearly as follows: — 
 
 " After shaking hands, the doctor said, ' Mike, my 
 boy, is it any little matter of physic or surgery or 
 advice that you want of me ?' ' No, thank God, sir, I 
 never was better.' ' Then, Mike, I'll tell you what it is, 
 you want the news of Mr. Bohun. Ah, Mike, we made 
 a pretty good job of him at last, but he wanted time, 
 for time and the doctor help one another in such a case 
 as his, but he is come out right at last, and as nate a 
 young fellow he is as I'd wish to see.' ^ Well, doctor, 
 I thought somehow that it was he that I saw you 
 with last night ; may I make bold to ask whether you 
 went to the ball together ?' * Not exactly so, my boy ; 
 we were both at the ball, but not together, but now 
 if I tell you a bit of fun we had you must not make 
 it known.' * No,' says I, 'doctor, I'll be quite close.' 
 ' Well,' says he, ' my dear fellow, we had a very pretty 
 chance of a duel last night, that is, this morning. You 
 see Lord WestclifF came to the ball rather late, and in 
 passing through the dancers he was run against by our 
 young friend Bohun, who was going full swing in a
 
 YORK, AND A RACE BALL. 245 
 
 waltz and almost knocked my lord down, and this 
 offended him mightily, and being a good deal elated he 
 talked rather loud, and the other was quite as stiff as 
 his lordship, and there would have been a duel in 
 a minute, but Canon Altham interfered and entirely 
 stopped it somehow. Well, Bohun wanted to go off 
 by the mail, and he thought it would perhaps be re- 
 ported that he got away in the night for fear of being 
 made to fight,— I have known them sort of things 
 happen before now, Mike : so he came to me and told 
 me the situation he was in, and begged me to go to my 
 lord and say that he had an idea of going to London, 
 but would by no means think of leaving if his lordship 
 wished any further satisfaction in respect of the fracas at 
 the ball ; and so you see this being a thing that I could 
 not refuse, I had to dress myself and go to the ball, and 
 he got me a ticket, and then according to his desire I 
 made a respectful conge to my lord, who had his black 
 adviser close to his elbow, and then my lord expressed 
 his surprise at the message, for he said * Mr. Bohun 
 and he had come to a perfect understanding at the time, 
 in fact, the moment that Canon Altham had satisfied 
 him that it was an accident he was prevented from 
 seeing anything like offence in it.' And so it ended 
 there, but I very much admire the caution of this young 
 fellow, for there is no knowing what might have been 
 said after he was away.' So then I said, * I think it*s a 
 good job for my lord, for Mr. Bohun would have shot
 
 246 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 him no doubt.' 'Very like,' said the doctor, 'for though 
 my lord is a good shot, he is not used to firing at a 
 target with a pistol in his hand, and that makes a dif- 
 ference, Mike, sometimes. As for t'other, we know 
 what sort he is — when I was examining his body on 
 one of my visits, I noticed that he had had one of his 
 collar bones broke, and I asked " what accident had 
 caused that ?" and he said " it was in a fight at school" 
 — that's the breed, Mike.' * Eh, yes,' says I, ' there's 
 no white feather about him.' ' That's it, Mike, and a 
 pretty young fellow he is, it's a pity he aint a soger 
 like his father.' And so, my lady, we parted, and I 
 have not seen anybody else as has spoke about him." 
 
 The lady then said, " she was very glad that all was 
 well settled, and that there was to be no fighting, which 
 was a thing she dreaded, and in this case there did not 
 appear to be any cause for it at all." But after he was 
 gone she adverted to the bragging of Lord WestclifF 
 with intense disgust.
 
 ( 247 ) 
 
 CIIA.PTER XVII. 
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 
 
 TXTHEN Bohun returned to London he found him- 
 self still needed for setting afoot enterprises of the 
 speculative kind, but the disposition for schemes rapidly- 
 died away, the public having been led to reflection by 
 the stringency of the money market, and in the course of 
 the Summer enterprise came to an end ; but the general 
 practice of our hero increased, and when he set out for 
 the Summer circuit he carried a parcel of briefs which 
 some of the leaders of the bar might have envied. He 
 saw Mike at York by appointment, but he heard only the 
 good news that his lady love was well, and that Canon 
 Altham and the marquess were sometimes at Maiden- 
 thorpe, but they had no other visitors, and the old lady- 
 got very much out of humour with everybody, and he 
 thought she plagued Lady Susan very much. 
 
 There was an assize ball, but as Bohun heard that 
 Lady Susan was not to be there, he did not sacrifice his 
 valuable time in attending it ; a dreadful disappointment 
 to Miss Bower, as she related to Lady Susan in the 
 description that she wrote to her, in the course of which
 
 248 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 the young lady said "she thought the young lawyers 
 pleasanter partners than the officers, though they cer- 
 tamly were not so smart." 
 
 As Bohun meant to go abroad, he resolved to de- 
 nationalize while there and wear a beard according to the 
 German fashion, and when he could pretty well reckon 
 upon the time of his departure he apprised Mr. Har- 
 grave of his intentions, in consequence of which the old 
 gentleman promised him some commissions which would 
 pay the expenses of his journey; but before Bohun 
 departed he waited on his old friend with another instal- 
 ment of £1,500, which reduced his bond debt to a simi- 
 lar sum. 
 
 His spirits were, however, sadly damped by hearing 
 " that Lady Susan had set out under compulsion with a 
 Lady Wolfe just before he returned from the circuit, to 
 go to her father at the Court in Italy where he was 
 Charge d' Affaires." Mike had been her attendant to 
 London and she sent him to the chambers with the fol- 
 lowing letter, and with the further directions to Mrs. 
 Foster, in case he should not be returned from the cir- 
 cuit; owing to which Mike saw that lady, and told her 
 " that his young mistress had been obliged to go off 
 to Italy, that she did not like the journey, and that Lady 
 Wolfe was a very unpleasant companion;" but Mrs. Foster 
 also ascertained from Mike, " that they were to go to 
 Ostend and from thence proceed up the Rhine to Basle."
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 249 
 
 The letter was as follows : — 
 
 "Dear Mr. Bohun, 
 
 " I have been cruelly used since Mike went to 
 York to meet you. The marquess made a proposal in 
 form for an alliance with poor wretched me, which, not- 
 withstanding her previous mortifications and disappoint- 
 ments, my aunt thought I ought to accept, and, as I was 
 of a decidedly contrary opinion, she became very violent, 
 and as this made no impression on me, she threatened to 
 sever the connexion between us, and wished to turn me 
 over to my uncle, which you must be aware I could not 
 bear the idea of; when lo! after about three weeks of this 
 dismal altercation, a letter arrived from my father requir- 
 ing, in the most peremptory terms, that I should imme- 
 diately go out to him under the care of a Lady Seraphina 
 Wolfe, a person whom I have not yet seen, and therefore 
 I can only hope that she may be somewhat diflerent in 
 nature from what her name ordinarily characterizes ; in 
 the mean time, dear friend, I am leaving all those in this 
 country whom I have loved and trusted, and going in 
 sad despondency to see my father, who, I fear, is pre- 
 possessed in favour of this match ; it is only conjecture, 
 but I really cannot help thinking that the whole scheme 
 is concocted by my terrific uncle. To whom but you, 
 my dear Alfred, could I tell this sad tale with a hope of 
 sympathy, my only fear is that the news may arrive when 
 you are chained down to business in the manner you
 
 250 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 have described to me ; but if not, pray, dear friend, think 
 of her who is 
 
 " Your's, wholly your's, 
 
 « S. A." 
 
 Fortunately, there were few impediments to Bohun s 
 departure. He settled with Mr. Hargrave, whom he 
 was to visit, and the enquiries he was to make, and took 
 from that gentleman authority for drawing money all the 
 way to Milan. He then gave final instructions to 
 Skinner as to different matters likely to occur in his 
 absence, and particularly urged the getting in a large 
 sum of money against his return ; and, having taken 
 affectionate leave of the party at the vicarage, he set off 
 with his carpet bag for the Antwerp steamer. He had 
 made a slight acquaintance with Frank Forester, whom 
 he was rather surprised to find on the steamer as they 
 made way up the Scheldt, and, the young man being 
 a novice in foreign travel, he kindly took him under his 
 care, and they journeyed up towards Switzerland, the 
 end and object of F.'s journey being a tour in that 
 romantic country. Of course Bohun took care not to 
 reveal his object, but intended to shake hands and say 
 good bye to his friend the moment that he felt it to be 
 necessary for him to take a route of his own. 
 
 He made enquiries of the police after the two ladies at 
 Aix-la-Chapelle, and found that they had passed the 
 night there eight days before ; he went forward cheer-
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 251 
 
 fully, and with what dispatch business permitted in pur- 
 suit; but in the very last stage before arriving at Basle 
 he observed a travelling carriage approaching them with 
 two ladies, and, to his infinite delight, he perceived that 
 one of them was Lady Susan. It was not likely that 
 the sweet creature should distinguish him, for not only 
 was his face much changed since they last saw one 
 another, but the out-cropping beard was an effectual dis- 
 guise. He therefore bid adieu to his companion at 
 Basle the same night, and retraced his steps to Coblenz, 
 where he arrived on the same day that the two ladies 
 departed from it for Ems. As he knew that that 
 watering place was in a sort of cul de sac, not in the 
 line of any great route, he stopped a day at Coblenz to 
 fit himself out as a German, and the following afternoon 
 he drove over to Ems, and, passing under the name of 
 Konig, made his entrance into the town about twilight, 
 and landed at one of the hotels under his assumed 
 German name. 
 
 He then went to examine the list of the company and 
 found that being late in the season for the waters, the 
 visitors were much diminished, but the two ladies he was 
 in quest of were there ; and, to his great surprise, an old 
 baroness, an acquaintance of his at Vienna, when he 
 made his journey to the Continent some years before. 
 He secured a tolerable supper, and went to bed ru- 
 minating, till he fell asleep, on his plans for the morrow. 
 
 Let us fill up this interval of repose by explaining the
 
 252 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 causes of poor Lady Susan being sent away from her 
 own country on this abortive journey : — When Lord 
 WestclifF, flushed with success and excited by wine, 
 carried all before him in the ball room at York, till he 
 hurtled with Bohun, it had not occurred to his un- 
 reasoning mind that the triumph of that day was only 
 the first act of a drama, in the finale of which he was to 
 refund his winnings, along with a sum of ten times the 
 amount, to those experienced artists who had arranged 
 the plot and planned the catastrophe. 
 
 The season of Melton does not clash with the business 
 of Newmarket, and many of the men who spend the 
 hunting season at the first, are not so entirely absorbed 
 in the ardour of the chase as to have their eyes shut to 
 the character of their companions in it; and the novices 
 who betray conceit, violence, want of temper, and want 
 of judgment, become objects of most particular attention 
 and interest, if they afterwards make their appearance at 
 Newmarket, or on any other race course. 
 
 The truth of this his lordship was destined very 
 speedily to illustrate, for at Epsom, misguided by false 
 information and deceptive advice, he made a considerable 
 book; but, such was his ignorance, and want of pro- 
 fessional skill, that he backed the losing horses and gave 
 heavy odds against the winners, so that after the Derby 
 and the Oaks were run, he had to bring his solicitor and 
 his banker together, to see in what way his estates could 
 be further pledged so as to secure the bankers in making
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 
 
 253 
 
 the large advances now needful to meet his forthcoming 
 cheques from Tattersall's. This was with difficulty ac- 
 complished, and both the one and the other gave him to 
 understand, that the whole of his property was now so 
 locked up that he had no longer the power to borrow 
 money on security — the whole of his estate being in fact 
 under pledge. The marquess flew from London after 
 the settlement, full of oaths and imprecations, with now 
 and then a gleam of repentance, when he reflected on his 
 own folly ; and when he joined his regiment, poor, 
 spiritless, shamed and cast down, and in appearance 
 forming a simile to the cur running away from the lash, 
 not few were the reproaches which he had to endure 
 from his amiable colleague the canon. However, the 
 latter was in so far pleased, that he found the defeated 
 hero disposed to act any part he suggested, and willing 
 to kneel, and vow, and promise, and flatter, and swear 
 love, to the cold and haughty beauty whom he had only 
 two months before deserted with disdain. Without much 
 care about the young lady, he now thought a good deal 
 about the bouncing legacy that was to be expected from 
 the old one, and, in the course of nature, at no distant 
 period ; and so, by great art on the part of the canon, 
 the stage was cleared, with much difficulty, for a new 
 performance at Maidenthorpe, with some little change 
 of character ; but the heroine was no more to be won 
 than by the first plan of attack ; the awkward pleading 
 of the lover, the kind and tender advice of the canon,
 
 254 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 and the threats of the aunt, were without effect ; Lady- 
 Susan admitting all the merit of the noble peer, and 
 paying the canon in kindness, and deprecating the harsh- 
 ness of her aunt, was still positive in her refusal ; so 
 that after this painful experiment there seemed no re- 
 source but writing to her father, and as the Lady 
 Bewdley approved of this measure the canon made his 
 own story good, and alleged the strong desire of Lady 
 Bewdley for the match. Lord Bosworth caught at the 
 idea of replenishing his own pocket by any means in the 
 world, and formed the arrangement with Lady Wolfe in 
 pursuance of which poor Lady Susan was expelled from 
 the nest, and driven to find her way about the world 
 with no aids but her courage and good natural abilities ; 
 but when the party were en route they were actually 
 stopped at Chiavenna, on the south embouchure of the 
 Splugen Pass, by a courier whom Lord Bosworth dis- 
 patched to meet them, and in a letter he desired them to 
 return, and wait at Ems till he arrived there ; because, 
 he said, he had been ordered on an important mission 
 to Munich, and must perform tliat before he resigned all 
 his functions, for it was his intention to return home. 
 The fact being, that he was superseded in his post, and 
 with difficulty obtained an allowance of money for 
 paying his travelling expenses to London ; but, finally, 
 he travelled the same road by which the ladies retired, 
 though his arrival at Ems was much later than he had 
 led them to expect.
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 255 
 
 Bohun slept well the night of his arrival, and was by 
 no means up early, though the morning was fine ; he 
 went to bed tired, but much more disposed to rest by 
 his good supper, and having no definite course arranged 
 he was not prompted to rise with the lark ; however, the 
 sound of a band of music rather made him blush for his 
 laziness, so he had his breakfast and was soon out on 
 the promenade with his pipe, which he smoked slowly 
 but without interruption, and having received a present 
 of some capital foreign tobacco at Antwerp, he was not 
 so much annoyed by the smell, particularly as he had 
 taken cigars occasionally during the journey. After two 
 or three turns he ventured to call on the old baroness, 
 and sending in his card was admitted ; the old lady did 
 not at first know him, but when, by explanation, he 
 identified himself to her satisfaction, she hugged him in 
 her arms and kissed him as if he had been her son. 
 This was, of course, followed by an inquiry what 
 brought him to Ems, when he opened his heart to the 
 old lady, and in the most romantic terms described his 
 passion and his admiration of his beautiful country- 
 woman, and the old girl, who, like many of the Ger- 
 mans, admired and sympathised with enthusiasm, gave 
 into his views, being assured that he had no object but 
 to make this beautiful creature his wife, and promised 
 what aid she could contribute, and under all circum- 
 stances to keep his secret, so that (always bearing in 
 mind, though it was not expressed in the treaty, that
 
 256 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 she was to win daily three or four thalers) she promised 
 to assist him to the best of her ability, and Bohun also 
 determined that a bottle of champagne should not be 
 wanting to enliven occasionally the conversation at the 
 dinner table. They had some gossip, very interesting 
 to him, relative to former friends of his in Vienna, and 
 the news about them was satisfactory, and the old girl 
 chuckled over his adventures there, some of which were 
 attended with great danger. Their interview held out 
 till the dinner hour at the table d'hote approached, and 
 the Baroness Coire readily consented to join the table 
 of his hotel, where the English ladies were, and as she 
 went in on his arm they took their places nearly opposite 
 the English ladies, and Bohun was so agitated when he 
 saw Lady Susan after an absence of a year, that he 
 turned pale and trembled, and the dowager was amazed, 
 and she said, in German, " that he had left his courage 
 behind him." The old lady, by arrangement with him, 
 ordered a bottle of champagne, and she insisted on the 
 English ladies taking some with her, and she became 
 very talkative, and by her jovial manner and cordiality 
 prevailed upon Lady Wolfe to talk with her in French ; 
 but poor Lady Susan, from some cause she could not 
 understand, was extremely nervous and cared little for 
 eating or drinking, and was most glad when the cere- 
 mony of dinner was over, after which the baroness had 
 her young friend to piquet, with a whifF of his pipe 
 now and then, and, of course, she had the best of the
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 257 
 
 game, and in a little time his purse became very lank. 
 Lady Wolfe had quietly observed this, and she drew 
 Lady Susan towards the table, saying, " we ought in 
 charity to make an interruption, for this poor novice 
 has paid enough for his champagne ;" accordingly they 
 took a walk, and stopped as if by accident to inquire 
 about the game. " Ah !" said Bohun, to the elder lady, 
 talking in French, for at Ems he knew only French and 
 German, " pray, madam, take my place, I am ruined : 
 revenge me ;" the Wolfe very kindly took his place, 
 rather thinking that she could transfer some of those 
 thalers into her own purse, when Mr. Konig, on leaving 
 his chair, made a profound bow and begged that Miladi 
 would do him the very great honour to take a valse 
 with him. The lady rather drew back, but the baroness 
 interfered, saying, " go, go, he is good, very good, you 
 vill be quite safe with him," when, as he still urged the 
 request, she laughed and gave her arm, and they walked 
 towards the salon a danser, but the music ceased just 
 before their arrival, and the people poured out, a motley 
 set, all very hot, and he persuaded her to walk straight 
 on, lest they should be enveloped in a disagreeable 
 crowd; and in this way he drew her on to a seat nearly 
 at the end of the promenade, where he wanted her to 
 sit, but she could not be prevailed upon ; the gentleman 
 then said, still in French, " I hope I have not caused you 
 too much fatigue by prevailing upon you to walk to this 
 
 s
 
 258 MAIDENTHORFE. 
 
 spot ; perhaps you will now be seated, as you see the 
 view equally well in that posture." 
 
 The lady however continued standing. 
 
 " What I was desirous of pointing out to you is the 
 contrast between the spectacle on the right of the gaily 
 dressed pleasure-seeking people thronging from one part 
 to another — some listening to music, and others occupied 
 with play — all busily and variously engaged in pursuit 
 of amusement ; in contrast with the view on the left, of 
 the bank of the ravine overhanging the wide part of the 
 river, where, the water being dammed up, is as calm as 
 a lake, and reflects in a pleasing manner the foliage of 
 the underwood, as well as the bare precipitous portions 
 of the rock, — the whole constituting a delightful scene 
 of repose." 
 
 The lady said nothing, but seemed to follow with her 
 eye the different objects and scenes in front of their 
 position as he pointed them out. 
 
 Bohun was silent for a few seconds ; and then, turning 
 gently towards her, he said, in English, "it was in a 
 very different scene from this, Lady Susan, that I first 
 had the pleasure to see you." 
 
 The poor lady was stunned, and sank upon the seat 
 so much agitated as to alarm Bohun, for having caused 
 her so great a shock ; he took her hand gently, saying, 
 " pray, sweet lady, be composed ; for heaven's sake 
 reflect that you are in the midst of perfect security and
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 259 
 
 tranquillity ; and I hope you cannot think that the pre- 
 sence of Alfred Bohun bodes you any ill." 
 
 It was some time before she could breathe freely, and 
 recover her presence of mind, and he felt much pain 
 and anxiety in the interval. 
 
 " I hope I have not done wrong. I dreaded some 
 accident occasioning a surprise which would perhaps 
 have been far more injurious in its consequences. I 
 thought it best to take the earliest opportunity of making 
 known the disguise I have assumed, and the reasons 
 (most important in my own view) for daring to take this 
 step. Most anxiously do I wait the moment when you 
 can bestow a few minutes attention." 
 
 " Speak on, Alfred, I am capable of giving ear to what 
 you say." 
 
 " I will say nothing about the delight I anticipated 
 from seeing you, but it was quite evident that my only 
 chance was through the aid of disguise ; I am therefore 
 a German. Unfortunately, the old baroness knows my 
 real character, though she has forgotten my English 
 name ; but I retain the German name and costume 
 which I bore when we were well acquainted at Vienna 
 four years ago. I pay her for keeping my secret by 
 losing a few thalers every day at piquet. And she will 
 be close, under the confidence of necessarily losing that 
 if she betray me. I avoid the English, and am not 
 quite sure that I should be known by my London com- 
 rades, and, therefore, I am hopeful of being able to con- 
 
 s2
 
 260 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 tinue near you, and to see you often ; and, if need hap- 
 pened, to interfere for your protection." 
 
 " My protection ! why the people here are very civil ; 
 and, so far as I see, indifferent to every thing but amuse- 
 ment and those thalers that you alluded to." 
 
 " There is no time, Lady Susan, for entering into par- 
 ticulars of all I know or anticipate, but I may, perhaps, 
 diminish your sense of security by informing you that 
 your companion is a faithless depraved woman, and the 
 numerous flaws in her character and conduct are known 
 throughout Europe." 
 
 " Impossible ! Were she so bad as you describe her 
 I must fly from all contact with her immediately." 
 
 " But was she not appointed to take care of you by 
 Lord Bosworth ? You would require better warrant than 
 this private information from an incognito for separating 
 yourself and assuming an independent course, and it 
 would be expressly wrong to throw yourself on my pro- 
 tection." 
 
 The poor lady wrung her hands in distress. " Then 
 tell me, my friend, is there any safe line for me to pur- 
 sue?" 
 
 " I recommend your remaining as you are ; be on 
 your guard respecting me, and I will keep tolerably 
 aloof, lingering about among the other idlers, watching 
 for every word that may drop in public, either from Ger- 
 mans, French or my own countrymen, and I will apprise 
 you of any note of danger and contrive means of warding
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 261 
 
 it off. Your vigilance also must never sleep, and I will 
 tell you the meaning of anything that awakens your atten- 
 tion. Further, will you forgive me for touching on a 
 different subject ? I have heard of Lord WestclifF being 
 in your company, indeed, saw you in his carriage ; I wish 
 you to be aware that he is a low-minded bad man. I 
 knew him at Eton, and I find that he is now, as he was 
 then, addicted to every form of vice and totally unworthy 
 of you." 
 
 " I had formed that opinion myself, but his lordship 
 has never uttered the word love to me ; he has thought 
 me quite sufficiently honoured by some fulsome and 
 absurd flattery on one or two occasions." 
 
 " Degraded wretch !" said Bohun, " he has so long 
 associated with the vilest of creatures that it has rendered 
 him insensible to the charms of beauty blended with 
 innocence." 
 
 " You are very hard to please, Alfred. T thought to 
 put you at ease by letting you know that he is not such 
 a headlong hotbrained creature as yourself, and then you 
 are angry with him for his indifference." 
 
 " Oh ! forgive me, I am very hasty; but that is such 
 a tender point. There is one thing more — I am rather 
 afraid of your servant Lucy; she saw me at York, and 
 might possibly penetrate my disguise, therefore never 
 employ her as a messenger, and if there be any need for 
 written communication pray let it be in French, and
 
 262 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 destroyed as soon as read ; I shall strictly adhere to that 
 safe rule." 
 
 " Thank you. Perhaps it is best for me to remain, as 
 I expect papa daily ; he ordered us here to wait his 
 arrival." 
 
 "Now, Lady Susan, our business — most important 
 business I consider it — is concluded, and, if you will 
 accept my arm, we will rejoin the ladies, and I dread 
 much that my baroness will not be so amiable as when 
 we left her, for probably the thalers may by this time be 
 transferred to Lady Seraphina, and I shall only be able 
 to restore the equanimity of my old friend by replenish- 
 ing her purse. Pray cultivate her — she talks very bad 
 French, but she is accustomed to that style of inter- 
 course ; you will by degrees learn, as I have done, to 
 make out her meaning, and she talks a little English and 
 understands it generally, and you will find her very sharp, 
 plain-spoken, full of information and always ready to 
 impart it, and I think you may enjoy her patronage with- 
 out being expected to pay for it." 
 
 This introduction having been effected, Bohun now 
 and then took an opportunity of renewing the acquaint- 
 ance, but he was very guarded and respectful, always 
 behaving like a man not exactly entitled to place himself 
 on a footing with two English ladies of rank ; but he 
 soon contrived the means of promoting a more intimate 
 acquaintance with the ladies by persuading the baroness
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 263 
 
 to give a soiree musicale, on the very reasonable con- 
 dition of his undertaking to provide the supper and 
 wine, and also two performers, one a very fine singer, 
 the other a violinist, and he also procured a violincello 
 for the purpose of having a duet upon those instru- 
 ments in the intervals between the vocal music. There 
 was also a pianoforte. 
 
 The baroness had introduced Bohun to a colonel of 
 infantry, a man of rank and an old friend of hers, whose 
 regiment was quartered at Ehrenbreitstein, and the 
 rooms of the baroness being small, this gentleman, 
 Colonel Martins, was the only visitor invited beside 
 the two English ladies. 
 
 It happened on the afternoon of the day fixed for this, 
 that while Bohun was walking on the promenade in that 
 company which was his invariable choice, two young 
 Belgian officers in uniform, rich probably, but of a very 
 low stamp, thought proper to behave rudely to the two 
 ladies, by walking behind the party and urging, in no 
 soft tones, that English ladies ought not to walk with a 
 contemptible foreigner, who was known to be a low 
 fellow (though the ladies might not be aware of it), who 
 had never been in genteel society in his life, and had no 
 chance of it except at a public watering place; they 
 said he ought to be kicked out of the society, and if it 
 were not for the public annoyance of the ladies, they 
 would take care he should never be seen again. 
 
 Our hero walked to the end of the promenade, and
 
 2^4 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 then the ladies escaped into a house, and Bohun had 
 maintained throughout such perfect indifference and 
 cheerfulness, that Lady Seraphina thought there would 
 now be an end of the affair, J:)ut poor Lady Susan could 
 not indulge the same hopes, especially as the good 
 colonel joined Bohun, and they walked calmly off 
 together ; but the latter took good care to keep these 
 fellows in sight, and having told the colonel the parti- 
 culars of their behaviour, prevailed upon that gentleman 
 to go and arrange a meeting at a spot which they both 
 thought very well adapted for the purpose, and to offer 
 the use of his (the colonel's) pistols in case of the 
 offending parties not being provided. 
 
 The two puppies, when the colonel gave them his 
 own card and that of our hero in his assumed name, 
 and demanded a meeting immediately, for the gentle- 
 man they had insulted was determined to have instant 
 satisfaction, felt rather as if the ground moved under 
 them. One of these monitors of English ladies tra- 
 velling on the Continent immediately abated of his 
 determination to uphold the honour of the ladies and 
 the purity of the society of Ems, but the other was 
 doggedly determined rather to take the chance of the 
 exchange of shots than to be horsewhipped, which, the 
 colonel said, would have been their proper punishment ; 
 so they walked slowly on towards the place of meeting, 
 the colonel having dispatched a servant to bring his 
 pistols.
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 265 
 
 The day was not very hot, but the colonel, who was 
 not a novice in these matters, noticed during their pro- 
 gress that the two gentlemen perspired violently, and 
 that their countenances became more serious and much 
 less florid. However, they arrived at the place, and 
 Bohun immediately drove up in a fiacre with his case of 
 pistols and a horsewhip. The fellow who had been 
 rudest of the two sullenly maintained his resolution to 
 fight, instead of being well horsewhipped, which he 
 saw was the alternative, and the ground being measured 
 ofi^, viz. twelve paces, the seconds proceeded to load the 
 pistols. 
 
 The colonel then said to the stranger, "here are four 
 loaded pistols, take your choice, but remember they are 
 hair triggers, you must be on your guard." 
 
 After the combatants had taken their places, he said, 
 " I shall give the words ^present,' 'fire' in close succes- 
 sion." And just then the unknown champion felt the 
 seriousness of his situation, and the firm, stern and com- 
 manding look of his adversary made the poor novice feel 
 as if he would prefer to retract, but it was too late, they 
 were in position, and after a short pause the word " pre- 
 sent" was uttered, and instantly, before anything else 
 could happen, the protector of English ladies discharged 
 his pistol and fell, and Bohun put his pistol on half 
 cock till he could learn what had happened, and when all 
 the parties were assembled, it became evident that this 
 hapless knight errant, not having attended to the colonel's
 
 266 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 directions touching the sensitiveness of hair triggers, had 
 kept his finger in close contact with that of his pistol, 
 and happening to experience a little muscular contrac- 
 tion when the word "present" was given, pressed the 
 trigger and discharged the pistol, so that the ball went 
 straight down into the ground, but in its way thither it 
 happened to pass through the boot of the combatant, 
 and severed one of the middle toes from the parent foot. 
 This excited great merriment on the part of Bohun and 
 the colonel, so that the adventure terminated in a hearty 
 laugh, and Bohun's carriage was devoted to the use of 
 the sick and wounded, who, however, were made to ac- 
 knowledge "that they never saw Konig (Bohun) before," 
 and an orderly, whom the colonel had commanded to 
 attend, had the pistols committed to his charge, while 
 the two gentlemen walked off to their toilette, as the old 
 lady had insisted on the party being early. 
 
 During the two or three days that the English ladies 
 had been frequently in the society of Bohun, he had 
 very much improved his opportunities, and managed to 
 make them think him very agreeable. It cannot be 
 said, perhaps, that Lady Susan loved him more than 
 ever, but she was delighted to find him quite equal to 
 what her fondest hopes had painted, and she could not 
 help regretting the uncertainty arising from the conclu- 
 sion of the probationary term being still so remote. 
 
 The charming lady knew well that Bohun heard and 
 understood perfectly all these insulting remarks, and
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 267 
 
 became dreadfully uneasy, owing to the conviction that 
 her lover was not the man to pass over the offence, and, 
 therefore, during the time that Lucy was endeavouring 
 to set off her mistress, the lady herself was so absent 
 and confused, and in such a state of tremor, that they 
 did not make satisfactory progress, until a letter arrived 
 from Bohun on the part of the baroness, particularly 
 desiring that the ladies would bring their music, which 
 afforded proof that at any rate he was not then under 
 fire, and concluding that she might in the course of the 
 evening have an opportunity of issuing a peremptory 
 decree against duelling, which would prevent his run- 
 ning into danger, she went forw^ard with better hope, 
 so that finally, Lucy satisfied her own mind that what- 
 ever assembly her mistress might that evening visit, she 
 must, without doubt, be the belle of the room. 
 
 The musical part of the entertainment gave not only 
 general satisfaction but very great surprise to all the 
 party, except the baroness, who well knew Bohun's 
 power. In the duets he took the second part ; and after 
 these an urgent call was made upon Lady Susan, and 
 even the old baroness w^as civil enough to beg a song 
 from her as a particular favour ; the charming lady 
 therefore produced one from her little portfolio, saying, 
 that it would be a great relief to her if she could be 
 aided by a gentleman playing the accompaniment, and 
 this Bohun w^as most happy to undertake, being at the 
 same time peculiarly gratified by her bringing " He
 
 268 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 shall feed his flock," the very first song which he had 
 recommended to her notice. It was very well sung, and 
 voted "exquisite," *' charming," "delightful," and the 
 lovely singer was more the object of general admiration 
 than ever, and perfectly fascinated the colonel. 
 
 After a short interval of other performances, it being 
 observed that Lady Susan had brought another song, 
 the audience were only too eager to induce the fair 
 songstress to favour them, and for the accompaniment 
 of this also the assistance of Bohun was accepted, the 
 song was, " My mother bids me bind my hair," and the 
 applause was as enthusiastic as before ; but Bohun was 
 obliged to restrain his transports, being afraid of the 
 baroness, as well as of Lady Seraphina. 
 
 But supper must not be forgotten. It was served up 
 early, and Bohun was very attentive to the ladies ; but 
 he also carried off a substantial dish and a bottle of good 
 wine to the musicians, and they expressed their great 
 gratification in the singing of "that enchanting young 
 lady ;" and in no small degree complimented him also 
 on his very clever impromptu accompaniments. The 
 supper met with the fate of other good suppers, that is 
 to say, it was well praised and well eaten, and by no one 
 more keenly enjoyed than the old baroness. When all 
 seemed to be satisfied, Bohun and the two English 
 ladies withdrew into the music room, and throwing open 
 the window were delighted with the peculiarly mild and 
 pleasant moonlight evening, and fell into very agreeable
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 269 
 
 conversation, but suddenly, in the midst of this placid 
 enjoyment, they were roused by a scream of laughter 
 ef the baroness, and returned to the supper room to be 
 informed of the joke, when they discovered by degrees 
 that her ecstasy arose from the account of the duel, which 
 had been betrayed by the colonel ; and she was then 
 trying, in spite of rheumatism, to hop on one leg, as if 
 the other were hurt so that she could not put it to the 
 ground, and laughing with all her heart : the story of 
 the duel then transpired, and, all danger being past, it 
 contributed much to the general amusement ; but it was 
 so particularly genial to the taste of the baroness, that 
 she was more than ever delighted with Bohun. 
 
 The latter perceived, however, that Lady Seraphina, 
 who was no singer and utterly eclipsed in beauty, had 
 not enjoyed the entertainment so much as the other 
 " convives," and he made it his business to amuse her ; 
 he said, " I think I discern that you do not much enjoy 
 music." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, I like it much, but it is doubly 
 effective if applied to some use ; for instance, have you 
 not observed in Italy how common it is for lovers to 
 serenade their ladies ?" 
 
 " Yes, but this is not the country for that. Here, if 
 you open your window at night, you must expect the 
 fumes of tobacco instead of the sighs of lovers, and 
 drinking songs in honour of beer and wine instead of
 
 270 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 plaintive strains deploring the killing charms and hard 
 hearts of ladies and the sad doom of despairing lovers." 
 
 " I have travelled a good deal," said the lady, " and 
 there are two sorts of persons I never met with, that is 
 to say, shepherdesses and despairing lovers, and there- 
 fore I regard them as the fantastic creations of poets and 
 novelists, after the manner of Ovid and other heathens, 
 who invented gods and goddesses, fauns, satyrs and 
 nymphs to suit their abominable tales. 
 
 " As regards shepherdesses," said Bohun, " I must 
 confess that after travelling over Alps and Apennines, 
 and by waterfalls and murmuring streams and verdant 
 meadows, I never had the good hap to meet one, but 
 I can tell you, from my own observation, the story of a 
 despairing lover. I once made a short voyage in a 
 passage boat on the Rhone below Lyons, and beheld on 
 board a miserable wretch, who went on crying as if for 
 the purpose of augmenting the river ; at length I asked 
 a relation, who was in deep sympathy with him, the story 
 of his woe, and found that he had been jilted in love. 
 Of course I could not mingle my tears with his, knowing 
 that such misfortunes are not for the most part fatal, but 
 ventured to remark, 'that God in his goodness had 
 created vast numbers of charming creatures for the 
 happiness of man, so that he might have the good fortune 
 to supply his loss.' * Ah ! oui,' the friend replied, ' mais 
 elle etoit excessivement bonne partie.' "
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 
 
 271 
 
 " But you are not telling that story to refute my doc- 
 trine — the vile Frenchman was weeping for the money, not 
 for the chere amie. Go, you are a bungling advocate." 
 
 At this moment the colonel reminded them of the pro- 
 posed performance at the theatre there of a play by the 
 officers of his regiment, and that there was to be a re- 
 hearsal the next day but one, and he asked the ladies if 
 they would like to see this attempt. The baroness would 
 only consent to go on condition of Bohun being invited 
 also, and that being agreed to Lady Susan and her com- 
 panion were persuaded by her to join the party. 
 
 The evening's entertainment was broken up by the 
 early retirement of the baroness, and the two ladies were 
 escorted to their lodgings by the colonel and Bohun, but 
 the party was so sorted that Bohun was deprived of the 
 arm of his lady love. He submitted, however, with the 
 best grace, and the Lady Seraphina encouraged him to 
 be gay and amusing ; but most heartily rejoiced was he 
 when they arrived at their lodging and he found Lady 
 Susan determined to retire. The two gentlemen separated 
 also, the colonel to get to his pipe, Bohun to ruminate 
 on his prospects. 
 
 Our hero drove over to Coblenz next day to learn 
 something about the play, and the English ladies missed 
 him in the morning and at the table d'hote, and were 
 right glad when he made his appearance in the evening 
 on the promenade ; but, unfortunately, he was seized by 
 the baroness, who had been all day like a lioness robbed
 
 272 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 of her cubs. Lady Seraphina was most indignant at 
 this, and began to think him a pitiful fellow for submitting 
 to the humours of an old woman. Lady Susan could 
 say nothing about it, but she felt grateful to her lover for 
 preserving the link of their acquaintance at such cost. 
 
 After his emancipation from the troublesome old lady, 
 Bohun set to work to study the proposed play, which he 
 had found to be a jumble of plagiarisms, and he learned 
 with much difficulty some of the scenes which were to 
 constitute it. 
 
 The table d'hote was made very brief to enable the 
 party to be present at the commencement of the piece, 
 and they were all quite ready w^hen the colonel received 
 notice of the time being arrived for them to take their 
 places. The old baroness took care to have the arm of 
 Bohun, but when they got to the theatre he claimed a 
 seat between the English ladies, in order that he might 
 inform them as to the subject of the play and explain 
 the progress of it on the scene, which he managed to do 
 without interrupting the performance or pointing out 
 the short-coming of the actors and the bungling through- 
 out, owing to their stupid ignorance and insensibility, 
 and to their not having been well instructed in stage 
 management or the action on the stage. The baroness 
 thought they were bound to be very merciful, and after 
 a time she fell asleep, the colonel found it very dull and 
 could hardly refrain from following her example, and 
 Lady Seraphina laughed herself, and tried to make others
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 273 
 
 laugh, more than was consistent with politeness. Bohun 
 was perfectly calm and appeared to be an attentive ob- 
 server ; of course he omitted no opportunity of explaining 
 the progress of the piece, but, alas ! it was in vain to 
 attempt to excite an interest, the tameness of the per- 
 formance not only marred all dramatic effect, but served 
 to obscure what there was of spirit and poetical beauty 
 in some parts of the composition. 
 
 After the representation was finished they adjourned 
 to the lodgings of the baroness to take coffee. The 
 colonel remarked, " that it was not within his sphere to 
 judge of theatrical performances, but he thought the 
 company were not thoroughly drilled." 
 
 Bohun immediately said " no criticism could be more 
 just : it was not only more drilling, but superior drilling, 
 that these gentlemen required ; and as for the leading 
 character, the intended hero of the piece, he was a mere 
 clod, he had no spirit, no fire, no sense of dramatic 
 requirements, and had no feeling whatever of such 
 poetical beauty as occasionally occurred in the piece. 
 Now, if the ladies and you, colonel, will allow me, I will 
 endeavour to act over one principal scene, I m^n that 
 in which by persuasive eloquence the hero reinstates 
 himself in the favour of the lovely Gertrude, whose 
 affection he had alienated by his misconduct, and the 
 poor girl, just before his entrance on the scene, had 
 declared her sense of his unworthiness and her determi- 
 nation never more to speak to or even see him. Now, I 
 
 T
 
 274 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 think you will admit that this was a trial scene, and I 
 venture to say that no audience in any theatre in Ger- 
 many would have endured such an utter perversion of 
 the hero of Schiller as the performance of this gentleman 
 exhibited. Will you and the ladies pardon me for at- 
 tempting to act this ?" 
 
 The offer was gladly accepted. 
 
 '* Of course I must have a Gertrude, and as it is an 
 easy part, namely, first to regard me with aversion and 
 afterwards by slow degrees to relent and receive me into 
 favour, I hope," addressing the baroness, " you will be 
 my Gertrude." 
 
 " Bah ! " said the lady, *' I cannot stand without my 
 stick ; get one of the young ones." 
 
 " I could not possibly propose that, because these 
 ladies are not old friends like you, and besides they do 
 not understand German." 
 
 *' Well," grunted the old lady, " I shall try." 
 
 Bohun, having placed her in position, then began, and 
 acted the scene to the very wish of Schiller himself. 
 The old baroness was perfectly bewildered, she had 
 never 'm her life been addressed in such tender tones, 
 and the expressions of ardent love, mingled with the 
 praises of her beauty and the most earnest vows of ever- 
 lasting fidelity, found their way to her heart, and when 
 by the most tender mode of approach he first got posses- 
 sion of her hand, and gradually prevailed upon her to 
 incline her head to admit the approach of his lips, the
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 275 
 
 old lady returned his gentle salute with a hearty smack, 
 which set the whole party, with the exception of Bohun, 
 into a roar of laughter. 
 
 The baroness was rather indignant at this. "You are 
 all very impertinent," she said, " you young ladies, if 
 you had been de heroine in my place you would have 
 done just the same. Dat fellow understand to make 
 love in such a way dat he vaincre all de vomen. Vat 
 say you, colonel ?" 
 
 " It appear to me, my lady, dat he understand Schiller 
 very well ; and dat both you and he act as life." 
 
 " Bah ! and you laugh.'* 
 
 "Your pardon, I beg, and I wish this gentleman 
 would give my comrades some lessons, or they will be 
 ten times more laughed at." 
 
 The conversation then went on in German, and Bohun 
 said " that if the colonel could convince these gentlemen 
 that they stood in need of instruction, and they felt it 
 desirable to request his services, he would endeavour to 
 reform them, provided they got a well qualified hero ; 
 but the man they had elected to that part was entirely 
 unfit for it, and would ruin the whole." 
 
 The colonel declared, that "he was quite convinced 
 that the officers of the regiment would render them- 
 selves objects of contempt if they did not by labour and 
 practice make themselves more equal to the task they 
 were bold enough to have pledged themselves to, and 
 that he would go over to Coblenz even that night, and 
 
 t2
 
 276 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 urge them to consider what was necessary for the repu- 
 tation of the regiment." 
 
 Next morning he sent a messenger to say that, " they 
 were convinced of the advantage of Mr. Bohun's offer, 
 and begged that he would favour them as he had pro- 
 posed." 
 
 Accordingly, Bohun took leave of the ladies, and set 
 off, but made them agree that if he could give a satis- 
 factory account of his progress they would come over to 
 Coblenz to see the last rehearsal, for he thought that 
 his disciples, with the aid of that inspiration, would 
 shine out to much greater advantage. 
 
 He, therefore, went over and commenced his duties 
 by addressing to his pupils the following observations : 
 — *' Gentlemen. Previous to any further proceedings, I 
 beg to offer a few prefatory remarks on the important 
 work you have undertaken. I call it important, because, 
 if you succeed, you will establish a character for talent 
 and power of co-operation which will be honourable to 
 yourselves and advantageous to the regiment. 
 
 " Let me remind you that, when a play is read, a 
 great deal is left to the imagination of the reader, as 
 well as that of the auditor ; but in the representation of 
 a play on the stage, the performers ought to be the very 
 characters themselves — not reciting something learned 
 out of a book, or written for them by others, but exactly 
 expressing what they think and feel under the circum- 
 stances in which they are at the time placed ; and this
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 277 
 
 no less by gesture and expression of countenance than 
 by the tone and manner of uttering the words. 
 
 " It should also be considered by all the actors, that, 
 while on the stage, it is absolutely necessary to confine 
 their attention to the scene itself, and to be always pre- 
 pared to chime in with the action or expressions of 
 others, in such a manner as would in reality seem 
 natural between the parties. The most minute stage 
 arrangements must be attended to by each actor— he 
 must enter upon the scene at the right time, and by 
 that side of the stage which is appointed ; every thing 
 which conduces to the purposed illusion of the scene 
 must be implicitly observed, for the spell that binds the 
 audience is easily broken by their perception of a 
 neglect. 
 
 " From this, gentlemen, you will perceive the ne- 
 cessity of thoroughly learning your parts, for no man can 
 be imagined by the spectators to be expressing his own 
 thoughts and feelings, if he is bungling, and confused, 
 and at a loss for words. 
 
 " I will examine the scenery, and give directions 
 about it, if alterations are required for suiting it to 
 changes of locality, or in any way to improve its effect." 
 
 lie then said, " that in the drill of that day he would 
 work them through the first act, and as the leading cha- 
 racter was not yet filled up, he would in the meantime 
 undertake it himself." 
 
 After going through this act, with the aid of the
 
 278 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 prompter, and a variety of new suggestions by himself, 
 he said, " that he thought every one of the performers 
 must be convinced that he had a great deal to do before 
 he vras fit for appearance on the stage, and therefore 
 he proposed to leave a day for study, and return at an 
 earlier hour on the succeeding day, with a view of 
 working through both the first and second acts ; and 
 though on his return to Ems he did join the ladies at the 
 cafe of the old baroness, he pleaded " that he was too 
 tired to give them any account of his drill, further than 
 that the officers had taken his suggestions in good part, 
 and seemed more anxious to avoid the disgrace of a 
 failure." 
 
 The next day he was much annoyed by the persecu- 
 tion of his old friend. He lost his quota of thalers 
 pretty early, and between that time and the dinner hour 
 he withdrew to a shaded but airy place where he could 
 thoroughly learn and consider in every particular the act 
 that was to be the subject of next day's lesson. 
 
 ' At the table d'hote he exerted himself to entertain the 
 ladies, but, remarking that he was triste and inanimate, 
 he called for a bottle of champagne, to the great delight 
 of the old baroness, and he had not much difficulty in 
 prevailing upon her, whom he called his Gertrude, to 
 drink nearly the half of it, and Lady Seraphina lent 
 considerable aid to the disposal of the remainder, so that 
 he and Lady Susan had but a small share ; however, he 
 pretended to be greatly elevated, and pressed Lady Susan
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 279 
 
 SO urgently to take a waltz, that at last, after some 
 feigned reluctance she yielded, and in the intervals of 
 dancing he had some sweet private conversation with 
 her, and learned " that she had not heard anything of 
 Lord Bosworth," but had received a letter from her aunt, 
 whom she had informed of the very surprising change in 
 her destination, and who had desired her " to return to 
 England if her father did not arrive very speedily ;" and 
 also remarking, " that what she had heard of her 
 chaperon was not of a satisfactory nature." 
 
 " That letter is very precious, dear lady," said Bohun, 
 " secure it most privately in some part of your dress, 
 for if it happen that you are obliged to leave Ems pre- 
 cipitately, that will be a warrant for it." 
 
 The elder ladies did not appear to interrupt their 
 waltz quite so soon as they feared ; the fact was, that 
 immediately after the waltzers disappeared, the baroness 
 said she always found it necessary to take something of 
 a warmer nature after iced champagne, and called for 
 cognac. The other lady, partly from good fellowship, 
 and also perhaps from coincidence of opinion, deter- 
 mined to take a glass of maraschino. The consequence 
 was that Bohun, who did not wish to fatigue his partner 
 with too much dancing, had delightful intervals of con- 
 versation with her, and informed her that before the 
 end of that year he should be ready with the third 
 instalment of one thousand, and that in February or 
 March of next year he should engage a house, and
 
 280 MAIDENTHORPE. " 
 
 commence fitting up and furnishing, for he feU satisfied 
 that by September of next year, he should have com- 
 pleted the payment of his bond, and furnished his new 
 house without incurring fresh debt. 
 
 The fair partner of Bohun was delighted with this 
 intelligence, and neither of them foresaw so much of the 
 difficulty and hazard of accomplishing what he proposed 
 as they were made sensible of a short time after. 
 
 It was too hot for more dancing, and they spent the 
 evening with the baroness, and had much lively conver- 
 sation and music also, for Bohun was able to remember a 
 good many little French and Italian airs, which had some 
 merry or gallant point in them, so that the old baroness 
 would hardly let him go till he made a great point of 
 having to study the act of the play which was the lesson 
 of next day. 
 
 Colonel Martius was the companion of his journey 
 next day, and was present throughout the scene, and 
 was much impressed with his superior intelligence and 
 the very sensible advice and instruction that he gave ; 
 but he also perceived, not without surprise, the influence 
 he had acquired over his officers, and the desire he had 
 instilled into them to sustain the honour of the regi- 
 ment. Throughout the drill of this second day, he was 
 again obliged to fill the leading character, for, though 
 they had discussed the matter a good deal, no officer 
 could venture upon that very important part, the diffi- 
 culty of which was increased by there being a song
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 281 
 
 introduced, and they did not feel competent to sing in 
 public. 
 
 Bohun went to bed tired when he arrived at Ems, 
 and ordered coffee to be brought to his room in the 
 morning ; and when morning came he slept till the 
 waiter gave him notice of its arrival. However, he 
 then jumped up and washed himself, and had just 
 swallowed his breakfast, when Colonel Martins thundered 
 at the door, and the greeting between them was kind 
 and hearty. 
 
 " I am a sluggard this morning," said Bohun, "but 
 then I have no drill to-day." 
 
 " True, and you worked hard yesterday. I have come 
 from Coblenz early, because I am an ambassador ; the 
 fact is, my dear fellow, that my comrades have talked 
 over this play with me, and they feel that it chiefly 
 depends on the leading character, and are now sensible 
 that you are the only man who can perform it in such a 
 manner as to make the piece come off with eclat ; for 
 the consciousness of your being with them will give con- 
 fidence to all the party." 
 
 " Don't you think, my dear colonel, that your officers 
 were rather precipitate in undertaking this task ?" 
 
 " Why, yes, I always thought so ; but the object was 
 really very good. One of our captains was lost in the 
 Rhine, in attempting to save a man seized with the 
 cramp. He left a widow and two children, and as we 
 soldiers are poor, and can do but little for her, this plan
 
 282 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 was thought of, and none of us considered the difficulty 
 till your criticism on the rehearsal at once opened my 
 eyes." 
 
 "Well," said Bohun, "this is a serious matter, for I 
 am in daily expectation of being sent for, and, really, I 
 dread to engage myself. Let the matter stand over, if 
 you please, till we meet at the table d'hote." 
 
 In that interval he called on the baroness, and found 
 the two English ladies on a visit there. 
 
 One of the first things he did was to enquire when 
 Lady Susan expected Lord Bosworth (as he always 
 described him before strangers), and when he found that 
 the lady had received no letter he unfolded his budget 
 respecting the play and the colonel's application, and 
 they all declared loudly for his undertaking the cha- 
 racter, and showered compliments upon him. There- 
 fore, when he met the good colonel at the table d'hote 
 he gave his consent, but on the express condition that 
 the performance should take place in seven days from 
 that time, observing that there would be three days for 
 rehearsal, and three intermediate days for study, &c., 
 and then the sooner the performance came off the better, 
 while all was fresh in the recollection of the actors. It 
 was impossible for the colonel to agree to these con- 
 ditions, because the day of the performance had been 
 long ago announced for the day succeeding that proposed 
 by Bohun, so he was obliged to acquiesce in that modi- 
 fication, and the colonel set off in high glee for Coblenz
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 283 
 
 directly after dinner, and was not a little surprised 
 when Bohun put into his hands a rouleau of twenty 
 thalers for the poor widow. 
 
 The ladies and Bohun spent afterwards a very pleasant 
 evening, as much as possible in the open air, but con- 
 cluding with a little music and seltzer water at the house 
 of the baroness. 
 
 The next morning was the third drill, and as Bohun 
 had to study his costume, and give immediate orders 
 about it, he was obliged to devote the whole day to 
 Coblenz, and returned rather late. 
 
 A decided conviction was by this time established in 
 the minds of the ladies that the days when Bohun was 
 at Ems were incomparably more cheerful and agreeable 
 than the place could in any way be made during his 
 absence ; nevertheless, they were all so intent on the 
 play, and looked forward with so keen an interest to the 
 final result, that their anxiety prevented their feeling so 
 much ennui as might have been expected during the 
 days of absence ; and it must be admitted that the two 
 English ladies desired nothing less than the arrival of 
 Lord Bosworth before the finish of this little adventure. 
 
 Lady Susan made some progress with the baroness, 
 but much less than if she could have afforded to lose 
 some thalers ; but her aunt had not supplied her very 
 liberally, and the extension of the journey had so much 
 drained her finances, that she had once or twice thought 
 of making her pecuniary difficulties known to Bohun,
 
 284 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 but the daily expectation of her father's arrival checked 
 her. 
 
 The labour of this day was very great, Bohun took 
 up his part in earnest from the beginning, which in- 
 creased his exertions, and he had to enforce the neces- 
 sity of playing up to him, which, combined with the 
 diligent supervision of the whole, formed a task that 
 really strained his powers to the utmost. He got some 
 refreshment at the hotel, and swallowed the best part of 
 a bottle of Markobrunner hock, and then went to the 
 outfitter about his dress, but he succeeded badly, and 
 the tailor undertook a trip to Cologne in order to obtain 
 the sort of suit he described, and also a cap with one or 
 two eagle's feathers. He was so fatigued with all this 
 that he had to make a very long night of it, and devoted 
 the next day to idleness ; even the poor baroness was 
 obliged to go without her gains at piquet, but he 
 sported another bottle of champagne, a glass or two of 
 which he found very medicinal to his own ailments, so 
 that after it he asked Lady Susan to a waltz, which he 
 said would revive him, and the pleasing intercourse with 
 her did so, but she would not allow him to waltz. The 
 evening was pleasant enough ; he prevailed on Lady 
 Susan to take her music, and he accompanied her as 
 usual, though he could not be induced to sing, but he 
 played some popular airs, L'ish, Scotch, German and 
 Italian, with great taste and delicacy on the violin, 
 which gave great satisfaction.
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 285 
 
 The last two days preceding the presentation of the 
 play were spent in perfecting the dramatis personee, and 
 encouraging them one and all to think of nothing when 
 on the stage but the correct performance of their re- 
 spective parts, without allowing themselves to be excited 
 or depressed by any expression of blame or applause 
 from the audience, for, he said, in order to encourage 
 them, " the public are not always the best judges of 
 acting, and it may be some time before they enter into 
 the spirit of the scene." 
 
 He had hardly seen the ladies till the evening pre- 
 ceding the performance, and they felt much concerned 
 to see him so fagged, but he told them he had an 
 appetite for his supper, and meant to take ten hours 
 bed, and to sleep soundly, because he had resolved to 
 trouble his mind no longer, and felt the necessity of 
 having twenty-four hours in quiet before he entered 
 upon his stage exertions. 
 
 The old baroness informed him that Prince Kremnitz 
 (who had a chateau and hunting domain among the hills 
 on the east side of the Rhine opposite Stolzanfels, but 
 a little higher up the river) had commanded a box, and, 
 in fact, that she and the other two ladies were to sit 
 with him in it. This news was rather a damper, for he 
 and the prince were enemies, and his recognition by the 
 latter might perhaps be attended with bad consequences 
 to himself. He, therefore, extracted a promise from the 
 old lady that she would feign ignorance, and commu-
 
 286 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 nicate nothing to the prince if he inquired about him of 
 her. After all, he judged that his dress, his appearance 
 among a variety of other men, and the probability of 
 his being taken for one of the officers of the regiment, 
 encouraged our hero, and he contrived that his dress 
 should make as much difference as possible from what 
 his appearance had been in Vienna. 
 
 At length the night of the play arrived, and the per- 
 formance was in the general above mediocrity, for many 
 of the officers had become emulous of our hero, and 
 acted up to him with spirit, and were stimulated by the 
 desire of sharing in the applause, which, at different 
 periods, the audience gladly showered down, so that 
 there was a mutual sentiment of pleasure between them 
 and the audience, which rather increased towards the 
 close of the piece, and at its termination the actors were 
 greeted with bravos from all parts of the house. 
 
 After the curtain dropped, there followed, as usual, 
 calls from all parts of the house for the actors, and in 
 a few minutes the performers appeared on the stage all 
 well, the wounded healed, and the dead magically resus- 
 citated ; and they were greeted with immense applause, 
 and waving of hats and handkerchiefs, and were also 
 much complimented by nosegays being thrown to them. 
 Bohun took care to be on the side next the prince's box, 
 and caught, with great address, the nosegay thrown by 
 Lady Susan. He then expressed "the acknowledgments 
 of himself and comrades for the favourable reception they
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 287 
 
 had been honoured with by the audience, and how much 
 he rejoiced that their efforts should, owing to that kind 
 patronage, have been the means of aiding the widow and 
 the fatherless." 
 
 Bohun got out of the press as quickly as he could ; 
 and, as the officers went to the barracks at Ehrenbreit- 
 stein to sup, he retired to his hotel. In the final fray he 
 had received a flesh wound on the breast, and he there- 
 fore wrote a note to the surgeon, requesting him to 
 attend with some bandages and adhesive plaister, in 
 order to close up a slight hurt. 
 
 The surgeon, who was not over-burthened with these 
 calls, readily obeyed the summons, and he had just got 
 the patient undressed, and was examining the wound, 
 when in came Colonel Martins, who was very much 
 struck and grieved when he saw the shirt, and his new 
 friend covered with blood, and the surgeon employed in 
 cleaning the wound preparatory to applying the plaister. 
 
 Bohun treated the wound with his usual coolness, and 
 the doctor said, *' that with care and quietness it would 
 heal in a few days, but he must use no exertion and live 
 low." 
 
 The good colonel then told him that he " had brought 
 from the prince an invitation to their supper, which was 
 to take place immediately, and the baroness and the 
 English ladies joined in the request for his company." 
 But the surgeon prescribed quiet, and said " his patient 
 was quite sufficiently excited without drinking more wine
 
 288 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 and going into the company of ladies." So the colonel 
 went away with an excuse, and Bohun requested he 
 would not let the English ladies know about this, but 
 quietly explain the cause to the prince, and make as light 
 as he could of the trifling wound. 
 
 Neither the prince nor the colonel were very much 
 distressed by his absence, for the prince wished to have 
 the ladies to himself, and the colonel was so much in 
 love with Lady Susan, that he was glad to have a dan- 
 gerous rival kept away. He knew the English ladies 
 did not understand German, and he therefore told the 
 prince what had actually happened, forgetting that the 
 baroness noticed every word he said, and she made 
 suddenly an exclamation of astonishment and terror 
 which struck the other ladies with horror. However, 
 Colonel Martins contrived to pacify them by a faithful 
 statement of the case, and an assurance, on his honour, 
 that it was a very trifling affair, and that if it had been 
 attended to at once, there would have been scarcely any 
 blood and very little pain. The English ladies did not, 
 however, enjoy their supper, and though the feelings of 
 the old baroness were not so much touched as to take 
 away her relish for the good things, she now and then 
 gave a deep sigh for the loss of Bohun. 
 
 The prince said, " it is quite clear to me that this man 
 is a professional actor, he is up to all the tricks of the 
 stage and thoroughly at home in his part, while the 
 others are comparatively bunglers. Upon my word," he
 
 EMS AND COBLENZ. 289 
 
 said, *^ this fellow is so clever that he ought to be on our 
 stage at Vienna. I will talk to him about it, and promise 
 him an introduction and my patronage if he likes to 
 undertake the Vienna theatre. I think though I have 
 seen him before, his features are familiar to me, but I 
 shall see him to-morrow, he will be well enough to be 
 about then." 
 
 The prince, who talked English intelligibly, then 
 became very gallant to the ladies, and asked them all to 
 go out to see his villa, a sort of chateau and park, called 
 Belle Vue, on the right bank of the Rhine, which was 
 in an elevated situation and had a very fine terrace walk, 
 affording a splendid view of the river and the mountain- 
 ous bank on the other side. The English ladies agreed 
 to go, but the baroness excused herself on account of 
 the walking. 
 
 *' Ah ! " said Colonel Martius to the baroness, " you 
 should have acted the heroine ; your energy and en- 
 thusiasm would have given much more zest to the 
 piece." This led to some fun, but annoyed the old 
 lady, and she broke up the party early, and the colonel 
 escorted all the ladies home, and they arrived first at 
 that of the baroness. 
 
 A man in a cloak, who had watched the departure of 
 the party from the hotel of the prince, applied for ad- 
 mission to the house of the baroness immediately on 
 her arrival and the departure of the others, and when the 
 cloak was thrown open and the wounded hero revealed 
 himself, the old lady clasped him in her arms and kissed
 
 290 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 him quite as warmly as he could have desired. How- 
 ever he was gratified with her kindness, and then having 
 prevailed on her to sit down she told him of the pleasant 
 excursion proposed for next day, but he informed her 
 with great solemnity, ^' that he had received a letter that 
 day requiring his presence immediately at home, and 
 that he was under the necessity of going early in the 
 morning;" and said that " he was very sorry for it, but 
 thought that if he stayed at Ems he might possibly be 
 sacrificed to the revengeful feeling of Prince Kremnitz, 
 on account of what had happened at Vienna four years 
 ago, for you know he never forgives^'* 
 
 The old lady did not hear this without tears, but she 
 could not dispute the prudence of the step, and finally he 
 told her he meant to travel day and night until he got to 
 Liese, for he could not think himself out of the reach of 
 the prince till he arrived there; and he obtained her 
 solemn promise not to inform the prince anything about 
 him, and to express his deep regret to the ladies that he 
 was obliged to run away without seeing them and saying 
 adieu. 
 
 The information of the baroness was in fact a warning 
 to Bohun to be up and doing, for he knew much more 
 of the character of Belle Vue than she did, and felt that 
 his beloved incurred tremendous danger in this excur- 
 sion. After this Bohun got a plain supper and some 
 Bavarian beer, and paid his bill, and having, by the pro- 
 mise of a douceur, secured his being called, he was up 
 and cleared out of Ems at five o'clock.
 
 ( 291 ) 
 
 CHAPTER SVIII. 
 
 BELLE VUE. 
 
 f\^ his way to Coblenz he ruminated over an enter- 
 prize in which he was that day to stake his life, 
 that is to say, he resolved to rescue Lady Susan from the 
 profanation intended for her at Belle Vue. He knew 
 the locality and saw nothing to defeat his object but men, 
 guns and dogs, foes which he feared not. He deter- 
 mined to disguise himself as an American, and to act 
 that character, and he thought over every thing he should 
 require to carry out his project and conceal himself. 
 First he went to a barber and made him cut and shave 
 all the hair off the lower part of his face, and imme- 
 diately after he had breakfasted at Coblenz he sallied 
 forth to make preparations. He perambulated the streets 
 of the town in search of a change of raiment, in which, 
 after much trouble, he succeeded but indifferently at 
 last ; but he made up an incongruous sort of suit at the 
 shops which supplied the absurd trappings for the car- 
 nival. The coat, which was very short in the skirts, 
 required an inner pocket for the " fishing tackle," which 
 the man agreed to supply without additional charge, and 
 while this was about he went to a cutler's and bought a 
 
 u2
 
 292 MAIDENTKORPE. 
 
 sort of knife, which the man said " was well suited for a 
 butcher," it was not long but very sharp, and for this he 
 had a case ; this was intended for the bowie knife and to 
 supply the place of the fishing tackle in his extra pocket. 
 He provided himself also with a small chisel bar and 
 some other tools and long screws, which he thought 
 might be needful. Walnuts being very abundant he 
 bought a lot in their green shells, and having paid for 
 his breakfast, he hired a man to take all his purchases, 
 with his portmanteau and luggage, to Mr. Hoffmann's. 
 His friend did not at first know him even in the change 
 he had made : they afterwards sat down to a council, 
 including Mrs. Hoffmann, when he told his suspicions, 
 which alarmed them both, and they did not make violent 
 objections to his project, though they thought it strange 
 and quixotic. He told them that in order to carry his 
 plan out he proposed to draw, pursuant to Mr. Har- 
 grave's authority, for one hundred pounds, but did not 
 want any of the money with him, in fact preferred its 
 being ready for him on his return to them. He made 
 his toilet in the house, and surprised them still more 
 by reappearing in his new and grotesque dress with 
 the' skin of his hands and face dyed, and the hair of 
 his head cut pretty short and that and his eyebrows 
 made very dark. 
 
 "Upon my word," said Mrs. Hoffmann, "you have 
 sacrificed a great deal for this young lady, I hope she's 
 worth it."
 
 BELLE VUE. 293 
 
 " My dear madam, you saw her last night at the play. 
 Is she not charming?" 
 
 " Oh ! yes/' 
 
 " Then I can add to that, that she is as good as 
 yourself." 
 
 " I see how it is," said the lady : " go forth gallant 
 knight and bring her home here, you have my w^ishes 
 and prayers ; but there are frightful dangers in the way. 
 Are you aware of the dogs ?" 
 
 " Don't frighten me, dear lady, I am fated to this ad- 
 venture, but it is my particular wish to be unknown to 
 the lady ; if I bring her, pray be careful of that." 
 
 Mr. Hoffmann had his carriage to take him about six 
 miles up the Rhine, but first ordered a boat, the rowers 
 being men that he could depend on, to meet his friend at 
 the village, on the opposite side near the ferry, to bring 
 him back to Coblenz, and they parted near the said ferry. 
 
 Bohun had over his other strange garments a blouse, 
 which made him look something like a person of the 
 country, and he had also exchanged his hat for a com- 
 mon cap, and he gave Mr. Hoffmann an order for his 
 travelling carriage, portmanteau and luggage, from the 
 inn, so that if he brought the lady, that gentleman 
 might be prepared to go to Ems, with hired horses, 
 after Lucy and the luggage, " for," as he said, " this 
 place will be rather unsafe for all of us." He was 
 even careful to get some nails put into his shoes to 
 make them rough, and provided himself with a stick 
 similar to those used by Alpine travellers. Fortunately
 
 294 MAIDEMTHORPE. 
 
 he had not to wait long at the ferry, and when on the 
 other side he strolled on northward along the bank of 
 the Rhine till he arrived at a strong branch overhanging 
 the road, over which he threw the end of a small rope to 
 which he had tied a stone, and, drawing the two ends 
 tight, easily clambered to the top of the wall, and by the 
 same means descended on the inner side. He looked 
 about him when on the wall, but gladly perceived that 
 he was unnoticed ; immediately that he landed he pulled 
 off the blouse and hid it near the entrance gate through 
 the wall, and got ready for any encounter that might 
 hap at any minute. He then tore away the hasp of the 
 gate with his small chisel bar, undid the bolt and got the 
 door to open pretty easily; after which he secured it 
 by two wedges driven into the crevice, and marched up 
 the hill by a small private ill-kept path, rather overgrown 
 with shrubs, till he entered a narrow gorge, along the 
 bottom of which a little rill flowed towards the Rhine. 
 His path of ascent was on the left of this, and in front 
 were the remains of a broken bridge over which he had 
 to pass. The central part of the arch was broken down, 
 leaving an opening to be jumped over about seven feet 
 wide, making rather an unpleasant leap over a chasm 
 forty or fifty feet deep. 
 
 Bohun was approaching this with great nonchalance, 
 when in looking about him he perceived the noble wolf- 
 hound Rudolph on the top of the opposite bank, also 
 approaching the bridge, and no doubt with the intent of 
 defending the passage. This was no agreeable prospect.
 
 BELLE VUE. 295 
 
 and Bohun, when he arrived there, was not charmed 
 with the sight of his opposite companion, and at once 
 decided that he must wait the combat on the side which 
 he occupied, and, in order to force the same conclusion 
 on Rudolph, he began to pelt him with pieces of rock, 
 and these gave such blows that the dog, feeling wounded 
 and indignant, furiously jumped over to attack the as- 
 sailant who annoyed him with this unaccustomed war- 
 fare, and this he did so suddenly that he rather surprised 
 Bohun by springing at his neck, into which the brute's 
 fangs were scarcely entered when the bowie knife 
 reached his heart, and the poor animal sank down, all 
 his powers relaxed, and Bohun kicked the body over 
 the abutment into the bottom of the ravine, where for a 
 time the water of the little rill flowed away tinged with 
 the creature's blood. Bohun then vaulted over the 
 chasm and completed the ascent, and the same chisel 
 bar which had opened the door of the domain easily 
 enabled him to open a passage into a postern door 
 which gave entrance into the tower, which contained a 
 little arched space at the entrance, forming the approach 
 to a circular stair. Bohun was soon at the top of the 
 stairs, and, having listened for a time, he then opened a 
 low sliding door, which admitted him into the interior 
 of the building. 
 
 Having thus effected an entrance, Bohun took a rapid 
 survey of the place, and found that he was in an ele- 
 gantly furnished bedroom, with a small window pierced
 
 296 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 through the thick wall of the tower. Moving with 
 caution, and hstening anxiously, he opened the door 
 which admitted him to the next apartment, which he 
 found to be a beautiful salon or summer house of a 
 more modern character, fitted up with looking-glasses 
 and decorated with pictures, less admirable, alas! for the 
 purity and refinement of their character than for the 
 skill of their execution. He perceived that there were 
 bell pulls communicating from this retreat to some other 
 place, and immediately traced out the connecting wires 
 and severed them close to their passage through the 
 wall. He also remarked that each of the doors were 
 furnished with a strong lock, the keys of which were 
 toward the inside of their respective roonrs. The outer 
 door was partly open, and he made a few steps along a 
 garden walk a good deal shaded with shrubs, at the end 
 of which was a very fine terrace, on which he did not 
 think it prudent to appear. 
 
 On looking into the table drawer in the salon he 
 found two loaded pistols, and having shaken out the 
 priming he filled the pans with soap from the next 
 room, which he blackened over with soot from the 
 chimney. There was also a powder horn quite full of 
 powder, and an odd fancy occurred to him as to the 
 mode of disposing of the powder, which, in the sequel, 
 was attended with very important results ; he took down 
 a large hunting horn which hung over the chimney- 
 piece, and having stopped the embouchure with soap
 
 BELLE VUE. 297 
 
 and blacked and wiped it, he poured the powder into 
 the horn, and subsequently closed that over with the 
 towel, after having used it in his own ablutions, and then 
 he replaced the hunting horn exactly as it had been 
 before, and returned the empty powder horn to the 
 drawer. 
 
 On looking out of the window of the salon, he per- 
 ceived that the tower was on the verge of the precipice 
 forming the side of the glen, but the trees were so 
 grown up that the only view from it was along a vista 
 which opened upon a beautiful, though distant, view of 
 the Rhine in the upper part of its course. 
 
 His next care was about his own toilette, which 
 required some adjustment after his conflict with the 
 dog. The wound in his neck still bled, and he placed 
 his pocket handkerchief next to it, and covered that 
 with his black neckcloth, which he folded afresh so as 
 to conceal the stains of blood that were upon it, he but- 
 toned his waistcoat as high as he could, and washed 
 off all marks from his hands and face, and put the 
 stained water out of sight: it has been mentioned how 
 he disposed of the towel ; and everything was done to 
 make both rooms as fair to the eye as they were pre- 
 vious to the important changes he had made. 
 
 After this he kept strict watch till he heard voices at 
 some distance, when he shut the door of the inner room 
 and put the key in his pocket, though without locking
 
 298 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 the door, and retreated behind the sliding panel and 
 lighted his cigar ; and it may be supposed that he felt 
 too much anxiety for the progress of the adventure to 
 do much more than keep it burning with a view to the 
 part he proposed to act when called upon the stage in 
 the next scene of the drama. He listened with watch- 
 ful attention for some time without anything remarkable 
 occurring, but at length the voice of a female became 
 very distinct and peremptory, which induced him to 
 enter the bedroom, and this he had scarcely done when 
 he heard loud shrieks, upon which he lost no time in 
 throwing open the door and making his appearance in 
 the salon, which struck both parties with amazement, 
 but was much less pleasing to one than to the other, for 
 he there discovered the prince clasping Lady Susan in 
 his arms, regardless of threatened injury from a knife 
 which she held in her hand, and Bohun, continuing to 
 smoke his cigar, marched to the side of the table on 
 which there was another knife, which he immediately 
 threw out of the window. 
 
 The prince exclaimed furiously, in German, "Who 
 the devil are you ? How do you dare to intrude here ? 
 I will throw you out of window." 
 
 Our hero answered in a firm and distinct voice — 
 " I know nothing of your lingo ; I am a gentleman 
 from the States, and I didn't mean to show here, if I 
 hadn't heard the screeching of that young lady."
 
 BELLE VUE. 299 
 
 "What States, you infernal scoundrel?" said the 
 prince, in English ; " I tell you, you have no business 
 here." 
 
 " Well, so you talk American ; lord, it does me good 
 to hear my own language, though you seem to be 
 rayther ryled, and speak it very bad." He said this 
 leaning against the table and knocking off the embers 
 from the end of the cigar, after which he continued 
 smoking. 
 
 " What's your name ?" 
 
 " Franklin Dreadnought," and dividing the syllables. 
 
 "Now, I tell you what, Mr. Dreadnought, if you 
 don't walk out of that door immediately, I will have you 
 hung for invading my property." 
 
 " Which door ?" 
 
 " The door that you just now came in at to be sure." 
 
 " Why, that's a pound ; there's no way out on it : or 
 else I should have gone slick away when I see you and 
 your party at t'other end of the terrace." 
 
 "Do you mean that you came in at that door?" 
 pointing to the other wath a look of astonishment. 
 
 " Yes ; about a quarter of an hour ago it was open, 
 and 1 came to look at the place and the pictures, and 
 look out of the window. I aint touched the fruit, nor 
 any of your property." 
 
 " You say your name's Dreadnought ; what are you ?" 
 
 " I was raised in Kentucky, and am located in Boston, 
 wliere I carry on a smart trade in salted provisions ;
 
 300 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 glad to book your order for any if you're a buyer ; like 
 to jine business and pleasure." 
 
 " Begone, insolent reptile, or, I tell you again, I'll have 
 you hung for trespassing on my property." 
 
 Bohun sat down in a chair quietly, saying, " I guess 
 as that tree's not growed yet that I'm to be hung upon." 
 Then, turning to the lady, he said, " Come, miss, chuck 
 that ere knife out of the window ; I'm bound to say as 
 you wouldn't know how to use it even to cut off a 
 puppy's ears or a kitten's tail, and so you're safest 
 without it." 
 
 The prince seemed to take the hint, and approached 
 her to snatch the knife from her hand; but she acted 
 too quickly on the advice given, and threw the knife out 
 of the window. 
 
 " That's right, miss, now we shall have no bloodshed 
 at any rate. I wish you'd go into the next room tho' 
 while we settle this matter. 
 
 In the next moment the prince took a pistol out of 
 the drawer and pointed at his head, " Now, once for 
 all, Mr. Dreadnought, do you mean to leave this place 
 quietly if I open this door and let you out by yourself?" 
 
 " No," was the answer. 
 
 The pistol snapped, and the prince threw it with fury 
 at his head ; but our hero, expecting this, easily avoided 
 the pistol, so that it only broke a large looking-glass." 
 
 After this there was a pause, for the prince rather 
 cowered under the calm and indifferent but resolute
 
 BELLE VUE. 301 
 
 aspect of his adversary ; however, after a minute or two, 
 he recovered his bold and haughty bearing, and assum- 
 ing his most commanding manner and tone, said, " you 
 have escaped so far, but you're doomed unless you quit 
 the place instantly." 
 
 " Do you mean me to go by the window ? for the 
 door's locked you see." 
 
 " Well, then, though I had determined to throv/ you 
 out of window, or to dash your brains out on the floor, 
 I will give you another chance of going out of the door." 
 So saying he put his hand towards the pocket of his 
 coat. 
 
 " Well, I guess," said Bohun, " I aint many brains, or 
 I shouldn't be here ; but I suppose we are coming right 
 now, governor, and you mean young woman as was 
 screeching out to go slick away with me ?" 
 
 " Certainly," cried Lady Susan. 
 
 " But I say, certainly not : you shall not accompany 
 this scoundrel ; if I thought you or he meant it, I w^ould 
 use this other pistol. Come, don't stand chattering 
 here ; do you determine to go by yourself or not ?" 
 
 This was answered by a startling "I do not!" and 
 in the twinkling of an eye the bright blade of a knife 
 flashed before the eyes of the prince, and Bohun with 
 his left hand dashed away the cigar. 
 
 " Now," he went on, " I suppose you never see a 
 bowie knife afore, just look at this" (which he waved 
 about) " we reckon it a match for a pistol in my glorious
 
 302 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 country, and if you stretch out your hand to touch that 
 t'other pistol in the drawer I tell you I don't mean to 
 stand being shot at again." As he said this he fixed his 
 eye on the prince, and ordered " the lady to go into the 
 next room ;" he then very slowly approached his foe, in 
 the manner of a beast of prey before its final spring, the 
 expression of hatred, fierceness and power gradually 
 concentrating on his countenance, like the accumulation 
 of thunder clouds before the outburst of the hurricane. 
 
 The prince quailed : " stop," he cried, " I will let you 
 have the key ; I won't shoot you." 
 
 " Then," said Bohun, " I will throw away the pistol." 
 
 The prince made way for him to take it out of the 
 drawer ; Bohun then threw the pistol out of the 
 window. 
 
 " Now, then, where's'^the key ?" 
 
 The prince pulled it sulkily out of his pocket, but 
 a proudful thought crossed him in the instant, and he 
 threw the key out of the window : " Now," he said, 
 " I am an unarmed man ; murder me if you dare." 
 
 On the instant Bohun darted into the bedroom, closed 
 the door, and locked and bolted it ; and not only that, 
 but, to the astonishment of the poor helpless lady, he 
 put in four screws on the lock side and four more on 
 the hinge side of the door, for which he had previously 
 drilled the holes with his centre bit, and, converting the 
 same instrument into a screw driver, he screwed them in 
 tight wdth a celerity the lady could not comprehend.
 
 BELLE VUE. 303 
 
 " There, you old buffalo," he said, after completing his 
 work, " if I ain't caged you, never call me a trapper 
 again." 
 
 The whole action was so sudden, and the incidents 
 connected with it appeared to the lady so terrible, that 
 she was entirely terror stricken and had sunk on a chair 
 almost unconscious. 
 
 Bohun then opened the sliding panel and poured out 
 a glass of water and handed it to her, and pointing to the 
 opening he said, " you see there is a way out of this 
 place, though you might not have thought it. It aint a 
 very good one sartainly, but if you're a girl of spirit I'll 
 insure you safe to Coblenz. It aint just an easy job, and 
 I trust as you wont make it worse, for I don't want to 
 throw away my own life, on account of my wife and 
 family, and railly I should be sorry to bring you to any 
 harm for the sake of both of us." He then explained, 
 " that the narrow stair in the tower was the only possible 
 means of escape from that dreadful place, and the path 
 from the bottom of the tower the only certain way of 
 avoiding servants and other dangers." 
 
 His determined manner by degrees encouraged her to 
 venture on the winding stair, and after their exit he 
 secured the sliding panel, to throw every impediment in 
 the way of pursuit. 
 
 He stopped the lady at the stair foot, so as to prevent 
 her looking out upon the dangerous path. " Now, miss, 
 there's only one thing to be done here if I'm to save you,
 
 304 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 and that is, that you must go by my directions. I must 
 carry you in my arms for some distance down the hill, 
 and you must make up your mind to be blindfolded, for I 
 guess your nerves aint quite so much like a chain cable 
 as mine be." 
 
 Having proceeded so far the lady thought it vain to 
 dispute this point, and submitted to have her eyes ban- 
 daged over by her own handkerchief. He then, to her 
 great astonishment, took her up on his right arm, and 
 having desired her to turn her face towards him, and to 
 hold fast by his left shoulder with her left hand, and to 
 confine her dress with her right hand, so that it might 
 not for a moment obstruct his view of the road, he com- 
 menced and steadily pursued the descent till he came to 
 the narrow bridge that crossed the ravine. Here he de- 
 posited his lovely burthen for two or three minutes to 
 recover strength for the spring, but after that rest he 
 took the lady up again on his other arm, and telling her 
 to lean forward, as there was a ditch to jump, leaped 
 safely to the other side, and subsequently pursued the 
 descent, but in the course of it they heard something fall 
 heavily behind them : at length they arrived at the place 
 where the path entered the wood, and when they were 
 shrouded by the trees and underwood he placed Lady 
 Susan on her feet. 
 
 Undoubtedly this feat was a labour of love, but still 
 it was a labour, for though the term angel, or fairy, or 
 sylph, seemed hardly figurative when applied to a crea-
 
 BELLE VUE. 305 
 
 tiire so elastic, so refined and so graceful as the charming 
 Lady Susan, and whose finely turned foot and clean ancle 
 seemed rather fitted for carrying a being less ponderous 
 than an ordinary mortal, yet it must be acknowledged 
 that Bohun found his strength taxed to the utmost in 
 carrying her more than half-a-mile by a rugged and dan- 
 gerous path, and by the great effort which was needful 
 to clear the frightful chasm in the bridge, and when he 
 placed her on the ground he was almost spent with exer- 
 tion, and with difficulty raised his hand to remove the 
 bandage from her eyes ; after which he turned from her 
 and dropped on his knees, and clasping his hands said, 
 " thank God!" in an ecstacy of joy and thankfulness, but 
 his face was towards the glen, and the dangerous path, 
 and the frightful bridge over which he had carried one 
 so precious and so dear to him, with the chasm rendered 
 wider by the fall of a piece more of the arch, when sud- 
 denly, in the very act of giving some vent to his feelings, 
 the idea of having exposed her to such imminent peril 
 rushed upon his mind, and he fell with his face upon 
 the earth totally subdued, and sobbed aloud. 
 
 Poor Lady Susan was herself much agitated and had 
 supported herself against a tree, and had taken out her 
 smelling bottle, when the hysterical state of her strong 
 and hardy deliverer in an instant absorbed her attention; 
 she knelt down by his side and put the smelling bottle 
 into his hands, and " begged him to calm his feelin;rs 
 and consider that though the danger was now apparently 
 
 X
 
 306 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 over, yet their escape was not entirely secured, and she 
 hoped he would try to recover himself. 
 
 " Sartainly, sartainly, I'll be all right in the snap of a 
 rifle ;" and accordingly he rose in a few seconds, wiping 
 his eyes with the sleeve of his coat, and Lady Susan's 
 eye was caught by the sight of a small patch of blood on 
 the ground just where his face had lain. 
 
 " Gracious God !" said she, " you are wounded." 
 " Oh ! that's a joke," said he, " a little bit of yon fel- 
 low's looking-glass cut me in the neck, it aint nothing, I 
 assure you." Then turning abruptly, he said, " Come, we 
 had better go ahead. I'll make my way easily through 
 this brush, but you must follow close, please, so as to have 
 the benefit of the clearance I make with my arms and 
 my knife ;" and he walked on cutting through any impe- 
 diment to their progress with what he called his bowie 
 knife. They were not long getting through this, and he 
 found the gate as he had left it, and then, after putting 
 on his blouse and burying his knife, he wished the lady 
 to remain there while he went in search of the boatmen, 
 but she could not bear to be left by herself and followed 
 him as quickly as she could ; however he luckily found 
 the men, who had not rambled far, and the boat was 
 drawn alongside the bank at a part from whence she 
 could be let down into it without much difficulty, and 
 Bohun was not ill pleased to have some assistance him- 
 self; and when on the seat by her side he was for some 
 time too much spent to talk, except so far as telling the
 
 BELLE VUE. 307 
 
 men " to make for Coblenz and keep rather in towards 
 the right bank of the river," and the winding course of 
 it soon caused them to lose sight of the grounds of the 
 chateau. 
 
 After a few minutes he seemed to revive, and recol- 
 lecting himself he reached from behind a basket con- 
 taining some sandwiches and a bottle of hock. He 
 broke off the neck of the bottle by a sharp blow of the 
 knife of one of the boatmen, for he had buried his proper 
 bowie, and then, pouring out some of the wine into a 
 tumbler, he presented it to the lady, but she declined 
 taking any, on which he drank it off at once. 
 
 " Well, now," he said, " that's poor stuff to make a 
 man pay a dollar a bottle for, why two gallons of rum 
 would make a hogshead of better wine than that ;" so 
 saying he poured out half a glass more, and drank that 
 also ; " well, the fact is, it's rayther a bettermost sort of 
 toast-and-water, and yet it's refreshin too." 
 
 He then rinsed the glass in the river, and having 
 filled it again, presented it a second time to the lady, 
 saying, " it would revive her a little ;" and, accordingly, 
 having tasted it and found it extremely agreeable, she 
 drank the greater part of it, and all that remained of 
 the bottle he gave to the boatmen, and the basket of 
 sandwiches also, for neither he nor the lady were able 
 to eat. 
 
 " Now, miss," he said, " you've got the world afore 
 x2
 
 308 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 you, and if you tell me where you want to go to, I'll 
 put you in the way to arrive at it, though I can't go 
 with you any further than Coblenz, because I'm going 
 to France, but I should like to challenge that tarnation 
 filHbustering ould alligator up there afore I go. I'll 
 make him fight or apologize for using such language as 
 he did to a freeborn American gentleman like me." 
 
 " Oh, pray," said the lady, " don't let there be any 
 fighting on my account. It would be dreadful to think 
 of my causing you any further danger." 
 
 " Danger," said her companion, " I scorn to think of 
 it ; but come let's hear what you want to do." 
 
 " To get back to London in safety, were that pos- 
 sible," said she. 
 
 " And pray, miss, what's your name ?" 
 The lady handed her card. 
 
 " Oh, indeed," he said, " then you're a real lady, then 
 please to accept mine," handing one in return, " Franklin 
 Dreadnought, provision merchant, Boston." 
 
 "Now," he said, "there aint no difficulty at all, for 
 you've nothing to do but go to Mr. Hoffmann, the banker 
 and wine merchant at Coblenz, and tell him what you 
 want, and you'll find both him and his wife take a 
 pleasure in doing anything needful ; they're remarkable 
 honest folk, and kind too, and very rich, and my belief 
 is, they'd give a hundred thousand thalers to have such 
 a daughter as you."
 
 BELLE VUE. 309 
 
 " But could you introduce me ?" 
 
 " Oh, bless you, there aint no occasion ; one of these 
 men shall show you the way to their house." 
 
 " But why can't you go ?" 
 
 " Well, I shouldn't like," he said ; " Mrs. Hoffmann 
 is a tender-hearted sort of body and very nervous, and if 
 she saw ever so little blood about, she wouldn't be so fit 
 to help you. Besides, there aint no manner of occasion, 
 because they're a sort that want no persuasion to be kind 
 and liberal, and if you show 'em your card, they'll make 
 you one of the family at once just as we should do at 
 Boston." 
 
 The voyage was short, and her preserver had the 
 pleasure of landing her safely, and having paid the boat- 
 men and given the elder one an additional douceur, with 
 directions to conduct the lady very slowly to the house 
 of Mr. Hoffmann, he turned to her and said, "now you 
 are safe and free, and pray fear nothing, for men of all 
 nations would be ready as myself to protect you, except 
 that kidnapping villain up yonder." 
 
 After this he held out his hand, saying, "in my country 
 when we part — " before he finished the sentence she 
 stretched out hers and said, " don't think I can with- 
 hold such a token of grateful feeling from my preserver ; 
 may you, my dear sir, never suffer such an agony of dis- 
 tress as you have relieved me from ; but in the worst 
 that ever happens, may you never want such a friend as 
 you have been to me."
 
 310 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 He clasped her hand, his features softened into a kind 
 and grateful smile, and then, bowing his head gracefully, 
 he kissed her hand, dropped it as it were with reluctance, 
 and turning short round walked on his way towards the 
 hotel. 
 
 The lady saw him depart with a feeling of regret she 
 could hardly account for; their acquaintance had been 
 short, but notwithstanding his unpleasing manners and 
 dialect, and his strange appearance, his courage, prompt- 
 ness of resource, evident truthfulness and kindness, made 
 her feel that she was separated from a powerful friend, 
 and in this last act his manner was so suddenly and 
 agreeably travestied that it seemed as if by some " hea- 
 venly alchemy" her rude uncouth deliverer was changed, 
 in the twinkling of an eye, into a perfect gentleman; 
 yet, notwithstanding her alarm and regret, and the 
 yearning desire she felt to take his arm and beg for his 
 continued protection, it never once crossed her mind 
 that her deliverer was Bohun. 
 
 The hero and heroine of this story being now in a 
 state of security and repose, it may be as well to look 
 back to what ensued at the pavilion after their escape. 
 The rage of the prince when he found himself incapable 
 of forcing an entrance to the bed-room, and also cut off 
 from an exit by the other door, was excessive ; but still
 
 BELLE VUE. 311 
 
 he thought that he had a resource in the bells, and that 
 aid could be brought up within a short time, and he 
 pulled both with great violence, but after several pulls 
 he perceived that his pulling must be in vain, because 
 the handles did not recede again as usual, and then he 
 began to feel that he was in a prison of his own forming. 
 He next went to the window and roared for help, but was 
 not heard, because the few people about were cautioned 
 to avoid the place ; and, in that situation, he was gratified 
 by the sight of the American and the lady approaching 
 the bottom of the hill on the other side of the ravine. 
 His state was like that of some fierce beast of the desert 
 encaged for the first time in a strong iron trap: he 
 glared around the room wdth eyes sparkling with the fury 
 of madness, when suddenly he noticed the great horn, 
 an instrument never used by himself, but the grandly 
 sonorous notes of which he had often heard in his 
 hunting excursions with great pleasure. That was the 
 thing. He pushed a chair to the fire-place, and reached 
 it by that means, and attempted to blow, but it was 
 stopped, the breath could not penetrate. He had a 
 penknife in his pocket, and cleared out the stuff which 
 clogged the mouthpiece, but still some dirt prevented his 
 breath entering, his wrath was more and more excited 
 by opposition, so he knelt down, and striking the iron 
 mouthpiece on the hearth some dust did appear, but 
 the second blow ignited this and the mass exploded. 
 The liorn was burst asunder, and as he held it firmly in
 
 312 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 his powerful grasp, it dislocated his thumb and struck 
 him down by a violent concussion of the head, and the 
 flame scorched the right side of it, and hurt his eyes, 
 and implanted abundant blue specks over the right side 
 of his face. He was stunned and beaten down for some 
 minutes, but the room was full of smoke, and as he 
 recovered his consciousness he began to dread suffoca- 
 tion, and with difficulty crawled to the window for air ; 
 but there was no more hallooing now, with difficulty he 
 caught pure air enough to breathe, so exhausted was he, 
 and he reclined over the window-sill hoping for gradual 
 relief from his torments. 
 
 The air was far from pure, the smoke still continued 
 to pour out of the window, and, after lying in an uneasy 
 posture for a long time, he turned his head to look if 
 there was a chair that he might reach with his left hand, 
 when he perceived that there was another source of 
 smoke that he had not dreamed of, for the other end 
 of the room was on fire. The fact was, that the towel 
 which Bohun had stuffed into the horn merely as a 
 hiding place was blown out and ignited when the ex- 
 plosion happened, and lighted on the frame of a picture, 
 and the painting and frame were soon in a blaze, w^hich 
 communicated to the carved wood cornice and the ceiling 
 and wainscot; indeed, the whole being of pine wood, 
 the fire was far beyond any power of stopping it, much 
 less the ability of a wounded, exhausted, half-smothered 
 man. Was he to perish? — Had he not in his imagina-
 
 BELLE VUE. 
 
 313 
 
 tion the very view, and did not his senses convey to him 
 the feeling, of that future state of existence to which he 
 was approaching? — Was he not in the vestibule, as it 
 were, of his final destination ? — The horror of it over- 
 threw his mind ! 
 
 The seneschal did bring help in time for the bare 
 preservation of his life, but he was scorched, disfigured, 
 convulsed, blind and stupefied. 
 
 A labouring man in a distant part of the grounds 
 saw the smoke for some time before he went to the 
 seneschal, the latter being, according to the orders of 
 the prince, exerting himself to the utmost to amuse and 
 detain the Lady Wolfe. However, when summoned, he 
 rushed to the place, and found a rolling stone, which he 
 and the labourer used in the manner of a battering ram, 
 and broke down the lock and forced open the door. 
 
 The seneschal rushed forward to the window, and 
 found that the prince had sunk down on the floor, but 
 he dragged him out, and, with the aid of the labourer, 
 seated him a little way off under the shade of a tree. 
 
 The Lady Wolfe arrived soon after, and supplied a 
 smelling bottle, and by degrees, his shirt being opened 
 and some cold water thrown on his chest and his face, 
 he began to breathe with difficulty, and the seneschal 
 sent the carriage to Ems to bring back a doctor. 
 
 As soon as Lady Wolfe perceived that he was re- 
 viving, she demanded, in the most urgent terms, " what
 
 314 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 he had done with her juvenile companion ;" but he 
 either did not understand, or feigned non-comprehension, 
 so that, to her great annoyance, she obtained no infor- 
 mation, and the seneschal did his best to induce her to 
 refrain from molesting the prince with questions which 
 evidently distressed him, and which he could not answer; 
 but the lady was only stopped by the sudden and un- 
 expected report of a pistol, which caused her to shriek, 
 and in a little time it was found that she was wounded 
 by an accidental shot from the loaded pistol which 
 missed fire and had been thrown at Bohun's head un- 
 discharged, but which was now so heated by the burning 
 embers collected round the barrel as to inflame the 
 powder, and Lady Wolfe, happening to stand not far 
 from the door, received a superficial wound from the 
 ball, which had previously glanced off from the door 
 post, otherwise it would have cut short the career of the 
 arch traitor of the party. 
 
 The seneschal, no longer disturbed by the lady's 
 questions, thought it prudent to remove the prince to a 
 spot rather more distant in case of the other pistol 
 going off, but also possessing the advantages of air and 
 shade. Of course no vestige of the building could be 
 saved, because the fire of the inner room became ter- 
 ribly violent after the panels of the inner door were 
 burned through. 
 
 For a time the prince dreaded to look after Lady
 
 BELLE VUE. 315 
 
 Wolfe, but at last, being so far recovered that he dared 
 venture to inquire, the seneschal informed him of her 
 calamity, and that she had gone off to the chateau, and 
 the pleasure of having injured her, and his gladness at 
 being freed from her questions, somewhat alleviated his 
 ovi^n sufferings. The extreme fierceness of the fire 
 caused part of the rock to crack and shell ofT, and the 
 end wall and tower overhanging the ravine going with 
 it, the whole fell with a tremendous crash into the glen 
 below. 
 
 When the lovely hesitating Lady Susan entered the 
 house of Mrs. Hoffmann, she could not help fearing that 
 her too sanguine deliverer might have overpainted the 
 humanity and tenderness of that lady ; but she was soon 
 clasped in her arms, and every consolation offered that 
 she was capable of giving utterance to, and then she sent 
 for her husband, whose benevolent countenance won the 
 confidence of the poor weeping lady. A council was 
 held, but the deliberation lasted not long, good reason 
 why, the whole plan of proceedings came out naturally, 
 almost obviously, because it had all been arranged before- 
 hand, and Mr. Hoffmann had watched with a telescope 
 the approach of the boat to Coblenz. He therefore 
 obtained from Lady Susan an order for her maid to join 
 her immediately at Coblenz, and bring away all her bag-
 
 316 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 gage, and Mr. HofFmaiin undertook to be the bearer of 
 this and to pay all expenses. 
 
 The journey occupied four hours, but he was in time 
 to dispatch the carriage at six o'clock, with Lady Susan 
 and Lucy and their baggage in it, to drop down the 
 Rhine in the night on the deck of a vessel which was to 
 arrive at Cologne by five o'clock the next morning. The 
 conducteur appointed by Mr. Hoffmann was a heavy- 
 looking man with a large beard, and he was furnished 
 with money to take her not only to Dover, but if needful 
 to London, and Mr. Hoffmann expressed his entire con- 
 fidence in him. 
 
 As the sweet lady cleared the Bridge of Boats and 
 glided along with the advantage of the current of the 
 noble river, illuminated by a brilliant moon, she returned 
 thanks to God for her rescue in the morning, and for 
 bestowing upon her in the time of need two such friends 
 as Mr. and Mrs. Hoffmann ; little dreaming at the time 
 that all the pecuniary advances for which she felt so 
 peculiarly indebted were supplied from the purse of her 
 lover, or that she travelled in his carriage. 
 
 The incidents of the journey to Dover were not very 
 interesting, and they made good dispatch according to 
 the advice of Mr. Hoffmann ; and Lady Susan, when she 
 landed at Dover, regarded it as a step towards happiness, 
 for she remembered the whole of her continental tour, 
 except the sojourn at Ems, with profound disgust. 
 
 She went to a grand hotel called the Ship, and the
 
 BELLE VL'E. 317 
 
 necessity of dining was speedily suggested by the land- 
 lord, and he mentioned "that there was a joint of roast 
 beef quite hot and just in order to put on the table," and 
 the lady agreed with the landlord as to its being well 
 suited to her appetite, and she and Lucy dined on it at 
 different tables in the same room, and she ordered a 
 small quantity of sherry, but before she sat down to her 
 dinner the courier came into the room and produced a 
 letter directed to Mr. Hoffmann, and requested her to 
 open it. 
 
 " Mais ce lettre n'est pas pour moi." 
 
 " Ah ! oui, miladi, mais ouvrez, Targent est pour vous.' 
 
 It seemed unpleasant to her to open it, so the man 
 did it for her, and said " Signez, plais." The contents 
 were simply: — 
 
 " The conducteur has delivered the two letters en- 
 closed and has been attentive to his duty and civil. 
 
 The conducteur pointed to the blank and said, " S'il 
 vous plait, miladi, signez." 
 
 The lady saw that one of the letters enclosed was from 
 Bohun and the other from Hoffmann, and therefore signed 
 immediately, and, though she did not want to detain the 
 courier, yet when she looked up at the man she was 
 shocked to see how ill he appeared to be, and was going 
 to speak about his health, but the waiter brought in the 
 dinner and there was a little bustle in the room, and the
 
 318 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 man slipped out and was gone before she had another 
 opportunity. 
 
 Bohun's letter was dated — . 
 
 " Coblenz. 
 " I HAVE only time to say that I enclose for your 
 guidance a carte of the stages from Dover to London, 
 with a rough idea of what you ought to pay, and Hoff- 
 mann will send you the needful money. 
 
 " In extreme haste, 
 
 "Yours, A. B." 
 
 The other letter was from Hoffmann and contained 
 ten pounds, half in gold. 
 
 The lady was rather distressed by the brevity of her 
 lover's letter, but the contents of the two letters were a 
 great relief to her. 
 
 The surgeon arrived at the chateau of the disap- 
 pointed exasperated prince in about three hours and 
 bled him immediately, but his hand was too much 
 swollen and inflamed to allow of the thumb being then 
 set; he stayed late to watch him, and desired that he 
 should be supplied with nothing but gruel and barley 
 water, and he would have stopped the night, but that 
 an engagement in Ems forced him to return, and Lady 
 Wolfe was compelled to go with him in the middle 
 of the night, and she had no resource but to stand up in
 
 liELLE VUE. 319 
 
 the carriage holding on as well as she could to different 
 parts of it, and racked with the idea that Lord Bosworth 
 would be clamorous about the loss of his daughter. 
 
 The road was bad for night travelling, and the lady 
 was most painfully jolted, so that by the time she arrived 
 at her quarters in Ems she was half dead with pain and 
 vexation, and when she was made acquainted with Lady 
 Susan's escape from the mortal trap, she cursed her with 
 double fury, for the idea of the intended victim getting 
 away scot free rendered her more envious than ever. 
 
 The old baroness was on the qui vive next day, for 
 she knew there was something serious the matter, and 
 heard of the fire, but her curiosity could not be appeased 
 by Lady Wolfe, for that lady locked the door of her 
 room to keep her out. However, the old baroness was 
 satisfied at last, for Colonel Martins came over to make 
 enquiries, having accidentally heard of the burning of the 
 pavilion, when she suggested the propriety of his riding 
 over to " Belle Vue " as a mark of respect, and prevailed 
 upon him to do it, but the seneschal told him, " it must 
 be a very private affair, for the prince w^as jealous of 
 interlopers ;" however, under promise of secrecy, he was 
 permitted to see the ruin and the road of escape, and 
 talked seriously for some time. 
 
 Colonel Martins, who was much in love with Lady 
 Susan himself, refrained from laughter; but the scene of 
 destruction which he saw delighted his heart. 
 
 Some of the pictures had been torn off the walls in
 
 320 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 the short interval before the clischar(:^e of the pistol, but 
 they were scorched and defaced, " Upon my word, 
 seneschal," said he, " the work is done effectually; judg- 
 ing by the pictures, I should think that this pavilion 
 was devoted chiefly to the tender passion : that little 
 god," pointing to a very jocund Cupid v»^ith his bow and 
 arrows, " seems to have been the presiding deity ; but 
 you see in this case, as in many others, how deceptive 
 he is. Your gay and joyful prince handed in here that 
 most beautiful and graceful English young lady full of 
 rapturous expectation, and then, in spite of all the 
 honour shown to Monsieur Cupid and his mother and 
 other deities, the malicious ungrateful urchin turns 
 against his votary, and admits a dark, rude, vulgar 
 American, who runs away with the lady, almost burns 
 the prince to death, and disfigures him for life. You 
 must forgive me for laughing, Mr. Seneschal, but don't 
 tell your prince." He then almost cut the picture in 
 half with his stick, and said, " you, god unworthy of 
 worship ! ought to have shared the fate of the building." 
 They then talked about the mode of the intruder 
 getting in and getting away, which was a great puzzle, 
 for the prince had said, " that he saw the American and 
 the lady descending the path towards the bottom of the 
 ravine on the opposite side, which appeared to both of 
 them impossible, for since the fall of the last piece of 
 the arch, which occurred so very recently, and of which 
 the seneschal was not aware, no man could have leaped
 
 BELLE VUE. 321 
 
 over the chasm ;" but Colonel Martius said, " mind this, 
 Mr. Seneschal, dont you contradict him.'' 
 
 The colonel, who by this .time wanted a good hearty 
 laugh, then turned to the calamity of poor Lady Wolfe, 
 a legitimate source of merriment to both, for the senes- 
 chal said, " it was so very apropos," the prince and he 
 were wishing her at the devil, but could not tell how to 
 get rid of her.; but when she received the shot, she 
 scampered off, squeaking like a frightened rabbit. 
 
 This cruel shot was a subject of mutual fun and 
 laughter for some time to these hard-hearted soldiers 
 before they could muster sufficient sobriety to approach 
 the house ; and the colonel went back to Ems loaded 
 with amusement, but half starved, for the seneschal 
 dared not supply him with entertainment, though he 
 was able to allow some forage for his horse. 
 
 The old baroness gave him some dinner for the sake 
 of his news, which delighted her excessively, and in a 
 week's time the old woman packed off for Vienna with 
 her budget of gossip much better furnished than usual ; 
 but every day, during her stay at Ems, she sent to know 
 the progress of the wounded lady, but her style of 
 inquiry was so shaped as to prove to the invalid that 
 the nature of her injury was no secret. 
 
 The prince had another paroxysm of fury when he 
 first saw his face in the glass, for it turned out more 
 hideous than he had calculated upon, which to a man 
 
 . . Y
 
 322 MAIDENTHORPE. 
 
 of his tastes was mournfully vexatious : and he never 
 again, either in public or private, was able to take the 
 position he had held before. 
 
 END OF VOL. I.