1856.]

light up the distance, whilst above and around me stretched far and wide the vast expanse of down, cutting sharply against the sky, and dwarfing to mere shrubs the clumps of old fir-trees that relieved its magnificent monotony. I was deep in a day-dream, and an imaginary conversation with Frank Lovell, in which I was running over with much mental eloquence what I should say, and what he would say, and what I should reply to that, when a shrill whistle caused me to start and turn suddenly round, whilst at the same instant a great black retriever bounced up against my legs, and two handsome pointers raced by me as if just emancipated from the kennel. The consequence of all this was, that I stepped hastily on a loose stone, turned my foot the wrong way under me, and came down with a slightly sprained ankle, and the black retriever, an animal of exceedingly noisome breath, affectionately licking my face.

'Down, Juno! I beg your pardon a million times; get down, you bitch! How shall I ever apologize; confound you, get down;' said an agitated voice above me; and looking up, I espied the red-haired stranger of the railway, dressed in a most conspicuous shooting costume, white hat and all, whose dogs had been the means of bringing me thus suddenly to the earth, and on whom I was now dependent for succour and support till I should be able to reach home.

In such an emergency my new friend was not half so confused and shy as I should have expected. He seemed to summon all his energies to consider what was best to be done; and as my foot pained me considerably when I tried to walk, particularly down-hill, he made no more ado, but lifted me carefully in his arms, and proceeded incontinently to carry me off in the direction of Dangerfield Hall, where he seemed intuitively to know I was at present residing.

It was, to say the least of it, an unusual situation. A man I had never seen but once before in my life-and here was I lying in his arms (a precious weight he must have found me !), and looking up in his face like a child in its nurse's,

VOL. LIII. NO. CCCXV.

299

and the usages of society making it incumbent on us both to attempt a sort of indifferent conversation about the weather, and the country, and the beauty of the scenery, which the juxtaposition of our respective faces rendered ludicrous in the extreme.

:

'A tempting day for a walk, Miss -ah-ah- (he didn't know my name-how should he?-and was now beginning to get very red, partly from the return of his constitutional shyness, and partly from the severity of his exertions). 'I hope your foot does not pain you quite so much; be good enough to lean a little more this way.' Poor man-how his arms must have ached!-whilst I replied somewhat in this fashion:-Thank you; I'm better, I shall soon be able to walk, I think this is indeed a lovely country; don't you find me very heavy?' 'I think I could carry you a good many miles,' he said, quietly; and then seemed so shocked at such an avowal, that he hardly opened his lips again, and put me down the very first time I asked him, and offered me his arm with an accession of confusion that made me feel quite awkward myself. Truth to tell, my ankle was not sprained, only twisted, and when the immediate pain wore off, I was pretty sound again, and managed, with the assistance of my new acquaintance's arm, to make a very good walk of it. So we plodded on quite sociably towards the Hall, and my friend took leave of me at the farm with a polite bow, and a sort of hesitating manner that most shy men possess, and which would lead one to infer they have always got something more to say that never is said. I knew I should be well scolded if I avowed my accident to any of the family; besides, I did not quite fancy facing all the inquiries as to how I got home, and Cousin Amelia's sneers about errant damsels and wandering knights, so I stole quietly up to my room, bathed my foot in eau de Cologne, and remained perdue till dinnertime, in despite of repeated messages from my aunts, and the arrival of Cousin John.

People may talk about country pleasures and country duties, and

U

all the charms of country life, but it appears to me that a good many things are done under the titles of pleasure and duty which belong in reality to neither; and that those who live entirely in the country, inflict on themselves a great variety of unnecessary disagreeables, as they lose a great many of its chief delights. Of all receipts for weariness, commend me to a dinnerparty of country neighbours by daylight,-people who know each other just well enough to have opposite interests and secret jealousies, who arrive ill at ease in their smart dresses to sit through a protracted meal with hot servants and forced conversation, till one young lady on her promotion being victimized at the piano-forte, enables them to yawn unobserved, and welcome ten o'clock brings round the carriage and tipsy coachman, in order that they may enter on their long, dark, dreary drive home through lanes and bye-ways, which is only endurable from the consideration that the annual ordeal has been accomplished, and that they need not do it again till this time next year.

There was a dinner-party at Dangerfield regularly once a month, and this was the day. Aunt Horsingham was great on these occasions, astonishing the neighbours as much with her London dresses, as did Cousin Amelia with her London manners. We all assembled a few minutes earlier than usual in the drawing-room, so as to be ready to receive our guests, and great was the infliction on poor Aunt Deborah and my humble self. How they trooped in, one after another! Sir Brian and Lady Banneret, and Master Banneret, and two Miss Bannerets these were the great cards of the party, so Lady Horsingham kissed Lady Banneret and the young ladies, and opined Master Banneret was grown, much to the indignation of that young gentleman, who being an Oxonian of course considered himself a man. Sir Brian was a good humoured, jolly old boy, with a loud laugh, and stood with his coat-tails lifted and his back to the empty fire-place in perfect ease and contentment: not so his lady; first she scrutinized

everything Lady Horsingham had got on, then she took a review of the furniture, and specially marked one faded place in the carpet; lastly, she turned a curious and disappointed glance on myself. I accounted for the latter mark of displeasure by the becoming shade of my gown; I knew it was a pretty one, and would meet with feminine censure accordingly. The Bannerets were soon followed by Mr. and Mrs. Plumridge, a newlymarried couple, who were fêted accordingly. Mr. Plumridge was a light-haired, unmeaning-looking individual, partially bald, with a blue coat and white satin neckcloth; his bride a lively, sarcastic, black-eyed little woman, that must have married him for her own conveniencethey said afterwards she was once a governess, but at all events she held her own handsomely when alone with the ladies after dinner, and, partly from good humour, partly from an exceedingly off-hand natural manner, forced even Lady Banneret to be civil to her. Then came the Marmadukes and the Marygolds, and old Miss Finch in a sedan-chair from the adjoining village, and a goodish-looking man whose name

never made out, and Mr. Sprigges, the curate; and lastly, in a white heat and a state of utter confusion, my shy acquaintance of the railway and the pointers, who was ushered in by Lady Horsingham's pompous butler under the style and title of Mr. Hay cock. He appeared to be a great friend of the family, and, much to his own discomfiture, was immediately laid violent hands on by my aunt and cousin, the former not thinking it necessary to present him to me, till he offered me his arm to take me in to dinner, when her face of reproval on his stammering out he had met Miss Coventry before,' was worth any thing, expressive as it was of shocked propriety and puzzled astonishment.

When you have a secret only known to your two selves, even with a shy man, it is wonderful how it brings him on. Before the soup was off the table, Squire Haycock and I had become wonderfully good friends. He had hoped 'my ankle did not pain me,' and I had trusted 'his arms did not ache;' he had even

gone the length of vowing' that he would have shot his clumsy retriever for being the cause of the accident, only he let him off because if it hadn't been for the dog-' and here, seeing Cousin Amelia's eye fixed upon us, my companion stopped dead short, and concealed his blushes in a glass of champagne. Taking courage from that well-iced stimulant, he reverted to our railway journey in company.

I knew you again, this morning, Miss Coventry, I assure you, a long way off; in fact, I was going the other way, only, seeing you walking in that lonely part of the Down, I feared you might be frightened' (he was getting bright scarlet again), 'and I determined to watch you at a little distance, and be ready to assist you if you were alarmed by tramps, or sheep-dogs, or

I thought he was getting on too fast, so I stopped him at once by replying:

I am well able to take care of myself, Mr. Haycock, I assure you, and I like best walking quite alone;' after which I turned my shoulder a little towards him, and completely discomfited him for the rest of dinner. One great advantage of diffidence in a man is, that one can so easily reduce him to the lowest depths of despondency; but then, on the other hand, he is apt to think one means to be more cruel than one does, and one is obliged to be kind in proportion to one's previous coldness, or the stupid creature breaks away altogether. When the ladies got up to leave the diningroom, I dropped my handkerchief well under the table, and when it was returned to me by the Squire, I gave him such a look of gratitude as I knew would bring him back to me in the evening. Nobody hates flirting so much as myself, but what is one to do shut up in a country-house, with no earthly thing to occupy or amuse one?

Tea and coffee served but little to produce cordiality amongst the female portion of the guests after their flight to the drawing-room. Lady Horsingham and Lady Banneret talked apart on a sofa; they were deep in the merits of their respective preachers and the failings of their respective maids. Mrs.

301

Marmaduke and Mrs. Marygold having had a Book-Club' feud, did not speak to each other, but communicated through the medium of Miss Finch, whose deafness rendered this a somewhat unsatisfactory process. Aunt Deborah went to sleep, as usual; and I tried the two Miss Bannerets consecutively, but ascertained that neither would open her lips, at least in the presence of mamma. At last I found a vacant place by the side of Mrs. Plumridge, and discovered immediately, with the peculiar freemasonry which I believe men do not possess, that she was one of my sort. She liked walking, riding, driving, dancing, all that I liked, in short; and she hated scandal-gossiping, sensible women, morning visits, and worsted-work, for all of which I confess to an unqualified aversion. We were getting fast friends when the gentlemen came in from their wine, honest Sir Brian's voice sounding long before he entered the room, and the worthy gentleman himself rolling in with an unsteady step, partly from incipient gout, and partly, I fancy, from a good deal of port wine. He took a vacant seat by me almost immediately, chiefly, I think, because it was the nearest seat; and avowing openly his great regard and admiration for my neighbour, Mrs. Plumridge, proceeded to make himself agreeable to both of us in his own way,-though I am concerned to state that he trod heavily on my sprained foot, and spilt the greater part of a cup of coffee over her satin gown. The Squire, whose nerves for the present were strung above blushing pitch, soon joined our little party, and whilst the two Miss Bannerets performed an endless duet on Aunt Horsingham's luckless piano-forte, and their brother, choking in his stiff white neckcloth, turned over the leaves, Sir Brian bantered Mr. Haycock gracefully on his abstemiousness after dinner, an effort of self-denial of which no one could accuse him, and vowed, with much laughter, that 'Haycock must be in love! in love, Miss Coventry, don't you think so? A man that always used to take his two bottles as regularly as myself-I am a foe to excess, ladies, but Haycock's an anchorite, dme-a monk. Haycock!

monks must marry, you know!wouldn't he look well with his feet shaved, Miss Coventry, and his head bare, and a rope round his neck?' Sir Brian was getting confused, and had slightly transposed the clerical costume to which he alluded; but was quite satisfied that his little badinage was witty and amusing in the extreme; indeed, Mrs. Plumridge and I couldn't help laughing; but poor Squire Hay cock's embarrassment was so intense that he ordered his carriage immediately, and took leave, venturing however, at the very last, to shake me by the hand, and braving once again the banter of the inebriated baronet.

'Stole away,' said Sir Brian: 'a shy man, Miss Coventry, a shy, diffident man, my friend Haycock, but true as steel-not a better landlord in the county-excellent neighbour useful magistrate-good house-beautiful garden-lots of poultry, and a glass bee-hive-wants nothing but a wife :-order the carriage, my lady. Mrs. Plumridge, you must come and see us at Slopperley, and don't forget to bring Plumridge. Miss Coventry, you're a charming young lady, mind you come too; so jolly Sir Brian wished us both a most affectionate goodnight, and shaking Aunt Horsing ham violently by both hands, packed himself into his carriage in a state of high good-humour and confusion. I have since heard that on his arrival

at Slopperley he stoutly refused to get out, declaring that he preferred to sit in the carriage whilst they changed horses,' and avowing, much to his old butler's astonishment, his resolution to go at least one more stage that night.'

CHAPTER XI.

I must despair of being able in simple narrative to convey the remotest idea of the dulness of Dangerfield Hall; but as during my residence there I beguiled the weary hours by keeping a Diary (bound in blue velvet, with brass clasps, and a Bramah lock), I have it in my power, by transcribing a few of its pages, to present to my readers my own impressions of life in that wellregulated establishment. I put things down just as they happened,

with my own reflections, more or less philosophical, on the events of each day. My literary labours were invariably carried on after the family had retired for the night; and I may observe that a loose white dressing-gown, trimmed with Mechlin lace and pink ribbons, one's hair of course being taken down,' is a costume extremely well adapted to the effects of composition. I take a day from the Diary at random.

Thursday.-Up at half-past seven: peeped in the glass the instant I was out of bed, and wondered how Cousin Amelia looks when she wakes; yellowish, I should think, and by no means captivating, particularly if she wears a nightcap. I don't care how ugly a woman is, she has no right to look anything but fresh in the morning, and yet how few possess this advantage. Nothing like open air and plenty of exercise; saving one's complexion is undoubtedly the very way to spoil it. Saw Brilliant and WhiteStockings going to exercise in the park: what coddles they look on these fine autumn mornings, covered with clothing. Felt very keen about hunting; the same feeling always comes on at the fall of the leaf; shouldn't wonder if I could jump a gate, with my present nerves. Should like once in my life to plant a field of horsemen, and show these gentlemen how a woman can ride. Interrupted in my day-dreams by Lady Horsingham's bell, and huddled on my things in a tremendous hurry; forced to wash my hands in cold water, which made the tips of my fingers as red as radishes for the rest of the day. Got down to prayers by half-past eight, and took Aunt Deborah her tea and toast from the breakfast-table at nine.

Breakfast dull, and most of the party cross: Aunt Horsingham is generally out of humour at breakfast time, particularly on Sundays. Cousin Amelia suggested my towels were too coarse, they had rubbed a colour into my cheeks like a dairymaid's.' John said I looked like a rose; a tea-rose, he added, as I handed him his cup. Cousin John is getting quite poetical, and decidedly improved since he left London. I wonder whom he got that

letter from that was lying on his plate when he came down? I am not curious, but I just glanced at the direction, and I am certain it was in a lady's hand-not that it's any business of mine, only I should think Miss Molasses would hardly have the face to write to him. I wonder whether there is anything between John and Miss Molasses. I asked him, half spitefully, the other day, how he could bear to be parted from her now the season was over; and he seemed so pleased at my taking an interest in the thing at all, that I had no patience to go on with my cross-questioning. I don't think she's good enough for John, I must confess, but he is easily imposed on by young ladies, as indeed, for that matter, are the rest of his great thick-headed sex. When breakfast was over, and Cousin Amelia went off as usual to practise her music for an hour or two, I thought I might steal away for a visit to my favourites in the stable; indeed, I saw John at the front door, in a hideous wide-awake, with a long cigar in his mouth; but I was waylaid by Aunt Horsingham, and as these visits to the stable are strictly forbidden, I was obliged to follow her into the drawing-room, and resign myself for the whole morning to that dreadful worstedwork, more especially as it was coming on a drizzling mist, and there was no pretext for my usual

walk.

'I am glad to see you getting more sociable, Kate,' said Lady Horsingham, in her dry, harsh voice, as I took a seat beside her and opened my work-basket; 'it is never advisable for any young lady to affect singularity, and I have observed with some concern that your demeanour on many occasions is very unlike that of the rest of your

sex.

I never give in to Aunt Horsingham; after all, she's not my own aunt, so I answered as pertly as ever I could.

'No; you mean I don't spend the morning in looking in the glass, and talking evil of my neighbours; I don't scream when I see a beetle, or go into convulsions because there's a mouse in the room. I've got two legs, very good legs, Aunt Horsing

303

ham-shall I show you them ?-and I like to use them, and to be out of doors amongst the trees, and the grass, and the daisies, instead of counting stitches for work that nobody wants, or writing letters that nobody reads. I had rather give Brilliant a good lucketing' (Aunt Horsingham shuddered, I knew she would, and used the word on purpose) over an open heath or a line of grass, than go bodkin in a chariot, seven miles an hour, and both windows up. Thank you, Aunt Horsingham, you would like to make a fine lady of me-a useless, sickly, lackadaisical being, instead of a healthy, active, plucky, lighthearted woman; much obliged to you-I had rather stay as I am.'

Miss Coventry,' said my aunt, who was completely posed by my volubility, and apparently shocked beyond the power of expression at my opinions; Miss Coventry,' she repeated, if these are indeed your sentiments, I must beg, nay, I must insist, on your keeping them to yourself whilst under this roof. 'Amelia, my dear' (to my cousin, who was gliding quietly into the room), 'Amelia, go back to your music for ten minutes. I must insist, Miss Coventry, that you do not inoculate my daughter with these pernicious doctrines-this mistaken view of the whole duties and essentials of your sex. Do you think men appreciate a woman who, if she had but a beard, would be exactly like one of themselves? Do you think they like to see their ideal hot and dishevelled, plastered with mud, and draggled with wet? Do you think they wish her to be strong and independent of them, and perhaps their superior at those very sports and exercises on which they plume themselves? Do you think they are to be taken by storm, and, so to speak, bullied into admiration ? You're wrong, Kate, you're wrong, and I believe I am equally wrong to talk to you in this strain, inasmuch as the admiration of the other sex ought to be the last thing coveted or thought of by a young person of yours.'

'I'm sure, aunt, I don't want the men to admire me,' I replied; but I would not give much for the admiration of one who could be jealous