'Well, well,' returned the host, somewhat peevishly, 'one man may have one opinion, and another another, thoughts are free; but if you are bound for the castle, young man, I have shewn you the way, and you had as good be going forward; when you get there you will see how the land lies; and as the old saying is, Least said, is soonest mended.'

Thus we parted; and I went straight along the street towards the castle gates, which fronted me as I stepped out from the inn-yard.

The little discourse, however, which I had heard by the way, had put many perplexing thoughts in my head; neither could I make out anything either from what I heard, or from what I continued to see as I proceeded, for there was this peculiarity in all which I observed as I went on, viz.—that as every thing looked fair and well at a distance, whether it were a thatched cottage with its rustic porch projecting into the street from beneath the shade of a tree, or a garden set with flowers and fruit trees,‚—or it might be a group of children playing on a bank, or what not; whenever I drew near to any of these things, I saw something I did not like in them:-either the house was ruinous,— the garden slovenly,-or the persons ill-conditioned. Nothing that I saw seemed to give evidence of care, or order, or cleanliness; in short, there seemed a sort of blight, natural or moral, on every thing

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for

that met the eye. Neither was the ear more satisfied in this place than the other senses, as I passed along, I was addressed by many harsh voices; the children calling rudely after me and inquiring what brought me there, and the women mocking at me from the door-steads, because the cut of my coat varied from that commonly worn in those parts. Such, indeed, as I afterwards found, had been prescribed by the housekeeper to the servants; for this same housekeeper is, as I afterwards had reason to know to my cost, one who looks into every thing with a minuteness and activity which would do her credit if her cause were better: but of this more in the sequel. So I passed on through this village, and soon came to the gate at the end of the avenue, and found myself within the more immediate domain of the castle, and then I had again occasion to observe that although the place abounded with all which might make a residence desirable, there wanted not the same tokens of waste, destruction, and carelessness of the good things which the soil produced, which I had observed elsewhere.

Coming at length near to the castle, and seeing two ways, one of which led to the front of the house, and the other into the outer courts or

1 "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.... For we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened." 2 Cor. v. 1, 4.

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offices, I thought it behoved me to take the latter, and soon found myself among the stables; and I promise you that they were uncommonly spacious and handsome, being prepared for the convenience of many horses ;-for as I afterwards learnt, the steward, who, like most of his description, is a person of no small consequence in his own eyes, affects much state in his horses and equipages. Moreover, there were many grooms, as might be expected, in the stable-yards,--some being busied in one way, and some in another, whilst a third sort were lounging and basking themselves as if they had nothing to do but to look on upon what others were about ;-but all I saw wore a sort of livery as belonging to one master, and I, being a sort of Johnny Newcomb amongst them, took it for granted that the livery they wore was that of my uncle's master, even of him of whom I had heard so inviting a report, viz. the true lord and proprietor of the place.

Now it was not to be supposed that I should be allowed to pass without comments; accordingly, one or two of the young men called out to me as I was proceeding quietly forward, and bringing me to a stand, would have it that I should answer the questions usually put to strangers, viz.— Whence I came? Whither I was going? And what might be my business?

1 "With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets." Ezek. xxvi. 11.

I am come,' I replied, from a distant country; my place of destination is the castle before me; and my business is with such-a-one, naming my uncle.'

I saw the smile go round as I spoke; and one of the young men replied-' And so you are our old secretary's nephew, (my uncle, I should have said before, held the place of scribe or secretary in his master's family) and I suppose you are come to lend him a hand in his profitable labours. He is a faithful and godly person - that uncle of your's, young man, though some of us perhaps do not give him all the credit for his meritorious conduct which he deserves. You are a happy

lad to have such a patron!'

I did not then understand, that irony was a very favourite figure of speech in the castle, and therefore took all this fine oration in favour of my uncle in the very letter, rather than in the spirit, and in consequence replied in all simplicity,— 'I was delighted to hear that my venerable kinsman bore so excellent a character, and was held in such high estimation in his Lord's family.' I almost wonder that this was permitted to pass as it did by the saucy grooms, and that it did not provoke any thing more than a renewal of merriment; but my uncle was so much and so universally respected in the family, that scarcely any one dared to speak openly of him with irreverence, and thus I was permitted to pass on,-one of the

young men pointing out to me the way I should take to the servant's hall. So I went my way, my mind being by this time in a strange state of confusion, yet I did not observe anything very particular as I got more in among the offices, excepting a number of dogs which came baying and barking unhospitably enough upon me, and several groups of boys playing at pitch and toss, and a loud objurgatory and ranting noise, which proceeded from a kitchen, near to which I passed, and where I saw a company of women busy with culinary occupations. So I came to the door of a great hall which opened into the inner court, and there I perceived several serving men sitting at a long table, regaling themselves with bacon and flaggons. At this door I stood till I was seen by the company within; and then an elderly man, whom I afterwards knew to be a sort of bailiff, or under-steward, called to me, and asked my

business.

'My business, sir,' I replied, 'is with the secretary;-Is he within? might he be spoken with?'

I observed a sort of sneer again on the face of these men as I spoke, for dull as I was in understanding the true state of things, it was not possible for me, after so many experiences of the same kind, not to remark that the mention of my

1 "Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed, but ye feed not the flock." Ezek. xxxiv. 3.