«;->^ 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 y 
 
 r 
 
 .J \ 
 
 >; 
 
 A' 
 
 /i5 
 
 
 V 
 
 ^1 
 
 k 
 
 * 
 
 -^ 
 
 \ 
 
 :.^^v 
 
 X 
 
 
 X 
 
 '^<««. 
 
 ^' ^ 
 
 V. 
 
 /t * 
 
 ,> 
 
 v 
 
 ^ 
 
 V''^ 
 
 r 
 
 \ 
 
 r 
 
 -^ 
 
 -> 
 
 V X' 
 
 \ 
 
 IX-' 
 
 r 

 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 BY THE 
 
 AUTHOR OF BRAMBLETYE HOUSE, 
 
 THE TOR HILL, &c. 
 
 " Fie OD ambition! Fie on mjself! tliat iiave a swor^l, and yet am 
 ready to famish! These five days liave I iiid me. in these woods, aaii 
 ilurst not peep out, for all the country is laid for me." 
 
 SHAKSPEARE. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 L0ND(3N : 
 HENRY COLliURN, NEVY BURLINGTON STREET. 
 
 1827.
 
 LONDON : 
 
 
 ♦ ' • • • 
 
 « * a ^ rf » 
 
 • « • ^ - •
 
 ^ 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 J-i 
 
 PR 
 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 TO SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART. &c. 
 
 Sill, 
 
 Now tliat your name is identified with 
 that of the illustrious '' Author of Waverley ;" 
 now that you have consented to wear the 
 wreath whieh had already been voted to you 
 by the acclamations of an applauding world, 
 you must submit to some of the annoyances 
 of celebrity, and allow other writers to ap- 
 proach you with their Dedications, however 
 far thev niav remain behind you in their 
 
 15'74(38
 
 iv DEDICATION. 
 
 ■works. Among: such offenders I venture to 
 enrol myself by soliciting the honour of in- 
 scribing to you these volumes. In my first 
 attempt as a Novel-writer I followed where 
 you had led the way, not in the presump- 
 tuous hope of ever coming near to you in 
 your flight, but that Avhen my wing proved 
 unequal to support me, I might at least claim 
 the apology of Phaeton for my failure. You 
 have introduced a new ara into our litera- 
 ture ; the world has sanctioned your writings 
 with an undivided approbation ; among your 
 readers you possessed few more ardent admi- 
 rers than myself, and thus circumstanced it 
 was difficult to avoid aiming at a mark upon 
 which my eye had so long been fixed, even 
 although I knew it to be utterly beyond my 
 reach . 
 
 But it is not your reputation as a writer, 
 however unrivalled it may be, that constitutes
 
 DEDICATION. V 
 
 your best fame. No, Sir, you have achieved 
 a still fairer renown. You have exalted the 
 tone and feeling, as well as the quality of 
 our literature, by discarding from it all that 
 jealousy, bitterness, and malice which had stig- 
 matized authors with the hereditary appella- 
 tion of the irritable race. The future Her- 
 cules announced himself by strangling these 
 serpents in the very outset of his career. By 
 your gentleness and urbanity towards your 
 predecessors, when exercising the functions of 
 an Editor or a Commentator ; by the generous 
 encouragement which you have seized every 
 occasion of extending to your contemporaries ; 
 by the liberality and courtesy which have 
 invariably marked your conduct whenever 
 there was an opportunity for their display, 
 you have afforded the world an illustrious ex- 
 ample, that the highest and noblest qualities 
 of the head and heart will generally be found
 
 VI DEDICATION. 
 
 in conjunction, and have enabled England to 
 boast that her literary Bayard neither fears 
 a rival nor a reproach. You have pursued 
 your glorious career in charity with all men, 
 and if you did not already enjoy a sufficing 
 reward in the peace and happiness that you 
 have thus assured to your own bosom, you 
 would possess it in the certain knowledge 
 that from one extremity of the kingdom to 
 the other, amid all the sects and parties into 
 which it is divided, you are not less univer- 
 sally admired as a writer, than esteemed and 
 respected as a man. 
 
 This, Sir, is an exalted eulogy ; but I should 
 disdain to record it, were it not known to be a 
 just one. Even merited praise, however, may 
 be offensive to the humility of true genius and 
 virtue, and I should apologize for the strain 
 I have used, but that I feel it to be sanctioned 
 by the motive. By directing attention to the
 
 DEDICATION. Vll 
 
 noble example you have thus set, and to the 
 high reward it has procured for you, the imi- 
 tators of your honourable and generous can- 
 dour may perhaps become more numerous than 
 those who have been the copyists of your style. 
 This, at least, will be a safe ambition ; for it is 
 one in which all may command success. In 
 this career many have already done themselves 
 honour by treading in your footsteps ; and 
 more, it is to be hoped, will follow. Such 
 imitators can never be termed a servile herd : 
 every honest friend of the Muses will wish to 
 see them multiplied, until they shall form a 
 large fraternity of generous competitors, who, 
 however they may differ as scholars or authors, 
 shall make it their pecuhar boast that they 
 jX)ssess but one tone and one feeling towards 
 each other as gentlemen. 
 
 May this reformation be effected ! may this 
 brotherhood rally around you as their founder,
 
 Vlll DEDICATION. 
 
 and their tutelary guardian ! may you be truly 
 enabled to exclaim : — 
 
 " My power 'a a crescent, and my auguring hope 
 Says it will come to the full ;" 
 
 For you may rest assured, that no lover of 
 pure and dignified literature will behold this 
 increasing circle without fervently ejaculating — 
 " Impleat orbem !" 
 
 I have the honour to be, with an equal ad- 
 miration of your talents and your virtues, 
 Sir, 
 Your very obedient, humble Servant, 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 Brighton, June, 1827.
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 " The doubt of future woes exiles my present joy. 
 And wit me warns to shun such snares as threaten 
 
 mine annoy. 
 For falsehood now doth flow, and subject faith doth ebb. 
 Which would not be if Reason ruled, or Wisdom 
 weaved the web.'' 
 
 Queen Elizabeth. 
 
 Aftee repeated struggles with the dense, 
 yellow, and offensive atmosphere which in the 
 month of February is so apt to enshroud the 
 gloomy precincts eastward of Temple Bar, the 
 wind had at length succeeded in slowly rolling 
 away its stubborn antagonist, and the sun's first 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 REUBEN ArSLEY. 
 
 faint ray had cfFected a lodgment upon the tower 
 of the Royal Exchange, then not many years 
 completed after the great Fire of London, when 
 Isaac Goldingham, the Russia merchant, ac- 
 companied by his young nephew Reuben Aps- 
 ley, issued from his house in Throgmorton-street, 
 in order to take his accustomed station upon the 
 Baltic walk. He had just before heard the 
 chimes of the Exchange clock tune up the hun- 
 dred-and-fourth Psalm, and upon that occasion, 
 as was his wont, had duly verified the accu- 
 racy of his own watch ; but Isaac was of a some- 
 what doubting and suspicious temperament, 
 fond of ocular demonstration and proof positive : 
 he stopped therefore in Bartholomew Lane, and 
 advancing one hand over his e3'cs to protect 
 them from the splendour of the gilt grasshopper 
 on the summit of the tower, while with the other 
 he drew his time-piece from his fob, he had the 
 satisfaction of finding upon visual evidence, that 
 both the ' chronometers entertained a precisely 
 similar opinion as to the time of the day. This 
 important point being 'settled, his horn-headed 
 cane was resumed from beneath his arm, a loud
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 3 
 
 " hem !" attested his complacency at the good un- 
 derstanding between the clock and the watch, 
 and he vigorously moved on towards the Ex- 
 change. 
 
 There was an obstinacy about this person- 
 age which made him cling pertinaciously to old 
 habits and fashions, unless he could improve 
 upon them by a saving of expense, which in 
 his opinion was an infalUble test of superiority. 
 Thus he retained his old three-cornered, flat, 
 and well-brushed beaver, as well as his close pig- 
 tailed wig without curls or powder, because the 
 latter preserved his clothes, saved the expense 
 of a regular hair-dresser, and prevented any 
 unnecessary waste of time ; a formal stock sup- 
 plied the place of a cravat, and his frill was 
 unadorned with lace. His coat with its com- 
 prehensive cuffs, and the waistcoat whose long 
 flap-pockets nearly reaching to his knees, were 
 generally stuffed with papers and some lumps of 
 white sugar with which he was in the habit of 
 recreating himself, had originally constituted one 
 piece of superfine dark cloth. Large metal but- 
 tons were sparingly distributed over the former 
 
 B 2
 
 4 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 vestment. His nether garment was of the same 
 material as the coat, fastened at the knee with a 
 large brass buckle ; on week days he wore grey 
 cotton stockings, which on the sabbath were 
 exchanged for a pair of dark clouded silk ; his 
 shoes were square-toed, high-quartered and well 
 polished ; and to prevent the leather, or the 
 broad brass buckles from soiling his stockings, 
 his first care in the morning was to protect his 
 instep by fences of white paper. These were 
 withdrawn when he went to 'Change, carefully 
 placed vipon the mantel-piece, under the guard- 
 ianship of an old interest-book, and resumed 
 the next morning, until they imparted more dis- 
 colourations than they prevented, when the ex- 
 travagance of new slips became inevitable. 
 
 From the antiquated fashion of his garb he 
 was suspected of being much older than he 
 really was, although a close observer might 
 detect beneath these external manifestations of 
 age, a sturdy vigorous figure, and a face which, 
 while it exhibited that pale, sodden complexion 
 peculiar to the citizens of London, betrayed 
 the influences of business and hard application,
 
 REUBEN AFSLEY. 5 
 
 rather than the ravages of time. His nose was 
 of a predominance not quite consistent with 
 the rules of symmetry, although of special ser- 
 vice for the occasional support of his spectacles ; 
 and he had a large grey suspicious eye, which, 
 from his being rather short-sighted, he was in 
 the habit of bringing pretty close, and fixing to 
 its object with a look of piercing scrutiny as if 
 he would dive into the very bosom of those with 
 whom he was conversing. 
 
 At that period the foreigners who frequented 
 the Royal Exchange appeared in the costume 
 of tlieir respective nations, which, added to the 
 various garbs of the Jews, Quakers and others, 
 who swelled the busy throng, imparted to the 
 whole assemblage a much more livelv look than 
 is now worn by their equally bustling, but more 
 monotonously clad successors. The rich gold- 
 smiths were seen moving to and fro eagerly so- 
 liciting business as bankers — a branch which had 
 but recently been estabhshed as an addition to 
 their former trade, and one to wliich Golding- 
 ham, with his usual dislike of innovation, had 
 not yet by any means become reconciled. Some
 
 6 REUBEN AI'SLEY. 
 
 of those whose descendants are at this moment 
 enriching themselves by the same occupation, 
 apphed to him, with no small obsequiousness, 
 for his custom; but his grey eye immediately 
 assumed a look of increased suspicion, and 
 their overtures were all rejected with much 
 less ceremony than they were tendered- — 
 " I have no objection to dine with you, my 
 good friend," he exclaimed to Sir Josiah Child, 
 who was one of the applicants in question — " I 
 shall be well pleased to see the great fishponds 
 at Wanstead, and the plantations of walnut 
 trees of which I have heard so much, and I 
 wish good success to your friends Blanchard 
 and Child, of Temple-bar ; but Avith their leave 
 and yours, I will take care of my own money. 
 I see so many round about me who lost the 
 cash they had deposited with Ben Hinton of 
 Lombard Street, that I had rather run the risk 
 of thieves than that of bankers. Adzooks ! Sir 
 Josiah, if you had not kept the key of your 
 own strong box, you had never given fifty 
 thousand pounds to your daughter, and mar- 
 ried her to the Duke of Beaufort's eldest son.'"
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 Being now joined by some of the principal 
 merchants upon the Baltic walk, he fell into 
 a desultory discourse with his companions, in 
 which the new statue of Charles the First, the 
 recent death of Charles the Second, King 
 James's declaration to the Lords at Whitehall, 
 and the fluctuation in Exchequer tallies and In- 
 dia Stock, divided the attention of the Speakers, 
 with the prices of Riga hemp and flax. Archan- 
 gel tar, and Petersburgh yellow candle tallow. 
 
 A new application from a banker canvassing 
 for custom occasioning him to quit this party in 
 dudgeon, Isaac turned to his nephew, and tap- 
 ping him on the shoulder, offered to treat him 
 to oysters and lamb's-wool, (or ale poured on 
 roasted apples and sugar,) adding that he had 
 the latter ingredient in his pocket which would 
 save two-pence. This invitation being joyfully 
 accepted, they forced their way through the 
 mercantile dealers and chapmen, whom, indeed, 
 Goldingham shouldered aside without much ce- 
 remony, and passed into Cornhill. Old folks in 
 the company of young ones, as if conscious that 
 their associates are likely to enjoy a greater
 
 8 llEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 share of the future, are apt to indemnify them- 
 selves out of the past, by making a triumphant 
 display of their superior extent of recollection. 
 Thus the worthy merchant failed not to point 
 out to his young auditor as they proceeded, 
 every change that had occurred in the rebuild- 
 ing of the houses after the great Fire, boasting 
 how well he recollected all the alterations, and 
 the fronts of each individual edifice for twenty 
 years before that all-obliterating calamity. On 
 reaching the bottom of Cornhill he crossed 
 over into the Stocks Market ; and after regret- 
 ting the removal of the Stocks, whence the 
 place took its name, and which had been of 
 special use for the intimidation of petty offen- 
 ders and disorderly apprentices, he passed un- 
 der the row of trees that bounded the place on 
 the east, in order that he might point out to the 
 attention of his young companion the famous 
 equestrian statue, erected in honour of Charles 
 the Second, by his most loyal subject Sir Ro- 
 bert Viner, the great banker. — " Egad ! that 
 was a lucky hit of Sir Robert's," cried Gold- 
 ingham ; " he fortunately discovered an old
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 9 
 
 statue of Sobieski, King of Poland, trampling 
 on a Turk, an(J causing a few alterations to 
 be made, he christened the Polish monarch by 
 the name of Charles ; bestowed that of Oliver 
 Cromwell on the turbaned Turk, and set 
 up the transmogrified figures where you now 
 see tliem. Ah Reuben, Reuben ! that was a 
 merry meeting when I dined with Sir Robert 
 during his mayoralty at his new house in Lom- 
 bard Street. King Charles was there ; and 
 wlien he was for retiring, his jovial host, filled 
 with good liquor and loyalty, laid hold of him, 
 and swore he should take t'other bottle. I shall 
 never forget how kindly the merry King looked 
 at him over his shoulder, as with a smile and 
 graceful air he hummed part of a song out of 
 one of ShadwelPs plays, — 
 
 " Good store of good Claret supplies every thing. 
 And the man that is drunk is as great as a king." 
 
 after which he immediately turned back, and 
 complied with his host's request. Poor man ! 
 he is dead and gone now, dead and gone ! But 
 here we are at the Oyster stands, so eat away, 
 
 B 5
 
 10 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 and I '11 sweeten the lambVwool for you my- 
 self." 
 
 Diving into his capacious waistcoat-pocket he 
 fished up two or three lumps of sugar, with 
 which he carefully prepared their beverage ; the 
 youth betook himself to the oysters, and both 
 having presently appeased their appetites and 
 emptied the tankard, the party set off on their 
 return towards the Exchange. 
 
 Short as was the way, the merchant did not 
 lose the opportunity of still further displaying 
 his antiquarian%re. At the sight of the gilt 
 grasshopper upon the top of the tower, he 
 failed not to recount that Sir Thomas Gresham, 
 the builder of the original edifice, was reported 
 to have chosen it for his crest, because the 
 chirping of that insect had occasioned him to 
 be found when he was left exposed as an infant 
 in the fields; concluding with the equally apo- 
 cryphal statement, that when Queen Elizabeth 
 and her nobility came from Somerset House, 
 and caused the new building to be named by 
 trumpet and herald " The Royal Exchange," 
 Sir Thomas had reduced a costly pearl to
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. ll 
 
 powder, and gallantly swallowed it in drinking 
 her Majesty's health. In addition to this recital 
 he completed the well-known story of Edward 
 Osborne, apprentice to Sir William Hewet, the 
 cloth-worker upon London Bridge, who leaping 
 out of the window to save his master's drowning 
 daughter, finally received her in marriage, with 
 an immense portion ; and he was already hard 
 upon the tale of Whittington and his fortunate 
 ship, the Cat, when they again found themselves 
 on the Baltic walk, and Isaac went to join a little 
 knot of civic grandees, who were huddled in 
 one corner of the piazza, whispering together 
 with an appearance of great earnestness. 
 
 No sooner had he learnt the subject of this 
 close conference, which was the King's intention 
 of going publicly to the celebration of mass 
 at a Roman Catholic chapel, than his lower 
 jaw fell with a blank look of alarm : he fixed 
 his grey eye with an expression of more than 
 ordinary suspicion upon the bearer of this ap- 
 palling intelligence, and having gathered from 
 his answers that there was undoubted warrant 
 for the news, he said not a word more, but seiz-
 
 12 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 ing his nephew by the arm, walked hastily off, 
 and tramped silently along the streets in the di- 
 rection of Holborn. From this place his young 
 companion was to depart in the stage coach, for 
 the purpose of completing the last half-year of 
 his education at Oxford. Although somewhat 
 penurious in small matters, Goldingham was 
 far from ungenerous in his disposition, and 
 having dismissed the young traveller with a 
 handsome supply of cash, he was left at full 
 liberty, as he paced slowly back towards the 
 city, to ruminate upon the alarming intelligence 
 he had received. Nothing was more natural 
 than that the King, whose rehgious principles 
 had long been a matter of notoriety, should 
 choose to go publicly to mass ; but Isaac was a 
 staunch true blue Protestant, whose general 
 sagacity entirely deserted him when he saw, or 
 fancied that he saw, any thing that could be 
 magnified by his fears into a Popish plot. 
 Every imputed conspiracy of this nature, how- 
 ever improbable or even impossible, received his 
 instant credence. No perjuries were too mon- 
 strous for him to swallow ; upon this subject
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 13 
 
 his taste for the marvellous and the atrocious 
 seemed to be equally undistinguishing and insa- 
 tiable. He was a firm believer in the fable of 
 Miles Prance, the Silversmith, that forty thou- 
 sand Spanish pilgrims were to invade Britain, 
 bringing with them as many black bills to arm 
 the Irish Catholics ; he yielded a no less impli- 
 cit assent to the story that the obnoxious Pro- 
 testants were to be boiled alive, and that Sir 
 Dudley North was to be skinned, stuffed, and 
 hung up in Guildhall in terrorem ; and although 
 the ever infamous Titus Gates was now becom- 
 ing a bye-word in people's mouths for perjury, 
 he supported the truth of his testimony to the 
 last, retained his portrait pasted upon the walls 
 of every room in his house, and made presents 
 of gloves, fans, and handkerchiefs, adorned with 
 the same hideous head, to all his female ac- 
 quaintance. A steady customer to those cun- 
 ning tradesmen, who, when they wanted to get 
 rid of their unsaleable wares, tacked the attrac- 
 tive word Protestant to them, he found a secret 
 consolation in wearing blue socks and garters 
 sanctified by that appellation. Nay, upon one
 
 14 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 occasion in the preceding reign, when the mob 
 were rudely besetting Nell Gwyn in her coach, 
 mistaking her for the Duchess of Portsmouth, 
 honest Isaac beat them off with his horn-headed 
 cane, calling out at the same time that she was 
 the King's Protestant mistress, a distinction 
 which immediately converted the wrath of the 
 populace into three hearty cheers, wherein the 
 moral and religious merchant most heartily bore 
 a part. 
 
 In addition to these evidences of his terrors 
 and his zeal he was occasionally heard humming 
 to himself the Ballad of " the Raree Show,"" for 
 which the unfortunate College^ better known by 
 the name of the Protestant Joiner, lost his life ; 
 — he would have staked his existence upon the 
 veracity of the Monument, had it attributed a 
 thousand other enormities, besides the Fire of 
 London, to the malice of the Popish faction ; 
 he removed all the billets of wood from his cel- 
 lar, lest they should be ignited by the fire-balls 
 of the same restless incendiaries ; he invariably 
 carried in his pocket a portable jointed blud- 
 geon armed with lead, a weapon of defence
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 15 
 
 which had received the appellation of the Pro- 
 testant flail ;- and finally he kept in his house, 
 and occasionally wore, a complete suit of silk 
 armour, alleged to be of such tough texture as 
 to be pistol and dagger proof, as a protection 
 against a band of fellow subjects, who, although 
 they were perfectly contemptible in point of 
 numbers, and all quietly engaged in their re- 
 spective avocations, were supposed to be not 
 less able than willing to massacre several mil- 
 lions of their Protestant countrymen, in what- 
 ever manner and at whatever time they thought 
 proper to make the attempt. Tliat he should 
 surrender himself to such monstrous delusions 
 may be supposed to convey some imputation 
 upon his sanity, or at all events upon his good 
 judgment; but it must be remembered that he 
 shared them with a great portion of the nation ; 
 it was the moral plague with which the people 
 was tormented for a lengthened period ; and so 
 deeply and widely did it spread its poison 
 through the land, tliat although the virulence 
 of the symptoms may be somewhat abated, there 
 is too much reason to fear that the disease is far
 
 16 REUBEN Al'SLEY. 
 
 from being completely eradicated, even in our 
 own days. 
 
 All the bugbears and chimeras with which 
 he had ever been assailed, rose up in array be- 
 fore the merchant as he trudged along Holbom, 
 and imagined that he saw, in this resolution of 
 the King, a determination to force Popery down 
 the throats of his subjects with the point of the 
 bayonet. Alarmed as he was for his country 
 and his religion, he was still more so for the 
 security of his property. He had been a consi- 
 derable sufferer by the iniquitous shutting up 
 of the Exchequer in the year 16T2 ; and not 
 doubting that the new King would resort to a 
 similar measure for the mere pleasure of rob- 
 bing his Protestant subjects, his heart sunk 
 within him as he recollected the amount of the 
 talhes in his possession, and he hurried down to 
 the office by the river side to ascertain whether 
 it yet remained open. Here every thing wore 
 its customary appearance ; but his fears were no 
 sooner a little tranquillized in this quarter, than, 
 with all the anxiety of wealth, he hastened to 
 the India House and the Royal African Com-
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 17 
 
 pany, to inquire the price of his stock in those 
 respective establishments, and left them with a 
 heavy heart when he learnt that both were con- 
 siderably lower than on the previous morning. 
 
 The appearance of Cornhill, as he returned 
 along it, did not tend to exhilarate his spirits : 
 there was but one hackney-coach upon the 
 stand, of which the horses and driver were all 
 asleep; the few passengers that were moving 
 about seemed to be pinched and soured by the 
 cold ; the street was a mournful mass of mud» 
 and a gloom of noxious and smothering fog be- 
 gan to re-invest the City in its customary evening 
 shroud. In the Exchange he found the same 
 solitude and stillness ; — all was now deserted. 
 King Charles and his brother monarchs of stone, 
 dimly seen through the yellow muddy air, 
 seemed to stand sad and sedate upon their pe- 
 destals, although their ears had so lately been 
 assailed with consonants and gutturals from the 
 Dutch and German walks, as well as with the 
 intermingled hubbub of Jews and gentiles, and 
 all the confused gabble of their bargain-driving 
 subjects. As the hollow arcades echoed to his
 
 18 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 solitary footsteps he began to contemplate the 
 prudence of preventing any further losses and 
 of securing his large property by retiring from 
 business and purchasing an estate in the coun- 
 try. That the King's well-known disposition 
 to introduce Popery and arbitrary power would 
 produce some political convulsion he did not 
 entertain a doubt: it was impossible to say 
 where the storm would burst, what property 
 would be confiscated, whose life would be sacri- 
 ficed ; but at all events terra firma was a better 
 security than stock or merchandize, and the 
 country less likely to be the scene of popular 
 commotion or Popish massacre than the capital. 
 " When Ahab saw the little cloud coming up 
 from the sea,"" muttered the merchant to himself, 
 *' although it was no bigger than his hand, he 
 mounted his chariot, and fled away before the 
 storm came on ; I will imitate his example, for 
 I have seen enough to assure me that the thun- 
 der is not far off." 
 
 Delivering himself of a loud " hem !" as if 
 in complacent approbation of this resolve, he 
 drew a lump of sugar from his waistcoat to re-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 19 
 
 cruit his spirits, and with his horn-headed cane 
 under his left arm, while his right hand con- 
 tinued unconsciously jingling the guineas in his 
 breeches pocket, he sauntered musingly down 
 Bartholomew Lane, and turned into his count- 
 ing-house in Throgmorton-street. Here he was 
 deeply absorbed for a considerable time in ex- 
 amining invoices and bills of parcels, or turning 
 over the leaves of his great ledger, with a view 
 to the collection of his debts, and the general 
 winding up of his affairs, until the fatigue of 
 his \ona- walk in the mornino- occasioned him to 
 doze, and at length fall fast asleep upon his 
 stool. An established etiquette prohibiting his 
 clerks from departing unless they had received 
 orders to that effect, they had recourse to their 
 usual alternative of coughing, sneezing, tread- 
 ing upon nuts, and rattling the door in the 
 hope of arousing him. All these expedients 
 having been tried in vain, they contrived 
 to launch the ledger down the sloping desk, 
 from whose acclivity it fell with the velo- 
 city of an avalanche, and quickly rousing him 
 " hke a rattling peal of thunder," occasioned
 
 20 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 the impatient varlets to be dismissed for the 
 night. Isaac himself having carefully secured 
 his safe and his strong room, as well as the 
 locks, bolts, and bars of his mansion, and ex- 
 amined the cellar for fear of gunpowder, placed 
 a pair of loaded pistols, his protestant flail, and 
 his silk armour by his bed-side, and thus en- 
 trenched betook himself shortly after to rest- 
 On the following morning, his fears revisited 
 him with unabated violence ; but at the same 
 time his habitual distrust of all news gathered 
 upon 'Change, which he had found by expe- 
 rience to be often invented for interested pur- 
 poses, suggested to him that he might have 
 been too hasty in believing what he had heard, 
 and he resolved, at all events, not to sell any of 
 his Exchequer talhes till he had received ocular 
 demonstration of the rumoured enormity. True, 
 the King had ordered Huddleston, the priest who 
 attended the late monarch in his last moments, 
 to make a public declaration of his having died in 
 the Romish faith ; and he had published, in his 
 own name, two papers found in the royal strong 
 box, and written in his brother's hand, in favour
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 21. 
 
 of the same doctrines ; but that he should go 
 publickly, whatever might be his private sen- 
 timents, to the Celebration of a ceremony which 
 the laws he had so lately promised to maintain 
 declared to be criminal, was an outrage not to 
 be credited on less than ocular authority. To 
 that decisive proof it might be speedily sub- 
 jected, for it was then the Sabbath morning. 
 Arraying himself accordingly in his Sunday 
 habihments, depositing his Protestant flail in 
 one pocket, a prayer-book in the other, and 
 furnishing his waistcoat with a fresh supply of 
 lump sugar from a locker that formed the seat 
 of his parlour-window, he uttered a loud "hem !" 
 expressive of his purpose to be fully satisfied, 
 struck his cane sharply upon the ground, and 
 began his walk towards St. James's. 
 
 On his approaching the chapel in question, 
 the little knots of people whispering eagerly 
 together in its vicinity, and the buzz that 
 ]>roceeded from the mob collected around the 
 doors, presently convinced him that the rumour 
 was widely circulated, and that some extraordi- 
 nary visitant was expected. Our merchant, who.
 
 2S REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 perhaps, imagined that his short sight might 
 excuse a little exertion of his sturdy strength to 
 procure a good place, soon shouldered himself 
 into a position near the door, where he had not 
 long remained when the sound of trumpets oc- 
 casioned all eyes to be turned in the direction 
 of Whitehall, whence the King was seen ap- 
 proaching in full procession, with a numerous 
 retinue, and all the ensigns of royalty, being 
 attended by the Lords Sunderland, Godolphin, 
 and others, and followed by his guards. Isaac's 
 grey, searching, and reproachful eye looked as 
 if it would start from its socket and nail it- 
 self to him as he approached ; but his wrath 
 against the monarch, bitter as it was, was ab- 
 sorbed for a moment in admiration of the Duke 
 of Norfolk, who carried the sword of state, 
 and stopped short at tlie door of the chapel. — 
 *' Your father, my Lord, would have gone 
 further," said the King passing him. " And 
 your Majesty's father would not have gone so 
 far," replied the Duke, bowing and drawing 
 still further back. James coloured slightly, 
 bit his under lip, and entered the chapel, while
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. S3 
 
 a buzz of approbation, mixed with exclamations 
 of " God bless your Grace !"" in which Isaac's 
 voice predominated, issued from the gratified 
 assemblage without. 
 
 As if sickened at the abomination he had 
 witnessed, the merchant turned aside, spat 
 indignantly upon the ground, and after trying 
 to sweeten his imagination, through the medium 
 of his palate, by a lump of sugar from his 
 waistcoat pocket, walked hastily to the chapel 
 royal, determined to show that one at least 
 of his subjects remained uninfluenced by the 
 King's desertion of that orthodox house of 
 prayer. Here he had the consolation of hear- 
 ing a sermon against Popery from the Bishop 
 of Bath and Wells, and a few days afterwards 
 had the additional satisfaction of learning, that 
 when James complained of some intemperate re- 
 flections he was alleged to have introduced, 
 the Bishop had the spirit to reply — " Sir, had 
 you attended your own duty in Church, my 
 enemies had missed the opportunity of accusing 
 me falsely." 
 
 On his emerging from the chapel-royal, Isaag
 
 24 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 returned to the City filled with a thousand vague 
 misgivings as to his life and property, and con- 
 firmed in all his resolutions to seek a chance of 
 prolonging the enjoyment of both by quitting 
 business and retiring into the country. After 
 the completion of his solitary dinner, for he 
 never saw company or dined out on the sabbath, 
 he sallied forth to enjoy his Sunday afternoon's 
 walk. The general aspect of the City on this day, 
 with its shops and windows all closed, its streets 
 deserted, and the busy hubbub of crowds and 
 carriages exchanged for solitude, and the mourn- 
 ful tolling of innumerable bells, is at all times 
 sufficiently forlorn and dismal ; but the prome- 
 nade then selected by a portion of the citizens 
 was still more lugubrious. It was the broad 
 paved walk, or mall, in Moorfields, flanked by 
 formal rows of smoke-blackened, leafless trees 
 on either side, terminated by Bedlam Hospital 
 at one extremity, and infested by a whole La- 
 zar-house of crippled beggars, whose exposed 
 sores and deformities seemed little calculated to 
 promote the trade of the ginger-bread and apple- 
 stalls in their immediate vicinity. Here the
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 25 
 
 sood citizens with their wives and children, 
 some of the latter of whom they dragged behind 
 them in little chaises, paraded sedately up and 
 down through the chill gloomy atmosphere, ga- 
 zing alternately at Gibber's figures of madmen 
 in front of the building, or at the head of some 
 living maniac protruded from the bars of his 
 prison; while the tolling of church bells was 
 varied at intervals by the yelping of disobedient 
 urchins, or the shrieks of some raving inmate 
 of the hospital. And here too did the metho- 
 dical Isaac, with his left hand extended, palm 
 outwards, across his back, and his right making 
 the stones ring with the regular percussions of 
 his ferule, march out his appointed hour till the 
 time of afternoon service, when he betook him- 
 self to his parish church. The evening was 
 dedicated to the perusal of the Bible in his own 
 darkened back parlour behind the counting- 
 house, and in the morning he resolved to lose 
 no time in making such inquiries as might en- 
 able him to select a pleasant residence in the 
 country, and secure at the same time an eligible 
 investment of his money. 
 VOL. I. c
 
 26 EEUBEX APSLEY. 
 
 In pursuance of this determination he pro- 
 ceeded immediately after breakfast to Jonathan's 
 Coffee-house for the purpose of looking over the 
 Weekly Courant in which the different estates 
 for sale were generally advertised. As he ap- 
 proached the threshold of the house, his eye was 
 accidentally directed to a large board containing 
 printed notices of the sales for the ensuing week, 
 at the very head of which he distinguished the 
 word GoLDiNGHAM in goodly Roman capitals. 
 At sight of this phenomenon he made a dead 
 halt in no small surprise, but as few impressions 
 were sufficiently vivid to urge him to any 
 unbecoming hurry, he took out his spectacles, 
 wiped them very leisurely with his handker- 
 chief, and fixing his shrewd eye upon the paper, 
 while his lower jaw fell upon his stock, he dis- 
 covered that his friend Tibbs the Scrivener had 
 the disposal of " That truly valuable Free- 
 hold Estate, with Mansion-house and Offices, 
 called GoLDiNGHAM Place, near Lyme in 
 Dorsetshire, situate in the centre of a Park at a 
 pleasant distance from the sea, environed by 
 two thousand three hundred acres of arable,
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 27 
 
 pasture, meadow, and woodland, divided into 
 homestall and farms, partly in hand, and partly 
 let upon lease to respectable tenants, in a healthy 
 and beautifully picturesque part of the country, 
 surrounded by excellent roads." 
 
 '* Goldingham Place ! — Goldingham Place !" 
 ejaculated the merchant, taking off his spectacles 
 and replacing them in his shagreen case. — " I 
 knew not that any place in England bore that 
 appellation, nor that there existed another 
 family of the same name. I remember, indeed, 
 to have once read in the Mercury, that one 
 Harry Goldingham, who was to represent Arion 
 in a pageant before Queen Elizabeth, finding 
 his voice to be very hoarse and unpleasant when 
 he came to perform it, tore off his disguise 
 and swore he was none of Arion, not he, but 
 even honest Harry Goldingham. I question, 
 however, whether this croaking varlct ever came 
 to be a lord of the manor, and to bestow his 
 name upon a mansion in a park. Curious 
 enough — curious enough : — I must see Jemmy 
 Tibbs immediately." 
 
 It seemed doubly extraordinary to Isaac, who 
 
 c 2
 
 28 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 was always deeply affected by omens and odd 
 coincidences, that he should at such a moment 
 stumble upon a purchase so singularly adapted 
 to perpetuate his name, if he wished to become 
 the founder of a family, as from his large for- 
 tune he was well entitled to be. It was true his 
 wife was dead — he had never had any children 
 of his own ; and it was somewhat of the latest 
 to think of direct issue. He had a nephew, in- 
 deed, of his own name, Basil Goldingham, the 
 only child of a deceased brother ; but the youth 
 was a moping, churUsh lout, — one to whom Na- 
 ture had been equally niggardly, not to say un- 
 kind, both in respect to his personal and mental 
 qualifications ; and having paid a handsome sum 
 to have him received into the house of Sir God- 
 frey Kneller, that he might learn portrait-paint- 
 ing, the only art for which he seemed to have 
 the smallest capacity, his uncle cared not to see 
 much more of him, and of course never dreamt 
 of makine: him the heir to his fortune and 
 estate. 
 
 He had another nephew, however, Reuben 
 Apsley, the son of his only sister, who with her
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 29 
 
 husband and daughter were supposed to have 
 perished at se^, as they had sailed homeward 
 from India several years before, and had never 
 been heard of since. Reuben, whom he had 
 always intended to adopt as his own son, might 
 take the name of Goldingham, and provide 
 heirs for its perpetual transmission; although 
 there were no particular motives for continuing 
 a name which he could not trace beyond his 
 grandfather, of whom he had no great reason to 
 be proud. In the family, indeed, there had been 
 dim traditions of a great-uncle who was within 
 two of the civic chair when he died of a surfeit ; 
 but Isaac very candidly attributed all this sha- 
 dowy grandeur to the vanity of his mother, 
 who, being herself a common council-man's 
 daughter, was of an aristocratical spirit, and 
 prone to attach undue importance to worldly 
 dignities and honours. 
 
 He was not himself, however, without a cer- 
 tain family pride prospectively, for it may be 
 observed that many of those parvenus who 
 affect the most supreme contempt for all the 
 honours of ancestry, are the foremost in securing
 
 30 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 them for their posterity, by entailing the bulk 
 of their property upon an eldest son, and pur- 
 chasing mansions and titles for transmission to 
 his descendants, as if determined to constitute 
 the root of a new family-tree, since they cannat 
 attach themselves to any branch of an old one. 
 Certain vague aspirations of this nature began 
 to flit athwart the merchant's mind, as he bent 
 his way to the office of Jemmy Tibbs, whom 
 he fortunately found at home, and with whom 
 he instantly proceeded to business. From his 
 statement it appeared that Goldingham Place 
 belonged to a nobleman whose occasion for 
 money was so urgent, owing to heavy losses at 
 play, that he was willing to make a very consi- 
 derable sacrifice, provided he could have pay- 
 ment in three or four days. Within this 
 short period it was quite impossible to travel 
 into Dorsetshire and back, and it was altogether 
 contrary to Goldingham''s habits to make a blind 
 bargain, or buy a pig in a poke, as he expressed 
 himself Having, however, carefully examined 
 the rent-roll, and fully inquired into all the cir- 
 cumstances of the estate, which his friend the
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 31 
 
 Scrivener (upon whose testimony he could rely) 
 had lately inspected, he began to think that the 
 stiU further reduction he might squeeze out of 
 the embarrassed proprietor would fully coun- 
 tei'balance any disadvantages arising from the 
 want of ocular inspection. Indifferent as to 
 localities, he merely required a beneficial inte- 
 rest for his money so that after a good deal of 
 struggling between his habitual distrust and his 
 desire of driving a good bargain, with no small 
 portion of chaffering between the needy vender 
 and the money-loving purchaser, he finally con- 
 cluded his contract on very favourable terms, 
 and proceeded immediately to sell a sufficient 
 portion of his various stocks to complete the 
 purchase-money. 
 
 Nothing could exceed the astonishment of the 
 brokers and dealers upon 'Change, when they 
 learnt his purpose, except the fervent expres- 
 sions of their regret that the Baltic-walk should 
 lose one of its wealthiest merchants, and un- 
 questionably its brightest ornament. So pro- 
 found was their sorrow, that as a mere hedge 
 to their feelings they all became suddenly anxious
 
 32 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 to carry in their pockets some memorial of so 
 dear and valuable a friend. One therefore 
 kindly offered to take his India Stock off his 
 hands, a second his Exchequer tallies, a third 
 his shares in the African Company, and others 
 his flax, hemp, and tallow, at such depreciated 
 prices as would give them some hundreds of 
 sterling reasons for remembering him. But 
 Isaac was much too old a bird to be so easily 
 plucked. His sneering half-suppressed laugh, 
 and the expression of his keen contemptuous 
 eye, soon convinced them that, if they meant to 
 deal with him at all, they must do it at honest 
 market prices. He obtained the full value for 
 his Stock, piid over the purchase-money, and 
 received his title deeds. The conversion of his 
 merchandize however into cash, and the col- 
 lection of his outstanding debts, were not to be 
 so rapidly accomplished. These were objects 
 which occupied two or three months of unre- 
 mitted application, at the expiration of which 
 period he thought he might weU stand acquitted 
 of undue precipitation if he just ran down by
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 33 
 
 the coach to have a peep at the estate upon 
 which he projected passing the remainder of his 
 life. All that had recently occurred tended to 
 confirm him in the wisdom of his proceedings, 
 and two omens had more especially convinced 
 him that times of public trouble and disaster 
 were rapidly approaching. During the King's 
 coronation, the crown, not being properly fitted 
 to his head, tottered ; when Henry Sidney, the 
 Keeper of the Robes, kept it from falhng off — 
 pleasantly observing that it was not the first 
 time his family had supported the crown. On 
 the same day, a square of glass in one of the 
 churches, whereon the King's arms were painted, 
 suddenly fell out and broke to pieces, the rest 
 remaining entire. Trifling as they were, these 
 inauspicious auguries agitated the minds of the 
 people, and upon few did they make a deeper im- 
 pression than upon Isaac Goldingham, whom we 
 may now no longer designate as " The Merchant." 
 It was therefore with a complacent "hem V of 
 more than ordinary loudness, and an almost 
 fire-striking stamp of his ferule upon the pave- 
 
 c 5
 
 34 REUBEK APSLEY. 
 
 ment, that, after having seen his luggage safely 
 bestowed in the huge basket behind, he mounted 
 the ponderous six-inside stage-coach which was 
 to occupy many a weary hour of successive days 
 in dragging him into Dorsetshire.
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 35 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 "Why how now, Hecate ? Thou look'st angerly." 
 
 Macbeth 
 
 Around the Green that faced the entrance 
 lodge to Goldingham Place was confusedly scat- 
 tered a small hamlet, presenting the usual as- 
 semblage of cottages, barns, a wheelwright's and 
 a blacksmith's sheds, and a numerous indiscri- 
 minate melee of sheep, geese, pigs, ducks, and 
 ragged rosy children ; in its centre was a shallow 
 pond with dirty poached banks, wherein two or 
 three cows were generally to be seen standing 
 up to the knees in water, if it happened to be 
 warm weather, staring very steadily upon no- 
 thing, and deliberately chewing the cud as they 
 lazily whisked off the flies from their sides with 
 a bedran-ffled tail. At one end of the Green
 
 36 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 reposed an old cage for offenders, which from 
 its neglected appearance seemed to have had 
 few tenants for many years past ; and at the 
 opposite extremity, on the other side of the 
 high road, was a public house called the Crick- 
 eters, from its being the rendezvous of a rustic 
 club who occasionally met upon the Green for the 
 enjoyment of that pastime, and some of whose 
 members were immortalized upon the sign, be- 
 dizened in crimson breeches, wielding a blue 
 bat, standing before pea-green stumps, and di- 
 recting their attention to a scarlet ball in the 
 sky, infinitely larger and more glorious than the 
 rising sun behind it. 
 
 Upon a low bench in front of this rural cara- 
 vansera were seated the landlord, and an itine- 
 rant vender who travelled daily with a small 
 cart from the coast to the interior, to supply fish 
 to such of the gentrv and richer farmers as lived 
 at any distance from the market town ; though 
 it was vehemently suspected that he derived 
 more profit from his connexion with smugglers 
 and poachers, than from his ostensible trade. 
 This dubious personage was in the act of blow-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 37 
 
 ing off the froth which formed nearly one-fourth 
 of his pint of ale, when his companion exclaimed, 
 " Sad work. Master Hewson — sad work, this ! 
 nothing stirring in the tap since the old Cava- 
 lier's death : we used to wag our tongues against 
 him in his lifetime ; but Goldingham Place is 
 like to have a worse master, if all 's true that 
 folks say ; and after all, the old gentleman must 
 have been mainly loved by all the gentry round 
 about, or they wouldn't have sent their empty 
 carriages to make such a fine procession at his 
 funeral. A rare lot of lambswool I sold that 
 day, besides drams of Nantz, and gills of Ca- 
 nary ; fci.' sorrow, you know, is apt to be a-dry ; 
 and I promise you many a coachman went away 
 with a tipsy eye under his crape hatband. And 
 yet, dark as the night was, there were no acci- 
 dents to speak of. Squire Hartfield's coach- 
 man indeed, poor red-faced Ralph, broke his 
 leg; and Lady Crockatt's carriage was rarely 
 smashed against a post, and the driver sadly 
 mauled ; but, Lord love us I what 's that out of 
 so many ? — a mere nothing." 
 
 " No great matter — no great matter," replied 
 
 157408
 
 38 EEUBEN APSLEr. 
 
 the fish-dculer ; " and as to Lady Crockatt's 
 carriage, hang her for a whimsey-lieaded witch, 
 I wish it had been upset over Abbotsbury cliff' 
 with herself inside. The lack-a-daisical cat, with 
 her dainty airs and fancies, will buy no fish 
 except out of Honiton market ; as if that which 
 I carry past her door, as I bear it straight from 
 the sea-side, were not fresh enough for her. 
 Squire Hartfield is plaguy short of cash o' late, 
 but he is a good customer, and so here 's to his 
 health." 
 
 " With all my heart P cried the landlord ; — 
 " another pint, Sally ! — for, as you were saying, 
 the Squire is a staunch toper, and a good friend 
 to the publicans within five miles of the Rook- 
 ery. It 's a rare penny in my way. Master 
 Hewson, when his hounds meet at the Green ; 
 and better still if they kill in this neighbourhood. 
 Then there 's luck now and then — a nest egg, a 
 Godsend, such as that of young Tony Harbot- 
 tle, who laid seven weeks in the little green bed 
 up-stairs, after his horse had fallen upon his leg 
 and broken it, and all his friends and relations 
 had rode over his body till it was almost poached
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 39 
 
 to a jelly. Ah ! there was picking in that job ; 
 for the least they could do when they came to 
 see him, was to drink and drown care. Pledge 
 you, Master Hewson : — another pint, Sally. — 
 But who the dickens is that yonder, clambering 
 over the stile with so much difficulty ?" 
 
 " Dont you know her ? — 'tis Norry Molloy 
 by her waddle : I could swear to her a mile 
 ofF.'^ 
 
 The personage thus designated, and who was 
 now slowly stumping towards the public-house 
 carried with apparent difficulty a round corpu- 
 lent figure, forming a singular contrast to her 
 thin, wild, weather-beaten face, from which she 
 wiped the perspiration with the back of her 
 hand as she advanced, and occasionally pushed 
 aside the long, ragged, grey locks that fell over 
 two sunken eyes of the same hue. " Good luck 
 to you," she exclaimed, addressing the landlord 
 in a broad Irish accent — " good luck to you, 
 honey ! — a pleasant evening this same, but some- 
 what of the warmest." And so saying she sat 
 down upon the bench, and threw open a large 
 brown cloak in which she had enveloped her-
 
 40 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 self, notwithstanding the mildness of the weather 
 — " But, honey dear,'* she continued, while she 
 looked with a dark scowl at the ostensible fish- 
 vender, " ye havint left an owld customer, and 
 a regular runner from coast to coast, to dabble 
 with a rascally middle-man, an interloper, a 
 land shark, that just sneaks his cart down to 
 the baich afore daybreak, haggles for a keg or 
 two, and runs away with half the profit, while 
 he laves all the risk to others. The divil may 
 choke 'em ! Is it an elegant article ye're want- 
 ing just now, honey ? — the right Nantz — the 
 true crater ? then wait a bit, and I'll just give 
 ye a sup. Ah, now, be aisy, and don't be look- 
 ing up the road and down the road; there's 
 never a nose upon the scent, for customs and cise 
 are all down at the wreck under the Cobb rock." 
 At these words she again drew her cloak 
 around her, and after making certain mysterious 
 arrangements beneath the foldings of its am- 
 plitude, threw it partially aside, so as to dis- 
 cover a huge bladder under her left arm, and 
 a proportionate evisceration of her body cor-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 41 
 
 porate, while with her right hand she drew a 
 drinking horn from her pocket and proceeded 
 to fill it. 
 
 " To tell you the truth, Norry," quoth the 
 landlord, " your last batch seemed to me little 
 better than Irish aqua-vita, lowered with water 
 and flavoured with burnt sugar." 
 
 " Bad manners to ye, honey dear, and brim- 
 stone blisters upon the tongue that says it ! Is 
 it myself doesn't know Irish usquebaugh from 
 right Nantz? us that had a bit still of our own, 
 up in the hill by Ballinderry, (God's blessing 
 on every blade of its grass !) and where we 
 might be getting an honest livelihood this same 
 day, but that we shot Carroll O'Driscoll one 
 morning ; and Dermod Mahoney paiched, (blue 
 blazes to him !) and so we were obliged to show 
 the light heel, and my boy Mick has no other 
 house than our brave cutter, the Greyhound ; and 
 myself is obliged to tramp the shore and the sea- 
 coast for a mere mouthful. But Erin go brach ! 
 and may those that don't like it have another 
 of Carroll O'DriscolFs pills to swallow ! Taste
 
 42 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 it, honey; 'twill do your heart good ; — taste it, 
 for you never tossed the like of it over your 
 tongue." 
 
 First smelling the liquor, then rincing his 
 mouth with it, and spirting it out again with 
 the true distasteful and depreciating look of an 
 intended buyer, the landlord handed over the 
 horn to his companion, who swallowed what 
 was left with apparent satisfaction, smacked his 
 lips, and ejaculated, "Not bad, Norry, — not 
 bad; but if ifs the same price as the last, it's 
 too dear by h^lf. Zooks ! you have no con- 
 
 science."'*' 
 
 Whether it was the uninvited fluency with 
 which he had dispatched the remainder of her 
 sample, the boiling over of an old grudge 
 against a spoiler of her trade, or the just indig- 
 nation of one of the murderers of Carroll 
 O'DriscoU at any imputation upon her con- 
 science, certain it is, that the vials of Norry 
 MoUoy's wrath were suddenly poured out upon 
 the offender with a volubility which might well 
 be termed the eloquence of passion, and which 
 was sustained with such unbroken vehemence.
 
 KEUBEN APSLEY. 43 
 
 that the whole ebullition appeared to be but 
 one period, and to be uttered in a single breath. 
 *' Then may the next drop choke ye, for a lying 
 land lubber," she exclaimed with a malignant 
 scowl ; " and God send ye may shortly be put 
 to bed under the green grass, and myself may 
 live to ait a goose that has been fattened upon 
 the grave of ye ! Is it for such skulkers as ye to 
 be saying it's dear ! ye that are sitting in the sun- 
 shine, with a warm house at your lazy back, and 
 the owld steady earth under yeer feet ?" — Here 
 she stamped violently upon the ground to show 
 the importance of having such a trust-worthy 
 element to depend upon. — " Have ye ever stole 
 out of the Dutch ports in a low lugger, on the 
 long cold dark nights of winter, as I have done, 
 to be brought, perhaps, by the suck of the sea 
 in the midst of Russell's blockading squadron, 
 and where ye think the divil himself couldn't see 
 the foam of your cut-water, nor hear the wind 
 snoring in your lugsail? ye shall see a flash at a 
 distance, and a shot strikes light in the black 
 waves a yard or two a head of ye, and the roar 
 of the cannon runs forenent ye into the dark-
 
 44 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 ness, and ye're right glad to run after it, gun- 
 nel under, for fear another bullet should come 
 dancing to the same tune ?" 
 
 " Nay, but Norry," said the fish-vender, " I 
 never meant — ''' 
 
 " Dear !" interrupted the Irishwoman, whose 
 breath seemed to fan the flames of her own 
 wrath, — " dear, ye sneaking shingle-roamer, ye 
 think a great deal, I warrant, when ye're snooz- 
 ing in your truckle on the stormy nights, 
 about the poor sowls that are tossing on the big 
 black waves, when even the moon and the stars 
 are afraid to come out, and the sea and sky are 
 all the same colour, and the wind howls in your 
 ear like a brute baist that is waiting to tear 
 ye to pieces, and every wave seems rushing to 
 swallow ye up alive. Many a better man than 
 ye, or any of the snivelling likes of ye, has 
 felt his boat sink under him, and though he 
 wished to be the gull over his head, or the 
 porpus beneath him, has scorned to cry for 
 help where it was no use, but has gone down 
 with a silent tongue and a stout heart, and 
 none but the whistling wind to know where he
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 45 
 
 last held up his hand in the wild and lonesome 
 
 sea." 
 
 " Zooks ! woman, will you but hsten ?" in- 
 terposed the fish-vender. 
 
 " Dear ]" bawled Norry Molloy, again over- 
 whelming his voice with an increased vehemence. 
 " What ! ye think our business is all over 
 when we see the white cliffs of England, or 
 run upon the sands, when perhaps we 're cap- 
 sized in the breakers; or just as we get our 
 cargo ashore the 'cisemen come down upon us, 
 and after our toilsome night's battle with the 
 waves, we are among the barkers and slashers, 
 and have the whistling of bullets, and the clash 
 of cutlashes for our morning's music. Dear ! 
 ye cowardly land pirate, ye cliff-loitering, keg- 
 stealing wreck- watcher ! why I'm selling ye the 
 last breath, perhaps, of them that were suck'd 
 down to the bottom, whiles ye were snoring ; 
 of brave men that are now being gnaw'd by the 
 fishes, while such earth-treading cowards as ye 
 are safely tippling your ale. The curse of 
 Saint Patrick be upon the whole gang of ye !" 
 
 Norry Molloy had not been so wholly en-
 
 46 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 grossed by the latter part of this phihppic, al- 
 though it was delivered with infinite fury and 
 volubility, but that, upon observing the ap- 
 proach of a stranger, she had again wrapped 
 her cloak around her, had managed to return 
 the bladder to its former position, to restore the 
 equilibrium of her figure, and to pocket the 
 drinking-horn, which she had snatched during 
 the latter part of her invective. 
 
 As the stranger came up, covered with dust, 
 holding his hat in the same hand that grasped 
 his cane and a large blue-bag, while he wiped 
 his forehead with the other, mine host jumped 
 up and saluted him with his usual inquiry, 
 " What will you be pleased to drink, Sir ?" and 
 without awaiting any reply, followed it up with 
 his customary cry of — " A pint of ale, Sally/' 
 
 " I don't want to drink," returned the pe- 
 destrian, " but to be informed the way to Gold- 
 ingham Place." 
 
 " Why then, by St. Patrick, I guessed as 
 much,'^ cried Norry, whose wrath seemed by no 
 means to have subsided. " Ye have heard that 
 the officers are all down at the wreck under the
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 47 
 
 Cobb rock, and ye think it a safe evening to 
 pedlar the country with your run goods in the 
 dry hne. I warrant ye haven't such a thing in 
 your bag as a piece or two of French silk, let 
 alone a dozen or so of fringed gloves, or a card 
 of lace, or a roll of cambric for gentlemen"** 
 wipes. Ah now, be aisy wid ye ! Sit down 
 and save your shanks, for the owld Cavalier is 
 dead and cold, and his wife that used to buy 
 those thingumbobs is left this side the country ; 
 and the chimneys of Goldingham Place seem 
 dead too, for the divil a breath has come out 
 of their mouth this many a week." 
 
 " Nor is there likely to be much fish dressed 
 in its kitchen,"" added the vender of that com- 
 modity — " for they say the new proprietor is 
 no better than a great tallow-chandler from 
 London.'"' 
 
 *'A tallow-chandler !" exclaimed the stranger. 
 "They that say so are fools and numsculls; and 
 so having settled that point, you will perhaps, 
 answer the question I put to you five minutes 
 ago, and tell me the way to Goldingham 
 Place."
 
 48 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 " There's the. lodge, right afore you;" you 
 have only to follow your nose, and I 'm sure its 
 long enough," growled the landlord, who was 
 neither pleased with the tone of so dusty a foot 
 traveller, nor with his apparent intention to 
 proceed without touching the pint of ale which 
 Sally had placed beside him. " You're not 
 going without paying the phit ?"" he bawled out 
 as the stranger turned his back. 
 
 " As I neither ordered it," replied the latter, 
 " nor touched it when brought, I see no good 
 reason why I should pay for it." And so saying 
 he crossed over towards the lodge, pelted with 
 exclamations from the party he had left, of — 
 " There's a raff ! a regular bilk !" — " Ah now, 
 bad luck to the spalpeen !" and other equally 
 flattering appellations. 
 
 The fish-vender now drove off in his cart; 
 and no sooner did Norry Molloy find herself 
 alone with the landlord than an immediate 
 change occurred in her fierce and rugged fea- 
 tures, which assumed the most ingratiating smile 
 of which they were susceptible, while with a 
 softened fawning voice, she began to coax and
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 49 
 
 wheedle her customer, flattering liim on his un- 
 rivalled skill in cricket, which she knew to be his 
 weak point, reminding him of the number of 
 friends whom she had sent to his house, magni- 
 fying the value of her future services in this 
 way, and finally cajoling him into the pur- 
 chase of her whole stock of spirits, for which 
 she received silver and copper in exchange, 
 when she marched triumphantly back to the 
 sea coast. t 
 
 Isaac Goldingliam, for the stranger who had 
 been so uncivilly dismissed was no other, had 
 been singularly unlucky in his journey to take 
 possession. On booking his place in London, 
 he had been assured by the coachman that he 
 would set him down within a stone's throw of 
 the lodge, an indefinite distance certainly, but 
 one which he never expected to amount to a 
 hot dusty walk of three miles, across a strange 
 country, and one to which he was not the bet- 
 ter reconciled from his having to carry a heavy 
 bag, containing a portion of his wardrobe, several 
 bundles of commercial papers, his protestant 
 flail, and his silken armour. Heated by his ex- 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 REUBEN A PS LEY. 
 
 ertions, soiled by the dust, attired in his home- 
 liest garb, which he had prudently selected for 
 the joui'ney, and carrying a large bag, his ap- 
 pearance was by no means calculated to awaken 
 any exalted idea of his dignity, at a period when 
 a man*'s rank or riches were generally indicated to 
 a certain degree by his attire. To these circum- 
 stances may be partly attributed the ungracious 
 reception he had hitherto encountered, and the 
 further testimonies of disrespect to which he 
 was destined to be exposed subsequently to his 
 quitting the party at the cricketers. 
 
 After ringing the lodge bell three times with 
 the violence of an insulted and enraged pro- 
 prietor, but without obtaining any .response to 
 his summons, except the angry barking of a 
 dog, he drew back the bolt of the iron gate, 
 pushed it open, and entered a serpentine drive, 
 planted on either side with shrubs and trees, in 
 which an opening had been left at a short dis- 
 tance from the lodge, so as to command a fine 
 view of the mansion. As the traveller halted here 
 for a moment to contemplate his new purchase, 
 in spite of his irritation he could not suppress
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 51 
 
 one of those loud involuntary " hems !" which 
 were generally indicative of complacency ; while 
 he stumped liis cane approvingly upon the 
 ground, popped a bit of sugar into his mouth, 
 and smacked his lips aloud and relishingly. The 
 sun was just setting, so as to involve the base- 
 ment story of the building in the purple tinge 
 of evening, while the upper portion retained a 
 red glow, and the windows were lighted up by 
 the rays, as if the old Cavalier were still alive, 
 and had ordered the whole house to be illumi- 
 nated for some brilliant victory. The woods on 
 either side exhibited a somewhat similar appear- 
 ance ; the trunks and lower boughs of the trees, 
 thrown into broad and deep shade contrasting 
 strongly with their tufted tops, dancing in the 
 breeze, and glittering with the ray as if they 
 had been dipped in liquid sun-light. Three 
 minutes' more gaze, and a second lump of sugar 
 would have completely restored Goldingham's 
 equanimity ; but, alas ! the new lord of this 
 goodly domain had hardly time to cast an eye 
 over his possessions, when he was rudely hailed 
 from behind, with the shout of — " Hallo, you 
 
 D 2
 
 52 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 cliap ! what the dickens be 'st a'ter ?" — accom- 
 panied by the fierce barking of a dog ; and upon 
 looking round, he beheld a sturdy, bull-headed 
 rustic, in a fustian jacket and goloshes^ hold- 
 ing back by a chain a raging mastiff, which 
 evinced a furious eagerness to fly at the tres- 
 passer. 
 
 " Cogsnouns ! was it thee made zuch a vine 
 clatter at the bell ?" said the fellow, as he no- 
 ticed the shabby appearance of the intruder — 
 " dang'd, if thee bees'nt a pro|:>er zaucy codger. 
 What be up to, trow ?" 
 
 " Insolent clown!" replied Goldingham, de- 
 termined not to make himself known. " I have 
 business with Mrs. Holmes, the housekeeper.'"' 
 
 " Then, thee may'st go round by the voot- 
 path, and ring at back gate ; so thee 'It please 
 to bundle out again, same way thee corned in. 
 But, stop a bit, my vine vellow, I be game- 
 keeper for the present, for want of a bet- 
 ter, so I'll just overhaul this"'n blue bag; for 
 spite o' the three-cornered castor, drat me 
 if I doant think'ee bee'st no better nor a 
 poacher."
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 53 
 
 " If you come one step nearer, you scoun- 
 drel," cried Goldingham, brandishing his horn- 
 headed cane, "'I'll make you remember it the 
 longest day you have to live. I have business 
 at the house, and as I see no good reason for 
 either showing you my bag, or turning back, I 
 shall not do one or the other. — Hem V' So 
 saying, he walked a few paces forward, the fel- 
 low following and continuing his abuse, while 
 the mastiff nuzzled so close to Isaac's leg, and 
 showed such a raging appetite for a mouthful 
 or two of his grey cotton calf, that he looked 
 round for some more efficient weapon than his 
 cane. Luckily espying a pole that had been 
 used by the lodge-keeper's wife for extending 
 linen, he seized it, and instantly aimed a blow 
 at the four-footed assailant, which would have 
 been probably fatal, had not his master pulled 
 him back by the chain. Neither approving the 
 aspect of this weapon, nor the resolute look of 
 the party who wielded it, the fellow now thought 
 it prudent to retreat, contenting himself with 
 muttering, as he hauled away his bristling and 
 snarling mastiff,—" Thof I leave thee, my old
 
 54 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 boy, danged if I doant mark thee. Thee may'st 
 go on if thee likes, and if thee do pop thy leg 
 into a trap, or get blown up \vi' gunpowder, I'll 
 let loose Viper here, to help 'ee out of scrape." 
 
 Although he decamped after this valediction, 
 without offering any further impediment, his 
 parting words produced a marvellous effect upon 
 Isaac's peace of mind, as well as upon the velo- 
 city of his further progress. Pacific as his 
 habits had been, he was of an obstinate and 
 fearless temperament, that would not allow him 
 to shrink from any open antagonist upon equi- 
 table terms of contest; but the very mention 
 of traps and gunpowder occasioned a tingling 
 horror to run through his blood, and gave a 
 momentar}^ shudder to his whole frame. They 
 savoured of Popish plots, the dread of which 
 was ever uppermost in his mind, and his ima- 
 gination coming in aid of his fears, he could 
 not help fancying that some secret Jesuit, in- 
 flamed by the known Protestant zeal of the new 
 proprietor, might have set traps and pitfalls all 
 over the grounds for the purpose of extermi- 
 nating him upon his first visit. In point of fact,
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 55 
 
 there was no engine of any sort in the park, the 
 gamekeeper's threat being only a customary 
 menace employed to intimidate beggars, sus- 
 pected poachers, or other trespassers; but as 
 Isaac paid him the unmerited compliment of 
 believing his assertions, he felt considerably 
 embarrassed how to act. His first impulse was 
 to retreat, but that stubbornness of purpose to 
 which we have already alluded, presently acqui- 
 ring the ascendancy, he put on his spectacles 
 to assist his discovery of the suspected traps, 
 pushed the pole along the ground before him as 
 a feeler, and thus slowly Avon his way, inch by 
 inch, along his own grounds to his own mansion. 
 Many a broken twig upon the earth, suspected 
 of being a wire lying in insidious ambush, and 
 connected with some infernal machine, was 
 turned over and over with infinite misgivini'- 
 and palpitation of heart ; a hen-coop half con- 
 cealed by a bush assumed the terrific form of 
 the very engine in question, whose flank it was 
 necessary to turn by walking over the opposite 
 borders, and making a considerable deviation 
 from the drive ; and the gate of an adjoining
 
 56 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 coppice happening to shut with a loud bang just 
 at that moment, he jumped two yards back- 
 wards at a single bound, and could not believe, 
 until he had felt himself all over, and stamped 
 upon the ground, that he was neither blown up 
 into the air nor visited by any grievous wound, 
 from steel, ball, or bullet. 
 
 After much bodily exertion and anxiety of 
 spirit, and in a violent perspiration arising from 
 both those causes, he at length reached the steps 
 that led up to the entrance of the house, mount- 
 ed them with infinite relief of heart, solaced 
 himself with a modicum of sugar from liis waist- 
 coat pocket, drew in a long breath, which he 
 suddenly expelled with a loud sonorous " Hera!" 
 
 and ejaculated " Soh ! a pretty beginning 
 
 of rural ease and tranquillity — a comfortable 
 foretaste of the pleasures of territorial pos- 
 session ! Cheated by a lying coachman, and 
 obliged to carry my bag three miles in the heat 
 and dust ; told when I civilly inquire the way, 
 to follow my own long nose ; suspected of being 
 a tallow-chandler, or a smuggUng pedlar ; in- 
 sulted as a poacher by my own gamekeeper ;
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 57 
 
 very near having the calf of my leg snapped off 
 by his mastiff; and finally, groping the way to 
 my own house like a blind beggar, in moment- 
 ary fear of being caught in my own trap, or 
 blown up with my own gunpowder ! Wheugh ! 
 these things never happen in the City." 
 
 In the intensity of his scrutiny after concealed 
 snares, he had not ventured to lift up his eyes 
 to look a second time at his house, until he found 
 himself upon its threshold ; and the deep shades 
 of evening now preventing him from seeing any 
 object distinctly, he deferred the gratification 
 of his curiosity till the next morning, raised his 
 hand to the bell, and pulled it with a master's 
 puli. 
 
 Mrs. Hohnes, who had been left in custody 
 of the house, was one of those discreet person- 
 ages who make it a point to be civil to every 
 body, until they have ascertained that it is quite 
 safe to be otherwise, and was moreover a con- 
 noisseur in rings and knocks, which she con- 
 sidered as pieces of handwriting, whereby most 
 people betrayed their station and the purposes 
 of their visit. Interpreting the energetical ring 
 
 n 5
 
 58 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 she had just heard, to be that of a person who 
 felt himself authorised to be decisive, and hav- 
 ing also received some vague intimation of her 
 new master's odd appearance, she dropped a low 
 curtsey as she met him in the hall, exclaiming 
 in a soft voice, and with a gracious smile, — 
 " Mr. Goldingham, I presume ; you are wel- 
 come. Sir, to the Place, and I wish you health 
 and happiness to enjoy your new purchase. 
 Allow me to take your bag, Sir — ^" And then 
 suddenly rising to a sharp key, she called aloud 
 " Why, Timothy ! Timothy ! always out of the 
 way i lights in the parlour directly, here 's the 
 new master arrived !" Ushering him into this 
 apartment she wheeled a large arm chair for his 
 reception, brought him a pair of slippers, and 
 inquiring in a tone of gentle condolence whether 
 he had supped upon the road, assured him there 
 were viands in the house which could be got 
 ready in a few minutes — added that his bed 
 had been kept carefully aired, and that she had 
 provided a little tea in the house, though pro- 
 bably his honour did not like any such new- 
 fangled slops.
 
 REUBICN APSLEY. 59 
 
 " Thank ye, thank ye, Mrs. Hohnes," said 
 Isaac, with more complacency tlian he had felt 
 in the whole codrse of the day, " that ''s all very 
 right and proper ; you seem to have your wits 
 about you, and to be a woman of business, which 
 is what I like. None of your tea, no new-fan- 
 gled slops for me; but if you can let me have a 
 pipe, and some mull'd lamb's-wool, I shall be 
 glad of them as soon as you please." These, 
 with the addition of some saffron cakes, which 
 she informed him were of her own making, 
 being presently placed before him by the bust- 
 ling and obsequious Mrs. Holmes, he dispatched 
 his frugal meal, smoked a pipe, and fatigued 
 with the exertions of the day, retired shortly 
 after to bed, and fell fast asleep in that ancient 
 mansion Avhich had never before received so 
 plebeian a proprietor.
 
 60 
 
 REUBEN Al-SLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Mercury. —Bon Ton! What's that. Madam, pray 
 define it ? 
 
 Mrs. Modish. — Oh ! Sir, excuse me : it is one of the 
 privileges of the Bon Ton never to define or be defined. 
 
 It is the child and the parent of jargon. It is 1 
 
 can never tell you what it is.'' 
 
 Dialogues of the Dead. 
 
 On the following morning Goldingham arose 
 at an early hour, completely recovered from the 
 fatigues of his journey, as well as from the irri- 
 tation occasioned by the misadventures atten- 
 dant upon his arrival, and not a little anxious 
 to sally forth and inspect his estate. Having 
 signified to Mrs. Holmes his wish to be accom- 
 panied in his excursion by some competent 
 person as a guide, she immediately raised her 
 voice from the subdued and respectful tone in 
 which she habitually spoke to her superiors, to
 
 REUBEN APSLEY, 61 
 
 a shrill and angry note as she bustled along the 
 lower apartments calling aloud for Timothy, 
 who having been out of the way on the previous 
 night, had not yet seen his new master. This 
 ancient domestic had passed nearly the whole of 
 his life in the house, where he had successively 
 filled all offices, in doors and out, from the 
 lowest to the highest. For many years, when 
 the old Cavalier became infirm and gouty, he 
 had waited upon him in the double capacity of 
 a crutch whose arm was always ready to sup- 
 port him, and of a companion who might toddle 
 about with him, and amuse him by the freedom 
 of his remarks. His master, attached to him 
 from a long experience of his fidelity, and ever 
 willing to laugh at his little oddities and sallies, 
 had always encouraged in him a degree of fami- 
 liarity, not to say impertinence, which utterly 
 confounded all distinctions of rank ; while in 
 his latter years the Cavalier had sunk into such 
 a state of superannuated fatuity, that Timothy 
 had in fact become the master of his master ; 
 and long habit and impunity, as well as his own 
 increasing age, had now incapacitated liim from
 
 62 
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 treating his superiors with a whit more respect 
 than he evinced towards his equals. It was from 
 habit too that he remained in the house ; for 
 though his own savings and a small legacy from 
 his master, had rendered him independent, he 
 declared that he would never quit Goldingham 
 Place till he was turned out. Some called him 
 a queer old wag, some a superannuated dotard, 
 and some a saucy menial spoilt by indulgence ; 
 and yet his honesty and good conduct in other 
 respects had ever been so unimpeachable, that 
 Timothy continued to be a sort of chartered 
 offender, enjo3ang the privileges, although he 
 did not fulfil the functions, of the old profes- 
 sional jester. Adhering to the fashion Avhich 
 existed in his younger days, he wore trunk hose 
 and suffered his beard to grow ; his head was 
 bald ; though his face was furrowed with age, his 
 ruddy cheek attested him to be still hale and 
 hearty ; and his countenance exhibited a constant 
 simper, of which it was difficult to say whether 
 it partook more of slyness or silliness. 
 
 Such was the personage, who having always 
 been accustomed to see his former master ar-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 63 
 
 rayed in periwig and powder, lace and em- 
 broidery, a sword by his side and a star upon 
 his breast, made' a dead halt as he entered the 
 parlour, in obedience to Goldingham's orders, 
 and after having measured him two or three 
 times from top to toe, and ever with an increas- 
 ing smile of derisive astonishment, at last termi- 
 nated his survey by a low chuckle, and a cor- 
 respondent jerk of his left shoulder. 
 
 " What are you sniggering at, fellow ?" said 
 Isaac, fixing upon him in return his stern gi'ey 
 eye. 
 
 " By my troggs !" replied Timothy, renewing 
 his scrutiny, " I can hardly tell, for it's all to 
 nothing the queerest object I ever clapped eyes 
 on, but I am positively told that it be the new 
 master." 
 
 " And prythee, fellow, do you always behave 
 in this saucy way to your master ?'''' 
 
 " Why, I never had such a comical one be- 
 fore, and I 'm not very particular at any time." 
 
 *' Nor I cither," said Goldingham, angrily ; 
 " and though I am willing to make every al- 
 lowance for an old fool "
 
 64 
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 ^ " For which of us ?" interrupted Timothy, 
 with a sheepish leer. 
 
 " Harkee, sirrah !" cried Isaac in some wrath, 
 " if you wish to continue in my service you 
 must forego this merry Andrew's license of 
 your tongue. I want no undue servility — I 
 hate it— but I will be treated with respect. 
 Hem ! I sent for you to show me the way over 
 the estate, and to accompany me to my diffe- 
 rent tenants." 
 
 " By my troggs ! I Ve no kind of objection 
 to take a walk with you, master, provided it 
 doesn't rain.'' Going to the window he looked 
 up at the sky in different directions, and com- 
 ing deliberately back continued — " It seems like 
 to be showery by and by, so the sooner we set 
 out the better" — at the same time tendering his 
 arm to his companion, who exclaimed rather in- 
 dignantly—" What ! do you take me for the 
 gouty Cavalier? Sirrah ! I need no man's sup- 
 port." 
 
 " So much the better," said Timothy, " for 
 the old gentleman used sometimes to lean plaguy 
 hard, and Fve often threatened to leave him in
 
 REUBEN APSI.EY. 65 
 
 the lurch if he didn''t make his own stumps 
 C5arry a little more of his own carcase." 
 
 " Troth ! you are the most unceremonious 
 fellow of a servant that I ever heard of,"" said 
 Isaac, preparing to set off. 
 
 " Like enough, like enough," replied Ti- 
 mothy, " we're a queerish couple, I take it. — 
 You must come back. Sir ; that's not the door 
 that leads into the park. This way— this way 
 — follow me, and you shall see every nook and 
 corner of the old place." 
 
 Being conducted by this eccentric and free 
 spoken domestic to the terrace in front of the 
 building, Isaac was at length enabled to obtain 
 a survey of his new purchase. The house was 
 of moderate dimensions, consisting of two low 
 stories, with an embattled stone coping at top, 
 whence arose a high sloping roof, crowned by 
 a belfry in the centre. Massy oaken frames 
 divided the small panes of the windows, which 
 were provided with musquet-proof outside shut- 
 ters ; and a heavy porch, projecting from the 
 middle of the building, supplied the place of 
 a liall. For the ])urpose of defence during
 
 66 EEUBKN APSLEY. 
 
 the civil war, it had been surrounded by a 
 wall with a gatehouse, which the Cavalier's 
 lady, after a long battle, had prevailed upon 
 him to demolish, though he had still rendered 
 the materials available in some respects to 
 military objects, by constructing with them, at 
 each extremity of the terrace, a little mimic 
 fort, to which he had respectively applied the 
 names of Liskard and Roundway Down, from 
 his having been engaged in both those battles, 
 and their proving fortunate to the royal cause. 
 Here were mounted some small brass cannons 
 which he fired off upon every anniversary and 
 victory, real or assumed, and in front of them 
 extended the park, an improvement suggest- 
 ed by the wife, who was also responsible for 
 the serpentine drive, or approach to the house, 
 along which the new proprietor had won his 
 way on the previous evening with such infinite 
 trouble and trepidation. 
 
 From this terrace Isaac Goldingham, well 
 satisfied with the appearance of the mansion, 
 looked down over a rich, extensive, and well- 
 wooded landscape in one direction, while in the
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 6T 
 
 Other he beheld, through the openings of the 
 trees in his park, the dark blue line of the sea, 
 studded here and there with white sails. It was 
 a breezy, elastic, sparkling morning, so bright 
 indeed that Timothy declared with a misgiving 
 shake of the head, it was sure to bring rain. 
 By his master, however, who saw nothing but 
 the present brilliance of the day, and whose 
 notions of the picturesque had been pretty 
 much limited to the romantic of Hoxton or 
 Islington ponds, when he had gone a ducking 
 to them in his younger days, the scene now be- 
 fore him could hardly be contemplated without 
 its awakening new and delightful sensations. 
 He had no idea that the country was half 
 so fine an invention, and when be beheld it, 
 not only as a beautiful object of itself, but as 
 constituting in part his own property — as a 
 source of revenue, and a beneficial purchase, his 
 feelings of mingled gratification arrived at an 
 acme which could only be expressed by his 
 drawing himself proudly up, uttering one of his 
 loudest " Hems !" and indenting the gravel with 
 his cane as he struck it forcibly upon the ground.
 
 68 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 It was the first time in his life that he had 
 ever owned a foot of land, and however a man's 
 notions may be sophisticated by civic appre- 
 ciations of wealth, there is a charm, a mao;ic in 
 the word " Freehold," which finds its way to 
 every bosom. He who stands upon his own 
 terra firma, has a right to feel like one of the 
 lords of creation, for he is part and parcel of 
 the general system of things, owner of a certain 
 portion of the solid globe itself, upon which he 
 may strike his foot with the certainty that the 
 ground beneath, down to the very centre of the 
 earth is his own ; and that the echo he awakens, 
 even should it rise upwards to the heavens, 
 will travel through a portion of space which 
 the law has equally pronounced to be his 
 property. Elevated and inspirited by these 
 impressions, Isaac set forward to traverse his 
 domains at a pace which soon left his servant 
 considerably in the rear. — " Come on, good 
 Timothy," he cried in a conciliatory tone, occa- 
 sioned by his pleasurable sensations — " Come 
 on — 'tis a brisk morning — I am in a hurry to 
 see my farms, and I love to walk fast." — " Like
 
 HEUBEN APSLEY. 69 
 
 enough, like enough," replied the old man, con- 
 tinuing the same jog-trot pace, " but I have 
 seen the farms a 'hundred times, and I like to 
 walk slow." 
 
 Offended as he was at the freedom of this 
 obstinate old animal, as he pettishly called 
 him, Goldingham had sufficient insight into 
 character to be convinced that his attend- 
 ant would be equally insensible to coaxing 
 and menaces, and that to avail himself of his 
 services he must accommodate himself to his 
 humours. 
 
 No showman exhibiting some nev/ly imported 
 baboon to the astonished rustics at a country 
 fair, ever paraded his monster with greater sa- 
 tisfaction, than did Timothy lead about his 
 strange-looking master to the different tenants, 
 his face surcharged with a sly simper that oc- 
 casionally broke out into a half-suppressed snig- 
 ger, and a jerk of the left shoulder, as he in- 
 troduced him. " By my troggs ! Farmer 
 Penfold," he exclaimed to the first wliom they 
 thus visited, " 'tis neither a flam nor a bamboozle, 
 but the new landlord in real down-right earn-
 
 70 RKUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 est, and a proper queer one he is, sure enough. 
 Zooks ! man, never stare o*" that fashion, ifs 
 not the man in the moon, but Master Golding- 
 ham, who has bought the old Cavalier"'s estate, 
 and all that belongs to it, and so make your best 
 bow to your new landlord." In this manner 
 they proceeded from one farm to another, until 
 they had visited every portion of the domain, 
 when Isaac returned to the house, highly de- 
 lighted with all that he had seen, and still more 
 with his friend Tibbs the Scrivener, who had 
 rather under than over-stated the beauty of the 
 place, and the value of the property. The un- 
 bridled freedom of old Timothy's tongue had 
 indeed more than once offended him, but he 
 seemed to be so thoroughly acquainted with 
 every thing relating to the estate, and when 
 called upon for the account of disbursements and 
 receipts since the time of the purchase, he had 
 furnished it in so clear and satisfactory a man- 
 ner, that it reconciled his new master to his 
 flippant familiarity, which he was willing to 
 acquit of all intentional offence, and determined
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 71 
 
 him to retain him, at least for the present, in 
 the house. 
 
 The novelty of his situation and impressions, 
 together with the bustle incidental to his new- 
 arrangements, kept him for some days after his 
 arrival in such a constant state of excitement, 
 that he had no leisure to think of his neighbours, 
 although he received several visits, one from the 
 Clergyman, hastening as a matter of duty to 
 pay his respects to a new Parishioner, who might 
 perhaps, like his regretted predecessor, have a 
 dinner-party every Sunday ; three others from 
 as many neighbouring Curates, who knew no- 
 thing, of course, of his having purchased the 
 advowson ; and a fifth from the Apothecary, 
 who not onl}'^ hurried to get the start of a com- 
 petitor recently set up in the vicinity, but to 
 have the first sight of the stranger, and make 
 himself welcome among the neighbouring gentry 
 by retailing the most minute particulars he had 
 gleaned in this early inspection. Through this 
 loquacious medium of communication, all the 
 real oddities of Goldingham"'s appearance, to-
 
 72 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 gether with a copious appendix of ridiculous 
 tittle-tattle picked up from servants, and other 
 equally authentic sources, were quickly circu- 
 lated through the vicinity, receiving at each 
 repetition such marvellous additaments as to his 
 opulence and eccentricities, that the church 
 where it was presumed he would exhibit him- 
 self on the following Sunday, was quite filled 
 before the service began. The Pastor, a wor- 
 thy, simple-hearted man, who sincerely wished 
 that all his parishioners should be good Chris- 
 tians, and give good dinners, was astonished at 
 the unusual influx of many who were but shy 
 Church-goers, until he recollected having men- 
 tioned to Mrs. Chatsworth his intention of 
 preaching his favourite sermon against neglect 
 of the Sabbath duties, and not doubting that 
 she had dispersed this news with her usual in- 
 dustry, he saw the unwonted fullness of his 
 congregation very naturally and satisfactorily 
 explained. 
 
 From tlie 2;ambling Nobleman on whom Gold- 
 ingham-place had devolved at the old Cavalier's 
 death, and who had retained possession of it for
 
 KEUBEN AFSLEY. 73 
 
 SO short a period, the present proprietor had 
 purchased every thing as it stood, including stock 
 of all sorts ; a chariot with two fat coach-horses, 
 and a little grey pony. Timothy having volun- 
 teered to drive the antiquated vehicle here men- 
 tioned, it was brought to the door on the Sun- 
 day morning by two club-tailed corpulent horses; 
 Mrs. Holmes stood curtsying at the porch, 
 proffering her spruce prayer-book : Goldingham 
 stepped for the first time into a carriage of his 
 own, and proceeding at tlie old jog trot, to 
 which both the driver and his sleek cattle had 
 been for so many years accustomed, was at 
 length deposited at the church-gate. 
 
 All eyes were directed towards his pew, as he 
 was inducted into it by the beadle, and some 
 little whispering and tittering became audible 
 in various parts of the building ; but rumours 
 had as usual so exaggerated the singularity of 
 liis exterior, that there was a considerable feel- 
 ing of disappointment at his not appearing more 
 ridiculous. As there were many who, liavino-' 
 entered the church after him, Iiad been unable 
 to see him walk up the aisle, and others who, 
 
 VOL. I. E
 
 74 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 from being seated in the gallery above him, had 
 not even obtained a glimpse of his figure, there 
 was no small crowding, when service was over, 
 to see him enter his carriage. So importunate 
 did the curiosity become, that the object of it, 
 offended at such vulgar rudeness, which he was 
 determined not to gratify, stepped hastily into 
 tlie vehicle, and bade his coachman drive on. 
 Timothy, however, seeing one of his own friends 
 pressing forward, and anxious to oblige him 
 with a peep, checked his horses, nodding back- 
 wards at his master, as much as to say, '' There 
 he is, come and have a stare at him ; isn't he 
 a queer chap ?"" Several others appearing dis- 
 posed to avail themselves of this halt, Golding- 
 ham, in great dudgeon, drew up the blind, when 
 Timothy very unconcernedly exclaimed to his 
 friend, with a knowing wink, " T'other side, 
 Jemmy, t'other side ; you 're sure of him there, 
 for the blind won't go up."" 
 
 This was too much for his master's patience, 
 especially as he saw a rush of gazers to that 
 side, and at the same moment observed that
 
 KEUBEK APSLEY. 75 
 
 Timothy's left shoulder was twitched up and 
 down with a convulsive though inaudible snig- 
 ger. *' Sirrah ! ^sirrah !" he cried out as he 
 hastily let down the front window, " if you do 
 not instantly drive on I'll knock you off the box 
 with my cane !" 
 
 *' Have you seen enough of him. Jemmy ?" 
 said Timothy to his friend, without in the least 
 noticing his master''s threat. An answer was 
 given in the affirmative, the friends exchanged 
 nods and good bye''s, when Timothy, delibe- 
 rately squaring his elbows and gathering up the 
 reins, set off at his established jog trot as if 
 nothing had happened. 
 
 " This fellow's conduct," said Goldingham to 
 himself, " whether it proceed from dotage, 
 ignorance, or an insolent affectation of playing 
 the wag, is equally intolerable ; and but that 
 it is the Sabbath, I would turn him out of the 
 house this very day." It cost him three lumps 
 of sugar to recover any degree of serenity, and 
 it was not till he reached Goldingham-place 
 that he determined after all to retain the of- 
 
 E 2
 
 76 REUBEX A PS LEY. 
 
 fender in his service, at least till he could 
 provide himself with an efficient and equally 
 honest substitute. 
 
 Isaac Goldingham had supplied on that day 
 a topic of discussion to all the surrounding 
 district. It was now necessary to come to some 
 decision, since he had officially announced his 
 arrival by appearing at church, upon the im- 
 portant subject of visiting him, and the debates 
 engendered by this knotty point were not less 
 general than keen and animated. According 
 to established custom in the rural portions of 
 this our happy island, the neighbourhood was 
 di\dded by party-hatred, jealousy, and stiff- 
 necked notions of gentility and decorum, into 
 various factions, which, though they did not 
 altogether destroy the ceremonies and outward 
 observances of sociability, sadly chilled the 
 kindly feelings which can alone render them 
 valuable. In the present instance, the difficulty 
 was incalculably increased by an invidious ru- 
 mour, founded probably on the nature of his 
 importations from the Baltic, and industriously 
 circulated by some rustic wag, that the new
 
 REUBEN AI'SLEY. 77 
 
 settler was neither more nor less than a com- 
 mon tallow-chandler, who had invested the 
 fortune made by candies in the purchase of 
 Goldingham-place, merely because it happened 
 to bear his own name. At a consultation held 
 upon this alarming report by some of the sur- 
 rounding gentry, Lady Crockatt had bravely 
 volunteered to venture into the enemy's camp, 
 to call at the Place, to extract from his own 
 mouth the truth or falsehood of this imputation, 
 to settle the question of his relationship to the 
 old Goldinc^hams, and to decide upon ocular 
 evidence whether or not the man ws^e visit- 
 able. 
 
 It will be recollected that her ladyship had 
 been designated by the fish-vender, (with whom, 
 however, it must be also remembered that she 
 refused to deal,) as a whimsey-headed witch and 
 lack-a^daisical cat, terms which it little became 
 one in his station of life to apply to a female, 
 and especially to one of rank ! Fortune had 
 exacted the customary penalty for the great 
 wealth she had lavished upon her ladyship, who 
 having no children, and no occupation, hating
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 her husband, and possessing nothing in which 
 she could interest her vacant affections, except a 
 fat plethoric spaniel, had fallen into the morbid 
 state of ennui which is so apt to be generated 
 by a surfeit of luxuries, and that pitiable com- 
 plaint — the want of a want. Her present re- 
 source against this tedium was a desperate at- 
 tempt to stimulate excitement in herself, and 
 awaken sympathy in her friends, who began 
 to grow weary of her fantastic conceits, by af- 
 fecting the invalid, disserting upon the wretch- 
 ed state of her nerves, giving an inventory of 
 her maladies in a lugubrious tone of voice, pro- 
 phesying her approaching dissolution, and vitu- 
 perating the world and all its inhabitants. 
 
 " I am happy, Mr. Goldingham, to see the 
 place once more tenanted," said the visitant as 
 she deposited her fat pet upon the carpet, and 
 was ushered into the drawing-room where Isaac 
 was looking over some papers. " I knew the 
 worthy old Cavalier, your predecessor, most 
 intimately, and had a high regard for him, but 
 I believe it is my fate to meet with nothing but 
 vexation and annoyance from those to whom I
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 79 
 
 have shown the greatest kindness. Would you 
 beheve, that all I got by sending my new car- 
 riage to the fiinera], was to have the harness 
 completely smashed to pieces." 
 
 " Was the old Cavaher driving it ?" inquired 
 Goldingham drily. 
 
 " The Cavalier ! — bless my heart, no ! He had 
 just been buried when it happened." 
 
 " Then really, my lady, I see no good rea^ 
 son for making him accountable for the acci- 
 dent." 
 
 " Oh, not in the least ; only you know, Sir, 
 if he had not died just as I got my new carriage, 
 this provoking event could not have occurred. 
 No, I believe my coachman (nobody to be sure 
 was ever so unfortunate in servants) had been 
 tippling at the Cricketers. He was shockingly 
 hurt, I am told, but I have never inquired about 
 him since, for such is my acute sensibility that 
 my feelings will not bear to be revolted. I am 
 foolishly considerate for my servants — spoil 
 them all by over-indulgence — but I must say 
 the fellow docs not deserve the least compas- 
 sion. You did not know the old Cavalier, I
 
 80 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 believe. Poor Gentleman !" — Here she heaved 
 a deep sigh, applied an embroidered handker- 
 chief to her eyes, and after smelling to a bottle 
 of sal ammoniac, continued — " Excuse me, Mr. 
 Goldingham, my feelings, alas! are too sus- 
 ceptible for my peace of mind ; a sympathizing 
 
 bosom is such a- Heigho ! — The coach had 
 
 only come home a few days before from 
 Mawley's ; fawn-coloured pannels, with ci-im- 
 son mantles to the arms, and gilt mouldings. 
 But, God knows, a vehicle is of very little use 
 to any one in my wretched state of health." 
 
 " If I might judge by appearances," said 
 Goldingham, " I should pronounce your lady- 
 ship to be perfectly free from complaint." 
 
 " Proofs of disease. Sir, proofs of disease ; 
 nothing is more alarming than that plumpness 
 of the flesh, and freshness of the complexion, to 
 which you allude." 
 
 " May I inquire the nature of that malady 
 which declares itself by such unusual symp- 
 toms ?" inquired Goldingham. 
 
 " Ah, Sir, there 's the rub — there 's the diffi- 
 culty. Nobody can discover what it is, though
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 81 
 
 I have consulted all the first physicians — Sir 
 Thomas Millington, Sir Charles Scarborough, 
 Sir Edmund King, and Sir Thomas Witherby ; 
 attendants upon Majesty, you know, but my case 
 baffled them all. Unfortunately, though I feel 
 that I am dying by inches, I excite no sympa- 
 thy, because I have not the aspect of an in- 
 valid, my nearest relations, and those whom I 
 have loaded with favours, contemplating all my 
 sufferings with the most heartless indifference. 
 I cannot hold out much longer — and. Heaven 
 knows ! I have no wish to remain in so selfish 
 and callous a world." 
 
 Having complained and hospitalised for some 
 time longer in this strain, with occasional most 
 interesting episodes about the pills, leeches, 
 blisters, and cataplasms, to which she had been 
 subjected, the pseudo incurable came to the 
 purpose of her visit, and opened the trenches 
 after the following fashion.- — " Heio;ho ! the 
 poor old Cavalier ! if I can thus feel for him 
 as a mere friend, what must be your regrets ; 
 and yet it is astonishing how obstinate some 
 people are, even in the teeth of the most con- 
 
 K 5
 
 82 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 elusive evidence. All the world knows that the 
 worthy Cavalier was descended from the old 
 family of the Goldinghams ; — your going to 
 church with his carriage, without any alteration 
 of the arms, and the similarity of name, were 
 indications not to be mistaken, and yet Mrs. 
 Chatsworth persists in maintaining that you are 
 not related to him, nor in an}' way descended 
 from the old proprietors of the Place." 
 
 " Mrs. Chatsworth is really very kind to 
 trouble herself about me and my connections,"" 
 said Isaac, " and I beg leave to confirm her 
 statements. If I am related to either of the par- 
 ties mentioned, it is entirely without my know- 
 ledge, and lest I should be subjected to any 
 injurious reports of having inherited m}' wealth 
 from others without any merit or exertions of 
 my own, I beg your ladyship will do me the 
 justice to state every where, upon my authority, 
 that it has been principally derived from my 
 dealings in flax, hemp, and tallow. Hem !" 
 
 " Tallow !" screamed Lady Crockatt, who 
 saw an admission of his guilt in the mere men-
 
 REUBEN AISLEY. 83 
 
 tion of the word, and made instant and eao-er 
 application to her salts — " very much to your 
 credit, Mr. Goklingham, no doubt. In a com- 
 mercial country like this every body should — 
 and I am willing to believe that such persons 
 are perfectly respectable — that is to say in their 
 own way, but — Eugh ! — this pain in my side I 
 I believe after all it is a confirmed liver case. 
 Here Cynthia ! Cynthia ! Cynthia !"" At these 
 words she snatched up her corpulent spaniel, 
 which no real invalid would have been able to 
 lift, and hurried down stairs, Goldlngham po- 
 litely accompanying her to her carriage, during 
 the whole of which progress she never once 
 moved her smelling-bottle from her nose. 
 
 " If this is the best society that the neigh- 
 bourhood affords," exclaimed Goklingham, as 
 he returned to the drawing-room, " I care not 
 how much I am alone." 
 
 ^ Lord love ye ! you may have better com- 
 pany if you like it," cried Timothy, who had 
 unperceivcd followed him into his apartment ; 
 " there 's no occasion to be moping all alone ; . I
 
 84 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 am always in the house, and you have only to 
 send for me : it 's what the old Cavalier always 
 did when he was dull and stupid.'' 
 
 " He was a superannuated dotard, and you 
 are another,"" cried Goldingham, pettishly. 
 " quit the room, sirrah r 
 
 " By my troggs !" replied Timothy, walking 
 deliberately to the door, " you will be in worse 
 company if I leave you to yourself. Ah ! you 're 
 all alike, you don't know what 's good for you, 
 and you will have your own way ; but it 's all 
 one to Timothy — all one to Timothy."
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 85 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 Fools ne'er had less grace in a year^ 
 For wise men are ^'own foppish ; 
 
 And know not how their wits to wear^ 
 Their manners are so apish. 
 
 Shakspeare. 
 
 Taking it for granted that Goldinghani had 
 confessed himself to be neither more nor less 
 than a connnon shopkeeping tallow-chandler, 
 Lady Crockatt, big with the tidings she had to 
 comnmnicate, drove immediately to the Rook- 
 ery, the seat of Marmaduke Hartfleld, Esq., 
 commonly called Squire Hartfield, the last of 
 a long line of Squires, who for several ages had 
 hunted over the downs of Dorsetshire, until 
 having duly broken their necks in the chase, or 
 accelerated their deaths by hard drinking, they
 
 8G EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 liad been regularly conveyed to the family vault 
 about a stone's throw from the Rookery, to make 
 way for a new Nimrod. It would have been 
 well for their present successor, if he had been 
 content to inherit their mode of life as well as 
 their estate, which had come down to him un- 
 impaired ; but in an evil hour, he had betaken 
 himself to London, fallen into all its dissipa- 
 tions, followed the fashion of connecting him- 
 self with an extravagant actress, and rattled the 
 dice-box at the gaming-houses in Pall Mall, or 
 the Groom-porter's at Whitehall, where he had 
 offered such a palpable butt to the sharpers, 
 plebeian and noble, that they soon plucked him 
 of all that he had to lose. His pack of hounds, 
 and his full establishment being kept up at the 
 Rookery, at which place he still passed the 
 greater portion of the year ; he had succeeded 
 in mortgaging his patrimony, and reducing 
 himself to pecuniary difficulties while he was 
 yet in the prime of youth, at the same time 
 that he had managed to pick up many of the 
 vices of the London debauchee, without losing 
 any of the boorishness of the fox-hunting Squire
 
 REUBEN ArSLEY. 87 
 
 Neither of these characters, however, had ob- 
 tained such complete possession of him as to 
 overmaster his originally strong and cordial 
 feehngs. His heart, which was naturally ami- 
 able, might be perverted, but it was not yet 
 hardened ; and in spite of his lax morality, his 
 notions of honour were loosened rather tlian 
 corrupted. Proud of the antiquity of his fa- 
 mily, and of the hospitable state which they had 
 always maintained at the Rookery, he was at 
 once stung with remorse at the ruin which he 
 was so rapidly drawing down upon it, and 
 restrained by a false shame from reducing his 
 establishments ; so that he lived on in a kind of 
 reckless desperation, often feeling compunction 
 at his mode of life, yet never attempting its 
 amendment, endeavouring to drown care by 
 filling his house with company, and to banish 
 thought by a boisterous rattle of clownish spi- 
 rits in the morning, and a ceaseless round of 
 Bacchanalian revelry at night. 
 
 Lady Crockatt, on her arrival at the Rookery, 
 whose owner was at that moment absent, had the 
 mortification to encounter the identical Mrs.
 
 88 
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 Chatsworth, mentioned in the last chapter, and 
 to endure the glee and volubility with which she 
 triumphed in the confirmation of all her asser- 
 tions respecting Goldingham. 
 
 " And does your Ladyship really decide that 
 lie is not presentable, not visitable?" she in- 
 quired, when she had learned the result of the 
 visit to Goldintrham-Place. 
 
 " My dear Mrs. Chatsworth ! iiow can you 
 ask such a question ? the mere association of 
 ideas made me so qualmish, (you know how 
 morbidly sensitive I unfortunately am,) that I 
 have not since been able to withdraw my smel- 
 ling-bottle from my nose. Not but that the man 
 is perfectly decent and well-behaved, spite of 
 tlie oddity of his appearance, and the abomina- 
 tion of his horrid business ; but in our rank of 
 
 life you know . Nobody is more free 
 
 from aristocratical prejudices than I am ; thank 
 Heaven, I have the good sense to despise them, 
 but the many noble families to which I have 
 the honour to be related, such as the Earl 
 
 of " 
 
 The list of titled relatives who were to esta-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 89 
 
 blisli her ladyship''s utter contempt of aristocra- 
 tical prejudices, was suddenly cut short bv a 
 loud cry of " Hey, whoop ! Tantivy I Yoicks ! 
 Tally-ho." The door was thrown wide open, 
 and the Squire bolted into the room, attired in 
 a scarlet frock, with tarnished gold lace and 
 splashed skirts, a deer-skin waistcoat, buff lea- 
 ther breeches, and boots, a dog whistle hang- 
 ing from his neck, and a horsewhip in his hand. 
 Although his face was flushed with recent ex- 
 ercise, it was obvious that anxiety and dissipa- 
 tion had made deep inroads upon the healthy 
 and happy expression he had received from 
 Nature ; while the premature grey that partially 
 gleamed amid the dark thick locks which hung 
 neglectedly about his neck, attested other ra- 
 vages than those of time. His figure was manly 
 rather than elegant ; and indeed the slovenly tie 
 of his loose cravat, and the general carelessness 
 of his appearance, proved that he was too much 
 absorbed in more engrossing thoughts^ to be 
 very solicitous about the Graces. 
 
 " Hey, boys, hey !" he continued, after 
 whistling to two large dogs that came bounding
 
 90 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 after him into the room. " Down, Ringwood ! 
 down, Sweetlips! There's a beauty, Lady 
 Crockatt! You hardly recollect Ringwood, I 
 suppose, for you have n't seen him since he was 
 a puppy ; he was given to me by Ned Hartop : 
 you knew his father, I believe ?" 
 
 " What, Sir Jasper Hartop, of the Grange ?" 
 inquired Lady Crockatt. 
 
 " Psha ! Ringwood''s father, I mean ; the 
 famous liver-coloured dog, Banter, sister to 
 Lord Brouncker's white bitch Venus, that won 
 the silver cup at Dorchester. Ranter''s grand- 
 father, old Jowler, belonged to my father ; I 
 have been out with them both many a time when 
 I was a boy, and I hardly know which I loved 
 the best. Both their pictures are hanging up in 
 my bed-room. Ah ! we shan't soon see such 
 another couple of staunch ones in the field as 
 old Jowler and the old gentleman !" 
 
 " A noble dog indeed," said Mrs. Chatsworth 
 patting him on the head ; " for his pedigree has 
 got the start of Lady Crockatt's, with which we 
 were just on the point of being favoured." 
 
 *' Sweetlips is a good dog at a retrieve," re-
 
 aKUBEN APSLEY. 91 
 
 sumed the Squire, not noticing this remark — 
 " but not equal to the other ; then Ringwood's 
 voice ! 3'ou should hear him take the lead at a 
 recover after the whole pack has been at fault ; 
 there 's music ! there's a tone ! Singleton and 
 Clayton, the glee-men, are nothing to it. Your 
 heart beats and jumps and thumps at the 
 sound, as if it would break out of your bosom, 
 and leap over a five-barred gate." 
 
 " You come just in time to learn the news 
 about Mr. Goldingham,"" cried Mrs. Chats- 
 worth ; " all that I reported of him is true.'' 
 
 " Whoop ! that is new indeed," replied the 
 Squire ; " but I am not so much surprised, 
 for I believe you said nothing in his favour 
 and where there is either disgrace or misfor- 
 tune to be ferreted out, either in a man's own 
 person, or in any of his relatives, I'll back 
 Mrs. Chatsworth for a staunch hound to stick 
 to the scent, and a rare one to give tongue 
 when it is found." 
 
 " Oh, you ungrateful creature ! is this my 
 reward for saving you from visiting a tallow- 
 chandler ?"
 
 92 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 " Whoop ! I am none of your London fan- 
 tasticals," replied the Squire : " in the country 
 it is the houses not the inmates that are ac- 
 quainted. Harpsden Hall, Goldingham Place, 
 Penwick Castle, Havering Court, the Rookery, 
 and two or three more within visiting- distance, 
 have been cronies togetiier for ages, and you 
 wouldn't surely have the heart to break up 
 the intimacy. He shall dine with me, by the 
 Lord Harry, and your ladyship shall meet him."" 
 
 *' Oh ! my dear Squire, you forget my delicate 
 health : my poor stomach is in such a state, 
 that if once I get a nausea I should be qualm- 
 ish for a month. Eugh ! I declare the very 
 thought has made me quite faint and queasy ; 
 I must take one of Dr. Goddard's drops." 
 
 *' Yoicks ! Fiddle-faddle ! take a gallop with 
 me after the hounds, and you'll be well in a 
 week. I '11 mount you on such a pad that you 
 may canter him with a bumper in your hand, 
 and never spill a drop : I '11 defy all England 
 to match little Ginger. You know his family, 
 don't you ? His father Tantivy was brother to 
 Rainbow, the famous Roman-nosed bay, whose
 
 REUBEN APSLEV. 93 
 
 sister was liord Croft's white mare Calypso. 
 You've heard, I dare say, that Ginger is first 
 cousin to Lord Castlehaven's flea-bitten grey 
 Hio-hflyer, and second cousin to Colonel Ash- 
 ley's famous white filly S"o\^d|m^ that won 
 three plates the first season at^^a^^i*^ Stan- 
 ford, and Newmarket." 
 
 " I would willingly do any thing to oblige 
 you," resumed Lady Crockatt, again having 
 recourse to her smelling-bottle, and turning up 
 her nose with a most distasteful look, — " but 
 the peculiar nature of the gentleman's profes- 
 sion — "" 
 
 " Ay, and the pecuhar nature of the coun- 
 try," interrupted the Squire; "the days are 
 cursed long in the summer, and when the 
 fowling-piece is hung up in the hall, the hunter 
 tumed out, and his master half asleep for want 
 of amusement in field or cover, rot me if it 
 is n't something to have a house to call at, 
 and a queer old badger to bait, like this city 
 square-toes. It will be better sport than going 
 to see Dove, the famous bear, mouzzled by the 
 mastiffs. Besides, he has plenty of cash they say,
 
 94 BE U BEN APSLEY. 
 
 and if he plays at piquet, gleek, ombre, queen 
 Nazareen, lantiloo, bankfalet, passage, boast, or 
 hazard, shufRe-board or billiards, bowls or ten- 
 nis, he shall meet with a match here that will 
 soon make him show the colour of his city gold. 
 Whoop ! tally-ho ! to cover ! to cover ! we '11 
 rout him out, unkennel the old fox, bag him 
 up safe, bring him in triumph to the Rookery, 
 and turn him out in the dining-room, before a 
 full field of sportsmen." 
 
 " My dear Marmaduke !" said the Squire's 
 sister, a fine blushing girl with bright black 
 eyes and a profusion of jetty ringlets, " you are 
 always so precipitate: Mr. Goldingham may 
 prove to be a personage whom it would be quite 
 unworthy to treat in this manner, and I am de- 
 cidedly of opinion that you ought to wait." 
 
 " And what say you. Old Nick .?" cried the 
 Squire, turning to one of his guests, whose sod- 
 den, ghastly, time-worn features, and crafty- 
 looking, though fixed and lustreless eye, seemed 
 to render the name by which he was addressed 
 not altogether inapplicable. 
 
 •" Since he has got the darby, the rhinoj let
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 95 
 
 US have him by all means," was the reply given, 
 in a hoarse, husky voice; " if he is bubble-able 
 I warrant I '11 sooa make my pocket acquainted 
 with the clink of his megs." 
 
 Among the Squire's guests present at this 
 conversation was Sir Ambrose Jessop, a mem- 
 ber of Parliament, a great orator, but a con- 
 siderably greater bore in the House ; a prig 
 and a solemn coxcomb every where. With a 
 selfish timidity he generally withdrew whenever 
 his vote would have been of real consequence to 
 either side, and upon common occasions evinced 
 a benevolent anxiety to conciliate both parties, 
 by speaking for one and voting for the other. — 
 By this constant dependance upon his own pal- 
 try apprehensions, he aspired to the reputation 
 of an independent member, while in private life 
 he sought to secure esteem by being of every 
 body's opinion but his own, and to command 
 respect by doling out his sententious indecisions 
 in pompous alliterations: " Before this question 
 is decided,"" he exclaimed, rising up ver}'^ for- 
 mally from his chair, " I wisli to offer a few 
 words on the subject. Though I completely
 
 96 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 coincide with my fair friend on the right, that 
 there are very obvious objections to any very 
 intimate intimacy with the party in question ; 
 yet, God forbid ! that in a commercial country 
 like this, I -should prohibit the privileges of so- 
 ciety to any one, simply for being deficient in 
 descent and of poor parentage. I am most 
 happy to harmonize with our hospitable host in 
 many of his remarks, while it affords me .singu- 
 lar satisfaction to subscribe to the sentiments of 
 the respected young lady on the left, as to the 
 Heedlessness of any necessity for particular pre- 
 cipitation." 
 
 During the delivery of this empty exordium, 
 the party addressed by the name of Old Nick, 
 who, in spite of his years affected to play the 
 wag, placed himself behind the orator, put a 
 handkerchief hastily around his head, and pre- 
 tending to fall fast asleep, nodded in accord- 
 ance with the measured cadence of the speaker ; 
 while the Squire himself, who dreaded nothing 
 worse than *hese long-winded harangues, sud- 
 denly cried out, " Question ! question !" and 
 slapping his friend roughly on the back, ex-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 97 
 
 claimedj " Zooks ! Sir Ambrose, you are in the 
 Rookery, not the House of Commons : we all 
 perfectly coincitW in all that you were going to 
 say, for we know that you meant to agree with 
 every individual present, and so we may as well 
 put the question to the vote at once. All you 
 who are of opinion that the candle-dipper should 
 dine at the Rookery on Wednesday next, hold 
 up your hands ; on the contrary, yours. The 
 ayes have it ; so Nick, prepare to act as our am- 
 bassador. Icod ! we'll have rare work with the 
 old fox when we can fairly give the view-holla. 
 Hey ! whoop ! tantivy ! yoicks ! tallyho ! Sink 
 me if I was ever in such prime spirits in all my 
 life. — Haugh ! iiaugh ! haugh !" 
 
 The betraying tone of this forced merriment, 
 and the haggard look that instantly succeeded 
 to the flash of laughter, belied his assertion ; but 
 it passed muster with all his auditors except his 
 sister, who only noticed it with a sigh ; the rest 
 presently dispersed in pursuit of their respective 
 amusements, and the deputed messenger, after 
 promising the party to make fine sport with 
 the queer old prig, set off to execute his mission. 
 
 VOL. I. !•'
 
 98 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 Nicholas Chinnery, the ambassador in ques- 
 tion, better known in London by the diminutive 
 of old Nick, having long ago ruined himself by 
 gaming, now prowled about his old haunts for 
 the purpose of ruining others. For some time 
 he had been a bolter of Alsatia, as it was termed, 
 that is to say, one who made occasional sorties 
 from the debtor's sanctuary of White Friars, 
 and fled back to that refuge when close pressed 
 by the bailiffs. Latterly he had become a ta- 
 vern rook, looking out for culls and bubbles, 
 whom he generously offered to treat with a 
 pottle of sack, if he thought he could entice 
 them to try their luck at dice, of which he 
 always carried a bale in each sleeve of his coat, 
 well prepared for his purpose, whether it was 
 expedient to use High Fullams or Low Fullams. 
 Much of the slang he had picked up in Alsatia 
 he still retained in his familiar dialect ; he could 
 croak a smutty song upon occasion, he was an 
 adept at the low pastime of dumfounding and 
 selling bargains, and set himself up for a bit of 
 a mimic and buffoon — a combination of qualities 
 which had appeared to the Squire so well cal-
 
 BEUBEN AFSLEY. 99 
 
 culated to keep up his flagging spirits, and 
 cheer the tedium of the country out of the 
 sporting season/that he had given him an invi- 
 tation to the Rookery. 
 
 It was Nick's full intention to perform his 
 promise by " bamboozling the old codger pro- 
 perly,"" but one penetrating look from Isaac's 
 large stern eye convincing him that there might 
 be some danger in the experiment, while, from 
 the absence of witnesses, there would be little 
 glory, even in its success, he proceeded at once 
 to unfold the purpose of his visit. The little 
 treaty which he came to negociate proved to be 
 much more difficult of accomplishment than he 
 had anticipated. Disdaining to truckle to aris- 
 tocratical prejudices, which he despised, Gold- 
 inffham had determined never to make the first 
 visiting overtures in his own person, and to 
 exact from those who sought his acquaintance 
 a rigorous compliance with etiquette. All diffi- 
 culties, however, being at last removed, it was 
 only necessary to know the geographical position 
 of the Rookery. 
 
 " Your coachman is well acquainted with the 
 
 F 2
 
 100 REUBEX APSLEY. 
 
 road," said Chinnery ; " it is merely a pleasant 
 drive of eight or nine miles along the coast. 
 You turn out of the high road by the turnpike, 
 go along by the edge of the Chalk Pits, down 
 Slopperton Lane, and so on by Abbotsbury Cliffs 
 till you see the Rookery down in the valley." 
 
 " I don't much like the sound of it," said 
 Goldingham, shaking his head. " I suppose the 
 road is neither watched nor lighted. Ah ! Lon- 
 don is the place for that — 1 have little fancy 
 for Cliffs, and Chalk Pits, and Slopperton Lanes. 
 — Is there no other way ?" 
 
 " You may go round by the sands, if it 's 
 low water, and so up Seaford Gap." 
 
 " Worse and worse," cried Goldingham ; " to 
 be nabbed perhaps by tlie tide as I 'm coming 
 home, floated ashore next morning, and my 
 body found by some poor shrimp-woman, half 
 covered with sand, an oyster-shell in my mouth, 
 and a bit of sea-weed in my hand !" 
 
 " You will be perfectly safe by the high 
 road," resumed Chinnery, " for it is the night 
 of the full moon." — This fact being verified by 
 a reference to Lilly ""s Ephemeris, and Timothy,
 
 KEUBEN ArSLEY. 101 
 
 who was expressly summoned on the occasion, 
 havinsf declared that he could almost find the 
 way blindfold, the invitation was at length ac- 
 cepted, and Chinnery took his departure. 
 
 Upon this approaching dinner, however un- 
 important an occurrence in itself, the inmates 
 of the Rookery now fixed their attention Avith 
 the childish impatience of those listless London- 
 ers in the country who are delighted to fasten 
 their minds upon any future event, as a sort of 
 windlass by which they may drag themselves for- 
 ward through the intervening time. Punctuality 
 was one of the cardinal virtues with Goldingham, 
 who carried this feeUng to such a nicety that he 
 held it nearly as culpable to be before the time 
 as after it. In a ride of eight or nine miles it 
 was difficult to be scrupulously exact, but as 
 Timothy always drove at the same jog trot, 
 and had frequently timed the distance upon 
 former occasions, they had the good fortune to 
 arrive at the entrance to the Squire''s grounds 
 about seven minutes before the appointed hour. 
 At this moment the coachman, who had petted 
 and pampered his old horses till they were as
 
 102 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 fat as aldermen, observed one of them to be 
 chafed by a buckle, and got down from the box 
 to set it right. 
 
 " You may as well leave this till we reach 
 the house," said Goldingham, holding his watch 
 close to his large poring eye ; '* it wants but 
 seven minutes, and I should not wish to be after 
 my time." 
 
 " Like enough, like enough," answered Ti- 
 mothy, pulling at the buckle ; " but I don't 
 care much about it myself. By my troggs ! if 
 your back was galled like poor Ruperfs, you'd be 
 glad to wait till your hurry was over." At these 
 words he took a clasp knife from his pocket with 
 which he proceeded very deliberately to cut at the 
 leather, that he might adjust it to the buckle; 
 and Goldingham, who knew by experience that 
 he was not to be put out of his way either by 
 scolding or coaxing, employed himself in taking 
 a survey of the house. 
 
 " The Rookery !" he exclaimed aloud ; *' why 
 have they given it that name, I Avonder ?" 
 
 " I should have thought any doddipate might 
 have guessed the reason o' that," said Timothy,
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 103 
 
 as if the question had been addressed to him ; 
 " why, because there was a rookery all along the 
 front of it, to be sure." 
 
 '■' And prythee, what has become of it, saucy 
 fellow ?" inquired Goldingham with some anger. 
 
 " Why, the rooks have flown right away with 
 it," replied Timothy, tugging at the buckle. 
 
 " Sirrah ! if you cannot speak without this 
 impertinent waggery, please to hold your 
 tongue : when I want some one to play the fool 
 for me, I need not apply to my own coachman." 
 
 " True enough, 'cause you may apply to your 
 own self,"" muttered Timothy. " Why, I told 
 you nothing but the truth ; the rooks have flown 
 away with it, the bully-huffs and the biters, the 
 sharpers and the tricksters, that shake their 
 elbows and rattle the dice, those are the rooks 
 that have made the Squire's purse cast its 
 calf, and have flown away with the rookery. 
 You may see the stumps of the trees all round 
 about you." 
 
 " What ! all cut down to pay gambhng 
 debts ?" ejaculated Goldingham ; " I wish the 
 knaves that brought this ruin upon tlie place
 
 104« REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 had been hung on the tallest of the trees before 
 the Squire cut them down ; and if all the villains 
 concerned in the Popish plot and the murder of 
 Sir Edmundsbury Godfrey had been swinging 
 by their side, I should not desire to see better 
 fruit hanging from a bough. Such a respectable 
 looking old house, too !" 
 
 The building to which this epithet had been 
 applied, and which Goldingham had abundant 
 leisure to survey while Timothy was twiddling 
 with his buckle and strap, exhibited a succession 
 of gable ends, surmounted with pinnacles, and 
 edged with mouldings of oak, whose carved 
 work had been all worn away and rounded by 
 the hand of Time. Moss and lichens had spread 
 over the sand-stone roof till it resembled the 
 thatch of an ancient barn, the massy twisted 
 red-brick chimneys seemed crumbling together 
 with age, and the upper floor, whose heavy 
 beams terminated in carved heads, looked as if 
 it would crush tlie lower story over which it 
 projected. Large tin spouts jutted out at un- 
 equal distances from the top, so as to inundate 
 all those who should approach within ten feet
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 105 
 
 of the walls during a shower ; but, as if to re- 
 move any inhospitable notions that they might 
 awaken, a row of earthenware martin-coops ran 
 along under the eaves, in proof that even ihe 
 birds of passage, the travellers of the air, were 
 provided with a lodging the moment they 
 claimed the shelter of the roof. An ancient 
 pear-tree, trained so as to run round the pro- 
 jecting diamond-paned windows, might, from the 
 solidity of its timber, have been almost thought 
 to uphold the building rather than to be sup- 
 ported by it ; while a massy dove-house at one 
 extremity Avore the air of a huge buttress plant- 
 ed there for the purpose of strengthening the 
 whole pile, rather than that of rearing pigeons. 
 A bowling-green with its summer-house and 
 smoking-room extended along the front of the 
 mansion, which was connected by a whole vil- 
 lage of outbuildings with tlie farm-yard. Here 
 was the dog-kennel for the hounds, whose disso- 
 nant baying, mixed with the almost incessant 
 thumping of flails, and the various cacklings of 
 poultry, was deemed no unpleasant music by 
 the owner of the Rookery. Every granary and 
 
 r 5
 
 106 
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY, 
 
 barn door, thickly studded with impaled pole- 
 cats, weasels, stoats, and other destroyers of the 
 game, showed the activity of the warfare carried 
 on against those four-footed poachers; and a 
 spacious warren stretching round the orchard at 
 the back of the premises, attested that when 
 nobler sport was not to be had, the Squire 
 would condescend to shoot rabbits, or even hunt 
 them with ferrets. 
 
 Leaving Goldingham for the present, alter- 
 nately gazing at the house, or looking at his 
 watch with an increased impatience which was 
 not in any degree participated by the slow and 
 imperturbable Timothy, we shall request the 
 reader to enter the low hall, hung round with 
 fowling-pieces, powder-belts, stags' horns, foxes' 
 brushes, and other sportsman's trophies ; to 
 pass the shuffle-board table at one end — to tra- 
 verse the parlour, furnished with high-backed, 
 leather-bottomed chairs, and an antique oak 
 cabinet in every corner — to ascend the stairs; 
 then to go along a passage, and down three 
 steps, and finally to let us pilot him into the 
 drawing-room, where, before a long narrow
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 107 
 
 glass fixed in the pannel, Sir Harcourt Slings- 
 by, a new guest at the Rookery, stood combing 
 his periwig ; a practice not a little inconsistent 
 with modern notions of politeness, especially be- 
 fore ladies and a roomfull of visitants, although 
 it was an established habit Avith the beaus and 
 exquisites of that aera. Of these fashionable 
 flutterers about the court and the circles of high 
 life, Sir Harcourt, who had many imitators but 
 no rival, was the avowed leader ; a pre-emi- 
 nence universally conceded to him not less on 
 account of his fine figure and splendid fortune, 
 than the tasteful modishness of his attire, and 
 the polished urbanity of demeanour which 
 shone through all the fopperies of his discourse 
 and dress, preposterous as they sometimes were. 
 " May I be freckled !" he exclaimed to some 
 of the by-standers, while he insinuated his 
 comb into the hair, passed it along the surface 
 of his wig, and looked tenderly at it with his 
 head on one side, " if it be not the prettiest 
 periwig in Christendom. Chedreux ! it will 
 immortalize thee — it is thy chef-d'oeuvre, and 
 ought for ever to remain as it is now, unvisitcd
 
 108 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 by the wind, and unprofaned by a hat. No 
 flax was ever whiter ; and what a beauty there 
 is in a fair wig ! How well it sets off my dark 
 eye-brows ! (by the by, I have brought them 
 into fashion ; nothing will go down this season 
 but black brows,) — ah ! how delicately a blonde 
 peruque shows off against these dark curtains ! 
 May those in the dining-room be a shade 
 deeper ! though, after all, nothing can relieve it 
 better than the chocolate colour which I have 
 chosen for the lining of my new French calash. 
 Ahf mon cher .'" he continued as the Squire en- 
 tered the room in a dress suit. I give you joy 
 — I see you have published a new coat, and 
 may I be pimpled if it be not of a passable de- 
 vice, and praiseworthy cut." 
 
 " Whoop ! Sir Harcourt, why, you have 
 never turned round to look at it yet." 
 
 " There 's no occasion, mon cher, for I can 
 see it in the glass, and still correct the eccen- 
 tricities of these two or three truant hairs. Tell 
 me, Squire, didst ever see a sweeter peruque ? 
 Not a curl in it — I have exploded them for 
 , ever, but every line softly flowing and waving
 
 REUBEN AFSLEY. 109 
 
 up and down like the undulations of a summer 
 sea. There ! it is finished and faultless, and 
 now, mon dier,-que je femhrasse — let me kiss 
 thee, for thy coat is jaunty and piquant." 
 
 Stretching out his head as far as possible so 
 as to avoid the smallest derangement of his sa- 
 cred peruke, he kissed the cheek of the Squire, 
 who exclaimed, " I don't know whether your 
 wig be of such a rare breed as you pretend, 
 but sink me ! if I ever saw six such clean long- 
 tailed nags as you have got to your calash. 
 Fifty to twenty I match the peruque six times 
 over before you produce such another set of 
 horses in all England. Your off wheeler is un- 
 commonly like my black gelding Skyscraper. 
 Where the devil did you pick him up ?" 
 
 " May I be visited by the chicken rash ! if 
 I can tell you. I merely order my people to 
 procure for me whatever is most rare and 
 unique, and not to trouble their heads about 
 the expense." 
 
 " You boast of your peruque," resumed the 
 Squire, " but the newest fashion about you is 
 your speech. When I left l^ondon you drawl-
 
 110 REUBEN AFSLEY, 
 
 ed and stretched out the letter A as if you were 
 lotli to part with it, and talked as broad as a 
 Scottish gardener," 
 
 " Run me through ! Squire, if I could stick 
 to it any longer after it came down to that sorry 
 rogue Titus Gates. I was standing beside him 
 when he said to my Lord North, " Maay 
 Laird Chaife Jaistaice, whay this baisness of 
 Baidlaw caims to naithaing," and I instantly 
 forswore the North country drawl, and intro- 
 duced the French lisp. This too being soon 
 profaned by vulgar mouths, I abandoned it, 
 and had actually some thoughts of speaking 
 simply and naturally ; but it was held to be 
 too daring an innovation, too great an afi'ecta- 
 tion of singularity, so that I am obliged to be 
 somewhat foppish and fantastical in my oaths, 
 for fear of being set down for a coxcomb. — 
 Let me blood ! Squire, if your cravat be not 
 most villainously disposed ; why entrust an 
 affair of such importance to an Englishman .'' 
 We have no native artists in this line. My 
 man Guillioteaux was had over from Paris on 
 purpose, and does nothing else."
 
 KEUBEN APSLEY. Ill 
 
 " Whoop ! Sir Harcourt, I always tie it my- 
 self : you can never make a fop of a fox-hunter." 
 
 " My dear Squire, if you were to break your 
 neck to-morrow, it would surely be a consola- 
 tion to have a tasteful cravat round it — to fall 
 like Caesar, and die in a becoming manner. 
 Life is uncertain, and }ou have two other du- 
 ties to perform which should not be neglected 
 for a single moment — you should get ruffles 
 of Spanish point instead of Venice, and change 
 this horridly unbecoming glass. You stout 
 fellows are so fond of mirrors that make one 
 look thin." 
 
 " Yoicks ! tantivy ! tally-ho !" roared the 
 Squire, as he saw Goldingham's carriage draw 
 lup to the door ; " we have unkennelled the old 
 fox ; lay on the dogs, my lads and lasses, and 
 let us start him for a good day's sport." At this 
 exclamation the company betook themselves to 
 the window, not a little amused at the sight of 
 Timothy, with his beard and trunk hose, the 
 corpulent coach-horses smoking with their exer- 
 tions, the old-fashioned vehicle, and the still 
 more antiquated appearance of its proprietor.
 
 112 REUBEN APS LEY. 
 
 Having made the party for the express purpose 
 of " showing up the old badger," as he termed 
 it, and turning his new guest into ridicule, the 
 Squire began the sports of the day by intro- 
 ducing him with a mock ceremoniousness to 
 each individual present, as Mr. Isaac Golding- 
 ham, of Goldingham Place, which words he took 
 every opportunity of repeating, till the room 
 seemed to echo with no other sounds. Most of 
 the company found it difficult to repress a 
 smile as they returned the formal salutations 
 of the new visitant, but Sir Harcourt was not 
 to be betrayed into any departure from his 
 uniform politeness. His low and graceful bow 
 occasioning the ends of his periwig to fall for- 
 w^ard, he gave his head a tender shake as he 
 arose, like a water-spaniel emerging from the 
 wave ; and casting down his eyes for a moment, 
 to see that every thing had fallen into its pro- 
 per place, he resumed the gracious expression 
 of his countenance, and recovered the becoming 
 attitude in which he had been previously stand- 
 ing. 
 
 " A most singulai'-looking personage, is he
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 113 
 
 not?" whispered Lady Crockatt, who, in spite 
 of all her protestations to the contrary, had 
 joined the party, thougli she still kejjt her smell- 
 ing-bottle to her nose. 
 
 " I was not, like ray friend Sunderland," re- 
 plied Sir Harcourt, " so fortunate as to see 
 my Lord Keeper Guilford riding upon the 
 rhinoceros ; but I hold myself well indenmified 
 by witnessing the arrival of Mr. Goldingham 
 and his equipage. I consider him altogether a 
 very curious lusus natura?, and one that would 
 make a rare addition to Ashmole's Museum, at 
 Lambeth, though I believe he does not admit 
 live specimens." 
 
 As Lady Crockatt was the only person, ex- 
 cept Chinnery, with whom Goldingham had 
 made anv previous acquaintance, he now inter- 
 rupted her whispering by inquiring the state of 
 her health, expressing a hope that the pain in 
 her side had abated, congratulating her on her 
 improved appearance, and not forgetting to ask 
 after Cynthia. The magic of this inquiry, and 
 the chance of a fresh listener, just as the last 
 of the old ones had been used up, immediately
 
 114 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 reconciled her to her new acquaintance, spite of 
 his odious associations, and elevated him into 
 a confident of her complaints. 
 
 While her ladyship was indulging her usual 
 hospital strain, Chinnery who had covertly 
 possessed himself of Goldingham's flat three 
 cornered beaver, took a chair behind him, and 
 placed it upon his own head, a piece of buf- 
 foonery which was received with such a bois- 
 terous shout of laughter by the Squire, and a 
 half suppressed tittering by other portions of 
 the company, that Goldingham looked round 
 to discover the cause of their merriment, when 
 the purloiner of the hat adroitly slipped it 
 behind his chair, began rubbing his chin with 
 infinite gravity, and seemed to be lost in a deep 
 reverie. Fresh laughter accompanied this rapid 
 transformation, and Chinnery, encouraged by 
 success, thought he might venture an attempt at 
 dumfoiindirig the old gentleman. This pastime, 
 which was a practical joke, then in high repute 
 with the wags and witHngs, consisted in giving 
 some unsuspecting party a smart rap between 
 the shoulders, with such dexterity that he
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 115 
 
 should be unable to discover to whom he was 
 indebted for the favour. Providing himself 
 with a small stick for the purpose, the operator 
 inflicted a severe blow upon Goldinghara's back, 
 who turning suddenly round with some wrath 
 and greater amazement, saw nobody behind 
 him but Lady Crockatt, fanning herself with 
 one hand and holding her smelling-bottle in the 
 other. All joined in the laugh occasioned by 
 the angry and bewildered look of the sufferer, 
 except Sir Harcourt, who refrained from a sense 
 of politeness, and Sir Ambrose Jessop, who 
 was fearful of giving offence to so stern-looking 
 a personage. 
 
 Sir Ambrose had attired himself for the 
 party with his usual finical formality. One of 
 the knots of his tye wig hung over his shoulder, 
 his fringed cravat was elaborately twisted down 
 his breast, and the end drawn through a gold 
 edged button-hole, and no spindle-shanked prig 
 of a gentleman- usher ever stood more bolt up- 
 right, or drew on his long laced glove with a 
 more solemn countenance. While he was thus 
 occupied, Chinnery, meaning to kill two birds
 
 116 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 with one stone, gave Goldingham a second 
 blow, in such a direction that it seemed impos- 
 sible to have proceeded from any one but the 
 Baronet, to whom the assaulted party accord- 
 ingly bristled up with much fierceness, exclaim- 
 ing — " Sir, it may not be safe for you to repeat 
 this joke ; I neither understand such treatment, 
 Sir, nor am I in the humour to submit to it 
 Sir ; — hem !"" 
 
 The utter consternation of Sir Ambrose at 
 his being supposed capable of such an out- 
 rage, the agony with which he disclaimed it, 
 although he was afraid to inculpate the reul 
 perpetrator, combined with the incredulous ex- 
 pression of Isaac*'s fiery countenance, who stared 
 at him as if he would run him through with 
 his eye, aggravated the Squire's laugh into a 
 mixture of shrieking and coughing, and excited 
 the risible faculties of some of his guests in a 
 manner almost equally vehement. Hitherto 
 Chinnery had been successful, but his third at- 
 tempt was not destined to be equally fortunate. 
 Goldingham's watchful glance caught the up- 
 lifted stick, and in a moment after his horn-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 117 
 
 headed cane, which he had retained in his 
 hand, fell upon the sconce of the offender, Avith 
 a crack that made the room echo, accompanied 
 by an exclamation of — " I suppose the joke is 
 to go round, Mr. Chinnery, so I may as well 
 take my turn." 
 
 The discomfited wag, who was now fain to 
 supply laughter to the company at his own ex- 
 pense, felt no disposition to continue his fa- 
 vourite game of dunijoimding, and was not at 
 all sorry when the announcement of dinner put 
 an end to the boisterous raillery of the Squire. 
 
 With the amiable motive of annoying Lady 
 Crockatt as much as possible, the Squire placed 
 her close to Goldingham ; Sir Harcourt Slings- 
 by, who had been invited to the Rookery, in the 
 double hope that he might lose his money freely 
 at play, and perhaps form an attachment to 
 Emily, tlie Squire's sister, was of course seated 
 next to her at the top of the table ; a place in 
 which he adjusted himself with infinite compla- 
 cency, when he observed that a dark curtain 
 immediately behind, relieved his blonde periwig 
 in a manner that would have left nothing to
 
 lis REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 desire, even if Lely or Kneller had found him 
 in that position, and were about to paint his 
 portrait. Chinnery was stuck at the bottom, to 
 assist his host ; Sir Ambrose, Mrs. Chatsworth, 
 and others, to whom we have not thought it 
 necessary to introduce the reader, arranged 
 themselves as accident dictated. 
 
 Smarting for the chastisement he had received 
 in the drawing-room, Chinnery now launched a 
 succession of miserable jests allusive to Gold- 
 ingham's imagined trade, which were received 
 by the Squire with a cackle of huge delight ; 
 though the slang language in which they were 
 conveyed, and his perfect ignorance of the im- 
 plied joke, occasioned them to pass unnoticed 
 by the party against whom they were levelled. 
 The founder of the feast began at length to fear 
 that he should be disappointed in the sport he 
 expected from his guest's vulgarity, never hav- 
 ing reflected that the same shrewdness which 
 had distingui.shed him in one sphere of life, 
 would quickly enable him to adapt himself to 
 any other ; and that the basis of good manners 
 is good sense. With all his peculiarities, there
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 119 
 
 was a tact about Isaac that saved him from 
 committing himself; so that the Squire, finding 
 the ladies had ^vithdrawn without his having 
 elicited from his visitor a single awkwardness or 
 eccentricity, determined to make a beast of him, 
 since he would not suffer himself to be made a 
 fool. He hoped, at all events, so to fluster him 
 with wine that he might be tempted to try his 
 luck at cards or dice, having already marked 
 him for a rich culiy whom it would be most 
 desirable to pluck. 
 
 " Whoop ! yoicks ! tantivy !"" roared the 
 Chairman ; " now that the petticoats have left 
 us, we'll show you, master Goldingham, how we 
 West-of-England lads tipple our claret, and 
 prove the truth of the old song : 
 
 ' The Sun goes to tipple all night in the cea, boys ; 
 
 To-morrow he '11 rise and be paler than we, boys : 
 
 Give us wine, give him water, — 'tis sack makes us 
 
 the boys. 
 
 With a fa, la, la, la, lero !' 
 
 Roper ! bring us a magnum of claret, clean 
 glasses, and the ]\Ionteith. We have an old 
 custom at the Rookery, neighbour Goldingham,
 
 120 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 to which I am sure you will not object : we 
 always begin our claret by tossing off an extra- 
 sized glass, our royal rummer as we call it, to 
 the King's health, with three huzzas." 
 
 " I never drink claret," said Goldingham : 
 " owing to the kind challenges of yourself and 
 friends during dinner, I have already taken 
 more than my usual quantity of wine, and 
 though I have no objection to express my good 
 wishes for his Majesty's health, I must decline 
 drinking it." 
 
 " Whoop ! man, this is a toast that is never 
 declined by Whig, Tory, or Trimmer. What ! 
 would you pass for a traitor, for a fanatic, for a 
 Muo-ffletonian, for one of Monmouth's faction, 
 or a retainer of Hans Mundungus, the Prince 
 of Orange ? It is the rule of the house, and 
 sink me, if I allow any shirker or flincher at the 
 Rookery." 
 
 " With regard to infringing the rules of the 
 house," observed Sir Ambrose, " the penalty 
 pronounced is precise and peremptory, and I feel 
 myself called upon to declare that the declining 
 to drink such a toast, although every man in this
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 121 
 
 free country is a sort of— hem ! a kind of — 
 haw — aw — " 
 
 " Curse him,- Squire," croaked Chinnery, 
 " don't suffer such an Abram cove to play the 
 counterfeit crank. If he were to refuse to booze 
 it at the George in White Friars, the Bear and 
 Harrow in Chancery Lane, the Setting Dog and 
 Partridge in Jackanapes Alley, or any of the 
 loyal houses in London, they would mill him 
 with a filch, or give him a worse Hose-Alley 
 salutation than Johnny Dryden's." 
 
 " Whoop ! Master Goldingham," cried the 
 Squire, " if you don't drink one bumper, we 
 shall fine you three ; ay, and make you swallow 
 them too : so 
 
 ' Lay by your cares, and hang up your sorrow. 
 Drink on — he 's a sot that e'er thinks of to-morrow.' " 
 
 During the whole of this vulgar attack, which 
 was coarsely echoed by some of the Squire's 
 rustic a.ssociates, Goldingham's obstinacy had 
 been gradually fortifying itself in resistance, 
 until the command of the King himself would 
 not have persuaded him to put the glass to his 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 122 
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 lips. With a stern countenance, that declared 
 ]ie had made up his mind to a purpose, and 
 meant to abide by it, he said to his host, " Mr. 
 Hartfield, I have told you my resolution ; it 
 is not to be altered by singing or brawling, 
 neither by your own angry looks, nor the fu- 
 rious clamour of your friends. The acquaintance 
 between us was of your seeking, not mine ; and 
 since it does not suit me to conform to the rules 
 of your house, I am very willing to leave it." 
 
 " Mr. Chairman," said Sir Ambrose, after 
 clearing his throat with a preliminary hem ! 
 " I rise to order." 
 
 *' It is high time," exclaimed Goldingham. 
 
 " I have a proposition to propose," continued 
 the Orator, ** upon which I wish to take the 
 sense of the company." 
 
 " Where the deuce will you find it?" in- 
 quired Isaac pettishly. 
 
 " Little did I think, and less did I imagine," 
 pursued the Parliamentarian, " that I should 
 witness such a scene as this. Completely coin- 
 ciding with our hospitable host, without, how- 
 ever, in the least inculpating his visitant "
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 123 
 
 " Lock the door, Chinnery!"" bawled the 
 Squire, observing that Goldingham was pre- 
 paring to withdraw, " Whoop ! sink me if he 
 shall quit the room unless by the window, till 
 he drinks the bumper. Yoicks, my lads ! stop 
 him, stop him, and support your chairman." 
 
 " My dear Hartfield," said Sir Harcourt 
 Slingsby, rising, " I cannot sit still and see you 
 act in a manner so inconsistent with the polite 
 and urbane coat that does such honour to your 
 taste. May the corner of my favourite eye ex- 
 hibit the crow's foot ! if I can allow this mat- 
 ter to go any further. I am sorry Mr. Gold- 
 ingham has such an objection to drink bumper 
 toasts ; but it must not be said that he suffered 
 any constraint or rude indignity, in the presence 
 of so many well-dressed gentlemen. It would 
 be an imputation upon their cloths, an impeach- 
 ment of their cravats and perriwigs,'" At these 
 words he opened the door, making a courteous 
 bow to Goldingham, who, as he passed out ex- 
 claimed, " Sir, you are a real gentleman, and I 
 shall he happy to do business with you, — to 
 see you, I mean, at Goldingham Place." The 
 
 G 2
 
 IS-t ttEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 wind of the closing door wafted after him a rich 
 perfume from Sir Harcourt's scented peruke, as 
 he passed up stairs into the drawing-room, whose 
 inmates had no reason to suspect that he had 
 been just engaged in such a Lapithaean strife. 
 His carriage, which had been ordered at an un- 
 usually early hour, was soon afterwards an- 
 nounced, and Goldingham took his departure 
 from the Rookery, after passing a most uncom- 
 fortable day, and without the least wish of ever 
 again crossing its threshold.
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 125 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 '• Yet love the city as the kindly nurse 
 Of all good arts and fair civility ; 
 Where, though vvitli good be intermixt the worse. 
 That most disturb our sweet tranquillity. 
 Content thyself till thine ability 
 And better hap shall answer thy desire : 
 But, Muse, beware, lest we too high aspire. 
 
 Henry Pkacham. 
 
 It may easily be imagined that the boisterous 
 vulgarity of the Squire, the low, boorish man- 
 ners of some of his companions, and the malig- 
 nant scandal of others, did not impress Gold- 
 ingham with any very exalted opinion of the 
 society to be found in the new neighbourhood 
 into which he had transplanted himself. It 
 was doing it a great injustice, indeed, to mea- 
 sure it by such a standard ; but as yet he had
 
 126 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 been afforded no other criterion, and he began 
 to think that the more elevated class with whom 
 he was destined to associate, unless he preferred 
 absolute solitude, supplied but sorry substitutes 
 for his old cronies in the City, who had for so 
 many years discussed with him, over a pipe at 
 Jonathan's, the latest news, the contents of the 
 Weekly Courant, the prices of Baltic produce, 
 and the truculent plots of the Papists. In 
 hoping to escape from his terrors upon the lat- 
 ter subject, by sequestering himself from their 
 presumed focus, the metropolis, he had been 
 woefully disappointed, for the dread of those 
 omnipresent but invisible assassins, was a na- 
 tional dehrium, which equally maddened every 
 hamlet in the empire. Unfortunately for 
 Isaac's peace of mind, his vicinity to the sea 
 brought him in contact with marauders and 
 smugglers, whose occasional signals and skir- 
 mishes were invariably attributed to a descent 
 from the Irish, coming to ravage the country 
 with fire and sword ; and although his Pro- 
 testant flail, and his silken panoply afforded him 
 some little consolation, he remembered, with 
 much trepidation of spirit, that in the hour of
 
 KKUBEN APSLEY. 127 
 
 need he could neither pop his head out of the 
 window and call the watch, nor send one of 
 his clerks to give information to the Lord 
 Mayor, as he might have done in the City. 
 
 The country, in short, after the bustle of 
 his settlement had a little subsided, no longer 
 appeared to him so fine an invention as he 
 had first pronounced it, and there was some- 
 thing so oppressive and even alarming in the 
 dead breathless silence of the night, when he 
 happened to be awake, that he longed for 
 the bawling of the watchmen, the rattling of 
 wheels, and the punctual chimes of the Royal 
 Exchange clock. There was really no sleeping 
 comfortably without some noise or other : the 
 idea that all the world round about him was 
 buried in deep repose, seemed to leave him 
 in such a forlorn and unprotected plight that 
 he could not close his eyes. Nor did the 
 days offer him such an uninterrupted suc- 
 cession of tranquil delights as he had fondly 
 anticipated. 
 
 Although his neighbours gradually began to 
 thaw from their frozen etiquette, as the ridicu- 
 lous rumour about his unsavoury business was
 
 128 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 refuted, and his commercial respectability fully 
 established ; and although several families of 
 some distinction found a pleasure in calling 
 upon him when they were absolutely at fault 
 what else to do, yet Goldingham now and then 
 found himself terribly at a loss to get through 
 the day, especially if it happened to be a rainy 
 one. He felt that a man who has been for 
 many years engaged in active absorbing pur- 
 suits, and conversant with busy bustling faces, 
 finds nothing so difficult to do as to do nothing, 
 and no company more irksome to be restricted 
 to than his own. Idleness, in fact, requires a 
 regular apprenticeship, and is seldom well per- 
 formed, except by those who are born and bred 
 to the business. — " Adzooks !"" he exclaimed 
 one day, as he soliloquised up and down his 
 gravel walk, " when one has stood upon 
 'Change, talked to brokers, and made one or 
 two hundred pounds of a morning, it is bad 
 enough to sit in a sunny field, prattle to butter- 
 cups and daffodils, and get nothing after all but 
 a cold. But what am I to do in the winter ? 
 when my neighbours are all shooting away Time
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 129 
 
 with their fowling pieces, or hunting him down 
 with dogs and horses ? — I can't perch upon a 
 gate and whistle Hke a blackbird, nor hop about 
 looking for crumbs like a robin redbreast, nor 
 squat down in the fern like a hare, nor stand in 
 the snow chewing the cud, like a cow, nor go to 
 bed like a dormouse, and tell Timothy to call 
 me next spring. Oh ! for a sleety morning at 
 Christmas ! give me the fire-side corner at Jona- 
 than's, with a fresh pipe, a pint of mull'd lamb's 
 wool, and the Weekly Courant. Green lanes 
 are certainly very pretty things, but one sadly 
 misses the foot-pavement, and the shops on each 
 side, and the lamps ; you can't hold up your 
 finger for a hackney-coach if caught in a shower, 
 nor call the watch and spring half a dozen 
 rattles in as many minutes, if any one threatens 
 to assault you. For the summer the country 
 may be a very ingenious contrivance ; but I shall 
 never be able to get through the winter here, 
 unless I have somebody to talk to besides Mrs. 
 Holmes and Timothy. Adzooks ! I don't know 
 which is the worst of the two, the one always 
 smiling and curtsying, and saying " Yes, Sir, 
 
 G 5
 
 130 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 certainly," before I have ever opened my lips, 
 though I hear her scoldino; hke a shrew the 
 moment she quits the parlour ; and the other a 
 saucy, superannuated old fool, who fancies him- 
 self a wag, and whom I shall send about his 
 business the moment I can supply his place. — 
 Talk of the country, indeed ! I should like to 
 know where there is such society as at the Ex- 
 change, such a garden as the Stocks'" market, 
 such ponds and decoys as in Leadenhall, such 
 parks for venison, without going a-hunting, as 
 in the cooks' shops in East Cheap. What I 
 have in the country they tell me is my own ; so 
 is that in London, so long as I have got money 
 to buy it. I wish Jemmy Tibbs the scrivener, 
 or Bat Hobson of the Russia Walk, would just 
 run down for a month or two when the bad 
 weather first sets in." 
 
 Just as he finished this desponding soliloquy, 
 Timothy came to announce to him that the little 
 grey pony, which he had purchased with the 
 other effects of the late General, was eating its 
 head off in the stable, and fallino; ill for want of 
 exercise ; declaring at the same time, in answer
 
 IIEUBEN APSLEY. 131 
 
 to his master's inquiries, that he was as quiet as 
 a lamb and as easy as an arm-chair, A cross- 
 breed between a lamb and an arm-chair, seemed 
 to Goldingham precisely the sort of animal upon 
 which he should like to commence his equestrian 
 experiments; and finding horsemanship a much 
 easier acquisition and pleasanter exercise than 
 he had anticipated, he frequently indulged in 
 it, to the benefit of his health as well as the 
 exhilaration of his spirits. Still, however, feel- 
 ing the want of a companion in these excursions, 
 as well as in the long evenings at home, it oc- 
 curred to him that he might at all events secure 
 the society of his nephew, Reuben Apsley, whom 
 he had not long before dispatched to Oxford to 
 complete the last term of his education. Eager 
 to grasp at any thing that promised to relieve 
 him from his ennui, and having been always 
 warmly attached to Reuben, whom he had now 
 resolved to adopt as his son and successor at 
 Goldingham Place, upon condition of his taking 
 the name, he immediately wrote to summon him 
 home ; giving such minute directions as to the 
 stage by which he should travel, and the route
 
 132 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 from the high road to the Lodge, that it re- 
 quired a very clear head not to be perplexed 
 and puzzled by his explanations. So satisfied 
 was he with this arrangement, and the precision 
 with which he had given his orders, that when 
 he had sealed his letter, he testified his compla^ 
 cency by his customary " hem !"" and almost 
 emptied his waistcoat pocket of its lumps of 
 sugar as he walked up and down settling future 
 plans for the joint occupation and recreation of 
 himself and Reuben. 
 
 It has already been shghtly intimated, that 
 his nephew's parents, together with his sister, 
 were presumed to have perished at sea ; the 
 vessel in which they embarked on their return 
 to Europe from the East Indies never having 
 been heard of, although many years had elapsed 
 from the time of their sailing. Circumstances 
 had induced the father to take his wife and 
 daughter with him, when his commercial affairs 
 rendered it necessary that he should visit the 
 East ; and to leave Reuben, who was consider- 
 ably younger than his sister, under the care of 
 his uncle Goldingham. As several vessels were
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 133 
 
 known to have perished in a dreadful hurri- 
 cane that swept the whole Indian ocean not 
 long after they sailed on their homeward 
 voyage, it was taken for granted that their 
 ship had foundered in the same tornado, and 
 that not a soul on board had been saved ; in 
 which conviction Gold ngham collected the re- 
 mains of his brother-in-law's fortune for the 
 benefit of his sole surviving child, whom he 
 thenceforward determined to treat as his own 
 son. 
 
 Reuben was a boy at the time of this pre- 
 sumed catastrophe, but not too young to know 
 and feel, even had his heart been less acutely 
 sensitive that it was, the full extent of his loss. 
 At no other period of his Hfe, perhaps, would 
 the same calamity have made an impression so 
 deep, desolating, and ineradicable, for at no 
 other time could it have produced so total a 
 change in his mode of existence. He was an 
 only son, beloved by both his parents with a 
 devoted ness so intense and passionate, that, like 
 the clinging ivy, they might have withered the 
 young plant around which their heart-strings
 
 134 REUBEN APSLEV. 
 
 were entwined, had not its native vigour ena- 
 bled it to bear up under their over-fond em- 
 braces without being warped or weakened. As 
 he could derive little assistance from his yet 
 undeveloped reason, it might be said that he 
 exhibited a constitutional rectitude in all his 
 propensities, as if he were naturally too amia- 
 ble to be spoilt, even by an injudicious indul- 
 gence. His intellectual capacity, however, was 
 not less strong than his affections, and indeed 
 it will be generally found that the higher and 
 more noble qualities of the head and heart ac- 
 company one another. From such a youth, so 
 gifted by nature, so endeared by his amiable 
 character, so precious from his being an only 
 son, his parents could not bear to part ; and 
 his father, well qualified for the task by his 
 having been always addicted to literature, took 
 the entire charge of his education. 
 
 Such was the delightful home, such the 
 scene of tenderness from which ileuben was 
 suddenly wrenched away, when his father's 
 commercial engagements compelled him to 
 make the voyage to India, in which it was
 
 REUBEN APSLEY, 135 
 
 deemed advisable that his wife and daughter 
 should accompany him. Reuben was sent to 
 school, at all times a trying disruption to boys 
 of the toughest temperament, and doubly dis- 
 tressing to one so susceptible as himself, who had 
 been hitherto fondled and cradled, as it were^ 
 in the very heart of his parents, and was thrown 
 into a large seminary at a period when such 
 institutions were governed with a severity still 
 more savage and wanton than that by which 
 too many of them are degraded even at the 
 present aera. His talents and good conduct 
 saved him from the ferocity of his task-mas- 
 ters, but he was perpetually revolted in all his 
 tastes, habits, and affections ; his heart, like an 
 unsupported vine, withered for want of some- 
 thing which it might embrace, and he was only 
 saved from despair by the single, sweet, and 
 almost redeeming consolation of the school- 
 boy, a certainty that every miserable day 
 brings him nearer to the holidays. At that 
 period he hoped at least to be able to con- 
 verse about his parents, perhaps to receive 
 tidings of them from others, or letters from
 
 136 
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 themselves, to evince his gratitude to his uncle — 
 at all events to enjoy a temporary release from 
 the almost intolerable hardships of his present 
 life. But even in this he was doomed to be 
 disappointed. Never having had children of 
 his own, Goldingham could little sympathize 
 with the feelings of a boy ; he had no wife to 
 take charge of him ; his house in Throgmorton 
 Street offered no recreations for a youth, whose 
 presence would only be a restraint upon him- 
 self, and he therefore determined to leave him 
 at school during the holidays. Perhaps there 
 is no situation in life more desolating, more 
 soul-subduing, than that to which Reuben 
 was now condemned — to take leave of all his 
 happy and clamorous companions — to see their 
 sparkling ecstatic countenances — to hear their 
 joyous huzzas as the last coach-load leaves the 
 gate, and then to turn back with streaming 
 eyes and an almost bursting heart into the 
 deserted school-room Avhere he is to pass his 
 solitary, forlorn, and cheerless holidays ! 
 
 Hope, however, was still at hand to comfort 
 him after the first ebullition of his grief; it was
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 137 
 
 but to protract the term of his emancipation, and 
 he could not be disappointed. His father had re- 
 peatedly declared, that his business in India could 
 be dispatched in a few months, and had as often 
 pledged himself to return at the earliest possi- 
 ble period. Part of this time had already elapsed, 
 every hour brought him nearer to that moment 
 of unutterable bliss when he should again em- 
 brace his parents and his sister, and he forgot 
 half the sufferings of the present, in delicious 
 anticipations of the future, like one who gazes 
 upon the distant sun until his dazzled eyes can 
 scarcely discern the objects by which he is im- 
 mediately surrounded. But when the dreadful 
 intelligence was communicated to him that his 
 whole family, all that he loved upon earth, and all 
 for which he wished to live, had perished toge- 
 ther, he was utterly overwhelmed by the blow, 
 under which he would probably have soon sunk, 
 but that there was still a glimmering of hope, a 
 possibility that his parents and sister might have 
 been shipwrecked upon some distant shore from 
 which they would ultimately return, and recon- 
 cile him to existence. To this belief he clung
 
 188 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 witli the stubborn tenacity of one who feels that 
 it is his only resource against total despair. 
 Every fresh arrival from the East, although it 
 confirmed others in the conviction that the un- 
 fortunate ship, with all its crew and passengers, 
 had foundered in the hurricane, was so far a con- 
 solation to lleuben that it brought no certain 
 account of their fate, and justified him in still 
 nourishing the fond expectation which was the 
 sole support of his heart. 
 
 Thus the years passed on Avithout throwing 
 any new light on the doom of his lost parents, 
 and without weakening the sanguine confidence 
 of their son as to their final restoration, al- 
 though the sickness of hope deferred imparted 
 to his character a mingled tinge of melancholy 
 and enthusiasm, which clung to him in after 
 life. It was known that the vessel intended to 
 touch at one of the islands in the Indian Ocean 
 for the purposes of traffic; — it was possible 
 that his parents might be prisoners or slaves 
 among the barbarous natives : — a ship that ar- 
 rived direct from the island in question, and 
 brought no confirmation of this surmise, did not
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 139 
 
 by any means root it out from his mind ; his 
 family might be pining on a different part of 
 the coast ; and he made a solemn compact with 
 his soul, that when he arrived to man's estate, 
 and the command of his fortune, he would em- 
 bark for the East Indies, and devote his pro- 
 perty, his time, his life, to an endeavour at 
 ascertaining their fate. If he succeeded, he 
 would for ever secure happiness to himself and 
 them ; if he perished in the attempt, there 
 would be little to regret, for life without them 
 offered but a dreary and uninviting prospect. 
 
 Every thing was now contemplated with a 
 reference to this object. Voyages and travels 
 in the East became his favourite reading. In 
 his studies, whether of classical or sacred history, 
 he lingered with a fond and yearning admiration 
 upon every instance of filial piety. His whole 
 heart journeyed with Telemachus as he wan- 
 dered through the world in search of his father 
 Ulysses, and in the Scriptures he found many 
 examples of a similar devotedness, that confirmed 
 him in his purpose, by elevating it into a reli- 
 gious duty. Even his senses were made minis-
 
 140 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 trant to this predominant feeling of his mind, 
 which occasionally urged him to a visionary and 
 romantic enthusiasm. He would spring from 
 his bed before day-break to catch the first ap- 
 pearance of the sun, as if, because it apparently 
 rose up from the Eastern hemisphere, it could 
 bring him tidings of his parents : it was at 
 least associated in his thoughts with that portion 
 of the globe in which he believed them to be 
 still existing, which was sufficient reason for 
 his gazing upon it with delight. Even the 
 blighting Eastern wind possessed the same at- 
 traction to his mind ; he would listen to it as it 
 sighed amid the trees, till he fancied he could 
 recognize the wafted voices of his father and 
 mother, and his sister, and the tears stole un- 
 consciously down his cheeks as he stood in 
 breathless ecstasy, devouring their imaginary 
 accents with his ear. Sometimes, as a cloud 
 sailed towards him from the same quarter of 
 the heavens, his overheated fancy would impart 
 to it the form of a stately ship, upon whose deck 
 he could distinguish the figures of his parents 
 stretching out their arms, and his sister leaning
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 141 
 
 over the side of the vessel till her hair fell for- 
 ward and became radiant in the sun-light, when 
 the enthusiastic - youth would lift up his arms, 
 and run forward to meet them, uttering a cry 
 of joy, which was quickly to be succeeded by a 
 gush of tears as the fond coinage of his brain 
 assumed some different configuration, or melted 
 into air. In vain did he ask the waves — 
 
 " And question every gust of rugged winds. 
 That blows from oflF each beaked promontory ; 
 They knew not of his story '' 
 
 And the baffled inquirer, unable to gather any 
 tidings from external nature, turned inwards 
 and sought refuge in his own affectionate bosom, 
 where he conjured up a delicious landscape of 
 some fair island of the East, beneath the shade 
 of whose palms and plantains, and in front of 
 the rude bower they had constructed for their 
 abode, he beheld the objects of his love, gazing 
 upon the blue and boundless sea, as they pas- 
 sionately exclaimed — " When, oh ! when, will 
 our own, our darling Reuben bend his bark 
 over the waters that imprison us, and restore
 
 142 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 US to liberty, to the world, but above all — to 
 himself." 
 
 In spite of the elucidations by which his 
 uncle had obscured the route in his written 
 instructions, Reuben found his way to Gold- 
 ingham Place in due time, and was warmly 
 welcomed by its proprietor. At this period his 
 form and features had thrown off much of their 
 boyish expression, and already indicated that 
 his approaching manhood would be one of great 
 comeliness and symmetry, although there was 
 a pensive, not to say a melancholy character 
 about his mouth, and his large dark eyes, which 
 was scarely consistent with his age, and seemed 
 to betray that he nourished some secret, patient- 
 ly endured grief. When his feelings, however, 
 were roused, his sparkling looks became ani- 
 mated with a fine enthusiasm, which occasion- 
 allv contrasting with, and relieving his habitual 
 sedate expression, invested his countenance with 
 a moral beauty, a thousand times more interest- 
 ing and winning than any that could have been 
 derived from the most faultless combination 
 of handsome features. Goldingham was really
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 143 
 
 delighted to see him ; his self-gratulating 
 " hems !" and the frequent applications to his 
 siigar-pocket, as 'he conducted him over the 
 house and grounds, attested his pleasure at 
 the arrival of a companion, who, if he could not 
 altogether dissipate the ennui, would at least 
 break the solitude of his rustication ; while 
 Reuben was not less pleased with his emancipa- 
 tion from a college life which had been render- 
 ed peculiarly irksome to him by his total want 
 of congeniality with the dissipated habits to 
 which the great majority of his brother colle- 
 gians devoted their time and talents. As his 
 uncle's active mind sought to exercise itself 
 upon whatever trifles were presented to it, 
 rather than remain unoccupied, he made an 
 amazing clutter about Reuben's arrival, ar- 
 ranging his bed-room and his sitting-room, and 
 fiixing up his book-shelves with his own hand, 
 and settling all the future plans by which they 
 were to bid defiance to the country, and stave 
 off the assaults of time, taedium, and Popish 
 plotters, both in summer and winter. 
 
 A fervent admirer of the beauties of nature.
 
 144 REUBEN AI'SLEY. 
 
 Reuben seized the first opportunity of escaping 
 from these domestic details, in which he felt 
 little interested, that he might explore the 
 neighbourhood in search of picturesque scenery; 
 and the thought of his lost parents, which was 
 ever the predominant one in his mind, especially 
 in his lonely wanderings, conducted him, almost 
 unconsciously, to the sea-shore. With an emo- 
 tion that sent a thrill through his whole frame, 
 he stood for the first time in his life beside that 
 mightly element, which, even as an ordinary 
 spectator, he could scarcely have contemplated 
 without feeling oppressed by a sense of its awful 
 and stupendous grandeur ; but which, after his 
 soul had been exalted by the sublimity of this 
 spectacle, melted his heart with tenderness and 
 grief, when he gazed upon it as the same mass 
 of waters that had floated his family from the 
 shores of England — the same earth-enclasp- 
 ing ocean of which the very waves that now 
 broke before him had, perhaps, foamed at the 
 feet of his lost parents on the opposite extremity 
 of the globe, and delighted their eyes, as they 
 now did his, with their sparkling gambols, and
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 145 
 
 lulled their ears, as they now did his, with the 
 murmur of their music. 
 
 For some time he stood gazing upon the 
 waters, lost in a variety of fond reveries, until 
 his thoughts reverting to the possibihty that the 
 remorseless deep which he was contemplating, 
 might have boomed over the heads of his lost 
 relatives, became too painful for endurance ; 
 the tears dimmed his eyes, and he hurried from 
 the spot. Striking rapidly inland, to escape from 
 a scene fraught with such distressino; associa- 
 tions, he wandered he knew not whither, until 
 his attention was at length aroused by the sin- 
 gular character of the scenery before him. The 
 road along which he was passing, wound down 
 with a rapid descent between rocky banks of 
 considerable height, whence a young larch, or 
 birch-tree, shot here and there in fantastic di- 
 rections ; the projecting ledge of earth where it 
 grew, seeming quite inadequate to its support, 
 tiiough the naked roots appearing underneath, 
 and clinging to every minute aperture and 
 cleft, as they crept downwards, explained the 
 real nature of the tenure by which it was up- 
 
 voL. I. a.
 
 146 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 held. At top, the banks were thickly tufted 
 with bushes, and at the termination of the little 
 ravine, a tree of larger size, having fallen across 
 from one summit of the bank to the other, had 
 Ijecome mantled over with wild flowers, weeds, 
 and ivy, which hung in festoons over the road, 
 the whole foreground forming a species of natu- 
 ral frame to a most picturesque and extensive 
 landscape, bounded by the ocean, which the eye 
 was enabled to command between the enclosing 
 rocks and the superincumbent tree. Reuben 
 had seated himself upon a craggy stone, to enjoy 
 this prospect, and was regretting that he had 
 not brought with him his drawing materials to 
 make a sketch of the scenery, when he heard 
 a strange and loud gabbling of tongues and 
 indistinct noises behind him. 
 
 From the winding of the road, it was some 
 time before he could discover the cause of this 
 hubbub, but at length he beheld a disorderly 
 kind of procession advancing towards him, 
 consisting of Norry Molloy in the custody of 
 two constables, followed by a rabblement of 
 men, women, and children, all clamouring to-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 147 
 
 gether, and vituperating the prisoner as a pa- 
 pist, and a witch ; while the rear was closed by a 
 poor idiot, arrayed in an old cocked hat, shoul- 
 dering a mopstick for a musquet, and exer- 
 cising the functions of a drummer as well as 
 a soldier, by marching with great vigour and 
 stateliness to the loud vociferation of his own — 
 " Rub-a-dub, dub ! rub-a-dub, dub !'' This 
 unhappy object presented the usual revolting 
 features of his class, his bulbous watery skull 
 projecting unnaturally at the forehead, over 
 large, lustreless, vacant, grey eyes, with white 
 lashes. He had no eyebrows ; his thin, coarse, 
 pig-coloured hair hung strait from the head, 
 his countenance exhibited that peculiar sheep- 
 ish imbecility which instantly marks the ab- 
 sence of reason, and his motions and attitudes 
 were either convulsed and automatic as he mi- 
 micked the military gait, or shambling and un- 
 gainly when he relapsed into his proper cha- 
 racter. 
 
 " Charley shot Norry Molloy," cried the 
 poor creature in a cracked half-infantine voice, 
 although he was of adult age ; " Charley shoot 
 
 H 2
 
 148 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 her again." At these words he shouldered his 
 mop-stick, levelled it at his object, and imitated 
 with a shout the report of a gun, when Norry 
 happening at the same time to raise her arm 
 which was streaming with blood, he burst into a 
 discordant cackle of laughter, as if he had ac- 
 complished his purpose, again shouldered his 
 wooden weapon, and resumed his march with 
 additional pomposity and energy. From the 
 scene before him, Reuben was at first inclined 
 to believe that the idiot had been committing 
 some desperate assault on the woman, and had 
 inflicted the wound upon her arm ; but as he 
 could not understand why she should be in cus- 
 tody for this misfortune, he joined the consta- 
 bles, and as he accompanied them on the road, 
 inquired the cause of her arrest. 
 
 Norry had been stationed in a boat, whence 
 a crew of her comrades, labouring in their old 
 vocation of smuggling, had just been landing 
 contraband goods, when they were unexpectedly 
 attacked by a party of Revenue officers, and 
 her son Michael, or Mick she called him, being
 
 REUBEN AP3LEY. 149 
 
 a little detached from the others, was thrown 
 down and made prisoner. At this sight she 
 seized a pistol in her right hand, jumped from 
 the boat, and swimming or wading to the beach 
 with her weapon in the air, shot one of her son's 
 assailants in the shoulder, and succeeded in 
 rescuing him from the other, though not before 
 she had herself received a severe wound in the 
 arm from a cutlass. Mick ran instantly to as- 
 sist his companions who were still engaged in 
 fighting, and his mother presently found her- 
 self separated from the rest of the party. She 
 would have regained the boat, but the men left 
 in charo;e of it, seeino; that their friends lower 
 down the beach were hard pressed and retreat- 
 ing, pulled away to receive them on board ; and 
 Norry finding her escape by sea cut off, had no 
 alternative but to betake herself to the land, 
 every hole and inlet and lurking-place of which 
 was familiarly known to her. Effecting her 
 retreat to one of these haunts, she bound up her 
 arm as well as she could with a fragment of her 
 garment, meaning to seize the first opportunity
 
 150 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 of crossing the Channel, and to remain on the 
 opposite coast till this unlucky rencontre should 
 have blown over. 
 
 The affair, however, had been too desperate 
 to allow of its being so easily hushed up. Several 
 of the assailants were badly wounded, particu- 
 larly the one whom she had disabled with her 
 pistol, and as it was known that she was 
 lurking about the country, a hue and cry was 
 raised, a reward was offered for her apprehen- 
 sion, and the parties who now held her in cus- 
 tody had succeeded in surprising her while she 
 was sleeping in a hiding place which she had 
 burrowed for herself in a stack of facrgots. — 
 While they were relating some of these particu- 
 lars to Reuben she marched on in a sullen doer- 
 ged silence ; but when they stated, in conclu- 
 sion, that the man she had shot was in a very 
 dangerous state, she burst out into a wild 
 triumphant laugh, exclaiming, " Ogh, then ! 
 I'm contint any how that I gave him his soup, 
 and wouldn't I be glad to trate the whole wid 
 the same sauce ? Blue blazes to him, and may 
 the divil have the picking of his bones ! Is it
 
 nEUBEN APS LEY. 151 
 
 me, Norry Molloy, that 'ud see the big baste 
 knaling upon my boy, and his slasher at his 
 throat, the negef, the same that fetched me 
 this wipe upon the arm ? Knaling upon Mick, 
 ma vournene, my jewel, my honey dear, and he 
 the only one left me out of five as tight lads 
 as ever stipped upon turf, let alone Mary that 's 
 married to the souldier." 
 
 " Have you then, my poor woman, been 
 so unfortunate with your children ?" inquired 
 Reuben. 
 
 " Ah, sure now !" replied Norry, who was 
 won by the evident interest he took in her fate, 
 and the compassionate expression of his fea- 
 tures, " wasn't there Dennis, it was he had the 
 voice like a bird, and would sing ye Sheela na 
 Gulragh, and Shannon Water, so as to coax 
 the very heart out of your ears? And wasn't 
 there Larry, his father's joy and mine too, that 
 I doated down upon, an ilegant lad that would 
 Ia])e a gate as clane as a greyhound, and didn't 
 they both go to the wars and die under the green 
 flag ? And wasn't there Patrick, the natest of 
 all, that stood six feet high when he was six-
 
 152 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 teen, and was kilt in the turn-out wid the 
 SulUvans ; and Tirence, the curly-headed gos- 
 soon, always laughing at the maily potatoe in 
 his hand, and the only one that died in his 
 moder's arms, and was waked, and buried da- 
 cent ? There they are now in the cowld ground, 
 all my childer but Mick and Mary, and may 
 be I '11 be soon going myself to lay my owld 
 bowns in the same bed."" 
 
 " Have you then no husband ?" inquired 
 Reuben. 
 
 "Is it Corny you mane ? Oh wirra ! wirra ! 
 poor sowl I poor sowl ! he lies long since in 
 the church-yard of Ballinderry — God's blessing 
 be wid him by day and by night !"" For some 
 moments she walked on in silence, lost in me- 
 lancholy reflections, and Reuben observed that 
 the muscles around her mouth were slightly 
 convulsed, while her eyes began to fill with 
 tears ; but she compressed her lips forcibly 
 together, swallowed down the rising emotion, 
 threw up her head, shook aside the grey locks 
 that hung over her weather-beaten features, 
 and as her whole face lighted up with exulta-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 153 
 
 tion, exclaimed in a tone of mingled tender- 
 ness and triumph, " But sure, haven't I Mick 
 left to me ? Ah, Mick, my darling, my own 
 honey dear, I got ye away any how from the 
 grip of the sharks, and maybe yell be sitting 
 at this same moment over a cropper of Nantz 
 singing Carlow Blossoms, or the Fair of Bal- 
 linacor. Yes, Mick, my jewel, I saw ye lape 
 into the boat and pull oif for the Greyhound, 
 and once ye boarded her, neither man nor divil, 
 barrin' the wind, would ever come up wid ye." 
 
 " For God's sake ! my good woman," cried 
 Reuben, taking out his pocket handkerchief, 
 " let me bind up your poor arm which is stream- 
 ing with blood." 
 
 " Good luck to you, master, and God incrase 
 you !" she replied ; *' but is it this blood I '11 be 
 caring for ? "Whisht ! be aisy now, be aisy ; 
 they may have all this if they like, for my 
 heart's blood is running in Mick, and I've saved 
 it every drop. Ye haven't a thimble-full of 
 it, ye cowardly rascals, that came vipon me 
 when I was asleep, draming that I was happy 
 wid my darlint, and going on a pilgrimage to 
 
 n 5
 
 154 KEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 Ballyvourney : neither ye nor the land sharks 
 upon the baich, for I marked that he hadn't 
 a stain upon his jacket. None of ye can show 
 the colour of his blood — and it was I that 
 saved him. Ha, ha, ha ! — it was I, Norry 
 Molloy, and is it like I '11 whimper and keen 
 about this little scratch upon my arm ?" 
 
 Relapsing after this ebullition of her feelings 
 into a sullen apathy, she suffered Reuben to 
 put a bandage round her wound, and in this 
 manner they proceeded without any other in- 
 terruption than the occasional " right !" " left !" 
 and "rub-a-dub, dub!" of Charley theskliot, 
 who continued his march with great perse- 
 verance and precision until they arrived at the 
 Green near the entrance to Goldingham Place, 
 of which we have already given a description. 
 As the evening was now advancing, it was in- 
 tended to secure her in the cage upon this spot 
 until the following morning, when they proposed 
 conducting her to the county gaol. They stopped 
 some little time at the Cricketers, both to obtain 
 the key of the cage fi-om the landlord, with 
 whom it was deposited, and to procure some
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 155 
 
 refreshment, of v/hich all parties were much in 
 need. Reuben prevailed upon the unfortunate 
 prisoner to take her share, and running with 
 all speed for the apothecary had her arm pro- 
 perly dressed, after which he saw her safely de- 
 posited in the little prison, and the key again 
 delivered to the landlord, who sapiently shook 
 his head and declared that he always predicted 
 Norry would come to a bad end, which, how- 
 ever, had never proved any objection to his 
 purchasing her smuggled commodities Avhen 
 they were to be had sufficiently cheap. 
 
 Leaving the Green covered with parties of 
 rural gossips talking over an occurrence which 
 had gathered the whole hamlet round about the 
 cage, while a dozen or two of ragged, curly- 
 y)olled children were scrambling up its wall, 
 contending for a peep at the prisoner througii 
 the little grated Avindow, Reuben walked slowly 
 home in a depressed and melancholy frame of 
 mind. This woman's conduct had made a pro- 
 found impression upon his feelings, which were 
 tremblingly alive to evei-y thing that touched 
 the affections between parents and children ;
 
 156 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 while his own orphan plight led him to sympa- 
 thise by anticipation Avith Mick, outlaw as he 
 was, should he be deprived of a mother who 
 doated on him with a devotedness so intense. 
 Seeing in her achievement a proof of courage 
 and maternal heroism to which the Romans 
 would have erected a statue, he could not re- 
 concile himself to the idea of her imprisonment, 
 still less of her punishment. His feelings in 
 fact got the better of his judgment, and having 
 convinced himself by his sensations, for the 
 question would not admit of argument, that it 
 was justifiable to attempt her rescue, he aban- 
 doned himself to the enterprise with all the 
 generous ardour and unreflecting precipitation 
 of youth. 
 
 The rustic inhabitants of the Green, and 
 even the more wakeful inmates of the Cricketers, 
 usually retired to rest at an eai'ly hour; but 
 to make assurance doubly sure, he thought it 
 Ijetter to w'ait till midnight before he began 
 his attempt. The night was so far favourable 
 to his design, that though the moon occasionally 
 emerged and threw a glare of light upon the
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 157 
 
 earth, it was almost immediately obscured by 
 dark masses of clouds that were hurried athwart 
 the sky by a stormy wind. Stealing silently 
 from the house with a small flask of spirits in 
 his pocket, which his humane consideration had 
 led him to provide for Norry's sustenance in her 
 flight, he cautiously approached the cage under 
 cover of the temporary darkness, when, as he 
 drew near the spot, a short gleam of moonlight 
 revealed to him what seemed to be a soldier 
 marching up and down before the door. Dis- 
 appointment and alarm taking possession of his 
 mind at this unexpected discovery, he retired 
 behind an adjacent building to hold a parley 
 with his thoughts as to the possibility of perse- 
 verino; in his design. With extreme reluctance 
 he had just decided upon abandoning it, at 
 least for the present, when the sounds " rub-a- 
 dub, dub ! rub-a-dub, dub !"" struck his ear, 
 and upon taking a more accurate survey of the 
 figure in question, he recognized the cocked hat 
 and the exao;2;erated strut of his morning's ac- 
 quaintance — Charley the idiot. 
 
 This was a welcome discovery, but still tliere
 
 158 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 mif;ht be considerable embarrassment in his 
 presence. He might own himself bound to 
 support the character he had assumed of a 
 soldier upon duty, and should he lend himself 
 to this delusion, his bodily strength, to say 
 nothing of his mopstick, or the means of raising 
 an alarm, rendered him a very formidable an- 
 tagonist. While pondering these points, Reuben 
 recollected that in their morning's halt at the 
 Cricketers, the landlord had given the idiot 
 half a glass of Nantz, which he had eagerly 
 swallowed, dancing and capering about witli 
 an extravagant glee. Hoping to obtain his 
 services by the same means which enabled 
 Trinculo to tame the monster of the En- 
 chanted Island, he advanced towards him 
 with the flask at his mouth, which no sooner 
 caught Charley's eye than he threw down the 
 mopstick, and ran towards him, exclaiming 
 " Nantz ! Nantz !" Reuben gave him a taste 
 as a sort of retainins^ fee, and then making 
 him understand that more was to be got, if 
 they could liberate the prisoner, he instantly 
 converted him from an imagined opponent, into
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 159 
 
 a zealous, and as it ultimately proved, a very 
 judicious co-operator. 
 
 A file with which Reuben had provided 
 himself, was now produced, and he set to 
 work with prodigious alacrity ; but however 
 easy it may be to cut througli a substantial 
 iron bar in theory, or in the pages of a 
 romance, he found it by no means so sim- 
 ple an operation in practice, his arm being 
 completely fatigued before he had made any 
 very perceptible impression upon the metal. 
 The prisoner herself was repeatedly summoned 
 to assist in the process, but no ansAver was re- 
 turned, and he was beginning to have most 
 unpleasant misgivings, both as to the cause of 
 her silence, and the chance of his ultimate suc- 
 cess, when he observed that Charley, who had 
 clambered up to the roof of the little building, 
 was very deliberately forcing off the tiles, and 
 throwing them down upon the grass. As this 
 seemed a much more hopeful method of pro- 
 ceeding, he climbed up to lend him a helping 
 hand, and in a few minutes by their joint 
 exertions an aperture was made of sufficient
 
 160 REUBEN AFSLEY. 
 
 magnitude to allow Reuben to let himself down 
 into the cage. 
 
 So complete had been the prisoner's exhaus- 
 tion, both from the length of the morning's 
 march, and the sleeplessness of the previous 
 night, that notwithstanding all the noises he 
 had been making, he found her extended upon 
 the floor in slumber, though the moonbeams 
 that now streamed through the open roof dis- 
 closed by the agitation of her features that 
 she was not undisturbed by dreams. — " Now, 
 Mick, now," she exclaimed in her sleep — " lape 
 into the boat, pull away for the skiff, ma 
 vournene; never fear the big brute with the 
 slasher — I've wing'd him any how — look how 
 he hangs his arm — Ha, ha, ha, ha !" 
 
 There was something so horrible in the sound 
 of this unnatural sleep-laughter, that Reuben 
 hastened to awake her, which he found con- 
 siderable difficulty in doing, and when she open- 
 ed her eyes, so as to recollect where she was, 
 without immediately knowing Reuben or his 
 purpose, she burst into a half frantic volley of 
 imprecations for being thus " interrupted in her
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 161 
 
 drames, and routed out like a brute baist at 
 that unsaisonable hour. May the curse of 
 Cromwell be upon ye !" she exclaimed, in a ma- 
 lediction that had probably reference to some 
 of her dreams, " may ye hear his trumpets, as 
 I did five-and-thirty years agone, and see his 
 big flag floating over the hill where ye were 
 born, and the word ' Emanuel' written upon it 
 in big letters of gowld sparkling in the sun, and 
 his sowldiers setting fire to your cabin, and cut- 
 ting down your father with their swords !" At 
 this moment she recognized Reuben, who had 
 no sooner stated his friendly intentions than the 
 whole malignant character of her face vanished 
 at once : she started up rapidly upon her knees, 
 and with an expression of the most impassioned 
 gratitude, ejaculated — " Ah ! whisht, now ! is 
 it the young master ? Then God incrase ye ! 
 and the Lord send ye good luck ! and the holy 
 St. Patrick, and the blessed Virgin befrind ye, 
 wherever ye go over the wide world ; and may 
 blessings fall upon your head as thick as the 
 potato blossoms in Eliogurthy !" 
 
 Upon Reuben inquiring whether her wounded
 
 162 RKUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 arm would prevent her raising herself to the 
 roof, she looked up at the aperture, exclaiming 
 with a contemptuous smile, " Whisht ! is it that 
 same you mane r"' when leaping up so as to 
 catch hold of the rafters with one hand, she 
 applied her feet to the side wall, and scrambled 
 out upon the roof like a cat. Reuben followed, 
 and they had no sooner reached the ground out- 
 side, than Charley danced round them with an 
 asinine chuckle, crying out for the promised 
 flask of Nantz. In compliance with his contract 
 Reuben gave it him ; the poor creature imme- 
 diately poui-ed the remainder of its contents 
 down his throat ; and when the constables came 
 in the morning to claim their prisoner, they 
 found Charley lying upon the floor of the cage 
 in a state of complete intoxication. Upon re- 
 covering from its effects, he declared that he 
 had liberated Norry Molloy for a flask of Nantz, 
 a statement which appeared so probable, that 
 no one ever dreamt of any other party being 
 implicated in her escape ; and the disappointed 
 constables, after venting their wrath upon her 
 liberator, retired to their respective habitations.
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 163 
 
 The rescued Irishwoman in the mean time, 
 havinoj received a supply of provisions from 
 Reuben, to prevent the necessit}; of her emerg- 
 ing from her hiding-place in the day-time, 
 concealed herself for the present in an old de- 
 serted tool-house upon Goldingham's grounds, 
 meaning to seize the opportunity of the first 
 (lark night for stealing down to the sea-side, and 
 endeavouring to obtain a passage to the opposite 
 coast.
 
 164 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 My wanton Muse that whilom used to sing 
 Fair heauty's praise, and Venus' sweet delight. 
 
 Of late hath changed the tenor of her string 
 To higher tunes than serve for Cupid's fight ; 
 
 Shrill trumpets' sound, sharp swords, and lances strong. 
 
 War, blood, and death are matter of my song. 
 
 Sir Walter Raleigh. 
 
 Emily Hartfield, the Squire's sister, who 
 loved him too affectionately to allow him to 
 make any man his enemy if she could prevent 
 it, had no sooner learnt the rude assault made 
 upon their neighbour in his visit to the Rook- 
 ery, than she availed herself of Lady Crockatt's 
 carriage and company to call at Goldingham 
 Place, and apologize for her brotlier's conduct, 
 which she attributed to the effects of wine, 
 rather than to any intentional disrespect. While
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 165 
 
 she blushed up to the very top of her forehead, 
 and became confused, from an apprehension 
 that what she plejided in extenuation of his of- 
 fence was little calculated to exalt him in the 
 opinion of so sober an auditor, she deprecated 
 any further notice of the transaction with such 
 a friendly and imploring earnestness in her man- 
 ner, that Goldingham felt for her distress, and 
 taking her by the hand, assured her he could 
 refuse nothing to so kind-hearted and fair an 
 ambassadress ; adding, that he believed her bro- 
 ther's convivial and hospitable feelings had led 
 him into the error, which he heartily forgave, 
 and should be most happy to see him at Gold- 
 ingham Place. Emily was all blushes and joy 
 at the success of her little negociation, which 
 she had no sooner brought to this happy issue, 
 than Lady Crockatt began to open her Lazar- 
 house mouth, whence issued " convulsions, epi- 
 lepsies, fierce catarrhs," and such an array of 
 alarming and infectious complaints, which had 
 chosen her body for their head- quarters, that 
 if her statements had found credence, she ought 
 to have been clapped into quarantine without
 
 166 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 further delay. With rather more minuteness 
 than delicacy she next detailed, as usual, her 
 various remedies under this complication of dis- 
 orders : — inveighed against selfishness as a vice 
 which she held in particular abhorrence ; de- 
 clared that she had no wish to live in such a 
 world, unless it were to plague her husband, 
 Sir Carrol, who longed for her death, and whom 
 she sometimes tantalised by pretending to have 
 a church-yard cough ; devoured a most hearty 
 luncheon ; drank three glasses of wine, which 
 she maintained to be an additional proof that 
 she was afflicted with a false appetite ; handed 
 a large plateful of meat to her fat wheezing 
 spaniel (who seemed to labour under a similar 
 complaint) ; and finally, looking as qualmish 
 and queasy as her plump features would allow 
 her, while she put her hand to her side with an 
 exclamation of " Eugh I" at every third step, 
 her ladyship crawled down stairs, was helped 
 into her carriage, into which Emily jumped after 
 her, and they drove off. 
 
 The Squire having set down Goldingham for
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 167 
 
 a rich old citizen, who might be " bubble able," 
 that is to say, one that might be plucked at 
 cards, dice, or in some other mode ; was not a 
 little vexed at the thought that he had offended 
 him, and was proportionably pleased when 
 Emily related the success of her visit, with 
 which he had not been previously made acquaint- 
 ed. At her solicitation he even consented to 
 ratify the treaty by calling on the old badger, 
 and making an apology in person, a ceremony 
 which he performed after a fashion of his own, 
 endeavouring to carry off the humiliation of his 
 excuse by an appearance of uproarious spirits, 
 and venting now and then a verse of some bois- 
 terous song, to show that he was not hurt by 
 asking pardon in plain prose. " Whoop ! 
 Yoicks ! Tantivy ! Master Goldingham !" he 
 exclaimed, — " sink me if I ever meant to offend 
 you, man ; and if I did, I ask your pardon, 
 and there 's an end on 't. 'Sblood ! I know you 
 to be an honest fellow, and so I had a mind to 
 make you free of the county, and show you how 
 we West of England bovs handle our glasses, —
 
 168 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 ' There were three men came out of the West, 
 To make saltpetre strong. 
 To turn it into gunpowder. 
 
 For to charge the King's cannon.' 
 
 Haugh ! Haugli ! 'gad, I 'm in rare spirits, 
 so let's shake hands and be friends." 
 
 " With great pleasure," said Goldingham ; 
 " and if, in future, you will but allow me 
 to drink as little as I like, I promise that you 
 have my free consent to get as tipsy as you 
 please, and as often as it may suit you." 
 
 " Well, that's hearty ; and if you will let 
 me take you in hand, and prove myself a good 
 neighbour, sink me if I don't make you in six 
 months such a proper country gentleman to the 
 back-bone, that you shall talk of nothing but 
 dogs, horses, billiards, dice, tennis, bowls, hunt- 
 ing, fishing, races, and cockfighting. Aye, and 
 we '11 make you a toper, too, and oblige you to 
 confess that 
 
 ' Diseases and troubles are ne'er to be found, 
 
 But in the damn'd place where the glass goes not 
 round.' " 
 
 " I very much doubt," said Goldingham,
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 169 
 
 " whether you will find me an apt scholar in 
 any of these respects ; but if you are disposed 
 to give me a lesson or two in farmino- — " 
 
 " Farming ! whoop ! I 'm your man. Fifty 
 to ten, you don't find a chap in Dorsetshire that 
 better understands a sample of grain ; how to 
 handle a sheep or bullock, when to plough, sow, 
 harrow, fallow, and manure; or one that can 
 drive a closer bargain for a load or a stack, than 
 Marmaduke Hartfield, of the Rookery. Hey ! 
 Venus, Venus ! there 's a pretty spaniel bitch ! 
 her father was Tumbler, the famous dog that 
 Lord Arlington belonged to ; and her mother 
 was the long-eared brown bitch that brought 
 the highest price at Sir GeoffVy Palks's sale. 
 What say you, neighbour ? it 's a plaguy long 
 morning : shall we have a game at ombre, tric- 
 trac, crimp, primero, hazard, — anything you 
 will?" 
 
 " I never play of a morning," said Golding- 
 ham, drily. 
 
 " Well, then, I ""m your man, next time we 
 meet, after dinner ; and so farewell, neighbour, 
 for the present— Hey, Venus, Venus !" 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 170 EKUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 Let none at misfortune or losses repine. 
 But take a full dose of the juice of the vine.' 
 
 Come, Venus, hey, lass, hey !" 
 Most of the surrounding gentry having now 
 asked Goldingham to dinner, invitations which 
 he had willingly accepted, for the sake of be- 
 coming acquainted with all his neighbours, he 
 availed himself of Reuben's arrival to give his 
 first party in return, asking all those indivi- 
 duals to whom the reader has been introduced, 
 and several others who have not yet been sub- 
 mitted to his notice. Hospitable by nature, 
 anxious to make a handsome debiit before his 
 new friends as the purveyor of a feast, and not 
 at all sorry to find an opportunity for being 
 bustling and busy, Isaac put in requisition all 
 the skill which he had required in his civic ca- 
 pacity, and provided an entertainment which 
 would not have disgraced the most esurient and 
 epicurean of London Aldermen. The old Ca- 
 valier's stock of wine having been purchased 
 with the house, Reuben was deputed to ran- 
 sack the binns, which \yere all numbered, and
 
 REUBEN Al'SLEY. 171 
 
 named after different Royalist commanders : 
 and though their contents had been nearly 
 exhausted in celebrating the anniversaries of 
 old victories, and drinking bumpers to King 
 Charles and his mistresses, (who were numerous 
 enough to occasion a rapid accumulation of 
 empty bottles) ; the age and quality of such 
 wines as yet remained rendered them a bonne 
 bouche for the most critical Gourmet in exist- 
 ence. 
 
 *' Page !" said Sir Harcourt Slingsby, as he 
 descended from his six-horsed calash, in which 
 he sat most carefully upright, lest his capacious 
 periwig should touch either side of the vehicle ; 
 " follow me up stairs, and see that my peruke 
 be not disordered behind. There is a villainous 
 and unfeeling wind abroad that cares not what 
 mischief it makes among the most precious 
 hair.'"" At the door of the drawing-room. Sir 
 Harcourt was assured by his attendant that 
 every thing was in faultless order behind, when 
 he examined himself in front by the assistance 
 of a little pocket-mirror, which in those days 
 had received the Dutch appellation of a sprunk- 
 
 I 2
 
 172 REUBEX APSLEY. 
 
 iug glass, and having corrected two or three 
 hairs, and altered one plait of his point-lace 
 frill, his page opened the door, and he swam 
 into the apartment with a graceful corant slur 
 and a coupee, diffusing a thousand rich odours 
 around him as he advanced, bowing and bending 
 in all the glory of smiles, brocade, embroidery, 
 lace, gay garniture, and fluttering ribbons. 
 
 " Ah ! my dear Sir Harcourt," cried Mrs. 
 Chatsworth, " you come most apropos to de- 
 cide a bet between me and Lady Crockatt, who 
 maintains that you lately sent fifty pieces to 
 Flatman the poet, to liberate him from prison. 
 This I knew to be impossible, because the fel- 
 low has so recently abused you in that scurrilous 
 lampoon, which all your friends have of course 
 read ; if not, I can lend anybody my copy."" 
 
 " May I be wrinkled. Madam, if I should 
 have sent the dull rogue the moiety of a tester 
 had he not libelled me, but as I suspect nothing 
 can be more humiliating than to receive favours 
 from those we have wantonly wronged, I horse- 
 whipped his mind with fifty pieces of gold, 
 which I consider a more painful infliction than
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 173 
 
 if I had laid as many stripes upon his back. It 
 is always my way of revenging an injury." 
 
 " That is sa like you, Sir Harcourt," cried 
 Lady Crockatt, pleased at having won her wa- 
 ger ; " you always attribute a bad motive to 
 your good actions, and are more ashamed of a 
 virtue than others are of a vice. T'other day 
 you Avere most eager to free yourself from the 
 imputation of sobriety." 
 
 " Strike me stupid, Madam ! if I could have 
 explained myself properly. I plead guilty to 
 all those virtues which gratify my inclination, 
 but I disclaim any merit in merely doing that 
 which gives me pleasure, and which I should not 
 otherwise practice. Your ladyship will not find 
 me deficient in any of the vices which are cal- 
 culated to afford me the smallest delight, though 
 I am a perfect saint in refraining from all those 
 that I dishke."' 
 
 " But .surely there is a merit, Sir Harcourt, 
 in being even constitutionally addicted to that 
 wiiich is noble, and feeling a natural antipathy 
 to that which is base."" 
 
 " Just the same, my dear Lady Crockatt,
 
 174 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 that there is in liking one dish and disliking 
 another. There is no merit except when we make 
 our principles triumph over our inclinations ; 
 and may my periwig be soaked in a shower, 
 if I can advance the smallest pretensions to this 
 species of virtue ! Sir Ambrose, this is pretty 
 raised work on your Point d'Espagne ; but the 
 fashion is defunct ; has been dead these six 
 weeks : — permit me — there is a loose hair upon 
 your shoulder. Sweet snufF, too ! your nose 
 must be an antediluvian of three moons old, for 
 so long has it been exploded. Taste mine : it 
 is real Pongy-bongy."" 
 
 " He who follows the fashion in these minor 
 matters," said the sententious Sir Ambrose, 
 " must chop and change with every veering- 
 variety of vanity. I have a real respect for 
 your snuff, and indeed for that of all those 
 Avho favour me with their friendship and their 
 boxes ; but at the same time, and without in 
 any degree presuming to — " 
 
 " Oh, Sir Harcourt !" exclaimed Mrs. Chats- 
 worth, interrupting the orator, ''what divine
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 175 
 
 perfumes you always have ; what is this deU- 
 dous odour ?" 
 
 " Madam, I am the spurious issue of a vender 
 of mouse-traps, if I can tell you ; but people 
 have such villainous pastiles and pomanders 
 that I am obliged to defend myself as well as I 
 can : my laced gloves are scented with amber 
 and fleur d'orange, my handkerchief with musk 
 and romagna, my point de Venice with fran- 
 gipane and Neroly, and my periwig with a 
 mixture of calembuc, jessamine, tuberose, and 
 marechal." 
 
 " Hey ! whoop ! stand aside," bawled the 
 Squire as he entered the room, holding a bag 
 in each hand, and followed by the blushing 
 Emily. — " Look''ye, neighbour Goldingham, 1 
 promised to make a sportsman of you, and if 
 you have any fancy to fight a main of cocks, I 
 have brought a couple of the right sort to show 
 you. There 's a picture," he continued, taking 
 one of the birds out of its bag: " feel his weight, 
 see what a size he is, look at his comb and 
 spur, and his lion''s eye ; there 's a proper
 
 176 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 shakebag for you ! — he was bred by red-nosetl 
 Ralph, my coachman, one of the best feeders 
 and cock-masters in England ; — sink me .' if I 
 wouldn't pit him for a hundred guineas in a 
 battle royal or Welsh main." He tossed the 
 bird upon the carpet, and taking the other 
 from its confinement, continued, " Now this was 
 bred by Jem Yates, of Seaford, and a large 
 heavy bird he is, as you may all see ; but he 
 has a craven eye, and sink me, if I don't think 
 from this feather in his tail that there 's a cross 
 of the dunghill in him.*' 
 
 As if in immediate refutation of this calumny, 
 the bird seeing an opponent before it, sprung 
 from his hands and instantly commenced a 
 furious attack, which was as fiercely retorted by 
 the other. " Whoop ! a ring, a ring ! — and fair 
 play for both sides," cried the Squire, clapping 
 his hands and putting back the company ; 
 " fifty to thirty on red-nosed Ralph — Bravo, 
 Ralph !— Well fought, Jem Yates !" 
 
 ^'' Oh ! I shall faint — I shall die," exclaimed 
 Lady Crockatt ; my poor nerves covild never 
 bear the sight of blood. — Eugh ! I am sick to
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 177 
 
 death at the very thought of such cruelty. — 
 My dear Sir Ambrose, do for Heaven's sake 
 seize one of those nasty ci'eatures and wring 
 its neck." 
 
 '' It may not be desirable to destroy it," said 
 Sir Ambrose ; " but since your Ladyship is so 
 flurried by their fighting, for which indeed this 
 is no appropriate place, I Avill beg Mr. Hart- 
 field's leave to put one of the birds back into 
 its bag." While he was very formally and de- 
 liberately stooping for this purpose, the game 
 cock, fluttering upwards to avoid its assailant, 
 entangled its claw and spur in the Baronet's tie 
 wig, and in its eflbrts to liberate itself only 
 became the more Inextricably fettered. Sir 
 Ambrose rose up in considerable dismay at a 
 clatter above his head which half blinded him 
 with pulvilio and scattered feathers ; the other 
 bird thinking its antagonist was attempting an 
 escape, flew up at it, fluttering, pecking, and 
 spurring with increased fury ; while, as the un- 
 fortunate Sir Ambrose sprung from one side 
 of the room to the other, the Squire followed 
 him shrieking with laughter, clapping his hands, 
 
 I 5
 
 178 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 and shouting " Whoop ! bravo, red-nosed 
 Ralph ! well fought, Jem Yates — touzle him, 
 touzlc him ; whoop ! haugh ! haugh ! haugh !" 
 
 Sir Ambrose at length having succeeded in 
 disentangling his assailant, and throwing it out 
 of the open window, through which its pugna- 
 cious antagonist flew instantly after it, walked 
 up to the Squire with a most dishevelled wig, 
 and a countenance rendered ghastly by a mix- 
 ture of pulvilio and perturbation, and thus ad- 
 dressed him with great solemnity, " Mr. Hart- 
 field, I have a real respect, a rooted regard for 
 yourself, and far, very far be it from me to 
 blame the behaviour of the birds, but I have 
 a motion to make concerning the conduct of 
 these cocks, to which, such is the character of 
 the case, I am compelled to call the conside- 
 ration of the company. I>ittle did I think, 
 and less did I imagine. — " 
 
 " Whoop ! buzz !" interrupted the Squire, 
 " 'twasn't my fault, — so you needn't speechify. 
 I told you Jem Yates's was an ill-bred bird, and 
 so you found him. Haugh ! haugh ! haugh ! 
 'Sblood ! Sir Ambrose, you have got ofF cheap.
 
 REUBEN APSLEV. 179 
 
 for if any boys had been passing, and seen the 
 poor bird tied by the leg, sink me ! if I don't 
 think they would have taken it for a Shrove 
 Tuesday cock, and have thrown half a dozen 
 cudgels at your head." 
 
 " May I lose a front tooth !" said Sir Har- 
 court, as he offered his sprunking glass to the 
 disordered baronet, and busied himself in ar- 
 ranging the back of his tumbled peruke, " if 
 it be not a most harrowing spectacle to see such 
 a prostration of curls ; but you must allow me 
 to say, my dear Sir Ambrose, that the wig 
 scarcely merited a better fate. You should re- 
 joice that it is defunct, and pr'ythee let your 
 new one be more jaunty and debonair, unpro- 
 faned by powder — wavy, not curled, and of a 
 flaxen hue like mine. Chedreux is your artist ; 
 the only one in Europe. I allowed him to ex- 
 hibit mine for a single morning in his shop win- 
 dow ; and run me through ! if he could get out 
 of his own house for the mob that besieged it." 
 Goldingham, who had been absent from the 
 room during this disturbance, now made his ap- 
 pearance, and expressing the greatest regret at
 
 180 KEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 the occurrence, assisted the Baronet in making 
 his toilet, which was no sooner completed than 
 the dinner was announced. It came most op- 
 portunely to restore the interrupted harmony of 
 the meeting, for the repast would have done 
 honour to any caterer ; the wines were pro- 
 nounced to be unrivalled ; the host, assisted by 
 his nephew, did the honours of the table with 
 great cheerfulness and hospitality, and the 
 guests seemed well disposed to enjoy such a 
 pleasant combination of circumstances. Mrs. 
 Chatsworth told scandalous stories of the whole 
 neighbourhood, always excepting the present 
 company ; — Lady Crockatt, in the intervals of 
 hearty feeding and complaints of the heart-burn, 
 aggravated some of these charges by her vindi- 
 cations, declaring that she believed the parties 
 to be innocent, at least to a certain extent, but 
 confessing that they were tainted with selfish- 
 ness, a vice that she held in particular abomi- 
 nation, and one which she considered much 
 worse than any thing she had heard imputed to 
 the delinquents; — the Squire tossed off bumper 
 after bumper with increasing praises of the
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 181 
 
 wine, until his satisfaction could only be ex- 
 pressed by the, boisterous merriment with which 
 he shouted snatches of Bacchanalian songs. 
 Emily, who had been placed next to Sir Har- 
 court, blushed and looked happy, as v.'ith a gay, 
 playful, and polite courtesy he sported his fan- 
 tastical adjurations, and amused her with all the 
 anecdotes of Whitehall, and the pleasantries of 
 high life in London, which to her was a per- 
 fect terra incognita. Chinnery made deep and 
 steady potations, only interrupted by occasion- 
 ally chorussing the Sqiure''s songs, or croaking 
 out in his own slang language, approbation of 
 the viands and the wines ; and even Sir Am- 
 brose Jessop so far forgot the ruffling both of 
 his temper and his tie-wig that he called upon 
 the company to drink a bumper toast, and de- 
 clared he had — " not only a particular plea- 
 sure, but a great gratification in proposing the 
 health of their hearty and hospitable host." 
 
 The evening was growing late — the company 
 were assembled in the drawing-room — the 
 Squire had succeeded in establishing a game of 
 Dice-doublets with Goldingham, who having
 
 182 KEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 taken rather more wine than was his wont, was 
 playing high, and, it is needless to add, was 
 losing his money ; and the rest of the party 
 were gatliered round Emily"'s spinnet, when a 
 loud scream resounded from the passage out- 
 side, — the door was thrown open, and Mrs. 
 Holmes the housekeeper rushed into the room, 
 with a face of dismay and horror, shrieking, 
 " Help, help ! we are all murdered ! — the Pa- 
 pists ! the Papists !" at the conclusion of which 
 alarming cry she sank into a chair, and be- 
 gan fanning herself with her apron, unable to 
 articulate another word. As soon as she had 
 sufficiently recovered herself she stated in 
 an agitated and incoherent manner, that Lance 
 Boulderson, the lodgekeeper, had learnt from 
 Hewson, the fishmonger, who was riding inland 
 to alarm the country, that the Irish Papists 
 iiad landed at Lyme, had set fire to the town, 
 and were cutting the throats of man, woman, 
 and child, as fast as ever they could. 
 
 " The plot ! the plot !" cried Goldingham, 
 with a visage crimsoned by sudden agitation, 
 " I always said it was true. Tell the watch-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 183 
 
 men to spring their rattles ! call the consta- 
 bles ! — send to the Lord Mayor to order out 
 the train-bands ! O Lord, O Lord ! I forgot 
 that we are in the country, and may have 
 our throats cut before we can raise an alarm. 
 Wheugh ! I wish I had never left Throgmor- 
 ton Street. We are all lost — we are all lost !" 
 At which words he hurried out of the room in 
 great perturbation and agony of spirit — an ex- 
 ample that was almost immediately followed 
 by Lady Crockatt ; and in a few minutes Chin- 
 nery also slunk away, with a most chop-fallen 
 look, and without uttering a single syllable. 
 
 There is something so contagious in fear, 
 that the agony of Mrs. Holmes would alone 
 have been sufficient to shake the nerves of those 
 that remained, even had not her alarming tid- 
 ings received some sort of confirmation from the 
 sound of cannon in the direction of Lyme, each 
 report being followed by a fresh scream from 
 the hysterical housekeeper. A momentary 
 pause ensued, when a succession of rockets 
 from the same quarter were thrown up into the 
 air, illuminating the sky as they burst, and ter-
 
 184 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 rifying some of the spectators at Goldinghara 
 Place with the notion that they were the sig- 
 nals for a general massacre. " Good heavens !" 
 exclaimed Emily, trembling and clinging to her 
 brother, " what will become of us ? what shall 
 we do?" 
 
 " Whoop, girl, never fear ! — Fll take care 
 of you," replied the Squire : " the carriage is 
 at the Cricketers, I 11 just run down and have 
 the horses harnessed ; — we'll bowl over to the 
 Rookery to k)ok after the dogs and hunters 
 and secure the Claret-cellar; and then, hey! for 
 Dorchester, where the militia are stationed, 
 who will soon drive the raparee rogues back to 
 their ships." 
 
 Sir Harcourt, who had seen too much of 
 Titus Gates to be a believer in plots, implored 
 the company not to be needlessly alarmed, as 
 it would probably turn out to be nothing more 
 than the landing of an Irish regiment, one or 
 two of which he knew to have been ordered 
 over, offering his calash to any body that was 
 unprovided with the means of immediate es- 
 cape, as he was himself perfectly willing to re-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 185 
 
 main where he was. Reuben, although utterly 
 at a loss to explain the firing and the rockets, 
 eagerly seized Sir Harcourt's suggestion as a 
 means of pacifying the agitated guests ; Mrs. 
 Gliatsworth begged the calash might be ordered 
 without a moment's delay, declaring that she 
 would most gratefully accept the offer of a seat 
 in it; while Sir Ambrose, whose face and lips 
 were pale with dismay, told Sir Harcourt in an 
 unsteady voice, that he could not accept his 
 solution of the alarming report and appear- 
 ances they had just heard and witnessed 
 — lie wished to Heaven he could, but that he 
 did verily and indeed believe it was a landing 
 of the Papists, for the purpose of tlie long me- 
 ditated massacre. " I have always," he con- 
 tinued, " had a real regard for our brethren of 
 the Popish persuasion, whose doctrine I have 
 neither denied, nor have I criticised their creed. 
 If these circumstances were stated to the gentle- 
 men who have landed at Lyme, or if at this cruel 
 conjuncture I were just to call myself a Catho- 
 lic, don''t you think, my dear friend, that — — " 
 t' Run me through, if I think it would be
 
 186 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 of the least use in the world," replied Sir Har- 
 court, scandalized at the pusillanimity of his 
 friend, as he had dubbed himself; — " I have 
 always understood these gentlemen v/ere most 
 undistinguishing butchers, so that we have only 
 to submit to our fate, and become martyrs in 
 spite of ourselves. For my own part, if it were 
 merely laying down my life I could endure it 
 with fortitude, but there is a still more harrow- 
 ing consideration." 
 
 " Gracious goodness ! Sir Harcourt, what 
 can be worse than to be thus massacred in cold 
 
 blood r 
 
 " The consideration, my dear Sir Ambrose, 
 that they cannot cut one's throat without rump- 
 ling one's cravat !" 
 
 "Sir Harcourt, Sir Harcourt!" cried the 
 Baronet in a mixed tone of anger and terror, 
 " our sad situation neither affords matter for 
 merriment, nor a proper pretext for plea- 
 santry."" 
 
 Without noticing this reprimand. Sir Har- 
 court was addressing himself to the females of 
 the party, endeavouring to allay their appre-
 
 REUBEM APSLEY. 187 
 
 hensions, a benevolent office in which he was 
 warmly seconded by Reuben, when the door 
 again opened, ami Goldingham re-entered the 
 apartment, the cause of his temporary absence 
 being sufficiently explained by the total change 
 in his appearance. From top to toe he had cased 
 himself in his silken panoply, even his head 
 being covered by a scull-cap, over which he had 
 placed his wig: 'an old sword hung in a buff bal- 
 dric at his side, he had grasped a pistol in each 
 hand, the top of his Protestant flail stuck out 
 from his pocket, and his whole appearance, at 
 once bustling and grotesque, gave him no small 
 resemblance to a hog in armour. Timid as he 
 had been when there was nothing to apprehend, 
 he seemed to have derived courage from despe- 
 ration now that he considered the danger to be 
 imminent. " Ring the alarm bell, Reuben,'' 
 he exclaimed — " collect the servants and te- 
 nants — bring the brass cannon from the forts 
 upon the terrace, into the house — see what 
 gunpowder you can collect — barricado the doors, 
 and let every body arm himself as well as he can. 
 We will not be slaughtered like sheep, but sell
 
 188 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 our lives dearly, like brave Englishmen and 
 true-blue Protestants — hem !" 
 
 His doughty figure, his brandished pistols, 
 and his hectoring harangue, increased the agita- 
 tion of the female auditors, who were smelling 
 to salts, uttering ejaculations of terror, and fal- 
 ling back in their chairs, when the door once 
 more opened, and the Squire and Lance Boul- 
 derson made their appearance, hauling in a 
 prisoner. This was no other than Norry Mol- 
 loy, who observing the unusual demonstrations 
 upon the coast, and hoping, whatever was its 
 cause, that she might escape in the confusion, 
 had bolted from her hiding place just as her 
 present captors were making their way to the 
 Cricketers, and had been seized and brought 
 into the house, in the belief that she could 
 furnish information as to what was passing at 
 Lyme. 
 
 " Hold her fast ! tie her hands behind her ! 
 search her for arms and gunpowder !" cried 
 Goldingham ; keeping one of his pistols pointed 
 at her head. " She is an Irishwoman, I know
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 189 
 
 her of old — she is a Papist and one of the 
 plotters." 
 
 Reuben was now thrown into considerable 
 alarm, lest he should become implicated with 
 the plotters, by the discovery of the service he 
 had rendered to the prisoner, and as he caught 
 a glance of her eye, he put his finger to his lips 
 to enjoin silence. " Whisht ! now, be asy," 
 said Norry, with a significant wink ; and then 
 turning to the company, who, as she rightly 
 conjectured, knew nothing of her recent offence 
 and arrest, she demanded, with an air of angry 
 innocence, why she had been seized and dragged 
 into the house, merely because they found her 
 walking along the road, as " quite as a lamb." 
 
 " Oh, you cut-throat harridan ! Oh, you 
 Popish Jezabcl !"" cried Goldingham, still keep- 
 ing his pistol pointed at her head ; " tell us 
 how many of the wild Irish from Cork have 
 landed at Lyme, and who is concerned in your 
 damnable plot ? for we are quite sure that you 
 know all about it." 
 
 " Is it me you spake of ? Norry Molloy ?
 
 190 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 Sorrow a know do I know, your honour, more 
 than any other fool in the world ; but that 's 
 enough for them that have a thimblefull of 
 brains. Ye''re a mighty queer set, ye gentry, 
 and it's the mercy of God that ye haven't to do 
 for yourselves, for the divil a rap would ye am, 
 nor put a halfporth into your mouths, barrin"" 
 the silver spoon thatyeVe born wid. Ye go to 
 bed and to sleep, and get up to eat and drink, 
 as if it all came as asy and as natural as the 
 light and darkness ; and so ye might do, just as 
 well, if ye had an innocent's head upon your 
 shoulders. It 's we that have to think and to do 
 for ye." 
 
 " Prevaricating: devil ! what has all this to 
 do with the landing from Cork .''" cried Gold- 
 ingham, impatiently. 
 
 " From Cork !" replied Norry, shrugging her 
 slioulders with a look of contemptuous amaze, 
 ment ; " I wonder how the world goes on since 
 the gentry have got the management of it. 
 Do ye know which way is the wind .''" 
 
 " No," replied Goldingham, *' there's no wea-
 
 KEUBEN APSLEY. 191 
 
 ther-cock that I am aware of ; and if there were 
 I could not see it at this time o' night." 
 
 '' Weather-cock, indeed ! If the wind brought 
 ye your dinner, as it often does mine, I '11 en- 
 gage ye wouldn't want a weather-cock to tell 
 ye when to say grace. Whisht ! now, I cannot 
 help laughing at the lubbers, no offence to your 
 honour"'s honour, that talk of the Irish sailing 
 out of Cork when it blows a hard gale, and has 
 done any time these three days, right into the 
 mouth of the harbour ! Why Mick's cutter 
 couldn't do it, and if that can't the divil can't. 
 I wouldn't spake trason, but ye 're a pretty set 
 of wiseacres, arn't ye .?" 
 
 " I protest there seems to be some reason in 
 this statement," said Goldingham, dropping his 
 pistol, and feeling considerably re-assured ; " but 
 what then is this landing at Lyme, and what 
 is the meaning of the firing and the rockets ?" 
 
 " Arrah ! the divil a halfporth can I tell ye ; 
 — becase why — I know no more than your fa- 
 ther'*s son; but if what I was laming at Holland 
 a while agone is sartain sure, it's more like to be a 
 Protestant landing than a Roman one ; and tin
 
 192 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 to one ye '11 find the Duke of Monmouth at the 
 head of it, and not an}' of the Papists out of 
 Cork, God's blessing be on the top of them !" 
 
 This conjecture being confirmed by the arri- 
 val of a servant whom the Squire had detached 
 to gather intelligence, Norry Molloy was libe- 
 rated, and told she might go about her business, 
 a permission of which she did not appear to be 
 in any imme diate hurry to avail herself, for she 
 drew herself up, and looking reproachfully at 
 Goldingham, exclaimed-" After a body has been 
 trated in this way, seized and carried clane off 
 afore she could cry trapstick, is it your honour 
 'ud send her about her business without a rap 
 to drink your honour's health next her heart, or 
 buy a dish of bacon and banes ?" — The party 
 to whom this speech was addressed, was too 
 much delighted at being freed from his terrors 
 about a Popish plot, not to take the hint it 
 conveyed : he slipped a handful of silver into 
 Norry'spalm, who curtsied out of the apartment 
 with a profusion of thanks and blessings on her 
 tongue, but an expression of contemptuous
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 193 
 
 ridicule on her features that betrayed her low 
 opinion of the capacities of her auditors. 
 
 "Aha!" cried-Goldingham, delivering himself 
 of a hearty " Hem V and fumbling to get at his 
 waistcoat pocket for a lump of sugar,—" this is 
 a very different thing from a Popish plot, and 
 we need not have broken up our party in such a 
 hurry. What has become of Lady Crockatt ?" 
 Upon inquiry it turned out that her Ladyship 
 had slipped down stairs at the first alarm, and 
 findino- that her own carriage had not arrived, 
 had persuaded Timothy to harness the horses 
 and convey her home in Goldingham's chariot, 
 for which she pretended to have his express 
 authority and orders. One of the servants, how- 
 ever, had been charged to assure his master that 
 the horses should be returned the moment she 
 had reached home, and had procured fresh ones 
 to carry her forward. 
 
 " Upon my honour," cried Isaac, in high 
 dudgeon, " it was very considerate of her lady- 
 ship to let me have my tired cattle as soon as she 
 had done with them. Methinks she miirht have 
 
 offered me a seat in my own carriage 
 
 VOL. T. K 

 
 19-i REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 '' Whoop ! neighbour," said the Squire, " the 
 thought did occur to her, since she specially 
 charged Boulderson to apologize for not doing so, 
 as Cynthia, her spaniel, was now become so fat 
 that there was hardly room for three. — Haugh ! 
 Haugh !" 
 
 " Confound her assurance !" said Goldingham, 
 " this is rare in one who thinks selfishness the 
 besetting sin of the age, and thanks Heaven that 
 she holds it in particular abomination." 
 
 The house was now gradually cleared of the 
 remaining visitants, who took their departure 
 with little feeling of apprehension, since it had 
 been confirmed from several quarters that the 
 rumoured invasion of the Papists was in trutli 
 a landing of the Duke of Monmouth, who came 
 with a small array of men and arms to set him- 
 self up in opposition to King James. " He can 
 never succeed, he can never succeed," said Gol- 
 dingham to himself, as he paced his drawing- 
 room, still bustling in his grotesque armour, 
 although he had ventured to deposit his pistols, 
 " but there will be a terrible panic in London, 
 and I must write to Charley Duncombe, the
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 195 
 
 Exchequer banker, to sell me a lot of tallies. 
 They will be down again to fifty discount, as 
 they were in the year seventy-two, when poor 
 Alderman Backwell Avas ruined. India Stock 
 and Actions will fall too. Why did this despe- 
 rado land before I had sold all mine. Reuben ! 
 it is our duty to support the Government in 
 this trying emergency. Timothy told me yes- 
 terday that the old coach-horse had fallen lame. 
 We must send him over to-morrow mornino- to 
 the commander of the district, and offer him 
 in my name for his Majesty's service. Every 
 loyal man should contribute something. We 
 shall have much to do ; we must be up with the 
 lark, so we had better hurry to bed as soon as 
 we can, after we have carefully locked and bar- 
 ricaded the doors. Wheugh ! is this the tran- 
 quillity I was to have in the country ? But 
 after all, Reuben, this is much better than a 
 Popish plot, hem !" 
 
 K 2
 
 196 REUBEN APSLEY 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Tell me not, sweet, I am unkind, 
 
 That from the nunnery 
 Of thy chaste breast and quiet mind. 
 
 To war and arms I fly. — 
 
 True, a new mistress now I chase. 
 
 The first foe in the field; 
 And with a stronger faith embrace 
 
 A sword, a horse, a shield.— 
 
 Yet this inconstancy is such 
 
 As you too shall adore ; 
 I could not love thee, dear, so much, 
 
 Loved I not honour more. 
 
 Richard Lovelace. 
 
 Although Goldinoham maintained it to be 
 the duty of every loyal man to contribute 
 something to the royal cause in this emergency, 
 it may be doubted whether he himself could be 
 properly included in the number, for his hor- 
 ror of popery, which it was now the King's
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 197 
 
 avowed object to introduce, rendered him any- 
 thing rather than well affected towards the 
 ruling powers/ As a rich man, however, he 
 felt the propriety of supporting the existing 
 government, which could at least afford him 
 protection and security for his property, against 
 such an assailant as the Duke of Monmouth, 
 a mere adventurer, a natural son of the late 
 King by a low woman, one who appeared 
 little likely to subvert an established govern- 
 ment with two or three hundred desperadoes, 
 for such was the amount of his present force, 
 and one moreover whose turbvdent life and 
 profligate conduct conferred but little credit 
 upon his religion, although he had assumed 
 to himself the title of the Protestant Prince. 
 Even if he were successful, a contingency 
 hardh/^ withui the bounds of possibility, he 
 would be only an usurper, whose temporary 
 elevation might entail upon the country an 
 interminable civil Avar, than which no calamity 
 could be greater to a holder of Exchequer 
 tallies, Government Actions, and India Stock, 
 to say nothing of his landed property in Dor-
 
 198 KEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 setshire. All these matters did he deeply 
 cogitate in the night, and so profound was 
 the impression they made upon his mind, that 
 he was up with the lark next morning, agree- 
 ably to his promise, and writing to his dif- 
 ferent agents in London ere Reuben, who slept 
 soundly because he had none of the anxieties 
 of wealth to awaken him, had shaken off his 
 slumbers. 
 
 It was still early, however, when the latter 
 started from his bed, and dressing himself in 
 all haste, sallied forth to gather information 
 respecting the landing, which was of course the 
 paramount object of interest throughout the 
 neighbourhood. He had just descended from 
 the terrace for this purpose, when his attention 
 was arrested by the soimd of horses' feet, and 
 on looking towards the lodge, he beheld a 
 body of about thirty Cavaliers galloping along 
 the drive, which they presently quitted, dashed 
 through the plantations into the little park, 
 and spreading themselves into a line, advanced 
 at speed towards the house. At this unusu/il 
 sight, Reuben turned back that he might ascer-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 199 
 
 tain their object, stationed himself upon the 
 front of the terrace, and waiting their arrival, 
 had leisure to dbserve that they were a tumul- 
 tuary looking troop, mounted on horses of all 
 descriptions, and arrayed in every variety of 
 costume, some having half armour, others no- 
 thing but an iron or steel head-piece, and a 
 third set totally unprovided with defensive 
 panoply, though they were all furnished with 
 weapons of some sort, and might be judged 
 to constitute a common band from their all 
 wearing a white ribbon upon the left arm. 
 Their banditti-like appointments, and the ra- 
 pidity of their approach, imparted to them a 
 sufficiently formidable appearance, and though 
 Reuben did not deem it likely that they <;ould 
 advance with any hostile intentions, or meditate 
 violence against an unarmed individual, he was 
 not altogether free from apprehension as they 
 galloped up to him. Stopping their horses im- 
 mediately under the low wall of the terrace, 
 several of the party hastily dismounted, and 
 were clambering up as if to take the place by 
 storm, when a person who appeared to act as
 
 200 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 their commander, called out to them to fall 
 back, and intimated by waving his hand, that 
 they were to desist. At the same time he 
 advanced towards Reuben, and had begun to 
 address him by stating that he acted under 
 tlie authority, and by the command of the 
 Duke of Monmouth, when he broke suddenly 
 off, exclaiming — " Is it possible ? — yes, — surely 
 I have the pleasure of addressing ]\Ir. Reuben 
 Apsley." 
 
 Reuben looked earnestly at the speaker, 
 who was so altered by his helmet and military 
 equipments that some moments elapsed ere he 
 recognized in him the elder brother of Charles 
 Fludyer, his only intimate associate among the 
 collegians at Oxford. In his occasional visits to 
 tliat place, he had been introduced to Reuben, 
 who had eagerly cultivated his acquaintance 
 because he had formerly been the friend of his 
 father, and more especially as from a motive of 
 kindness to his young auditor, rather than from 
 his own convictions, he acquiesced with him in 
 tlie probability that his lost parents might still 
 be living. " My dear Mr. Fludyer," exclaimed
 
 KEUBEN APSLEY. 201 
 
 Reuben, " this is indeed a most unexpected 
 meeting, both as to the individual and as to the 
 manner of our encountering, but before I seek 
 an explanation of the apparent hostility of your 
 approach allow me to inquire after my good 
 friend Charles. Surely he cannot be of your 
 party, for I left him but lately at Oxford ? ' 
 
 " He is well acquainted with our enterprize, 
 and will join us so soon as he can travel hither," 
 replied Fludyer, who then proceeded to state 
 that he and his companions constituted a por- 
 tion of the force that had landed the day be- 
 fore under the Duke of Monmouth, who had 
 dispatched him to Goldingham Place to take 
 possession of some cannon, of which he had been 
 informed there were two little batteries station- 
 ed upon the terrace ; adding, that their total 
 want of artillery, and the urgency of the oc- 
 casion, must apologize for the unceremonious 
 manner in which he came to take possession 
 of them. — " If you will mount the terrace and 
 look at the brass falconets which have been thus 
 magnified," said Reuben, '" I think you will 
 scarcely be at the trouble of removing them.'" 
 
 K 5
 
 202 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 Having complied with this invitation, Fludyer 
 could hardly repress a smile at the insignifi- 
 cance of the reported batteries, but observing 
 that they would at least serve to make up a 
 show of ordnance and inspire confidence in the 
 common people, he declared that he must ful- 
 fil his orders by conveying them immediately to 
 the Duke's head-quarters. 
 
 " But surely you will await my uncle's per- 
 mission," said Reuben. 
 
 " Do you think it will be granted .?" inquired 
 Fludyer. 
 
 *' To deal candidly with you," i*eplied Reu- 
 ben, " I have reason to believe that it will not." 
 
 " My young friend," said Fludyer, again 
 smiling, " you must be aware that in these 
 cases we do not — we cannot stand upon puncti- 
 lio—we are committed to a glorious but perilous 
 adventure : self-preservation, the first law, su- 
 percedes all others, and I must plead its au- 
 thority in the present instance, when I order 
 my men to dismantle your uncle's fortifications. 
 If the Duke succeed, Mr. Goldingham will 
 be well repaid for his falconets ; if we fail he
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 203 
 
 cannot be blamed for yielding to a force wliich 
 he has no means of resisting ; and it would, 
 perhaps, be more prudent, and expose him to 
 less responsibility, if you were to leave him in 
 ignorance of our proceedings until we have got 
 clear off with our booty. In this respect, how- 
 ever, you will of course exercise your own dis- 
 cretion." So saying, he ordered his men to 
 mount the terrace, remove the guns, and tackle 
 them to some of the horses that they might be 
 carried away ; while Reuben, convinced by the 
 arguments he had just heard, that it would be 
 better to leave his uncle altogether unacquaint- 
 ed with the affair, remained a passive spectator 
 of their proceedings. 
 
 Fludyer, the commander of this little party, 
 was one of those restless turbulent spirits that 
 are thrown up in times of trouble and commo- 
 tion ; and who as surely presage a political con- 
 vulsion when they exhibit themselves, as the 
 flight of the Petrel indicates an elemental storm. 
 He had been concerned in all the numerous in- 
 trigues and complots that agitated the latter 
 end of Charles the Second's reign, until he had
 
 204< EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 acquired a sort of taste for conspiracies, as if his 
 life became a burthen the moment he ceased to 
 put it in jeopardy, and his neck felt uncomfor- 
 table unless he could keep a halter perpetually 
 around it. Nothing knavish, however, or even 
 selfish, entered into his motives. He was an 
 enthusiast, sometimes wild and visionary, some- 
 times even aimless in his movements, but al- 
 ways honest, always sanguine that good was to 
 result from them, if not to himself, at least to 
 his fellow-creatures. Thin and eao-er-lookins: 
 in visage, his large restless eyes seemed start- 
 ing from his head ; he was profuse of speech, 
 and talked with an eloquence and an accom- 
 panying gesticulation inspired by the ardour 
 and earnestness of his temperament- 
 While his little troop were executing the 
 orders they had received, a proceeding 'which 
 their awkwardness and inexperience rendered 
 more tedious than was necessary, Fludyer had 
 taken Reuben's arm and was walking with him 
 up and down the terrace, discoursing with a 
 rapidity that seemed intended to keep time 
 with the quickness of his march. In language
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 205 
 
 o-lowing with the fiery indignation that he felt, 
 he reprobated the arbitrary measures and nefa- 
 rious designs of the King, whom he stigmatized 
 as a tyrant, plotting in conjunction with France 
 to subvert at once the liberties and the religion 
 of his subjects ; it was the duty, he said, of 
 every manly Briton and rational Christian to 
 take up arms against this intolerable oppression; 
 he represented the Duke of INIonmouth to have 
 eno-ao-ed in his present enterprise, not from 
 personal ambition, but in obedience to the uni- 
 versal cry of the nation, who only wanted a 
 leader to rise up as one man; his success he 
 maintained to be indisputable — the glory of 
 those Avho supported him in the emancipation 
 of their country would be imperisliable, while 
 the shame of their cowardice would leave an 
 indehble brand upon the forehead of those who 
 refused to co-operate with him. He alluded to 
 the example bequeathed to them by the patriots 
 and tyrannicides of old, and finally incited 
 Reuben by every thing that was great and good 
 to join their standard, concluding his impas- 
 sioned harangue by exclaiming, " Oh, if your
 
 206 llEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 noble-spirited father, ever the advocate and 
 champion of Hberty, were now among us, with 
 what fervour would he embrace our cause, with 
 what alacrity would he point out to his son 
 the path that he should pursue — with what 
 pride would he see him enlisted beneath the 
 sacred banner of political and rehgious free- 
 dom !" 
 
 It is always difficult to resist the impetuous 
 oratory of a man who obviously speaks under 
 the impulse of a profound conviction. By sen- 
 timent and reflection, strengthened by the whole 
 course of his classical reading, Reuben was an 
 ardent friend of liberty; when, in addition to 
 their suggestions which already prompted him 
 to obey the call of patriotism, his filial piety, 
 the master passion of his soul, whispered to him, 
 that by doing so he should be acting in confor- 
 mity with the will and the injunctions of his 
 father — that his duty sanctioned his inclinations 
 — the question was decided in his own mind, and 
 the first impulse became the final and fixed 
 purpose of his heart. Precipitate, however, as 
 he was, he did not in his supposed obedience to
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 207 
 
 • 
 
 a lost and perhaps a deceased father, forget him 
 who had supplied his place. He demanded 
 time to consult with, or at least to sound his 
 uncle, pledging himself to come to a decision 
 within a few hours, and to present himself at 
 the Duke's head-quarters in the afternoon. 
 Fludyer, who in the course of their previous 
 acquaintance had obtained a sufficient insight 
 into his character to know the chord that 
 \abrated to his heart's core, congratulated him 
 on his having proved himself worthy of the 
 patriotic stock from which he sprung, adverted 
 to the probability that his father might still 
 revisit the shores of England, to bless him for 
 his present resolution, and reminding him that 
 there was no time to be lost if he would get the 
 start of his friend Charles, who would quickly 
 join their standard, he put himself again at the 
 head of his troop, and marched out of the 
 park, taking with him the captured brass can- 
 nons. 
 
 Short as this conversation had been, when 
 Reuben was left to his own reflections, and 
 measured it by its eflect upon his feelings, he
 
 208 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 could hardly believe that it had not been of 
 much longer duration. His whole soul was in 
 a tumult, for wlien he no longer marked the 
 enthusiastic countenance, and listened to the 
 emphatical and seductive energy of his friend, 
 he became conscious that he had pledged him- 
 self to a desperate enterprize which nothing 
 but success could justify, while nothing but the 
 death of its abettors could expiate its failure. 
 The more perilous, however, the undertaking, 
 tlie greater would be the glory of its prosperous 
 achievement ; the call of his country was im- 
 perative; the eloquence of Fludyer had done 
 its work ; he fancied that he heard the voice of 
 his father urs^inff him to enrol himself among 
 the patriot band, and he proceeded to the house 
 to sound his uncle, touching the prudence of a 
 measui'e which he had already fully resolved 
 to adopt. 
 
 For the reasons already stated, Goldingham 
 expressed his perfect conviction that the Duke's 
 adventure would fail, and that it was not even 
 desil-able that it should succeed ; declaring his 
 determination to take no active part on either 
 side, but to remain at Goldingham Place, and
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 209 
 
 await the result of a struggle, which could not 
 be long protracted, since the monarcli of three 
 kingdoms could s'carcely require a greater num- 
 ber of days in dispersing and destroying such 
 a mere handful of invaders. Undismayed by 
 this. disheartening propliecy, Reuben persevered 
 in his purpose, resolving, however, not to com- 
 promise his uncle by communicating to him his 
 intentions, but to disappear instantl}^, in order 
 to encourage the belief among the servants and 
 neighbours that he might have been forcibly 
 carried off by the troop that had taken posses- 
 sion of the brass cannons, without his having 
 had any conference with Goldingham. With 
 this view he hurried to his room, collected his 
 little store of money, stole down the back stairs, 
 made his way to the plantations in the Park, 
 leapt the fence, and ran across the country in the 
 direction of Lyme, at whicli place he had learnt 
 from Fludyer it was the intention of the in- 
 vaders to remain until the followmj^ mornins;. 
 Whatever discouraging impressions had been 
 left upon his mind by his uncle's predictions 
 were speedil}^ dissipated as lie approached the 
 town, towards which the wliole pojjulation of
 
 210 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 the country seemed to be flockinf^ with every 
 demonstration of entliusiasm and joy. The 
 craggy hill, at whose base it is situated, was 
 thickly thronged with spectators and partisans, 
 flags were flying from the mast-head of all the 
 vessels in the harbour, as well as from the 
 steeple of the church, whose bells were ringing a 
 merry peal ; every street in the place, and even 
 the windows and tops of the houses appeared 
 crowded with the Duke's friends ; troops were 
 seen forming and parading around the harbour ; 
 the sounds of trumpets and other martial music 
 floated upon the air, mixed with the chiming 
 of the bells, the occasional acclamations of the 
 multitude, and salvos of firelocks; while the 
 whole cheerful and motley scene, the town, the 
 surrounding country, the shipping, and the 
 ocean, stood sparkling in the radiance of a 
 sunny morning in June. It was impossible 
 not to sympathize with such an association 
 of spirit-stirring sounds and objects, not to 
 catch the enthusiasm by which all seemed to 
 be inspired ; and Reuben's inflammable tem- 
 perament was little likely to resist the in-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 211 
 
 fluences by which he was thus surrounded. 
 As he pressed his way with some difficulty 
 through the dense mob, he felt the colour rush- 
 ing to his cheeks, and his heart throbbing as if 
 it would leap from his bosom, while he almost 
 unconsciously joined in the deafening huzzas of 
 the people, and shouted with them till he was 
 as hoarse as his neighbours, " Long live the 
 Duke of Monmouth ! — Long live the Protestant 
 Prince !" 
 
 The object of this popular cry had for the pre- 
 sent fixed his head-quarters at a public house, 
 from the balcony of which he occasionally pre- 
 sented himself and bowed to the multitude, who 
 saluted him in return with a stunning shout; 
 which being successively re-echoed by those on 
 the hill, by the troops around the harbour, and 
 by other dispersed assemblages, made the whole 
 welkin ring with lengthened and reiterated 
 bursts of joy. Reu])en drew a happy augury 
 from this universal ardour in the good cause. 
 If the sacred flame of liberty had kindled such 
 a blaze in the first corner of the empire that it 
 had touched, how should the tyrant quench it
 
 212 KiEUBE>J APSLEY. 
 
 when it came to be extended through the whole 
 land ? He accepted the appearances before 
 him as an assured omen of ultimate success, 
 and already conoratulated himself upon the 
 promptitude with which he had entitled himself 
 to the honour of having contributed to that 
 most glorious consummation. 
 
 Having with considerable difficulty forced 
 his way through the crowd that beleagued the 
 public-house, he inquired for Fludyer, whose 
 name passed from mouth to mouth as if it had 
 been familiar to all, but whose multifarious 
 occupations, and the general confusion of the 
 place, rendered him a personage exceedingly 
 troublesome to find. After having dispatched 
 various messengers in search of him, and waited 
 above an hour for his appearance, he at length 
 heard his voice, talking with his usual earnest- 
 ness, as he shouldered himself into the porch of 
 the house. His quick and restless eye soon dis- 
 covered Reuben, whose hand he seized, as if to 
 make svu'e of him when he should want him, 
 while he continued for some time, with an 
 undiminished volubility, issuing various orders
 
 REUBEN APSLEV. 213 
 
 respecting forage and provisions for the troops, 
 a department which had been placed under his 
 sviperintendence. ' A pause having at length 
 ensued, rather from the want of persons to re- 
 ceive his orders, than from any exliaustion on 
 the part of the speaker, he turned to Reuben, 
 pressed his hand between both of his own, de- 
 clared that he was overjoyed to see him, and 
 proposed that he should immediately accompany 
 him up stairs for the purpose of being intro- 
 duced to the Duke. On entering the apart- 
 ment he found the latter in eager, and as it ap- 
 peared to Reuben in angry discussion with a 
 little knot of gentlemen, part of wh.om were in 
 different uniforms and wore the appearance of 
 officers, while the rest were armed, but without 
 any regular military equipments. Their con- 
 versation, whatever was its subject, ceased as 
 they entered. He was introduced by Fludyer, 
 who whispered in the Prince's ear for the sake 
 of crivinff due value to his recruit, that he was 
 the nephew and heir of J\Ir. Goldingham, a 
 wealthy merchant, whose influence in the city 
 might materially forward their views. His re-
 
 214 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 ception was of course flattering, for few or none 
 of the better classes had yet flocked to the Pro- 
 testant standard, as it was termed ; and Reuben 
 knew not which most to admire, the singular 
 beauty of the Prince's person, or the courteous 
 elegance of his demeanour as he introduced him 
 successively to Lord Grey, Sir Patrick Hume, 
 and Mr. Fletcher of Salton, the principal per- 
 sons of eminence who had accompanied him from 
 Holland. It was easy to see, as the conversa- 
 tion was renewed, that the latter individual en- 
 joyed the principal share of his confidence, a 
 distinction well merited by one who united in 
 his own person all the powers of the soldier, 
 the orator, and the scholar. 
 
 Reuben presendy discovered that the unani- 
 mity which pervaded the whole multitudinous 
 mass without, and from which he had drawn 
 such happy auguries, did not by any means 
 extend to the small party before him. They 
 were discussing the Prince's manifesto, a te- 
 dious, long-winded production, remarkable for 
 nothing but the dull malignity with which it 
 imputed the most atrocious and improbable
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 215 
 
 crimes to the King, and which Fletcher, a clas- 
 sical writer and a gentlemen, maintained to be 
 derogatory to tlie Duke's honour, rather than 
 to that of the monarch. It was vindicated by 
 a man of the name of Ferguson, who had been 
 the Prince's tutor, and was the real author of 
 the scurrilous production in question ; Fletcher 
 was constitutionally cholerick ; words ran high ; 
 both were brave, and each had placed his hand 
 upon his sword, when the Duke interfered, and 
 implored them not to sacrifice their common 
 cause by individual brawls in this the very 
 outset of their counsels. Good or bad, he ob- 
 served, the manifesto had been issued; it was 
 too late to recall it, and if errors had been 
 committed, it was wiser to prevent their effects, 
 if possible, than to upbraid their authors — 
 " Harkye, gentlemen," he exclaimed, smiling, 
 " if we have any of us said amiss, let us all 
 agree to eat our own words, and I will be the 
 first to set the example ; for, by St. George, we 
 are little likely to find a better meal. Here is 
 the whole country trooping to us by thousands, 
 and we have neither rations to give them to-
 
 216 KEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 day, nor better hope for the morrow, unless 
 some of ye be shrewd enougii to tell me how 
 we may fill hungry stomachs out of empty ma- 
 gazines." 
 
 " I undertake to find subsistence for the 
 whole army for one day," said Ferguson, " if 
 I may have the command of it for a single 
 minute." 
 
 " How say you, Fletcher ?"" cried the Duke, 
 taking out his watch ; " may we trust him thus 
 long ?" 
 
 " Your Royal Highness has known Mr. Fer- 
 guson longer than I have,'' replied Fletcher, 
 sarcastically ; ''• and I see you have prudently 
 prepared yourself to limit your confidence to 
 the period of sixty seconds." 
 
 " My Lord Grey, Sir Patrick Hume, Tren- 
 chard ;" resumed the Duke, turning to the 
 parties thus designated — " you are of my staff 
 and council ; have I your sanction to this des- 
 perate measure ?'"' 
 
 All signified their assent that he should ac- 
 cept the offer, not a little curious to understand 
 its meaning, and to learn how this sudden ca-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 217 
 
 terer for a whole army would redeem his 
 pledge. 
 
 " Ferguson !" exclamied the Duke, going up 
 to him and fixing his eye upon his watch, " I 
 appoint you Generalissimo for the minute ; but, 
 be quick as thought in issuing your command, 
 for five seconds of your generalship have already 
 slipped away." 
 
 " I order that the soldiers shall observe a 
 solemn fast to-morrow, for our success," cried 
 Ferguson, — a solution of the difficulty at once 
 so satisfactory and so unexpected, that the 
 Duke laughed as he again pocketed his watch, 
 and the company unanimously agreed that no 
 commander had ever done so much for his army 
 in so short a space of time, or hit upon a more 
 economical expedient for supplying their wants. 
 
 Finding his companions restored to good 
 humour, and his troops provided for the next 
 day, the Duke took Reuben apart, and in- 
 quired whether he felt competent to discharge 
 any species of command, adding that they 
 were much in want of officers, and that he 
 should be happy to give him any commission 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 218 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 to the duties of which he considered himself 
 adequate. Upon learning his utter ignorance of 
 military duty, he recommended him to attach 
 himself to his friend Fludyer, as a sort of gene- 
 ral aid-de-camp, a situation in which he would 
 soon acquire such an insight into the soldier's 
 profession as would qualify him for a more 
 prominent appointment ; and giving him warm 
 assurances of his favour and protection, he 
 dismissed him to commence his new career. 
 
 Fludyer was now in his element and in all his 
 glory, attending to every body's business as well 
 as his own, perpetually bustling and in full 
 motion, like a squirrel in a cage, without making 
 much more progress ; as full of zeal and energy 
 as he was deficient in method and forethought, 
 thinking everything to be achieved when he had 
 conquered the little difficulties of the moment, 
 and no further troubling his head about the fu- 
 ture than as it would consummate that success 
 of which his sanguine and enthusiastic tempera- 
 ment did not permit him to harbour the sha- 
 dow of a doubt. In every momentary pause 
 of speech or action, and he seldom allowed
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 219 
 
 himself one of longer duration, he ruhhed his 
 hands rapidly together, while his prominent, 
 lamp-like eyes sparkled, and his thin sallow 
 visage flared with joy as he contemplated the 
 hubbub and confusion which he had assisted 
 in conjuring up, and by which he hoped to 
 keep himself for some time to come in the 
 midst of the strife, agitation, and danger which 
 were so congenial to his turbulent nature. 
 Under such a stirring busybody Reuben was 
 allowed little time for reflection, and scarcely 
 sufficient leisure for the paramount duty of 
 equipping himself. The first recruits had ex- 
 hausted all the arms brought over by the Duke, 
 and Reuben, who was not yet sufficiently imbued, 
 with the soldier's morality to hold himself war- 
 ranted in seizing what he wanted, considered 
 himself fortunate in being enabled to purchase 
 a sword and a brace of pistols. To avoid the 
 wrangling and even the fighting for weapons, 
 of which he had already seen several instances, 
 he thought proper to secure the possession of 
 his pistols by having his name engraved upon 
 their hilt : an old baldrick of untanned leather 
 
 l2
 
 S20 REUBEN Al'SLEY. 
 
 served to support them as well as his sword. By 
 nearly emptying his slender purse, he had pur- 
 chased a helmet which was very little the worse 
 for wear, and not much too big for him ; and 
 thus accoutred, the late pensive and studi- 
 ous collegian, suddenly transformed into an ir- 
 regular soldier, and engaged in rebellion a- 
 gainst his sovereign, presented himself to his 
 commanding officer. 
 
 Nothing was now wanting to complete his 
 equipment but that most essential article— a 
 horse, which his slender finances would not 
 enable him to purchase, but which Fludyer, 
 infinitely less scrupulous than his aid-de-camp, 
 presently procured for him by the simple expe- 
 dient of seizure. Mounted upon this animal, 
 which proved to be a fleet and good one, he was 
 dispatched in various directions with orders res- 
 pecting forage and provisions, a service which 
 occupied him till a late hour ; when, overcome 
 with the fatigues of the first day's campaigning, 
 he was happy to throw himself down upon some 
 clean straw in a barn, the best quarters that he 
 could procure, where he slept soundly till day-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 221 
 
 break. Scarcely had he dressed and refreshed 
 himself, when he was summoned by Fludyer to 
 mount and attend Lord Grey, whom the Duke 
 had ordered, with three hundred men, to storm 
 Bridport, while Fletcher was detached with 
 another party on a different expedition. The 
 little band to which Reuben now belonged 
 stormed and took the town with great spirit, 
 while Lord Grey deserted his men, fled back 
 to the Duke, and reported they were defeated. 
 Fludyer himself soon brought the news that 
 they were victorious, and had been basely aban- 
 doned by their commander. " What shall I do 
 with him ?" said the Duke confounded. " There 
 is not a general in Europe who would ask such 
 a question but yourself,"" was the reply. Yet 
 such was the softness and irresolution of the 
 Duke's nature, that he continued him in his 
 command. Fletcher, who knew their enterprise 
 to be too perilous to admit of ceremony, had 
 in his expedition seized for his own riding the 
 horse of a country gentleman, which stood read}'^ 
 equipped for its master. Its owner, a stout yeo- 
 man, ran in a passion to the spot, saluted the pur ■
 
 222 REUJiEN AISLEY. 
 
 loiner of his steed with opprobrious language, 
 shook his cane, and attempted to strike. Ri- 
 gid moralist as he was, Fletcher, cholerick by 
 nature, and stung by the indignity of a cane 
 uplifted against the soldier and the gentleman, 
 could not command his feelings, but pulled out 
 his pistol, and shot the man dead on the spot. 
 A clamour was raised, the people of the country 
 waited upon the Duke in a body to make their 
 complaints, and he was forced to desire the only 
 soldier, and the only man of genius in his army, 
 to abandon him. 
 
 In spite of these discouraging circumstances 
 his force daily increased in number, and by the 
 time he reached Taunton, the Duke was at the 
 head of six thousand men. Mounted on a 
 stately charger, equipt in half-armour of polished 
 steel, over which he wore a white scarf, with 
 the ribbon and diamond George of the order of 
 the Garter, his head uncovered, and his dark 
 ringlets thrown back on either side, so as to dis- 
 cover the full beauty of his fine features, the 
 Prince entered Taunton, whose inhabitants 
 received him with enthusiasm, strewed his way
 
 REUBEN AFSLEY. 223 
 
 with flowers and herbs, adorned their walls witli 
 green boughs, and threw open their houses to 
 his army. Twenty-six young maidens present- 
 ed him on their knees, a banner of their own 
 handiwork and a bible, which he received 
 with a kind of transport, as an omen of his fu- 
 ture fortune ; and kissing the sacred book, cried 
 out that he came to defend the truths contained 
 in it, or to seal them with his blood. Not less 
 easily elated than dejected, he now proclaimed 
 himself King, declaring Lord Albemarle, who 
 was marching: afjainst him, as well as the whole 
 House of Commons, traitors if they did not 
 dissolve themselves ; he ordered some mock re- 
 galia to be made, amusing himself by occasion- 
 ally wearing and playing with them, and he 
 began to touch for the King's evil ; as if by thus 
 clinging to the empty shadows of royalty, he 
 could assure himself of its substance. 
 
 The interval that elapsed between this period 
 and the fatal battle of Sedgemoor, constituted 
 little better than a succession of errors, and 
 gave Reuben abundant opportunities for ob- 
 serving, that although the Duke had on former
 
 224 KEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 occasions afforded more than one example of a 
 reckless valour, he was altogether deficient in 
 those great qualities which could alone ensure a 
 prosperous issue to so perilous an enterprise as 
 the present. Without talent or judgment to 
 command success, he was equally ungifted with 
 fortitude to endure reverse ; never having been 
 accustomed to think or to act for himself, but 
 habituated to follow the impulse communicated 
 to him by others, he found it an intolerable 
 effort to come to a decision upon the points that 
 were almost hourly submitted to him, especially 
 when he recollected the dreadful responsibility 
 which the smallest error might entail, both 
 upon himself and others : hence he became 
 irresolute and procrastinating, often perpetuat- 
 ing old errors, lest by a change of any sort he 
 should be committing new ones. His looks 
 sufficiently betrayed the tumult of his soul, as 
 he successively yielded to and struggled with 
 his despondency, in which varying moods he 
 betrayed the unsteadiness and frivolity of his 
 mind, by alternately praying to Heaven for
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 225 
 
 support, and singing amorous French songs. 
 He asked advice of all who approached him, 
 he called a council of his officers, and with a 
 superstitious weakness that formed a part of his 
 character, procured an ignorant old man to be 
 secretly conveyed to him, who had the reputa- 
 tion of being a wizard, and had been tried as 
 such forty years before, that he might consult 
 him as to the probabilities of his success, and 
 purchase from him a charm against danger. 
 This ancient fortune-teller, who probably saw 
 the desperate situation of the Duke's affairs, and 
 had no wish to compromise himself as a traitor, 
 refused to salute him with the title of king, 
 though tutored to do so. " How canst thee be 
 King of England ?" inquired the sturdy rustic ; 
 " beesn't thee the son of Lucy Walters .P" 
 
 " Villain !"" exclaimed Monmouth, reddening 
 with wrath ; " the son of a King requires no 
 mother ; King Charles the Second was my 
 father." 
 
 " Thee beest like un, and that 's the truth 
 on 't,"" said the clown ; " but thee beest vor all 
 
 L 5
 
 226 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 the world more like King Charles the Virst, 
 when I zeed un coming out o' Whitehall to ha' 
 his head chopped off?' 
 
 " Avaunt ! thou traitorous old knave," cried 
 Monmouth, as he spurned him from his pre- 
 sence. But he could not forget his sinister 
 words by driving the man from his sight ; they 
 appeared to be of most inauspicious omen ; he 
 tried in vain to expel them from his memory — 
 he rejoined his staff", and in a state of the deep- 
 est dejection gave orders for the immediate re- 
 treat of the army to Bridgewater. 
 
 At this place he mounted to the top of a high 
 tower, to take his last view of a country which 
 he foresaw that he must soon abandon. With 
 the assistance of glasses he discovered the 
 King's forces at Sedgemoor, so carelessly en- 
 camped as to promise an easy victory, and he 
 resolved to attack them that night in the dark, 
 reserving to himself the command of the foot, 
 and entrusting to Lord Grey that of the horse. 
 One of his captains reminded him of Grey's 
 behaviour at Bridport, but from the easiness 
 and over-delicacy of his nature he answered,
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 227 
 
 *' I will not affront my Lord ; what I have 
 given him in charge is easy to be executed." 
 Soon after midmght the army advanced to the 
 attack with great regularity and silence, when 
 a Captain Hacker, who had joined him in Eng- 
 land, but was offended with the Duke for hav- 
 ing refused to make him Governor of Taunton, 
 fired a pistol as they approached the enemy, to 
 give an alarm, and then rode off to take the 
 benefit of the King's pardon ; Lord Grey ran 
 away at the first charge, as he had done before, 
 and the Duke's followers, thrown into confusion 
 though not disheartened, lost all regard to his 
 orders. A mass of them, consisting mostly of 
 stout-hearted and able-bodied Mendip miners, 
 formed themselves into a solid body, and laying 
 their shoulders close to each other, advanced, 
 stopped, fought, and died together, maintaining 
 the contest for three hours until all their am- 
 munition was spent, and even then disdaining 
 to run away. The scythes, axes, and mining 
 tools which are still occasionally turned up on 
 the field of battle, attest at once the rude man- 
 ner in which some of these troops were armed,
 
 228 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 and the desperation with which they wielded 
 such inefficient weapons, until death wrenched 
 them from their grasp. 
 
 Forgetting in his own cause that personal 
 bravery of which he had been so lavish when 
 fighting for another, the Duke galloped from 
 the field as soon as he saw the battle lost, 
 continued his flight for twenty miles together, 
 without knowing whither he was going, quitted 
 his exhausted horse, changed clothes with a 
 peasant, and struck across the country on foot. 
 Reuben and Fludyer had been attached to that 
 body of bold and stubborn miners on whom the 
 Duke placed his chief reliance. Early in the 
 action Reuben's horse had been shot under him, 
 when he joined himself to the ranks, and fought 
 on with all the desperate enthusiasm of his com- 
 rades, until the King's cannon were brought 
 to bear upon the solid mass of which he now 
 formed a part, mowing them down the more 
 destructively from the thick order into which 
 the men were gathered ; and at the same time 
 the royal horse, wearied with pursuing Grey, 
 returned and fell upon their rear. An indis-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 229 
 
 criminate slaughter ensued, and yet death seem- 
 ed to be ahuost universally preferred to flight. 
 Amid numerous instances of desperate valour, 
 Reuben was particularly struck by the enthu- 
 siasm of a young man who had for some time 
 fought with an undaunted intrepidity by his 
 side, and who, although he was now lying upon 
 the ground, pierced with mortal wounds, em- 
 ployed his last moments in alternately singing 
 psalms, and encouraging his comrades. Upon 
 stooping down and inquiring whether he could 
 in any way assist him, he was earnestly im- 
 plored by the dying man, to deliver to his fa- 
 ther a small pocket bible which he drew from 
 his bosom, and to assure him he had done his 
 duty. He was proceeding to explain where 
 his father resided, when his voice suddenly 
 failed him, and after two or three ineffectual 
 efforts at speech, he fell backwards and expired. 
 Reuben secured the sacred memorial, though 
 he considered it but an useless care, for in the 
 belief that the cause of religion and liberty 
 had sunk for ever, he had resolved to imitate 
 the example of his dauntless companions, and
 
 230 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 to perish with it, wlicn tlie thought of his lost 
 parents, and the conviction that it was his duty 
 to live for the purpose of elucidating their fate, 
 suddenly inspired him with the desire of saving 
 himself by flight. At this moment Fludyer, of 
 whom he had lost sight for a considerable time, 
 and who, with a characteristic courage and san- 
 guineness, refusing to despair of victory long 
 after the Duke had fled, had galloped wherever 
 he could be useful in repelling the enemy or en- 
 couraging his own men, approached him upon 
 a lame and bloodstained horse, which was pain- 
 fully panting from wounds and over-exertion. 
 
 "What is to be done?" inquired Reuben, 
 calling to him. 
 
 " Not much more to-day, I believe," replied 
 Fludyer, putting his hand above his eyes to shade 
 them from the sun, (for he had lost his helmet,) 
 and looking over the field with an air of perfect 
 composure, although the men were fast falling 
 immediately around him. " No, not much more 
 to-day ; but there will be a good many materials 
 left for a future insurrection, and we must save 
 ourselves that we may assist in organizing it.
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 231 
 
 Poor fellow ! poor fellow !" he continued, very 
 leisurely dismounting, and patting his steed on 
 the neck, " I should have been glad to back 
 you in our next battle, for you are a good and 
 trustworthy charger, but I fear me you have 
 done your last day's duty. Apsley, my good 
 fellow, we must look out for fresher cattle, and 
 have a gallop for our lives." 
 
 There were many horses careering wildly 
 about the field, one of which having approach- 
 ed them as they were talking, Reuben darted 
 forward and seized it by the bridle, when, as he 
 was leading it up to his companion, it was struck 
 by a ball, and rolled over struggling at his feet. 
 "It is no great loss," said Fludyer, " for the 
 animal was already jaded ; but if we could 
 secure a couple of yonder drinking party we 
 might still hold our enemies a lengthy chace." 
 He pointed to a small pool at a little distance, 
 where several riderless troop-horses, parched by 
 the heat of the weather, and regardless of the 
 hubbub and destruction that surrounded them, 
 were eagerly slaking their thirst. So intent 
 were they while thus occupied, that two of the
 
 232 REU13EN APSLEY. 
 
 Stoutest and freshest looking of the animals suf- 
 fered their apjDroachers to secure them, and in 
 another minute Reuben and Fludyer were gal- 
 loping from the fatal field, though their ears 
 long rang with the roar of artillery, the whis- 
 tling of bullets, the tramp of steeds, the braying 
 of trumpets, and the clashing and the clamour 
 of the still infuriated combatants.
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 233 
 
 CHArTER VIII. 
 
 " Sweet are the thoughts that savour of content ; 
 The quiet mind is richer than a crown : 
 Sweet are the nights in careless slumber spent ; 
 The poor estate scorns Fortune's angry frown. 
 Such sweet content, such minds, such sleep, such bliss. 
 Beggars enjoy when princes oft do miss." 
 
 Robert Green. 
 
 " This little bit of a scrape will be of great 
 use to you,"" said Fludyer, who seemed to think 
 that he had conferred an obhgation on his young 
 companion by having brought him into his 
 present most perilous predicament. " You are 
 quite right to begin betimes in learning how to 
 play at hide and seek with the hangman, for it 
 is a pastime in which we may all be frequently 
 driven to participate, before we can succeed in 
 the great object of emancipating our country. 
 For myself, I have so often had a game at bo-
 
 234 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 peep with Jcack Ketch that I am hardened to the 
 diversion, though I dare say it may seem rather 
 an unpleasant sport to beginners." 
 
 " To me, at least,"" replied Reuben, " I must 
 candidly confess that it possesses no attractions 
 whatever. I like not my present state of jeo- 
 pardy : as an Englishman I am deeply, most 
 painfully grieved for the failure of our enter- 
 prize, which will probably give stability and 
 permanence to the existing tyranny, while my 
 heart bleeds for the fate of our brave compa- 
 nions in arms who have fallen in battle, as well 
 as for the survivors, who will doubtless feel the 
 full vengeance of a merciless monarch." 
 
 " Psha ! my young friend, you consider these 
 trifles too seriously. Our cause is a good one, 
 and it will but flourish the more certainly for 
 this momentary check, as the river that is dam- 
 med up for a while does but spread the wider, 
 and gather force for bursting over all mounds 
 and impediments. Perhaps it is better for us 
 all that we should have sustained this little re- 
 buke, for those who have been killed are but so 
 many insurgents sown in the earth, like seed,
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 235 
 
 to yield us forty -fold in due season ; and the 
 tyranny that vail slaughter the survivors will 
 be only committing an unconscious suicide upon 
 itself. We must look forward, Sh-, forward. 
 We are sure of the Prince of Orange for an- 
 other attempt sooner or later, and I shall be- 
 take myself to his Court to urge him on, since 
 every thhig looks so prosperous in England. I 
 have reason to believe that Lord Sunderland, 
 one of the King's ministers, was at the bottom 
 of Monmouth's enterprize, and will, of course, 
 give his countenance and support to another ; 
 the Marquess of Halifax is friendly to us, 
 though he is too timid a creature to declare 
 himself; we are sure of the leading Whigs ; I 
 have three different cyphers for corresponding 
 with them, and we must have a care that the 
 next landing takes place nearer to the capital." 
 
 " Had we not better secure our escape from 
 one unlucky enterprize, before we make arrange- 
 ments for another ?" inquired Reuben ; who 
 could not so easily forget the present in the 
 future as his sanguine companion. 
 
 " Certainly, certainly, and we will talk the
 
 236 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 matter over when we are a little more at leisure ; 
 there is no immediate hurry. The Dutch pink 
 and dogger which we left at Lyme, will doubt- 
 less be seized ; but my friend Fletcher, of Sal- 
 ton, whose head is as provident and thoughtful 
 as his heart is honest, promised to hover off the 
 coast till he learnt the result of the battle, in 
 order that, if it proved unfortunate, he might 
 carry off the Duke, or any of his associates. 
 After the first ardour of pursuit shall have a 
 little relaxed, we must make for the sea-shore, 
 and take our chance of finding his cutter, or 
 some other that may tilt us over to Holland, 
 and then — hey for another plot, and a fresh 
 descent !" 
 
 *' But at present we are galloping away from 
 the coast," observed Reuben. 
 
 " We have not been allowed much choice of 
 a road," replied Fludyer, " and could not have 
 made direct for the sea without carrying a few 
 bullets in our bodies. The best way to reach it 
 at last is to go inland at first, as the bowl that 
 makes the widest circuit in the beginning, often 
 hits the jack the surest at the end of its course.
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 2B7 
 
 How we shall enjoy our sail over to Holland, 
 after this little troublesome affair of our escape 
 has been disposed" of !" 
 
 *• You are to be envied in being always able 
 to look forward with so much confidence." 
 
 " Why, just at this moment," replied Flud- 
 yer, whose acute senses were all upon the qui 
 vive, even when he seemed most indifferent 
 about his situation, " there is no great pleasure 
 in looking backwards; for my ear has caught 
 from time to time the tramping of a horse at 
 full speed behind us, and now, at yonder turn- 
 ing of the road I spy a fellow in pursuit of us, 
 whose better steed threatens to introduce him 
 to our acquaintance in a few minutes. Are your 
 pistols loaded .''" 
 
 Reuben replied in the affirmative. 
 " I have but one of my own weapons left," 
 resumed Fludyer ; " but as I am probably the 
 best shot, I will let fly at him as he approaches, 
 while you reserve your fire to make sure of him 
 at close quarters. And this being settled, pull 
 up your horse, who by his puffing and panting 
 will not be sorry to take breath, and soon as we
 
 238 REUBEN APS LEY. 
 
 have disposed of this impertinent, we will re- 
 sume our conversation and our ride." So say- 
 ing, he examined the pan and flint of his pistol, 
 and continued, " Now, though I seldom lay 
 bets, I will hold you a silver decus to a doit 
 that this foolish fellow's horse will arrive before 
 his master ; for as I rarely miss a swallow on the 
 wing, 'twere sorry bungling if I could not hit 
 a trooper on his war-horse, and tumble him into 
 the dust ere he come ten yards nearer." So 
 saying, he levelled his weapon, and was very 
 deliberately taking aim, when the stranger, ob- 
 serving his attitude, snatched from his bosom 
 a white ribbon, which was the badge of Mon- 
 mouth's partisans, and kept waving it in the air 
 as he galloped up to them. " Trenchard !" ex- 
 claimed Fludyer, replacing his pistol in his belt, 
 " is it you ? Lay by that lucky white-fillet in 
 lavender, or hang it up in the temple of For- 
 tune, for had you not flourished it at the mo- 
 ment you did, you would have had a brace of 
 bullets in your body, and I should have lost one 
 of my best and bravest friends." 
 
 " It is not my first escape to-day," said
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 239 
 
 Trenchard, " and I hope it will not be my last, 
 for I foresee that we shall have hot and close 
 pursuit. Scouring parties have been detached 
 in all directions, one is already behind us, and 
 at no great distance, which will account for my 
 speed. We have no time for parley : on, on, 
 for heaven's sake ! for we may well try to win 
 the race when we are riding for our lives." At 
 these words he again clapped spurs to his horse, 
 and being much better mounted than his com- 
 panions presently distanced them, and disap- 
 peared on the opposite side of a hill ; at the foot 
 of which lleuben's steed, which had for some 
 time been exhibiting signs of exhaustion, sud- 
 denly stopped, and could not be prevailed on 
 either by blows or encouragement, to advance 
 a step further. "How truly unfortunate!" 
 exclaimed Ileuben, in a tone of regret and aj> 
 prehension. 
 
 '• That remains to be seen," replied his com- 
 panion ; " I have often known these little dis- 
 appointments turn out the luckiest things in the 
 world, and prove by their results that it is we 
 who are blind, and not Fortune. Your horse
 
 240 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 knocks up on purpose to remind me that we 
 cannot be doing a more foolish thing than to 
 continue together. If we are to be caught at 
 all, let them catch one at a time, and we shall 
 at all events last the longer. I am an old of- 
 fender, and may act as a Jonah to all those who 
 are found to be of my crew ; you are a begin- 
 ner, and may perhaps be pardoned for a first 
 offence. Mount my horse, therefore, who will 
 yet hold you a gallop of some miles, throw away 
 your sword and belt, and change your helmet 
 with the first peasant that will give you his hat 
 in return. Some good friend of Lord Fever- 
 sham's army, foreseeing that mine might lead 
 me into a scrape, kindly knocked it off my head 
 with a bullet. When your horse is jaded, 
 make for the woods on foot, find your way if 
 you can to the sea-coast, in the neighbourhood 
 of Lyme, for we shall soon be in Dorsetshire ; 
 prowl about the beach at night ; if any of 
 Fletcher's men are patroling the sands to bring 
 off stragglers, you will know them by their white 
 dresses ; and we may perhaps scud over to Hol- 
 land in the same cutter, and in another fortnight
 
 JBEUBEN APSLEY. 241 
 
 be making arrangements for a fresh landing, 
 and a new insurrection. The season is fine, 
 the nights will be delightfully dark for a week 
 to come, no time could be more pleasant or< 
 favourable for taking your first lesson in the art 
 of escaping, and as I think you told me your 
 finances were low, and you may perhaps have 
 occasion for a little bribery and corruption, you 
 had better take my purse to assist your pro- 
 ceedincrs." 
 
 During the latter part of this speech, which 
 was delivered with his usual rapidity, he had 
 dismounted ; and now stood with his purse in 
 one hand and his horse''s bridle in the other, 
 offering them both to Reuben, Avho was, how- 
 ever, much too generous in his own nature to 
 take advantage of his friend's magnanimous 
 proposal ; suggesting that he himself might as 
 well strike across the country on foot, while his 
 comrade rode forward, and absolutely refusing 
 to touch a shilling of the money. 
 
 " Look^ye, my young friend," said Fludyer, 
 seating himself by the road-side, " when you 
 have known me a little longer, you will have 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 242 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 discovered that I am somewhat obstinate and 
 inflexible in my purposes. If you do not in- 
 stantly mount, I shall turn the animal loose, 
 make my way down yonder lane, and leave you 
 to your fate ; and when your lost parents revisit 
 England, they will have the misery of learning 
 that you refused to preserve a life so dear to 
 them, although the means were proffered to you."" 
 
 " Do you indeed believe that they still exist 
 — that they will be restored to my embraces ?" 
 eagerly exclaimed Reuben, whose objections 
 were instantly overcome by this artful appeal 
 to his feelings : " not for worlds would I lose 
 that blessed chance, or afford them the shadow 
 of a cause for reproaching my memory. When, 
 oh, when will the blissful moment of our meet- 
 ing " 
 
 " Never !" interrupted Fludyer, " if you 
 waste another moment in vain aspirations ; for, 
 hark ! that trumpet, sounding from the hill be- 
 hind us, announces that the foremost of the 
 scourers are hard upon our track. Up, up, 
 and aw^ay ! for if you stand one second longer 
 upon punctilio, we may both chance to dance
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 243 
 
 upon nothing." So saying, he lifted rather than 
 helped his companion into the saddle ; and 
 Reuben, determined not to deprive him of his 
 purse, of which he would now, probably, have 
 more need than himself, hastily exclaimed — 
 " God bless you, my generous friend 1" waved 
 his hand, struck spurs into his horse, and again 
 galloped rapidly forwards, neither knowing in 
 what direction he was riding, nor what he should 
 do when his steed would no longer enable him 
 to continue his flight. 
 
 Thus did he press onwards for some miles 
 without relaxing his speed, filled with gloomy 
 apprehensions, which were increased by the 
 threatenings of the wind, as it ever and anon 
 bore to his ear the braying of a not very distant 
 trumpet, until he reached a solitary alehouse, in 
 front of which a man, who appeared to be its 
 landlord, was sitting in the shade, smoking a 
 pipe, with a tankard of ale by his side. The 
 sight of a person thus pleasantly occupied, not 
 only suggested to him the necessity of some 
 refreshment for himself and his horse, but re- 
 minded him of Fludyer's advice, that, in order 
 
 M 2
 
 2M REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 to avoid betraying iiimself by his equipments, 
 he should seize the first opportunity of ex- 
 clianging his hehnet for a hat. With this in- 
 tention he drew up at the door ; when the land- 
 lord started from his bench to receive him, ex- 
 claiming, " Sniggers ! my noble captain, thee 'It 
 surely be pleased to 'light ; for thy poor beast's 
 flanks do reek vor all the world like a lime-kiln, 
 and thof he do look like a rare good 'n, I can 
 zee by the zhaking of his tail that he hadn't got 
 much more go in him." 
 
 " Thank ye, friend," replied Reuben : " I 
 cannot tarry more than a few seconds ; for I 
 am bound upon an errand of life and death. But 
 I am worried with this helmet, which, as you see, 
 is too large for my head, and yet will not pro- 
 tect my eyes from the sun : would it suit you 
 to receive it in exchange for your more com- 
 fortable beaver ?" 
 
 " What ! swop my old castor for that 'ere 
 vine helmet ? how much must I gi' ye be- 
 sides.^" said the rustic, chinking the silver in 
 his breeches' pocket. 
 
 " You may keep your money j"' replied Reu-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 245 
 
 ben, " if you will only bring a pail of water for 
 my horse, allow me to finish your tankard of 
 ale, and to fill my pockets with yonder biscuits 
 that are ranged along the window." 
 
 " Done V exclaimed the rustic, with an eager 
 chuckle, at the same time reaching out his hat, 
 and receiving the helmet in return ; when, hav- 
 ing deposited the latter in a place of safety, he 
 handed up his tankard, ran to fetch a pail of 
 water, which he popped down under the horse's 
 nose, and bustling into the house for a large 
 handful of biscuits, crammed them into Reuben's 
 pocket, as if to bind the bargain, and prevent 
 any possibility of a hitch in such a beneficial 
 exchange. His chapman, however, who had no 
 wish to break his bargain, finished the remainder 
 of the tankard, allowed his horse to empty the 
 pail, and speedily resumed his flight ; when the 
 landlord, bursting into a more audible chuckle 
 than he had previously ventured to indulge, 
 struck his hand upon his thigh, exclaiming, 
 " Danged if that chap baint the softest flat 
 ever I coom across V — at the conclusion of 
 which words, he clapped the helmet upon his
 
 246 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 head, and strutted into the house, to show him- 
 self off in his finery, and boast of his bargain 
 to his wife. 
 
 Reuben meanwhile, whose horse had gathered 
 some additional strength and courage from his 
 short bait, was enabled to pursue his rapid and 
 aimless career, until he was nearly twenty miles 
 distant from the fatal field of Sedgemoor, when 
 the poor beast became so exhausted and dis- 
 tressed that his rider at length dismounted, 
 took off his saddle and bridle, Avhich he threw 
 into a ditch, together with his sword and belt, 
 and turning the jaded animal into a field by the 
 road-side, struck across the country on foot in 
 an opposite direction, taking care to conceal his 
 pistols beneath his horseman's cloak. He now 
 proceeded for some time along an open champain 
 tract, in a state of cultivation, although the 
 respective yjroperties were only divided here 
 and there by hurdles, or marked by boundary 
 stones, neither of which would serve his pur- 
 pose of concealment, should it be rendered 
 necessary by the appearance of his pursuers. 
 At a small distance from him, he at length ob-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 247 
 
 served two peasants at work, and feeling well 
 assured that they could know nothing of the 
 dismal overthrow which had converted so many 
 gallant soldiers and gentlemen into fugitives 
 and outlaws, whom it had become the duty 
 of every loyal subject to seize or destroy, he 
 boldly ventured up to them, and inquired the 
 way to the sea-coast, or the town of Lyme. 
 Expressing no small amazement at the latter 
 part of the question, since as they told him, the 
 place was " right clean away all across the 
 country," they added that he was only a few 
 miles from Pool, and pointed out to him in 
 what direction it lay, for which information he 
 thanked them, and continued his flight with as 
 much speed as he could exert. Still the coun- 
 try retained the same open shelterless charac- 
 ter, until as tlie shades of evening began to 
 gather around him, he observed with satisfac- 
 tion that he was approaching a range of enclo- 
 sures, trees, and plantations, crossed by lofty 
 hedges, and dotted here and there with cot- 
 tagers' hovels. As he drew near to this wel- 
 come spot, hoping that it might afford him
 
 248 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 some secure hiding-place for the night, his heat 
 and thirst, which the remainder of the land- 
 lord's tankard had been insufficient to allay, 
 induced him to stop for a moment to gather 
 some unripe blackberries from a low spreading 
 bramble-bush. On leaning over for this pur- 
 pose, the earth gave way beneath his foot, and 
 he fell suddenly forward, through the yielding 
 bush into a deep hole, which had probably been 
 a saw-pit in former years when timber had 
 been felled in the neighbouring copse, though 
 it was now so completely overgrown by the 
 brambles which had struck root on either side, 
 as well as by rank grass and weeds, that no one 
 could have suspected its existence. 
 
 He had received no other injury in the fall 
 than a few slight scratches, and was preparing 
 to scramble out again, as well as he could, when 
 it occurred to him that as the place was luckily 
 dry, sheltered in some degree from the elements, 
 whose assaults, however, were not much to be 
 dreaded in the month of July, and afforded a 
 better security against discovery than he would 
 be likely to obtain elsewhere, he could not be-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 249 
 
 stow himself more eligibly for the present 
 than in the lair upon which he had thus acci- 
 dentally stumbled. Night, he was well aware, 
 was the only season in which he could with 
 safety steal his way towards Lyme, a point that 
 on several accounts he was most anxious to 
 reach ; but he was now too much exhausted to 
 crawl any farther, and had equal need of re- 
 freshment and repose. Moistening his mouth, 
 tlierefore, with some of the green berries that 
 formed a thick canopy over his head, and mak- 
 ing a meal upon his biscuits, which hunger ren- 
 dered palatable, he communed for some time 
 with his own sad thoughts, and then wrapping 
 his cloak around him, he stretched himself upon 
 the bottom of the pit, where he ])rcsently for- 
 got all his anxieties and dangers in a profound 
 sleep. 
 
 At daybreak, however, he awoke, and imme- 
 diately began to peer on all sides through the 
 interstices of the bramble-bush, to see whether 
 there were any appearances of pursuit. All 
 was hushed and motionless, the cattle had not 
 arisen from their grassy beds, there was no 
 
 M 5
 
 250 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 smoke from the cottagers"* hovels, even the lark 
 had not yet sprung upwards from the dew ; 
 every thing seemed to be still sleeping in the 
 grey twilight. After he had gazed around him 
 in this manner for a short time, he observed a 
 man in a peasant's dress creeping along one of 
 the avenues, skirted with peas, oats, and fern, 
 until he reached the outbound s of the enclo- 
 sures, when he crouched down and threw a fur- 
 tive glance over the open country, as if to as- 
 certain whether he might safely venture forth. 
 Stealthily as he had advanced, and scarcely au- 
 dible as had been his footfall, it had occasioned 
 a hare to start from her form beside him, and 
 make her escape through the oats with a rust- 
 ling noise ; which so scared the scarer of the 
 animal, that he slunk timidly back along the 
 avenue, and disappeared ere Reuben could ob- 
 tain a glimpse of his face. Not above ten mi- 
 nutes, however, had elapsed, when he observed 
 the same figure stealing up another lane to- 
 wards the outbound s immediately opposite to 
 his place of concealment. Here he again stooped 
 down, looking eagerly to the right and left, as
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 251 
 
 he had done before ; at which moment the rays 
 of the rising sun faUing upon his face, betray- 
 ed the well-known features of the Duke of 
 Monmouth. 
 
 Although Reuben had quitted the field of 
 battle a full hour later than the Prince, it 
 chanced that he had fled along the same road, 
 which was, indeed, the only one unoccupied by 
 the royal troops, and had accidentally betaken 
 himself to the same part of the country for 
 refuge. Not with standuig all the fatigues of 
 the previous day, the unfortunate Monmouth 
 had not been able to obtain a single moment's 
 sleep, and his wan and haggard looks, render- 
 ed the more conspicuous by their contrast to 
 his customary beauty and vivacity, attested at 
 once the exhaustion of his body and the wretch- 
 edness of his mind. Upon reaching the en- 
 trance of the enclosures, he had, for their 
 common security, separated himself from Lord 
 Grey, and one of his friends, a Brandenburgher, 
 who had hitherto accompanied him ; and strik- 
 ing into the avenues, had wandered about till 
 niiiht-fall, when he threw himself into a ditch.
 
 252 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 overcome with fatigue and despairing thoughts, 
 whose very excess prevented his obtaining the 
 sleep that alone could remedy them. Here in 
 the silence and darkness of the night, he was 
 stung to the heart by the most poignant regrets 
 for the past, while the future was haunted by 
 a thousand images of horror. Remorse, shame, 
 and terror tore his bosom by turns. He had 
 sacrificed his dearest friends and a gallant 
 army to a project which he now felt to have 
 been as desperate and hopeless, as it was utter- 
 ly unfounded in any claim of right or justice: 
 he had tarnished and destroyed that mihtary 
 glory which it had been the darling object of his 
 soul to acquire; he saw no chance •of escape; 
 he was a miserable, destitute outcast, in that 
 very country of which he had madly proclaim- 
 ed himself the King; while the whole tenour of 
 his life, but more especially the rancorous pro- 
 clamation he had so recently issued, whispered 
 to him that he had no hope of mercy from a 
 monarch, cruel by nature, and aggravated by 
 a long succession of the most flagrant wrongs 
 and insults.
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 253 
 
 But that Avliich shot the most thrilUng pang 
 to his heart, and occasioned tears of mingled 
 tenderness and' anguish to burst from his eyes, 
 was the recollection of the happiness which, for 
 the first time in his whole turbulent career, 
 he had been enjoying in the society of Lady 
 Harriot Wentworth, a lady who had sacrificed 
 every thing for his love, and to v.hom he was 
 passionately attached in return ; when the sug- 
 gestions of Argyle, Ferguson, and others, and 
 the pliability and weakness of his own nature, 
 ever yielding to the judgment of those that 
 surrounded him, had seduced him from the de- 
 lights of mutual affection, and the bosom of 
 domestic peace, into that wild project of ambi- 
 tion which threatened soon to terminate in his 
 ignominious death. A thousand times, as his 
 thoughts reverted to the dear object of his attach- 
 ment, did he curse the advisers that had tempted 
 him with such sinister counsels, and himself for 
 being weak enougli to listen to them ; while in 
 the next moment he implored the pardon of 
 heaven for his imprecations, and besought its 
 aid in extricatino; him from the destruction that
 
 254 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 seemed to menace him on every side. Such had 
 been the agonizing conflict of his feehngs, which, 
 combining with his deplorable plight in a damp 
 ditch, had deprived him of sleep, and imparted 
 to his features a haggard and woe-worn charac- 
 ter, that excited the deepest commiseration in 
 the bosom of Reuben as he gazed upon his 
 face, and watched his timid, stealthy movements. 
 Disguised as he now saw him, in the sorry garb 
 of a peasant, soiled with mud, pale with watch- 
 fulness and anguish, and terrified at every rust- 
 ling of a leaf, Reuben recalled the recent day 
 when he had beheld him at Taunton glitter- 
 ing in armour, radiant with youthful beauty, 
 mounted on a stately charger, heading a gallant 
 army, and surrounded by enthusiastic multi- 
 tudes, who hailed him as their deliverer and 
 their king : and the sad contrast smote upon his 
 heart with a withering sensation, that made him 
 utterly forget his own perilous plight in his 
 anxiety to assist the Prince. 
 
 While he was considering in what way his 
 services could be rendered available, he observed 
 the object of his solicitude kneel down, take
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 255 
 
 a paper from his bosom, unfold it, kiss it de- 
 voutly, press it to his heart, and then throw up 
 his eyes to heaven as if in earnest supplication. 
 Knowing his passionate attachment to the lady 
 we have mentioned, he concluded it to be her 
 miniature, and that he was imploring for her the 
 protection of Heaven, sliould he himself be pre- 
 vented by death from rejoining her. Alas ! it 
 was a written charm against danger, which the 
 superstitious Prince had purchased from a cele- 
 brated Dutch astrologer, and he was now ap- 
 pealing to its mediation with the sky, for assist- 
 ing his escape, should he venture forth out of 
 the enclosures, and make for the sea-coast. 
 
 Notwithstanding this supernatural protection, 
 which he carefully returned to his bosom, he 
 still stood irresolute, looking every Avay, and 
 afraid to quit the covert ; when Reuben at length 
 determined to speak to him, and inquire whe- 
 ther he could render him any assistance. For a 
 moment he was undecided how to address him. 
 The title of IMajesty, by which he had been 
 always recently accosted, would sound like a 
 mockery when applied to him in his present
 
 256 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 forlorn circumstances, and he therefore ventured 
 to reduce him to his former rank, by calHng out 
 in a loud whispering voice, " My lord Duke ! 
 my lord Duke !" But the first accents had 
 scarcely escaped his lips, when the unfortunate 
 Monmouth, to whose eager ear every sound 
 came fraught with death, rushed down the 
 avenue with all the speed of terror, and was 
 quickly lost in the thick overgrowth of the en- 
 closures. 
 
 His thoughts now reverting to his own situa- 
 tion, Reuben began to consider whether it 
 would be better to betake himself to the covert, 
 which from its extent offered a more numerous 
 choice of hiding places, or remain where he was 
 till night-fall, at which time he had resolved to 
 make a bold push for the coast. A few minutes'' 
 reflection decided him to lie perdu in his present 
 lair, whicli as it only constituted a low soli- 
 tary bush, apparently insuflicient to cover 
 and hide a human being, would be likely to 
 escape suspicion and search, while the enclo- 
 sures would be sure to be surrounded, and to 
 undergo a strict scrutin3^ He was at no loss
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 257 
 
 for provisions, and although he already began to 
 be parched Avith a thirst for which the green 
 berries only alfordcd a momentary relief, he 
 thought he might well endure this shght incon- 
 venience for a single day, especially as his pati- 
 ence in this respect might perhaps ensure the pre- 
 servation of his life. Remaining thus concealed 
 and peeping through the leafy loop-holes of his 
 little arbour, be saw the cottagers trudge forth 
 to their customary occupations, he marked the 
 white wood smoke of their hovels curling upwards 
 to heaven, and showing in full rehef against the 
 tall trees of the enclosures ; and as its not un- 
 pleasant odour was wafted to him by the wind, 
 he could not help sending his thoughts to the 
 quiet fire-sides whence it proceeded, and wishing 
 that he could claim the protection of some such 
 domestic altar for himself. Though their pro- 
 gress appeared slow, the hours still slijjped 
 away : from the position of the sun he saw tliat 
 the noon had arrived: all was quiet around 
 him : as far as his eye could reach he discover- 
 ed nodiing that indicated pursuit or danger ; 
 the Duke presented himself no more from the
 
 258 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 enclosures ; none but a few peasants at their 
 labour were to be seen in the open coun^ 
 try; he heard no sound but the song of the 
 free and happy birds, whose lot he envied 
 while he listened to their strains, and he reco- 
 vered confidence and hope in the persuasion 
 that he should remain unmolested till the night, 
 when, by pushing for the coast, he might per- 
 haps be fortunate enough to make his escape by 
 sea. 
 
 This pleasant delusion was doomed to be 
 of short continuance ; ere another hour had 
 elapsed, he discerned with no small' consterna- 
 tion, a body of men moving towards him, whom, 
 as they approached, he distinctly recognized for 
 a party of foot soldiers, headed by a mounted 
 officer. He felt that the hour of peril was now 
 indeed at hand, and while he resolved to neglect 
 no precaution that might contribute to his 
 escape, he prepared himself for a desperate 
 resistance, however hopeless might be the con- 
 test, determining if possible not to be taken 
 alive. He called to mind the recent speech of
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 259 
 
 one of Argyle's captured partisans, when the 
 Kino;, wishino; to extort confessions from him. 
 said, "You kftow, Mr. AylofFe, it is in my 
 power to pardon you ;" to which the undaunted 
 prisoner rephed, " I know it is, Sir, but it is 
 not in your nature." Sharing this conviction of 
 the Monarch's unforgiving temper, and antici- 
 pating no mercy if he shoukl be taken, he wished 
 to spare his beloved parents (of whose existence 
 and return to England he ever fondly cherished 
 the belief) the ignominy of his public execution; 
 while his own feelings suggested to him that it 
 was more glorious to perish with arms in his 
 hand, than to be manacled, insulted, imprisoned, 
 and finally hung up hke a common felon. 
 Under the influence of these mingled feelings, he 
 gathered a quantity of the long, rank grass that 
 grew at the sides of the pit, which he strewed 
 thickly over his head to prevent his being be- 
 trayed by the dark colour of his hat or hair, 
 leaving an aperture just sufficient to enable him 
 to see what was going on ; and having thus ar- 
 ranged himself in the way that he conceived
 
 260 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 most likely to elude detection, he grasped a 
 loaded pistol in each hand and resolutely 
 awaited his doom. 
 
 The military party consisted of a detachment 
 of the Sussex militia, headed by Lord Lumley, 
 who rode forward till he came within a few 
 paces of Reuben's place of concealment, recon- 
 noitered the enclosures for a moment, and then 
 ordered his men to disperse themselves and 
 take possession of all the avenues and outlets. 
 Loosening his rein, that his horse might nibble 
 the grass, he remained in this position for some 
 time, occasionally calling out to the soldiers 
 what points to occupy, while he moistened his 
 palate with the contents of a small leathern 
 flask, a refreshment which the exceeding sultri- 
 ness of the weather seemed to render peculiarly 
 acceptable. His horse, appearing to be equally 
 well satisfied with his meal, and having one leg 
 always stretched out before him, kept gradually 
 eatino- his way towards the mouth of the pit, 
 until another step would have probably occa- 
 sioned the banks to give way beneath his weight, 
 and have inevitably produced a discovery of
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 261 
 
 Reuben, when an officer on foot suddenly ap- 
 proached the spot. The startled animal receded 
 two or three paces, and his rider gathered up 
 the reins ; " Ha! Trevanian, is it you?" he ex- 
 claimed, " where is your company ? Have you 
 secured the southern side of the enclosures ?" 
 
 " We have been there this half hour, ray 
 Lord," repHed the party thus addressed — 
 " every outlet is so strictly guarded on that 
 side, that not even a fox can escape, so that if 
 the Duke have not passed through in the night, 
 and made for the coast, we may defy him to 
 give us the shp; although this wild covert is so 
 cursedly tangled and overgrown, where it is 
 not crossed by the hedges and deep ditches of 
 the Cotter's enclosures, that we had need of 
 a pack of hounds to unkennel him." 
 
 *' I would not give a ducat for his life,"" said 
 Lord Lumley, " and I would bet my roan 
 charger, who will owe you a grudge for inter- 
 rupting his bait, against the contents of this flask, 
 which as you may perceive makes a melancholy 
 return of iiil as I turn it up, that ere twenty- 
 four hours be over his em})ty head, we shall
 
 262 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 send this Birminohani kiiiff to e;aol, to hold a 
 court with his friend Lord Grey." 
 
 " Is his Lordship then taken ?" inquired Tre- 
 vanian. 
 
 " Ay, and in such safe limbo, that with all 
 his practice in running away, he cannot budge 
 a foot. Before five o'clock this morning, some 
 of my men stumbled upon him near Holt 
 Lodge, four miles from Jlingwood. We have 
 found the peasant, too, with whom his Birming- 
 ham Majesty changed clothes, and from his in- 
 formation we have good reason to believe that 
 he skulked into these enclosures yesterday after- 
 noon, in company with another of the rebels." 
 
 " Then we will lose no time," said Treva- 
 nian, " in taking some of our sharpest-sighted 
 files into the covert, and beating the bushes for 
 the game. It will be hot work, and if your 
 Lordship has a companion to that flask, I should 
 be glad to tap it, and drink to our success, be- 
 fore we throw off." 
 
 " Pardi! I should be well content to join 
 you in such a toast, or in any other, for I have 
 been on horseback the whole day, and my
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 263 
 
 mouth is as dusty as the ring in the Park, but 
 I have not, unluckily, anotli^r drop wherewith 
 to water it." 
 
 " Were I still a schoolboy, now," said Tre- 
 vanian, " I niight crush a sour but welcome 
 wine out of these unripe blackberries, and as it 
 is they may serve to cool my mouth, and re- 
 lieve it from the taste of dust." So saying, he 
 stretched out his hand, and plucked a bunch 
 within a few inches of Reuben's head, who held 
 his breath, and grasped his pistol more firmly, 
 in the full expectation that he would tumble 
 headlong into the pit ; and that in a few seconds 
 more, they would both be engaged in a scuffle 
 of life and death, within its narrow bounds. 
 Fortunately for all parties, the crude fruit 
 proved distasteful to the gatherer, who spat it 
 out again, and turning to Lord Lunilcy, pro- 
 posed that they should proceed immediately to 
 select the men whom they were to lead into the 
 enclosures in search of tlie Birmingham Prince. 
 His Lordship assented, and to tlie inexpressible 
 relief of Reuben's mind, who had been upon 
 tenterhooks during the whole uf the conversa-
 
 264 REUBEK APSLEY. 
 
 tion, they moved forward, and joined the sol- 
 diers stationed at the outbound of the covert. 
 
 From his leafy windows he now watched the 
 men with an Intense interest, as they strictly 
 beleao-ured the avenues, and occasionally dis- 
 patched small bands in different directions to 
 beat up the interior of the enclosure, a duty to 
 which all parties appeared to address themselves 
 with the greatest zeal and activity. From time 
 to time he heard the voices of the soldiers in the 
 different brakes and thickets hallooing to one 
 another, or caught the sound of crashing boughs 
 as they beat the bushes with their muskets ; but 
 nothing as yet indicated that they had made 
 any discovery of the Duke ; and as to himself, 
 he trusted that the worst of his danger was now 
 over, since if they remained thus occupied till 
 night-fall, he might steal from his lurking-place, 
 and bestow himself in some less suspected spot. 
 While he was thus congratulating himself, a 
 small spaniel belonging to one of the officers, 
 which had for some time been questing back- 
 wards and forwards, came up to that side of the 
 pit which was the farthest from the enclosures,
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 265 
 
 and presently discovering that it contained some 
 uncustomary tenant, commenced a most clamo- 
 rous barking. That he should be betrayed by 
 this unlucky cur, after having had such a nar- 
 row escape from his master, provoked Reuben 
 almost beyond the bounds of sufferance. Could 
 he have shot the brawling whelp, without en- 
 suring discovery by the noise of the report, 
 nothing would have delighted him more than to 
 silence him for ever; as it was, he suddenly 
 stretched forth his arm, struck him sharply 
 with his pistol, and the frightened animal slunk 
 yelping away, without having excited any notice 
 among the soldiery, whose attention was exclu- 
 sively devoted to the enclosures. 
 
 This was the last alarm that Reuben was 
 doomed to experience on that m.ost anxious 
 and agitating da}-. Witii the dcliglit of one 
 who looks forward to the darkness as a period 
 of at least temporary emancipation from mi- 
 sery and danger, he saw the sun slowly sink 
 down behind the cabins that skirted the en- 
 closure, and hailed the gathering shades of 
 night, beneath whose concealment he hoped 
 
 VOL. I. N
 
 9,66 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 to steal away unobserved. As the gloom con- 
 tinued deepening, he watched, as long as he was 
 able, the movements of the soldiers, not sorry 
 to gather from their gestures, and from such 
 portions of their discourse as now and then 
 reached his ear, that they had been all un- 
 successful in their search. It was possible, 
 lie thought, that the Duke might have made 
 his escape from the opposite side of the en- 
 closures, an idea that inspired him with fresh 
 confidence in his own deliverance, especially 
 when he should be favoured by the night. As 
 the darkness, however, set in, Lord Lumley 
 ordered all his men from the interior of the 
 covert, stationed a guard at every outlet, ap- 
 pointed sentinels and piquets at a few yards 
 distance, all round the place, directed subal- 
 terns to go the rounds every half hour, with 
 fresh soldiers for the relief, and enjoined to all 
 his men the strictest watchfulness and vigilance 
 upon pain of the most severe and summary 
 punishment. To Reuben's inexpressible disap- 
 pointment one of these sentinels was planted 
 so near to him, that even upon the grass he
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 267 
 
 could hear the tramping of his feet, as he 
 marched backwards and forwards ; others were 
 stationed at a. triflin<j distance : the ni^ht 
 proved by no means so dark as he could 
 have wished; to scramble out of the pit un- 
 der such circumstances, without giving an alarm 
 all along the line, would be utterly Impossible ; 
 there was at least a chance of escape by 
 remaining perdu, which would be wantonly 
 thrown away by an attempt at running the 
 gauntlet through such a train of sentries ; and 
 seeing no alternative left but to pass another 
 night in his present hiding-place, he reluctantly 
 submitted to necessity. 
 
 Wrapped up in his cloak, stretched along 
 the bottom of the pit, occasionally giving way 
 to desponding thoughts, now forgetting himself 
 in a few minutes' uneasy slumber, and again 
 recalled to a consciousness of his perilous plight 
 by the noise of the soldiers, as they came round 
 to relieve guard ; Reuben was not sorry when 
 the night, whose approach he had hailed with 
 so much expectation, wore slov.ly away, and the 
 morning once more threw a dim glimmering of 
 
 N 2
 
 268 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 light around his miserable sleeping-place. With 
 the same precautions as before, he again put 
 himself upon the watch, and observed that as 
 soon as the sun had risen above the horizon, 
 the sentries were withdrawn, and again dispatch- 
 ed among the trees, bushes, and underwood, to 
 resume their search ; while guards were planted, 
 as before, at every avenue. 
 
 Soon after they had thus dispersed them- 
 selves, a peasant girl hurried out of a hovel in 
 pursuit of a runaway calf, calling out to the 
 soldiers stationed at the nearest outlet to stop 
 it. One of them accordingly seized the halter 
 by which the animal had been secured, and led 
 it up to its pursuer at a small distance from 
 Reuben ; when the girl, starting back and clap- 
 ping her hands together, exclaimed, " O the 
 Fathers ! what do I zee ? — zure thee beest 
 Henry Parkin .'" 
 
 " Amy Ferrant !" ejaculated the soldier in 
 return ; — " ''od's heart ! gi' us a buss, wench ; 
 for I be main glad to clap eyes upon 'ee once 
 more." 
 
 From the short conversation that ensued.
 
 IIEUBK^' APSLEY. 269 
 
 Reuben learnt that the parties had been lovers, 
 between whom a crooked sixpence had been 
 broken ; and tfiat the swain, finding himself 
 too poor to marry, and seeing no better cure 
 for his love, had quitted the county, and en- 
 listed in the Sussex Mihtia. After some mutual 
 criminations, terminated by a reconciliation and 
 a second kiss, the soldier inquired of his sweet- 
 heart whether she had seen or heard any 
 thing of the Brummagem King, who was sus- 
 pected of being concealed in the enclosures, 
 together with some other of the leading rebels. 
 The girl, who had really something of impor- 
 tance to communicate, but was much too tender- 
 hearted to bring any fellow-creature into trou- 
 ble, if she could avoid it, blushed deeply at the 
 question, declaring, at the same time, that she 
 had seen " nothing in the varsal world — no, 
 that she was zure she hadn t." AVhen her lover, 
 however, proceeded to state that a reward of 
 five thousand pounds had been proclaimed for 
 the Duke's apprehension ; that he was one of 
 five-and-twenty soldiers who had agreed, if any 
 one of them took him, to divide the whole sum
 
 270 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 among them, so as to secure two hundred pounds 
 to each ; and added, that if he were fortunate 
 enough to come in for a share, he would marry 
 her and make a lady of her; the poor girl's 
 compassion for a stranger was not proof against 
 her love for Henry, especially when the visions 
 of splendour embodied in the idea of two hun- 
 dred pounds, and in her becoming a fine lady, 
 flitted at the same time before her. " Bee'st 
 'ee in right down earnest, and woo'st 'ee zwear 
 to it?"" inquired the damsel eagerly, and with 
 sparkling eyes. The soldier bound himself by 
 the required adjuration ; when his mistress re- 
 vealed to him that, as she was in the cowhouse 
 at daybreak that morning, she heard a slight 
 noise in the adjoining lane ; and looking through 
 a chink in the building, saw a strange man, 
 dressed like a peasant, who took a clasp-knife 
 from his pocket, and drawing off his glove for 
 the purpose of opening it, she observed that his 
 hand was as white as a hly, and that he had a 
 glittering diamond ring upon his finger. She 
 added, that he was a beautiful man, although 
 his face was mortal pale; that he had black
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 271 
 
 curling hair; and that, after he had cut a quan- 
 tity of fern, he gathered it up, and retreated 
 cautiously downjhe lane. 
 
 " It be the Brummagem King, as zure as a 
 gun !" cried the soldier, snapping his fingers all 
 the way, as he hurried back to communicate to 
 some of his four-and-twenty partners the im- 
 portant intelligence he had received ; while 
 Amy, unconsciously letting go the halter of the 
 calf which she had come out on purpose to 
 recover, walked slowly back to the cottage with- 
 out it, lost in more delicious dreams of grandeur 
 than ever delighted the imagination of the castle- 
 building milkmaid in the fable. 
 
 In the conviction that the stranger she had 
 seen in the manner described was indeed no 
 other than the Duke, Reuben's heart sank within 
 him ; for he knew that the place had been since 
 too closely beset by the troops to allow the pos- 
 sibility of his withdrawing himself, and he al- 
 ready gave him up for lost. Some hours of the 
 most painful suspense ensued, during which his 
 eyes were intently fixed upon the enclosures, in 
 the vain endeavour to ascertain what was going
 
 272 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 on within them. At about eleven o'clock, how- 
 ever, a shout of triumph from the interior of 
 the covert announced the successful termination 
 of the search. Stimulated at once by the love 
 of Amy, of gold, and of glory, and furnished 
 with a clue by the statement of his mistress, 
 Henry Parkin had at last discovered the unfor- 
 tunate prince lying in a ditch beneath a pile of 
 fern, which might have effectually answered the 
 purpose of concealment for which it was in- 
 tended, had he not been overlooked while cut- 
 ting it in the morning. Worn out with fatigue, 
 hunger, and anxiety, liuman nature could en- 
 dure no more : the wretched Monmouth, suf- 
 fering himself to be seized without resistance 
 by a single soldier, burst into tears, and fainted 
 away ! 
 
 Several of Parkin's comrades being sum- 
 moned to his assistance, had set up the shout 
 of triumph that Reuben had heard, and he now 
 saw them emerging from the covert with the 
 fainting Duke in their arms, whom they de- 
 posited upon tlie grass, and dispatched one of 
 their company to inform the commanding officer
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 273 
 
 of his arrest. Lord Lumley, Captain Treva- 
 nian, and others, soon ran to the spot, when the 
 former, ordering some water to be instantly 
 brought to assist in the recovery of his prisoner, 
 directed that his pockets should be searched 
 and emjitied. In one were found spells against 
 danger, songs, and prayers in his own hand- 
 writing, papers indicative of the ambition, plea- 
 sure, and superstition, to which his mind Avas 
 addicted. From another Avere produced aifect- 
 ing evidences of the extremes of human life to 
 which he had been subjected ; the green pease 
 snatched from the fields, on which he had sup- 
 ported himself since the battle, and the diamond 
 George, that had so often sparkled at his side 
 Avhen he formed the ornament of his father's 
 court, and which he had last worn on the day 
 of his triumphal entry into Taunton. 
 
 Parkin, the soldier who had been dispatched 
 to procure water, ran to the cottage of his mis- 
 tress, Avhere, with infinite exultation having re- 
 counted his exploit, and stated the purpose of 
 his present visit. Amy filled a small mug from 
 the bucket, and hastened to the spot, upon 
 
 N 5
 
 274 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 which a little band of officers and soldiers stood 
 surrounding their still insensible prisoner. The 
 sight of the Duke, however, stretched motion- 
 less upon the grass ; the singular beauty of his 
 features, which not even his temporary death 
 could obliterate ; and the diamond Georgej 
 which, by recalling to her mind his royal dig- 
 nity, seemed to render his seizure a species of 
 sacrilege as well as cruelty, combined to shoot 
 such a pang of compunction to her tender heart, 
 that letting fall the mug of water, and grasping 
 her lover with both hands, partly to support 
 herself, and partly as if to arrest him, she ex- 
 claimed, " O Henry ! Henry i thee hastn't been 
 such a rogue as to seiz'n, hast 'ee ?" 
 
 " 'Odds pittikins !"" he replied, " this is rare ! 
 Didn't 'ee tell me thyself how to vind 'n ? Icod ! 
 I should never have thoft he was in the ditch, 
 if it hadn't been for the vem thee zeedst'n cut, 
 and which was straw'd all over n." 
 
 " Well-a-day ! well-a-day !" exclaimed Amy, 
 " I never was adreamt of all this'n, or I would 
 ha** bit my tongue off avore I told 'ee. Zuch a 
 beautiful gentleman too, and zuch a white skin !
 
 a 
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 275 
 
 Poor creature ! poor creature ! what will they 
 do wi' un, I wonder." 
 
 " Why chop his head off, to be zure,"" re- 
 plied the soldier. 
 
 " Oh the blood-thirsty villains !"" cried Amy, 
 
 would they dare to do zuch a thing as that'n ?" 
 — She let go hold of her lover, and pressing 
 both hands upon her bosom, exclaimed, " How 
 my poor heart do thump and thump, as if it 
 were gooing to break through !" For some 
 moments she strove to suppress her emotions, 
 but another glance at the wan, motionless Duke, 
 and the self-reproaching thought that she had 
 been the cause of his seizure, completely over- 
 came her ; she burst into a passion of loud 
 ungovernable weeping, and walked rapidly back 
 to the cottage, sobbing violently, trying in vain 
 to dry her eyes with the corners of her apron, 
 and utterly deaf to the consolations of her lover, 
 who walked by her side, reminding her of the 
 two hundred pounds he should have, and urg- 
 ing her to fix the day of their marriage. 
 
 A cordial having been poured down the 
 Duke's throat, he soon recovered, and being
 
 2T6 REUBEN APSLEV. 
 
 placed upon a horse, was conveyed to Pool, and 
 thence imder a strong escort to the Tower of 
 London. On the following morning he was 
 taken by water to Whitehall, ignominously led 
 through the palace with his arms pinioned be- 
 hind him, and conducted to the apartments' 
 which had formerly been Chiffinch's, where he 
 was presently visited by the King, accompanied 
 by his two secretaries. Monmouth fell upon 
 his knees, and implored his life in the most ab- 
 ject terms, even making an appeal to the King's 
 bigotry, in his distrust of his clemency, by 
 offering to become a Catholic. Preserving a 
 stern silence James gave him a declaration to 
 sign, acknowledging the illegitimacy of his birth. 
 He obeyed ; the King then desired him to name 
 all his accomplices, and when he refused to 
 purchase life on such base terms, loaded him 
 with reproaches, until the Duke started from 
 the ground in a transport of passion, and 
 quitted the royal presence with the air of 
 an equal. 
 
 Relying on the flatteries of a fortune-teller, 
 Avho assured him that if he outlived a certain
 
 HEUREN APSLEY. 277 
 
 day he was designed by Providence for great 
 things, Monmouth wrote to his uncle to implore 
 another interview ; but the notorious Colonel 
 Blood, who seejns to have possessed the inex- 
 plicable power, both in this and the preceding 
 reign, of perpetrating with impunity whatever 
 atrocity he chose, whether directed against the 
 King, his courtiers, or his crown, obtained pos- 
 session of the letter, and having ascertained its 
 contents, carried it to Sunderland. The latter 
 fearing that he might himself become impHcated 
 in his confessions, should the prisoner obtain 
 another interview, destroyed the paper, and on 
 the following morning the unfortunate Duke, 
 being escorted to the place of execution by the 
 Guards which he had once commanded, was 
 beheaded upon Tower Hill, in the midst of an 
 immense and sympathizing multitude of spec- 
 tators.
 
 278 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 To Chloe's study shall we go ? 
 (For ladies have their study now,) 
 Oh, what a splendid sight is there ! 
 'Twould make the dullest hermit stare : 
 There stand, all ranged in proud array. 
 Each French romance, and modern play ; 
 Love's magazine of flames and darts. 
 Whole histories of eyes and hearts : 
 But, oh ! view well the outward scene. 
 You '11 never need to look within ; 
 What Chloe loves she plainly shows. 
 For, lo ! her very books are beaus. 
 
 Previously to the seizure of the Duke of 
 Monmouth, the German who had accompanied 
 him had been also apprehended at the opposite 
 extremity of the enclosures. As no others had 
 been seen to enter them, and the principal ob- 
 jects of pursuit were at all events secured, the 
 harassed troops were withdrawn, leaving the
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 279 
 
 neighbourhood of the sequestered covert, which 
 had recently been the scene of so much bustle 
 and anxiety, to the rural gossips who were ga- 
 thered here and there in little knots, eagerly 
 discussing the occurrences of the morning, and 
 particularly the good fortune of Amy's lover, 
 and her approaching marriage, an event that 
 excited among them a not less lively interest 
 than the fate of the unfortunate prince. Reu- 
 ben in the mean while remained in his lurking 
 place, tormented with a thirst which the green 
 berries could not any longer relieve, and yet 
 compelled to endure his imprisonment till the 
 darkness should enable him to escape. To oc- 
 cupy the intervening time, he drew from his poc- 
 ket the Bible that had been entrusted to him 
 by the dying combatant at Sedgemoor, and upon 
 opening it, he saw inscribed upon the first leaf 
 — " Joel Wardrop, the gift of his dear father, 
 Malachi Wardrop ;"" but without any address 
 or other clue that might enable him to perform 
 the request of its late owner. By the dim light 
 admitted into his hiding-place, he contrived to 
 read it for some time, and when the deepening
 
 280 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 gloom compelled him to desist, he had the 
 satisfaction to observe that the peasants were 
 wending homewards from their labour in the 
 fields : the sun set behind the trees ; the bark 
 of the sheep-dogs was no longer heard ; the 
 shades of night soon gathered around him ; 
 nothing remained visible but a few straggling 
 lights amid the cottages, which disappeared one 
 by one; and when he judged by the universal 
 silence that every thing was buried in deep re- 
 pose, he scrambled out of the pit. After having 
 been so many hours buried, as it M'ere, in that 
 narrow grave, he seemed to have recovered a 
 new life when he could again freely use his 
 limbs, cramped by the long confinement, and 
 wander unobstructed over the earth of which 
 he had at last regained possession, a privilege 
 that appeared the more precious from his un- 
 certainty how long he might continue to enjoy 
 it. His first object was the alleviation of his 
 thirst, for which purpose he struck into the 
 enclosures, and the night was not so dark as to 
 prevent his discovery in a field adjoining a se- 
 questered cottage, a trough of water that had
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 281 
 
 been placed there for the cattle. Turbid as it 
 was, he drank heartily of the element, which, to 
 his parched palate, appeared the most delight- 
 ful beverage he had ever quaffed ; and by the 
 assistance of his biscuits, happily not yet ex- 
 hausted, finished, in solitude and darkness, a 
 meal rendered delicious by a sense of the imme- 
 diate hberty under which he partocjk of it. His 
 recent vigils had induced an almost irresistible 
 drowsiness, which, V3 *he instant ardour of pur- 
 suit was over, he thought he might safely ven- 
 ture to gratify for a few hours : in this belief, 
 he pulled some hay from a stack, constructed a 
 rude sort of bed, threw himself down, and slept 
 soundly till day -break. 
 
 On awakening next morning, he felt a consi- 
 derable degree of perplexity as to the most 
 prudent course to adopt. Many circumstances 
 rendered it advisable to reach the sea-side as 
 quickly as possible, more especially the hope 
 that by betaking himself to the neighbourhood 
 indicated by Fludycr, he might be fortunate 
 enough to be ])icked up by some of the emis- 
 saries of Salton, who had promised to hover off
 
 282 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 the coast for that purpose ; or procure a con- 
 veyance to Holland by other means. He knew 
 that he could not travel in the day-time with- 
 out exposing himself to the danger of being 
 arrested ; but feeling the great importance of 
 expedition in his movements, so as to anticipate 
 the measures that might be adopted to prevent 
 the escape of the fugitives ; and recollecting 
 that there was nothing in his appearance to ex- 
 cite particular suspicion, ^?}nce he had carefully 
 concealed his pistols, he gathered a thick stick, 
 in order to confer upon himself a more rustic 
 appearance, and emerging from the enclosures 
 on the opposite side to that by which he had 
 entered, boldly ventured into the open country. 
 He avoided the high road as much as possible, 
 cutting across the fields and downs in the di- 
 rection of Lyme, and betaking himself to the 
 hollows, or such woody covert as he could find, 
 whenever he observed any parties of peasants 
 or wayfarers, whom he thought it might be 
 safer to avoid. 
 
 From this circumstance, combined with his 
 ignorance of the proper route, which occasion-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 283 
 
 ally led him astray, bis progress was necessarily 
 slow in spite of all his anxiety to advance, and 
 he had not accmnplished a great many miles of 
 his approach to Lyme, although he had wan- 
 dered over no inconsiderable tract of country, 
 when fatigue and the approach of night com- 
 pelled him to betake himself to a ruined, half 
 roofless barn, which was the best sheltering- 
 place he could obtain. Wearied by his exer- 
 tions, and favoured by the mildness of the wea- 
 ther, he passed a better night than could have 
 been expected from the miserable nature of the 
 tenement; and prepared with renovated strength 
 and spirits to resume his march on the following 
 morning; but his stock of provisions was ex- 
 hausted, and to obtain a fresh supply it became 
 necessary to enter some hamlet, or detached 
 public-house ; he chose the latter as the least 
 dangerous, while the more effectually to avert 
 suspicion he determined to assume the character 
 of a royalist making for the coast in the hope 
 of arresting some of the runaway rebels, and of 
 being well rewarded for his zeal and loyalty. 
 His feint so far answered that he obtained a
 
 284) REUBEN ArSLEY. 
 
 most ungracious reception from the landlord of 
 a lone ale-house, into the kitchen of which he 
 had made his way with an air of confidence, for 
 the cause of Monmouth was universally popular 
 with the lower orders, and this rural Boniface 
 was at no pains to conceal his scorn of those 
 who from sordid motives could be base enough 
 to betray any of the Duke's discomfited parti- 
 sans. The King, he said, had no need of any 
 additional spies or assistants, since the whole 
 coast was patrolled night and day by parties of 
 troops, while boats filled with armed men were 
 perpetually rowing backwards and forwards to 
 intercept the fugitives ; and he intimated that 
 there was more to be made by helping the un- 
 fortunate rebels to escape, than by bringing 
 them in as prisoners, since he had been given to 
 understand that several of the gentry who had 
 been arrested had contrived to get away by bri- 
 bing those who had seized them. In conclusion 
 he bitterly abused the fishermen upon the coast, 
 who in consequence of the alleged difficulty 
 and danger of the entorprize under such cir- 
 cumstances, had charged an exorbitant price to
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 285 
 
 several of the better sort whom they had re- 
 ceived on board their smacks to be conveyed to 
 Holland ; and telling Reuben that he Avished 
 the traffickers in blood-money all the success 
 they deserved, while he drew his fore-finger 
 under his left ear so as to render his meaning 
 by no means equivocal, the sturdy publican dis- 
 missed his guest from his gate, casting after 
 him a look that was not a whit more benevolent 
 than his recent gesture. 
 
 However he might flatter himself upon the 
 success of his little finesse, Reuben found the 
 information which it had enabled him to alean 
 any thing rather than satisfactory. To learn 
 that the point he had been so anxious to reach 
 was guarded with an especial vigilance, was 
 such a bitter disappointment to his hopes as 
 almost induced him to abandon his first inten- 
 tion of making for Lyme ; while the prospect 
 .of escape by bribing his captors, should he be 
 seized, or of feeing the fishermen, should he 
 even obtain unobstructed access to them, afford- 
 ed him little consolation, since upon a reference 
 to his finances it appeared that the cost of his
 
 286 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 equipment and subsequent disbursements, had 
 reduced him to the miserable pittance of a few 
 shillings. Let him fly whithersoever he would, 
 and by whatever means he might attempt his 
 escape, money was indispensable; and this article 
 of vital necessity he could only obtain from his 
 vmcle. Irritated as he doubtless must be against 
 him for having acted in a manner so diametri- 
 cally opposed to his own expressed opinions and 
 wishes, and especially since it had brought him 
 into so perilous a predicament, he felt confi- 
 dent that Goldingham's purse would be gladly 
 placed at his disposal if it could conduce in the 
 smallest degree to his safety. To him, there- 
 fore, he determined to have recourse in the first 
 instance ; but even in this there was considerable 
 difficulty. — He felt that he had acted a part 
 sufficiently prominent in the late rebellion, to 
 make it probable that the house would be be- 
 leaguered with spies and soldiers for his appre- 
 hension, so that his uncle might become dan- 
 gerously, perhaps fatally, compromised by his 
 opening a communication with him, either in 
 his own person, or through the instrumentality 
 
 I
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 287 
 
 of Others. What course to adopt where none 
 suggested itself without some starthng objec- 
 tion, he was utterly at a loss to determine ; he 
 therefore resolved to approach as near to Gold- 
 ingham Place as he could with safety, to recon- 
 noitre the premises strictly, to pick up all the 
 information in his power, and to act according 
 to circumstances and the expediency of the 
 moment. 
 
 Thus determined he pushed stoutly forward, 
 and without encountering any material incident 
 had arrived within a few miles of his uncle's 
 residence, when he beheld Hewson the fish- 
 vender jogging towards him in the cart which 
 he used for the conveyance of his commodity 
 into the interior. Knowing this man to be a 
 professed gossip, Reuben drew the flap of his 
 hat over his face, and assuming a clownish walk 
 and dialect to avoid recognition, ventured to 
 stop him and inquire the way to Mr. Golding- 
 ham's house, pretending that he was the bearer 
 of a letter for him. Not contented with giving 
 him the information he sought, the communi- 
 cative fish-dealer stated that the gentleman in
 
 288 HEUBEN AISLEY. 
 
 question had been arrested and carried before 
 the magistrates, though he was now out upon 
 bail, on account of his nephew, one Mr. Reuben 
 Apsley, having joined the Brummagem King 
 — that soldiers were quartered in his house, 
 and stationed about the grounds, keeping a 
 sharp look out for the young gentleman ; and 
 that strong parties of the militia, through one 
 of which he had just passed, were patrolling 
 the road for several miles round Lyme, with 
 orders to arrest all stragglers who could not 
 give a good account of themselves. He would 
 have continued retailing the news some time 
 longer but that Reuben, by no means anxious 
 to be subjected to the scrutiny of the patrolling 
 party, hastily bade him good evening, and as 
 soon as he lost sight of the cart struck into a 
 narrow cross road, along which he walked at a 
 brisk pace. 
 
 Not many minutes had elapsed, however, 
 when he caught the sound of horses"' hoofs behind 
 him, and not doubting that it was some of the 
 mounted officers of the militia, he ran rapidly 
 forward, looking eagerly as he advanced for a
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 289 
 
 hiding-place. None offered that presented even 
 a chance of concealment, but on one side of him 
 he beheld a stately mansion, flanked with a 
 high wall, which he hastily skirted, intending 
 to take refuge behind the building. At the 
 farther angle of this enclosure there was a hand- 
 some summer-house, of two stories ; the upper 
 one, which appeared to communicate with a 
 garden on the inside, was furnished with a low- 
 window that overlooked the country, while a 
 door opened from the lower room into the fields 
 on the outside. It was ajar — he entered, and 
 having admitted light enough to ascertain that 
 the place was used as a wood-house, he drew 
 the door after him, and ensconced himself, as 
 well as the darkness would allow, behind a 
 pile of faggots and billets. Here he presently 
 caught the trampling of horses, and heard one 
 of the riders say to the other, " Shall we ring 
 the bell and search the house .?" 
 
 " 'Sblood ! man, not for the world," was the 
 reply; "it belongs to Lord Trevanian, a tantivi 
 Tory, a prerogative man, a high-flyer, one who 
 would give up his own father to be hung if he 
 
 VOL. I. o
 
 290 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 had in any way been aiding or abetting his Bir- 
 mingham Majesty. His son, the Captain, was 
 with Lord Lumley when they seized him ; he 
 is coming back to Lyme with the troops he com- 
 mands, and if he should get scent of a rebel 
 here at Harpsden Hall, he would presently 
 blow him out of one of Kirk's petards into Dor- 
 chester gaol." Their conversation now became 
 inaudible, and Reuben was left to his own re- 
 flections, which filled him with a deeper des- 
 pondency than he had yet experienced. He 
 was hurt beyond measure that his uncle should 
 have been subjected to so much disgrace and 
 vexation upon his account. His scheme of get- 
 ting money from him to facilitate his escape, was 
 rendered utterly abortive by Hewson's informa- 
 tion that Goldingham Place was occupied by 
 soldiers, and beset with spies ; both sea and 
 shore were strictly guarded by night and day ; 
 the roads were covered with patrolling parties, 
 from one of which he had just had a most narrow 
 escape ; the whole country was up in arms 
 against the fugitive rebels ; and he had taken 
 present refuge on the premises of a relentless
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 291 
 
 partizan of the Government, whose son he had 
 seen at the time of the Duke's capture, and 
 whose activity vipon that occasion afforded him 
 but a sorry hope of his own escape, should any 
 suspicion be entertained that he was lurking 
 about the precincts of Harpsden Hall, which 
 from the conversation he had just heard he 
 gathered to be the name of the mansion. This 
 review of his plight and prospects was in itself 
 sufficiently disheartening, but it became doubly 
 distressing when he reflected that by his preci- 
 pitation and imprudence he had probably marred 
 for ever the darling object of his life — the high 
 and solemn duty to which he had pledged him- 
 self, that of devoting all his means and energies 
 to an attempt at elucidating the fate of his lost 
 parents. Utterly at loss how to act, and whither 
 to go, he was decided by one trifling circum- 
 stance, to remain, at least for the present, where 
 he was. From the recent dialogue of the horse- 
 men he had learnt that the premises of so staunch 
 a Tory as Lord Trevanian were above suspicion, 
 and secured from the invasion of the soldiers; 
 a circumstance whicli, althougli it exposed him 
 
 o 2
 
 292 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 to certain destruction if he were discovered, 
 afforded him at all events an additional chance 
 of eluding detection ; and with this forlorn hope 
 for his sole consolation, he spread his cloak over 
 the faggots, threw himself down, and for a few 
 hours forgot all his sufferings in sleep. 
 
 The uneasy nature of his bed, however, for- 
 bidding a lengthened slumber, he arose, and 
 cautiously opened the door of his humble dor- 
 mitory. The sun was just rising, neither man 
 nor beast appeared to be yet awake, and he 
 turned back with the intention of again com- 
 posing himself to rest, when by the dim light 
 admitted into the woodhouse, he observed that 
 it had formerly been a grotto, the walls being 
 still decorated with shells, spars, glass, and 
 grotesque ornaments, although the whole place 
 had been suffered to fall into decay. In a re- 
 cess of one side, a stone basin had formerly re- 
 ceived Avater from the open mouth of a carved 
 monster above it ; but the basin was lying in 
 fragments upon the earth, and the mouth 
 gaped in vain for the fountain that should sup- 
 ply it. At one extremity of the place, was a
 
 KEUBEN APSLEY. 293 
 
 flight of wooden steps, the use of which he was 
 at a loss to conjecture, since they rested against 
 the floor of the 'room above, until upon some 
 minute examination he discovered a trap-door, 
 so constructed as to slide aside horizontally. 
 With some difficulty, apparently from its long 
 disuse, he pushed it along the grooves in 
 which it ran, walked up the steps, and found 
 himself in the summer-house above, a room 
 handsomely furnished and adorned with mir- 
 rors, and exhibiting marks of recent occupancy, 
 music-books being carelessly dispersed about it, 
 and a guitar with a lady*'s fan and glove, toge- 
 ther with a large open romance handsomely 
 bound, lying upon a table in the bow- window, 
 by the side of a glass vase, filled with gold and 
 silver fish. 
 
 After having observed these different objects 
 with some curiosity and attention, he proceeded 
 out of the summer-house, along a gravel-walk 
 planted with evergreens on either side, and 
 found himself in a fair and spacious garden, 
 terminated by a sheet of water at whose upper 
 end stood the mansion. None of the shutters
 
 294 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 were yet opened, no smoke ascended from its 
 chimneys, and he remained gazing upon it with 
 a sort of melancholy pleasure, envying the in- 
 mates who could sleep in a tranquil security 
 that offered such a contrast to his own state, 
 when the barking of a dog alarmed him ; he 
 hastily retreated, descended the steps, drew the 
 trap-door across the aperture, and resumed his 
 station among the faggots. 
 
 I^ord Trevanian, upon whose premises he had 
 thus taken refuge, was a political bigot, a stick- 
 ler, to the very utterance, for the divine right 
 of kings, but above all of his most sacred and 
 anointed Majesty King James the Second ; a 
 preacher up of unconditional submission, and 
 passive non-resistance on the part of his sub- 
 jects. At the outset of his career, his Lordship 
 had formed an inflexible resolution never to be 
 in the wrong, to which sapient rule he had 
 adhered with an exemplary constancy. Indeed 
 his obstinacy generally increased with the flag- 
 rancy of any mistake in his conduct ; for when 
 his judgment whispered to him that he was 
 going astray, he called his "pride to his aid, and
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 295 
 
 clunsf to his errors with a more stubborn tena- 
 city than ever. It was from this feeling rather 
 than from his own rehgious convictions, that 
 while he was ready to proceed all lengths in 
 political slavishness to his lord and master, he 
 was deaf as an adder to his importunities Avhen 
 he solicited him, as he had done more than 
 once, to become a Catholic. Not that he had 
 any insuperable objection to one creed, or de- 
 votedness to another, but he could not endure 
 the thought that old Lord Trevanian should ac- 
 knowledge young Lord Trevanian to have been 
 a fool ; that the latter part of his life should 
 give the former part the lie ; that it was possible 
 for a personage of his profound penetration to 
 have been mistaken in a point of such vital con- 
 sequence. Like other proud and yet abject men, 
 he exacted from the rest of the world the same 
 crawling deference to himself, that he conceded 
 to his sovereign ; and imagined that he was as- 
 serting his own dignity when he maintained a 
 cold, stern, tyrannical demeanour, not only to 
 his own family, but towards all Avhom he con- 
 sidered his inferiors, which embraced a most
 
 296 KEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 comprehensive class. Judging by analogy, the 
 world is prone to believe that the mind which 
 cannot bend must needs be strong: they 
 might as reasonably conclude that the rigidity 
 of the muscles induced by rheumatism is an 
 evidence of vigour. Lord Trevanian had the 
 full benefit of this mistake, palpable as it was. 
 From his repulsive habits he had scarcely any 
 intimate acquaintance, a circumstance that kept 
 up the popular delusion as to his character ; for 
 those who knew him well, were at no loss to 
 discover that in spite of the hauteur and solemn 
 inflexibility which he affected, he was the 
 selfish, heartless, servile tool of the ministry ; 
 utterly empty and ignorant upon many points, 
 of which he arrogated a superior knowledge, 
 while he was shallow and superficial upon all. 
 
 In the most important step of life he had 
 committed a blunder, which surprised all those 
 who were willing to take his judgment at his 
 own valuation. He had married a woman for 
 her beauty who was as superior to him in ta- 
 lent as she was unfitted for him in every other 
 respect. Lady Trevanian yielding to the im-
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. ^97 
 
 portunity of lier parents, and dazzled by the 
 prospect of a splendid alliance, found herself 
 soon after her marriage the miserable wife of 
 a man who-se understanding she despised, from 
 whose principles she dissented, to whose person 
 she was indifferent, and whose frigid stateliness 
 of manner appeared to her at once ridiculous 
 and revolting. It mifirht have been difficult to 
 pronounce to which of this ill-assorted couple 
 the marriage yoke proved the most galling ; 
 they wore it notwithstanding for three or four 
 weary wrangling years, when they formed a 
 rather unusual compact. A separate mainte- 
 nance and establishment for Lady Trevanian, 
 by rendering this disagreement notorious, would 
 not only have convicted his Lordship of a glar- 
 ing mistake in his choice, but would have called 
 upon him for pecuniary sacrifices, Avhich he al- 
 ways contemplated with aversion, for he covet- 
 ed money on account of the power and supe- 
 riority which he imagined it to confer : a com- 
 promise was therefore made which spared both 
 his pride and his purse. They agreed to occu- 
 py the separate wings of Trevanian House, their 
 
 o 5
 
 298 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 London residence, an extensive pile which al- 
 lowed such an arrangement without any mate- 
 rial inconvenience; wliile the state rooms in 
 the centre were appropriated to such grand po- 
 litical dinners or festive parties, as it might suit 
 either of them to give, on which occasions they 
 met together, not indeed with the cordial de- 
 light of mutual affection, but with the cold ur- 
 banity of well-bred people, who respected them- 
 selves too much to let the world perceive how 
 little they respected each other. 
 
 Although Lady Trevanian was a woman of 
 spirit and talent, she evinced in all matters of 
 conduct a lamentable want of judgment, of 
 which she never afforded a more striking evi- 
 dence than when she decided that she was 
 now at full liberty to disregard appearances, 
 and to act as she pleased. Licentious as was 
 the age, there were certain observances of de- 
 corum which few married females felt warrant- 
 ed in neglecting, and when the more timid of 
 Lady Trevanian's friends withdrew from her 
 society, it was rather on account of her want 
 of prudence in this respect, than her want of
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 299 
 
 virtue. Indignant at this affront from parties, 
 some of whom she knew to be as culpable, 
 though they might be more discreet than her- 
 self; and hopeless of recovering the estimation 
 she had forfeited, she determined, at least, to 
 enjoy her bad reputation, and abandoned her- 
 self to gallantry, as if to justify her quondam 
 friends for the step they had taken. Setting 
 herself up for a bel-esprit, her moiety of the 
 house was the resort of the wits and literati, her 
 bon-mots were repeated whenever the hearers 
 were not too fastidious to listen to them, she 
 branded all observance of the decencies of life 
 by the name of hypocrisy and cant, :issumed 
 an effrontery of carriage quite foreign to her 
 original character, and seemed daringly re- 
 solved to out-brazen the world and defy its 
 malice. 
 
 Her face, which at the period of our history, 
 was still handsome, bore fearful testimony to +he 
 strucTffles and irreo;ularities of her life. It was 
 completely auto-biographical, and its character 
 decidedly volcanic ; betraying the fire of the 
 passions that had been raging within. It dis-
 
 300 
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 closed the lurking contest of pride battling 
 against a consciousness of criminality, and it 
 might be truly said that her audacity was but 
 a perpetual effort to conquer her natural mo- 
 desty. Determined boldly to stare down scru- 
 tiny, she fixed her eyes upon every gazer 
 with a scornful look that seemed to say, " Yes, 
 I am the Lady Trevanian of whom you have 
 heard so much — and what then ?" but through 
 all this superficial covering of defiance, nothing 
 was more distinctly legible than the wretched- 
 ness beneath. 
 
 But Lady Trevanian, who, under happier 
 auspices, might have been a virtuous and ir- 
 reproachable wife, did not cease, even in the 
 vortex of her misconduct, to be a fond and 
 anxious mother. Her only son, the Captain 
 Trevanian, of whom we have already made 
 slight mention, had been sent to a public school 
 by his father, after which she rarely saw him ; 
 her two daufjhtcrs had been entrusted to her 
 own management. Helen, the eldest, at the 
 request of a rich old bachelor uncle, Avhose 
 great age rendered it probable that his great
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 30l 
 
 wealth would soon be distributed amons those 
 who won his favour, had been sent to him on 
 a visit that was protracted from year to year, 
 until the old gentleman, who had long railed 
 against matrimony, and piqued himself on es- 
 caping the snare, came to the usual end of such 
 sagacious declaimers by marrying his house- 
 keeper, a consummation which occasioned his 
 niece to be immediately taken home. Lady 
 Trevanian had felt so much annoyance from 
 her own ignorance of French, which was much 
 spoken at the Court, especially during the long 
 sway of Charles the Second's favourite Madame 
 de Querouaille, the Duchess of Portsmouth, 
 that she resolved to secure the acquisition of 
 that language for her youngest daughter Ade- 
 line. She was accordingly provided with a 
 Parisian governess for her Duenna, who was 
 strictly charged never to trust her out of her 
 sight, and always to make her speak French, 
 to facilitate which object she had an unlimited 
 command of romances and plays in that lan- 
 guage. 
 
 Helen's return, and the arrival of that period
 
 302 
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 when it became necessary to present both sis- 
 ters at Court, and introduce them into the 
 world, seemed for the first time to open their 
 mother''s eyes to the character of the circle by 
 which she was surrounded ; and some licentious 
 language addressed to Adeline by one of the 
 profligate gallants that frequented the house, 
 confirmed her misgivings, and even awakened 
 all her terrors. Hardened as to her individual 
 fate and estimation, she felt with a sensibility 
 rendered more jealous by the remembrance of 
 her own misconduct, the dangers to which her 
 daughters might be exposed ; while a pang of 
 deep though silent remorse stung her to the 
 heart as she reflected that it was herself who 
 had subjected them to these perils, herself who 
 had alienated them from many of the pure and 
 virtuous associates of their own sex, who might 
 have served them for a model of conduct, for 
 which unfortunately they could not look to 
 their own mother. Her repentance was intense, 
 although she still sought to make a compromise 
 with her pride by giving out to the world that 
 she withdrew from London on her daughters'
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 303 
 
 account, not upon her own. Such was the 
 general profligacy of the courtiers, and more 
 especially of those with whom she was the most 
 intimate ; such was her experience of the un- 
 happiness of marriages contracted amid the 
 circles of fashion and high life as they were then 
 constituted, that she deemed it preferable to seek 
 a settlement for her girls among the more respect- 
 able, though less polished classes of the coun- 
 try gentlemen. Perhaps some individual dis- 
 gust or disappointment confirmed, if it did not 
 suggest, these notions. Be this as it may, she 
 submitted her wishes to Lord Trevanian, who 
 eagerly acquiesced in an arrangement which 
 would release him from a wife whom he hated, 
 while he could little regret the separation from 
 his daughters, whom he had rarely seen, and 
 about whom he had never troubled his head. 
 She withdrew with them accordingly to Harps- 
 den Hall, a mansion of his Lordship's in Dorset- 
 shire, where she had not been many months set- 
 tled when Reuben sought sanctuary in the wood- 
 house, under the circumstances we have stated. 
 With a finely shaped oval face, mild hazel
 
 304) REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 eyes, the clear complexion of a brunette, silky 
 dark hair, a singularly noble and intellectual 
 though somewhat sedate expression of counte- 
 nance, and a form that might be emphatically 
 termed lovely and feminine, Helen united a 
 mind of almost masculine solidity, good sense, 
 and self-possession. In the library of her 
 Bachelor uncle she had passed much of her 
 time among sterling books, and having few asso- 
 ciates or amusements during her abode with a 
 sequestered old humourist, she had thought 
 more for herself in her first childhood, (if that 
 period may be extended to the middle of the 
 teens), than many who are about to enter into 
 their second. 
 
 As to Adeline, she was a handsome romantic 
 girl, whose highly-arched eyebrows, expressive 
 of an animated wonderment, and the simper 
 that for ever wreathed her features, and flick- 
 ered around her mouth, would have stamped 
 her with a character of mingled good-nature, 
 vanity and vivacity, even had she not conveyed 
 that impression by the sparkling frivolity of her 
 discourse, the affectation of her coquettish de-
 
 REUBEN A PS LEY. 305 
 
 meanour, and the fantastical over-finery of her 
 dress. Vain and superficial as she was, she ex- 
 hibited at timcs'in her discourse a certain cha- 
 racter of archness, and an amusing love of es- 
 pieglerie, that seemed hardly to assimilate with 
 lier general love of romance, and the occasional 
 weakness of her conduct ; so that at times it 
 was difllicult to decide whether her actions pro- 
 ceeded from natural silliness, or a mere love of 
 mischief and adventure. The plays and ro- 
 mances that had formed her only reading, 
 seemed to have left room in her head for little 
 else, except scraps and interjections of French, 
 picked up from a governess not much wiser than 
 herself. There was little congeniality of dispo- 
 sition between herself and Helen^ who some- 
 times by argument, sometimes by ridicule, in- 
 effectually endeavoured to cure her of her 
 faults ; and poor Adeline had nothing to do 
 but to wander about the grounds Mith some 
 French volume in her hand, recline under a 
 tree in an interesting attitude, or perch herself 
 in the summer-house window, like a Juliet with- 
 out a Romeo, while she read French romances.
 
 306 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 played upon the guitar, waited for adventures, 
 and sorrowfully bewailed the lost gaieties of the 
 Court, and the vanished beaux and flutterers of 
 the Mall, the Ring and the Mulberry Garden. 
 In vain did she sigh to the trees, and sing to the 
 wind ; no rural Damon was discovered gazing 
 furtively at her from amid the foliage ; no am- 
 bered billet-doux on rose-coloured paper, was 
 tossed over the garden-wall, or deposited in her 
 path ; no plumed and whiskered Cavalier was 
 seen to prowl about the neighbouring copse, 
 with the calash and four fleet barbs that were 
 to whirl her away to love and elysium, and she 
 unceasingly deplored her cruel fate in being thus 
 cut off from every catastrophe, and condemned 
 to all the horrors of a serene and uneventful 
 existence. 
 
 " Dieu ! que c'est emmyeux P' she exclaimed, 
 one day, throwing herself into a chair in the 
 summer-house, in order to indulge in a long so- 
 liloquy, since there was nobody but herself to 
 talk to; '* Dieu ! que c'est ennuyeux que de ve- 
 gtter de la sorte ! Eh, Seigneur ! je mimpa- 
 tiente. May I die, but I had rather be a coav
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 307 
 
 or cabbage at once, if one must be planted in 
 the horrid country ; or, at all events, it were 
 better be a simple rustic Joan, who has never 
 known any other fate, than to trudge in paragon 
 and pattens, to stuff curds and cream, stewed 
 plums and honeycomb, to rise with the sun, 
 tend to the dairy, and think a rasher of bacon 
 for breakfast a delicate regale. Were I in 
 France now, as Mademoiselle Etienne has 
 often assured me, I should not stir a step 
 among the trees without encountering a charm- 
 ing groupe of jyaijsanues, with their tabliers de 
 sole, couleur de rose, and their sattin shoes 
 to match, each coijfce comme un ange, and all 
 dancing like St. Andre or Gouvion. Helas ! 
 c'est bien different with our Colin Clouts 
 and Gammer Gurtons in England, whom it 
 rebutes one even to approach, unless one is 
 fortified with a tuberose pomander, or a cas- 
 solette of Frangepan. Not a single spark, 
 gallant or cavalier have I yet seen in this odious 
 country, of whom it may not be truly said, qu'il 
 sent bien sa province. O mes mignons ! my dear 
 Romances ! what should I do without ye ?
 
 308 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 Poinl tfainants a la campagne, how, therefore, 
 should I pass the time if I could not partici- 
 pate in the courtship of your pages, and min- 
 gle in the loves of Arcthusius and Hyacinthia, 
 of Orontes and Andromeda, of Gloria and Nar- 
 cissus ! What adventures can one hope for in 
 this miserable Harpsden Hall ? no heroes or 
 heroines, no elopements or marriages, no duels 
 or mysteries, no suicides or murders ; one can- 
 not even kill time." 
 
 She gazed from the window on every side, 
 but observing nothing in the surrounding soli- 
 tude except a confirmation of all her sad asser- 
 tions, she arose from her seat and walked up 
 and down before a large mirror, drawing her- 
 self up, bridling, turning up her eyes, tossing 
 her head, biting her lips, flirting her fan, and 
 practising a thousand coquettish airs and graces 
 as she surveyed herself in every possible variety 
 of attitude, look, and action. " This provoking 
 tour will never keep in curl," she continued, 
 arranging her head-dress, and these confidants 
 come a little too forward, though they certainly 
 give me an air lauguissaiit tt amoureux. Mais
 
 KEUBEN APSLEY. 309 
 
 ^ette Sultane me va a merveille. May I die ! but 
 the sleeve has a most enchanting slope from the 
 elbow ! How cofjuette and enjoue was that ex- 
 pression of my face ! but where is my buUe a 
 mouches ? I must put a patch upon this cheek 
 just to draw attention to the dimple. Atten- 
 tion ! Helas! of whom am I to make a conquest ? 
 whose eyes can I attract unless it be those of 
 the gold and silver fish beside me, or of the 
 birds and beasts that seem to be the sole lords 
 of the earth in this rural desert? O del! 
 comme il est trisle, ge monde modenie ! We 
 have fields enough, par example ; but no field of 
 Enna, where if a young lady goes to gather 
 daisies and blue-bells, the earth yawns beneath 
 her, up starts a king and invites her to take a 
 ride to his Stygian dominions, and become his 
 queen. May I die ! but I had a thousand times 
 rather encounter a similar spectacle than — '" 
 
 Here she was interrupted by a sudden noise, 
 the floor opened beneath her feet, and up 
 jumped Reuben Apsley, who having been ren- 
 dered almost desperate by repeated unavailing 
 attempts to escape from the wood house towards
 
 310 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 the coast, and hearing a female voice over his 
 head, resolved in his confidence of that kindness 
 and magnanimity which he knew to be the 
 common attributes of woman, to throw himself 
 upon her generosity, whomsoever she might be, 
 and implore her aid in procuring him a more 
 effectual disguise, so that he might get away 
 with safety, or in assisting him to secrete himself 
 where he might obtain the means of subsistence, 
 of which he now stood in absolute want, until 
 the ardour of pursuit should have abated. 
 Adeline, « however, was so little prepared for 
 such an apparition, that she uttered a shudder- 
 ing cry, and fell back fainting in her chair ; 
 Reuben was thrown into no small consternation 
 lest her scream should attract some of the in- 
 mates of the house to her assistance ; while in 
 his ignorance of fainting fits, he was not altoge- 
 ther certain that he had not actually frightened 
 her to death. Some signs of life, however, 
 recalling him a little to his recollection, he took 
 some water from the vase that contained the 
 fish, and sprinkled it, rather more copiously 
 than was necessary, over the face of the sufferer,
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 311 
 
 in which process he caught a glimpse of his 
 own figure in the glass, and very naturally 
 concluding that his slouched hat, and the gene- 
 ral dishabille of his appearance, might have 
 contributed to her alarm, he threw off his bea- 
 ver, and made his toilet as becomingly as three 
 or four agitated minutes would allow. In a 
 short time he had the satisfaction of seeing her 
 slowly open her eyes, and exclaim in a faint 
 voice, " O del! what are you, whence come 
 you ? Help, help !" 
 
 " Ten thousand pardons," exclaimed Reu- 
 ben, falling on one knee, " for this unintentional 
 alarm ; believe me you have not the remotest 
 reason for apprehension ; my name is Reuben 
 Apsley, and my uncle jMr. Goldingham ."" 
 
 " Reuben Apsley ?" interrupted Adeline, re- 
 covering confidence as rapidly as she had lost 
 it, and evidently not displeased with the hand- 
 some features and fine figure which a calmer 
 observation allowed her to discover, — " Mais, 
 quel coup d'etourdi to take you for Pluto, when 
 you are are so much younger, so much better 
 looking — so much more Reuben Apsley !
 
 312 llEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 it is a very pretty name, — and mine is Adeline 
 Trevanian ; it has been reckoned very gentil 
 and distingue. How did you come here ? Oh, 
 by that nasty trajs-door I perceive. Pray shut 
 it up, for you surely can't think of again going 
 down those dreadfully steep steps." 
 
 " My uncle, Mr. Goklingham," said Reuben, 
 about to enter into a full explanation, but he 
 had proceeded no farther when his vivacious 
 companion stopped him with an exclamation of, 
 " Eh! mon Dieu ! je men rappeUe, I thought 
 I had heard the name before. You are the 
 young gentleman that ran away from Golding- 
 ham Place, and joined the Duke." 
 
 Reuben bowed his head in token of acquies- 
 cence. 
 
 " And you have put on this disguise, and 
 hidden yourself in the murky cavern below for 
 fear of being taken up, and hanged for a 
 rebel." 
 
 Another bow admitted the correctness of this 
 supposition, when his fair auditress clasped her 
 hands, and exclaimed, with a look of the great- 
 est delight, " O que c'est charniaiit, tela ! Voila
 
 REUBEK APSLEY. 313 
 
 done enjin une avenfure ! such as one reads of 
 in a Play or a Romance. Nothing could pos- 
 sibly come more' apropos ; it is the very sort of 
 incident I have been sighing for; I would not 
 have missed it for the world." 
 
 " I am gratified beyond expression," said 
 Reuben, " to find that you are not offended at 
 my boldness, that you allow me to place my life 
 in your hands." 
 
 " Offended .?" tout au contraire, I am de- 
 lighted, on lie peat plus, and as to your hfe, I 
 swear to preserve it even at the risk of my own. 
 You shall find that I know the duty of a heroine 
 upon such occasions. I will think of nothing 
 but your safety, and sacrifice every feeling to 
 
 the sacred claims of La ! goodness me ! the 
 
 cape of my sultane and my Colbertine cornet 
 are dripping wet ! d^oii vient cela ?"" 
 
 " I fear, Miss Trevanian, that I must apolo- 
 gize for the awkwardness of my hand, or the 
 agitation of my feelings, which led me to sprin- 
 kle you rather too profusely in the hope of 
 accelerating your recovery, but at such a dis- 
 
 tressmg moment- 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 314 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 " Oh, it was the least you could do," replied 
 Adeline, standing before the glass, and arrang- 
 ing her disordered dress and curls, " to bring 
 me to life, after having frightened me to death. 
 But mamma will lecture me for a whole week 
 if I catch cold and spoil my voice, so I had 
 better hurry home as fast as I can."" , 
 
 " But not, I trust, without condescending to 
 afford me the hope and happiness of another 
 interview in the course of the day, or at all 
 events, to-morrow." 
 
 " A la bonne heure ! a la bonne heure ! why 
 should I not ? I promise you I am not going 
 to abandon an adventure so romantic. May I 
 die ! but I should be desesperee au dernier were 
 the nasty constables to come and take you away 
 to be hanged, and so spoil an incident than 
 which there is nothuig prettier in Ahnahide, or 
 INIathilde d'Aguilar." 
 
 Reuben now ventured to remind her that the 
 instant sacrifice of his life mio-ht be involved in 
 the smallest violation of secrecy, professed an 
 eternal gratitude for her promised interest in 
 his preservation, declared that his life would
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 315 
 
 become doubly valuable if he were to owe its 
 preservation to one who appeared to be as com- 
 passionate as she was beautiful, which was the 
 utmost compliment that he could pay to her hu- 
 manity, and concluded his passionate address 
 with the rather humiliating avowal, that neces- 
 sity must soon expel him from the asylum he 
 had chosen, unless he could procure food, of 
 which he had tasted none for many hours. 
 
 " Food V cried Adeline with a look of infi- 
 nite disappointment and surprise, " how exces- 
 sively unromantic ! In the Knight of the Sun, 
 I remember that Roseclaire and his brother, the 
 sons of the Emperor of Constantinople, fasted 
 for a whole fortnight without inconvenience. 
 Mais, c'est egal; modern heroes are not like 
 those in the days of Chivalry. I will manage 
 to bring you something, a la derobe ! allons ! 
 allons I I an) dying to see you sink into the 
 earth like a mole. You must not mind beinff 
 buried alive ; in the country we are all in the 
 same predicament. There, take care how you 
 get down. How dark it looks below ! Vrai- 
 ment, cela me fait horreur. A Dieu ne plaise, 
 
 p 2
 
 SI 6 REUBEN APS LEY. 
 
 that you should be discovered. Provoking ! 
 I see by the glass that my tour is again all out 
 of curl. Adieu ! au revoir : Jiez vous a moi. 
 Draw the trap-door quite close again. May I 
 die ! if I shall ever call you any thing but Ar- 
 cadius; of course you have read of Prince 
 Arcadius, in the Royal Romance, who lived in 
 a cavern six weeks for love of the Princess 
 Gloria. The trap-door is shut. Adieu ! adieu ! 
 Voild une plaisaiite aventure r
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 317 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Love me not for comely grace. 
 
 For my pleasing eye or face. 
 
 Nor for any outward part ; , 
 
 No, nor for my constant heart : 
 
 For those may fail, or turn to ill. 
 
 So thou and I shall sever : 
 Keep, therefore, a true woman's eye. 
 And love me still, but know not why. 
 So hast thou the same reason still 
 
 To doat upon me ever. 
 
 Here was a delightful occurrence, which not 
 only came to break the monotony of Adeline's 
 existence, but seemed expressly calculated to 
 inflame an imagination already kindled by the 
 perusal of French romances. It was, indeed, 
 an incident that possessed every element of at- 
 traction to a mind like hers ; — its novelty and 
 mystery were combined with a due portion of
 
 318 TvEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 the terrible to preserve the interest, for the 
 consequences of a discovery would probably be 
 fatal ; and as to love, she was not only eperdu- 
 ment amoureuse at the very first sight, but be- 
 held in the passionate earnestness of Reuben's 
 manner while he was kneeling at her feet, as 
 well as in every subsequent word, look, and 
 gesture, the confession of a reciprocal flame, 
 which, like all those she had ever read of, was 
 to rage with a desperate and inextinguishable 
 ardour. Elated, enraptured, at the thought 
 that she was acting the part of a heroine, she 
 stole covertly to the summer-house with a basket 
 of provisions, snatching every possible oppor- 
 tunity of repeating her visits ; and, far from 
 thinking that she was lowering herself, or com- 
 mitting any impropriety, by these clandestine 
 interviews, she became so exalted in her own 
 opinion, as to consider herself infinitely superior 
 to the common daughters of earth, while she 
 was thus tripping to the place of rendezvous. 
 When there, however, her demeanour was com- 
 mon-place enough, — she coquetted, laughed, 
 rattled, talked French, sang songs in the same
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 319 
 
 language to the accompaniment of her guitar, 
 arranged her coiffure or altered a patch in the 
 glass was thro^v:n into the prettiest and most 
 becoming terrors imaginable whenever she 
 heard any unexpected noise, and listened very 
 patiently to Reuben's plans for his escape, un- 
 less when she interrupted him to moot a point 
 out of some high-flown romance, to ask his 
 opinion of a sweet fancied scarf just received 
 from London, or to consult him whether the 
 scollops of her new Sac a la Sedlei/ should be 
 edged with gold or silver. 
 
 Struck as Reuben had been by her beauty at 
 their first interview, as well as by a certain air 
 of high-bred, though somewhat fantastical ele- 
 gance in her appearance, and not less flattered 
 by the instant ardour with which she had em- 
 braced his cause, such conversation as we hav(> 
 described could not fail to lower his estimate of 
 her understanding. True, he was a lover of 
 the romantic ; but it must be the intuitive 
 romance of the intellect, not that borrowed 
 from the ponderous tomes of Scuderi and Cal- 
 prenede : he doated upon enthusiasm ; but it
 
 320 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 must be the genuine effusion of the heart, not 
 the cold frivolous emanation of the head : poe- 
 try was his idol ; but it was the lofty, the 
 passionate, or the profound, not the flat and 
 frigid amorousness, or the affected fervours, of 
 French chansonettes. Wearied with her girlish 
 inanity and Frenchified phrases, finding nothing 
 lively in her vapid rattle, and a good deal that 
 struck him as unfeminine in her forwardness, 
 especially as he felt the unfavourable construc- 
 tion that Avould be put upon their furtive meet- 
 ings, should they ever chance to be discovered, 
 he became impatient to break them off by 
 making his escape ; with which view he had 
 already stolen out several times to reconnoitre, 
 but had as often been driven back by the ap- 
 pearance of troops and patrolling parties in the 
 neighbourhood. 
 
 Adeline, however, dreamt not of any such 
 speedy termination to their courtship, for such 
 she fully considered it to be. Fancying that it 
 would now become her to be pensive and senti- 
 mental, she sang her tenderest and most melting 
 songs, assumed a languishing look, suffered her
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 321 
 
 hair to fall about her ears like a tragedy queen, 
 occasionally laid her right hand upon her heart, 
 very often looked up to heaven with an expres- 
 sion of vacant melancholy, became vehemently 
 attached to the moon, and was seldom unpro- 
 vided with a deep and most love-fraught sigh. 
 Never had she been so happy as when assuming 
 these appearances of woe. It was so delightful 
 to have something to interest one in the country 
 — to have encountered a real adventure ; to 
 possess a lover concealed in a woodhouse — and 
 one, moreover, whose life was in her power ! 
 And then the importance she derived from 
 being the depositary of a profound, impene- 
 trable, death-involving secret, was in itself no 
 small charm ; though she felt it would be still 
 more delicious, if some one could know how 
 fortunate she w^as, what a mighty mystery was 
 confided to her, how furiously she was beloved, 
 how devotedly she returned the passion ! Be- 
 sides, all heroines, whether of romance or tra- 
 gedy, had a confidant, who shared their joys 
 and sorrows, and, what was of more conse- 
 quence, assisted them in their jjrojects. Her 
 
 p 5
 
 322 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 secret, too, was really uneasy in her own bosom ; 
 it seemed to burn within her : she was dying to 
 reveal it ; it was perpetually fluttering upon 
 the tip of her tongue, as if waiting for an 
 opportunity to fly away from her. She fidgeted 
 about Helen, looked significantly and sheepishly 
 by turns, began a sentence, and suddenly stop- 
 ped short as if afraid of committing herself; 
 carefully shut the doors before she would open 
 her lips upon the most indifferent subject, and 
 dallied, and coquetted, and played off a thou- 
 sand ridiculous and affected airs with the mys- 
 tery in her possession. 
 
 Her sister was the only person who could 
 consistently fill the vacant point of confi- 
 dent, but Helen, she thought, was so prim, 
 so starch and precise, and formal and fussy, 
 and hated adventures, and talked so sapiently 
 about propriety, and all that sort of thing, that 
 she really did not believe she could ever bring 
 herself to make the communication. However, 
 all these dissuasions yielded to the still greater 
 annoyance of not being disburthened of her 
 secret, and after various resolutions to that
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 323 
 
 effect, and as many failings of the heart, she 
 sate herself down one morning beside her sister, 
 who was paintirtg a landscape, and endeavoured 
 to prepare herself for the important avowal, as 
 well as to awaken attention in her auditress by 
 a most ominous heigho ! 
 
 Helen had already observed that there was 
 something labouring in Adeline's mind, but as 
 she had reason to believe her deficient in real 
 feehng, although with abundant susceptibility 
 to any frivolous and evanescent impression, she 
 attributed it to some sentimental woe with 
 which she had been infected by her French 
 romances, and determining to wait with patience 
 till the mountain should be delivered of its 
 mouse, she pursued her employment without 
 noticing the lugubrious sigh aforesaid. 
 
 " Dis done, ma socur,"" said Adeline after 
 another sigh — " crois-fu que Von puisse aimer — '' 
 
 " Nay, prythee," interposed Helen, " if you 
 are going to talk of love, let us speak plain 
 English, or I shall cry with Shakspeare's INler- 
 catio — " Bon jour — there's a French salutation 
 for your French slop, and so take my leave."'
 
 324) REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 *' Shakspeare, my dear Helen ! he was a sau- 
 vagCy a barbare. How can you quote from a 
 man who is only endurable upon our stage 
 when altered and improved by Tate, Davenant, 
 Crowne, or Ravenscroft ? We had no genuine 
 taste till the Restoration brought it over to us 
 from France. I was going to inquire whether 
 you still disbelieved in the possibility of love 
 at first sight." 
 
 Helen declared her conviction that any dig- 
 nified love must be the deliberate offspring of 
 the head and heart, and could not be thus 
 instantaneously born of the eyes. 
 
 *' N'allez pas si grand train,'''' cried Adeline, 
 and then having played for some time with her 
 fan, and counted the sticks, and slightly blushed, 
 and cast a glance at herself in the mirror as 
 she bridled up her head, and shook back her 
 curls, she continued, " You may have never 
 been placed in such a situation, Helen, but for 
 myself I can attest from my own experience, 
 that a woman may find it impossible — that is to 
 say, that she may fall in love at first sight." 
 
 " So then, the wonder is out at last," ex-
 
 REUBEN APSI.EV. 325 
 
 claimed Helen, " and pray, if it is no longer a 
 secret, may I ask the name of this redoubtable 
 Amadis, who has conquered your heart by a- 
 single coup (Toeil ? Some Cavalier, I presume, 
 whom you have discovered upon his palfrey 
 from the window of the summer-house, at which 
 you are so delighted to plant yourself," 
 
 " Tu ne fy prends pas mal, — not badly gues- 
 sed ;"" said Adeline, waiting to be more particu- 
 larly cross-questioned before she proceeded in 
 her confession. 
 
 " I have never any wish to be made the depo- 
 sitary of a secret," said Helen ; " if this, there- 
 fore, is nothing more than a girlish admiration 
 of some unknown Romeo, I had rather not re- 
 ceive it. If it is a matter of any serious im- 
 port, in which my advice or assistance can bene- 
 fit you, they are both willingly at your service." 
 
 " It is, it is !" exclaimed Adeline in a pas- 
 sionate tone, and clasping her hands as she 
 spoke ; " something in Avhich the happiness of 
 mv own existence, and the life of a fellow-crea- 
 ture are concerned." 
 
 " Nay then, my dear Adeline," said Helen,
 
 326 EEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 reddening with sudden surprize, and affection- 
 ately kissing her, " I am most anxious to hear 
 it." 
 
 *' And you promise me upon your honour, 
 you swear to me, never to reveal it without my 
 permission." 
 
 " Certainly, my dear Adeline, since you have 
 so little confidence in my discretion as to re- 
 quire this pledge." 
 
 " Well, then, you were right ; it was in the 
 summer-house that I first encountered him — it 
 is there that we have always met." 
 
 " Always met ! Good Heavens ! whom have 
 you been meeting, and for what purpose ?" 
 
 With some little real confusion, and more 
 affectation, AdeUne proceeded to recount the 
 whole adventure, making no secret of the de- 
 light with which she had insisted upon a new 
 interview every time they parted, interlarding 
 her recital with passionate praises of Reuben"'s 
 personal and mental recommendations, and 
 concludino; with the assurance that he was de- 
 sperately in love with her, and that he was her 
 own dear, darling Arcadius.
 
 REOBEN APSLEY. 327 
 
 Helen, who concluded that she was to be 
 made the confidant of one of those evanescent 
 loves at first sight, of Avhich such flighty and 
 inflammable girls as her sister, are apt to have 
 a score before they are as many years old, was 
 not less surprized than shocked at this commu- 
 nication. Taking Adeline''s two hands, and 
 pressing them between her own, while the blood, 
 mounting even to her forehead, betrayed that 
 she felt more shame in hearing, than her sister 
 did in recounting the adventure, she exclaimed, 
 — " My dear, dear Adeline, have you indeed 
 been so excessively imprudent ? do you know 
 anything — " 
 
 " Oh, if you had but seen him !" interrupted 
 Adeline ; " such a beautiful creature ! and so 
 interesting, and so melancholy, and so spirituel 
 and eveillt, quite the cavalier accompli ; and as 
 to his understanding, il a de Cesprit comme 
 quatre. Would you have had me congedier a 
 youth with such fine large expressive eyes, who 
 placed himself and his life in my hands. Re- 
 member, that IVIandana, in the Grand Cyrus, 
 sate down on the cold ground, by the King of
 
 328 KEUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 Assyria, and not only pitied him who died for 
 her — Ah ! you should see him, c'est un homme 
 fait a peindre.'''' 
 
 " But were you not aware, Adeline, of the 
 gross impropriety of these clandestine meetings 
 — of the injury your reputation would sustain 
 if discovered — of the danger — " 
 
 " Eh, pour V amour de Dieu, ne joue pas la 
 Sermo?ieuse, and don't look so terribly serious 
 and fri^tened ; there was no danger, believe 
 me, for he is perfectly sage, and not in the 
 smallest degree entrtpenant, I assure you." 
 
 " Will you allow me, at least, to inquire 
 whether he has ever made any explicit declara- 
 tion of love to you ?"" 
 
 " La, Helen ! how can you be so indelicate ? 
 do you suppose ]:)eople cannot carry on a court- 
 ship without prattling love all the day long ? 
 // m'ttfait les doux yenx — his eyes confessed a 
 tendresse from the first moment ; he swore an 
 eternal gratitude ; and this is a thousand times 
 better and more delightful authority than any 
 formal, vulgar, common-place declaration."
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 329 
 
 " My dear Adeline,'" exclaimed Helen, look- 
 ing still more serious, " every word you utter 
 fills me with adtlitional distrust and alarm. As 
 you value your character and your peace of 
 mind, I do implore you to discard from your 
 thoughts " 
 
 " Stop, Helen, stop, I can spare all your fine 
 argvanents, by recalling to your recollection 
 qiCenfait cfamour ne ne raisonne pasy 
 
 " Do you then seriously mean to confess that 
 you are in love with this stranger ?" 
 
 " Eperdument — a la folic — desperately, dis- 
 tractedly," replied Adeline, endeavouring to as- 
 sume a most tragical and energetic look; " and 
 neither the storms of fate, nor the frowns of 
 fortune, nor all the cruelty of unrelenting pa- 
 rents shall ever tear his dear image from my 
 heart." 
 
 " But the laws of your country may claim 
 him as their victim in spite of all your heroics. 
 Supposing even that he reciprocates your pas- 
 sion, have you reflected that he is an outcast 
 and a fugitive, who, so far from being in a si-
 
 330 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 tuation to think of marriage, must either fly 
 from England or live in hourly danger of the 
 scaffold ?" 
 
 " Tu me Jais fremir: quelle idee horrible ! 
 But no, no, no 1 Every body say§ that an am- 
 nesty will shortly be published ; he will be par- 
 doned; Mr. Goldingham is enormously rich; 
 he will purchase him a handsome house in St. 
 James's, and if I once get back to London, may 
 I die if I ever again suffer myself to be buried 
 in the triste, the sombre, the horrid country, 
 oil Von s'enrmie a la mort.'''' The pleasant idea 
 of London, by recalling her old lovers, com- 
 pletely drove her new one from the volatile 
 mind of Adeline, as she exclaimed in a sort 
 of rapture, " O dear, gay, delightful London ! 
 Oh, the pleasures of the ring, the parks, the 
 Mall, and the Mulberry Garden ! Every place 
 else is a desert. Oh, the charms of a ball, where 
 you are sure to meet the whole of the beau 
 monde — an embarras of sedans and coaches in 
 the street, through which your chairmen are 
 half an hour in forcing their way — every win- 
 dow lighted up — flambeaux flaring at the door
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 331 
 
 — an uproar of footmen in the hall — music and 
 laughter sounding from above, a melte of plumes 
 and perukes, atid an entoriillement of swords, 
 hoops, and flounces on the stairs, while the 
 whole house rocks to the merry feet of beaux 
 and belles of the Court and the grand monde, 
 as they dance corants, lavoltas, and gal- 
 liards." 
 
 " But to recur to this unfortunate affair," 
 said Helen. 
 
 " What so gay and seduisarit,'" continued 
 Adeline, whose flighty imagination was too 
 completely transferred to London to allow her 
 to notice her sister'^s remark ; " as to drive 
 to dear Mrs. Thody's, or some of the Indian 
 shops in Bucklersbury, to buy French toys, fans, 
 points, jessamine gloves, Spanish paper, tires 
 for the head, almond-water and washes, a finger 
 watch, a japan patch box, or a darling little 
 china monster, so ugly and so useless, that you 
 can't possibly help falling in love with him. 
 Then hey ! for the Park, where you presently 
 notice some handsome gallant in a gilt chariot, 
 with four long-tailed horses, and a whole cluster
 
 332 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 of lacqueys clinging behind ; he has a periwig 
 that would not disgrace even Sir Harcourt 
 Slingsby ; he lowers his side-glass as you pass, 
 and surveys you (Tun air enjou'e, ; again he pas- 
 sionately side-glasses you when you meet, et vons 
 fait les doux yeux ; he quits the Park when you 
 do, and you see him on the Mall, followed by a 
 black page, with a brass collar, a philamott 
 livery, silver buttons, with a coronet, and a 
 glazed hat ; your spark passes you three times, 
 looking languishing comme on ne pent plus ; and 
 at night you meet him in the drawing-room at 
 Whitehall, in a velvet suit, with diamond but- 
 tons, buckles, sword-hilt, and hat-band, when 
 he bows, offers you his snuiF-box, lays his hand 
 upon his heart, sighs eperdument, et fait la role 
 d''un amoureur avoue^ 
 
 So totally had Adeline lost herself in this ima- 
 gined scene, that she went bowing, curtsying, 
 flirting, and swimming up and down the room, 
 acting to her own description, aifectedly coquet- 
 ting with the invisible lover she had conjured 
 up ; and far from noticing Helen when she again 
 at tempted to bring her back to the important
 
 EEUBEN APSLEY. 333 
 
 subject of their first discourse, she burst into a 
 new rhapsody, " Oh ! what bewitching games 
 of cards have I played in London ! Oh ! the 
 delights of the capote at picquet, of paroli at 
 basset, matadore at ombre, the nine of diamonds 
 at comet, and pam in lanteraloo 2 Oh ! the charm 
 of being joined at the play by a handsome 
 young galant, all lace and ribbons, periwig and 
 pulvilio, qui vous fait sa cour a la derobe, while 
 you lounge backwards in a side box, and see 
 amorous heroes on the stage, tearing, and 
 stamping, and huffing at the gods, in rhyme, 
 in one of Dryden's darling heroic plays ]" For 
 some moments she remained lost in a silent con- 
 tinuation of this delicious reverie, and then 
 suddenly recollecting herself, she turned to 
 Helen, and exclaimed in a tone of surprize, 
 *' Eh ! mon Dieu ! we have quite forgotten my 
 poor dear Arcadius in the wood-house !" 
 
 To herself this reproach might be applicable 
 enough, but certainly not to Helen, whose 
 whole thought, during the delivery of this 
 rapturous effusion, had been devoted to a con- 
 sideration of the best means for getting rid of
 
 334 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 Reuben, and thus putting an end to Adeline's 
 romantic and dangerous passion for a stranger 
 and an outcast. Knowing her to be not less 
 giddy than susceptible, she really trembled at 
 the risk she was incurring, while her penetrating 
 mind instantly foresaw how perilously the whole 
 family might be compromised if they were de- 
 tected in harbourinjj and communicatina; with 
 a traitor, who was known to have taken an 
 active part in the recent rebellion. Their fa- 
 ther's fury, and the fiery impetuosity of their 
 brother the captain, consequences which had 
 entirely escaped Adeline's recollection, would 
 not by any means be the worst result of a dis- 
 covery, since it had been publicly announced 
 that all those who should conceal the fugitives, 
 or refuse to give them up, would be held guilty 
 of a capital offence. As to surrendering the 
 unhappy man to death who had chosen sanc- 
 tuary upon their premises, she would have pe- 
 rished herself rather than have become instru- 
 mental in so base an act of cruelty ; nay, she 
 could not help deeply sympathizing with his 
 misfortunes, though she did not the less keenly
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 335 
 
 feel the vital necessity of getting rid of him 
 with as little delay as possible. Filled with the 
 most anxious and painful thoughts, and afraid 
 of acting with precipitation in an affair that 
 involved such fearful consequences to all parties, 
 she exacted from Adeline a promise not to re- 
 visit the summer-house on that day, agreeing to 
 accompany her thither early on the following 
 morning, and informing her that she should in 
 the mean time devote her mind to a dehberate 
 consideration of the steps which would be most 
 prudent for them to adopt in so dchcate and 
 dangerous a predicament. 
 
 With this understanding they parted, Helen 
 betaking herself to her painting room, Avhere 
 she was less liable to be interrupted, that she 
 miffht collect her thouo-hts, and consider how 
 their unwelcome visitant might be dismissed 
 with the least peril to all parties ; and Adeline 
 to her own apartment, to conceal the distress 
 she felt at having pledged herself to violate her 
 engagement for another interview with her own 
 dear darling Arcadius. As the appointed hour 
 drew near, she indulged in the most gloomy
 
 336 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 apprehensions of the extremities to which he 
 might be driven by his despair at her non- 
 appearance. — All the catastrophes of disap- 
 pointed lovers that she had encountered in her 
 romances, presented themselves at once to her 
 imagination ; she even doubted whether she 
 ought to observe her vow, solemn as it was, 
 when she reflected that her lover's suicide might 
 be the consequence of her cruelty : but appre- 
 hending that Helen might be upon the watch 
 to intercept her, she made a virtue of necessity, 
 and contented herself with looking most wist- 
 fully towards the plantations in which the 
 summer-house was embowered. 
 
 It was the time of sunset, an hour peculiarly 
 consecrated to those who are suffering under 
 a wounded spirit ; the evening star was begin- 
 ning to twinkle, an object with which all forlorn 
 lovers are known to sympathize ; and anon the 
 sonnet-hatching moon, that never-failing stimu- 
 lant of poetry and romance, was seen emerging 
 from the clouds. This combination of attrac- 
 tions, though by no means uncustomary, ex- 
 ercised an unusual influence on the agitated
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 337 
 
 mind of Adeline, who resolved to escape from 
 her unwelcome confinement, and walk round the 
 larffe sheet of water at the back of the mansion; 
 observing, however, the strict letter of her 
 engagement with Helen, by keeping always at 
 a considerable distance from the summer-house. 
 She accordingly betook herself to the borders 
 of the little lake, studded here and there with 
 weeping birch trees, whose silvery bark now 
 shone in the bright relief of moonlight against 
 the dark evergreens behind them. At the fur- 
 ther extremity of the water was an arbour, pro- 
 vided with a seat, on which she threw herself, 
 contemplating for some time with a placid me- 
 lancholy, the semicircular and successive flashes 
 of light as a gentle breeze sent the radiant 
 waves rippling close to her feet. 
 
 Here she remained for some time, bemoaning 
 her hard fate, until the lateness of the hour 
 warned her that it was time to retire, when just 
 as she was risirg for this purpose, she heard a 
 rustling amid a pkuitation of laurels and firs at 
 a small distance, whence the figure of a man 
 cautiously stole forth, and advanced towards the 
 
 VOL. 1. Q
 
 338 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 water. A large cloak enveloped his limbs, but 
 Adeline's throbbing heart seemed already to 
 have penetrated through this vain disguise : 
 " Ah ! " said she to herself, in a palpitating 
 w.hisper, " the keen eye of love is not so easily 
 deceived ; it is, it is the youth of my affections ; 
 my own dear, darling Arcadius. There is his 
 fine figure — there are his graceful attitudes." 
 But at the same time remembering her so- 
 lemn pledge not to seek an interview, and de- 
 termined to show that she could exhibit a 
 proper restraint and self-control, when the oc- 
 casion demanded it, she resolved to remain con- 
 cealed and watch his motions. 
 
 Advancing with the same circumspection to the 
 brink of the water, the figure looked eagerly up 
 and down its banks, as well as to the planta- 
 tions behind him, and then it was that the idea 
 suddenly rushed into Adeline's mind that he 
 was gazing in that manner to see whether he 
 were watched, preparatory to his throwing him- 
 self into the oblivious wave, that he might for- 
 get at once his dangers as a rebel, and his dis- 
 appointment as a lover. All pledges, and all
 
 REUBEN APSLEY. 331) 
 
 delicacy vanished before this appalling appre- 
 hension, and she was preparing to start for- 
 ward and discover herself, when she murmured 
 softly to herself; " Plist ! he turns round, he 
 quits the water, perhaps he repents his inten- 
 tion ; he unfolds his cloak, he draws a pistol 
 from his bosom, I know that he is provided 
 with those fatal weapons. O heavens ! he levels 
 it at his own head ! V' At this terrific sight she 
 uttered a piercing scream, and exclaiming as 
 she rushed forward ; " Rash man, forbear ! 
 live, live for your faithful Adeline !"" she dashed 
 from his hand the supposed pistol, which fell to 
 the ground with a loud smash : — as the figure 
 turned suddenly round, the moonlight shone full 
 upon the coarse features of a ruffian-looking 
 fellow, who muttered in a hoarse voice. — 
 " Cogswounds ! what the dickon be that vor ? 
 dangee, thee liast spilt as prime a bottle of dou- 
 ble ale as were ever tipped over tongue." Scared 
 at such an unexpected apparition, Adeline ut- 
 tered another scream, and ran with all the speed 
 of terror towards the house ; while the fish- 
 poacher, (for such the fellow was,) who had
 
 340 REUBEN APSLEY. 
 
 been lurking about for his expected comrade, to 
 assist him in dragging the water for the carp, 
 and had intended to solace himself in the mean 
 while with a bottle of ale, thought it most pru- 
 dent to decamp from the premises, quite unable 
 to account for the adventure, but not in the 
 least doubting that the mad lady, as he took her 
 to be, had run to the house for the purpose of 
 alarming the servants. 
 
 END or THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 LONDON : 
 PHINl IJ) UY S. AND R. BENTLtV'^ UORStT STIlfET.
 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below 
 
 Form L-9-35m-8,'28
 
 5453 Smltii - 
 S7r Reuben 
 v.l Apsley. 
 
 Delayed Paging 
 
 Mc/ury 
 
 >»« oor^^nTii 
 
 ^*r.,:^,V^^T^*;«f;^''--, 
 
 PR 
 
 5^5 3 
 
 V. 
 
 'f CALIFORNIA 

 
 
 / 
 
 ■'/ > 
 
 X 
 
 J 
 
 
 ■V \ 
 
 " >i 
 
 \ 
 
 
 \ 
 
 k 
 
 K 
 
 \ 
 
 
 -! 
 
 
 V 
 
 
 r^ 
 
 r-^- 
 
 /'' 
 
 
 « . — *s. 
 
 s> 
 
 \ 
 
 / 
 
 /; 
 
 ,.>!>/' 
 
 
 % 
 
 A 
 
 V 
 
 •?.f^ 
 
 
 k 
 
 ^' 
 
 / 
 
 ■\