If there be any so fastidious and unfeeling as to condemn and
deprecate the romantic hopes and flattering visions cherished in
he buoyant bosom of nineteen, I am sorry for them, and here avow,
I wish never entirely to forget the fascinating pleasure of such
air-built hopes. Should they be sometimes attended with danger to the
weak and frail, they are likewise accompanied with their advantages
to the good and virtuous, and often enable us to encounter trials
with a resolution and fortitude, which, at a more advanced period
of our lives, when time has weakened our bodily frame, and experience
deprived us of those gay illusions, we find it difficult and painful
to acquire.--The philosophy of nineteen, though not abstruse, is
flattering and conclusive; so much the more valuable; for, after all
the researches of philosophy, what are we taught to know, but that
man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards?--that we are merely
the pilgrims and passengers of a day,--that our resting place must
be found in a better, an unknown world,--that we must encounter
innumerable trials on our journey, and at last die and be forgotten,
even by those for whom we have toiled, and to whom we are most tenderly
attached?--Surely then we may be allowed to snatch, or steal, a few
of those innocent enjoyments just thrown in our way, to encourage our
fortitude, and clear our path from some of the briars and thorns with
which it is so profusely planted.
Happy is it for those in the common walks of life, that all their
stock of philosophy is comprised in a few words, acquired without
study, and retained without taxing their time or burthening their
memory,--"it was my fate,--I could not run from it,--it was to be."
These trite sentences reconcile them to many distressing events, and
sometimes are their excuse for the frailties of their conduct.
When the parties met at breakfast the next morning, any careful
observer might have discovered, by the confusion visible on the
countenance of Madeline,--the constraint in her manner of addressing
Edwin,--his more than usual vivacity, and the pale cheeks and swelled
eyes of Roseline, that something had occurred to produce the change;
but, suspicion not being a frequent gust at the castle, no such
discovery was made: every one employed themselves as usual, and in a
few hours universal cheerfulness seemed to prevail.
The only observations made by Lady de Morney were, that her dear
Edwin looked remarkably well, was in charming spirits, and had dressed
himself better and more becomingly than usual. Madeline coloured, and
thought the same. Roseline smiled, and Edwin whispered something in the
ear of Madeline that prevented the roses fading on her cheek.
The dress of Madeline, though to her particularly becoming, would
to thousands have been totally the reverse. It was the dress of the
order of Benedictines, to which she belonged, consisting of a black
robe, with a scapulary of the same. Under the robe, nuns, when
professed, wore a tunic of white undyed wool, and, when they went
to the choir, they had a cowl like that worn by the monks; but the
boarders, who were in what we may call a state of probation, were
allowed to wear a tunic of muslin or cambrick, and covered their heads
with a white veil. This dress, little suited to please the whimsical
taste of the present time, was, strange as it may appear, simple and
becoming, and proved the truth of the poet's observation, that
------Loveliness
Needs not the foreign aid of ornament,
But is, when unadorn'd, adorn'd the most.
Madeline, in the habit of her order, was so captivating a figure,
that no one ever thought any alteration or change in it could have
added a charm to those bestowed on her by the partial hand of
nature. She was tall, and elegantly formed; the expression of her
countenance, blended with softness and dignity, conveying an idea
of superior virtue being united to superior loveliness.
Just before dinner, the Doctor observed that Madeline looked pale:
having felt her pulse, he inquired what had given them cause to beat
so much out of time.
"I must examine into this matter, (said he archly.) They are gallopping
along at a strange rate; either the head or the heart must occasion
this revolution in the system of my patient's usual habit. If it be
the disease of the heart, I must resign my place to a more able
practitioner.--Do not blush, my fair nun, but tell me whom you would
have called in."
"I am perfectly satisfied with your advice, my good doctor, and at
this time believe I want a cook more than a physician, therefore
excuse me if I say you you entirely misunderstand my case."
"Don't be too positive (said De Clavering) of my ignorance. You may
safely trust me with all your complaints,--even with those of the
heart; for I feel myself extremely interested that you should not
return to the nunnery with any additional one added to those you so
unfortunately brought away."
"Ah! (said Madeline,) mentally, advice is now too late. I shall carry
back with me a more corroding, a more painful complaint than any I
ever knew before; yet, strange as it is, I would not be cured for
the world, as my being so would wound Edwin de Morney.
Only Camelford was present when this little badinage passed between
the Doctor and his patient. He advised the former to lay aside his
wig, and take up the cowl, as the most certain method of discovering
the truth; "for, though the laties, (he added,) will not tell all
they think to you or I, they will not attempt to teceive their Cot."
"If I thought putting on a cowl would transform me to a god, (said
De Clavering,) I would soon hazard the transformation, and then I
would place a shield before the heart of every fair daughter of
Britain, that should have the property of a talisman, to warn them
againsst the designs and insidious attention of young men, six feet
high, with black sparkling eyes, auburn hair, teeth of ivory, handsome
legs, and white hands."
Madeline knew the portrait, and, rising to conceal her blushes, ran
hastily out of the room.
Hugh Camelford burst into a violent fit of laughter, and told the
Doctor, "so far from being thought a Cot, the young laty certainly
took him for the tifel, having discovered his spells and clofen foot,
or perhaps for Tafy ap Jones, who, after tying for lof, was thrown
into the Red Sea, and had haunted all lof-sick maidens ever since,
poor discontented tifel!"
"And that will be your fate, Hugh, (retorted the Doctor,) unless you
send home the Welch lass whom you betrayed, and then left to starve
with your son, a fat chubby boy, very like his father."
"As I hope to escape the toctor and tamnation, (said the indignant
Hugh,) I never petrayed a lass in my whole life; therefore, you
cataplasm, you plister, you caustic of fire, pring no such scandals
on the coot name of Camelford, lest I take a little of your carnivorous
plood, and make you drink it!"
The Doctor stole off laughing, and Camelford soon recovered his
good humour.
A dance was proposed for the evening, and readily agreed to by the
young people, who determined to make the time pass as cheerfully as
possible during the absence of Sir Philip and the visit of Madeline.
In those days dancing was the favourite amusement of the youth of
both sexes: rich and poor, young and old, one with another, mixed
in the animating dance:--complaints of weariness and fatigue were
seldom heard. This exercise was not only favourable to health, but
the roses it produced on the glowing cheek of youth rendered all
application to the borrowed ones of art totally unnecessary. Rouge
was then unknown, and no _Warren_ existed to abolish old women, by
giving the furrowed features of age an unfading bloom. The plain
jacket, with a small quantity of ribbon bound round a cambric cap,
were then thought becoming, and few ornaments were worn but on very
important and particular occasions; yet beauty was equally admired:
the same homage was paid to it, and it held in bondage as many
captives, without the adventitious aid of deception and extravagance.
Another preservative of youth and health was their keeping better,
that is, earlier hours. Night was night, and dedicated to its original
purpose. Day was properly divided, and found of sufficient length for
all the useful employments of life. Few young ladies but had seen
the sun rise in all its glory, and found their hearts expanded by
the grand and awful sight; and, while they welcomed its reviving rays
from the portals of the east, it tended to raise their minds to that
God who made the sun, and who alone could number the stars by which
it was surrounded.
A fine moon-light evening seldom passed unnoticed by these aspiring
worthies, eager after knowledge; for, having happily fewer amusements,
they had more time to attend to the instructive beauties of nature,
the study of which affords an inexhaustible source of pleasure and
surprise. Fearless of their complexions, they not only rambled but
worked in their gardens. Each had a little spot of ground marked out,
and it soon produced the desired effect; every one was emulous to
outshine the other in its cultivation, and Sir Philip or Lady de Morney
were often called upon as arbitrators to decide the superior beauty
of a rose, the size of a carnation, or the snowy tints of a lily.
De Clavering had told them, that, under their feet, they often
trampled on plants, in the careful study of which might be found a
cure for every disease incident to the climate they inhabited, and
that in other climates the earth produced her treasures for the
same benevolent purpose; but the careless inattention of mankind
to this useful knowledge had rendered the profession of physic
absolutely necessary, and given men of learning and genius an
opportunity of displaying their talents in preserving the lives of
their fellow creatures.
In consequence of these hints, all kinds of herbs were planted, and
their virtues put to the test by being applied to relieve the diseases
of their poor neighbours; and never did a high-bred town belle, at
making a conquest, or a hero, after obtaining a signal victory, exult
more, or feel greater delight than the having effected a cure produced
in the minds of these young practitioners. De Clavering was gratified
in giving them all the intelligence they requested, very often
inquired when they went their rounds to visit their patients, and
offered them his physical wig to give them consequence.
In those days people lived much longer in the same number of years;
to rise between five and six o'clock, and breakfast at seven, was
their usual custom, the time of taking their meals differing as much
as their antique habits. Dinner was constantly on the table between
eleven and twelve, and supper regularly served at seven; tea was then
bu little used, Whether the introduction of that bewitching beverage
had been followed by the long catalogue of evils laid to its charge,
I am not able to determine; but, as I have known many weak
constitutions who have never felt any ill effects from taking it,
I am inclined to think it has not such dangerous properties as are
alledged against it by valetudinarians and their medical advisers.
But what would the antediluvian souls, who compose my dramatis personae
say to the innovations made upon time in these day of delicate and
fashionable refinement? They would suppose the world turned topsy-turvy,
and be puzzled to know why the afternoon should be discarded, and what
part of the twenty-four hours to call night.
The periodical times of taking refreshment are quite different to
what they formerly were, and contradictory to the practice of our
ancestors, who hoarded their time, and considered it as a treasure
of some value. We may now literally be said to turn day into night,
and night into day, while the want of time is the source of general
complaint. Our people of fashion, and many of no fashion at all,
breakfast at three in the afternoon, dine at seven, sip their tea
at eleven o'clock at night, and sup at four in the morning; whereas
Queen Elizabeth breakfasted at five or six in the morning, and dined
at eleven in the forenoon.--She and all her court went to bed with
the sun in summer, and at eight or nine o'clock in winter.
The parliament, in the reign of Charles the First, went to prayers
at five or six in the morning, and the king dined at twelve; nay,
in the licentious reign of that merry monarch, his son, dinner at two
was thought a very late hour; for all public diversions were at an
end by six in the evening, and the ladies, after seeing a play, went
in their carriages to Hyde-Park.
Whether it would not be greatly to the advantage of people in general
to revive some old customs, and return to the prudent habits of our
progenitors, will not admit of much dispute. Private families, in
these expensive times, would undoubtedly be benefited. Morning would
again become a theme for the poet, and poor day-light be brought into
fashion. Our parliament too would find more time to transact the
important business of the nation, on which they so eloquently
harangue. Possibly a good dinner would add weight to their arguments,
and the not being hungry would prevent their eagerness to adjourn.
But one of its greatest evils, after that above mentioned, is felt
by servants, particularly the unhappy cook. She seldom sees the face
of day,--never enjoys the enlivening rays of the sun, and can scarcely
find time even to change her clothes till the night is too far advanced
to render the change necessary. It was formerly the custom for people
to walk after tea, and by doing so acquire a redoubled relish for
the variegated beauties of nature; but now the table makes its
appearance at so unseasonable an hour, and fashionable etiquette,
with the love of good cheer, detains them so long, that in fact it
appears the chief business of life to study every art and contrivance
how to destroy and squander, not how to improve our time; and, instead
of people's eating that they may live, they now live only to eat and
drink, that the senses, I presume, may be disabled from torturing them
with reproaches.--But to return to our tale.
In the evening, as Edeliza was going down the dance, her eyes, with
those of Madeline, were attracted by the same object,--a plume of
white feathers, placed on a suit of armour, nodded, and the armour
moved. This had such an effect, Madeline screamed, and Edeliza,
throwing herself into the arms of De Willows, begged he would protect
her from the ghost. The dancing stopped, the whole party was alarmed,
and Lady de Morney very much surprised; but, on being informed what
had occasioned the bustle, Hugh Camelford flew to discover its cause,
and, jumping upon a long table, which was placed by the side of the
room for the accommodation of large parties on any particular
occasion, he without much ceremony caught hold of the haunted armour,
when, to the astonishment of the whole company there instantly
appeared,--gentle reader, be not alarmed!--not the ghost of a
murdered hero, nor forsaken maid,--but the youngest daughter of Sir
Philip de Morney, who skipping from her concealment upon the table,
and from thence to the floor, shook her head, decorated with a
profusion of flaxen hair, which curled in natural ringlets, and
laughed heartily at the fright she had occasioned.
"Of all the chosts I ever saw, (said the delighted Hugh, catching
her up in his arms,) this is by much the prettiest and most
entertaining. I should like to be haunted by such an one all the
tays of my life."
Lady de Morney called the little culprit, and, having severely
reproved her, ordered her to bed, to which she had been sent before
the party had began dancing, for some fault she had committed, but
had persuaded one of the servants to place her as before described,
that she might be a spectator, though she was not permitted to be a
partaker in the amusement. Lady de Morney reprimanded the servant;
and, had it not been for the general intercession of the company,
poor Birtha would have been a prisoner in her own apartment
some days.
This incident, simple in itself, happened very unfortunately for
the two ladies, who had agreed to accompany Edwin in his subterranean
tour. They lingered till the last moment, and then withdrew with
visible reluctance; but determined, as soon as they reached their
own room, not to say a word to Edwin of their fears, as they knew
it would expose them to ridicule, if not to censure, and there was
not in the catalogue of human ills or evils any circumstance
Madeline would so much have dreaded as being thought meanly of by
Edwin de Morney.
Within little more than an hour after the family had withdrawn, all
the servants retired to rest, they were joined by the sanguine and
spirited Edwin, accompanied by the ancient veteran, who, though
loaded with the heavy burthen of fourscore years, was still active
and hearty, his senses unimpaired, and his sturdy limbs still able
to carry with firmness their accustomed load. His grey locks hung
with silvered dignity upon his aged shoulders, and his eye retained
some of their former expression. He made a profound obeisance to
the ladies on his entrance, and was received with that condescending
affability which his years and long-tried faithfulness demanded.
Edwin's manner of introducing him, flattered the old man's remaining
stock of vanity, and revived, in full force, the remembrance of his
former exploits, which, though they had not procured him preferment,
secured him attention and respect.
"This is my friend Bertrand, (said Edwin, addressing Madeline
particularly on his entrance;) though you had some fears with only
such a stripling as myself for a leader, you can have none with so
experienced and brave a guide."
The old man listened with delighted attention to this eulogium from
the lips of his dear young master, whom he had so often dandled on
his knee, whom he had been so fortunate as to snatch from a watery
grave, and for whom he retained a stronger affection than for any
other being on earth. Sir Philip had long maintained him in ease and
comfort, and excused him from every employment, but such as tended
to the preservation of his health. Both ladies held out their hands,
which he respectfully kissed, and preyed that heaven might bless and
reward them for their kindness to their old but grateful servant.
"Now the ceremony of introducing you into the bed-chamber of these
fair ladies is over, 'tis time for us to think of proceeding, my
old friend, (said Edwin.) If you will assist me in unfastening the
trap-door, we will procure lights, and, putting ourselves under your
direction, follow wherever you are disposed to lead us.