_Riding a Pillion_
DOLLY and I had spent great Part of the Afternoon in brushing up and
cleaning an old black riding Skirt of my Mother’s, which it was a Wonder
I had not cut up into Garments for the Poor. When we had cleaned it with
Hollands, and ironed it nicely, it looked very well; for our House was
so airy, that our Clothes never had the Moth.
Precisely at the Hour named, an old Man in purple Livery rode up to the
Door, on a grey Horse with a Pillion. _Mark_, who was very lively this
Morning, told me he thought the Horse looked like a Bolter; but I knew
he was only laughing at me. Then he asked me how I meant to mount; I
said, with a Chair, to be sure. He said, “Nonsense!” and lifted me up in
a Moment, and arranged my Riding-skirt as nicely as if he had been a
Lady’s Groom. Then he told the old Man to be careful of me; but the old
Coachman proved to be both dull and deaf, by reason of great Age; so
_Mark_ whispered me that he was not afraid of his running away with me,
if the Horse did not; finishing with “Good-bye, _Mistress Blower_.”
I gave him an indignant Look, and said, “For shame, _Mark_! I have not
deserved that!”
“Well,” said he, “_I_ think you _have_.” And just then the old Man
jerked the Rein of the old Horse, which moved off so suddenly, that I
was fain to catch hold of the old Man’s Coat; and the last Glance I had
of _Mark_ was a merry one.
At first I felt a little bit frightened; but soon got used to my new
Position; especially as the Horse walked till we were off the Stones.
Still we seemed a long while getting out of _London_; and we met a great
many People returning to it, in Carts, Waggons, and Coaches.
At length we got quite out of Town, and between green Hedges, with Trees
beyond them that were turning all manner of Colours; with only a House
here and there, or a Wayside Inn. At one of the latter we stopped in the
middle of the Day, to rest the Horse, and take some Refreshment. Then we
continued our Journey, which lasted till Sunset, and the latter Part of
which was mighty pleasant and delightsome; only I was beginning to be a
little weary with so much shaking. But, when I saw how charming a Place
the Country was, I wondered how People could live in Towns ... unless on
a Bridge.
At length we turned off the Highway into a Bye-road, shaded with tall
Trees, which, after a Mile or two, brought us to a straggling Village;
and, says the Coachman, “Mistress, now we’s in _Bucklands_.” Presently
we passed the absolutest curiosity of a little old Church!... it seemed
hardly bigger than a Nutmeg-grater!—and hard by it, the old Parsonage,
with three Stone Peaks in front, and a great Pear-Tree before the Door.
Then we came to a Village Green, with a Clump of large Trees in the
Midst, that had Seats round them, whereon sat old Men, while young Men
played Cricket, and little Boys were setting a Puppy to bark at some
white Geese. Here we came to a great Iron Gate, at which stood a hale,
hearty-looking Gentleman about fifty; square-built, and not over-tall;
with a good-humoured, red, mottled Face. And, says he, coming up to me,
as we stopped, “Mistress _Cherry_, I’m Squire _Blower_. I can guess who
you are, though my Brother did not tell me you were such a pretty
Girl.—Oh, the Sinner!” And lifted me off the Horse.
“Well,” says he, “you don’t look quite sure that I’s I.... I _am_,
though! Certainly, not much like _Nat_, who was always the Beauty of the
Family. Ah! now you laugh, which was just what I wanted. My Brother said
your silver Laugh saved his Life;—do you know what he meant by that?”
We were now walking up a strait gravel Walk, between clipped Hedges, to
an old red-brick House, with stone Facings. “I suppose, Sir,” said I,
after thinking a little, “he meant that my laughing was as good as
Silver to him, because it saved him the Doctor.”
“That was it, no doubt,” returns he; “just such an Answer, Mistress
_Cherry_, as I expected. I see we shall get on very well together,
though _Nat_ is not here to help the Acquaintance.—He has gone to see
his old Foster-mother, who is dying. People _will_ die, you know, when
they get to eighty or ninety.”
[Illustration:
An old red-brick House
]
We were now going up a Flight of shallow Steps, with Stone Ballusters,
which led us into a Hall, paved with great Diamonds of black and white
Marble, and hung about with Guns, Fishing-rods, and Stag’s Horns. An
Almanack and King _Charles’s_ golden Rules were pasted against the Wall;
and a stuffed Otter in a Glass Case hung over the great Fire-place,
where a Wood-fire burned on the Hearth.
Before this Wood-fire was spread a small _Turkey_ Carpet; and on the
Carpet stood a Table and four heavy Chairs; in one of which sat an old
Lady knitting. The Squire bluntly accosted her with “Mother, here’s
Mistress _Cherry_;” on which she said, “Ho!”—laid down her Knitting, and
looked hard at me; first over, and then through her Spectacles.
“Hum!” says she, “Mistress _Cherry_, you are welcome. A good Day to you.
Pray make yourself at Home, and be seated.”
So I sat down over against her, and we looked at each other very stiff.
She was short and fat, with round blue Eyes, and a rosy Complexion; and
had a sharper, shrewder Look than the Squire.
“I dare say she’s hungry, Mother,” says the Squire; “give her a Piece of
Gingerbread or Something.—How soon shall we have Supper?”
“You are always in such a Hurry, Father, to be eating;” says his Lady.
“Forsooth, are we not to wait for your Brother?”
And without waiting for his Answer, she took a bunch of Keys from her
Apron-string, and unlocked a little Corner-cupboard, from which she
brought me a Slice of rich Seed-cake, and a large Glass of Wine.
“Thank you, Madam; I am not hungry,” said I.
“Pooh! Child, you must be;” returns she, rather authoritatively. “Never
be afraid of eating and drinking before Company, as if it were a Crime!”
So, thus admonished, I ate and drank: though I would as lief have waited
a little.
“Are you stiff with your Ride?” says she.
“A little, Madam,” said I; “for I was ne’er on a Horse before.”
“Is it possible,” cries she, bursting out a-laughing. “Father, did you
hear that?”
“Famous!” said he; and they eyed me as if I were a Curiosity.
“Do you know, now,” says the Squire’s Lady to me, after a while, “I
never was in _Lunnon_!”
“That seems as strange to me, Madam,” said I, “as it seems to you that I
should never have been on Horseback.”
“It _is_ strange,” says she. “Both are strange.”
“And now _I’ll_ tell you Something that is strange,” says the Squire,
“since we all seem surprising one another. Do you know, Mistress
_Cherry_,” stepping up behind his Wife, and laying a Hand on each of her
Shoulders, while he spoke to me over her Head, “that this little
round-about Woman was once as pretty a Girl as you are?”
“Stuff! Squire,” says his Lady.
“Fact!” persisted he. “Nay, prettier!”
“Not a Word of Truth in it,” says she, shaking him off. “I was all very
well,—nothing more. Come, Father, here’s _Gatty_ going to spread the
Cloth for Supper, which you’ll be glad of. But, _Gatty_, in the first
Place shew Mistress _Cherry_ to her Chamber, ... she will perhaps like
to dress a little. You’ll excuse my attending you, my Dear; the Stairs
try my Breath.”
I followed _Gatty_ up Stairs to the prettiest Room that ever was! When I
came down, the Cloth was spread, and the Squire’s Lady signed me to the
Chair over against her, and was just going to say Something, when,
crossing between me and the Sun, I saw the Shadow of a Man against the
Wall, and knew it for Master _Blower’s_. Ah! what came over me at that
Moment, to make me so stupid, I know not.—Perhaps that saucy Saying of
_Mark’s_ ... but whatever it was, instead of my going up to Master
_Blower_, when he came in, which he did the next Moment, and asking him
simply and straitforwardly how he was, I must needs colour all over like
a Goose, and wait till he came quite up to me, without having a Word to
say for myself.
“Ah, _Cherry_!” says he, taking my Hand quite frankly, “how glad I am to
see you! Are you quite well?”
And, the Moment I heard his pleasant Voice, I was quite comfortable
again, and felt myself at Home for the first Time.
“Quite, thank you, Sir,” said I, “and I hope you are better than you
were.”
“Well, now that civil Things have passed on both Sides,” said the
Squire, who had already seated himself, “come and say Grace, _Nat_, for
here’s a Couple of beautiful Fowls getting cold.”
—Well, the Supper was as pleasant as could be, and it was growing quite
dusk before the Table was cleared, yet the Squire would not hear of
having Candles; so then his Lady desired _Gatty_ to carry Lights into
the green Parlour, “Where,” says she, “I and this young Person will
retire, and be good enough Company for each other, I dare say.”
Oh, I’m a young Person, am I? thought I. So I followed her into the
green Parlour, where she settled herself in an easy Chair, with her Feet
on a Footstool, and made me sit facing her. “Now,” says she, “the Men
can prose by themselves, and we’ll have a Coze by _our_selves. Pray,
Child, how was it you came to think of nursing my Brother?”
So I began to tell her how I went to him in Hope of his telling me how
to find my Father; but then, she wanted to know how my Father came to be
missing, so I had to go further back. And then I could not help putting
in by the Way how good and excellent a Man he was, how tender a Father,
how loving a Husband, which brought in my Mother. But I checked myself,
and begged the Lady’s Pardon for entering on that, which I knew could no
Ways interest her.—“Nay, let me hear it all,” says she, “I shall like to
hear Something about your Mother.” So then I told her of her holy Life,
and saintlike End; and of Master _Blower’s_ invaluable Ministrations,
which of course interested her a good deal; and indeed I saw a Tear
steal down her Cheek, while I kept mine down as well as I could. Then I
went on to the Plague, and my Father’s Heaviness of Spirits; and his
going forth and never coming back, and my going in quest of him, and all
the Events of that terrible Day, which I could not go over without
crying very heartily. She wept too; yet cried, “Go on, go on!” So then I
got to Master _Blower_, and the sleeping Watchman, and my getting into
the House, and going from Room to Room, and hearing him yawn,—which made
her laugh; though she cried again when she heard of his praying, and of
his Sufferings that fearful Night and many Days after. At the End of
all, she got up, put her Arms about my Neck, and kissed me. “_Cherry_,”
says she, “you’re an excellent Creature!”—Just then, a great Bell began
to ring,—“That’s the Prayer-bell!” says she. “We will return to the
Hall, my Dear.”
So we returned to the Hall, much more at our Ease together than when we
left it. And there, standing in a Row, were half a Dozen Men and Women
Servants, and the Table had Candles and a large Bible on it. Master
_Blower_ read, and then prayed: had I not been so tired, I could have
wished him to go on all Night! Then we dispersed to our several
Chambers; and I had so much to think about that it seemed as though I
should never get to sleep: however, I did at last.
[Illustration]
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