“Shells, Edward! bright polished shells and sea-weed!” cried Lewis, as
he lifted the paper covering to a small basket which his mamma held in
her hand; “where did you get them? not on this barren coast, I am sure;
for Edward and I have searched every where, and can find nothing but
common things, not worth picking up.”
[Illustration: _The Pavilion, Brighton._]
“And yet, Lewis,” replied his mother, “I assure you some of these
shells were found here; and I believe you will see among them many
of the common ones you despise so much; but the greater part were
brought from foreign countries. And the beautiful little basket, that
is something new too. Yes, perhaps you may hear the history of that
another time. I have been to old Price’s dwelling, and have promised
that you shall pay him a visit this evening, should the weather
continue fine. But, if I mistake not, you are ready for a walk now:—the
shells will furnish us with in-door employment some other time.”
The little party then turned their steps towards the east cliff.
“How I do wish, mamma,” said Lewis, when they had passed the Pavilion,
“I could see all that is to be seen in that strange looking building!
I should like to go over it, if it were only for the pleasure of being
able to say, I had seen the place where the king and queen of England
live.”
“Will it not do as well if I tell you all I can about it; for I think
there is little chance of your gaining admission to the palace.”
“Not quite so well, mamma; but still it would be very entertaining:
and, perhaps, if I were to go to the palace I might be disappointed in
it; as much disappointed as Edward and I were in the king and queen. Do
you know, we expected to see them dressed in velvet robes, and wearing
crowns on their heads; and after all, we could not have told which were
their majesties, if papa had not pointed them out to us: they were
just like any other people.”
Mrs. Ashton smiled: she thought the king and queen would be much to be
pitied, were they always obliged to wear heavy crowns on their heads
and cumbersome dresses, such as Edward and Lewis had imagined. But
she told Lewis, she did not think they would be disappointed in the
Pavilion, could they obtain a sight of it, and she would do her best to
describe it.
Now, thought Lewis, this will be much more entertaining to write in my
book than the early history of Brighton, and Edward will know nothing
about it; for Edward had run on before, and was at that moment leaning
on the railing at the edge of the cliff, and looking down on the gay
parties that passed to and fro on the chain-pier beneath.
This thought of Lewis’s, however, was immediately succeeded by another,
and a better one, that in so doing he should not be acting kindly to
his brother: so, loosing his arm from his mother’s, he said, “I am just
going to call Edward;” and as he ran along he said to himself, “I am
glad mamma did not think of it for me; there is so much more pleasure
in doing what is right of one’s own accord: and though Edward would
not have known I had prevented his sharing the pleasure, I should have
blamed myself for it. I hardly know which is the worst, to blame one’s
self, or be blamed by others: but then it mostly happens, when papa
and mamma blame me, that I am vexed with myself too.” Then Lewis was
going on to think, how he might, much oftener than he did, avoid giving
himself this unnecessary pain; but just then his brother set off to run
again; so Lewis shouted, “Edward! Edward! Stop; pray stop!”
Edward turned, on hearing his name called; and he was glad he did so,
though he wanted very much to see the gentleman he had been watching
throw another stone into the sea, for a beautiful Newfoundland dog to
bring out again.
“Look, Lewis! there they go along the shore; now they have turned that
point we cannot see them, unless we were to run further on.”
By this time Mrs. Ashton came up. “You look warm,” said she, “with
your run: let us rest a little while on one of these friendly seats.”
“Oh! mamma,” said Edward, “how very, very beautiful the sea looks
this morning: but what can be the reason that the colour of it is so
different in different places?”
“I believe,” said Mrs. Ashton, “it is partly occasioned by the
inequalities in the surface of the earth beneath the water, and partly
by the different colour of the soil: clouds passing over it may also
have some effect upon it.”
Edward said, he had been thinking a great deal of the different uses
of the sea, and still he thought there must be some that had never
occurred to him.
“Well, now, Edward,” said Lewis, who began to think he had waited
long and patiently enough, “I am not going to be cheated out of my
story about the Pavilion: you know we can _look_ at the sea all the
while mamma is talking to us.” “And,” added Mrs. Ashton, “Edward shall
explain what he means to me another time; and perhaps I may be able to
make the matter clearer to him.”
“Now, dear mamma,” said Lewis, “pray begin. Did you really go all over
the Pavilion yourself, or have you only heard of its wonders from other
people?”
“I saw the interior of this oriental building myself, Lewis, some years
ago, when I was on a visit here with your uncle and aunt Brooks.”
Edward asked why his mother called it oriental.
“Because,” she said, “it resembles the palaces of the eastern princes.
Some say that it was modelled from a design brought from China, by lord
Amherst.”
“Ah!” said Edward, “our old friend, lord Amherst; he went to Batavia,
you know, for help for captain Maxwell and his crew, after the wreck of
the Alceste, while all those brave men were left on the little island
of Puloleat.”
His mother said she was glad he remembered the story; and then went on
to describe her visit to the Pavilion.
“We entered,” she said, “on the western side, where the garden is
situated, and proceeded at once to a magnificent apartment, called
the banquetting-room. I dare say you have not forgotten the farm-house
at L——, where I told you I used to live before I knew your papa; and,
when you recollect the plain old-fashioned, but comfortable rooms I had
always been accustomed to there, you will not be surprised to hear,
that my eyes were completely dazzled by the many splendid objects that
here met their gaze. I could not tell which to examine first. Our
conductor pointed out to us all that was worthy of remark, and then
directed our attention to the dome above our heads. It is thirty feet
in diameter, and eighty-five in height; the walls of the room rising
twenty feet, are surmounted by an elegant cornice, on which are raised
four beautiful arches, supported by golden columns; above these, the
dome rises still higher, and represents an oriental sky, partly hidden
by the branching foliage of a plantain-tree. From this is suspended,
by means of various Chinese ornaments and symbols, a superb lustre,
in the form of a lotus; which is a plant somewhat resembling our
water-lily, and is the Eastern emblem of brightness and perfection.
This apartment is in the south wing of the palace; in the north wing
is the music-room; but I do not recollect any thing there that will
particularly interest you. Between the banquetting and music rooms, in
the centre of the building, is the rotunda, or saloon: this is deemed
the most superb and elegantly furnished apartment in the palace. It is
of an oblong form. A brilliant lustre is suspended from the centre of
the ceiling, and others, of a smaller size, adorn the entrances to the
apartment at the north and south. A beautiful chimney-piece of statuary
marble faces the central window. The draperies were of crimson and
gold: ottomans and chairs, covered with ruby-coloured silk, and framed
with gold, constituted a part of the luxurious furniture. The carpet
was of light-blue, beautifully wrought with Chinese subjects, in gold
colour. But I should quite tire you were I to describe every thing that
dazzled and astonished the eye in this abode of royalty; so I shall
pass on to the king’s bed-room, where there appeared something more
like quiet retired comfort. Every thing in it was, as you will suppose,
well arranged. The dressing-room adjoining it leads into a delightful
bath, into which hot and cold water are conducted at pleasure. And now,
perhaps, it may amuse you to hear something of the Chinese gallery;
though I fear I can hardly give you an idea of its gorgeous splendour.
It is divided into five compartments, the central one is illuminated
by a dome of tinted glass, and decorated with a representation of the
God of Thunder, surrounded with his appropriate emblems, as described
in the Chinese mythology. Corresponding ornaments adorn the adjoining
compartments, which are partially separated from each other, by
trellis-work of iron, in imitation of bamboo. The staircases, at each
extremity, are lighted by horizontal skylights of beautiful stained
glass. On the ceiling of one of the outer compartments, is exhibited
the _fum_, or Chinese bird of royalty; on that of the other, the
imperial dragon.”
Here Lewis interrupted, to ask if there really was such a bird as the
fum. His mother told him, that “the Chinese are so singular a people,
and so fond of mystery, that less is known of them or their country,
than of almost any other nation. But travellers describe this bird as
really existing, and being one of exquisite beauty, with a head much
resembling the peacock’s. They say, that it is found in no other part
of the world beside China, building its nest in the mountains near
Pekin; and its absence for any considerable time is looked upon as
an omen of misfortune to the royal family. The Chinese consider the
shoulders of the fum an emblem of the virtues; their wings signify
justice, their sides obedience, and their nest fidelity.”
“Well, dear mamma,” said Edward, finding that his mother did not
proceed, “have you quite done with the Pavilion?”
Mrs. Ashton did not recollect anything else that would be likely to
interest them: she was disappointed in the library, which contained but
few books; the royal chapel, near the south wing of the palace, she
hoped papa would be able to show them, on his return to Brighton.
Edward and Lewis thanked her for the treat in store for them, and for
the entertaining account she had given them.
“And now,” said Mrs. Ashton, “I am quite rested; and we must not sit
here any longer if we wish to see Kemp-Town this morning.”
Edward asked why it was so called, and was told that the buildings
were erected on the estate of a gentleman of that name. They include a
square of great extent, opening from the centre of a crescent, which is
terminated at each end by a wing; and consist of elegant and commodious
private dwellings, all commanding a view of the Channel. The fronts of
the houses are adorned with Corinthian columns and entablatures, and
surmounted with balustrades; and before them is spread a fine lawn,
enclosed with cast-iron railings. Many of the houses, however, were
uninhabited, which made Edward and Lewis think the place had an air of
desolation.
“Perhaps,” said Mrs. Ashton, as they turned to go homewards, “you may
like Kemp-Town better should you live to see it some years hence.
Suppose now we return over the Downs, in order to vary our walk.”
The boys joyfully assented, and the party soon found themselves above
the dusty road, and out of the immediate neighbourhood of houses.
Edward and Lewis were in high spirits; sometimes they toppled each
other on the turf, or ran races together; and, when tired of such
active games, they gathered the wild flowers that grew on that chalky
soil, or turned to admire the wide-stretching ocean which lay beneath,
and to inhale the fresh breeze which blew towards the shore. Those who
have roamed the hills, with a clear blue sky above them, and soft turf
beneath their feet, while the light breeze played around them, will
know something of the pleasure which Edward and Lewis felt during their
walk over the Downs, that bright summer morning.