_Mr. Longstaff rides over to Snitterton Lodge to obtain Colin a
situation.--Miss Maria Sowersoft and Mr. Samuel Palethorpe,--his future
mistress and master,--described._
At the distance of some five or six miles from Bramleigh, and to the
south-west of that village, lies an extensive tract of bare, treeless
country, which some years ago was almost wholly uninclosed--if we
except a small farm, the property of the Church--together with some few
scattered patches, selected on account of their situation, and inclosed
with low stone walls, in order to entitle them to the denomination
of fields. Owing to the abundance of gorse, or whins, with which the
uncultivated parts of this district were overgrown, it had obtained
the characteristic name of “Whin-moor;” while, in order to cover
the barrenness of the place, and to exalt it somewhat in the eyes of
strangers, the old farm itself, to which I have alluded, was dignified
with the title of Snitterton Lodge, the seat of Miss Maria Sower-soft,
its present tenant.
Early one morning in the spring season, Mr. Longstaff mounted his horse
in high glee, and jogged along the miry by-roads which led towards this
abode, with the intention of consulting Miss Sowersoft upon a piece
of business which to him was of the very greatest importance. He had
ascertained on the preceding evening that Miss Sowersoft was in want
of a farming-boy; one whom she could have cheap, and from some little
distance. Indeed, from a combination of circumstances unfavourable to
herself, she found some difficulty in getting suited from the immediate
neighbourhood where she was known. If the boy happened to be without
friends to interfere between him and his employer, all the better. Peace
would thereby be much more certainly secured; besides that, it would be
all the greater charity to employ such a boy in a place where, she well
knew, he would never lack abundance of people to look after him, and
to chastise him whenever he went wrong. In fact, Miss Maria herself
regarded the situation as so eligible in the matters of little work,
large feeding, and excellent moral tutorage, that she held the addition
of wages to be almost unnecessary; and, therefore, very piously offered
less than half the sum commonly given elsewhere.
Mr. Longstaff had been acquainted with Miss Sowersoft for some years,
and had enjoyed various opportunities of becoming acquainted with her
character. He knew very well, that if he had possessed the power to make
a situation for Master Colin Clink exactly after the model of his own
fancy, he could not have succeeded better in gratifying his own malice
than he was likely to do by getting the boy placed under the care of the
mistress of Snitterton Lodge.
Mr. Longstaff arrived at the place of his destination about two hours
before noon; and, on entering the house, found Miss Sowersoft very
busily engaged in frying veal cutlets for the delicate palate of a
trencher-faced, red-clay complexioned fellow, who sat at his ease in
a home-made stuffed chair by the fire, looking on, while the operation
proceeded, with all the confidence and self-satisfaction of a master of
the house. This worthy was the head farming-man, or director-general
of the whole establishment, not excluding Miss Maria herself; for he
exercised a very sovereign sway, not only over everything done, and
over every person employed upon the premises, but also, it was generally
believed, over the dreary region of Miss Sowersoft's heart. That he was
a paragon of perfection, and well entitled to wield the sceptre of the
homestead, there could be no doubt, since Miss Maria herself, who must
be considered the best judge, most positively declared it.
In his youth this useful man had been christened Samuel; but time, which
impairs cloud-capped towers, and crumbles palaces, had fretted away
some portion of that stately name, and left to him only the fragmentary
appellation of “Sammy.”
“What!” exclaimed Mr. Longstaff in surprise as he caught the sound of
the frying-pan, and beheld a clean napkin spread half over the table,
with one knife and fork, and a plateful of bread, laid upon it; “dinner
at ten o'clock, Miss Sowersoft?”
“Oh, bless you, no!” replied the individual addressed, “it is only a
bit of warm lunch I was just frizzling for Sammy. You see, he is out in
these fields at six o'clock every morning, standing in the sharp cold
winds till he is almost perished, and his appetite gets as keen as
mustard. Really, I do say sometimes I wonder how he manages to be so
well as he is: but then, you know, he is used to it, and I generally do
him up a bit of something hot about nine or ten o'clock, that serves
him pretty well till dinner-time.” Then, handing up a dish of cutlets
sufficient for a small family, she continued,--“Now, Sammy, do try if
you can manage this morsel while it is hot. Will you have ale, or a sup
of warm gin-and-water?”
Palethorpe was in no hurry to inform her which of the two he should
prefer; and therefore Miss Sowersoft remained in an attitude of
expectation, watching his mouth, until it pleased him to express his
decision in favour of gin-and-water.
While Mr. Palethorpe was intently engaged in putting the cutlets out
of sight, Mr. Longstaff introduced the subject of his visit in a brief
conversation with the mistress of the house. He gave the lady to
understand that he had taken the trouble of riding over on purpose to
name to her a boy, one Colin Clink, who, he believed, would just suit
the situation she had vacant. He was now about fifteen years old, but as
strong as an unbroke filly; he had sense enough to learn anything; had
no friends, only one, in the shape of a helpless mother, so that Miss
Sowersoft need not fear being crossed by anybody's meddling; and, at the
same time, he thought that by a little dexterous management she might
contrive to obtain him for an old song. For several reasons, which it
would be needless to explain, he himself also strongly wished to see the
boy comfortably settled in her house, as he felt convinced that it would
prove highly advantageous to all the parties concerned. He concluded by
recommending Miss Sowersoft to pay a visit to Bramleigh; when she could
not only see the boy with her own eyes, but also make such statements to
his mother as to her might at the time seem fit.
To this proposal Miss Maria eventually agreed; and this amiable pair
parted on the understanding that she should be driven over by Mr.
Palethorpe in the chaise-cart on the following day. Just as Mr.
Longstaff was passing out at the door, he was invited in again to take
a glass of wine; an appeal which he felt no great desire to resist,
especially as it was immediately reached out and filled for him by the
fair hand of the hostess herself.
“_You'll_ have one?” asked she, as she placed a glass upon the table
close under the nose of Mr. Palethorpe, “for I'm sure it can do you no
harm such a day as this.”
“Why, thank 'ee, meesis,” replied he, filling it to the brim, “but I
feel as if I'd had almost enough.”
“Stuff and nonsense about enough!” cried Miss Maria; “you are always
feeling as if you had had enough, according to your account; though you
eat and drink nothing at all, hardly, considering what you get through
every day.”
Palethorpe looked particularly spiritual at this, as though he felt half
persuaded that he did actually live like a seraph, and took off his
wine at a gulp, satisfied, in the innocence of his own heart, that no
reflections whatever could be made upon him by the steward after the
verbal warrant thus given by his mistress, in corroboration of the
extreme abstinence which he endured.
“Well, meesis,” continued Palethorpe, rising from his chair, stretching
his arms, and opening his mouth as wide as the entrance to a hen-roost,
“I 'll just go again a bit, and see how them men's getting on. They do
nought but look about 'em when I arn't there.” And, so saying, he walked
out with the cautious deliberation of a man just returning from a public
dinner.
“A man like that,” said Miss Sowersoft, as she gazed after him with
looks of admiration, “Mr. Longstaff, is a treasure on a farm; and I am
sure we could never get our own out of this, do as we would, till he
came and took the direction of it. He is such an excellent manager to
be sure, and does understand all kinds of cattle so well. Why, his
opinion is always consulted by everybody in the neighbourhood; but then,
you know, if they buy, he gets a trifle for his judgment, and so that
helps to make him up a little for his own purse. I could trust him with
every penny I possess, I'm sure. He sells out and buys in everything we
have; and I never yet lost a single farthing by anything he did. Why,
you remember that pony of Dr. Rowel's; he knocked it to pieces with his
hard riding, and one thing or another: well, Sammy bought that; and,
by his good management of his knees, and a few innocent falsehoods, you
know, just in the way of trade, he sold it again to a particular friend,
at a price that more than doubled our money.”
The steward, weary of Mr. Palethorpe's praises, and despairing of an end
to them, pulled out his watch, and observed that it was high time for
him to be in his saddle again. On which Miss Sowersoft checked herself
for the present, and, having renewed her promise to go to Bramleigh on
the morrow, allowed Mr. Longstaff to depart.
With such a clever master, and eloquent mistress, Colin could scarcely
fail to benefit most materially; and so he did,--though not exactly in
the way intended,--for he learned while there a few experimental lessons
in the art of living in the world, which lasted him during the whole
subsequent period of his life; and which he finally bequeathed to me, in
order to have them placed on record for the benefit of the reader.