Bracebridge Hall, or The HumoristsIrving, Washington
General
Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists
Irving, Washington
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; National characteristics, English -- Fiction
Since the meeting with the gipsies, which I have related in a former
paper, I have observed several of them haunting the purlieus of the
Hall, in spite of a positive interdiction of the Squire. They are part
of a gang that has long kept about this neighbourhood, to the great
annoyance of the farmers, whose poultry-yards often suffer from their
nocturnal invasions. They are, however, in some measure patronized by
the Squire, who considers the race as belonging to the good old times;
which, to confess the private truth, seem to have abounded with
good-for-nothing characters.
This roving crew is called "Starlight Tom's Gang," from the name of
its chieftain, a notorious poacher. I have heard repeatedly of the
misdeeds of this "minion of the moon;" for every midnight depredation
that takes place in park, or fold or farm-yard, is laid to his charge.
Starlight Tom, in fact, answers to his name; he seems to walk in
darkness, and, like a fox, to be traced in the morning by the mischief
he has done. He reminds me of that fearful personage in the nursery
rhyme:
Who goes round the house at night?
None but bloody Tom!
Who steals all the sheep at night?
None but one by one!
In short, Starlight Tom is the scapegoat of the neighbourhood, but so
cunning and adroit, that there is no detecting him. Old Christy and
the game-keeper have watched many a night, in hopes of entrapping him;
and Christy often patrols the park with his dogs, for the purpose, but
all in vain. It is said that the Squire winks hard at his misdeeds,
having an indulgent feeling towards the vagabond, because of his being
very expert at all kinds of games, a great shot with the cross-bow,
and the best morris-dancer in the country.
The Squire also suffers the gang to lurk unmolested about the skirts
of his estate, on condition that they do not come about the house. The
approaching wedding, however, has made a kind of Saturnalia at the
Hall, and has caused a suspension of all sober rule. It has produced a
great sensation throughout the female part of the household; not a
housemaid but dreams of wedding favours, and has a husband running in
her head. Such a time is a harvest for the gipsies: there is a public
footpath leading across one part of the park, by which they have free
ingress, and they are continually hovering about the grounds, telling
the servant-girls' fortunes, or getting smuggled in to the young
ladies.
I believe the Oxonian amuses himself very much by furnishing them with
hints in private, and bewildering all the weak brains in the house
with their wonderful revelations. The general certainly was very much
astonished by the communications made to him the other evening by the
gipsy girl: he kept a wary silence towards us on the subject, and
affected to treat it lightly; but I have noticed that he has since
redoubled his attentions to Lady Lillycraft and her dogs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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