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
I doubt, after all, whether the worthy Squire is not the greatest
sufferer in the whole affair. His honourable sense of duty obliges him
to be rigid, but the overflowing kindness of his nature makes this a
grievous trial to him.
He is not accustomed to have such demands upon his justice, in his
truly patriarchal domain; and it wounds his benevolent spirit, that
while prosperity and happiness are flowing in thus bounteously upon
him, he should have to inflict misery upon a fellow-being.
He has been troubled and cast down the whole evening; took leave of
the family, on going to bed, with a sigh, instead of his usual hearty
and affectionate tone; and will, in all probability, have a far more
sleepless night than his prisoner. Indeed, this unlucky affair has
cast a damp upon the whole household, as there appears to be an
universal opinion that the unlucky culprit will come to the gallows.
Morning.--The clouds of last evening are all blown over. A load has
been taken from the Squire's heart, and every face is once more in
smiles. The gamekeeper made his appearance at an early hour,
completely shamefaced and crestfallen. Starlight Tom had made his
escape in the night; how he had got out of the loft, no one could
tell: the Devil, they think, must have assisted him. Old Christy was
so mortified that he would not show his face, but had shut himself up
in his stronghold at the dog-kennel, and would not be spoken with.
What has particularly relieved the Squire, is, that there is very
little likelihood of the culprit's being retaken, having gone off on
one of the old gentleman's best hunters.
FAMILY MISFORTUNES.
The night has been unruly; where we lay,
The chimneys were blown down.
--_Macbeth_.
We have for a day or two past had a flow of unruly weather, which has
intruded itself into this fair and flowery month, and for a time has
quite marred the beauty of the landscape. Last night, the storm
attained its crisis; the rain beat in torrents against the casements,
and the wind piped and blustered about the old Hall with quite a
wintry vehemence. The morning, however, dawned clear and serene; the
face of the heavens seemed as if newly washed, and the sun shone with
a brightness that was undimmed by a single vapour. Nothing over-head
gave traces of the recent storm; but on looking from my window, I
beheld sad ravage among the shrubs and flowers; the garden-walks had
formed the channels for little torrents; trees were lopped of their
branches; and a small silver stream that wound through the park, and
ran at the bottom of the lawn, had swelled into a turbid yellow sheet
of water.
In an establishment like this, where the mansion is vast, ancient, and
somewhat afflicted with the infirmities of age, and where there are
numerous and extensive dependencies, a storm is an event of a very
grave nature, and brings in its train a multiplicity of cares and
disasters.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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