International Miscellany of Literature, Art and Science, Vol. 1,: No. 3, Oct. 1, 1850Various
Science
International Miscellany of Literature, Art and Science, Vol. 1,: No. 3, Oct. 1, 1850
Various
Art -- Periodicals; Literature -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
The next Sunday the people found the churchyard locked up, except during
service, when beadles walked there, and desired them not to loiter and
disturb the congregation, closing the gates, and showing them out like
a flock of sheep the moment the service was over. This was fuel to the
already boiling blood of Stockington. The week following, what was their
astonishment to find a much frequented ruin gone! it was actually gone!
not a trace of it; but the spot where it had stood for ages, turfed,
planted with young spruce trees, and fenced off with post and rail! The
exasperated people now launched forth an immensity of fulminations
against the churl Sir Roger, and a certain number of them resolved to
come and seat themselves in the street of the hamlet and there dine; but
a terrific thunderstorm, which seemed in league with Sir Roger, soon
routed them, drenched them through, and on attempting to seek shelter in
the cottages, the poor people said they were very sorry, but it was as
much as their holdings were worth, and they dare not admit them.
Sir Roger had triumphed! It was all over with the old delightful days at
Rockville. There was an end of picnic-ing, of fishing, and of roving in
the islands. One sturdy disciple of Izaak Walton, indeed, dared to fling
a line from the banks of Rockville grove, but Sir Roger came upon him and
endeavored to seize him. The man coolly walked into the middle of the
river, and, without a word, continued his fishing.
"Get out there!" exclaimed Sir Roger, "that is still on my property." The
man walked through the river to the other bank, where he knew that the
land was rented by a farmer. "Give over," shouted Sir Roger, "I tell you
the water is mine."
"Then," said the fellow, "bottle it up, and be hanged to you! Don't you
see it is running away to Stockington?"
There was bad blood between Rockville and Stockington-green. Stockington
was incensed, and Sir Roger was hairsore.
A new nuisance sprung up. The people of Stockington looked on the
cottagers of Rockville as sunk in deepest darkeness under such a man as
Sir Roger and his cousin the vicar. They could not picnic, but they
thought they could hold a camp-meeting; they could not fish for roach,
but they thought they might for souls. Accordingly there assembled crowds
of Stockingtonians on the green of Rockville, with a chair and a table,
and a preacher with his head bound in a red handkerchief; and soon there
was a sound of hymns, and a zealous call to come out of the darkness of
the spiritual Babylon. But this was more than Sir Roger could bear; he
rushed forth with all his servants, keepers, and cottagers, overthrew
the table, and routing the assembly, chased them to the boundary of his
estate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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