Christian fiction; Neighborhoods -- Scotland -- Fiction
After we had again started, our ears were invaded with shouts from the
post-chaise behind us, in which Charlie and Harry, their grief at the
abandoned chest forgotten as if it had never been, were yelling in the
exuberance of their gladness. Dora, more staid as became her years, was
trying to act the matron with them in vain, and old nursie had enough
to do with Miss Connie's baby to heed what the young gentlemen were
about, so long as explosions of noise was all the mischief. Walter, the
man-servant, who had been with us ten years, and was the main prop of
the establishment, looking after everything and putting his hand to
everything, with an indefinite charge ranging from the nursery to the
wine-cellar, and from the corn-bin to the pig-trough, and who, as we
could not possibly get on without him, sat on the box of the
post-chaise beside the driver from the Griffin, rather connived, I
fear, than otherwise at the noise of the youngsters.
"Good-bye, Marshmallows," they were shouting at the top of their
voices, as if they had just been released from a prison, where they had
spent a wretched childhood; and, as it could hardly offend anybody's
ears on the open country road I allowed them to shout till they were
tired, which condition fortunately arrived before we reached the
station, so that there was no occasion for me to interfere. I always
sought to give them as much liberty as could be afforded them.
At the station we found Weir waiting to see us off, with my sister, now
in wonderful health. Turner was likewise there, and ready to accompany
us a good part of the way. But beyond the valuable assistance he lent
us in moving Connie, no occasion arose for the exercise of his
professional skill. She bore the journey wonderfully, slept not
unfrequently, and only at the end showed herself at length wearied. We
stopped three times on the way: first at Salisbury, where the streams
running through the streets delighted her. There we remained one whole
day, but sent the children and servants, all but my wife's maid, on
before us, under the charge of Walter. This left us more at our ease.
At Exeter, we stopped only the night, for Connie found herself quite
able to go on the next morning. Here Turner left us, and we missed him
very much. Connie looked a little out of spirits after his departure,
but soon recovered herself. The next night we spent at a small town on
the borders of Devonshire, which was the limit of our railway
travelling. Here we remained for another whole day, for the remnant of
the journey across part of Devonshire and Cornwall to the shore must be
posted, and was a good five hours' work. We started about eleven
o'clock, full of spirits at the thought that we had all but
accomplished the only part of the undertaking about which we had had
any uneasiness. Connie was quite merry. The air was thoroughly warm. We
had an open carriage with a hood. Wynnie sat opposite her mother, Dora
and Eliza the maid in the rumble, and I by the coachman.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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