It moonlig, but extremely cold; our cboy smacked ly, and a part of time ;; said my companion, laug;and is eager to arrive in time for some of t and good cs knoed devotee of tality. olerable specimen of s purity, try gentleman; for our men of fortune spend so mucime in tory, t trong ricies of ancient rural life are almost polisook Peacextbook, instead of Cer?eld; ermined in tion more truly of a country gentleman on ernal lands, and time on ate. renuous advocate for ters, ancient and modern, ed on t. Indeed, e range of reading is among t least turies since, e and t more like true Engliss sometimes t been born a feuries earlier, oms. As some distance from t of try, any rival gentry near most enviable of all blessings to an Englisunity of indulging t of molestation. Being representative of t family in t part of try being enants, o, and in general is knoion of `title ime immemorial. I t best to give you ts about my o prepare you for any eccentricities t mig;
* Peace Gentleman, 1622.
e ime along t lengtopped at te. It yle, of iron bars fancifully op into ?ouris supported te ed by t. Close adjoining ers lodge, sered under dark ?r trees and almost buried in shrubbery.
tboy rang a large porters bell, y air, and ant barking of dogs, ely appeared at te. As t fell strongly upon tle primitive dame, dressed very mucique taste, kercomaceness. Sseying fort seeing er. seemed, tmas Eve in ts do
a song and story in the household.
My friend proposed t o t no great distance, tered as s of a cloudless sky. ted covering of snoy crystal, and at a distance migransparent vapor stealing up from tening gradually to she landscape.
My companion looked around ransport. quot;en,quot; said ;urning ions! en rees when a boy!
I feel a degree of ?lial reverence for to ting our ivals. o direct and superintend our games rictness t some parents do tudies of ticular t ed old books for precedent and auty for every `merrie disport; yet I assure you try so delig leman to make place in t gifts a parent could besto;
e errupted by troop of dogs of all sorts and sizes, quot;mongrel, puppy, disturbed by ters bell and ttling of the lawn.
quot;`----ttle dogs and all, tray, Blanc, see, t me!quot;
cried Bracebridge, laug to a yelp of delig overpohful animals.
e ly tly lit up by t ude, and seemed to be of tecture of different periods. One ly very ancient, one-sed boting out and overrun tered of taste of Cime, ered, as my friend told me, by one of ors monarc toration. t t in ti?cial ?orades, ornamented atue or t of er. tleman, I old, remely careful to preserve te ?nery in all its original state. ly and noble, and be?tting good old family style. ted imitation of Nature in modern gardening ions, but did not suit a monarc; it smacked of tem. I could not troduction of politics into gardening, t I sleman ratolerant in it tance in ion from a member of Parliament wh him.
t to defend rees and formal terraces, wtacked by modern landscape gardeners.
As s deal of revelry ted, and even encouraged, by t to ancient usage. up t cockles, steal te loaf, bob apple, and snap dragon; tmas candle , and tletoe s peril of all tty housemaids.*
* tletoe is still c Cmas, and t, plucking eacime a berry from the privilege ceases.
So intent s upon ts t edly before o receive us, accompanied by from ty.
tleman, ly round an open ?orid countenance, in age, like myself, of a previous or two, migure of whim and benevolence.
ting ionate; as t permit us to cravelling dresses, but us once to t brancion, s, comfortable married dames, superannuated spinsters, blooming country cousins, riplings, and bright-eyed boarding-school hoydens.
t a round game of cards; ot one end of tender and budding age, fully engrossed by a merry game; and a profusion of s, and tattered dolls about traces of a troop of little fairy beings .
ual greetings o scan tment. I a ainly been in old times, and tly endeavored to restore it to somets primitive state. Over ting ?replace ure of a anding by a one end an enormous pair of antlers ed in to suspend s, s. ture icles of modern convenience ed, so t ted an odd mixture of parlor and hall.
te o make of ood, icular in in and illumined on a Cmas Eve, according to ancient custom.*
* t log of imes t of a tree, brougo t ceremony on Cmas Eve, laid in ted years clog. lasted t drinking, singing, and telling of tales. Sometimes it in ttages t o burn all nig out, it was considered a sign of ill luck.
ions it in one of his songs:
till burnt in many farm-cicularly in titions connected among try. If a squinting person come to t is burning, or a person barefooted, it is considered an ill omen. t ao lig years Cmas ?re.
It ed in ary elboo every . Even t lay stretc , as ed ion and ya tretco sleep, con?dent of kindness and protection. tion from t in genuine ality is immediately felt and puts tranger at once at been seated many minutes by table he family.
Supper er our arrival. It s decorated omed lig apers, called Cmas candles, among te. table ly spread antial fare; but ty, a dis cakes boiled in milk anding disimes for Cmas Eve. I inue of t and, ?nding o be perfectly ort I need not be asion, I greeted an old and very genteel acquaintance.
tly promoted by tric personage ion of Master Simon. igtle man, old bac; ly pitted ual bloom on it, like a frostbitten leaf in autumn. quickness and vivacity, ible. ly t of te merriment by unately, my ignorance of t permit me to enjoy. It seemed to be deligo keep a young girl next to inual agony of sti?ed lauge of opposite. Indeed, of t everyt every turn of enance. I could not it; for s in tate Puncance of a burnt cork and pocket- an orange into sucure t to die h laughing.
I brie?y into ory by Frank Bracebridge. income, for all s. em like a vagrant comet in its orbit, sometimes visiting one brancimes anote remote, as is often tlemen of extensive connections and small fortunes in England. disposition, al moment; and ced y, unaccommodating s ably ce family cory, and intermarriages of t favorite ed spinsters, among er of t t a more popular being in te years entirely o um, and o old times and by o suit every occasion. e ly a specimen of -mentioned talent, for no sooner o troduced, ter Simon ing t it ran occasionally into a falsetto like tes of a split reed, old ditty:
<span style="color:grey">As ther, amp;c.
to gayety, and an old s rumming all to all appearance comforting old, of tablis, and, tensibly a resident of tener to be found in tcleman being fond of t;;
t dances after supper, , and tner every Cmas for nearly ury. Master Simon, ing link betimes and to be tle antiquated in taste of s, evidently piqued o gain credit by toe, rigadoon, and ot sc ed tle romping girl from boarding-scy kept inually on tretced all tempts at elegance: suced matco lemen are unfortunately prone.
trary, one of s, on y: ical jokes, and o tease s and cousins, yet, like all madcap youngsters, e among t interesting couple in tiful bluseen. From several siced in ted ttle kindness gro to captivate a romantic girl. all, slender, and young Britise years, s on tinent: alk Frencalian, draolerably, dance divinely, but, above all, aterloo. girl of seventeen, ry and romance, could resist sucion?
t t up a guitar, and, lolling against ttitude udied, began ttle Frencroubadour. t mas Eve but good old Englisrel, casting up as if in an effort of memory, struck into anotrain, and ry gave ;Nigo Julia:quot;
<span style="color:grey">Since g to affrighee,
t or mig ended in compliment to tner kept upon t is true, iful blusle all t less caused by t he ?oor.
ty no ed old custom of so my cill sent fort not been t;no spirit dares stir abroad,quot; I sempted to steal from my room at midnig not be at t th.
My c of ture of s. tesque faces rangely intermingled, and a roraits stared mournfully at me from t faded damask, y tester, and stood in a nice a boo bed o break fort beloened, and found it proceeded from a band s from some neig round tains to inctly. t of t; partially ligiquated apartment. t and aerial, and seemed to accord and moonligened and listened--tender and remote, and, as the pillow and I fell asleep.