Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1858-07-24
NJ IS C E L L A n Y.
TRUE STORY OF THE LORD OF BUR.
LEIGH"

The romance of real life is ordinary enough
1t occurs every day, and then nobody thinks
about it, A courting- match between couple
of rural lovers is full of this romance But
transfer it to higher society, and how lucid it
CLEANS through. like a fine painting; with iu-
dicious coat of varnish bring its hitherto con-
cealed beauties into notice and admiration.
Henry Cecil, 10th Earl of Exeter, with landed
estates to the yearly value of fl000 900, and the
palatial residence of Bun gley, with its statues
paintings. and articles OF vertu said to be worth
fjO0,O0O, married Miss Vernon. from whom
owing to her violation of the marriage vows, he
was divorced in l79l. Almost broken-h hearted
by this disgrace and misfortune, he resolved to
retire from high life, and Immediately after the
divorce bctook himself to Il retired village in
Shropshire, named Bolas, about 100 miles from
his own beautiful Burgley. Ofthat place, how
ever, he was not lord then, nor until the death
of his uncle, the 9th Earl, in 1893. But he was
heir prcsumptive to the title and estates, and
his pecuniary allowance was on very ample
scale, suited to his future position. At this
time, too, he was only plain Mr.. Henry Cecil
AT Bolas he actually became farm servant
to rathera rough diamond, one rhos lIoggins,
who beside his farm, had mill, in pretty full
employ. Cecil's chief work was in this MILL
and he laborcd like any other servant, fairly to
earn his wages Part of his business was to
leave full bags of flour at various farm houses
in the parish, and to take back the empty ones
lie had frequently to call at the house of the
Rev. Mr.. Dickinson, the clergyman of Bolas
where, according to the customs ofthe time and
place. he was always invited to rest in the kitch-
en-, and take mug of ale He seldom was
tempted to enter into conversation, but spoke
so well, when he did converse, that Mr.. .-Dicken-
sons household gave him tho name of Gen
tleman Harry 1t was not long before this
sobriquet, and its cause, became known to Mr.
Dickinson, who put himselfin the way of meet
ing this strange miler's man, and became so
much interested in him that instead of being
asked to rest and refresh in the kitchen, " Gen
tleman Harry" was regularly invited into the
study, whore the good pastor use to Join him
in draught of home brewed, and pipe of the
| Nicotaian weed
Ere long Mr.. Diclenson, who had freely lent
him various books limited his suspicious that
Gentleman Harry" belonged to higher posi-
ton than he then occupied This was confessed
with an assurance that there was no disgrace
connected with his incognito, and promise to
reveal the particulars of the secret at no distant
day.
Thomas Hoggns, the miller, had one daugh-
ter named Sarah known far and wide as the
" Beauty of Bolas." About this time she was
scarcely twenty, and through the intervention
of moneyed aunt, had received what we have
heard described lin he, native ShropShre) as
" better-most education" That is, she read
and wrote correctly, had some slight acquaint-
ance with French and played tolerably well up
on the harpsichord.
1t came to pass that Miss II. turned favor
able pair of bright blue eyes upon " Gentleman
Harry" Also for the romance of the story, his
| promier yjei1lesse was gone-for he was in his