The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1872-12-21


by-the-bye, to whom | was related-and
found myself welcomed by a number of
guests of different ages, ranging, so far as
| could guess, from seven to seventy wears.
most OF whom were Blankshire people, or
rom the adjacent counties was the
only late arrival, for all the Others had been
for several days at Bramshaw; so that. as
did not possess the slightest local knowl-
edge, | was glad to get what Frenchmen
call the carte d,t pays from those who were
better Informed than was. There was a
young fellow there whom | did know, one
Tollemaehe-Lionel Tollemanche-a full
eornet in the Lancer regiment quartered
at Slochester, and whose relations had got
him an introduction To Sir Charles as to
one of the magnates of the country side.
Awfully jolly old place, You know, and
all that, said Cornet Tollemanche to me.
aside, and with on air of mysterious i'm
pOrtance. And as regards your uncle
and aunt, | only wish that there were more
of the same sort, for kinder people never
knew. Capital house, good cook decent
cover-shooting, and pretty girls staying
here but You don't believe in ghosts,
Carew, of course p
"Of course not, said l. wondering.
Nor do l. Awful stuff said my
fried, and went off to firt with a Miss
Porter, who came from Slochester too.
A lady whose acquaintance presently
made, and who liked, apparently, to hear
the sound of her own voice, was more ex-
plicit than the enigmatical subaltern had
been. Ii was thus that Mrs. Methyen ex-
planned matters why, you see, Mr..
Carew, We are rather celebrated for haunt
ed houses in this part of the country, and
the wonder was rather that Bramshaw, old
as il is, aud with all the dreadful things
done here that must have been done of
course-you men are sad wicked creatures,
Mr. Carew, though of course you won't
agree with me about that---should not have
had ghost of its own before, But really,
what with the rustlings, and what with the
light tread that passes by our bedroom
doors at the strangcst hours of the night,
and what with vague movements, and
creaking of the old oak stairs, and things
being disturbed or thrown down in q way
no servant can account for-why, one does
not know what to think and excepting
your good aunt and uncle, to whom no one
likes to speak on the subject, | assure you
we are all exceedingly uneasy and uncom-
Portable"
And indeed, on farther inquiry, so
found it. A vague feeling of discomfort
almost of alarm, was abroad among the
guests. Dinner, however, so far as could
sec, dispelled all these dismal day-dream.
as to haunted houses and creaking stairs
and indeed | have not often known people
who enjoyed themselves so heartily as these
Blankshire gentry around my uncles hos,
pitable board. They all knew each other
aud had at their fingers ends, so to speak
the names and circumstances of every mar
ried daughter, and of every son at Sand
hurst or the university. A few outsiders
there were Tollemanche, the Porter girls
and Major Porter-an apoplectic old sol
dier, who rarely spoke except with refer
ence to ''the Dook" or ''the Peninsula =
and myself; esoteric persons, who did not
know who Mary and Jane had married
and who had never admired Franks scor,
of cricket, or the matehless horsemanship
of Adolphus But they were all very kind,
and did their best to tighten our natun
sense Of inferiority to those who were bet
ter informed. The dinner was an excel
lent one, and il passed merrily, and the
children came in at dessert in gay frock,
and sashes and velvet tunics and shining
curls, according to sex and complexion
and there was a great silyer-gilt caldror
full of something hot and strong, which
was called the wassail-bowl, and we al
slipped and laughed, and became seasona
bly, merry and blithely sportive.
Then in the drawing-room there wer,
games of all sorts--one of forfeits among
them--and, to my own mazement, found
myself voted by the children into the higl
dignity and Office Of Lord Of Misrnle, OF
Grand Mufti, or something of the sort
which post accepted because they clapp
ed their little hands aud seemed so eager
and bright-eyed. and because even then, q
onc-and-twenty, | could not bear to say t,
children nay. Aud we had a great dea
of romping, laughter, and intense nonsense
to the disgust Of young TollemaDehe, whe
wondered how an officer of my standing
could thus demean himself until the tired
darlings were taken off TO bed, and It wa
almost time for US grown people to go tc
bed too. | think the liyelicst of the youn.
girls there, the quickest guesser of charad,
or conumdrum, the deftcst at post o
''puss in the corner, the smartest competi