The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-07-07
Miscellaneous.
THE WORK OF THE AVENGER.

1t lay in one Of the farest spots in all the
midland counties, and yet such ghostly.
desolate, haunted place l could not even
have conceived before l saw it. / had seen
ruined mansions before, and had walked
in rank, neglected and forgotten parks; but
it seemed to me that the isolation and the
desolaton here were different. | told the
vicar so as he took me round the empty
house, pointing out the remnants of past
beauty, which We're even yet distinguishable
through the blight of decay.
"But you must not compare this, he said,
with ruins Par ct simple. The simple fact
is this-that estate is in chancery. In the
west wing there is a door, which, with a lit
tie management and strength, can open.--
Would you like to see within?-as far as you
can, mean, for it only gives access to three
| rooms"
The door opened into small anteroom, so
small that a couch and chair and table, with
a couple of shelves filled with faded books,
seemed quite to fill it. The vicar opened
another door opposite to that by which we
had entered, and followed him into large
and lofty chamber, whose satin hangings
might have been brilliant crimson once,
but now they were faded to yellow brown.
And they hung in tatters where they were
worn by the hands which had once been
used to draw or lit them, and, from end to
moths. About the room We're valuable and
handsome ornaments and books; and the
walls were covered with paintings, so beau
tiful and so little hurt by time that they
seemed to mock the worn and faded furni-
ture.
"Can there be finer paintings even in the
picture galleries than these?" | asked the
vicar, as he unlocked another door opposite
to that by which we had entered.
"No; those are picked from the gallery
the choicest that were there. And in this
room are the choicest portraits. Come"
He had opened the door, and as he spoke
he pushed aside heavy padded curtain, un
der which passed into a room exactly thu
size and shape of the bed room, but furnish
ed as "A sitting room, music room, and all il
one-iurnished not only handsomely an,
luxuriously, as | could see through all tn,
Disagreement and decay of time, but fur
nished curiously, as if a hundred diileren
tastes had been at work, or one taste,
! might be, varying restlessly from year t.
year.
"These," said the vicar, looking aroun
upon the closely covered walls, "are all tn
best of the family portraits, or | suppose
should say they are the most recent ones
the squires and danes of more than on
hundred years ago-l mean of more tina
one hundred years before these rooms wei
occupied-stare into vacancy from the wal
of the long mouldy gallery below. Motto
this one, will you, it is the last squire?"
"Did he die young"
"No-o."
Z "Will you tell me how it wasp" urge'
as | rested on faded couch before the po
trait, twill you tell me the story of this de
! olate place."
81 will tell you as we walk home" he al
swered. But when he saw how tired wa
} aud that we must rest there forsooth, he toe
another of the chairs, aud brushing off a Ii
tie of the thick dust and cobwebs, sat dow
upon it, and began the story in low, u
easy voice, which made me- so nervous tn
Al presently even feared to look around me
Lindley Warwick was a very young mi
when he inherited this estate. very han
IS. some. as you see, and proud. with pride tn
was ultra.sensitive and refined. That SUI
a man possessing fine estate, of high Dirt
and educated and accomplished as few cou
- try gentlemen were in that time, should
a. flyorite in every London drawing room
surely no matter of SURPRISE that such
man, skilled in all manly exercises, and fl
=. and lavish with his wealth, should be a
vorite in every country mansion in the Mi