Litchfield enquirer., 1878-12-26

f hCHe pusAU HI 1&2E HlfH lNl&1F- The evening haA not fallen when he came
 in sight of Dona lsa Towers The efIiace stood
 on hill, and. being of great magnitude, could
 be seen as far of as Windsor Castle The park,
 through which The private road lel, seemed 1 as though it would never end and when he
 reached the las6 avenue Of stately oaks, such was it's length that it appeared to meet ahead
 of him and bar bis progress after all.
 s'This is trenpndous, ' thought Selwyn, ssbui
 much prefer Ahe villa residences in the Re gents Park"
 The court yard in front Of the mansion | could have accuElmodated The whole House
 lold troops. ard the stone steps that led to il
 were of an exteat that suggested steppes m Si- )eria
 Two lackeys descensed them as he drove ID, and another stood at the top of them who received him with profound obeisance The
 former were drapesi in rssset with linen girdles.
 the latter in br1afIelotll of curious cut. but if
 was not livery in the hall a groom of the
 chambers at oIgse took him np to his roona, such. he said, beng his masters orders when
 guests came off Journey. From this it seem ed, since SelwEn had mentioned his errand, that his lordship's malady was not of very pressing nature.
 The apartment into which he was ushered
 would have contained his own little house in Baywater, roof and all, but itlacked it's cheer fulness. The floor was of polished oak. and | the walls were tapestried the bed seemed sev- eral stories high, and had canopy of black velvet. ''lp such bed, if one cannot sleep, ? thouht poor Selwyn, s'one could be very suita- bly, inferred"
 Having put on his dinner clothes the groom of the chambers led him to his masters pres ence.
 His lordship. was in the library, and, as the xf T to meet him. He was tall pale man of ar istecratic appearance, with snow-white hair and board. but ,ineiining to corpalence
 ''I am sorry That Dr. Dalrymple is indis-
 posed," said be very civilly, but with great stateliness ef manner; ''but am, nevertheless pleased to make the acquaintance of his sub stitute
 Selwyn bowed his thanks, and at once in quired what ailed his lordship. :.
 "The old malady." answered Lord De Bra cy solemnly. the rheum."
 "Umph-ha,r returned Selwyn, looking wise as he could, and full of sympathy.
 'It is accompanied thistime," continued his lordship, ''by i'll humors in the head I have tried tansy pudding, which is generally sover- ayne against it, but without effect''
 Are you sure you have taken nothing to disturb the digestion, my Lord; no unusual food, for example?"
 'I had some peacock for lunch yesterday |; but nothing-you may read it in Chaucer-is more wholesome; all my family eat peacock On the other hand, must confess that I had boiled veal for dlnner"
 II don't think that wonldh have hurt you any more than the peacock" said Selwyn gravely.
 'It was however, served with verjuice, a most capital sauce, and greatly admired by our ancestors-but my system seemed to re- jeci it."
 II think it was very possibly the verjuice," !" observed Selwyn.
 Il have done all that the wisdom of our an- cestors have recommended, continued his lord ship. II have had a hole made in my night cap to carry off the i'll humors. and have al- ways lain on my left side have chewed mastic before going to rest, and have resist ed all temptation to sleep after full meal, es- pecially of perpoise."
 ,,,,.. Do you eat much porpoise ?" inquired Sel-
 No; I am sorry to say it is very difficult to obtain; the prejudices of modern days have almost prohibited it as an article of consump- tlon. You have no personal objection to DOT poise, trust, Dr. Selwyn?"
 ''Not the least my Lord. I approve it my self no less than I do of peacock
 ''1 am delighted to find Dr. Dalrymple has 80 intelligent partner; in country places, such as this, find the most obstinate objections on the part of medical men to the most simple food, unless it happens to be of modern accep- tance."
 Your appetite is tolerably good, my Lord ?"
 ''Yes, indeed. You sh all judge for your self, however there strikes the dinner hour You shall give me your advice in the even- ing"
 A noise equal to flourish of trumpets had been going on for some minutes, and there now entered major-domo with long white wand, who ushered his master and his guests through two lines of serving men into the banquet hall. Covers were laid but for two persons. which rather disappointed the young Doctor. The Earl, he knew, was widower, but he had hoped to meet some of his daughters, who had a great reputation for beauty.
 The repast, however, was a sufficiently no- table one to make mp up for the absence of company.
 There were great many servants each with towel round his neck as we'll as on his arm. and the dishes they brought in-which were enough for ten times the number of guests-were wonderful There were no Dlats such as might have been expected at noble mans table who kept French cook; all was solid and huge. Pea-soup and frumenty were brought ln great silver tureens Then lam preys with onions, dish of which his lordship partOok so plentifully as to remind his guest of a certain historical association with It. and also to suggest very reasonable explanation of his .'humors" There was a baron of beef of course; and then cygnet served with liver sauce. And here, the larger dishes having come to an end, a curious difference was made Tn the waiting. All the male servitors disap- peared. and were succeeded by four neat-hand- lrl iypa nf uniform made of some old fashioned material. The first delicacy they served Selwyn with was beavers tail; and he almost fancied that the extreme caution he manifested in taking the f1rst mofSel induced one of them-the pret- tiest-to smile. Lord De Bracy ate of this very heartily, and washed it down with ypo- cras, drink spiced Gas Selwyn was afterWard informed1 with cinnamon and heliotrope, but at all events with something very nasty Af- ter this there was kid and ginger sauce, and curlew with salt and sugar. And then came the ''sutiltees," as they were termed sweets Cor devices, pretty substantial castles of pie crust or sweetmeats, to all which the noble host did such justice as to leave the origin of his maladieS in no doubt. Then to the slde- board, groaning with gold plate, the waiting maids brought two silver basins full of rose water, wherein their Lord and the Doctor fliD- ped their hands, and dinner at last was over. : The effect of lampreys and beavers tails when accompanied by ypocras in any quanti- ty is somnolence, and Lord De Bracy seemed by no means inclined for conversation. 50. after half an hours s'bald disjnintoa- el.s1s; Sciwyn wrote cut ms prescription, and bade his noble host goodnight" upon the plea that he had to start for town next morning at 90 early an hour. He did not sleep particular ly well he dreamed that he was being put to death by the Swanhoppers Conpany-this was the cygnet and liver sauce, no doubt-for killing curlew and was glad enough to wake and find himself in century when the laws are not so severe. It was quite relief to him too, to remember thnt his host would not be up to breakfast with him and see him of; for though he had been treated with the utmost hospitality. Lord De Bracys society was on the whole oppressive. and he had by no means enjoyed his visit to Donjon Towers. It was an interesting experience, no doubt, but that is often matter less pleasant in action than to talk about afterward; he had had to act part from first to last, to restrain all natural ex- pressions of ifnpatience or increduhty and, in short, he was pining for fresh air
 He could hrt t0v wifi, tba ls,ars. I,oad that