New-York tribune., 1880-02-15
but as to your position in the country was not
aware that you had any,"

gentlest tones OF which the human Volce-or a1
all events nv voice-is capable, and in man
ner that was certainly winning, for felt that
| had scored. To my astOnishment Mr.. Dorno-
way-Dicke remained quite unruflled; he care
fully removed the ash from the end of his
cigar with his signet ring, and answered
quietly, almost humbly, lyon quite mistake
me- said my position in the country, of which,
as you tell me- you know nothing. You are
not then familiar with MangelwurzelshreP
was certainly not. had heard of it Of
course, but felt myself fortunate in not hav-
ing to spell it,
"Ah, | thought sO." he continued blandly.
"You should come down to DOrnoway Court
and see me at home. Then you would under
stand why don't oftencr visit London. In
town | am, comparatively speaking, no.
body, but in Mangelwulzeshire-wh do you
say now TO running down to us for the first
week in September2"
Five minutes before | should have said mo
without the slightest hesitation; but me out
| rageOus vanity of the mans manner uckled me
| to the core. | felt curious TO see those natives
of Mangelwurulshire to whom Mr. DornoWay-
Dicke appeared to be person 81 importance,
| and moreover ! had not yet discovered whether
| he wore n wig or not. "Thc wOIst part OF a
wig" says the old riddle, Gas of love. is the
! parting; but Mr.. Dornoway-Dickes parting
| was perfect and so delicate that one would
| have almost SAID it had been effected by fe-
! male hand. Among the simpler inhabitants
of Arcadia he might take less extreme precau-
| tiOns to deceive the public and he certainly
| would not get his hair cut, Ii cut it ever was,
so often II will come 10 DOrnOway Court
with pleasure" | sad; and on the appointed
| day went.
| important as my hosts position in the coun-
try may be. 1t is not my lntentlon 10 descL'pe p
M Il IlIplp ut Is
were public character Suffice 1t to say, that
| he was better at home than abroad Tor at least
| i'll LOndOn) and as his family were pleasant
| people and his house full OF cheerful company,
| did not regret my visit. The Court, as
| he loved TO call it, was however so peculiar
| that | must say few words about IT. 1t was
| the only edliice with which am acquainted
which gratifed ones sense OF hum0r. 1t was
quite spck-and-span as respects newness, Dut
| built and furnished i'll the medieval style. A
gravel drive, rolled 10 perfection, led up to Il
| lrOwning entrance, with huge oaken portal
| in which was inserted little hole barred with
| ion for purposes of cspial. Through tins the
porter was supposed (thOugh he never did iD
| TO take cOgniZance of the approaching visitor,
and If peaceful, to unbar the massive bolts oil
the great door to let him in. Everything III
the house was apparently OF the same epoch,
but in reality about three years Old. III the
dining room was fireplace as big as an OIL
dinary parlOr, and before which one would not
have been surprised TO see pair of trunk hose
airing, or a couple of jack boots. The side
board, to the modern and lnaIt Itlstlc eye, le-
sembed a kitchen dresser; while IN the morn
ing room was spinning wheel with the lax
in it, as though the thrifty housewife had just
been called away from that occupation 10 sup
erntend the construction OF a venlsoD pasty,
or to issue orders for the entertainment OF the
company invited to the molrOws tournament.
These ridiculous objects, as soon discovered.
were designed TO persuade the public that the
DoInOway -Dickes themselves were MEDIEVAL,
and had cd a
six hundred years Whereas, as matter OF
fact they were new cOmeTs. In the country,
even though you are dlstantly connected with
the peerage, this is serious obstacle to posi-
ton" and the whole of my hosts gigantic ln-
tellect was concentrated on attaining II. He
had been "caled upon" at once by everyone
in the county within circuit OF twenty-five
miles, except One write 1t reycrenuany with
a capital o, for 1t was The Duke" am not
OF course speaking of the late Duke Of Well |
ingtOn in MangewuIzelshIc, a. III every |
other county, the duke was the duke who livcd |
thele his Grace of 1urnIpiOps. This divinity |
was still young, man, unmarried, ana not
much given 10 call on anybody; and for three |
long years all the efforts OF the DOrnOway- |
Dckes had been unavaliing to induce him To |
honor the " Court with his august presence. !
Two mon hs ago, however, he had sent his card |
by a mounted messenger, and one month ago, |
OF Joy OF joys! he had accepted an invitation |
to garden party at the house for one Of the |
very days on which was To remain its guest.
been given that Mr.. Dornoway Dicke had made
his appearance at the club, to make arrange
ments with Gunter and now that knew the
circumstances, | was not only not surprised at
the magnifcencc OF his department on that oc-
caslon but astODlshed that lie should nave been
so aft bile as he was. My private impression ls,
that he asked me down 10 DOrnOway Court
not so much from personal affection, as 10 Sc
cure an additional witness to his social tn
umph but that is neither here nor there. The
nt,Lro "A
state of excitement rare, should hope, III Han
well, and not habituaily exhibited even at
BroadmOor
The great subject of discussion among them
for weeks had been, WHO was 20 be invited TO
meet the Duke aud 1t was not exhausted yet.
Eyerybody-who was anybOdy-bad been asked
except the Tltbats and the knotty point that
could not be settled was, whether these peo-
pie should be asked or not. Captain and Mis-.
Titbat were their Immediate ncIghbOrs their
lawn tennis grounds were in fact contiguous,
and the Two families, though not absolutely
on q friendly footing, were Well-knoWn TO one
another. Young Ilibat, when a payer was
wanting, had sometimes even been invited 10
make up the party at their favOrlte amusement;
and when the balls went over the wire fence
that separated the two domains, the juvenile
IitDats did not pretend (as some young people
would that they were lost, but would honestly
chuck them back again. Still the TitDats were
not among lhe County Families, nor anything
like 1t. Their cfforts-fai more desperate than
those of the DOrnOway- -Dickcs-had mlscIably
and utterly failed in that direction. Ii was not
so much that their mansion was too small to
be reckOned as Il country house that their |
paddock could not by any strain of courtesy
he called IA park OF that their ornamental lake |
was an undeniable pond. There was something |
amiss-I never could find out what-abOut MIS- |
litbat.
She was wOman-I once beheld her, and |
uuQer circumstances | can never forget !
of large prOpOi tons and hlrshute aspect On |
deed she had Il very respectable beard) her |
complexion was mbicund, and TO the unchalita-
bic might seem TO Indicate that she INDUCED |