Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-09-04
vi.
E LORTON HALL.

When l alighted at the railway station I
saw q smart dog cart standing by the road
side, and no sooner had I mentioned my des-
tination to the porter than my portmanteau
was placed in this vehicle. It was a drive of
nearly four miles to Mauleverer's house.
The country through which we passed looked
beautiful in the early autumn dress which
it n6V" wore. There were distant lines of
blue hills, and near at hand long meadows
sloping to where O little river meandered
down a gentle valley; with dark stretches of
woodland interpreted here and there among
the variously colored patches which repre-
sented meadows and cornflelds.
I had asked the groom who drove me how
Mauleverer and his niece were, and had dis
covered that he was too new a conner to be
able to tell me anything that I did not know
respecting them. I remained silent, there.
fore, during tina greater part of the drive,
contenting myself with listening to the larks,
which were pouring forth their carols high
up in the clear, blue heavens, and with keep
ing a sharp lookout for the house where l
was to meet my darling.
We came at last to q long avenue of ven
cradle trees which lined the public road on
either side. 1t was unusual to see trees like
these planted by the side of a highway, and
l could not resist the conclusion that this
must have been the main approach to the
hall in past times 1t led, however, straight
into a little village, consisting of moi more
than a score OF ancient houses. Beyond the
village I could see the river and a bridge
with q high-crowned arch, which l learned
subsequently, had accommodated all the
traffic in that sparsely inhabited district
since the days Of good Queen Bess. Beyond
the bridge again all was open country. I
looked round in ~bewilderment In search Of
the hall
Suddenly I caught sight of II, standing
hard by the road, ON the very edge of tho
little river. A great rookery Of lofty elms
had shielded it at first from my observation,
50 that I did not see it until we were almost
at the door. We passed through a fine gate
way, flush with the village street, aud found
ourselves in a large quadrangle, covered
with grass, upon which one of the gabled
ends of the hall looked out There was
another massive stone gateway opposite to
That by which we entered this Enclosure, and
here the dog cart stopped.
As l jumped to the ground, the iron
gates Of beautiful hammered metal were
thrown open, and Daisy and her uncle stood
before ms. They gave me a cordial greet
ing, Mauleverer being, y usual, quietly
courteous Datsy's face was radiant with q
happiness that seemed to answer that which
filed my own heart I forgot everything
about my strange companion In the railway
carriage In the joy Of the moment.
We were standing, I found, on q broad
terraced walk which stretched along tho
main front Of the hall and 1 warm garden
wall of red brick which was continued, for a
hundred yards or more, beyond the end Of
the house itself The hall wa a venerable
n imposing structure, built at different
periods and in manydiRerent styles Of archi-
lecture. The oldest portion dated back from
ne reign Of Henry VI and was Q fragment