The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-14

I IdD-
er lugged a box of sweetmeats from his
| pocket. IL came from Lisbon. but was
| made, | believe. in Morocco by the Moors.
| A third had gold ring on his finger
| Everybody knows the eXtraYa gancies of
| saiors-which he drew off and placed in
her hand. Another offered glass OF
! punch. The little maid did what she had
so often seen the captain do. She looked
! round and said Your good health, all
| the company. and put her lips to the
| glass, which she then returned And
another offered TO dance, and the hddiG ;l
| drew his bow across the catgut. 1t is
| sound which inclines the heart to beat
and the feet to move whenever sailor
| hears it.
Il have often seen you dance. said
| Molly. Let the fiddler play, and you
shall see me dance"
| never thought she would have had
| so much spirit. for. yOu see. had taught
| her to dance the hornpipe. Every boy
| in a seaport town can dance the norm
| pipe. We used to make music out OF a
! piece of thin paper laid over tortoise
| shell comb--it must be comb of wide
| teeth and none of them must be broken
| and with this instead OF a fddIe we
| would dance in the garden or in the
parlor But to stand UP before a whole
| company of sailors, Who would nave
| thought it? However, she jumped up ana
| on the table performed her dance WIN
! great seriousness and so gracefully indt
| they were all enchanted. They stood
around. their mouths open, broad grin
| on every face. The women. neglected.
When she had finished. she gathered
ND her gifts-the silk handkerchiet-it
came from Calicut-the sweetmeats from
Morocco, the gold ring from 1 know not
where. Put me down, If you please,
she said. So one of them gently llfted
her to the. ground thank you You, an ~,
good night and when you set san again
a good voyage
CHAPTER "
Vendors nccked into the town. AT the
outset. though the pumproom was full
every morning and the gardens and the
long room in the evening were well at
tended the spa lacked animation The
music pleased the singers pleased, the
colored lamps dangled in chains between
the branches and pleased, yet the com
pany was dull. There was little noise OF
conversation and no Hirth or laughter;
the family groups were not broken up;
the people looked at each other and walk
ed round and round in silence. After the
first round or so, when they had seen ali
the dresses, the girls yawned and want
ed to sit down To me it was amusing
only to see the people in their fine dresses
marching round and round while the mu-
sic PLAYED, trailing their skirts on the
floor swinging their hoops and handling
their fans; for the lack of young men
talking to the clergy from the cathedrals
and the colleges, and casting at each 9th
er glances of envy if one was better
dressed or of scorn when one was worse
dressed than themselves.
As for the men-"Jack," said Captain
Crowle, Il keep looking about me. 1 try
the punproom in the morning, the ordi-
faV dinner
My lad, there is not one among them all
who is fit to be mated with our Molly.
Gentlemen are they? l like not the
manner of these gentlemen. They are
mostly young, but drink hard already.
Their faces are red and swollen at TWEEN
ty-fve What will they be at forty? My
girl shall marry none of them, nor shall
she dance with them. She shall stay at
home
In fact, during the first week or two
after the opening of the spa Molly re-
manned al home and was not seen in the
long room or in the gardens.
The town was nearly fun, many of the
visitors having to put up with mean
lodgings in the crazy old courts, of which
there are so many in Lynn, when the first
arrival from London took place. 1t was
that of a clergyman named Benjamin
Purdon Arthur Magister, formerly of
Trinity College, Cambridge He was a
man of insignificant presence, his figure
being small and thin. but finely dressed.
His head was almost hidden by full
ecclesiastical wig Apparently he was be-
tween forty and fifty years of age. He
locked about him ard surveyed the com
pany with an air of superiority, as if he
had been a person Of rank.
He came to us down the river by a tilt
a faf.V
tentediy quite an humble lodging, barely
furnished with chair and flock bed. (
Humility becomes divine, he said in a
high authoritative voice THE room will
serve A coal fire and an open window
will remove the mustiness" He was per-
haps,. though we must allow good deal
TO his profession, too fond OF preaching. !
He preached in the morning at the pump
room.
1t was presently learned that Mr. Pur-
don had offered to take the services at (
St. Nicholas for a few weeks in order to /
enable the curate to attend the bedside !
of a dying parent lie undertook this duty !
without asking for any fee or pay fact !
which greatly increased his reputation.
A day or two after Mr. Purdon's arrf- !
val came a carriage and four containing d /
very fine lady indeed, with her maid and |
her man. She drove to the Crown, the /
people all looking after her. A large coat /
of-arms was emblazoned on the door of !
her carriage. with a coronet and support /
ers. Her man was dressed in a noble liv |
cry OF pdlt GREEN with scarlet pants. "A /
little crowd gathered round the door of /
the Crown while the footman held the |
door open, and the lady spoke with the |
landlord.
Sir" she said inclining her her gra- /
ciously and smiling upon the crowd Il /
have been directed to ask for thy good /
Offices in procuring a lodging. ] am a !
simple person, but a body must have /
cleanliness and room to turn about"
Madam, said the landlord there is |
but one lodging in the town which is wor- |
thy of your ladyship. i have myself |
across the market place a house which |
contains three or four rooms. These 1 /
would submit to your ladyship's consid- |
Grafton"
This was an excellent beginning The
lady took the rooms at the rent proposed /
and without haggiing. There were two /
bedrooms for herself and her maid and
one room in which she could sit The man
found lodgings elsewhere. 1T appeared |
from his statement that his mistress was
none other than the Lady Anastasia
widow of the late Lord Langston and sis
ter Of the living Earl of SelseY 1t was
therefore quite true. as Sam Semple had
that persons of quality were
coming TO the spa.
The Lady Anastasia at this time was
about twentysiX years of age a hand
some woman still, though no longer in the
first flush of her beauty. Her dress as
well as her manner proclaimed the wo-
man of fashion ! confess that as a sim
pie sailor, one who could not pretend TO |
be gentleman and had never before seen /
q woman of rank. much less conversed !
with one, / was quite ready. after she had
honored me with few words of condo !
scension and kindness, to become her |
slave. She could bear herself with the
greatest dignity and even severity Ger