The Glenwood post., 1905-02-18
CHAPTER v.
Lord Waters Message.

/ went into the house and down a
long corridor until reached the nook
known as the library. Here my faith.
er was wont to spend most of his
time. A quiet herein" came in re-
Spouse to my resounding knock. 1t
dampened my rdor so still was it in
contract to h.y impetuousity, and re-
called most wildly what was on the
verge of slipping my mind that Lord
Waters was a wretchedly sick man.
His life, as Gil had said, had been
ruined by woman-his first wife.
From a gay cavalier about that UNI
fortunate King Charles l. court, he
had become a morose Roundhead. A
Roundhead for a short time only, but
morose man ever afterward.
1t is a matter of history how after
leaving the Kings side and serving
Cromwell at both the battles of
Winceby and Marsden, he had as sud
denly resigned from the army and
gone to his estate at Long Haut in
Sussex county. There he married,
having previously obtained a divorce
from his first wife, a squlre's daughter
who brought him much land and gold.
What could have induced him to
marry again after such dire failure
| know not. Men are inscrutable crea-
lures; no doubt woman's tender
glances made him for the time forget
his former disappointment.
| was the issue of this second mar
riage. My mother, a gentle creature.
vi in chilI birth loft 1 Nd "a
to again face an existence which had
slight charm for him.
Long Haul was not so many miles
from London as the crow flies, but
separated from it by sloughs, rocky
hills and morasses.
The Manor House was built on a
steep hill of powders taken from the
rocky hillside. 1t was we'll nigh i'm.
pregnable. and that perhaps was why
in the many changes of Parliament it
had been left to the indisputable
rights of its original owners, when
many other estates changed hands.
Only one horse road led TO it. 1t
was a road that in fair weather was
only fair. but in foul an unapproach-
| able way. The wagon must be OF
| Strong timber that could even climb
| to where the bride path began; but
| let it rain. and it rained often in that
region by the sea. the road became a
| river of mud. A cart irving to ascend
| then would be buried up to the hubs
| and needs be forced to stay there un,
| til spring dried up the slough.
The Manor was surrounded by
many acres of forest. fen. fell and
some tillable land. A village which
was held in fief of some hundred
souls was huddled at its purlieus and
| gave Lord Waters little obligation
| They seemingly rendered him scant
| service, except at the planting in the
/ spring time, and in the autumn there
gathered together motley, half-say
| age crowd-consistinG of men. won
en- and children-and they all fell tc
work at the husking and failing Of
the corn.
When the work was done, riotous
| fun began. Flaming torches of tarret
| pine We're placed at intervals in the
open to give light and to piece ouI
the harvest moon. These lent weird
aspect to the glen.
A long board was spread with
trenchons of steaming beef, huge piles
| of black bread and other edibles, and
about this the people were benched
1t did not take them long to tighten
the table Of its weight of plenty
| Hogsheads of strong home brewed ale
| helped wash and pack down the beei
in the bellies of the men ill they
were like taut drawn drum heads that
touch might burst
Ito be continucd)