Gilpin observer., 1905-02-16
CHAPTER v.
Lord Waters Message.


I went into the house and down
long corridor until reached the nook
known as the library. Here my faith.
err was wont to spend most of his
time. A quiet herein" came in re-
sponse to my. resounding knock. II
dampened my :rdor so still was it in
contract to h.J impetuousity, and re-
called most vividly what was on the
verge OF slipping my mind, that Lord
Waters was wretchedly sick man.
His life. as Gil had said, had been
ruined by woman-his first wife.
From gay cavalier about that un.
fortunate King Charles L. court. he
had become morose Roundhead. A
Roundhead for 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 divorce
from his first wife, squire's daughter
| What could have induced him to
marry again after such a dire failure
| know not. Men are inscrutable crea-
lures; no doubt woman's tender
| glances made him for the time forget
his former disappointment.
l was the issue of this second mar
riage. My mother, gentle creature.
dying in child birth. left Lord Waters
to again face an existence which had
slight charm for him.
| Long Haut 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 bowlders taken from the
rocky hillside. 1t was well 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 1t. 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 1t rain, and it rained often in that
region by the sea. the road became a
river of mud. A cart trying 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 a motley, half-sav
age crowd-consisting of men. WON
en- and children-and they all fell to
work at the husking and failing OF
the corn.
When the work was done, riotous
fun began. Flaming torches of tarred
pine were placed at intervals in the
open to give light and to piece out
aspect to the glen.
A long board was spread with
trenohons 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 lighter
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. till they
were like taut drawn drum heads that
touch might burst.
Ito be continued)