""Of two evils," sais I to the lawyer, "choose the least. It ain"t a bad thing to be well housed in a night like this, is it?"
"The critter groaned, for both cases was so "bad he didn"t know which to take up to defend, so he grinned horrid and said nothin"; and it was enough to make him grin too, that"s a fact. He looked as if he had got hold on a bill o" pains and penalties instead of a bill of costs that time, you may depend.
"Inside of the house was three rooms, the keepin" room, where we was all half circled round the fire, and two sleepin" rooms off of it. One of these Obi had, who was a-bed, groanin", coughin", and turnin" over and over all the time on the creakin" bedstead with pleurisy; t"other was for the judge. The loft was for the old woman, his mother, and the hearth, or any other soft place we could find, was allocated for lawyer and me.
"What a scarecrow lookin" critter old aunty was, warn"t she? She was all in rags and tatters, and though she lived "longside of the lake the best part of her emigrant life, had never used water since she was christened. Her eyes were so sunk in her head, they looked like two burnt holes in a blanket. Her hair was pushed back, and tied so tight with an eel-skin behind her head, it seemed to take the hide with it.
I "most wonder how she ever shot to her eyes to go to sleep. She had no stockins on her legs, and no heels to her shoes, so she couldn"t lift her feet up, for fear of droppin" off her slippers; but she just shoved and slid about as if she was on ice. She had a small pipe in her mouth, with about an inch of a stem, to keep her nose warm, and her skin was so yaller and wrinkled, and hard and oily, she looked jist like a dried smoked red herrin", she did upon my soul.
"The floor of the room was blacker nor ink, because that is pale sometimes; and the utenshils, oh, if the fire didn"t purify "em now and ag"in, all the scrubbin" in the world wouldn"t, they was past that.
Whenever the door was opened, in run the pigs, and the old woman hobbled round arter them, bangin" them with a fryin" pan, till she seemed out o" breath. Every time she took less and less notice of "em, for she was "most beat out herself, and was busy a gettin" of the tea-kettle to bile, and it appeared to me she was a-goin" to give in and let "em sleep with me and the lawyer, near the fire.
"So I jist puts the tongs in the sparklin" coals and heats the eends on "em red hot, and the next time they comes in, I watches a chance, outs with the tongs, and seizes the old sow by the tail, and holds on till I singes it beautiful. The way she let go ain"t no matter, but if she didn"t yell it"s a pity, that"s all. She made right straight for the door, dashed in atween old aunty"s legs, and carries her out on her back, ridin" straddle-legs like a man, and tumbles her head over heels in the duck pond of dirty water outside, and then lays down along side of her, to put the fire out in its tail and cool itself.
"Aunty took up the screamin" then, where the pig left off; but her voice warn"t so good, poor thing! she was too old for that, it sounded like a cracked bell; it was loud enough, but it warn"t jist so clear. She came in drippin" and cryin" and scoldin"; she hated water, and what was wus, this water made her dirtier. It ran off of her like a gutter. The way she let out agin pigs, travellers and houses of entertainment, was a caution to sinners. She vowed she"d stop public next mornin", and bile her kettle with the sign; folks might entertain themselves and be hanged to "em, for all her, that they might. Then she mounted a ladder and goes up into the loft-to change.
""Judge" sais I, "I am sorry, too, I singed that pig"s tail arter that fashion, for the smell of pork chops makes me feel kinder hungry, and if we had "em, no soul could eat "em here in such a stye as this. But, dear me," sais I, "You"d better move, Sir; that old woman is juicy, and I see it a comin" through the cracks of the floor above, like a streak of mola.s.ses.
""Mr. Slick," sais he, "this is dreadful. I never saw any thing so bad before in all this country; but what can"t be cured must be endured, I do suppose. We must only be good-natured and do the best we can, that"s all. An emigrant house is no place to stop at, is it? There is a tin case," sais he, "containin" a cold tongue and some biscuits, in my portmanter; please to get them out. You must act as butler to-night, if you please; for I can"t eat any thing that old woman touches."
"So I spreads one of his napkins on the table, and gets out the eatables, and then he produced a pocket pistol, for he was a sensible man was the judge, and we made a small check, for there warn"t enough for a feed.
"Arter that, he takes out a night-cap, and fits it on tight, and then puts on his cloak, and wraps the hood of it close over his head, and foldin" himself up in it, he went and laid down without ondressin". The lawyer took a stretch for it on the bench, with his gig cushions for a pillar, and I makes up the fire, sits down on the chair, puts my legs up on the jamb, draws my hat over my eyes, and folds my arms for sleep.
""But fust and foremost," sais I, "aunty, take a drop of the strong waters: arter goin" the whole hog that way, you must need some," and I poured her out a stiff corker into one of her mugs, put some sugar and hot water to it, and she tossed it off as if she railly did like it.
""Darn that pig," said she, "it is so poor, its back is as sharp as a knife. It hurt me properly, that"s a fact, and has most broke my crupper bone." And she put her hand behind her, and moaned piteous.
""Pig skin," sais I, "aunty, is well enough when made into a saddle, but it ain"t over pleasant to ride on bare back that way," sais I, "is it?
And them bristles ain"t quite so soft as feathers, I do suppose."
"I thought I should a died a holdin" in of a haw haw that way. Stifling a larf a"most stifles oneself, that"s a fact. I felt sorry for her, too, but sorrow won"t always keep you from larfin", unless you be sorry for yourself. So as I didn"t want to offend her I ups legs agin to the jam, and shot my eyes and tried to go to sleep.
"Well, I can snooze through most any thin", but I couldn"t get much sleep that night. The pigs kept close to the door, a shovin" agin it every now and then, to see all was right for a dash in, if the bears came; and the geese kept sentry too agin the foxes; and one old feller would squake out "all"s well" every five minuts, as he marched up and down and back agin on the bankin" of the house.
"But the turkeys was the wust. They was perched upon the lee side of the roof, and sometimes an eddy of wind would take a feller right slap off his legs, and send him floppin" and rollin" and sprawlin" and screamin"
down to the ground, and then he"d make most as much fuss a-gettin" up into line agin. They are very fond of straight, lines is turkeys. I never see an old gobbler, with his gorget, that I don"t think of a kernel of a marchin" regiment, and if you"ll listen to him and watch him, he"ll strut jist like one, and say, "halt! dress!" oh, he is a military man is a turkey c.o.c.k: he wears long spurs, carries a stiff neck, and charges at red cloth, like a trooper.
"Well then a little cowardly good natured cur, that lodged in an empty flour barrel, near the wood pile, gave out a long doleful howl, now and agin, to show these outside pa.s.sengers, if he couldn"t fight for "em, he could at all events cry for "em, and it ain"t every goose has a mourner to her funeral, that"s a fact, unless it be the owner.
"In the mornin" I wakes up, and looks round for lawyer, but he was gone.
So I gathers up the brans, and makes up the fire, and walks out. The pigs didn"t try to come in agin, you may depend, when they see"d me; they didn"t like the curlin" tongs, as much as some folks do, and pigs"
tails kinder curl naterally. But there was lawyer a-standin" up by the grove, lookin" as peeked and as forlorn, as an onmated loon.
""What"s the matter of you, Squire?" sais I. "You look like a man that was ready to make a speech; but your witness hadn"t come, or you hadn"t got no jury."
""Somebody has stole my horse," said he.
"Well, I know"d he was near-sighted, was lawyer, and couldn"t see a pint clear of his nose, unless it was a pint o" law. So I looks all round and there was his hoss, a-standin" on the bridge, with his long tail hanging down straight at one eend, and his long neck and head a banging down straight at t"other eend, so that you couldn"t tell one from t"other or which eend was towards you. It was a clear cold mornin". The storm was over and the wind down, and there was a frost on the ground. The critter was cold I suppose, and had broke the rope and walked off to stretch his legs. It was a monstrous mean night to be out in, that"s sartain.
""There is your hoss," sais I.
""Where?" sais he.
""Why on the bridge," sais I; "he has got his head down and is a-lookin"
atween his fore-legs to see where his tail is, for he is so cold, I do suppose he can"t feel it."
"Well, as soon as we could, we started; but afore we left, sais the Judge to me, "Mr. Slick," sais he, "here is a plaister," taking out a pound note, "a plaister for the skin the pig rubbed off of the old woman. Give it to her, I hope it is big enough to cover it." And he fell back on the bed, and larfed and coughed, and coughed and larfed, till the tears ran down his cheeks.
"Yes," said Mr. Slick, "yes, Squire, this is a pretty cottage of Marm Hodgins; but we have cottages quite as pretty as this, our side of the water, arter all. They are not all like Obi Rafuses, the immigrant. The natives have different guess places, where you might eat off the floor a"most, all"s so clean. P"raps we hante the hedges, and flowers, and vines and fixin"s, and what-nots."
"Which, alone," I said, "make a most important difference. No, Mr.
Slick", there is nothing to be compared to this little cottage.
"I perfectly agree with you, Squire," said Mr. Hopewell, "it is quite unique. There is not only nothing equal to it, but nothing of its kind at all like--_an English cottage_."
CHAPTER XII. STEALING THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE.
Shortly after our return to the inn, a carriage drove up to the door, and the cards of Mr. Merton, and the Reverend Mr. Homily, which were presented by the servant, were soon followed by the gentlemen themselves.
Mr. Merton said he had been informed by Mrs. Hodgins of our visit to her cottage, and from her account of our conversation and persons, he was convinced we could be no other than the party described in the "Sayings and Doings of Mr. Samuel Slick," as about to visit England with the Attache. He expressed great pleasure in having the opportunity of making our acquaintance, and entreated us to spend a few days with him at the Priory. This invitation we were unfortunately compelled to decline, in consequence of urgent business in London, where our immediate presence was indispensable.
The rector then pressed Mr. Hopewell to preach for him, on the following day at the parish church, which he also declined. He said, that he had no sermons with him, and that he had very great objections to extemporaneous preaching, which he thought should never be resorted to except in cases of absolute necessity. He, however, at last consented to do so, on condition that Mrs. Hodgins and her husband attended, and upon being a.s.sured that it was their invariable custom to be present, he said, he thought it not impossible, that he might make an impression upon _him_, and as it was his maxim never to omit an opportunity of doing good, he would with the blessing of G.o.d, make the attempt.
The next day was remarkably fine, and as the scene was new to me, and most probably will be so to most of my colonial readers, I shall endeavour to describe it with some minuteness.
We walked to the church by a path over the hills, and heard the bells of a number of little churches, summoning the surrounding population to the House of G.o.d. The roads and the paths were crowded with the peasantry and their children, approaching the church-yard in different directions.
The church and the rectory were contiguous to each other, and situated in a deep dell.
The former was a long and rather low structure, originally built of light coloured stone, which had grown grey with time. It had a large square steeple, with pointed corners, like turrets, each of which was furnished with a vane, but some of these ornaments were loose and turned round in a circle, while others stood still and appeared to be examining with true rustic curiosity, the condition of their neighbours.
The old rectory stood close to the church and was very irregularly built, one part looking as if it had stepped forward to take a peep at us, and another as if endeavouring to conceal itself from view, behind a screen of ivy. The windows which were constructed of diamond-shaped gla.s.s, were almost square, and opened on hinges. Nearly half of the house was covered by a rose-tree, from which the lattices peered very inquisitively upon the a.s.sembled congregation. Altogether it looked like the residence of a vigilant man, who could both see and be unseen if he pleased.
Near the door of the church were groups of men in their clean smock-frocks and straw hats, and of women in their tidy dark dresses and white ap.r.o.ns. The children all looked clean, healthy, and cheerful.
The interior of the church was so unlike that of an American one, that my attention was irresistibly drawn to its peculiarities. It was low, and divided in the centre by an arch. The floor was of stone, and from long and constant use, very uneven in places. The pews were much higher on the sides than ours, and were unpainted and roughly put together; while the pulpit was a rude square box, and was placed in the corner.
Near the door stood an ancient stone font, of rough workmanship, and much worn.
The windows were long and narrow, and placed very high in the walls. On the one over the altar was a very old painting, on stained gla.s.s, of the Virgin, with a hoop and yellow petticoat, crimson vest, a fly cap, and very thick shoes. The light of this window was still further subdued by a fine old yew-tree, which stood in the yard close behind it.
There was another window of beautifully stained gla.s.s, the light of which fell on a large monument, many feet square, of white marble. In the centre of this ancient and beautiful work of art, were two princ.i.p.al figures, with smaller ones kneeling on each side, having the hands raised in the att.i.tude of prayer. They were intended to represent some of the ancestors of the Merton family. The date was as old as 1575. On various parts of the wall were other and ruder monuments of slate-stone, the inscriptions and dates of which were nearly effaced by time.
The roof was of a construction now never seen in America; and the old oak rafters, which were more numerous, than was requisite, either for strength or ornament, were ma.s.sive and curiously put together, giving this part of the building a heavy and gloomy appearance.
As we entered the church, Mr. Hopewell said he had selected a text suitable to the times, and that he would endeavour to save the poor people in the neighbourhood from the delusions of the chartist demagogues, who, it appeared, were endeavouring to undermine the throne and the altar, and bring universal ruin upon the country.