_/V L; I I " O ] K I A" I) L O .V D O _]V
31 C --- 31 I [
brightly lighted windows. At the base
of this populous structure was an eternal
jangle of horse-cars, and all round it, in
the upper dusk, was a sinister hum of
mosquitoes. The ground-floor ofthe hotel
seemed to be a huge transparent cage,
flinging a wide glare of gaslight into thc
street, of which it formed a sort of public
adjunct, absorbing and emitting the pass-
ers-by promiscuously. The young Eng-
]ishmen went in with every one else,
from curiosity, and saw a couple of hun-
dred men sitting on divans along a great
marble-paved corridor, with tlmir legs
stretched out, together with sevcral dozcn
more standing in a queue, as at the ticket-
office of a railway station, before a brill-
iantly illuminatcd counter of vast extent.
These latter pcrsons, who carried port-
manteans in their hand, had a dejected,
exlmnsted look ; their gal'lnents were hot
very fresh, and tley seemed to be ren-
dering some mysterions tribute to a mag-
nificent young nan with a waxed mus-
tache, and a shirt-front adorned with
diamond buttons, who ever), now and then
dropped an absent glanee over their mul-
titndinous patience. They were American
eitizens doiug homage to a hotel elerk.
10
of people staying with her ; i don't know
who they all are; only she may have no
room. But you can bcgin with the hotel,
and meanwhile you can live at my louse.
In that way--simply sleeping at the hotel
--you will find it tolerable. For the test,
you nust make yourself at home at
place. You nmstn't be shy, )'ou know;
if you are only here for a month, that
will be a great waste of rime. Mrs.
Westgate won't negleet :)'ou, and
had better not try to resist her. I
know sonmthing about that. I cx-
pcet )on'll find some pl'etty g.irls on
tlm prelnises. I shall write to
wife by this afternoon's nmil, and
to-morrow lnorning slm and Miss
Alden will look out fol" :you. ,Just
walk right in and nmke )'oui'self
eomfortable. Your steamer leaves
from this part of the ei ty, and I
will immcdiately senti out and get
you a eabin. Then, at half-past
four o'eloek, just eall for ne
here, and I will go with you and
put Sou on board, lt's a big
boat; you might get lost. A_
few da)'s henee, at the end of
tlm week, I will corne down
boxes appeared fo open, a large orches-
tra was playing operatic selections, and,
bclow, peoplc wcre handing al)out bills
of lai'e, as if thcy had been programnes.
All this was suflicientl.y curions; but the
agrecable tling, la.ter, was to sit ont on
one of the grcat whitc decks of
steamer, in the Wal'm, breezy dal'kness,
and, in the vague starlight, to make out
the line of low, nystcrious eoast. The
young Englishnen tried American ci-
gaa-s--those of Mr. cstate--and talked
together as tlmy usually talked, with many
odd silenecs, lapscs of logie, and ieon-
gruities of transition, like pcople who
have grown old togetlmr, and learned to
supply eaeh other's nissing phrases; or,
nore espeeially, likc people thoroughly
eonseious of a eonnon point of view, so
that a style of conversation superfieially
laeking in finish night suffiee :fOl" refer-
enee to a fund of associations in the light
of whieh everything was all riglt.
"We reall) seem to be going out to
sca," I)erey Beanlnmt observed. '" Upon
my word, we are going baek to England.
IIe has slipped us off again, i eall that
' real ll'lean.
"I suppose it's all right," said Lord
29
-Lambeth. "I want to
those pretty girls aU New-
prt Yo,, know-he told'us thc
hlll.
" [ say, we had btter remain at the
y. "I don't ddnk i ]ike the way he
qmk of his hou. I don' lke stop-
ping in tle house with such a tremen-
dou lot of wonlell."
" Ol, I don't mind," said Lord Lam-
beth. And tlmn tley s,,oked a wlile in
silence. '" Faney his tliking we do lin
work i Egland " tle young lllall re-
sumcd.
" I date say he didnt really tldnk
id l'erey Beaumont.
'" Ah," rejoined the young barrister, "I
haven't the expeetation of a hundred
thousand a year, hot to nention other
attractions."
"Well," said Lord Lambeth, "don't
e:y out belote you're hurt !"
It was certainly ve 3" much cooler at
Newport, where our travellers round
themselves assigned to a couple of di-
minutive bedrooms in a far-away angle
of an immense hotel. Tlmy had gone
ashore in the early summer twilight, and
had very promptly put themselves to
bed; thanks to whieh eireunstanee, and
to their having, during the previous hours
in their eommodious eabin slept the sleep
of 3"onth and healtl, they began to feel,
towards eleven o'eloek, very alert and in-
and see l[rs. Westgate, and make ail the
proper inquiries."
And so the two inquiring Englishme,
who had this la@'s addre inscribcd in
her hnsband's hand upon a tard, deseend-
ed fron the veranda of the big hotel and
took their way, aeeording to direction,
along a large, Stl'aight road, past a series
of fresh-looking villas emboomed in
shrubs and flowers, and enelosed in an
ingenious variety of wooden palings.
The morning was brilliant and cool, tle
villas were smart and snug, and the walk
of the 'oung travellers was very en-
tertaining. Eerytling looked as if it
had reeeived a eoat of fresh paint
day beforet]e red roofs, the green
shutters, the elean, bright browns and
buffs of tle lmuse fronts. The flower
beds on the little lawns seemed to spar-
kle in the radiant air, and the gravel
in the short earriage sweeps to flash and
twinkle. Along the road came a hun-
dred little basket-phaetons, in whieh, al-
most alwa3"s, a couple of ladies were sit-
ting--ladies in white dresses and long
white gloves, holding the teins and look-
ing at the two Englishmen--whose na-
tionalit3r was hot elnsivc--through thick
39
blue veils tied tightly about their faces,
as if to guard their complcxions. At
last the young men came within sight of
the sea again, and then, having interro-
gated a gal'dener over the paling of a
villa, they turned into an open gare.
IIere they found themselves face to face
witl the oeean and with a very pietu-
res(inc structure, resembling a magnified
chalet, whieh was perehed npon a green
embankment just above it. The house
had a veranda of extraordinary width all
around it, and a great many doors and
windows standing open to the veranda.
These various apcrturcs had, in conimon,
sueh an accessible, hospitable air, sueh a
breezy flntter within of light CUl'tains,
sueh expansive thrcsholds and reassuring
interiors, that out friends hardly knew
whieh was the regular entranee, and, after
hesitating a moment, presented then-
selvcs at one of the windows. The roon
within was dal'k, but in a moment a graee-
fui figure vaguely shaped itself in the
rieh-looking gloom, and a lady came to
lneet them. Tlmn they saw that she
becn scated at a table writing, and tlmt
she had heard them and had got np. She
stcpped out into the light; she wore a
4O
take a very favorable view; but you know
you can't take a very favorable view in
Dover Strcct in the month of :November.
Tlmt has alwys been my rate.
"Do you know Jones's I[otel, in Dorer
Strcet Tlmt's all [ know of England.
Of course cvery one admits that tlm Eng-
lish hotcls are your weak point. There
was always the most t"rightful fo; I
couldn't see to try my things on. "When
I got over to Americainto the light[
usually found they wcre twice too big.
The next time I mean to go in the season ;
I think I shall go next ycar. I want very
much to take my eister; slm has never
been to England. I don't know whether
you knoxv what I mean by saying that
the Englishmen who corne here some-
rimes get spoiled. I mean that they take
things as a matter of course--things that
are done for them. Now, naturally, they
are only ,natter of course when
Englishmen are very nice. But, of course,
tlmy are almost always very n.'ce. Of
course this isn't nearly such an interest-
ing country as England; there are hOt
nearly so nany thiags to see, and we
haven't your country life. I have never
seen anything of your country life; when
fully confined to New York. I suppose
you think that is very strange--for a
gentleman. But you see we haven't any
leisnre elass."
)frs. Westgate's diseourse, delivered in
a soft, sweet voiee, flowed on like a min-
iature torrent, and was interrupted by a
hundred little smilcs, glances, and gest-
urcs, which might havc figured the ir-
regularities and obstructious of such a
stream. Lord Lambcth listencd to her
with, it must be confessed, a rather in-
effectual attention, although he indulged
in a good many little mumnurs and cjac-
ulations of asscnt and deprecation. Ile
had no great faculty for apprehending
generalizations. There were some three
or four indced which, in the play of his
own intelligence, he had originated, and
which had seened convenient at the mo-
ment; but at the present time he could
lml'dly have been said to follow lIrs.
Westgate as shc darted graceful]y about
in the sea of speculation. Fortunately,
she asked for no special rejoinder, for she
looked about at the rest of the company
as well, and smiled at Pel'cy Beaumout,
on the otber side of her, as if he, too, nust
understand her and agree with her. l[e
50
was rather more successful than his com-
panion; for l)esides being, as we know,
eleverer, his attention was hot vaguely
distraeted by elose vieinity to a remark-
ably interesting )'oung girl with dark
hair and blue e),es. This was the case
with Lord Lambeth, to whon it oeeurred
after a while tlmt the )'oung girl with
blne e)'es and dark hair was the pretty
sister of whom 5Ifs. Westgate had spoken.
Sle presently turned to him with a re-
mark whieh establislmd her identity.
" It's a great pity
conldn't have brought
my brother- in-law
a moment, and then, "I dare say he
would," she ansvered.
"Really !" said the young Englishman.
"He was immensely civil to Beaumont
and me," he added.
'" IIe is a dear, good fcllow," the young
lady rejoined, "and he is a perfect hus-
band. But all Americans are that," she
continucd, smiling.
"Really !" Lord Lambeth exclaimed
again, and wondercd whether all Amer-
ican ladies had such a passion for gener-
alizing as thesc two.
IIe sat there a good while: there was
a great deal of talk; it was all very
friendly and lively and jolly. Evcry one
present, sooner or later, said something
to him, and seemed to make a particular
point of addressing him by name. Two
or three other persons came in, and there
was a shifting of seats and changing of
places; the gentlemcn all entered into
intimate conversation with the two Eng-
]ishmen, ruade them urgent offers of hos-
pitality, and hopcd they might frequently
be of service to thcm. They wcre afraid
Lord Lambeth and Ir. Bcaunont were
not very confortable at their hotcl ; that
it was not, as one of thcn said, "so pri-
s3
vate as those dear little English inns of
yonrs." This last gentleman went on to
say that unfortunately, as yet, perhaps,
privaey was hot quite so easily obtained
in America as might be desired ; still, he
continued, you could generally get it by
paying for it; in faet, you eould get
everything in Ameriea nowadays by
paying for it. American life was ecr-
tainly growing a great deal more pri-
vate; it was growing very mueh like
England. Evcrything at Newport. for
instance, was thoroughly private, Lord
Lambeth would probald$ be struek witl
tiret. t was also represented to the
strangers that it mattered very little
wlether thcir botel was agreeable, as
every one would want them to make
visits; they would stay witl other peo-
ple, and, in any case, they wonld be a
great deal at Mrs. Westgate's. They
would find that very c]mnning" it was
the pleasantest lonse in Newport. I t
was a pity Mr. Vestgate was always
away" he was a man of the highest
abilityvery aeute, very aeute, lIe
worked like a liorse, and lie left lii wife
well, to do about as she liked. IIe
liked her to enjoy herself, and sle seemed
5
Alden was
was in a dif-
fel'ent style altogether. Some people even
thouglt her pretticr, and, certainly, shc
was hot so sharp. She was nore in thc
Boston style; shc had lived a great deal
in Boston, and shc was vcry highly ed-
ucated. Boston girls, it was propounded,
wcr more likc English ymmg ladics.
Lord Lanbetl had prescntly a chance
to test the truth of tlds proposition, for
on thc compan" l'iing in compliancc with
a suggestion fron their hostcss that they
should walk down to thc rocks and look
at tire sea, thc 5onng Englishman again
round linsclf, as they strollcd across thc
grass, in proximity to hh's. Westgatc's
sister. Tlmugh she was but a girl of
twcnty, shc appcared to fecl thc ol)liga-
tion to cxert an active hospitality; and
this was, perhaps, the more to be noticed
as she seemed by nature a reserved and
retiring person, and had little of lier sis-
ter's fraternizing quality. She was, per-
haps, rather too thin, and she was a little
pale; but as she movcd slowly over the
grass, with lier arms hanging at ber sides,
looking gravely for a moment at the sea
and then brightly, for all ber gravity, at
him, Lord Lambeth thought hcr at least
as pretty as Mrs. Westgate, and reflected
that if this was the Boston style the Bos-
ton style was very charming. IIe thought
she looked very clever ; he could imagine
that she was high]y educated ; but at the
saine time she seemed gentle and grace-
ful. For all her cleverness, however, he
felt that she had to think a little what to
say; she didn't say the first thing that
came into her head; he had corne from a
different part of the world and from a
different society, and she was trying to
adapt her conversation. The others were
scattering themselves near the rocks;
Irs. Westgate had charge of Percy leau-
mont.
"Very jolly place, isn't it ?" said Lord
Lambeth. "It's a very jolly place to sit."
"Very charming," said thc young girl.
56
repose is hot simple" a civil way of say-
ing that he looked stupid, llc was cv-
idently hot a young nan of an irritable
imagination ; he was hot, as he would
himself have said, trenendously clever;
but thongh tlere was a kind of appealing
dulness in his eyc, he looked thoronghly
reasonable and conpetent, and his appcar-
anee proelainmd that to be a noblenan,
an athlete, and an excellent fellow was
suffieiently brilliant combination of qual-
ities. The young girl beside lim, it nay
be attested without further delay, thought
him the handsomest young man she
evcr seen; and Bessie Alden's imagina-
tions, nnlike tlmt of her eompanion, was
irritable, fie, however, was also naking
up his mind that sle was uneommonly
pretty.
"1 date say it's very gay lerethat
you have lots of balls and parties," le
said; for, if lin was hot tremendously
elever, le rather prided himself on hav-
ing, with woen, a suffieieney of con-
versation.
"Oh yes, tlmre is a great deal
on," Besie Alden replied. "Tlmre
hot so may lmlls, but tlere are a good
man). other things. Yon will sec for
. .
!
At this point Percy Beaumont certainly
looked straight at his kinsman ; he tried
to catch lis eye. lIut Lord Lanbeth
vould hot look at him; his own eyes
were better occnpied. "i slall be very
hap1)y," cried Bessie Alden. " I ara only
going to some shops. But I will drive
yon about and show yon the place."
"An American woan wlo respects
lerself," said Mrs. West,ate, turning to
Beaumont witl ler ln'io'h expos-
itory air, "must buy something
evel'y day of ler life. If sle can-
not do it lmrself, sle
- mnst send
01113 SOll/e member of
ber fanily
for the pnr-
pose. So
]qessie goes
fortl to ful-
fil y mis-
sion.
Tle young
girl lad
"I really believe," Nrs. Westgate con-
tinned, "that the most charming girl in
tlm world is a ]3oston superstructure
upon a New -ork fotds; or perlaps a
New 5"ork superstructure upon a Boston
fonds. At any rate, it's the mixture,"
said Irs. Westgate, wlo eontinued to
give l'el'e;f- J3eaumont a great deal of in-
fornation.
Lord Lambeth got into a little basket
phaeton with Bessie Alden, and she drove
him down the long avenue, whose extent
he had measured on foot a couple of hours
before, into the aneient town, as it was
ealled in that part of the world, of New-
port. The aneient town was a entions
affail'---:t collection of fresh-looking little
wooden houses, painted white seattered
overa hill-side and elustered about a long,
stl'aight street, paved with enormous eob-
ble-stones. There were plent.v of shops,
a large proportion of wliel appeared to
be those of fruit venders, witl, piles of
huge watermelons and pumpkins staeked
in front of tlem ; and, drawn up before
the shops, or bmnping about on the eob-
ble-stones, were innunerable other bas-
ket-phaetons freighted with ladies of ligh
fashion, who gl'eeted eaeh other from
68
agreed that it was extremely jolly that
they had never knmvn anything more
agreeable. It is hot proposed to narrate
ninutely tle incidents of their sojourn
on this eharming shore; though if it
were eonvenient I might present a rec-
ord of impressions none the less delee-
table that the.y were hot exhaustively
alyzed. Man.y of them still linger in the
minds of out travellers, attended by
train of lmrnonions inages--iages of
brilliant morni,gs on lawns and piazzas
that overlooked tlm sea; of innunmrable
pretty girls ; of infinite lounging and talk-
ing ad laugling and flil'ting and lunel-
ing and dining; of universal friendlines
and frakness; of occasions on wlicl
they knew every one and everything,
and had an extraordiary sense of ease;
of drives and rides in tle late afternoon
over gleaming bea.ehes, on long sea-roads
beneath a sk 3" liglted up by marvellous
sunsets; of suppers, on the retnr, infor-
nlal, irregnlar, agreeable; of evenings at
open windows or on tle perpetual ve-
randas, in tle snmmer starliglt, above
the warm Atlantie. The young Englisl-
men were introdueed to everybody, enter-
tained by everybod.y, intimate with every-
70
After this Percy ]3eamnont held his
tongue; but on August 10th he wrote
to the Duchess of ]3ayswater. IIe was,
as I have said, a man of conscience, and
he had a strong, incorruptible sense of
the proprieties of life. ilis kinsman,
meanwhile, was having a great deal of
talk with Bessie Alden--on the red sea-
rocks beyond the lawn; in the course of
long island rides, with a slow return lu
the glowing twilight; on the deep vcran-
da late in the evening. Lord Lambeth,
who had stayed at many houses, had never
stayed at a bouse in which it was possible
for t young man to converse so frequently
with a young lady. This young lady no
longer applied to Percy Beaumont for in-
formation eoneerning his lordship. She
addressed herself directly to the young
nobleman. She asked him a great many
questions, sonne of whieh bored him a
little; for he took no pleasure in talking
about himself.
" Lord Latnbetl," said Bessie Alden,
" are you a hereditary legislator ."
"Oh, I say !" eried Lord Lanbeth, "don't
make ne eall myself sueh names as that."
"But you are a menber of Parliament,"
said the young girl.
76
had been at 2'ewpol't during the previ-
ous smnmer, at thc time of our young
Englihmen's visit, and he took extreme
pleasnre in the society of Bessie Alden,
whom he always addressed as "Miss ]3es-
sie." She izmnediately arranged with
him, in the presenee of her sister, that he
should eonduet her to the seene of Arme
P, oleyn's exeeution.
" You nay do as you please," said Mrs.
Westgate. " Only--if yon desil'e the in-
formation--it is hot the eustom here for
young ladies to knock about London with
youn men."
" Miss Bessie has waltzed with llle
so often," observed Willie Woodley;
"she ean surely go out with me in
hansom l"
"[ eonsider waltzing," said [rs.
Westgate, "tle most innocent pleasm'e
of out rime."
"It's a compliment to our rime
exelaimed the 3"Ollllg lllnll, with a little
langh in spite of himself.
"I don't see why I shonld regard
what is done here," said Bessie Alden.
"Why should I surfer the restrietions
of a soeiety of whiel I enjoy none of
the privileges."
93
of pedestrians closed about him, so that
fol' some ten minutes he was lidden from
sight. At last lle reappearcd, bringing
a gentlelnan wit}, lfin--a gentleman
whon Bessie al first snppused to be his
fi'icnd dismounted. But at a second
glancc she round herself looking at Lord
Lambeth, who was sl,aking hands with
her sistcr.
" 1 found hin over there," said
Willie Woodley.
"and I told him Son
were bel-e."
And then Lord
Lambeth, tonchi**g
1,is lmt a little, shook
hands witl Bessie.
"Faney your being
here" he said.
was blnshing and
smiling; he look-
ed Vel.y land-
some, and le
a kind of splen-
dot that he had hot had iii Alnerica. Bes-
sic Aldell'S imagination, as we know, was
just then in exereise; so that tle tall
young Englislman, as lin stood tlere look-
ing down at her, had the benefit of it.
103
"No, hot that. I want to go to the
National Gallery again; I want to ste
Stratford-on-Avon and Canterbury Ca-
thedral. ]ht I should insist upon lis
coming to see us no more."
"That wonld be very modest and very
pretty of you; but you wouldn't do it
IIOW.
"Why do you say 'now .'" asked Bes-
sic Alden. "IIave I eeased to be mod-
est ?"
" You eare for him too mueh.
month ago, when you said yon didn't,
believe it was quite truc. But t pres-
ent, my dear child," said Mrs. Westgate,
"you wouldn't find it qnite so simple a
marrer never to see Lord Lanlbeth again.
I have seen it eoming on."
"Yon are mistaken," said Bebsie. "You
don't understand."
"My dea," elild, don't be perverse,"
rejoined her sister.
"I know him better, eertainly, if
mean that," said Bessie. "And I like
him very mueh. But I don't like him
enongh to make troulfle for lfim witl his
family, iiowever, I don't believe in
that."
'" I like the way you say ' however,'"
lt8
The duchess was a little flushed; she
looked ail about thc roon, whilc her
daughter turned to Bessie. "My brother
told us you werc wonderfully clever."
said Lady Pimlico.
"IIc should have said my sistcr," Bessie
answered--"when she says such things
as that."
" Shall you be long at Branches?" the
duchess asked, abruptly, of tlm young girl.
"Lord Lambeth has asked us for thrcc
days," said ]3cssie.
"_I shall go," thc duchess declared,
"and my daaghter, too."
"That will be char,ing!" Bessie re-
joined.
"Delightful !" murmured h[l'S. West-
gate.
" I shall expect to ste a great dcal of
)'ou," the duchess coatinued. " Whcn I
go to ]3ranches I monopolize my sons
guests."
"Thcy must be most happy," said Mrs.
Wcstgatc, very graciously.
"I want immensely to sec it--to see
the castle," said Bcssie to tle duc]mss.
"I have never seen onein England, at
]east; and you know we lmve none in
America."
156
"Al,, you are fond of castles ," in-
quired her Grace.
"hnmensely !" replied the young girl.
"If has been the dream of my life to
lire in one."
The duchess looked at her a moment,
as if she hardly kncw how to take this
assuranc% which, from ]mr Gracc's point
of view, was either very artless or very
audacious. "Vell," she said, rising, "" [
will show you Branches myself." knd
1M
embarrasscd ; he was certainly very grave.
" I ara sorry to have missed you. Won't
you corne back '.;' she asked.
"No," said the young man, "I can't.
I have seen your sister. I can never
eome baek." Tlen lin looked at ber a
moment, and took her hand. "Good-bye,
Mrs. Vestgate," he said. ': You have
been very kind to me." And with wha
she thought a strange, sad look in his
handsome young face, he turned away.
She went in, and she round Bessie still
writing her letter--tlat is, Mrs. Westgate
pereeived she was sitting at the table with
the pen in lier land and hot writing.
"Lord Lambeth has been here," said the
elder lady at ]ast.
Then Bessie go up and showed her a
pale, serious face. She bent this face
upon lier sister for some rime, eonfessing
silently and a little pleading. "I told
him," she said at last, "that we eould hot
go to Branches."
Mrs. Vestgate displayed just a spal'k
of irritation. " IIc night have waited,"
she said, with a smile, " till one had seen
the eastle." Later, an hour afterwards,
she said, "Dear Bessie, I wish you might
bave aeeepted him."
160
was hot preparcd at ail to like lutd oc-
curred; but l'ercy Beaunont, on hem'-
ing that the two ladies lmd left London,
wondered with sonne intesity what had
happenedwondercd, t]at is, until thc
l)uchess of llayswater ea,m a little to his
assistance. Tle two ladies went to l'aris,
and Mrs. Westgate beguiled tle journey
to that eity 1" repeating several ti,cs:
"That's vlmg I regret; gley will t]il{
t]ey petrified us." But Bessie Alden
seemed to regret nothing
RETURN TO"
CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
198 Main Stacks
LOAN PERIOD 1
Home Use
ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS.
Renewals and Recharges may be made 4 days prior to the due date.
Books may be renewed by calling 642-3405.
DUE AS STAMPED BELOW.
SEP ! 8 2005
AU6 1 8 006
FORM NO DD6
50M 1-05
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
