Ghosts IT was now Supper-time; and Mark, having lessened the Sense of his Troubles by telling of them, although he began by thinking he could not eat a Mouthful, ended by making a very hearty Supper. Indeed, he so much commended the one or two simple Dishes set upon Table, and spoke so strongly, though briefly, on the Subject of good and bad Cookery, that, as it had been his Disposition to be contented with Anything that was set before him in his unmarried After the Table was cleared, he drew near me again, and with real Concern in his Manner, pressed me to tell him about my Father. I did so from first to last, with many Tears; adding thereunto my nursing of Master Blower. He sighed a good many Times as I went on, and after I had done; exclaiming at last, “What a Difference between you and me!” “No,” said he, and seemed to think I had now hit the right Nail on the Head. “And Violet——” said he, after a Pause, and colouring deeply. “Is she quite well, Cherry?” “Quite,” I said; and could think of Nothing more to say. “I wonder,” said he in a low Voice, as if he were almost afraid to hear the Echo of his own Thoughts, “whether she would now have Anything to say to me?” I said, looking away from him, “Such Questions as that should only be put to the Parties concerned.” “You are right,” said he; and sat a long While silent, leaning his Head upon his Hand. At length, he said, I said, “Riches and Poverty don’t make much Difference, Mark, when People really love one another.” “As I have loved—” said he. I said, “It is Bed-time now, and here is Dolly coming in to Prayers.” The next Morning, he said he must go to the Lord Mayor about his House. For the abandoned Effects of such Families as were entirely swept away and left no known Heirs, went to the King, who made them over to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, to be applied to the Use of the Poor; and Mark’s Absence had made it appear that his Property was in that Case. Soon after he was gone, the uncommon, and, I may almost say, unparalleled Event occurred to me of receiving a Letter; I “Bucklands Hall, Berks. “Oct. 27, 1665. “Dear Mistress Cherry, “On first coming down here, I was so ill at Ease and out of Sorts, as to require much Care and Nursing. Heaven be praised, I am now well, and I hope you are the same. Though the Pinks and Gilly-flowers are pretty well over, there are still some gay Autumn Flowers in the old Garden with the Iron Gate; and my Brother, the Squire, and his good Wife want to see the brave Mistress Cherry who “Your faithful and obliged Friend, “Nathanael Blower. “If you don’t come, you must write.” Here was an Event! An Invitation to the Country was a still more startling Occurrence than the Receipt of a Letter. Many of the Circumstances connected with it were delightful; but then, it seemed so strange, so awful, to go to stay with People I had never seen, ... such grand People, too! I that was so unused to fine Company, and did not know how to behave!—And Master Blower knew all this, knew exactly what Then I thought I would go and consult Violet; for, in Fact, I wanted a little persuading to do what I very much liked. So I stepped across the Bridge. The Shop was open, but nobody was in it; so I went to the Parlour Door, and opened it. Directly I had done so, I saw Violet I now made up my Mind without any more Hesitation, that I would go into the Country. I gave my parting Directions to Dolly, and desired her to let Mark have Things comfortable. Then I made up my little Travelling-equipage, not forgetting my Commissions. Being in Mark was not very punctual to the Supper-hour; and as he said Nothing of his Visit over the Way, I was to conclude him all Day at my Lord Mayor’s or in Cheapside. But the deep Carmine of his Cheek and the burning Light of his Eye, told Tales. I asked him if he had dined. He carelessly replied yes, with a Friend. I asked him if he had seen the Lord Mayor. He said yes, it had been a more troublesome Business than he expected: they had asked him so many searching Questions, and had got the whole Story out of him. He feared he had cut a sorry Figure. At any Rate, he had in his own Sight. Then I asked him whether After a Pause, he said, “Cherry, I feel a strong Inclination to get rid of that Concern altogether. The Situation is capital, and I shall get Something for the Business; but I have a great Mind to set up somewhere else; and though your Father’s was a much smaller Business than ours, yet my happiest Hours have been passed under this Roof; and if you like to give up the Shop to me, I will give for it whatever I get for my own. And you can still live with us.... I mean, we can still live here together. What say you, Cherry?” “We ... I shall always like to have you, Cherry,” said he, “for there is only one Person dearer to me in the whole World.” “My Father has left me so comfortably provided,” said I, “that I shall never need to be a Burthen on any one.” “I am glad of it for your own Sake,” returned he; “but, as to my taking up the Business without paying for it, that is not to be thought of. Whatever I get for mine, you shall have for yours.” “Where?” said he, opening his Eyes very wide. “To Bucklands Hall, in Berkshire; to stay with Master ... with Squire and Mistress Blower.” A broad Smile spread over his Face. “I am very glad indeed to hear of it, Cherry,” said he.—“Very glad of it.” Afterwards, as we sat chatting over our Supper, we got on the Subject of Ghosts. He asked me if I believed in them. I said no. “Well, I do,” said he, sighing. And told me of a Story he had had from the Servant of Sir Richard Hart, who, I said, “Her Father, in a Dream, may have had so strong an Impression he was waking, that to him it had all the Effect of being awake.” “But such a Dream as should so raise the Dead, or pre-figure their Death, We talked the Matter quietly over for some Time; and I asked him why, if the Course taken by Divine Providence in the Administration of human Affairs ever admitted of the Re-appearance of the Dead, the recorded Cases of such supposed Appearances should only be to frighten some timid Person, restore a Bag of Gold, or acquaint some one with what they would otherwise know a few Hours after. This appeared to strike him; but he said it might be for the Sake of Warning. I said, If for Warning, why not for Comfort? How glad should I have been, for Instance, to be informed supernaturally that all was well with my Father? He “Well,” muttered he, half under his Breath, “I wish I could feel as much with regard to my Wife.” And, regarding me with some Earnestness, added, “You’re a bold little Thing, Cherry!” As I wished him Good-night, he stayed me for a Moment, and said, with all his old Frankness and Trust, “Violet and I have made Things out between us, Cherry.” I said fervently, “Then, may you both be happy. My Belief is, that she is “Not quite so pretty, though,” said he, rather regretfully. “However, I don’t mind that.—For, you see, Cherry, I love her!” |