“Well my lord its baking day today & I was just begining to make a good? currant cake when lord Hill called me off to triangle this beast & now when I’ve done that I’m forced to triangle him too & my cake will be eaten by Seringapatan or some other horrid glutton in the Baking-room while I shall have none at all though I bought the stuff it’s made of,” here as if touched by the recital of his own misfortune he wept anew, the Duke of Wellington laughed aloud & placing his hand on his shoulder told him not to break his heart as he would give him something better than a peice of Bread - Orderly-man consoled by this assurance hastened to obey his lord & in a few minutes Hill suspended from the triangle suffered the penalty of his crime.
Little King & queens understanding from the previous conversation that it was baking day in the Horsegaurds expressed a wish to go into the room where the bread was prepared & made ready.
“Your majesties are perfectly at liberty to do so if you please” said his Grace “ provided my attendance can be dispensed with, as I never frequent the apartments were the soldiers cook their food.f uvery well Duke of Wellington we can do without you” replied the fairies angrily & imediately quitting him in an abrupt manner they entred the Horsegaurds & proceeded to the Bakehouse. It was a large room built of brick without any ceiling so that all the great beams & rafter that formed the roof were exposed to the eye & paved after the fashion of streets & thoroughfares, a fire of a suficient size & feirceness to roast an ox was blazing at one end. a long table ran down the centre at which 2 or 3 hundred soldiers were standing busily employed in the manufacture of coarse loaves & cakes; at the head on a high rustic tripod sat a very old man apparently more than six feet in height with muscles as strong & supple as those of Hercules & bones as big as a mammothsf. his grizzled grey hairs were drawn all together tied with a peice of a rope and plaited into a long queu behind, his nose was like an eagles beak when by reason of its age the upper mandible has peirced through the under & the venerable posessor unable either to eat or drink lies in its inacessible eirie made like a charnel house by the blanched bones of those which in its vigorous youth it has slain now - I was going on but I find that the metaphor is too diffuse allreadyf. Seringapatan’s nose then (for the old man was no other) was exceedingly aquiline & his mouth a scarlet thread stretching from ear to ear & together with his fine large dark expressive eye betokened him of true Milesian origin. He sat on his exalted throne in an atitude of extreme dignity & imperial majestyf. his head gently inclined to one side leaned on a hand whose coulour the snow might have envied, it being of a dark tawny red. One foot lay on the far side of the table & the other on the head of a horrible wretch who had ventured to rebel against his high power but who at lenght having sucumbed from a gentle intimation that tomorrow at drilltime he should suffer for his impudence, was now doing penance for his black crime. When Seringapatan spoke he invaribly streched out his right arm intuwards? imitating the elegant action of all the great Grecian Roman British & Hibernian orators.
After little king & queen’s had viewed this scene for some time they left the room & proceeded to find out the Duke of Wellington, they found him in the public apartment for the officers, it was an ample rotunda carpeted with green cloth, a large brass lustre suspended from the roof was covered with the accumalated dust of several years, a billiard table stood in the middle about which a number of officers sat playing or talking. The Duke was standing at one end of the room surrounded by Lords Rosslyn Berresford, Sommerset & Arthur Hill together with Generals Murray Hardinge Londonderry Fitzroy &c &c. Rosslyn was just delivering an enconium upon his Grace in the following words.
“My Lord when you appear a mist seems withdrawn from my eyes. You are as the clear splendor of the sun shining after rain. the dark clouds hasten at your approach to mingle with the swelling waves of the deep from whence they came & to whence they will return, a hundred flowers Whose beautiful heads drooped beneath the fury of the storm & whose radiant colours waned as it beat upon them, raise again their slender stems unfurl their emerald leaflets & hold up their golden crowns towards the first beam of light which heralds your appearance that they may be filled with loveliness & joy for lo you have allready glorified the last drops of the departing shower into a faint but fast brightning rainbowf. as I gaze on that mighty apparition spanning the whole earth & heaven, a solemn sign that the victorious waters shall never again roar triumphantly over the worlds highest mountain which clave the clouds with their summits or roll in her pleasant valleys the palaces of beauty & silence. I think by a mysterious conection of the humble snowdrop both the arch of the sky & the first blossom of spring are alike in their origin, though one be a child of heaven & the other of earth, for each is “rocked by the storm & cradled by the blast” Eh? my lord is not that very pretty?” said he & at that moment he certainly bore a much greater resemblance to a monkey than a man.
“Rosslyn” replied the Duke smiling sarcastically “you have certainly out done yourself to day though I am afraid if a jackal? or a mandrill a pinch or a pigmy could be brought to speak it would still surpass you in giving utterance to all that is conceited & devoid of sense in the compass of Apish phraseology. But sir & I am now serious if you bother me again with such language more resembling the watry scum of a weak whining poetaster’s28 brains than the conversation of an officer of sense & spirit or even of a civillian whose capacities are but mediocre in every respect I shall certainly allow you the privelige of showing off some elegant French atitudes scrapes & bows wether of the head or the back will I presume be perfectly imaterial on a triangle formed of deserters halberts exposed to the view & derision of the whole regiment of the gaurds. You will likewise Sir be expected to attend drill every day to officiate as caller of the muster roll to clean your own arms & accoutrements without the aid of any menial attendant, to associate with the common shoe blacks valets & soultlers? of the army in order that you may teach them the polite art of elocution besides improving their general maners by your elegant example & finally you will be cashiered for a few months to the end that you may enjoy your favourite solitued which will perhaps enable you to produce more masterly specimens of ryhming than you have hitherto favoured us with.f here his Grace stopped. all the generals around stood staring contemptuously at Roslyn & when he happened to come near any of them they shrank from his touch as if he was infectious not deigning to speak to him for a moment. Seeing their strange conduct & hearing the words of his master the poor wretch burst into a flood of tears sobbed aloud & then as if unable to contain himself he ran out of the room as fast as he was able & a few minutes after he was heard at a distance singing the following verses
To the forest to the wilderness Ah let me hasten now Wher’ere I go I still shall see My master’s lowering brow The Woods black shade won’t hide my greif No influence now I have But ‘th stream will give more quick releif I’ll seek a watry grave Unto the shore I’ll swiftly fly I’ll plunge into the sea The foam bells will ascend on high When drowning sets me free
Drown all the ills which life doth give O mis’ry in me dwells when no longer shall I live The tide of sorrow swells
Suspended from an elm tree tall I’ll end my mournful life My soul more bitter is than gall My heart is full of strife
I’ll cut my neck with some sharp blade I’ll swallow poison dire No now my resolution’s made I’ll set myself on fire
Just then a loud noise was heard in an adjoining appartment & Game keeper came rushing into the room exclaiming that Lord Rosslyn had thrown himself into the fire but that he had been pulled out before he was hurt.
“take him” replied the Duke of Wellington “to the lowest dungeon keep him there & feed him on nothing but bread & water for a month.” His Grace then quitted the room & little King & queens followed him.
“Where are you going?” said they.
“to Arthur’s appartmentf he replied “will your majesties honour me by your company?”
“yes” they answered shortly & in a few minutes after mou
nting a flight of stone steps they arrived at the end of a long gallery terminated by a door which when opened discovered a small antichamber, where was an arched entrance veiled by a curtain of thick green baize, the Duke undrew the curtain & a most elegant but rather small saloon presented itself, the floor was spread with a rich persian carpet, low sofas surrounded the room covered with green satin elegantly embroidered in needle work. A Dome tastefully painted in the arabesque style formed the roof, several stands of beautiful white marble supported alabaster vases of the finest & most fragrant flowers. On the Parian mantle peice stood a number of images clasically designed & well executed in Japan china & on a hearth slab of costly Tabruz? marble were ranged magnificent porphory, lapis lazuli and agate vessels filled with the most exquisite perfumes the East can supply, all the windows were shaded with orange & myrtle trees which grew in large pots of Seville china, at one of these were seated the Marquis of Douro & Lord Wellesly. the former was habited in the uniform of his regiment, imperial blue & gold, the latter in white silk lightly bordered with green & a purple mantle fastened on one shoulder by an ornament of saphire & emerald.
As soon as his Grace entred they both started up joyfully welcoming him to their peaceful retreat from the noisy & turbulent Rotunda. In a few minutes he sat down & then after a short silence he observed “What a luxurious place this is Arthur quite unfited I assure you my son to prepare a man for those hardships which every one has to encounter during some part of his life.”
“0 fatherf” exclaimed lord Charles “Arthur will always make hardships if he has not them ready at hand. ever since he has been here (that is 3 hours) I have not observed a single smile on his countenance & after tiring myself to no purpose with trying to make him speak I was forced to open the window & amuse myself by talking to every person who passed in the court below . at last that resource failed me for no living creature showed its head & therefore shutting the sash I sat down again remained silent for half an hour & then finding that hypochondriasm was fast approaching upon me I got up smelt at every flower & perfume in the appartment danced shook the orange branches sung merry songs, stamped, raged, wept, mimicked Arthur, screamed smiled became hysterical fainted & at last finding all my efforts fruitless to provoke him to utter the smallest monosyllable I flung myself exhausted on a seat & remained staring franticly at Arthur till you entred when to my inexpressible joy I saw him rise & open his lips to welcome you.f The Duke of Wellington remained for about an hour at the Horse- gaurds & then returned to Downing Street where he found a bundle of official documents awaiting his arrival, these he imediately sat down to decipher & at this employment I shall for the present leave him.
C Bronte May the 8th 1830
THIRD VOLUME OF THE TALES of the ISLANDERS
I began this volume on Monday May the third 1830 & finished it on Saturday May the 8 1830
C Bronte 1830
May the 8.
FOURTH VOLUME OF TALES OF THE ISLANDERS
CHAPTER ONE
One fine atumnal evening the duke of Wellington was on his way from LONDON to Strathfeildsay. he had just passed through the village & had entred a narrow bridle-path leading to the park gate, here he dismounted from his horse & leading old Blanco-White by the reins proceeded at a leisurely pace onwards. It was as I have said a fine evening in autumn: the air was warm & breezeless, the sky covered with high light clouds except where here & there a few pale soft blue streaks apeared on the hazy horizon, the sun had just set. the snails where crawling forth from the hedge side to enjoy that refreshing dampness which imediately preceedes dusk at this period of the year, scarcely a leaf fell from the oaks & hawthorns bordring the path, for the dark hue of their foliage had hardly begun to mellow with the waning seasonf. The only sounds audible were the noise of an occasional Lady-clock*9 humming by & the trickle of a rill as it flowed invisibly down an ancient Cart rut (now unused) hid by dock leaves wild vetch grass & other hedge plants with witch the road was completely overgrown. A hill rising on one hand concealed from view the Hall with its extensive parks pleasure grounds gardens woods &c situated in a broad & delightful valley sloping far down on the other side.
As the Duke walked quietly forward he suddenly heard a murmuring sound like the voices of several people conversing in an under tone, a little in advance of him. He stopped & listened but was unable to understand what they said, at a few paces farther on a turn in the path brought in sight the figures of 3 old women seated on a green bank under a holly knitting with the utmost rapidity & keeping their tongues in constant motion all the while, stretched in a lounging posture beside them lay little king languidly gathring the violets & cuckoo-meat which grew around, at the Dukes approach he started up as likewise did the old women, they courtesied & he bowed much after the fashion of a Dip-Tail’0 on a stone. He then after a sharp peal of laughter from his companions addressed the Duke thus.
“Well Duke of Wellington here are three freinds of mine whom I wish to introduce to you.” “they lived for some time as washerwomen in the family of the late Sir Robert Peel Bart’1 who respected them so much that in his will he remembered them each for twenty guineas. After his death however the present Bart, turnened them away together with several other antiquated but faithful servants of his deceased parent, to make room for the modern trash of fopish varlets that now constitute every gentlemans establishment, thus they are now cast on the wide world without shelter or home & if you would consent to take them into your service it would be conferring a great obligation on me as well as them.”
“I am not much accustomed to engage servants” replied his Grace, “but you may take them to my house-keeper & if their characters will bear the old lady’s scrutiny I have no objection.”
“Very well that’s right Duke of Wellington” replied little King, much pleased.
the Duke then remounted his horse & proceeded at a smart trot onward wishing to escape from the company of his new acquaintance, they however stuck close to him & continued by his side talking & laughing & trying to draw him into conversation incessantly, in a short time they turned the hill & going rapidly down a long inclined lane, entered the vast wood which forms a boundary to one side of Strath- feildsay Park - after threading the puzzling mazes of the labyrinth which leads to Seringapatans 0rderly-Man’s Jack Off A11 Trades’ & Game Keeper’s cottages they stop at the door of Seringapatans and the Duke stooping his head to avoid the huge thick branches waving around, lifted the latchet. Seringapatan instantly sprang out & bowing low without waiting for his masters orders flung open the park gate. His grace then bent aside & whispered something in the old-mans ear, commanding him to detain little king & his comrades until he reached the hall. Seringapatan bowed again lower than before & the Duke, tickling Blanco’s flanks galloped swiftly off.
“If you please will you step into my Kitchin a minute & rest you?” said Seringapatan.
they thanked him & without further ceremony walked in. it was a small apartment neatly white-washed. an oaken dresser furnished with the brightest pewter & deIf-ware covered one end; above it was suspended a highly polished musket & sword . several ancient books were carefully piled on a black oak kist. two substantial armchairs stood at each end of a hot, blazing fire & opposite the window seat, a number of stout 3 legged stools were ranged in a row. the floor & hearth were as clean & white as scouring could make them. Mrs Left Seringapatan sat mending her husband stockings by a round deal table. She was clad in a dark green stuff gown with snow- white cap & apron & looked as sedate as if she had be en 60 instead of 25.
When little King & the old women entred she rose & begged them to be seated : they complied . after chatting awhile she got up again & went out but in a short time returned with a plateful of rich current cake & a bottle of perry.” these dainties she invited her guest’s to partake of which they did of course & then prepared to depart. Seringapatan knowing that by this time his Master had arived at his seat opened the door & permitted them to go. they pursued their way up the park
without stopping for night was fast coming on & the moon pouring her light on the long groves & alleys which in dark obscure lines stretched far over the undulating prospect was climbing the mild atumnal heaven’s amid freckled downy clouds & dimly visible stars.
It happened that Lord Charles Wellesley had that day been taking one of his wild rambles over his fathers domains & he was now returning home-wards, at a distance he saw the three old women with their conductor, being fond of company he made haste to overtake them but as he approached his volatile mind changed & he determined to walk close behind & remain a concealed listener to their conversation promising himself much amusement from the scheme, in this however he was deceived for voluble as they had been while in Seringapatan’s Cottage they now became perfectly silent.
in about a quater of an hour they reached the deep rapid stream which runs through the grounds. its banks are shaded by willows & larches & the long rays of moonlight trembling through the high boughs fell with sweet serenity on the turbulent waves prouducing a soothing contrast to their impetuous & dark ridges following each other in quick succesion down the waters, a grassy mole extending to the opposite bank formed a kind of natural bridge & over this lord Charles supposed they would go so he halted a while to observe them, they however to his astonishment glided noiselessly to the midst of the river & there turning three times round amidst the shivered fragments of brilliant light in which the moon was reflected were swallowed up in a whirlpool of raging surges & foam, he stood a moment powerless with horror, then springing over the mound dashed through the trees on the other side & gaining the open path beheld little King & the three old women walking whole & sound a few yards before him. more surprised than before he viewed them in silence for an instant & then concluded that they were other fairies whom little King had broughft with him to this earth, he strove to satisfy himself with this conjecture but notwithstanding his endeavours he still felt an uneasy vague & by no means pleasant sensation when he looked at their little sharp faces & heard the shrill disagreeable tones of their voicefs (for they were now chatting away as merrily as before) for which he was unable to account.
Delphi Complete Works of the Brontes Page 231
