Foxholme Hall, and Other Tales Read online

her then the most lovely creature I had ever seen, and I was notfar wrong. There was a sweet, gentle, and yet firm expression in herface, and a look--I cannot describe it--which would have prevented eventhe most impudent from talking nonsense or saying anything to offend herear.

  Our uncle, Sir Hugh, was tall and stout, with a commanding and dignifiedmanner. No one would have ventured to take liberties with him, thoughhe was as kind and gentle as could be. He had been in the army when hewas young, and seen service, but had given it up when he succeeded toFoxholme, and the duties attached to its possession. "I should havebeen ill serving my country if I had remained abroad and left my tenantsand poor neighbours to the care of agents and hirelings," I heard himonce observe. He was very fond of the army, and it was a great trial tohim to leave it.

  Our aunt was a very pretty, lively, kind, amiable woman, and devotedlyattached to our uncle. She was small, and slight, and young-looking,though I don't think that she was so very young after all.

  Hugh was a regular fine little chap, manly, independent, and yet veryamiable. He might have been rather spoilt, because it was a hard matternot to make a good deal of him. People couldn't help thinking of him asthe long-wished-for heir of the old place and the old title, and whatjoy he had brought to Sir Hugh's heart and what pride and satisfactionto that of his mother, and that he would some day be the master ofFoxholme (all hoped that day might be far distant); and they prayed thathe might worthily represent his honoured father.

  After all, however, there was no one we thought so much about as CousinPeter. How full of life and spirits and fun he was! A shade, however,of gravity or melancholy occasionally stole over him. He had an innerdeeper life of which we boys knew nothing. We used to be surprised,after he had been playing all sorts of pranks with us, to go and see himsit down as grave as a judge along with Sir Hugh, and talk as seriouslyas anybody else. Then he would jump up and say something quiet andconfidential to some young lady, and crack a joke with some old one; andagain he would be back among us, baiting the bear, standing on his head,or doing some other wonderful out-of-the-way thing. I remember thateven then I more than once remarked that whenever he drew near ourCousin Julia, there was a greater sobriety and a wonderful gentlenessand tenderness in his manner; and often, when she was not looking, andhe thought no one else was looking, his eyes were turned towards herwith a look which older people would easily have interpreted. I thoughtmyself, "He must be very fond of her; but that is but natural--everybodyis."

  STORY ONE, CHAPTER TWO.

  I should like to give a full description of the events of thosenever-to-be-forgotten Christmas holidays. Besides ourselves, we had twocousins and the sons of some of Sir Hugh's friends, and no end ofgrown-up guests, young ladies and their mammas and papas, and severalgentlemen who were in no ways stiff or distant, and we didn't mindsaying what we liked to them. I remember that Christmas-day--howhappily it began--how, on a fine frosty morning, we all walked to thevillage church--how we found it decked with hollies, reminding us that,even in mid-winter, our merciful God never withdraws His blessings fromthe earth--how we could not help listening with attention to the sermonof the good vicar, who reminded us that we were assembled to commemoratethe greatest event that has occurred since the creation of the world.He bid us reflect that the Christ who was on that day born into theworld, a weak helpless infant, prepared to endure a life of toil, ofpoverty, and of suffering, and at the same time of active unweariedusefulness, was our Lord the Son of God himself; that He took our sinsupon Him, shed His blood on the Cross, suffering agony and shame, whichwe had merited, that He might wash our sins away; died and was buried,that He might, though sinless himself, for our sakes endure the cursesin brought on mankind, and thus accomplish the whole of the work He hadundertaken to fulfil; how He rose again, ascending into Heaventriumphant over death, that He might then, having lived and suffered asa man on earth, feeling for our infirmities, plead effectually for us;that He had suffered the punishment due to us, before the throne of theAlmighty, an offended but a just and merciful God, full of love tomankind.

  I never before understood so clearly that the whole work of redemptionis complete--that Christ has suffered for us, and that, therefore, nomore suffering is required. All we have to do is to take advantage ofwhat He has done, and put our whole faith and trust in Him. The vicarthen described most beautifully to us how Christ lived on earth, andthat He did so that. He might set us an example, which we are bound inordinary love and gratitude to imitate, by showing good-will, love,kindness, charity in thought, word, and deed, towards our fellow-men.How beautiful and glorious sounded that Christmas hymn, sung not only byall the school-children, but by all the congregation. Sir Hugh's richvoice, old as he was, sounding clearly among the basses of the others.He did his best, and he knew and felt that his voice was not moreacceptable at the throne of Heaven than that of the youngest childpresent. Then, when service was over, Sir Hugh came out arm-in-arm withour aunt, followed by Julia and little Hugh, and talked so friendly andkindly to all the people, and they all smiled and looked so pleased, andreplied to him in a way which showed that they were not a bit afraid ofhim, but knew that he loved them and was interested in their welfare;and Lady Worsley and Cousin Julia talked in the same kind way, and kneweverybody and how many children there were in each family, and askedafter those who were absent--some at service, and some apprentices, andsome in the army or at sea. Master Peter also went about among themall, and seemed so glad to see them, and shook hands with the old men,and joked in his quiet way with the old women. He contrived to have aword with everybody as he moved in and out among them. Then the vicarcame out, and a few friendly loving words were exchanged with him too.

  "We shall see you and Miss Becky at dinner as usual, Mr Upton," saidSir Hugh, as they parted.

  "I should be sorry to be absent, Sir Hugh. On twenty-nineChristmas-days have we taken our dinner with you, and this will make thethirtieth, if I mistake not," answered the vicar.

  "Ah, time flies along, and yet Miss Becky does not, at all events,remind us of it," said Sir Hugh. Whereat Miss Becky, who was very fairand somewhat fat, laughed and shook hands heartily with Sir Hugh andLady Worsley, and smiled affectionately at Julia and little Hugh, and wecommenced our homeward walk. How enjoyable it was--how pleasant was,our light luncheon! for we dined at five that we might have a longevening. We all looked forward to the evening with great delight.Scarcely was dinner over than a sound was heard--a bell in the hallstriking sweetly. We all jumped up, led by Master Peter, and arrangingourselves, some on the great oak staircase and others in a circle at itsfoot, we stood listening to the Christmas chimes and other tunes struckup by a dozen or more men with different-toned bells--one in each hand.Scarcely had they ceased and received their accustomed largesse from SirHugh's liberal hands, than some young voices were heard coming up theavenue. They, as were the rest, were admitted at a side-door, throughthe servants' hall, where tea and ale, and bread-and-cheese, and cakes,and other good things, were ready to regale them. The young singerscame trooping into the hall, one pushing the other forward; shy anddiffident, though they well knew that they had no reason to fear thelord of that mansion nor any one present. At length they arrangedthemselves, and the leader of the band beginning, they all chimed in,and sang, if not in a way to suit a fastidious taste, at all events,with feeling and enthusiasm, a beautiful Christmas carol. The words aresimple, but often as I have heard them I have never failed to feel myheart lifted up to that just and merciful God who formed and carried outthat great and glorious work, the scheme of the Redemption, thuswonderfully reconciling the demands of justice with love and mercytowards the fallen race of man. Surely this is a theme on which angelsmust delight to dwell, and to which they must ever with joy attune theirvoices and their harps; so I used to think then and so I think now, andhope to think till I reach the not unwelcome grave, and find it a happyreality. Several hymns and other appropriate songs were sung by thechildren, and then the leader began to
sidle towards the door, while therest nudged and elbowed each other, and at length they all shuffleddemurely out again, but not a minute had passed before they were heardshouting and laughing right merrily in the servants' hall. Their placeswere quickly supplied by a very different set of characters. They weredressed with cocked hats and swords, and uniforms of generals andprinces, which, though highly picturesque, were not of a very martialcharacter, or calculated to stand much wear and tear, being chieflyadorned with coloured paper and tinsel. The tones of their voicesshowed that, notwithstanding the lofty-sounding names they assumed, theywere not of an aristocratic rank, nor, though they all spoke in poetry,was that of a very marked order. There was Julius Caesar, and MarkAntony, and Caractacus, and the Black Prince, and King Arthur, andRichard the Third, the Emperor Alexander, Marshal Blucher, and severalother heroes, ancient and modern,