Dowdenham, a tale of high life in the present period

Front matter

DOWDENHAM DOWDENHAM % SM* of §igh life in the Jmart fjqiod BY VV. R. ANCKETILL Author of "The Adventures of Mick Callighin, M.P." " Some said, ' John, print it,' others said, ' Not so ; Some said, ' It might do good,* others said, * No.' ' Pilgrim's Progress. Honion: MARCUS WARD & CO., 67 & 68, CHANDOS STREET And ROYAL ULSTER WORKS, BELFAST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED TO Cjje gofoager Pjrtjncness of §otejjire. BE NIG NO NUMINE. CONTE NTS. CHAP. „Gt Preface, .... 9 I. — The Duke, 19 II. — Dowdenham, . . 28 III.— Pre-Prandial, 38 IV. — Post-Prandial, . . -43 V. — Lord Eastmore, . . 55 VI. — Major Head, . 65 VII. — Parochial, ... 76 VIII. — The Contessa, .84 IX — The Dowager, 90 X. — Louise, 96 XI. — The Wilderness, . . 102 XII. — Reverend Hercules Mulligan, 114 XIII. — Kathleen and Milly, . r26 XIV.— Gossip, . . 136 XV. — A Cabinet Council, 150 XVI. — The Snuggery, r5s XVII. — Absenteeism, . . 165 XVIII. — An Author, .172 XIX— Love, . 185 XX.— "Puggy" and "Taffy," 196 XXI. — Lord Bellamont, . 206 XXII. — Speed the Going Guest, .216 CONTENTS.

CHAP. PAGE XXIIL— Irish Education, . . . 233 XXIV.— Sympathy, . . . .248 XXV. — "Puggy" goes to Ireland, 253 XXVI. — Ballyragget, . . . 265 XXVII. — Symposial and Critical, . 274 XXVIII.— "Puggy" is Puzzled, . . 281 XXIX. — "Puggy" Ruminates, . . 292 XXX.— Paris, . . -295 XXXI.— An Envoy, ... 306 XXXII.— Home Rule, . . .317 XXXIII.— Pursuit, . . . 331 XXXIV. — Counsel, .... 342 XXXV. — "Puggy" Consults the Duke, 346 XXXVI.— The Duke's Advice, . . 362 XXXVII. — Admiral Bouverie, . . 370 XXXVIII. — Captain Macfarlane, . . 377 XXXIX. — Major Head Embarks, . . 387 XL. — Suspense, . . . 399 XLI. — British Columbia, . . 413 XLII. — Convalescent, . . . 424 XLIII. — "Puggy" Revisits Ballyragget, 434 XLIV— "Hymen," . . .446 XLV— Patty, . . . 454 XLVI. — Espousals, . . 467 XLVII. — Marriage Bells, . . . 483 Glossary, .....

Preface

. THE PUBLISHER TO THE AUTHOR. Sir, I have read your MS., and as you are kind enough to ask my candid opinion of it, I give it without reserve. The design of the work seems good ; the charac ters appear to be fairly drawn, and the story is devoid of improbabilities. The book, however, is scarcely sufficiently sen sational to suit the taste of the present day. A young lady who has perused the MS., at my request, writes — " There is not a murder, a suicide, nor an elopement ! We do not go to the play now-a days to see character depicted on the stage which we meet in our everyday intercourse with man kind. We expect to see something more electrical. " Again, the personal appearance of the principal hero and heroine, or indeed of any of the characters, is not minutely described. We are not

PREFACE.

. informed what is the tint of Louise's hair, or the colour of her eyes ; nor is it stated what dresses she wore, or by what ' Modiste' they were supplied ! Why, too, is not the Contessa's age mentioned ? " Nor have we sufficient information as to the stature and costume of Lord Eastmore ; we are not even told whether his foot is of aristocratic shape and size. Ladies cannot, upon such in adequate description of his appearance, decide whether he is a lovable man — it would require great personal attractions to atone for the idea he is represented to have of what a wife should be ! Why, the man is a perfect Bluebeard — catch me marrying such a monster! Lower my eyes before my husband ! — or any other man ! /—and never dare to look him in the face ! Indeed ! " Is Lord Eastmore aware that in ancient Egypt, the Mother of Civilisation, the Queen had more power and more honour shown her than the King ? and that in marriage contracts the greater authority was given to the women, the husbands promising to be obedient to their wives in all things ?

Let Lord Eastmore, and all men, beware ! — the in fluence of woman is growing, and she may yet procure the revival of this salutary law. " Men better than women ? I like that ! — when

PREFACE.

. 11 every one now knows that we are both a 'fortuitous concourse of atoms'! It is evident that the Author can never have studied Leucippus, Epicurus, or Democritus, or read Huxley and Tyndal's addresses. " It is not mentioned whether or not Lord Bellamont wears knickerbockers, nor if his legs are well formed — surely this is an unpardonable omission ? " We are told that the figure of Louise resembles that of a lioness ! Why did not the author select a tigress for comparison ? — its exterior is so much more beautiful and attractive. Men are more frequently caught and vanquished by beauty of the person than by mental perfections or cultivated taste ; all women know that. " Then those Irish simpletons — Kathleen and Milly. Notwithstanding what that old fool the Duke says of them, / don't believe in such innocence ; Moliere's apothegm — ' Ah ! il n'y a plus d'enfans ?' — is just as applicable now as when it was written.

All I can say is that I am acquainted with a good many girls, and don't know one like them : but then, to be sure, they are Irish. " The other characters are well enough in their

PREFACE.

. way. I rather like the Duchess. As to ' Old Head,' you see lots of ' Old Heads' hobbling about St. James's. " With regard to the Irish matters written about — who cares about Ireland ? I am quite of that idiot ' Puggy's' opinion — that it would be a deuced good thing if the confounded island were ' sunk under the ocean.' " And how could so many events as are crowded into the book have happened in so short a time ? " The chief fault of the work is that the female characters are not sufficiently gushing. " Yours truly, " A Girl of the Period. " P.S. — There is nothing new in the book. I do not observe that the Author has introduced the word ' lissom,' or the expression ' wealth of hair.' This is a minor, but inexcusable blemish." This young lady, you will observe, sir, has not formed a favourable opinion of your book ; her criticisms are perhaps too severe.

At the same time, my experience is that a novel now-a-days must be something else than a mere picture of society ; it must contain something marvellous, mysterious, or a little naughty, to be commercially successful.

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. 13 For myself, I can only say that I have read many better and many worse books in the course of my long professional career. I frankly warn you, sir, that you must expect to be severely reviewed. Critics are rodent, gnawing animals, whose operations are as excruciating to the nerves of some writers as the nibbling of rats behind a wainscot to acute ears. Some authors, like the sensitive plant, shrink from their touch ; foolishly so, I think. I hope your sensibilities are of a more pachydermatous nature, and remain, Sir, Your obedient servant, The Publisher. THE AUTHOR TO THE PUBLISHER. Sir, I have duly received your favour, enclosing your own and your fair correspondent's criticisms. In the first place, I beg to thank you for your candour. You say that my book is not sensational enough for the taste of the present day ! /say that the " taste of the present day" is not at all good, and stands in great need of im provement !

PREFACE.

. Your fair correspondent objects that there is neither a murder, a suicide, nor an elopement ! I reply, that my work is a " Tale of the Period," and that it is not a custom of the period for men to carry pistols, or rapiers, for the purpose of assassinating rivals in love; and that such pro ceedings would, if attempted, lead to the gallows. As to elopement, I may say that I think it a very improper way of effecting matrimony. I consider suicide vulgar. Again — she complains that I have not described the personal appearance and costumes of the principal characters ; not even the size or shape of Lord Eastmore's feet, or the nature of Lord Bellamont's " continuations." My answer is, that my characters are very much like other people who live in good society and dress with good taste, and that I did not par ticularly observe Lord Eastmore's feet.

Furthermore, I decidedly object to be a " Sand wich Man," or advertising medium for any " Modiste " or bootmaker. The reference to Lord Bellamont's legs I con sider indecorous. I positively decline to reveal the Contessa's age.

PREFACE.

. 15 Major Head is dismissed with the contemptuous observation that there are plenty of " Old Heads " about. I venture to say that most of my readers will think the veteran a very " fine old fellow." A lady of my acquaintance admires his character so much, that she has requested me to find her a husband with the same qualifications. Why did the author compare his heroine to a lioness ? The Author begs to say that he adopted an eastern description of female perfection ; but that, even admitting its greater beauty of exterior, he would not have selected a tigress as the per sonification of amiability, and trusts that, in expressing his dissent from his fair critic's opinion, he may not unintentionally offend one of the tribe. Was it not sufficient, the Author asks, that Moliere should vilify the innocent young ladies of his own day?

Why a "Girl of the Period" should disinter the grumpy old mysogynist's musty rubbish, for the purpose of aspersing her own sex, is incomprehensible. Allow me to conjecture that this " young lady," as you represent her to be, is not so very young, but is of a "certain age" and hue that not unfrequently accompanies jealousy of more juvenile charms.

PREFACE.

. She won't lower her eyes to her husband ! I should think not ; nor her colours either ! (A lady who looks on while I write says — " The nasty old thing needn't talk about what she will do to a husband, till she gets one.") Nor does she believe in Kathleen and Milly ! I am not surprised ; they are not in her " set." "To me more dear, congenial to my heart, One native charm, than all the gloss of art." Then she says in a P.S. — scorpion-like, the sting is in the tail — " There is nothing new in the book." I reply with Pascal — " Let them not say that I have said nothing new ; the arrangement of the material is new. I might as well be told that I have made use of old words." You, sir, kindly express a hope that I am pachydermatous, and not over-sensitive about criticism. I admit to being nervous when I get into a cold shower-bath, and reach forth my hand to pull the string ; but I have never looked upon critics as vivisectors. I have always regarded them as kind people, who take much thankless trouble to "correct the exercises" of authors. If,

PREFACE.

. 17 before they discharge the shower of criticism upon " Dowdenham," they will connect the cord with a moderately tepid reservoir, I should certainly feel obliged. " How," asks " A Girl of the Period," " could so many events have happened in so short a time ?" I reply that the author of the " Last Days of Pompeii," than whom there could be no better opinion, says — " In fiction, strictly and genuinely dramatic, the time ought to be as limited as possible." Will she venture to question this authority ? You will, sir, have concluded, from what I have written, that I wish to publish the book. The fact is, that I asked several opinions about it, and, of course, ended by taking my own, which is — " Est bien sou de cerveau qui pretend contenter tout le monde et son pere." I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, The Author.

P.S. — " Lissom" is to be found in Shakespeare and Spenser's writings, but is not now in use. I particularly avoided the expression "wealth of hair," having observed it in wigmakers' advertisements. b DOWDENHAM.

Chapter I. The Duke

JOiSljlHE Duke of Don caster is the repretSSfflSjjp sentative of one of the oldest families H55*"i^&l in the kingdom. The wide country, known as the Doncaster Estates, has descended from father to son for several centuries in un broken succession, occasionally augmented by judicious alliances with well-endowed heiresses. That grand object of ambition in England, of encircling family estates with a ring fence, was accomplished by the early alliance of the Duke with the heiress of an equally ancient family whose lands intersected his broad acres ; a con dition of things which had existed for several centuries, and had caused successive owners to feel sensations such as one can imagine a whale to DOWDENHAM. experience when penetrated by the horny snout of a sword-fish. The grievance, in the present instance, was enhanced by the fact that this slice of ten thousand acres, known and always spoken of in the family as " the wedge," had formed part of the original " Seigneurie," but had been carved out by a former owner, and given as a marriage portion to a favourite daughter.

The memory of that ancestor was execrated in the family, and his portrait, as a disagreeable remembrancer, was placed in the darkest and most retired corner of the picture gallery. It is almost needless to say that hence arose a family feud, which descended with the estates, and had involved the county in several contested elections. This was at length brought to a ter mination by the marriage of the heir and heiress of the two lordships, which happy junction of hearts and acres allayed the long-standing jealousies inherited from preceding generations, by restoring the ring fence. I do not mean to insinuate that the Duke, in selecting a wife, had been solely influenced by a wish to acquire this desirable appanage ; he was quite too much a gentleman, in the strict sense of the word, to have conferred his hand without his heart.

No more attached partners could be found in the humblest cottage in the land than were this high-minded nobleman and his amiable consort, whose lives were one continued round of duties well -performed, and graceful social cir cumstances thoroughly enjoyed. Nor had the foul breath of scandal ever been able to affix a stigma upon their unspotted reputations. The reigning or presumptive heads of this ducal house had never, at any period of their history, adulterated its blue blood by intermarriage with the monied aristocracy. Certain younger members occasionally eked out their patrimony by espousals that would have been looked upon as derogatory to the heir-apparent, but which, for both political and pecuniary reasons, were approved of for cadets. There was, however, a traditional policy — or, more correctly speaking, etiquette — observed in regard to these alliances, when a desirable parti offered for the Lords Ernest and Algernon of the era.

When such were approved of in the family cabinet, the reigning Duchess was formerly apprized that the time had arrived when her functions were to be put in operation. It was a rigid sine qud non that the young lady should DOWDENHAM. be pronounced "presentable;" a certain want of refinement was naturally to be expected, and might be tolerated, being capable of amendment, as uncultivated taste in costume may be corrected by advice and example ; but egregiously bad " style," better known in modern days as " form," was not admissible under any consideration. There was always some convenient and conniv ing dowager, or satellite of the family, whose good offices were enlisted on these important occasions. An evening party was arranged, at which it was announced that the " dear Marchioness" would possibly " look in."

The young lady and her chaperone were invited, and she was unconsciously trotted out and underwent a close scrutiny. If the result proved favourable, Algy was informed that his choice was satisfactory ; other preliminaries concluded, the bride elect was presented at court, and the world was apprized of the forthcoming happy event through the columns of a fashionable journal. But it was always clearly understood that Algy, in marrying Miss Smith, did not marry her family ; and, although she was adopted and treated as a daughter of the house, her relatives only received a formal invitation to the annual concluding ball of the season, when they were useful in assisting to fill the no longer crowded salons of Doncaster House. Many people said that all this was worldly, and the portion of the public that may be described as the lower ten thousand was very severe in its comments upon the alleged inaccessibility of Don caster House.

But is there not an analogous resemblance between ancient edifices and old families ? Do they not each require, after arrival at a certain advanced stage of their existence, to be respectively sustained by artificial props and buttresses against the encroachments of time and the innovations of modern society ? May not the struggle of the class who hover on the outskirts of the fashionable world, to effect an entrance within the precincts of that exclusiveness which they affect to despise, but in reality envy and worship, be compared to the efforts of the outer atmosphere to penetrate by any chink or cranny into the well-warmed interior of a com fortable mansion ? and can that be properly de nominated hauteur, or exclusiveness, that is but a very necessary precaution against the ever impending rush of the democratic avalanche ?

If people of any rank do not respect themselves, DOWDENHAM. they will not be respected by others. The entrie to Doncaster House was as carefully guarded as that to the receptions of royalty — not from any feeling of pride or haughtiness, but from a long inherited experience of the necessity of resisting encroachments by, metaphorically speaking, don ning the defensive armour of the porcupine. In the hunting-field the Duke was an accomplished master of hounds, and in his house a gracious host. With a thorough knowledge of the world, and perfect familiarity with the convenances of the best society, were united conversational powers of a high order and most winning kind, and a humour that was always sparkling, but never censorious. The Duke understood and enjoyed the peculiar idiosyncracies of country society, and was never more genial than when he received his guests as they were ushered into his drawing room.

When the door was thrown open, and a county celebrity was announced, it was amusing to observe his anticipation of the diversion to be extracted from the foibles of the new arrival, expressed in the quick glance of his penetrating eye. But he never played off his wit offensively at their expense, contenting himself with elicitin° their peculiarities, with a tact that flattered, and invariably induced them to think that they, and not he, led the conversation. The Duke's manner to every person was the same ; free from discrimination in regard to difference of rank, he was equally affable to all, and was generally admitted to be entirely devoid of the autocratic tone that so frequently charac terises persons of his station. He did not, as has occurred in other instances, extend his whole hand in welcome to a personage of his own rank, four fingers to a marquis, three to a viscount, two to a baronet, and but one to an humble commoner ; each was equally honoured by a cordial grasp of the hand, and felt that he was heartily welcome.

The fact was, that the Duke wisely left to his wife the management of all the social dispositions of his minage, considered himself only one of her numerous guests, and as in no way required to interfere with her well-planned arrangements, his approval of which he thus delicately manifested. But this is a position very few hosts can afford to assume. Standing upon his hearth-rug, receiving his friends, the Duke was, in person, manner, and dignified geniality, one of the best specimens of an English country gentleman. Now, by way of digression, I may observe that DOWDENHAM. the hearth-rug, by universal assent, seems to be the privileged spot in a reception room ; a sort of dais, sacred to the host and hostess on festive occasions, conferring by its occupation a sense of dignity and influence.

We have heard a man say — " Standing on that rug, sir, I told the fellow that his observations were disagreeable, and added in plain language that his absence was very desirable." The hearth-rug is a sort of elevation, from which, as from a platform, you survey the other occupants of the room. From its nature you can frequently conjecture what have been the antecedents of the family. A magnificent tiger skin, with extended tail and glaring eyes, indicates that your host, or some of his sons or nephews, has visited India. That lion's skin, with flattened head and opened jaws, denotes that Africa has been explored ; just as the noble stags' heads in the vestibule suggest the idea that your host includes a deer forest among his ample posses sions, or that some of the family had penetrated the backwoods of Columbia.

But if the rugis o merely a soft carpet of flowery design, then you may conclude that he is richer in feminine than masculine belongings. The Duchess was not remarkable as regarded her personal appearance. She possessed all the attributes of a perfectly aristocratic and well-bred lady ; was endowed with average beauty, dressed with consummate and quiet taste, and might have passed as the wife of any demi-fortune squire in the country. But her smile and soft-toned voice alone would have made her beloved in any con dition of life. She was of that happy temperament which denotes that either naturally, or as the result of careful culture, she had arrived at maturity in the possession of all the excellent qualities of a peach that has been " sunned on all sides ;" though not esteemed a clever woman, she had quite sufficient intellect and judgment to guide her in the right direction at all times, and to qualify her for the duties of the exalted position she so gracefully adorned.

Chapter II. Dowdenham

OWDENHAM, the ancient seat of the Dukes of Doncaster, is situated on an eminence surrounded by magnificent timber, some of it the growth of centuries. The mansion consists of a venerable central building, erected in the Tudor style of architecture, and flanked by wings subsequently added. The private grounds surrounding the house include an area of thirty acres, and are kept in that perfect order to be seen only in connection with the residences of the wealthy English nobility. Outside these the park stretches for miles in every direction, and, includ ing a deer-park, covers an extent of two thousand five hundred acres of beautifully diversified and richly timbered ground. Through the centre flows a winding river, on whose surface thousands of wild-fowl disport. The view from the terrace is magnificent ; a broad estuary extending westward DOWDENHAM. 29 for twenty miles in length and ten in width, bounded by the well-wooded seats of several other proprietors, lies like a silver lake at the foot of the gently sloping declivity between the house and the sea, and is enlivened by the numerous coasting vessels that frequent the small ports upon its margin.

A more beautiful baronial residence does not exist in England ; although there are some of greater extent north of the Tweed, there are none that combine greater charms of scenery, or give a better idea of long-established wealth and position, than " lordly Dowdenham," celebrated in the verse of poets of the sixteenth century. A tempestuous night had been succeeded by a bright sunshiny day and calm October evening ; it was late in the month, when the varied tints are richest, crisp fallen leaves crackle under the foot of the wayfarer, and blackbirds dart suddenly across his path, as they seek their roosting-places in the thick copse or still verdant shrubberies, with that noisy twitter peculiar to this bird. It was just the time when fires are, or ought to be, lighted, and the weary sportsman, as he trudges slowly homeward, rejoices prospectively in the anticipated enjoyment of a well-earned and com fortable repast and genial fireside.

There is no DOWDENHAM. 30 time of the year, not even Christmas, when the comforts of a home are more thoroughly appre ciated than in this beautiful autumnal month, which may be described as a middle passage between the temperature of summer and the sharp cold of an English winter. Two gentlemen walked leisurely homeward, with dogs at heel and cigars alight, along one of the approaches to Dowdenham, conversing on the subject of their day's sport, followed at a respectful distance by keepers carrying well-filled bags. The elder of the two was the Earl of Eastmore, a much-bearded man of middle age, known as one of the best cover shots in England ; the other, the Marquis of Bellamont, heir-apparent of the Duke, a slim active youth, not quite arrived at manhood. " The Duke preserves well," said Lord East more; "just as everything here seems admirably managed, so is his shooting ; he does not en courage too large a head of game, but it is quite sufficiently abundant to give excellent sport — when I say ' sport,' I mean a good day's walk and a full bag, not a slaughter in a poultry-yard."

" Yes," replied Lord Bellamont, " my father, like yourself, is a sportsman of the old school. He DOWDENHAM. 31 enjoys a day's shooting just as you do ; he has never allowed a battue on any of his estates, and has begged me not to take part in one elsewhere ; indeed I have not the slightest inclination to do so." " I am glad to hear it — why, a few days ago I read in the Field a glowing account of a battue, where eleven hundred head of game were slaughtered. I met a man yesterday who was one of the party, and he said it was a most absurd and disgusting scene. When they started from the keeper's lodge, the birds ran along the avenue after them, like turkeys expecting to be fed, and they had actually to drive them to the wing with sticks and stones." " That could not be the case here ; we never fire a shot in the home park, where a great number of birds are reared ; there are always a sufficient number of stragglers in the outlying covers to afford good sport.

Nor is a partridge ever shot within the boundary of Dowdenham ; the conse quence is that they stock all the surrounding country. The tenants are allowed the privilege of shooting on their farms, on condition that they leave a sufficient head of game for breeding, and they take as much interest in the preservation of DOWDENHAM. the game as we do. My father invites his friends to shoot every year, but instead of going out in a large party, he sends two or four together to particular tenants, with a note requesting them to show his guests good sport on their farms, and they do. In fact he keeps no watchers outside Dowdenham ; his tenants protect the game them selves." " That is all as it should be, Bellamont ; no doubt game is property, but it is an unpopular kind of property — that is to say, it is protected by stringent laws for the amusement of a limited class ; its owners would do well to remember this, and also that things are somewhat changed.

The ballot has a tendency to diminish territorial in fluence, and there is no doubt whatever, that if the question of the maintenance or abolition of the game-laws were left to the decision of the city and borough constituencies, they would be repealed to-morrow. The only way to counteract such a democratic measure is that the landed proprietors should follow the example of the Duke in what is really a Conservative policy, by giving the farmers an interest in preserving a moderate head of game, and supporting the laws which protect it. Let them destroy ground game, and give them DOWDENHAM. 33 the privilege of shooting winged game, I mean partridge and quail, on the same conditions that he does ; you will then enlist them on your side, and avert what, I fear, will otherwise result — the ultimate abolition of the game-laws, and destruc tion in England of a manly pastime, as well as of a food supply of which the inhabitants of cities and towns now receive the chief benefit, and which is, owing to the high price of animal food, daily becoming of greater importance.

The landed proprietors do not, in general, look far ahead ; great bodies, it is said, move slowly ; but if they indulge this mole-vision much longer, as regards game, I fear they will reap the result I foretell. In these levelling times no exclusive class privilege will be allowed to stand ; their true policy is, as I have said, to enlist the farmers on their side, and so counteract the efforts of the borough members to fish for popularity at their expense. The Duke is showing an excellent example, and I, for one, will adopt it on my estates." " I," said Lord Bellamont, " have so great a respect for my father's judgment and example, that, if I inherit the estates, I will look upon it as a hereditary policy, and give it full effect during my proprietorship." c DOWDENHAM. 34 " I am very glad to hear you say so, Bellamont ; to follow up the subject, I hear that the Duke has adopted my rule of not allowing his head keeper to supply ammunition.