Chapter I
CUTTER THE FIRST
Reader, have you ever been at Plymouth? If you have, your eye must havedwelt with ecstasy upon the beautiful property of the Earl of MountEdgcumbe: if you have not been at Plymouth, the sooner that you gothere, the better. At Mount Edgcumbe you will behold the finest timberin existence, towering up to the summits of the hills, and featheringdown to the shingle on the beach. And from this lovely spot you willwitness one of the most splendid panoramas in the world. You will see--Ihardly know what you will not see--you will see Ram Head, and CawsandBay; and then you will see the Breakwater, and Drake's Island, and theDevil's Bridge below you; and the town of Plymouth and itsfortifications, and the Hoe; and then you will come to the Devil'sPoint, round which the tide runs devilish strong; and then you will seethe New Victualling Office,--about which Sir James Gordon used to stumpall day, and take a pinch of snuff from every man who carried a box,which all were delighted to give, and he was delighted to receive,proving how much pleasure may be communicated merely by a pinch ofsnuff--and then you will see Mount Wise and Mutton Cove; the town ofDevonport, with its magnificent dockyard and arsenals, North Corner, andthe way which leads to Saltash. And you will see ships building andships in ordinary; and ships repairing and ships fitting; and hulks andconvict ships, and the guardship; ships ready to sail and ships undersail; besides lighters, men-of-war's boats, dockyard-boats, bumboats,and shore-boats. In short, there is a great deal to see at Plymouthbesides the sea itself: but what I particularly wish now, is, that youwill stand at the battery of Mount Edgecumbe and look into Barn Poolbelow you, and there you will see, lying at single anchor, a cutter; andyou may also see, by her pendant and ensign, that she is a yacht.
Of all the amusements entered into by the nobility and gentry of ourisland there is not one so manly, so exciting, so patriotic, or sonational, as yacht-sailing. It is peculiar to England, not only from ourinsular position and our fine harbours, but because it requires acertain degree of energy and a certain amount of income rarely to befound elsewhere. It has been wisely fostered by our sovereigns, who havefelt that the security of the kingdom is increased by every man beingmore or less a sailor, or connected with the nautical profession. It isan amusement of the greatest importance to the country; as it has muchimproved our ship-building and our ship-fitting, while it affordsemployment to our seamen and shipwrights. But if I were to say all thatI could say in praise of yachts, I should never advance with mynarrative. I shall therefore drink a bumper to the health of AdmiralLord Yarborough and the Yacht Club, and proceed.
You observe that this yacht is cutter-rigged, and that she sitsgracefully on the smooth water. She is just heaving up her anchor; herforesail is loose, all ready to cast her--in a few minutes she will beunder weigh. You see that there are some ladies sitting at the taffrail;and there are five haunches of venison hanging over the stern. Of allamusements, give me yachting. But we must go on board. The deck, youobserve, is of narrow deal planks as white as snow; the guns are ofpolished brass; the bitts and binnacles of mahogany; she is painted withtaste; and all the mouldings are gilded. There is nothing wanting; andyet how clear and unencumbered are her decks! Let us go below. This isthe ladies' cabin: can anything be more tasteful or elegant? is it notluxurious? and, although so small, does not its very confined spaceastonish you, when you view so many comforts so beautifully arranged?This is the dining-room, and where the gentlemen repair. What can bemore complete or _recherche_? and just peep into their state-rooms andbed-places. Here is the steward's room and the beaufet: the steward issqueezing lemons for the punch, and there is the champagne in ice; andby the side of the pail the long-corks are ranged up, all ready. Now,let us go forwards: here are the men's berths, not confined as in aman-of-war. No! luxury starts from abaft, and is not wholly lost, evenat the fore-peak. This is the kitchen: is it not admirably arranged?What a _multum in parvo_! And how delightful are the fumes of theturtle-soup! At sea we do meet with rough weather at times; but, forroughing it out, give me a _yacht_. Now that I have shown you round thevessel, I must introduce the parties on board.
You observe that florid, handsome man in white trousers and blue jacket,who has a telescope in one hand, and is sipping a glass of brandy andwater which he has just taken off the skylight. That is the owner of thevessel, and a member of the Yacht Club. It is Lord B--: he looks like asailor, and he does not much belie his looks; yet I have seen him in hisrobes of state at the opening of the House of Lords. The one near to himis Mr Stewart, a lieutenant in the navy. He holds on by the rigging withone hand, because, having been actively employed all his life, he doesnot know what to do with hands which have nothing in them. He is_protege_ of Lord B., and is now on board as sailing-master of theyacht.
That handsome, well-built man who is standing by the binnacle, is a MrHautaine. He served six years as midshipman in the navy, and did notlike it. He then served six years in a cavalry regiment, and did notlike it. He then married, and in a much shorter probation, found that hedid not like that. But he is very fond of yachts and other men's wives,if he does not like his own; and wherever he goes, he is welcome.
That young man with an embroidered silk waistcoat and white gloves,bending to talk to one of the ladies, is a Mr Vaughan. He is to be seenat Almack's, at Crockford's, and everywhere else. Everybody knows him,and he knows everybody. He is a little in debt, and yachting isconvenient.
The one who sits by the lady is a relation of Lord B.; you see at oncewhat he is. He apes the sailor; he has not shaved, because sailors haveno time to shave every day; he has not changed his linen, becausesailors cannot change every day. He has a cigar in his mouth, whichmakes him half sick and annoys his company. He talks of the pleasure ofa rough sea, which will drive all the ladies below--and then they willnot perceive that he is more sick than themselves. He has the misfortuneto be born to a large estate, and to be a _fool_. His name is Ossulton.
The last of the gentlemen on board whom I have to introduce, is MrSeagrove. He is slightly made, with marked features full ofintelligence. He has been brought up to the bar; and has everyqualification but application. He has never had a brief, nor has he achance of one. He is the fiddler of the company, and he has locked uphis chambers, and come, by invitation of his lordship, to play on boardof his yacht.
I have yet to describe the ladies--perhaps I should have commenced withthem--I must excuse myself upon the principle of reserving the best tothe last. All puppet-showmen do so: and what is this but the first scenein my puppet-show?
We will describe them according to seniority. That tall, thin,cross-looking lady of forty-five is a spinster, and sister to Lord B.She has been persuaded very much against her will to come on board; buther notions of propriety would not permit her niece to embark under theprotection of _only_ her father. She is frightened at everything: if arope is thrown down on the deck, up she starts, and cries, "Oh!" if onthe deck, she thinks the water is rushing in below; if down below, andthere is a noise, she is convinced there is danger; and, if it beperfectly still, she is sure there is something wrong. She fidgetsherself and everybody, and is quite a nuisance with her pride andill-humour; but she has strict notions of propriety, and sacrificesherself as a martyr. She is the Hon. Miss Ossulton.
The lady who, when she smiles, shows so many dimples in her pretty ovalface, is a young widow of the name of Lascelles. She married an old manto please her father and mother, which was very dutiful on her part. Shewas rewarded by finding herself a widow with a large fortune. Havingmarried the first time to please her parents, she intends now to marryto please herself; but she is very young, and is in no hurry.
The young lady with such a sweet expression of countenance is the Hon.Miss Cecilia Ossulton. She is lively, witty, and has no fear in hercomposition; but she is very young yet, not more than seventeen--andnobody knows what she really is--she does not know herself. These arethe parties who meet in the cabin of the yacht. The crew consists of tenfine seamen, the steward, and the cook. There is also Lord
B.'s valet,Mr Ossulton's gentleman, and the lady's maid of Miss Ossulton. There notbeing accommodation for them, the other servants have been left onshore.
The yacht is now under weigh, and her sails are all set. She is runningbetween Drake's Island and the main. Dinner has been announced. As thereader has learnt something about the preparations, I leave him to judgewhether it be not very pleasant to sit down to dinner in a yacht. Theair has given everybody an appetite; and it was not until the cloth wasremoved that the conversation became general.
"Mr Seagrove," said his lordship, "you very nearly lost your passage; Iexpected you last Thursday."
"I am sorry, my lord, that business prevented my sooner attending toyour lordship's kind summons."
"Come, Seagrove, don't be nonsensical," said Hautaine; "you told meyourself, the other evening, when you were talkative, that you had neverhad a brief in your life."
"And a very fortunate circumstance," replied Seagrove; "for if I had hada brief I should not have known what to have done with it. It is not myfault; I am fit for nothing but a commissioner. But still I hadbusiness, and very important business, too; I was summoned by Ponsonbyto go with him to Tattersall's, to give my opinion about a horse hewishes to purchase, and then to attend him to Forest Wild to plead hiscause with his uncle."
"It appears, then, that you were retained," replied Lord B.; "may I askyou whether your friend gained his cause?"
"No, my lord, he lost his cause, but he gained a suit."
"Expound your riddle, sir," said Cecilia Ossulton.
"The fact is, that old Ponsonby is very anxious that William shouldmarry Miss Percival, whose estates join on to Forest Wild. Now, myfriend William is about as fond of marriage as I am of law, and therebyissue was joined."
"But why were you to be called in?" inquired Mrs Lascelles.
"Because, madam, as Ponsonby never buys a horse without consulting me--"
"I cannot see the analogy, sir," observed Miss Ossulton, senior,bridling up.
"Pardon me, madam: the fact is," continued Seagrove, "that, as I alwayshave to back Ponsonby's horses, he thought it right that, in thisinstance, I should back him: he required special pleading, but his uncletried him for the capital offence, and he was not allowed counsel. Assoon as we arrived, and I had bowed myself into the room, Mr Ponsonbybowed me out again--which would have been infinitely more jarring to myfeelings, had not the door been left a-jar."
"Do anything but pun, Seagrove," interrupted Hautaine.
"Well, then, I will take a glass of wine."
"Do so," said his lordship; "but, recollect, the whole company areimpatient for your story."
"I can assure you, my lord, that it was equal to any scene in a comedy."
Now be it observed that Mr Seagrove had a great deal of comic talent; hewas an excellent mimic, and could alter his voice almost as he pleased.It was a custom of his to act a scene as between other people, and heperformed it remarkably well. Whenever he said that anything he wasgoing to narrate was "as good as a comedy," it was generally understoodby those who were acquainted with him, that he was to be asked so to do.Cecilia Ossulton therefore immediately said, "Pray act it, Mr Seagrove."
Upon which, Mr Seagrove--premising that he had not only heard, but alsoseen all that passed--changing his voice, and suiting the action to theword, commenced.
"It may," said he, "be called
"FIVE THOUSAND ACRES IN A RING-FENCE."
We shall not describe Mr Seagrove's motions; they must be inferred fromhis words.
"'It will, then, William,' observed Mr Ponsonby, stopping, and turningto his nephew, after a rapid walk up and down the room with his handsbehind him under his coat, so as to allow the tails to drop theirperpendicular about three inches clear of his body, 'I may say, withoutcontradiction, be the finest property in the county--five thousand acresin a ring-fence.'
"'I dare say it will, uncle,' replied William, tapping his foot as helounged in a green morocco easy-chair; 'and so, because you have setyour fancy upon having these two estates enclosed together in aring-fence, you wish that I should also be enclosed in a _ring_-fence.'
"'And a beautiful property it will be,' replied Mr Ponsonby.
"'Which, uncle?--the estate, or the wife?'
"'Both, nephew, both; and I expect your consent.'
"'Uncle, I am not avaricious. Your present property is sufficient forme. With your permission, instead of doubling the property, and doublingmyself, I will remain your sole heir, and single.'
"'Observe, William, such an opportunity may not occur again forcenturies. We shall restore Forest Wild to its ancient boundaries. Youknow it has been divided nearly two hundred years. We now have aglorious, golden opportunity of re-uniting the two properties; and whenjoined, the estate will be exactly what it was when granted to ourancestors by Henry the Eighth, at the period of the Reformation. Thishouse must be pulled down, and the monastery left standing. Then weshall have our own again, and the property without encumbrance.'
"'Without encumbrance, uncle! You forget that there will be a wife.'
"'And you forget that there will be five thousand acres in aring-fence.'
"'Indeed, uncle, you ring it too often in my ears that I should forgetit; but much as I should like to be the happy possessor of such aproperty, I do not feel inclined to be the happy possessor of MissPercival; and the more so, as I have never seen the property.'
"'We will ride over it to-morrow, William."
"'Ride over Miss Percival, uncle! That will not be very gallant. I will,however, one of these days, ride over the property with you, which, aswell as Miss Percival, I have not as yet seen.'
"'Then I can tell you, she is a very pretty property.'
"'If she were not in a ring-fence.'
"'In good heart, William. That is, I mean an excellent disposition.'
"'Valuable in matrimony.'
"'And well tilled--I should say well-educated, by her thee maiden aunts,who are the patterns of propriety.'
"'Does any one follow the fashion?'
"'In a high state of cultivation; that is, her mind highly cultivated,and according to the last new system--what is it?'
"'A four-course shift, I presume,' replied William, laughing; 'that is,dancing, singing, music, and drawing.'
"'And only seventeen! Capital soil, promising good crops. What would youhave more?'
"'A very pretty estate, uncle, if it were not the estate of matrimony. Iam sorry, very sorry, to disappoint you; but I must decline taking alease of it for life.'
"'Then, sir, allow me to hint to you that in my testament you are onlytenant-at-will. I consider it a duty that I owe to the family, that theestate should be re-united. That can only be done by one of our familymarrying Miss Percival; and, as you will not, I shall now write to yourcousin James, and if he accept my proposal, shall make _him_ my heir.Probably he will more fully appreciate the advantages of five thousandacres in a ring-fence.'
"And Mr Ponsonby directed his steps towards the door.
"'Stop, my dear uncle,' cried William, rising up from his easy-chair;'we do not quite understand one another. It is very true that I wouldprefer half the property and remaining single to the two estates and theestate of marriage; but, at the same time I did not tell you that Iwould prefer beggary to a wife and five thousand acres in a ring-fence.I know you to be a man of your word;--I accept your proposal, and youneed not put my cousin James to the expense of postage.'
"'Very good, William; I require no more: and as I know you to be a manof your word, I shall consider this match as settled. It was on thisaccount only that I sent for you, and now you may go back again as soonas you please. I will let you know when all is ready.'
"'I must be at Tattersall's on Monday, uncle; there is a horse I musthave for next season. Pray, uncle, may I ask when you are likely to wantme?'
"'Let me see--this is May--about July, I should think.'
"'July, uncle! Spare me--I cannot marry in the dog-days. No, hang it,not July.'
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"'Well, William, perhaps, as you must come down once or twice to see theproperty--Miss Percival, I should say--it may be too soon--suppose weput it off till October.'
"'October--I shall be down at Melton.'
"'Pray, sir, may I then inquire what portion of the year is not, withyou, _dog_-days?'
"'Why, uncle, next April, now--I think that would do.'
"'Next April. Eleven months, and a winter between. Suppose Miss Percivalwas to take a cold, and die.'
"'I should be excessively obliged to her,' thought William.
"'No! no!' continued Mr Ponsonby: 'there is nothing certain in thisworld, William.'
"'Well, then, uncle, suppose we arrange it for the first _hard frost_.'
"'We have had no hard frosts lately, William.--We may wait for years.--The sooner it is over the better.--Go back to town, buy your horse, andthen come down here--my dear William, to oblige your uncle--never mindthe dog-days.'
"'Well, sir, if I am to make a sacrifice, it shall not be done byhalves; out of respect for you I will even marry in July, without anyregard to the thermometer.'
"'You are a good boy, William.--Do you want a cheque?'
"'I have had one to-day,' thought William, and was almost at fault. 'Ishall be most thankful, sir--they sell horse-flesh by theounce now-a-days.'
"'And you pay in pounds.--There, William.'
"'Thank you, sir, I'm all obedience; and I'll keep my word, even ifthere should be a comet. I'll go and buy the horse, and then I shall beready to take the ring-fence as soon as you please.'
"'Yes, and you'll get over it cleverly, I've no doubt.--Five thousandacres, William, and--a pretty wife!'
"'Have you any further commands, uncle?' said William, depositing thecheque in his pocket-book.
"'Now, my dear boy, are you going?'
"'Yes, sir; I dine at the Clarendon.'
"'Well, then, good-bye.--Make my compliments and excuses to your friendSeagrove.--You will come on Tuesday or Wednesday.'
"Thus was concluded the marriage between William Ponsonby and EmilyPercival, and the junction of the two estates, which formed together thegreat desideratum,--_five thousand acres in a ring-fence_."
Mr Seagrove finished, and he looked round for approbation.
"Very good, indeed, Seagrove," said his lordship, "you must take a glassof wine after that."
"I would not give much for Miss Percival's chance of happiness,"observed the elder Miss Ossulton.
"Of two evils choose the least, they say," observed Mr Hautaine. "PoorPonsonby could not help himself."
"That's a very polite observation of yours, Mr Hautaine--I thank you inthe name of the sex," replied Cecilia Ossulton.
"Nay, Miss Ossulton; would you like to marry a person whom you neversaw?"
"Most certainly not; but when you mentioned the two evils, Mr Hautaine,I appeal to your honour, did you not refer to marriage or beggary?"
"I must confess it, Miss Ossulton; but it is hardly fair to call on myhonour to get me into a scrape."
"I only wish that the offer had been made to me," observed Vaughan; "Ishould not have hesitated as Ponsonby did."
"Then I beg you will not think of proposing for me," said Mrs Lascelles,laughing;--for Mr Vaughan had been excessively attentive.
"It appears to me, Vaughan," observed Seagrove, "that you have slightlycommitted yourself by that remark."
Vaughan, who thought so too, replied: "Mrs Lascelles must be aware thatI was only joking."
"Fie! Mr Vaughan," cried Cecilia Ossulton; "you know it came from yourheart."
"My dear Cecilia," said the elder Miss Ossulton, "you forget yourself--what can you possibly know about gentlemen's hearts?"
"The Bible says, 'that they are deceitful and desperately wicked,'aunt."
"And cannot we also quote the Bible against your sex, Miss Ossulton?"replied Seagrove.
"Yes, you could, perhaps, if any of you had ever read it," replied MissOssulton, carelessly.
"Upon my word, Cissy, you are throwing the gauntlet down to thegentlemen," observed Lord B.; "but I shall throw my warder down, and notpermit this combat _a l'outrance_.--I perceive you drink no more wine,gentlemen, we will take our coffee on deck."
"We were just about to retire, my lord," observed the elder MissOssulton, with great asperity: "I have been trying to catch the eye ofMrs Lascelles for some time, but--"
"I was looking another way, I presume," interrupted Mrs Lascelles,smiling.
"I am afraid that I am the unfortunate culprit," said Mr Seagrove. "Iwas telling a little anecdote to Mrs Lascelles--"
"Which, of course, from its being communicated in an undertone, was notproper for all the company to hear," replied the elder Miss Ossulton;"but if Mrs Lascelles is now ready--" continued she, bridling up, as sherose from her chair. "At all events, I can hear the remainder of it ondeck," replied Mrs Lascelles. The ladies rose, and went into the cabin,Cecilia and Mrs Lascelles exchanging very significant smiles, as theyfollowed the precise spinster, who did not choose that Mrs Lascellesshould take the lead, merely because she had once happened to have beenmarried.--The gentlemen also broke up, and went on deck.
"We have a nice breeze now, my lord," observed Mr Stewart, who hadremained on deck, "and we lie right up Channel."
"So much the better," replied his lordship; "we ought to have beenanchored at Cowes a week ago. They will all be there before us."
"Tell Mr Simpson to bring me a light for my cigar," said Mr Ossulton toone of the men.
Mr Stewart went down to his dinner; the ladies and the coffee came ondeck; the breeze was fine, the weather (it was April) almost warm; andthe yacht, whose name was the _Arrow_, assisted by the tide, soon leftthe Mewstone far astern.