CHAPTER I.
_Pen Bronnock Palace_
THE arrival of the two distinguished foreigners reanimated the dyingseason. All vied in testifying their consideration, and the Duke of St.James exceeded all. He took them to see the alterations at HautevilleHouse, which no one had yet witnessed; and he asked their opinion of hisfurniture, which no one had yet decided on. Two fetes in the same weekestablished, as well as maintained, his character as the Archduke offashion. Remembering, however, the agreeable month which he had spent inthe kingdom of John the Twenty-fourth, he was reminded, with annoyance,that his confusion at Hauteville prevented him from receiving hisfriends _en grand seigneur_ in his hereditary castle. Metropolitanmagnificence, which, if the parvenu could not equal, he at least couldimitate, seemed a poor return for the feudal splendour and impartialfestivity of an Hungarian magnate. While he was brooding over thesereminiscences, it suddenly occurred to him that he had never made aprogress into his western territories. Pen Bronnock Palace was the boastof Cornwall, though its lord had never paid it a visit. The Duke of St.James sent for Sir Carte Blanche.
Besides entertaining the foreign nobles, the young Duke could no longerkeep off the constantly-recurring idea that something must be done toentertain himself. He shuddered to think where and what he should havebeen been, had not these gentlemen so providentially arrived. As foragain repeating the farce of last year, he felt that it would no longerraise a smile. Yorkshire he shunned. Doncaster made him tremble. Aweek with the Duke of Burlington at Marringworth; a fortnight with theFitz-pompeys at Malthorpe; a month with the Graftons at Cleve; and soon: he shuddered at the very idea. Who can see a pantomime more thanonce? Who could survive a pantomime the twentieth time? All the shiftingscenes, and flitting splendour; all the motley crowds of sparklingcharacters; all the quick changes, and full variety, are, once,enchantment. But when the splendour is discovered to be monotony; thechange, order, and the caprice a system; when the characters play everthe same part, and the variety never varies; how dull, how weary, howinfinitely flat, is such a world to that man who requires from itsconverse, not occasional relaxation, but constant excitement!
Pen Bronnock was a new object. At this moment in his life, novelty wasindeed a treasure. If he could cater for a month, no expense should begrudged; as for the future, he thrust it from his mind. By taking up hisresidence, too, at Pen Bronnock, he escaped from all invitations;and so, in a word, the worthy Knight received orders to make allpreparations at the palace for the reception of a large party in thecourse of three weeks.
Sir Carte, as usual, did wonders. There was, fortunately for hisemployer, no time to build or paint, but some dingy rooms were hung withscarlet cloth; cart-loads of new furniture were sent down; the theatrewas re-burnished; the stables put in order; and, what was of infinitelymore importance in the estimation of all Englishmen, the neglected pilewas 'well aired.'