John, and down the valley, on one
of the slopes, we saw the Enchanted Castle. Thence we drove along by the
course of the Greta, and soon arrived at Keswick, which lies at the base
of Skiddaw, and among a brotherhood of picturesque eminences, and is
itself a compact little town, with a market-house, built of the old
stones of the Earl of Derwentwater's ruined castle, standing in the
centre,--the principal street forking into two as it passes it. We
alighted at the King's Arms, and went in search of Southey's residence,
which we found easily enough, as it lies just on the outskirts of the
town. We inquired of a group of people, two of whom, I thought, did not
seem to know much about the matter; but the third, an elderly man,
pointed it out at once,--a house surrounded by trees, so as to be seen
only partially, and standing on a little eminence, a hundred yards or so
from the road.
We went up a private lane that led to the rear of the place, and so
penetrated quite into the back-yard without meeting anybody,--passing a
small kennel, in which were two hounds, who gazed at us, but neither
growled nor wagged their tails. The house is three stories high, and
seems to have a great deal of room in it, so as not to discredit its
name, "Greta Hall,"--a very spacious dwelling for a poet. The windows
were nearly all closed; there were no signs of occupancy, but a general
air of neglect. S-----, who is bolder than I in these matters, ventured
through what seemed a back garden gate, and I soon heard her in
conversation with some man, who now presented himself, and proved to be a
gardener.
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