It is said that the Squire winks hard at his misdeeds,
having an indulgent feeling towards the vagabond, because of his being
very expert at all kinds of games, a great shot with the cross-bow,
and the best morris-dancer in the country.
The Squire also suffers the gang to lurk unmolested about the skirts
of his estate, on condition that they do not come about the house. The
approaching wedding, however, has made a kind of Saturnalia at the
Hall, and has caused a suspension of all sober rule. It has produced a
great sensation throughout the female part of the household; not a
housemaid but dreams of wedding favours, and has a husband running in
her head. Such a time is a harvest for the gipsies: there is a public
footpath leading across one part of the park, by which they have free
ingress, and they are continually hovering about the grounds, telling
the servant-girls' fortunes, or getting smuggled in to the young
ladies.
I believe the Oxonian amuses himself very much by furnishing them with
hints in private, and bewildering all the weak brains in the house
with their wonderful revelations. The general certainly was very much
astonished by the communications made to him the other evening by the
gipsy girl: he kept a wary silence towards us on the subject, and
affected to treat it lightly; but I have noticed that he has since
redoubled his attentions to Lady Lillycraft and her dogs.
Pages:
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326