In the
interior was a mingled display of Heer Antony's taste and habits, and
of the opulence of his predecessors. The chambers were furnished with
good old mahogany; the beau-fets and cupboards glittered with embossed
silver, and painted china. Over the parlour fire-place was, as usual,
the family coat-of-arms, painted and framed; above which was a long
duck fowling-piece, flanked by an Indian pouch, and a powder horn. The
room was decorated with many Indian articles, such as pipes of peace,
tomahawks, scalping-knives, hunting pouches, and belts of wampum; and
there were various kinds of fishing tackle, and two or three
fowling-pieces in the corners. The household affairs seemed to be
conducted, in some measure, after the master's humours; corrected,
perhaps, by a little quiet management of the daughter's. There was a
degree of patriarchal simplicity, and good-humoured indulgence. The
negroes came into the room without being called, merely to look at
their master, and hear of his adventures; they would stand listening
at the door until he had finished a story, and then go off on a broad
grin, to repeat it in the kitchen. A couple of pet negro children were
playing about the floor with the dogs, and sharing with them their
bread and butter.
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