Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 215: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—_——<<<$—$ 202 JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. pearance: yet was there nothing cheerless in the assemblage of their skeleton boughs; while the numbers of evergreens, amassed or interspersed in every direction, and the large sloping grass-plat in front of the edifice, together with the green surface of the orchard-grounds, afforded a suf- ficiency of verdure to render the scene most agree- able to the eye. The boat touched at another jetty, exactly facing the one where I had em- barked: and here there was another picturesque little house, precisely resembling that on the oppo- site side. At least a dozen boats were moored beneath wooden coverings supported on piles rising out of the water; and several of these vessels were stately barges, evidently to be rowed each by at least a dozen persons. I landed at this jetty; and with my box on my shoulder, bent my way to the mansion,—the front entrance of which was something more than a quarter of a mile from the ferry-house where I had just debarked. CHAPTER XLI. INCH METHGLIN. Tue front door under the modern-lookime ‘portico, was shut; and I did not like to make “my first of the way round to the domestics’ offices. In a few minutes I reached the Gothic gateway already al- luded to; and a wicket in one ef the two massive folding-doors, stood open. A porter in a handsome livery, at once came out, and asked me if ‘I were ° . | the young man who was expected. On receiving | I was received with a friendliness which at once made me feel quite at home. A footman ascended to the drawing-room, to inform Mr. Vennachar that I had come; and in a few minutes I was de- sired to go up and speak to my new master. The footman led me across the court-yard, into a vesti- bule in the back part of the building—thence through a passage to a large hall, with marble floor and pillars, entirely in the modern style, and which communicated with the portico already mentioned. We ascended a wide and magnificent staircase—reached a landing, whence corridors led off to the different parts of the building, and whence the drawing-room itself opened. This drawing-room was spacious and handsomely fur- nished: but still amongst the ornaments, might be seen several which indicated the Chief’s predilec- tion for emblems of bygone times, even while suf- fering himself to be carried on by the stream of modern tastes and refinements. There were sta- tuettes of bronze, representing tartan-clad High- landers, under glass-covers; and even the or-molu timepieces on the mantels of the two fire-places, ‘represented warriors similarly apparelled. I had almost expected to find the chief himself dressed in the ‘fulltphamed Highland costume; ‘and I was therefore -rather ‘surprised to behold a gentleman whose apparel was "precisely that which he would have wworn if a resident in the British metro- summons there. I accordingly passed on in seareh |) “Mr. Vennachar was about sixty years of age: ‘but so well did he carry his years so upright was his fine tall form,*so florid his complexion, so well preserved his teeth,and so bright hisdark eyes— that he could have easily passed for fifty. His hair, which had evidently once been dark, had only an affirmative response, he kindly bade me wel- | changed half-way towards the whiteness ofvold come ; and conducted me into a vast and lofty hall, | age: that is to ‘say, it was of an iron-gtay—and decorated with countless emblems and trophies of | there was not the shghtestappearance of baldness warfare and of the chase. Banners and shields—!on the crown. — Hisyprofile was hawrhtily hand- claymores and targets—broadswords and branch- |.some : his Jooks expressed the consciousness of dis- ing antlers—the heads of stags and of boars— /tinction‘and riches,“mingled with generosity and dirks and sporrans, were everywhere suspended to | highsmindedness. ‘The pride, too, which that the walls. A fine-looking man, at least six feet | countenance denoted was blended with the intel- two inches in height—dressed in the full Highland | ligence that \sat “wpon his wide open forehead. costume, with a perfect cloud of black plumage | surmounting his bonnet, and floating over on his left shoulder—was seated on a bench, doing some- thing to a set of bagpipes; and this individual I presently learnt to be the Chief’s piper. The porter paused for a few moments in the His demeanour was stately, syet mot overbearing : it was full of dignity, tempered with a well-bred urbanity of manner. He spoke in the tone of one who all his life had been accustomed to command and to be obeyed—but yet neither with sternness nor severity, much less with a despotic attempt to midst of the hall—glanced slowly around in solemn | overawe or browbeat. His condescension was admiration of the trophies gathered there—and | mingled with kindness; and when he addressed’ then beaut his eyes upon me, with the evident pur- me, it was with the air of one who felt himself to pose of ascertaining what effect the spectacle pro- be infinitely my superior, but who nevertheless did duced upon my-mind. I made some observation | not intend to shame or humiliate me with the con- of a flattering nature:-the porter smiled in a half sciousness of my own inferiority. He spoke, in dignified, half kind manner: he evidently identi- | short, as if, though a superior, he also considered fied himself to a certain extent with ¢he pride of | himself in the light of a paternal protector from the family to whose household he belonged—ana ie | the very moment I entered his service; and that was therefore pleased at the idea that I was duly though dis place was the drawing-room and mine impressed with all that was before my eyes. He “the servants’-hall, yet that he took a pride in ren- led me on, through corridors and passages, into the | dering his domestics as happy, as contented, and servants’ hali,—which looked upon a spacious | as comfortable as possible. ‘Such was the estimate court-yard at the back of the mansion; and by the | which in a very few minutes I formed of the Chief size of the table in this apartment, I at once calcu-,j of Inch Methglin; and my subsequent experience lated that it must be meant for the accommodation | of his character led to little or no alteration in my of at least thirty dependants. Some ten or a dozen | opinion. servants, male and female, were grouped therein, But before I continue’ my narrative, I must conversation; and when the porter introduced me, | particularly speak of those-°whom I found in the ECORNC Oe (C KS (C(O) im