A TALE OF HIGH LIFE. 87 



Park, and had a remarkable story to be told of it ; but so 



constantly did she anticipate our knowledge, taking for granted 

 that we knew all that had occurred until within a short time, that 

 it was long before we could at all understand the news about it. 

 As you are probably equally ignorant, I will tell you the tale 

 connectedly, as we finally got it. 



It had been the property of Sir T , who occupied the Hall 



in it until his death, a year or two ago, and had been in his family 

 many hundred years. The estate included several villages the 

 whole of them, every house and shop, even the churches and 

 was valued at 800,000 ($4,000,000). On the death of Sir T., 

 Sir W., his son, inherited his title and estate. But Sir "W. was 

 a sporting man, and had previously gambled himself in debt to 

 Jews in London 600,000. He came to the Hall, however, and 

 remained there some time, keeping two packs of hounds. He 

 was a good landlord, and the family were beloved. Lady M. 

 had established and maintained a National (church) School ; and 

 in the winter was in the habit of serving out a large quantity of 

 soup every day to the poor of the estate. But at length the 

 bailiffs came, and Sir W. went to France, and his family dispers- 

 ed among their relatives all over the kingdom. Lady M. last 

 winter had been very ill, and nothing ailed her, the physicians 

 said, but sorrow. 



And now they were going to sell it they did not know how 

 they could but they showed us a considerable volume, illustra- 

 ted with maps and lithographs, of " plans and particulars" of the 



estate, on the first page of which " Messrs. had the honor 



to announce that they had been instructed by the honorable pro- 

 prietor, to sell at auction, on a certain six days, upwards of fifteen 

 hundred acres of very fine rich land, let to an old and respectable 



tenantry, including the whole of the town of , together with 



several manors and manorial rights, which have been commuted 





