CLEVELAND HALL. 51 



amends for an early dinner, and then retired to 

 rest. The room into which I was shown savoured 

 strongly of ghosts. Indeed my companion had 

 previously told me that the old mansion was sup- 

 posed to be haunted, and that one or two of the 

 more timid damsels had actually been confronted 

 by some deceased member of the Blount family. 

 Lady Blount had however declared that she would 

 dismiss from her service any servant who should be 

 so unfortunate as to see a ghost, and since that 

 time not one had made its appearance. In spite of 

 black-looking old tapestry, gloomy curtains, and a 

 curiously wrought counterpane of former times, I 

 slept soundly till I was awoke by the ringing of a 

 bell. As I had been duly informed the evening 

 before of the custom of the family, I took care to 

 be ready to go into the chapel at eight o'clock, 

 where the service was performed in the same man- 

 ner as it had been done on the preceding evening. 



After breakfast I was shewn such parts of the 

 house as were most curious, especially the bed in 

 which Charles the First had slept after one of the 

 unsuccessful battles he had fought with the Par- 

 liamentary forces. A portrait of himself was over 

 the fire-place, which he had sent as a present to 

 Sir Jasper Blount,* in gratitude for the hospitality 



* The Blount, or rather the Le Blount family was descended 

 from Sir Robert and Sir William Le Blount, who came in with 

 William the Conqueror. The former was baron of Irksworth, and 



