CHAPTER IX 



BEDFORDSHIRE! SILSOE AND LEIGHTON BUZZARD 



It was some time in May or June of 1838 that we left Turvey 

 for Silsoe, where my brother had some temporary work. I 

 walked there, starting very early — I think about four or five 

 in the morning; and a few miles from the village a fine fox 

 jumped over a bank into the road a few yards in front of me, 

 trotted quietly over, and disappeared into a field or copse on 

 the other side. Never before or since have I seen a wild fox 

 so near or had such a good view of one. I breakfasted at 

 Bedford, and then walked to Silsoe. 



This very small village is an appanage of Wrest Park, the 

 seat of Earl de Grey, and is about halfway between Luton 

 and Bedford. It consisted of a large inn with a considerable 

 posting business, a few small houses, cottages, and one or two 

 shops, and, like most such villages, it is no larger to-day than 

 it was then. We boarded at the inn kept by a Mr. Carter, 

 whose wife and two daughters, nice, well-educated people, 

 took an active part in the management. At this time it was 

 very full of visitors in consequence of the work of building a 

 fine new mansion then in progress and nearing completion. 

 The architect and his clerk of the works were usually there, 

 as was Mr. Brown, a nephew of the agent, and the lively 

 young gentleman, Mr. A., who had been with us at Barton. 

 Besides these, there were others who came for short periods, 

 among whom I particularly remember a grave middle-aged 

 man in black, whose conversation with my brother showed 

 literary tastes and good education which caused me to be 

 much surprised when I learned that he was there solely to 

 make the working drawings for the handrails of the principal 

 staircase, and to superintend their proper execution. I re- 



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