404 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Dec, 21, 1S82. 



at our feet wen- meadows, from whose hazel-capped hedges 

 lusty hares tire siill seasonably dethroned by spaniels to skim 

 the ground before eontestlng'givyhounds. Hire, too, were 

 winding waters with tempting nooks and holes, where 

 "partridge hackle" and "blue dun" yei levy heavilyon April 

 trout, and where not infrccjuentlv a kingly salmon succumbs 

 i.o (lie in ui lr met i urcs of a subtle wrist.* On these banks 

 th' ancient sport of otter bunting obtains to-day, and fine 

 Veterans live who know no pleasure like that afforded by a 

 pack of black and tans— noti himph of the chase cqual'to 

 the spearing of the "brigand of the- Stream," Away in the 

 distance smoke curled up among the trees from a sturdy 

 parsOnagc, whose genial master, at home alike in the pulpit 

 and the pigskin, niinislen.nl to the spiritual health of his par- 

 ishioners at the bead of his loyal congregation, and to their 

 bodily health at the head of a plucky pack of harriers. 

 Patches of coppice everywhere. Further inland were 

 furz i-coveri'd commons over which the deep-mouthed dogs 

 from Bicton led the scarlet jackets and t i.,rk green bahrts 



of tne fox hunt. 



Our pulses quicken, our nerves tingle as memory lingers 

 on the bounding Jubilee of "Full cry!" What magic si nun 

 can touch t lie 'sportsman's heart like the music of the 

 hounds as it h borne over the heather— what orchestra or 

 choir can breathe such numbers, when like mystic forest 

 bells, il peals I he glory of tin: chase through woodland in a 

 valleyl Further still, on the horizon, were hills which 

 pointed far awaj toward the northern part of the county, 

 where romantic solitudes insure the angler's paradise, and 

 wild red deer yield noble sport on the weird wastes of 

 Dartmoor, 



But tin- clamped and studded door was opened to us, and 

 we passed in through the hall, an armory of redes— Im- 

 potent guns, fantastic swords, and ponderous spurs, pikes 

 and spears, halberds and habergeons, casques and crossbows, 

 and such en-lues, lined the walls of the library, whetewe 

 found genial Squire Dick and his wife, who warmly wel- 

 comed us. The heartiness of the English country house 

 was no more genuine wueu barons of beef and pond-like 

 tankards were its massive tokens than it is to-day. Its spirit 

 remains as ind'CenoUS and unimpeachable as the oak, and tew 

 more worthy exponents of it could be found sf any time 

 than, were seen in tue master and mistress of Hollywood, 

 who, without chick or child of their own, were wont to es- 

 peeial'v contribute to the pleasure of young people. Three 

 m four other vis, tors arrived within' a ri':i\ or two— Mrs. 

 Bower, a Cortish lady, with a pretty blark-eyed daughter, 

 and Miss .lessel, a sprightly blonde; tlienlhere was Edwards, 

 a Manchester muu, who had beeu something or other in 

 India and looked as if a good deal of him may have 

 been something or other there then,, and jovial Hardy, the 

 barrister. 



it was pleasant enough: the boom of the pheasant from 

 the. saplings in the copses, and the whirr of the woodcock 

 among the bottles and alders of as likely ground as anv ever 

 worked by dogs, followed by the cheerful even.ogs, the cosy 

 diuncis, the songs and games, and occasional dances at 

 home and abroad. 1 like to think of these tilings now— they 

 wetv thrilling then, I dOUbl if poor Weston ever found 

 iii- sheep s'aiiou in New Zealand productive of more fun. 

 5 l si ij - "I circulation possibly never venture to traverse (he 

 desiccated remains of my good friend Edwards wiMi more 

 energy than when thoughts of Hollywood are propagated 

 tie ihe stoves and hot water pipes ot his den in Bayswater. 

 Hardy, the counsel learned in the law, who dropped ins 

 circuit long ago to settle into parochial dignity and s,,ifl. his 

 steady hand from the triggers of Joe Manton to the scales of 

 local justice ana the adjustment of poor law matters; must 

 now and then think as lie surveys the tumuli which bound 

 eaelt gaiter or each boot, of well walked days in marsh and 

 cover, and of nights well tripped iu manor and in hall. Per 

 haps many a man. on reviewing his felicities, may stumble 

 on a distinction when days of flax and feather and' nights of 

 wax candles oid white kids march past his memory's in- 

 spection. Enchanting limes, truly, Were these, when the 

 OIUSIC Of I he double-barrel awoke "the echoes of the woods 

 for them fo melt into the whispers of bright eighteen coyly 

 lingeiing on the arm Of brave live and twenty . 



. possessed the ins'inel- of a sportsman, and as no 

 spoitsmau would ever leave the rovers for the sake of "a 

 quiel shot at tin rabbits in the cliffs," I knew, of course, 

 tuat he was now and then merely prospecting for S chat 

 with the buoyant Agnes. Time flew rapidly. The first 

 rloyfl of ' hii-inee- welt gone— Christmas with 'its glad Festi- 

 val, its ii !■■■, line..- and enrols, its boar's head and its tnouu 

 tai ..a, <>]' beet, its lusty poultry und its SUave porch, R H mid- 

 night mummers and posset i and mulled wine. We would 

 soon have to return to London. One blustering evening lo- 

 ii lit close of oil) visit, when some reverend port had 

 by no means diminished the cosiness which is always rlif- 



In-d bi ■ ci -.ling hearth, judicious lijrht and crimson 



curtains, the conversation drifted inlo observations on the 

 supernatural. 



•it is proverbial," said Edward, "thai the seaside is pro- 

 line of the mysterious; the voices of the waves seem potent 



nriiig 'spirits which find rifting quarters iu the wild 



scenery Of the en, si." 



' Dear me." laughed Bessje Jessel, "what a weird melody 



resounds through the enrerasand chasms of that sentiment." 

 ■ I -iid Kale Bower, "the cl'ffs and rocks com- 

 pose for \Ir. I'.ilwa ds a dreary opera of sighs and shadows. 



lb Chorus of shrieks from ghostly gnlls and a scenery 

 of cerements in seaweed." 



"Air. Edwards is rightist alluding to the prevalence of 

 superstition on the coast," said Mis. Btwer. 



■ Ves." quoili the. Squire, --it will be an interesting game 

 When education checkmates superstition. 1 know spots it 

 wi-nld be difficult to get volunteers from other ranks lhan 

 those of the farmers, boatmen or coastguard, to visit at 

 midnight," 



"Still it sometimes occurs that the nearest neighbors are 

 tlii sit who ire the less exercised by alleged apparitions, and 

 this always seemed to me to be ariul for the ghosts to crack," 



li -if ■ ."Bowman. 



"Of course," Hardy chimed iu. "it is monstrous that the 

 sentimental eobwehs ot a dark age should now leave a film 

 behind Ihun in the minds of sane people." 



"My dear Hardy, 1 am delighted lo hear you fo express 

 yourself." said the Squire, -'fornix wife tells me that, some 

 trounle with the fireplace iu your room will oblige us to 

 place the linui led chamber at your disposal to-night." 



"Eh — V fireplace? 0, you' are very kind; but you are 

 joking, you know," said Hardy, changing color a littc and 

 smiling in a feeble way, "it would be a privilege to chal- 

 lenge anything in carnal garb; but, 1 say— still of course 1 

 shall be delighted." 



"All of which simply demonstrates," said the Squire, 



"that many of us who think ourselves proof to these influ- 

 ences or vapors are not quite so invulnerable as at, times we 

 imagine." 



"How delightfull'' chirped Bessie, "I knew this sweet, 

 romantic old place musthave something chilling— curdling — 

 about it. Isn't it f lorious, Kale, to feel near a real. ancient 

 tragic gem set. in a genuine haunted room, dear'/" 



"Charming." cried Kate, "and Mr. Hardy be sure and 

 give us the particulars at breakfast; it may.be nothing 

 worse than a back view of a wailing lady, iu dishevelled 

 hair, wringing her hands at a rickety mirror, you know." 



"Or a poor gentleman who, having lost his head in the 

 flesh, secures it now by tucking it under his arm in lieu of 

 a cocked hat," said Weston. 



"But what is the leircnd of the haunted room: may we 

 have it r" 1 asked. 



"first of all. Hardy, rest contented." said the Squire; 

 "we won't give you such dismal quarters to-night, for 

 should you escape the antics of spectres, you would cer- 

 tainly be killed by cramps, for the room, detached as it is. 

 has never been opened in my time. The locks are rusted 

 and the windows are barred as they were at my advent, and 

 1 shall leave them so for whoever "may come after me. If 

 ghost there be 1 have ncvei violated its taste by meddling 

 with the cobwebs and the mildew of its bower." But some 

 of you have heard ol f tame Kosamond's Rock? No? Well, 

 its history is shortly told, and if its character lias been 

 established by fiction the treacheries of the imagination 

 have worked powerfully with the people, for 1 have seen 

 men who well understood the hauuliug of boarding-pike 

 and cut! iss, whose teeth have Chattered after a nocturnal 

 view of it. It lies on the beach about half way between this 

 place and Seaford. As you double the elill and go along the 

 path in !he undercliffs, Its size will distinguish it; you see a. 

 flat surface, about a quarter of an acre or more, easily acces- 

 sible fiom either side between the crags and boulders on the 

 beach; but with a sharp shelf toward Ihe sen, widen over- 

 hangs a deep hollow at iis base kept full by the tide. It is a 

 lonesome place, and the iuttings of the cliffs; cut off the view 

 of any habitation tiom t'ne coast; the solitary house of old 

 Sam Avers, in a sheltered dip on the cliUs, is of course 

 invisible from the beach. Now the tragic end of poor 

 Rosamond has shadowed the lock with her history, and 

 the haunted room was her chamber. Giles Bowman was 

 the gr.in.dson of that Humphrey who croaked with Crom- 

 well; and inheriting fanaticism from Humphrey, Giles 

 supplemented it with f, roeity of his own. Cant and brutal- 

 ity are weeds which frequently thrive in the same soil, and 

 their combined properties have often insured horrors lo 

 families, and ghosts of tradition. Rosamond, without 

 a livimr relative" and poor and young and beautiful, married 

 Giles shortly after he buried his first wife, who left a sou, 

 I am happv'to say, or i don't, see how I should be here to- 

 night. All the brightness of life was destroyed for poor 

 Rosamond by tnc morose and self-righteous ruffian lo whom 

 she was sacrificed. Her spirit was 'unseemly behavior,' 

 her wit was 'profitless jargon,' her beauty was* a 'satanic 

 snare enmeshing her to earth.' If she smiled it was •levity/ 

 if she laughed she a .vokc Ihe 'echoes of imps.' Ground- 

 less jealousies arose; hardship was increased and heaped 

 upon her; injustice, the whole code in lad of supreme 

 cruelty, widen hypocrisy prescribes under the symbols 

 of religious zeal, was visited on its victim. The old, chamber 

 up-stairs was her refuge and prison; in it she became a 

 mother, and from it some months after she stole with her 

 child into the starlight of a winter night. Some men who 

 had been merrymaking and who were going home, late were 

 greatly terrified by a figure they saw hurrying toward the 

 rocks, a female figure iu liglit ; raiment, winch pressed 

 something closely (o its bosom, and as it kept quickly on 

 its course "hv the" aid of a pendent, lantern, a Strange and 

 mournful chant— a dirge poured from its lips iu tones of 

 heart-stirring sadness. The next, day Dams Kosamond was 

 missing; the story of the vision seen by Ihe men i cached 

 Hollywood, the coast was scoured, and the hodiis of the 

 poor lady and her infant were found in the trough below 

 thesuriace of the rock — the child in the strong grip of its 

 mother witli its baud entangled in her hair and hidden with 

 it by shells and sand. Tjus died poor Rosamond, and you 

 will see that according to the generally accepted conditions 

 of the supernatural there ale some- data for the stories 

 of the villagers and the terrors of the servants' hall." 



"1 declare, Mr. Bowman," said Bessie, "this legend ra 

 plainly true and ixaspeialing; for Ihe justice of fiction 

 would' have contrived the uuuoing of the good Gib B, have 

 made him roam the beach in fits of remorse, and have 

 tripped him into the sea by one of those jui.y fronds of weed 

 which play orange peel on tlie bouldcts." 



"In order thai" his saintly shade may have risen and fallen 

 with the tide for a few centuries," "said Kate: "but I am 

 glad that the room of his tortured wife is shut up; there 

 was little to endear her to it in life, and therefore as an or- 

 thodox phantom she should be wUulj attached to it now," 

 "Ah. it is all very well," Edwards exclaimed in a foggy 

 way; "but how do you account for the numberless records, 

 the universal impressions as to spirits? Of . course though 

 —that is, there is no knowing — i mean who knows, yon 

 know ?" 



The next morning the party broke up. till the visitors left 

 except Weston and I, and we remained over the following 

 day lo dine with two or three voung fellows, late pupils of 

 jolly Dr. llarnblyn Hill o£ Seafo.d, who were down from 

 the hospitals for the holidays, and were spending a day cr 

 two with th ir old tutor. The Doctor's hospitality" and 

 sterling humor drew us quickly through a long evening; it 

 must have been near midnigiit when we left" his dooY to 

 walk back lo Hollywood. 



It was a sharp, moonless night, and the stars were blurred 

 with halos of mist ; still there was light, enough forus to find 

 our way, as we turned up our coat collars and followed the 

 path in" the undercliffs. Not a breath of wind wassiiiriug, 

 and the waves were only heard as they now and then flung 

 themselves in flirts upon the pebbles. This dreary stillness 

 was in no way relieved by the warbling of a distant owl, 

 which came toohooiuc down the valley from the ancient 

 elms around Seaford church, until it was muffled by the ris- 

 ing cliff. Here the tackling of a flagstaff loomed against 

 the sky like the mast of a spectre ship, and told us of the 

 last house in the village; soon, too, we passed the murky 

 fishing boats, which looked like monsters sleeping on the 

 sand, "and in a few minutes we found ourselves iu the denser 

 solitude of the rocks. 1 do not remember that wo were 

 conversing much ; pet haps we were influenced eomewhnl 

 by the hour ..nd place, and were content with reflection aud 

 our cigars; we must have been half way back to Hollywood. 

 "Hark;" cried Weston, as he halted a little in advance 

 of me. 



A voice was floating about the coast, ahead of us, a voice 

 Faintly rising and falling in the distance as it trolled the 

 numbers of some sad unearthly muse. We stood silently 

 wondering tit the strange sounds as they chimed clearer and 

 clearer among nature's monuments on the beach, and in- 

 fluenced us by their weird and pensive melancholy. Still 

 nearer; then the voice was hushed. Weston grasped my 

 arm, and following the direction ids grip indicated, 1 saw 

 6 pale light creep slowlv round a boulder al an augle in the 

 path about a gunshot in front of us. My frieno's Angers 

 buried themselves in my arm, and my lire, th came quick, i sa 

 female figure, fully iluimined by the light, glided into view. 

 Draped in a white cloak and 'hood With a small lantern 

 banging from the waist, 'with pallid countenance and eyes 

 east dow a, and pressing a bundle of something tightly to its 

 breast, the figure steadily approached us. " We stepped 

 under partial cover; this unpleasant wanderer would pass 

 us. it was close— not. twenty paces from us, but no, the 

 shiver that hovered over me melted into a glow: the appar- 

 ition turned on its right, and sped toward Ihe sea It was 

 eighty yards or more to high water mark and the sickly 

 gleam of that sepulchral lamp kept flitting between the 

 ci ags toward il. Now 1 have no wish to depict ourselvc, as bold 

 ana emotionless exploieis in the premises, on the contiaiy. 

 1 believe that neither of us had ever been so terrified before. 

 I also believe, should any of my readers denounce excite 

 ment under the circumstances, that had they been in our 

 shoes they would have beeu just as agitated as we were. 

 But we fell impelled to stalk this gbost'y game, or rather lo 

 hover respectfully in ils rear. Presently it emerged fioin 

 the debris of beach and appeared plainly on a broad uisiiuel, 

 expanse of rising rock, i In; dark outline of which was cleaily 

 visible. It stood motionless a-s a statue for about a minute, 

 then a piercing wail seemed to ring through, every crevice 

 of the cove, aud the figure was gone. We pushed on to 

 the rock, and standiug on it, we could see nothing save the 

 dark sea and hear nothing but the low- murmuis of the 

 waves. We. walked cautiously to the edge lacing the sea, 

 directly below was a black, siill body of watei, a nariow 

 pool evidently left by high tides, whose shady depths only 

 seemed more gloomy by reflecting the feeble glimmer of tne 

 stars. 



_ Did not every circumstance connected with the appari- 

 tion, every feature of its person and bearing and progress 

 correspond with a description we had heard? Was noi the 

 scene oi Its chilling disappearance identical with the spot 

 described in the legend— were we not then standing on 

 Dame Rosamond's Rock i 



No, my fair sceptic, I cannot offer you a mount for a 

 triumpha'nt canter Over the picturesque waste of total absti- 

 nence; the appearance was no vapor issuing from the 

 cellar; it. was not a structural arrangement of tne fumes of 

 the Doctor's punch. Aud you, my metaphysical friend, I 

 can assure you this was no smoke from the ashes of con- 

 suming sturf\ , uor the withered fruit of sleepless nights; it 

 Was neither the creature of fantasy nor an elfect of natural 

 magic; but was a weird and mysterious truth seen aud 

 heard by both of us, and by each identified in the smallest 

 particular. 



In l hose days people from this part part of the coast used 

 to have to drive lo Exeter, or get there by it public convey- 

 ance, in order to start for London, and tlie "progress" flora 

 Seaford to Exeter, if that term can denote a backward move, 

 usually occupied US milch time as the journey from Seainid 

 to London does uow. We resolved nol to mention our ex- 

 periences at Hollywood, and Ihe next morning, having sent 

 on our portmanteaus aud bade adieu to our kind host aud 

 hostess, we walked over the cliffs to Seaford to lake passage 

 to Exeter by that, locally famous chariot, the Bus. 



We. thought, of course, of the mystery of the night as we 

 looked down through a cloud of chattering jackdaws on the 

 rooks below. As we passed old Aycrs's place the charming 

 -Agnes came hurrying toward ns on her way back from Sea- 

 lord. 



"A glorious .lay, Miss ,\yers," cried Weston m he pre- 

 sented me. 



I willingly admit that Agnes looked every inch a beauti- 

 ful woman, fresh in the bloom of health, and free and 

 piquant as the crisp, clear morning air we breathed. 



"How a;i atmosphere like this," said 1, ''brings out the 

 scenery; how sharp the grand outlines of the coast appear; 

 tiny must be the features of an old friend to you. Miss 

 Ayers— one that it would he painful to miss." 



■Yes: there is a charm about, my home and its surround- 

 ings for me. 1 love the hills and valleys, and the cliffs and 

 rocks, and their o d-time stories and tradition-." 

 "Alt, their traditions?" 



"Yes. 1 cried Agues, looking in a queer way at the hori- 

 zon, "the local deeds of uariug and bits of romance, and the 

 neighboring ghosts, you know." 

 "Ghosts V" 



'Acs, of course; but that reminds tne; do you believe hi 

 dreams! J had the queerest and most vivid dream last night; 

 I dreamed that 1 w as one. 



"I am very glad that your looks belie your dream," said 

 I, "we have bait enough — " 



"One moment, pray, said Weston, as Agnes turned lo 

 go, "can you nut lavor us with some remembrances of 

 phantom laud?" 



The odd look seemed to strengthen as she replied: "You 

 must not bet my mt then; not lhal it matters much now, for 

 although 1 have fancied m\ sell among the shadows beiore 

 this and have enjoyed it, 1 "doubt if I shall mingle with lie m 

 again. This is all 1 know," she exclaimed, averting flu ex- 

 clamation of mine, "but muik, 'twas bul a (beam, I 

 thought that my i ood father had beeu amending to .some 

 final business transactions with a gt .nil, .man m ' neil.ouig: 

 tnat as he and his comrades were looking after the fruits of 

 their last enterprise among the rocks, It was feared thai 

 certain of the coast guaid, who were known to enteitain a 

 very pi oper dread of the supernatural, may be visiting the 

 neighooihoo'l and iiileileiiug with the rewards of their in- 

 dustry, if seemed to me, so enthusiastic was 1, lhat I 

 playe'd the role of the ghost of Hollywood Manor, with 

 whose history of course \nu are familiar, in ratter to sCour 

 the coast ot intruders. You seem interested: well, ihe ludi- 

 crous pai t is to follow. 1 fancied also, 60 tricky are the 

 whims of dreams, that I had received my cue from my 

 lather at the appearance of two honest gentlemen who had 

 been dining OUl, and who were mistaken by him for the 

 watch; it was while apologizing fo LUeU] for having bin-d 

 them to a rehearsal ol the tragedy and lor having hit then? 

 bewildered and shivering ou name Kosajnonu's Hock that I 

 awoke " 



The strange expression gave way to a titter, and before 

 either of us could stammer a response. Agues had disap- 

 peared in her father's garden. 



