CHAPTERI——ADAMSALTONARRIVES

AdamSaltonsaunteredintotheEmpireClub，Sydney，andfoundawaitinghimaletterfromhisgrand—uncle。Hehadfirstheardfromtheoldgentlemanlessthanayearbefore，whenRichardSaltonhadclaimedkinship，statingthathehadbeenunabletowriteearlier，ashehadfounditverydifficulttotracehisgrand—nephew’saddress。Adamwasdelightedandrepliedcordially;hehadoftenheardhisfatherspeakoftheolderbranchofthefamilywithwhomhispeoplehadlonglosttouch。Someinterestingcorrespondencehadensued。Adameagerlyopenedtheletterwhichhadonlyjustarrived，andconveyedacordialinvitationtostopwithhisgrand—uncleatLesserHill，foraslongatimeashecouldspare。

"Indeed，"RichardSaltonwenton，"Iaminhopesthatyouwillmakeyourpermanenthomehere。Yousee，mydearboy，youandIareallthatremainofourrace，anditisbutfittingthatyoushouldsucceedmewhenthetimecomes。Inthisyearofgrace，1860，Iamcloseoneightyyearsofage，andthoughwehavebeenalong—livedrace，thespanoflifecannotbeprolongedbeyondreasonablebounds。

Iampreparedtolikeyou，andtomakeyourhomewithmeashappyasyoucouldwish。Sodocomeatonceonreceiptofthis，andfindthewelcomeIamwaitingtogiveyou。Isend，incasesuchmaymakematterseasyforyou，abanker’sdraftfor200pounds。Comesoon，sothatwemaybothofusenjoymanyhappydaystogether。Ifyouareabletogivemethepleasureofseeingyou，sendmeassoonasyoucanalettertellingmewhentoexpectyou。ThenwhenyouarriveatPlymouthorSouthamptonorwhateverportyouareboundfor，waitonboard，andIwillmeetyouattheearliesthourpossible。"

OldMr。SaltonwasdelightedwhenAdam’sreplyarrivedandsentagroomhot—foottohiscrony，SirNathanieldeSalis，toinformhimthathisgrand—nephewwasdueatSouthamptononthetwelfthofJune。

Mr。Saltongaveinstructionstohavereadyacarriageearlyontheimportantday，tostartforStafford，wherehewouldcatchthe11。40

a。m。train。Hewouldstaythatnightwithhisgrand—nephew，eitherontheship，whichwouldbeanewexperienceforhim，or，ifhisguestshouldpreferit，atahotel。Ineithercasetheywouldstartintheearlymorningforhome。HehadgiveninstructionstohisbailifftosendthepostillioncarriageontoSouthampton，tobereadyfortheirjourneyhome，andtoarrangeforrelaysofhisownhorsestobesentonatonce。Heintendedthathisgrand—nephew，whohadbeenallhislifeinAustralia，shouldseesomethingofruralEnglandonthedrive。Hehadplentyofyounghorsesofhisownbreedingandbreaking，andcoulddependonajourneymemorabletotheyoungman。TheluggagewouldbesentonbyrailtoStafford，whereoneofhiscartswouldmeetit。Mr。Salton，duringthejourneytoSouthampton，oftenwonderedifhisgrand—nephewwasasmuchexcitedashewasattheideaofmeetingsoneararelationforthefirsttime;anditwaswithaneffortthathecontrolledhimself。TheendlessrailwaylinesandswitchesroundtheSouthamptonDocksfiredhisanxietyafresh。

Asthetraindrewuponthedockside，hewasgettinghishandtrapstogether，whenthecarriagedoorwaswrenchedopenandayoungmanjumpedin。

"Howareyou，uncle？Irecognisedyoufromthephotoyousentme！

IwantedtomeetyouassoonasIcould，buteverythingissostrangetomethatIdidn’tquiteknowwhattodo。However，hereI

am。Iamgladtoseeyou，sir。Ihavebeendreamingofthishappinessforthousandsofmiles;nowIfindthattherealitybeatsallthedreaming！"Ashespoketheoldmanandtheyoungonewereheartilywringingeachother’shands。

Themeetingsoauspiciouslybegunproceededwell。Adam，seeingthattheoldmanwasinterestedinthenoveltyoftheship，suggestedthatheshouldstaythenightonboard，andthathewouldhimselfbereadytostartatanyhourandgoanywherethattheothersuggested。

Thisaffectionatewillingnesstofallinwithhisownplansquitewontheoldman’sheart。Hewarmlyacceptedtheinvitation，andatoncetheybecamenotonlyontermsofaffectionaterelationship，butalmostlikeoldfriends。Theheartoftheoldman，whichhadbeenemptyforsolong，foundanewdelight。Theyoungmanfound，onlandingintheoldcountry，awelcomeandasurroundinginfullharmonywithallhisdreamsthroughouthiswanderingsandsolitude，andthepromiseofafreshandadventurouslife。ItwasnotlongbeforetheoldmanacceptedhimtofullrelationshipbycallinghimbyhisChristianname。Afteralongtalkonaffairsofinterest，theyretiredtothecabin，whichtheelderwastoshare。RichardSaltonputhishandsaffectionatelyontheboy’sshoulders——thoughAdamwasinhistwenty—seventhyear，hewasaboy，andalwayswouldbe，tohisgrand—uncle。

"Iamsogladtofindyouasyouare，mydearboy——justsuchayoungmanasIhadalwayshopedforasason，inthedayswhenIstillhadsuchhopes。However，thatisallpast。ButthankGodthereisanewlifetobeginforbothofus。Toyoumustbethelargerpart——

butthereisstilltimeforsomeofittobesharedincommon。I

havewaitedtillweshouldhaveseeneachothertoenteruponthesubject;forIthoughtitbetternottotieupyouryounglifetomyoldonetillweshouldhavesufficientpersonalknowledgetojustifysuchaventure。NowIcan，sofarasIamconcerned，enterintoitfreely，sincefromthemomentmyeyesrestedonyouIsawmyson——asheshallbe，Godwilling——ifhechoosessuchacoursehimself。"

"IndeedIdo，sir——withallmyheart！"

"Thankyou，Adam，forthat。"Theold，man’seyesfilledandhisvoicetrembled。Then，afteralongsilencebetweenthem，hewenton："WhenIheardyouwerecomingImademywill。Itwaswellthatyourinterestsshouldbeprotectedfromthatmomenton。Hereisthedeed——keepit，Adam。AllIhaveshallbelongtoyou;andifloveandgoodwishes，orthememoryofthem，canmakelifesweeter，yoursshallbeahappyone。Now，mydearboy，letusturnin。Westartearlyinthemorningandhavealongdrivebeforeus。Ihopeyoudon’tminddriving？Iwasgoingtohavetheoldtravellingcarriageinwhichmygrandfather，yourgreat—grand—uncle，wenttoCourtwhenWilliamIV。wasking。Itisallright——theybuiltwellinthosedays——andithasbeenkeptinperfectorder。ButIthinkIhavedonebetter：IhavesentthecarriageinwhichItravelmyself。

Thehorsesareofmyownbreeding，andrelaysofthemshalltakeusalltheway。Ihopeyoulikehorses？Theyhavelongbeenoneofmygreatestinterestsinlife。"

"Ilovethem，sir，andIamhappytosayIhavemanyofmyown。MyfathergavemeahorsefarmformyselfwhenIwaseighteen。I

devotedmyselftoit，andithasgoneon。BeforeIcameaway，mystewardgavemeamemorandumthatwehaveinmyownplacemorethanathousand，nearlyallgood。"

"Iamglad，myboy。Anotherlinkbetweenus。"

"Justfancywhatadelightitwillbe，sir，toseesomuchofEngland——andwithyou！"

"Thankyouagain，myboy。Iwilltellyouallaboutyourfuturehomeanditssurroundingsaswego。Weshalltravelinold—

fashionedstate，Itellyou。Mygrandfatheralwaysdrovefour—in—

hand;andsoshallwe。"

"Oh，thanks，sir，thanks。MayItaketheribbonssometimes？"

"Wheneveryouchoose，Adam。Theteamisyourown。Everyhorseweuseto—dayistobeyourown。"

"Youaretoogenerous，uncle！"

"Notatall。Onlyanoldman’sselfishpleasure。Itisnoteverydaythatanheirtotheoldhomecomesback。And——oh，bytheway……No，wehadbetterturninnow——Ishalltellyoutherestinthemorning。"

CHAPTERII——THECASWALLSOFCASTRAREGIS

Mr。Saltonhadallhislifebeenanearlyriser，andnecessarilyanearlywaker。Butearlyashewokeonthenextmorning——andalthoughtherewasanexcusefornotprolongingsleepintheconstantwhirrandrattleofthe"donkey"enginewinchesofthegreatship——hemettheeyesofAdamfixedonhimfromhisberth。Hisgrand—nephewhadgivenhimthesofa，occupyingthelowerberthhimself。Theoldman，despitehisgreatstrengthandnormalactivity，wassomewhattiredbyhislongjourneyofthedaybefore，andtheprolongedandexcitinginterviewwhichfollowedit。Sohewasgladtoliestillandresthisbody，whilsthismindwasactivelyexercisedintakinginallhecouldofhisstrangesurroundings。Adam，too，afterthepastoralhabittowhichhehadbeenbred，wokewiththedawn，andwasreadytoenterontheexperiencesofthenewdaywheneveritmightsuithiseldercompanion。Itwaslittlewonder，then，that，sosoonaseachrealisedtheother’sreadiness，theysimultaneouslyjumpedupandbegantodress。Thestewardhadbypreviousinstructionsearlybreakfastprepared，anditwasnotlongbeforetheywentdownthegangwayonshoreinsearchofthecarriage。

TheyfoundMr。Salton’sbailifflookingoutforthemonthedock，andhebroughtthematoncetowherethecarriagewaswaitinginthestreet。RichardSaltonpointedoutwithpridetohisyoungcompanionthesuitabilityofthevehicleforeveryneedoftravel。

Toitwereharnessedfourusefulhorses，withapostilliontoeachpair。

"See，"saidtheoldmanproudly，"howithasalltheluxuriesofusefultravel——silenceandisolationaswellasspeed。Thereisnothingtoobstructtheviewofthosetravellingandnoonetooverhearwhattheymaysay。Ihaveusedthattrapforaquarterofacentury，andIneversawonemoresuitablefortravel。Youshalltestitshortly。WearegoingtodrivethroughtheheartofEngland;andaswegoI’lltellyouwhatIwasspeakingoflastnight。OurrouteistobebySalisbury，Bath，Bristol，Cheltenham，Worcester，Stafford;andsohome。"

Adamremainedsilentafewminutes，duringwhichheseemedalleyes，forheperpetuallyrangedthewholecircleofthehorizon。

"Hasourjourneyto—day，sir，"heasked，"anyspecialrelationtowhatyousaidlastnightthatyouwantedtotellme？"

"Notdirectly;butindirectly，everything。"

"Won’tyoutellmenow——Iseewecannotbeoverheard——andifanythingstrikesyouaswegoalong，justrunitin。Ishallunderstand。"

SooldSaltonspoke：

"Tobeginatthebeginning，Adam。Thatlectureofyourson’TheRomansinBritain，’areportofwhichyoupostedtome，setmethinking——inadditiontotellingmeyourtastes。Iwrotetoyouatonceandaskedyoutocomehome，foritstruckmethatifyouwerefondofhistoricalresearch——asseemedafact——thiswasexactlytheplaceforyou，inadditiontoitsbeingthehomeofyourownforbears。IfyoucouldlearnsomuchoftheBritishRomanssofarawayinNewSouthWales，wheretherecannotbeevenatraditionofthem，whatmightyounotmakeofthesameamountofstudyontheveryspot。WherewearegoingisintherealheartoftheoldkingdomofMercia，wheretherearetracesofallthevariousnationalitieswhichmadeuptheconglomeratewhichbecameBritain。"

"Irathergatheredthatyouhadsomemoredefinite——morepersonalreasonformyhurrying。Afterall，historycankeep——exceptinthemaking！"

"Quiteright，myboy。Ihadareasonsuchasyouverywiselyguessed。Iwasanxiousforyoutobeherewhenaratherimportantphaseofourlocalhistoryoccurred。"

"Whatisthat，ifImayask，sir？"

"Certainly。Theprincipalland—ownerofourpartofthecountyisonhiswayhome，andtherewillbeagreathome—coming，whichyoumaycaretosee。Thefactis，formorethanacenturythevariousownersinthesuccessionhere，withtheexceptionofashorttime，havelivedabroad。"

"Howisthat，sir，ifImayask？"

"ThegreathouseandestateinourpartoftheworldisCastraRegis，thefamilyseatoftheCaswallfamily。ThelastownerwholivedherewasEdgarCaswall，grandfatherofthemanwhoiscominghere——andhewastheonlyonewhostayedevenashorttime。Thisman’sgrandfather，alsonamedEdgar——theykeepthetraditionofthefamilyChristianname——quarrelledwithhisfamilyandwenttoliveabroad，notkeepingupanyintercourse，goodorbad，withhisrelatives，althoughthisparticularEdgar，asItoldyou，didvisithisfamilyestate，yethissonwasbornandlivedanddiedabroad，whilehisgrandson，thelatestinheritor，wasalsobornandlivedabroadtillhewasoverthirty——hispresentage。Thiswasthesecondlineofabsentees。ThegreatestateofCastraRegishashadnoknowledgeofitsownerforfivegenerations——coveringmorethanahundredandtwentyyears。Ithasbeenwelladministered，however，andnotenantorotherconnectedwithithashadanythingofwhichtocomplain。Allthesame，therehasbeenmuchnaturalanxietytoseethenewowner，andweareallexcitedabouttheeventofhiscoming。EvenIam，thoughIownmyownestate，which，thoughadjacent，isquiteapartfromCastraRegis。——Herewearenowinnewgroundforyou。ThatisthespireofSalisburyCathedral，andwhenweleavethatweshallbegettingclosetotheoldRomancounty，andyouwillnaturallywantyoureyes。SoweshallshortlyhavetokeepourmindsonoldMercia。However，youneednotbedisappointed。Myoldfriend，SirNathanieldeSalis，who，likemyself，isafree—

holdernearCastraRegis——hisestate，DoomTower，isovertheborderofDerbyshire，onthePeak——iscomingtostaywithmeforthefestivitiestowelcomeEdgarCaswall。Heisjustthesortofmanyouwilllike。Heisdevotedtohistory，andisPresidentoftheMercianArchaeologicalSociety。Heknowsmoreofourownpartofthecountry，withitshistoryanditspeople，thananyoneelse。I

expecthewillhavearrivedbeforeus，andwethreecanhavealongchatafterdinner。Heisalsoourlocalgeologistandnaturalhistorian。Soyouandhewillhavemanyinterestsincommon。

AmongstotherthingshehasaspecialknowledgeofthePeakanditscaverns，andknowsalltheoldlegendsofprehistorictimes。"

TheyspentthenightatCheltenham，andonthefollowingmorningresumedtheirjourneytoStafford。Adam’seyeswereinconstantemployment，anditwasnottillSaltondeclaredthattheyhadnowenteredonthelaststageoftheirjourney，thathereferredtoSirNathaniel’scoming。

Astheduskwasclosingdown，theydroveontoLesserHill，Mr。

Salton’shouse。Itwasnowtoodarktoseeanydetailsoftheirsurroundings。Adamcouldjustseethatitwasonthetopofahill，notquitesohighasthatwhichwascoveredbytheCastle，onwhosetowerflewtheflag，andwhichwasallablazewithmovinglights，manifestlyusedinthepreparationsforthefestivitiesonthemorrow。SoAdamdeferredhiscuriositytilldaylight。Hisgrand—

unclewasmetatthedoorbyafineoldman，whogreetedhimwarmly。

"Icameoverearlyasyouwished。Isupposethisisyourgrand—

nephew——Iamgladtomeetyou，Mr。AdamSalton。IamNathanieldeSalis，andyouruncleisoneofmyoldestfriends。"

Adam，fromthemomentoftheireyesmeeting，feltasiftheywerealreadyfriends。Themeetingwasanewnoteofwelcometothosethathadalreadysoundedinhisears。

ThecordialitywithwhichSirNathanielandAdammet，madetheimpartingofinformationeasy。SirNathanielwasaclevermanoftheworld，whohadtravelledmuch，andwithinacertainareastudieddeeply。Hewasabrilliantconversationalist，aswastobeexpectedfromasuccessfuldiplomatist，evenunderunstimulatingconditions。

Buthehadbeentouchedandtoacertainextentfiredbytheyoungerman’sevidentadmirationandwillingnesstolearnfromhim。

Accordinglytheconversation，whichbeganonthemostfriendlybasis，soonwarmedtoaninterestaboveproof，astheoldmanspokeofitnextdaytoRichardSalton。Heknewalreadythathisoldfriendwantedhisgrand—nephewtolearnallhecouldofthesubjectinhand，andsohadduringhisjourneyfromthePeakputhisthoughtsinsequencefornarrationandexplanation。Accordingly，Adamhadonlytolistenandhemustlearnmuchthathewantedtoknow。Whendinnerwasoverandtheservantshadwithdrawn，leavingthethreemenattheirwine，SirNathanielbegan。

"Igatherfromyouruncle——bytheway，Isupposewehadbetterspeakofyouasuncleandnephew，insteadofgoingintoexactrelationship？Infact，youruncleissooldanddearafriend，that，withyourpermission，IshalldropformalitywithyoualtogetherandspeakofyouandtoyouasAdam，asthoughyouwerehisson。"

"Ishouldlike，"answeredtheyoungman，"nothingbetter！"

Theanswerwarmedtheheartsofboththeoldmen，but，withtheusualavoidanceofEnglishmenofemotionalsubjectspersonaltothemselves，theyinstinctivelyreturnedtothepreviousquestion。

SirNathanieltookthelead。

"Iunderstand，Adam，thatyourunclehaspostedyouregardingtherelationshipsoftheCaswallfamily？"

"Partly，sir;butIunderstoodthatIwastohearminuterdetailsfromyou——ifyouwouldbesogood。"

"Ishallbedelightedtotellyouanythingsofarasmyknowledgegoes。Well，thefirstCaswallinourimmediaterecordisanEdgar，headofthefamilyandowneroftheestate，whocameintohiskingdomjustaboutthetimethatGeorgeIII。did。Hehadonesonofabouttwenty—four。Therewasaviolentquarrelbetweenthetwo。Nooneofthisgenerationhasanyideaofthecause;but，consideringthefamilycharacteristics，wemaytakeitforgrantedthatthoughitwasdeepandviolent，itwasonthesurfacetrivial。

"Theresultofthequarrelwasthatthesonleftthehousewithoutareconciliationorwithouteventellinghisfatherwherehewasgoing。Henevercamebackagain。Afewyearsafter，hedied，withouthavinginthemeantimeexchangedawordoraletterwithhisfather。Hemarriedabroadandleftoneson，whoseemstohavebeenbroughtupinignoranceofallbelongingtohim。Thegulfbetweenthemappearstohavebeenunbridgable;forintimethissonmarriedandinturnhadason，butneitherjoynorsorrowbroughtthesunderedtogether。UndersuchconditionsnoRAPPROCHEMENTwastobelookedfor，andanutterindifference，foundedatbestonignorance，tooktheplaceoffamilyaffection——evenoncommunityofinterests。

Itwasonlyduetothewatchfulnessofthelawyersthatthebirthofthisnewheirwasevermadeknown。Heactuallyspentafewmonthsintheancestralhome。

"Afterthisthefamilyinterestmerelyrestedonheirshipoftheestate。Asnootherchildrenhavebeenborntoanyofthenewergenerationsintheinterveningyears，allhopesofheritagearenowcentredinthegrandsonofthisman。

"Now，itwillbewellforyoutobearinmindtheprevailingcharacteristicsofthisrace。Thesewerewellpreservedandunchanging;oneandalltheyarethesame：cold，selfish，dominant，recklessofconsequencesinpursuitoftheirownwill。Itwasnotthattheydidnotkeepfaith，thoughthatwasamatterwhichgavethemlittleconcern，butthattheytookcaretothinkbeforehandofwhattheyshoulddoinordertogaintheirownends。Iftheyshouldmakeamistake，someoneelseshouldbeartheburthenofit。Thiswassoperpetuallyrecurrentthatitseemedtobeapartofafixedpolicy。Itwasnowonderthat，whateverchangestookplace，theywerealwaysensuredintheirownpossessions。Theywereabsolutelycoldandhardbynature。Notoneofthem——sofaraswehaveanyknowledge——waseverknowntobetouchedbythesoftersentiments，toswervefromhispurpose，orholdhishandinobediencetothedictatesofhisheart。ThepicturesandeffigiesofthemallshowtheiradherencetotheearlyRomantype。Theireyeswerefull;

theirhair，ofravenblackness，grewthickandcloseandcurly。

Theirfiguresweremassiveandtypicalofstrength。

"Thethickblackhair，growinglowdownontheneck，toldofvastphysicalstrengthandendurance。Butthemostremarkablecharacteristicistheeyes。Black，piercing，almostunendurable，theyseemtocontaininthemselvesaremarkablewillpowerwhichthereisnogainsaying。Itisapowerthatispartlyracialandpartlyindividual：apowerimpregnatedwithsomemysteriousquality，partlyhypnotic，partlymesmeric，whichseemstotakeawayfromeyesthatmeetthemallpowerofresistance——nay，allpowerofwishingtoresist。Witheyeslikethose，setinthatall—commandingface，onewouldneedtobestrongindeedtothinkofresistingtheinflexiblewillthatlaybehind。

"Youmaythink，Adam，thatallthisisimaginationonmypart，especiallyasIhaveneverseenanyofthem。Soitis，butimaginationbasedondeepstudy。IhavemadeuseofallIknoworcansurmiselogicallyregardingthisstrangerace。Withsuchstrangecompellingqualities，isitanywonderthatthereisabroadanideathatintheracethereissomedemoniacpossession，whichtendstoamoredefinitebeliefthatcertainindividualshaveinthepastsoldthemselvestotheDevil？

"ButIthinkwehadbettergotobednow。Wehavealottogetthroughto—morrow，andIwantyoutohaveyourbrainclear，andallyoursusceptibilitiesfresh。Moreover，Iwantyoutocomewithmeforanearlywalk，duringwhichwemaynotice，whilstthematterisfreshinourminds，thepeculiardispositionofthisplace——notmerelyyourgrand—uncle’sestate，butthelieofthecountryaroundit。Therearemanythingsonwhichwemayseek——andperhapsfind——

enlightenment。Themoreweknowatthestart，themorethingswhichmaycomeintoourviewwilldevelopthemselves。"

CHAPTERIII——DIANA’SGROVE

CuriositytookAdamSaltonoutofbedintheearlymorning，butwhenhehaddressedandgonedownstairs;hefoundthat，earlyashewas，SirNathanielwasaheadofhim。Theoldgentlemanwasquitepreparedforalongwalk，andtheystartedatonce。

SirNathaniel，withoutspeaking，ledthewaytotheeast，downthehill。Whentheyhaddescendedandrisenagain，theyfoundthemselvesontheeasternbrinkofasteephill。ItwasoflesserheightthanthatonwhichtheCastlewassituated;butitwassoplacedthatitcommandedthevarioushillsthatcrownedtheridge。

Allalongtheridgetherockcroppedout，bareandbleak，butbrokeninroughnaturalcastellation。Theformoftheridgewasasegmentofacircle，withthehigherpointsinlandtothewest。InthecentrerosetheCastle，onthehighestpointofall。Betweenthevariousrockyexcrescencesweregroupsoftreesofvarioussizesandheights，amongstsomeofwhichwerewhat，intheearlymorninglight，lookedlikeruins。These——whatevertheywere——wereofmassivegreystone，probablylimestonerudelycut——ifindeedtheywerenotshapednaturally。Thefallofthegroundwassteepallalongtheridge，sosteepthathereandtherebothtreesandrocksandbuildingsseemedtooverhangtheplainfarbelow，throughwhichranmanystreams。

SirNathanielstoppedandlookedaround，asthoughtolosenothingoftheeffect。Thesunhadclimbedtheeasternskyandwasmakingalldetailsclear。Hepointedwithasweepinggesture，asthoughcallingAdam’sattentiontotheextentoftheview。Havingdoneso，hecoveredthegroundmoreslowly，asthoughinvitingattentiontodetail。Adamwasawillingandattentivepupil，andfollowedhismotionsexactly，missing——ortryingtomiss——nothing。

"Ihavebroughtyouhere，Adam，becauseitseemstomethatthisisthespotonwhichtobeginourinvestigations。YouhavenowinfrontofyoualmostthewholeoftheancientkingdomofMercia。Infact，weseethewholeofitexceptthatfurthestpart，whichiscoveredbytheWelshMarchesandthosepartswhicharehiddenfromwherewestandbythehighgroundoftheimmediatewest。Wecansee——theoretically——thewholeoftheeasternboundofthekingdom，whichransouthfromtheHumbertotheWash。Iwantyoutobearinmindthetrendoftheground，forsometime，soonerorlater，weshalldowelltohaveitinourmind’seyewhenweareconsideringtheancienttraditionsandsuperstitions，andaretryingtofindtheRATIONALEofthem。Eachlegend，eachsuperstitionwhichwereceive，willhelpintheunderstandingandpossibleelucidationoftheothers。Andasallsuchhavealocalbasis，wecancomeclosertothetruth——ortheprobability——byknowingthelocalconditionsaswegoalong。Itwillhelpustobringtoouraidsuchgeologicaltruthaswemayhavebetweenus。Forinstance，thebuildingmaterialsusedinvariousagescanaffordtheirownlessonstounderstandingeyes。Theveryheightsandshapesandmaterialsofthesehills——

nay，evenofthewideplainthatliesbetweenusandthesea——haveinthemselvesthematerialsofenlighteningbooks。"

"Forinstance，sir？"saidAdam，venturingaquestion。

"Well，lookatthosehillswhichsurroundthemainonewherethesitefortheCastlewaswiselychosen——onthehighestground。Taketheothers。Thereissomethingostensibleineachofthem，andinallprobabilitysomethingunseenandunproved，buttobeimagined，also。"

"Forinstance？"continuedAdam。

"LetustakethemSERIATIM。Thattotheeast，wherethetreesare，lowerdown——thatwasoncethelocationofaRomantemple，possiblyfoundedonapre—existingDruidicalone。Itsnameimpliestheformer，andthegroveofancientoakssuggeststhelatter。"

"Pleaseexplain。"

"Theoldnametranslatedmeans’Diana’sGrove。’Thenthenextonehigherthanit，butjustbeyondit，iscalled’MERCY’——inallprobabilityacorruptionorfamiliarisationofthewordMERCIA，withaRomanpunincluded。WelearnfromearlymanuscriptsthattheplacewascalledVILULAMISERICORDIAE。Itwasoriginallyanunnery，foundedbyQueenBertha，butdoneawaywithbyKingPenda，thereactionarytoPaganismafterSt。Augustine。Thencomesyouruncle’splace——LesserHill。ThoughitissoclosetotheCastle，itisnotconnectedwithit。Itisafreehold，and，sofarasweknow，ofequalage。Ithasalwaysbelongedtoyourfamily。"

"ThenthereonlyremainstheCastle！"

"Thatisall;butitshistorycontainsthehistoriesofalltheothers——infact，thewholehistoryofearlyEngland。"SirNathaniel，seeingtheexpectantlookonAdam’sface，wenton：

"ThehistoryoftheCastlehasnobeginningsofarasweknow。Thefurthestrecordsorsurmisesorinferencessimplyacceptitasexisting。Someofthese——guesses，letuscallthem——seemtoshowthattherewassomesortofstructuretherewhentheRomanscame，thereforeitmusthavebeenaplaceofimportanceinDruidtimes——ifindeedthatwasthebeginning。NaturallytheRomansacceptedit，astheydideverythingofthekindthatwas，ormightbe，useful。ThechangeisshownorinferredinthenameCastra。Itwasthehighestprotectedground，andsonaturallybecamethemostimportantoftheircamps。Astudyofthemapwillshowyouthatitmusthavebeenamostimportantcentre。Itbothprotectedtheadvancesalreadymadetothenorth，andhelpedtodominatetheseacoast。Itshelteredthewesternmarches，beyondwhichlaysavageWales——anddanger。ItprovidedameansofgettingtotheSevern，roundwhichlaythegreatRomanroadsthencomingintoexistence，andmadepossiblethegreatwaterwaytotheheartofEngland——throughtheSevernanditstributaries。Itbroughttheeastandthewesttogetherbytheswiftestandeasiestwaysknowntothosetimes。

And，finally，itprovidedmeansofdescentonLondonandalltheexpanseofcountrywateredbytheThames。

"Withsuchacentre，alreadyknownandorganised，wecaneasilyseethateachfreshwaveofinvasion——theAngles，theSaxons，theDanes，andtheNormans——founditadesirablepossessionandsoensureditsupholding。Intheearliercenturiesitwasmerelyavantageground。

ButwhenthevictoriousRomansbroughtwiththemtheheavysolidfortificationsimpregnabletotheweaponsofthetime，itscommandingpositionaloneensureditsadequatebuildingandequipment。ThenitwasthatthefortifiedcampoftheCaesarsdevelopedintothecastleoftheking。AsweareasyetignorantofthenamesofthefirstkingsofMercia，nohistorianhasbeenabletoguesswhichofthemmadeithisultimatedefence;andIsupposeweshallneverknownow。Inprocessoftime，astheartsofwardeveloped，itincreasedinsizeandstrength，andalthoughrecordeddetailsarelacking，thehistoryiswrittennotmerelyinthestoneofitsbuilding，butisinferredinthechangesofstructure。ThenthesweepingchangeswhichfollowedtheNormanConquestwipedoutalllesserrecordsthanitsown。To—daywemustacceptitasoneoftheearliestcastlesoftheConquest，probablynotlaterthanthetimeofHenryI。RomanandNormanwerebothwiseintheirretentionofplacesofapprovedstrengthorutility。Soitwasthatthesesurroundingheights，alreadyestablishedandtoacertainextentproved，wereretained。Indeed，suchcharacteristicsasalreadypertainedtothemwerepreserved，andto—dayaffordtouslessonsregardingthingswhichhavethemselveslongsincepassedaway。

"Somuchforthefortifiedheights;butthehollowstoohavetheirownstory。Buthowthetimepasses！Wemusthurryhome，oryourunclewillwonderwhathasbecomeofus。"

HestartedwithlongstepstowardsLesserHill，andAdamwassoonfurtivelyrunninginordertokeepupwithhim。

CHAPTERIV——THELADYARABELLAMARCH

"Now，thereisnohurry，butsosoonasyouarebothreadyweshallstart，"Mr。Saltonsaidwhenbreakfasthadbegun。"IwanttotakeyoufirsttoseearemarkablerelicofMercia，andthenwe’llgotoLiverpoolthroughwhatiscalled’TheGreatValeofCheshire。’Youmaybedisappointed，buttakecarenottoprepareyourmind"——thistoAdam——"foranythingstupendousorheroic。Youwouldnotthinktheplaceavaleatall，unlessyouweretoldsobeforehand，andhadconfidenceintheveracityoftheteller。WeshouldgettotheLandingStageintimetomeettheWESTAFRICAN，andcatchMr。

Caswallashecomesashore。Wewanttodohimhonour——and，besides，itwillbemorepleasanttohavetheintroductionsoverbeforewegotohisFETEattheCastle。"

Thecarriagewasready，thesameashadbeenusedthepreviousday，butthereweredifferenthorses——magnificentanimals，andkeenforwork。Breakfastwassoonover，andtheyshortlytooktheirplaces。

Thepostillionshadtheirorders，andwerequicklyontheirwayatanexhilaratingpace。

Presently，inobediencetoMr。Salton’ssignal，thecarriagedrewupoppositeagreatheapofstonesbythewayside。

"Here，Adam，"hesaid，"issomethingthatyouofallmenshouldnotpassbyunnoticed。ThatheapofstonesbringsusatoncetothedawnoftheAngliankingdom。Itwasbegunmorethanathousandyearsago——inthelatterpartoftheseventhcentury——inmemoryofamurder。Wulfere，KingofMercia，nephewofPenda，heremurderedhistwosonsforembracingChristianity。Aswasthecustomofthetime，eachpasser—byaddedastonetothememorialheap。PendarepresentedheathenreactionafterSt。Augustine’smission。SirNathanielcantellyouasmuchasyouwantaboutthis，andputyou，ifyouwish，onthetrackofsuchaccurateknowledgeasthereis。"

Whilsttheywerelookingattheheapofstones，theynoticedthatanothercarriagehaddrawnupbesidethem，andthepassenger——therewasonlyone——wasregardingthemcuriously。Thecarriagewasanoldheavytravellingone，witharmsblazonedonitgorgeously。Thementookofftheirhats，astheoccupant，alady，addressedthem。

"Howdoyoudo，SirNathaniel？Howdoyoudo，Mr。Salton？Ihopeyouhavenotmetwithanyaccident。Lookatme！"

Asshespokeshepointedtowhereoneoftheheavyspringswasbrokenacross，thebrokenmetalshowingbright。Adamspokeupatonce：

"Oh，thatcansoonbeputright。"

"Soon？Thereisnoonenearwhocanmendabreaklikethat。"

"Ican。"

"You！"Shelookedincredulouslyatthedapperyounggentlemanwhospoke。"You——why，it’saworkman’sjob。"

"Allright，Iamaworkman——thoughthatisnottheonlysortofworkIdo。IamanAustralian，and，aswehavetomoveaboutfast，wearealltrainedtofarrieryandsuchmechanicsascomeintotravel——

Iamquiteatyourservice。"

"Ihardlyknowhowtothankyouforyourkindness，ofwhichIgladlyavailmyself。Idon’tknowwhatelseIcando，asIwishtomeetMr。CaswallofCastraRegis，whoarriveshomefromAfricato—day。

Itisanotablehome—coming;allthecountrysidewanttodohimhonour。"Shelookedattheoldmenandquicklymadeuphermindastotheidentityofthestranger。"YoumustbeMr。AdamSaltonofLesserHill。IamLadyArabellaMarchofDiana’sGrove。"AsshespokesheturnedslightlytoMr。Salton，whotookthehintandmadeaformalintroduction。

Sosoonasthiswasdone，Adamtooksometoolsfromhisuncle’scarriage，andatoncebeganworkonthebrokenspring。Hewasanexpertworkman，andthebreachwassoonmadegood。Adamwasgatheringthetoolswhichhehadbeenusing——which，afterthemannerofallworkmen，hadbeenscatteredabout——whenhenoticedthatseveralblacksnakeshadcrawledoutfromtheheapofstonesandweregatheringroundhim。Thisnaturallyoccupiedhismind，andhewasnotthinkingofanythingelsewhenhenoticedLadyArabella，whohadopenedthedoorofthecarriage，slipfromitwithaquickglidingmotion。Shewasalreadyamongthesnakeswhenhecalledouttowarnher。Butthereseemedtobenoneedofwarning。Thesnakeshadturnedandwerewrigglingbacktothemoundasquicklyastheycould。Helaughedtohimselfbehindhisteethashewhispered，"Noneedtofearthere。Theyseemmuchmoreafraidofherthansheofthem。"Allthesamehebegantobeatonthegroundwithastickwhichwaslyingclosetohim，withtheinstinctofoneusedtosuchvermin。InaninstanthewasalonebesidethemoundwithLadyArabella，whoappearedquiteunconcernedattheincident。Thenhetookalonglookather，andherdressalonewassufficienttoattractattention。Shewascladinsomekindofsoftwhitestuff，whichclungclosetoherform，showingtothefulleverymovementofhersinuousfigure。Sheworeaclose—fittingcapofsomefinefurofdazzlingwhite。Coiledroundherwhitethroatwasalargenecklaceofemeralds，whoseprofusionofcolourdazzledwhenthesunshoneonthem。Hervoicewaspeculiar，verylowandsweet，andsosoftthatthedominantnotewasofsibilation。Herhands，too，werepeculiar——long，flexible，white，withastrangemovementasofwavinggentlytoandfro。

Sheappearedquiteatease，and，afterthankingAdam，saidthatifanyofhisuncle’spartyweregoingtoLiverpoolshewouldbemosthappytojoinforces。

"Whilstyouarestayinghere，Mr。Salton，youmustlookonthegroundsofDiana’sGroveasyourown，sothatyoumaycomeandgojustasyoudoinLesserHill。Therearesomefineviews，andnotafewnaturalcuriositieswhicharesuretointerestyou，ifyouareastudentofnaturalhistory——speciallyofanearlierkind，whentheworldwasyounger。"

Theheartinesswithwhichshespoke，andthewarmthofherwords——

notofhermanner，whichwascoldanddistant——madehimsuspicious。

InthemeantimebothhisuncleandSirNathanielhadthankedherfortheinvitation——ofwhich，however，theysaidtheywereunabletoavailthemselves。Adamhadasuspicionthat，thoughsheansweredregretfully，shewasinrealityrelieved。Whenhehadgotintothecarriagewiththetwooldmen，andtheyhaddrivenoff，hewasnotsurprisedwhenSirNathanielspoke。

"Icouldnotbutfeelthatshewasgladtoberidofus。Shecanplayhergamebetteralone！"

"Whatishergame？"askedAdamunthinkingly。

"Allthecountyknowsit，myboy。Caswallisaveryrichman。Herhusbandwasrichwhenshemarriedhim——orseemedtobe。Whenhecommittedsuicide，itwasfoundthathehadnothingleft，andtheestatewasmortgageduptothehilt。Heronlyhopeisinarichmarriage。IsupposeIneednotdrawanyconclusion;youcandothataswellasIcan。"

AdamremainedsilentnearlyallthetimetheyweretravellingthroughtheallegedValeofCheshire。Hethoughtmuchduringthatjourneyandcametoseveralconclusions，thoughhislipswereunmoved。OneoftheseconclusionswasthathewouldbeverycarefulaboutpayinganyattentiontoLadyArabella。Hewashimselfarichman，howrichnotevenhisunclehadtheleastidea，andwouldhavebeensurprisedhadheknown。

Theremainderofthejourneywasuneventful，anduponarrivalatLiverpooltheywentaboardtheWESTAFRICAN，whichhadjustcometothelanding—stage。TherehisuncleintroducedhimselftoMr。

Caswall，andfollowedthisupbyintroducingSirNathanielandthenAdam。Thenew—comerreceivedthemgraciously，andsaidwhatapleasureitwastobecominghomeaftersolonganabsenceofhisfamilyfromtheiroldseat。Adamwaspleasedatthewarmthofthereception;buthecouldnotavoidafeelingofrepugnanceattheman’sface。HewastryinghardtoovercomethiswhenadiversionwascausedbythearrivalofLadyArabella。Thediversionwaswelcometoall;thetwoSaltonsandSirNathanielwereshockedatCaswall’sface——sohard，soruthless，soselfish，sodominant。"Godhelpany，"wasthecommonthought，"whoisunderthedominationofsuchaman！"

PresentlyhisAfricanservantapproachedhim，andatoncetheirthoughtschangedtoalargertoleration。Caswalllookedindeedasavage——butaculturedsavage。Inhimweretracesofthesofteningcivilisationofages——ofsomeofthehigherinstinctsandeducationofman，nomatterhowrudimentarythesemightbe。ButthefaceofOolanga，ashismastercalledhim，wasunreformed，unsoftenedsavage，andinherentinitwereallthehideouspossibilitiesofalost，devil—riddenchildoftheforestandtheswamp——thelowestofallcreatedthingsthatcouldberegardedasinsomeformostensiblyhuman。LadyArabellaandOolangaarrivedalmostsimultaneously，andAdamwassurprisedtonoticewhateffecttheirappearancehadoneachother。Thewomanseemedasifshewouldnot——couldnot——

condescendtoexhibitanyconcernorinterestinsuchacreature。

Ontheotherhand，thenegro’sbearingwassuchasinitselftojustifyherpride。Hetreatedhernotmerelyasaslavetreatshismaster，butasaworshipperwouldtreatadeity。Hekneltbeforeherwithhishandsout—stretchedandhisforeheadinthedust。Solongassheremainedhedidnotmove;itwasonlywhenshewentovertoCaswallthatherelaxedhisattitudeofdevotionandstoodbyrespectfully。

Adamspoketohisownman，Davenport，whowasstandingby，havingarrivedwiththebailiffofLesserHill，whohadfollowedMr。Saltoninaponytrap。Ashespoke，hepointedtoanattentiveship’ssteward，andpresentlythetwomenwereconversing。

"Ithinkweoughttobemoving，"Mr。SaltonsaidtoAdam。"IhavesomethingstodoinLiverpool，andIamsurethatbothMr。CaswallandLadyArabellawouldliketogetunderweighforCastraRegis。"

"Itoo，sir，wouldliketodosomething，"repliedAdam。"IwanttofindoutwhereRoss，theanimalmerchant，lives——Iwanttotakeasmallanimalhomewithme，ifyoudon’tmind。Heisonlyalittlething，andwillbenotrouble。"

"Ofcoursenot，myboy。Whatkindofanimalisitthatyouwant？"

"Amongoose。"

"Amongoose！Whatonearthdoyouwantitfor？"

"Tokillsnakes。"

"Good！"Theoldmanrememberedthemoundofstones。Noexplanationwasneeded。

WhenRossheardwhatwaswanted，heasked：

"Doyouwantsomethingspecial，orwillanordinarymongoosedo？"

"Well，ofcourseIwantagoodone。ButIseenoneedforanythingspecial。Itisforordinaryuse。"

"Icanletyouhaveachoiceofordinaryones。Ionlyasked，becauseIhaveinstockaveryspecialonewhichIgotlatelyfromNepaul。Hehasarecordofhisown。HekilledakingcobrathathadbeenseenintheRajah’sgarden。ButIdon’tsupposewehaveanysnakesofthekindinthiscoldclimate——Idaresayanordinaryonewilldo。"

WhenAdamgotbacktothecarriage，carefullycarryingtheboxwiththemongoose，SirNathanielsaid："Hullo！whathaveyougotthere？"

"Amongoose。"

"Whatfor？"

"Tokillsnakes！"

SirNathaniellaughed。

"IheardLadyArabella’sinvitationtoyoutocometoDiana’sGrove。"

"Well，whatonearthhasthatgottodowithit？"

"NothingdirectlythatIknowof。Butweshallsee。"Adamwaited，andtheoldmanwenton："Haveyoubyanychanceheardtheothernamewhichwasgivenlongagotothatplace。"

"No，sir。"

"Itwascalled——Lookhere，thissubjectwantsalotoftalkingover。Supposewewaittillwearealoneandhavelotsoftimebeforeus。"

"Allright，sir。"Adamwasfilledwithcuriosity，buthethoughtitbetternottohurrymatters。Allwouldcomeingoodtime。Thenthethreemenreturnedhome，leavingMr。CaswalltospendthenightinLiverpool。

ThefollowingdaytheLesserHillpartysetoutforCastraRegis，andforthetimeAdamthoughtnomoreofDiana’sGroveorofwhatmysteriesithadcontained——ormightstillcontain。

Theguestswerecrowdingin，andspecialplacesweremarkedforimportantpeople。Adam，seeingsomanypersonsofvarieddegree，lookedroundforLadyArabella，butcouldnotlocateher。Itwasonlywhenhesawtheold—fashionedtravellingcarriageapproachandheardthesoundofcheeringwhichwentwithit，thatherealisedthatEdgarCaswallhadarrived。Then，onlookingmoreclosely，hesawthatLadyArabella，dressedashehadseenherlast，wasseatedbesidehim。Whenthecarriagedrewupatthegreatflightofsteps，thehostjumpeddownandgaveherhishand。

Itwasevidenttoallthatshewasthechiefguestatthefestivities。Itwasnotlongbeforetheseatsonthedaiswerefilled，whilethetenantsandguestsoflesserimportancehadoccupiedallthecoignsofvantagenotreserved。Theorderofthedayhadbeencarefullyarrangedbyacommittee。Thereweresomespeeches，happilyneithermanynorlong;andthenfestivitiesweresuspendedtillthetimeforfeastingarrived。IntheintervalCaswallwalkedamonghisguests，speakingtoallinafriendlymannerandexpressingageneralwelcome。Theotherguestscamedownfromthedaisandfollowedhisexample，sotherewasunceremoniousmeetingandgreetingbetweengentleandsimple。

AdamSaltonnaturallyfollowedwithhiseyesallthatwentonwithintheirscope，takingnoteofallwhoseemedtoaffordanyinterest。

Hewasyoungandamanandastrangerfromafardistance;soonalltheseaccountshenaturallytookstockratherofthewomenthanofthemen，andofthese，thosewhowereyoungandattractive。Therewerelotsofprettygirlsamongthecrowd，andAdam，whowasahandsomeyoungmanandwellsetup，gothisfullshareofadmiringglances。Thesedidnotconcernhimmuch，andheremainedunmoveduntiltherecamealongagroupofthree，bytheirdressandbearing，ofthefarmerclass。Onewasasturdyoldman;theothertwoweregood—lookinggirls，oneofalittleovertwenty，theothernotquitesoold。SosoonasAdam’seyesmetthoseoftheyoungergirl，whostoodnearesttohim，somesortofelectricityflashed——thatdivinesparkwhichbeginsbyrecognition，andendsinobedience。Mencallit"Love。"

BothhiscompanionsnoticedhowmuchAdamwastakenbytheprettygirl，andspokeofhertohiminawaywhichmadehisheartwarmtothem。

"Didyounoticethatpartythatpassed？TheoldmanisMichaelWatford，oneofthetenantsofMr。Caswall。HeoccupiesMercyFarm，whichSirNathanielpointedouttoyouto—day。Thegirlsarehisgrand—daughters，theelder，Lilla，beingtheonlychildofhiselderson，whodiedwhenshewaslessthanayearold。Hiswifediedonthesameday。Sheisagoodgirl——asgoodassheispretty。Theotherisherfirstcousin，thedaughterofWatford’ssecondson。Hewentforasoldierwhenhewasjustovertwenty，andwasdraftedabroad。Hewasnotagoodcorrespondent，thoughhewasagoodenoughson。Afewletterscame，andthenhisfatherheardfromthecolonelofhisregimentthathehadbeenkilledbydacoitsinBurmah。HeheardfromthesamesourcethathisboyhadbeenmarriedtoaBurmese，andthattherewasadaughteronlyayearold。

Watfordhadthechildbroughthome，andshegrewupbesideLilla。

TheonlythingthattheyheardofherbirthwasthathernamewasMimi。Thetwochildrenadoredeachother，anddotothisday。

Strangehowdifferenttheyare！Lillaallfair，liketheoldSaxonstockfromwhichsheissprung;Mimishowingatraceofhermother’srace。Lillaisasgentleasadove，butMimi’sblackeyescanglowwheneversheisupset。TheonlythingthatupsetsheriswhenanythinghappenstoinjureorthreatenorannoyLilla。Thenhereyesglowasdotheeyesofabirdwhenheryoungaremenaced。"

CHAPTERV——THEWHITEWORM

Mr。SaltonintroducedAdamtoMr。Watfordandhisgrand—daughters，andtheyallmovedontogether。OfcourseneighboursinthepositionoftheWatfordsknewallaboutAdamSalton，hisrelationship，circumstances，andprospects。Soitwouldhavebeenstrangeindeedifbothgirlsdidnotdreamofpossibilitiesofthefuture。InagriculturalEngland，eligiblemenofanyclassarerare。Thisparticularmanwasspeciallyeligible，forhedidnotbelongtoaclassinwhichbarriersofcastewerestrong。SowhenitbegantobenoticedthathewalkedbesideMimiWatfordandseemedtodesirehersociety，alltheirfriendsendeavouredtogivethepromisingaffairahelpinghand。Whenthegongssoundedforthebanquet，hewentwithherintothetentwherehergrandfatherhadseats。Mr。SaltonandSirNathanielnoticedthattheyoungmandidnotcometoclaimhisappointedplaceatthedaistable;buttheyunderstoodandmadenoremark，orindeeddidnotseemtonoticehisabsence。

LadyArabellasatasbeforeatEdgarCaswall’srighthand。Shewascertainlyastrikingandunusualwoman，andtoallitseemedfittingfromherrankandpersonalqualitiesthatsheshouldbethechosenpartneroftheheironhisfirstappearance。Ofcoursenothingwassaidopenlybythoseofherownclasswhowerepresent;butwordswerenotnecessarywhensomuchcouldbeexpressedbynodsandsmiles。ItseemedtobeanacceptedthingthatatlasttherewastobeamistressofCastraRegis，andthatshewaspresentamongstthem。Therewerenotlackingsomewho，whilstadmittingallhercharmandbeauty，placedherinthesecondrank，LillaWatfordbeingmarkedasfirst。Therewassufficientdivergenceoftype，aswellasofindividualbeauty，toallowoffaircomment;LadyArabellarepresentedthearistocratictype，andLillathatofthecommonalty。

Whentheduskbegantothicken，Mr。SaltonandSirNathanielwalkedhome——thetraphadbeensentawayearlyintheday——leavingAdamtofollowinhisowntime。Hecameinearlierthanwasexpected，andseemedupsetaboutsomething。Neitheroftheeldersmadeanycomment。Theyalllitcigarettes，and，asdinner—timewascloseathand，wenttotheirroomstogetready。

Adamhadevidentlybeenthinkingintheinterval。Hejoinedtheothersinthedrawing—room，lookingruffledandimpatient——aconditionofthingsseenforthefirsttime。Theothers，withthepatience——ortheexperience——ofage，trustedtotimetounfoldandexplainthings。Theyhadnotlongtowait。Aftersittingdownandstandingupseveraltimes，Adamsuddenlyburstout。

"Thatfellowseemstothinkheownstheearth。Can’theletpeoplealone！Heseemstothinkthathehasonlytothrowhishandkerchieftoanywoman，andbehermaster。"

Thisoutburstwasinitselfenlightening。Onlythwartedaffectioninsomeguisecouldproducethisfeelinginanamiableyoungman。

SirNathaniel，asanolddiplomatist，hadawayofunderstanding，asifbyforeknowledge，thetrueinwardnessofthings，andaskedsuddenly，butinamatter—of—fact，indifferentvoice：

"WasheafterLilla？"

"Yes，andthefellowdidn’tloseanytimeeither。Almostassoonastheymet，hebegantobutterherup，andtellherhowbeautifulshewas。Why，beforeheleftherside，hehadaskedhimselftoteato—

morrowatMercyFarm。Stupidass！Hemightseethatthegirlisn’thissort！Ineversawanythinglikeit。Itwasjustlikeahawkandapigeon。"

Ashespoke，SirNathanielturnedandlookedatMr。Salton——akeenlookwhichimpliedafullunderstanding。

"Tellusallaboutit，Adam。Therearestillafewminutesbeforedinner，andweshallallhavebetterappetiteswhenwehavecometosomeconclusiononthismatter。"

"Thereisnothingtotell，sir;thatistheworstofit。Iamboundtosaythattherewasnotawordsaidthatahumanbeingcouldobjectto。Hewasverycivil，andallthatwasproper——justwhatalandlordmightbetoatenant’sdaughter……Yet——yet——well，I

don’tknowhowitwas，butitmademybloodboil。"

"Howdidthehawkandthepigeoncomein？"SirNathaniel’svoicewassoftandsoothing，nothingofcontradictionoroverdonecuriosityinit——atoneeminentlysuitedtowinconfidence。

"Icanhardlyexplain。Icanonlysaythathelookedlikeahawkandshelikeadove——and，nowthatIthinkofit，thatiswhattheyeachdidlooklike;anddolooklikeintheirnormalcondition。"

"Thatisso！"camethesoftvoiceofSirNathaniel。

Adamwenton：

"PerhapsthatearlyRomanlookofhissetmeoff。ButIwantedtoprotecther;sheseemedindanger。"

"Sheseemsindanger，inaway，fromallyouyoungmen。Icouldn’thelpnoticingthewaythatevenyoulooked——asifyouwishedtoabsorbher！"

"Ihopebothyouyoungmenwillkeepyourheadscool，"putinMr。

Salton。"Youknow，Adam，itwon’tdotohaveanyquarrelbetweenyou，especiallysosoonafterhishome—comingandyourarrivalhere。

Wemustthinkofthefeelingsandhappinessofourneighbours;

mustn’twe？"

"Ihopeso，sir。Iassureyouthat，whatevermayhappen，oreventhreaten，Ishallobeyyourwishesinthisasinallthings。"

"Hush！"whisperedSirNathaniel，whoheardtheservantsinthepassagebringingdinner。

Afterdinner，overthewalnutsandthewine，SirNathanielreturnedtothesubjectofthelocallegends。

"Itwillperhapsbealessdangeroustopicforustodiscussthanmorerecentones。"

"Allright，sir，"saidAdamheartily。"Ithinkyoumaydependonmenowwithregardtoanytopic。IcanevendiscussMr。Caswall。

Indeed，Imaymeethimto—morrow。Heisgoing，asIsaid，tocallatMercyFarmatthreeo’clock——butIhaveanappointmentattwo。"

"Inotice，"saidMr。Salton，"thatyoudonotloseanytime。"

Thetwooldmenoncemorelookedateachothersteadily。Then，lestthemoodofhislistenershouldchangewithdelay，SirNathanielbeganatonce：

"Idon’tproposetotellyouallthelegendsofMercia，oreventomakeaselectionofthem。Itwillbebetter，Ithink，forourpurposeifweconsiderafewfacts——recordedorunrecorded——aboutthisneighbourhood。IthinkwemightbeginwithDiana’sGrove。Ithasrootsinthedifferentepochsofourhistory，andeachhasitsspecialcropoflegend。TheDruidandtheRomanaretoofaroffformattersofdetail;butitseemstometheSaxonandtheAnglesarenearenoughtoyieldmaterialforlegendarylore。WefindthatthisparticularplacehadanothernamebesidesDiana’sGrove。ThiswasmanifestlyofRomanorigin，orofGrecianacceptedasRoman。TheotherismorepregnantofadventureandromancethantheRomanname。

InMerciantongueitwas’TheLairoftheWhiteWorm。’Thisneedsawordofexplanationatthebeginning。

"Inthedawnofthelanguage，theword’worm’hadasomewhatdifferentmeaningfromthatinuseto—day。ItwasanadaptationoftheAnglo—Saxon’wyrm，’meaningadragonorsnake;orfromtheGothic’waurms，’aserpent;ortheIcelandic’ormur，’ortheGerman’wurm。’Wegatherthatitconveyedoriginallyanideaofsizeandpower，notasnowinthediminutiveofboththesemeanings。Herelegendaryhistoryhelpsus。Wehavethewell—knownlegendofthe’WormWell’ofLambtonCastle，andthatofthe’LaidlyWormofSpindlestonHeugh’nearBamborough。Inboththeselegendsthe’worm’wasamonsterofvastsizeandpower——averitabledragonorserpent，suchaslegendattributestovastfensorquagswheretherewasillimitableroomforexpansion。Aglanceatageologicalmapwillshowthatwhatevertruththeremayhavebeenoftheactualityofsuchmonstersintheearlygeologicperiods，atleasttherewasplentyofpossibility。InEnglandtherewereoriginallyvastplainswheretheplentifulsupplyofwatercouldgather。Thestreamsweredeepandslow，andtherewereholesofabysmaldepth，whereanykindandsizeofantediluvianmonstercouldfindahabitat。Inplaces，whichnowwecanseefromourwindows，weremud—holesahundredormorefeetdeep。Whocantelluswhentheageofthemonsterswhichflourishedinslimecametoanend？Theremusthavebeenplacesandconditionswhichmadeforgreaterlongevity，greatersize，greaterstrengththanwasusual。Suchover—lappingsmayhavecomedowneventoourearliercenturies。Nay，aretherenotnowcreaturesofavastnessofbulkregardedbythegeneralityofmenasimpossible？

Eveninourowndaythereareseenthetracesofanimals，ifnottheanimalsthemselves，ofstupendoussize——veritablesurvivalsfromearlierages，preservedbysomespecialqualitiesintheirhabitats。

IremembermeetingadistinguishedmaninIndia，whohadthereputationofbeingagreatshikaree，whotoldmethatthegreatesttemptationhehadeverhadinhislifewastoshootagiantsnakewhichhehadcomeacrossintheTeraiofUpperIndia。Hewasonatiger—shootingexpedition，andashiselephantwascrossinganullah，itsquealed。Helookeddownfromhishowdahandsawthattheelephanthadsteppedacrossthebodyofasnakewhichwasdraggingitselfthroughthejungle。’SofarasIcouldsee，’hesaid，’itmusthavebeeneightyoronehundredfeetinlength。

Fullyfortyorfiftyfeetwasoneachsideofthetrack，andthoughtheweightwhichitdraggedhadthinnedit，itwasasthickroundasaman’sbody。Isupposeyouknowthatwhenyouareaftertiger，itisapointofhonournottoshootatanythingelse，aslifemaydependonit。Icouldeasilyhavespinedthismonster，butIfeltthatImustnot——so，withregret，Ihadtoletitgo。’

"Justimaginesuchamonsteranywhereinthiscountry，andatoncewecouldgetasortofideaofthe’worms，’whichpossiblydidfrequentthegreatmorasseswhichspreadroundthemouthsofmanyofthegreatEuropeanrivers。"

"Ihaven’ttheleastdoubt，sir，thattheremayhavebeensuchmonstersasyouhavespokenofstillexistingatamuchlaterperiodthanisgenerallyaccepted，"repliedAdam。"Also，ifthereweresuchthings，thatthiswastheveryplaceforthem。Ihavetriedtothinkoverthemattersinceyoupointedouttheconfigurationoftheground。Butitseemstomethatthereisahiatussomewhere。Aretherenotmechanicaldifficulties？"

"Inwhatway？"

"Well，ourantiquemonstermusthavebeenmightyheavy，andthedistanceshehadtotravelwerelongandthewaysdifficult。Fromwherewearenowsittingdowntothelevelofthemud—holesisadistanceofseveralhundredfeet——Iamleavingoutofconsiderationaltogetheranylateraldistance。Isitpossiblethattherewasawaybywhichamonstercouldtravelupanddown，andyetnochancerecorderhaveeverseenhim？Ofcoursewehavethelegends;butisnotsomemoreexactevidencenecessaryinascientificinvestigation？"

"MydearAdam，allyousayisperfectlyright，and，werewestartingonsuchaninvestigation，wecouldnotdobetterthanfollowyourreasoning。But，mydearboy，youmustrememberthatallthistookplacethousandsofyearsago。Youmustremember，too，thatallrecordsofthekindthatwouldhelpusarelacking。Also，thattheplacestobeconsideredweredesert，sofarashumanhabitationorpopulationareconsidered。Inthevastdesolationofsuchaplaceascompliedwiththenecessaryconditions，theremusthavebeensuchprofusionofnaturalgrowthaswouldbartheprogressofmenformedasweare。Thelairofsuchamonsterwouldnothavebeendisturbedforhundreds——orthousands——ofyears。Moreover，thesecreaturesmusthaveoccupiedplacesquiteinaccessibletoman。Asnakewhocouldmakehimselfcomfortableinaquagmire，ahundredfeetdeep，wouldbeprotectedontheoutskirtsbysuchstupendousmorassesasnownolongerexist，orwhich，iftheyexistanywhereatall，canbeonveryfewplacesontheearth’ssurface。Farbeitfrommetosaythatinmoreelementaltimessuchthingscouldnothavebeen。Theconditionbelongstothegeologicage——thegreatbirthandgrowthoftheworld，whennaturalforcesranriot，whenthestruggleforexistencewassosavagethatnovitalitywhichwasnotfoundedinagiganticformcouldhaveevenapossibilityofsurvival。Thatsuchatimeexisted，wehaveevidencesingeology，butthereonly;wecanneverexpectproofssuchasthisagedemands。Wecanonlyimagineorsurmisesuchthings——orsuchconditionsandsuchforcesasovercamethem。"

CHAPTERVI——HAWKANDPIGEON

Atbreakfast—timenextmorningSirNathanielandMr。SaltonwereseatedwhenAdamcamehurriedlyintotheroom。

"Anynews？"askedhisunclemechanically。

"Four。"

"Fourwhat？"askedSirNathaniel。

"Snakes，"saidAdam，helpinghimselftoagrilledkidney。

【推荐阅读】幽幽深宫，醒来一梦似千年，重生于下堂妃身躯中的她，将如何手刃仇人? 点击阅读