THE TENANTS OF HOLYWELL LODGE. "THIS House to Let. For particulars enquire of Mr Thomas Riggs, Pomona Cottage." The three gentlemen stopped and looked at this announcement. The oldest of them, a stoutred-faced personage, about fifty years of age, cast a hurried glance over the clean white walls and beautiful green verandah of Holywell Lodge. The result of his observation was apparently satisfactory; for he turned to his companions, and said, with rather a decided air, as if in asking their opinions he did not anticipate any contradiction, "Well, gentlemen, this is just the thing; don't you think so? Cleanquiet-comfortable_eh?" "As you please, sir," replied the taller of the gentlemen, a fine dark-haired young man, of about twenty-five, or perhaps a little less" I believe we have no great choice in the matter." "And you, Mr Day, what do you think on the subject?" "Exactly as Knight does-If you like it, we can have no objection." Mr Day was a handsome man, a little older than his companion, with long light hair and fine restless eyes; and it only depended on the preference a person might have for a dark or fair complexion, that would have enabled him to decide which of the two young men was the finer specimen of masculine beauty. The deep dark eyes of Knight illumined with strange light the sallow shades of his perfectly chiselled features, and his soft melancholy smile harmonized well with their subdued expression. The fine open countenance of the other was joyous as bright eyes and happy looks could make it; both were exceedingly well made, both very fashionably dressed, and with that indescribable assemblage of qualities of face, figure, and appearance, which convince the most casual spectator that the possessor of them is a gentleman. The senior was one of a different sort: he might perhaps be a flourishing attorney-a retired apothecary-an independent preacheror an Oxford coachman (with a share in the concern) in his Sunday clothes. However this might be, it was very evident that his word was law to his two companions in the choice of a mansion; and accordingly the trio proceeded at a rapid pace to Pomona Cottage, and were ushered into the presence of Mr Riggs. That gentleman was surrounded by his blooming family, consisting of three daughters dressed in all respects so like each other, and with such an equally divided share of what is called familý likeness, that it would have required almost as long an acquaintance with them as their father's to distinguish Miss Julia from Miss Marianne, and either or both of them from Miss Arabella. It was lucky that the share of this family property that fell to each consisted of a very considerable amount of good looks; -glossy black hair, red and white cheeks, full lips and very small noses, which compensated for their deficiency in size by being of a very aspiring nature, especially at the point, were the principal characteristics of all the three faces. Minute observers saw shades of difference between the size of the mouths and noses, the complexion of the cheeks, and the colour of the eyes and hair of the different individuals constituting the family of the Riggses; but it is sufficient for our present purpose to have given these particulars, as it will suffice to convince the reader that the entrance of two such young gentlemen as those we have described was by no means an event of small importance in the little drawing-room of Pomona Cottage. "Holywell Lodge, sir?" - enquired Mr Riggs" Yes, indeed, sir-as you say, sir-won't you be seated, gentlemen? My daughters, gentlemen, a very pretty situation indeed, sir-furniture good as new-rent very moderate-to a respectable tenant". "And the accommodation?" enquired the senior. "Dining-room, parlour, kitchen, scullery, five bedrooms, and a loft over the stable; - the rent for three months, three guineas a-week, - gardener kept." Is he a strong man?" "Strong-bless ye! Herc'les was a joke to him." "And the cellars, my good sir-you have not mentioned the cellars yet. "Aha!" chuckled Mr Riggs, whose rubicund countenance showed that the cellar was one of the last portions of a domicile to which he would be inattentive-" The main room in the whole house, sir, say I. If that be well furnished, sir, we can excuse any little deficiency in bedroom or parlour." "Then I am to understand they are good cellars?" you might stow "Oh, capital! away a dozen pipes.' "And two of them, sir?" "Yes-all binned and divided; a regiment of dismounted dray" "Strong doors-dark and coldyou hear, gentlemen." The two young men, who had entered into conversation with the triad of female Riggses, seemed hurt at this interruption, and looked at each other as if each waited for the other to reply to the old gentleman's question. "Oh yes," at last they both said, and turned about to renew their flirtation. "Well, since my young friends are pleased with the whole house, and you give me such good accounts of the capabilities of the cellars, I think I will accept your terms, Mr Riggs." "Very well, sir-cellars excellent, I assure you; and excuse me the liberty, sir-I can recommend you a friend of mine-excellent man-brother of my wife, sir-the best winemerchant in the county, sir." "Sir, we drink no wine." "Brandy? he sells brandy, sir, rum, gin, hollands, whisky, any thing; he has an immense stock-lowest prices. I can strongly recommend him." "We drink no spirits." "Oh!" and with this expressive monosyllable Mr Riggs showed very plainly that he was fairly puzzled, and could make nothing of a person who was so particular about a cellar, and yet neither drank spirits nor wine. We will not even hint a suspicion that he might be somewhat disappointed as well as surprised; as it is no secret that Mr Riggs, in right of his wife, became (without a pun) sleeping partner in the wine trade carried on by his brother-in-law, Mr Larkin. We say we will not hint our suspicion of such a consideration biassing him in his recommendation of so near a connexion's port and sherry; for we have a high respect for Mr Riggs, and have heard him a hundred times declare that he was perfectly disinterested, and in fact the purest and most virtuous of men. This, moreover, was said when he was canvassing for a seat in our Town-Council; and on an occasion of such solemnity we are more peculiarly bound to believe that he would state nothing but the truth. "Oh, papa!" exclaimed the three young ladies at once, interrupting their father in a deep reverie into which he had fallen, when his new tenants had taken their leave," he is the most beautiful man I ever saw!" "Be hanged if I think so-neither wine nor spirits!-a very suspicious looking man,-I wish I had asked for a reference." "So tall, so graceful, so sweet!" continued the three young ladies, in attitudes of rapt inspiration, turning their eyes up to a little brass hook that stuck out of a little flower in the centre of the ceiling. Julia. Such fine black eyes!" said Black?" said Marianne, "they're blue-deeply, darkly, beautifully blue!" "Nonsense, girl-dark, dark as starry midnight were his eyes,weren't they, Arabella?" "I thought they were blue." "Blue-black-what the dickens arethegirls talking about?-they were grey-little, ugly, sharp grey eyes." "We are talking of the tall young gentleman, papa, in the blue coat," said Julia. "The splendid man with long raven hair. How I should like to know what his name is!" "We were speaking of the beautiful creature in the black surtout, papa," interposed Marianne and Arabella, in a breath. "Oh, such a beautiful smile! such a charming voice! I'm certain he sings." "Well, well-never mind whether he sings or not," said the father,"they are to be our neighbours for three months: we shall know all about them by that time. A cellar with no wine! I think I will step over to your uncle Larkin's. There's some mystery about it. Tell your mother to get Holywell Lodge in order; beds aired, fires lighted, and all that. They come over and take possession on Monday." A steady old woman, recommended by Mrs Riggs, was speedily installed as cook. The gardener was retained in his situation, with the additional of the weather, and once or twice duty of cleaning knives and shoes; and, in a very short time, Holywell Lodge assumed every appearance of ■a comfortable habitation. The carpets were none of the newest; the chairs were some of the oldest; and - an experienced eye might have easily ■ detected the difference between a 2 "furnished cottage," and a cottage * furnished; but yet, with the aid of flashy-coloured papers in the sitting rooms, large pier-glass, with only * two small cracks in it, over the drawing-room fireplace, and bright red covers to the imitation rosewood ta bles, the cottage made a very respectable show. And when the musicseller from the neighbouring town had sent out a beautiful new piano, and a large waggon had arrived with a multitude of desks, writing-tables, --and a considerable quantity of books, the apartments looked quite a differ*ent thing; and every body declared they had had no idea before that Holywell Lodge was so very superior a place. In many eyes in the neighbourhood its eemed an actual paradise; and in no eyes had it more decidedly assumed this character, than in the six very bright ones of the three Miss Riggses. It is not to be denied, at the same time, that the same persuasion pervaded the minds of their cousins, the two Miss Larkins; but the means those young ladies had of judging were very inferior indeed to those of their more fortunate relations. They could only form their opinions from an outside view of the premises, namely, the fence wall about six feet high, and a distant view of the inhabitants, namely, a view of them in the front seat of the gallery at the parish church; at which it was remarked that the congregation contained a very unusual. proportion of young ladies, immediately after it had got bruited abroad that the new tenants had taken possession of the house, and were regular in their attendance at church. This was perhaps only a curious coincidence; dence; but we can vouch for its being the fact; for it is well known to the whole parish (to go no farther for our proofs than to Mr Larkin's family itself,) that Miss Anne and Miss Matilda Larkin forgot their usual fear even hurried over to our morning service in the midst of a pelting shower; a circumstance which, a few weeks before the incidents we have alluded to, would have been considered little short of miraculous. In less than a week from the day of taking possession, any one might have seen upon the little drawing-room mantle-piece a pretty considerable bunch of cards, containing, among others, the names of Mr Hughes, our attorney, and Mr Ford, his partner, who had also taken the opportunity of leaving one at the same time with "Hughes and Ford, Solicitors," printed in large letters. Mr Adams, our surgeon, who was like "three single gentlemen rolled into one," or the celebrated Caleb Quotem, for he filled a multitude of different offices, and tried to condense them all into one magnificent denomination by calling himself " Dr Adams, M.D., Surgeon, Apothecary, and Accoucheur;" while in very small letters at the foot of the card appeared" N.B. Medicines carefully dispensed." It may be remarked, as evincing considerable knowledge of the world in our worthy doctor, that on this occasion, besides his other dispensings, he dispensed with one of his numerous titles or offices, and modest ly drew his pen through the word "accoucheur;" for he very naturally argued that he would probably gain in intensity what he lost in extent; and as it was highly improbable the new comers would require his services in that capacity, they would make it up to him by keeping him fully employed in all his others: so he read up his dog Latin in case he should be called on to prescribe, bought a new set of lancets, and sent for a fresh supply of drugs to the Apothecaries' Hall. Mr Larkin, of course, called, and said not a word about wine. Three or four of our retired mer. chants, who had settled in the neighbourhood, also paid their respects, and there was no possibility of disputing the fact, that if the old gentleman and the two young ones had been so inclined, they might have had invitations for every day in the week. But CHAP. II. Alas! for the young ladies of our town-alas! for all the gentlemen we have mentioned as having called at Holywell Lodge. The inhabitants of that mysterious domicile seemed the most unsocial of men. The whole population of our town and neighbourhood were inadequate to make those recluse spirits "come when they did call on them;" and at last, though the curiosity continued unabated, or if possible went on increasing, it seemed a settled thing that any intimacy with the new tenants of Holywell Lodge was not to be thought of. This was the final conviction of Hughes and Ford, the attorneys; Dr Adams, M.D., surgeon, apothecary and accoucheur; Mr Larkin, the best wine merchant in the county, and even of Mr Riggs of Pomona Cottage. But in the tenderer bosoms of all the female Hugheses, Fords, Adamses, Larkins and Riggses "Hope, like the glimmering taper's light, Adorn'd and cheer'd the way; And, still as darker grew the night, Sent forth a brighter ray." And at last, by sheer dint of wishing, hoping, expecting, and resolving, it is needless to deny that an acquaintance was finally struck up; and it was even hinted that two of the Miss Riggses had been seen talking to the two young gentlemen for more than half an hour, one fine September evening, in Cauliflower Lane. What they said has never been revealed, but it soon became very evident that Miss Julia and Miss Marianne, the two successful candidates, attached a very considerable degree of importance to the circumstance. They were now always seen together-some subject of overwhelming interest occupied all their thoughts; and their absorption in their mysterious consultations was so complete, that they gave the cut direct to Mr Thomas Hughes and Mr Joseph Adams, whom every body had before this time set down as their accepted lovers. Cauliflower Lane was the scene of their daily perambulations, and as it formed one of the boundaries to Holywell Lodge, and was entered to by a little green door from the shrubbery walk, it is not surprising that the meetings were seve ral times renewed. It was even observed by the prying eyes of Miss Arabella Riggs, that neither of her sisters was in possession of the righthand pink kid glove which-oh, falsehood! thy name is woman-they had each been presented with a pair of by their respective admirers, Messrs Hughes and Adams. And one Sunday in church there certainly did appear something sticking out of the left side pocket of the plain waistcoat of Mr Day, which she (the said Arabella) could swear looked exceedingly like the thumb and forefinger of a lady's glove. But at the distance at which she sat, she could not distinguish clearly enough to know whose glove it was; but that it was a glove-kid leather, and pink colour-she was as sure as she was of her existence. And where all the while was Mr Riggs? That watchful dragon of the Hesperides waited only a favourable opportunity to attain, if possible, through his daughters, the satisfaction of his curiosity. "What the devil could the old man mean by being so particular about the cellars, when he has not ordered a pint of any imaginable drink?" To solve this riddle Mr Riggs would have consented to his daughters losing both their gloves; but, however well acquainted they might become with the two juniors, he did not see any better chance of diving into the mys sterious conduct of the elder tenant. "What are they? Who are they? What do they do? These were the questions that interfered with the rest and equanimity of poor Mr Thomas Riggs, and also of Mr Larkin. Night after night those indefatigable pursuers of knowledge under difficulties repeated the same questions over their wine, over their rum and water, over their welsh rabbit and bottled porter; but with no better result. They uniformly made these enquiries, drowning their chagrin in copious floods of Guiness, and keeping all steady with an extra half pound or two of roasted Glo'ster, till the three gentlemen of Hollywell Lodge became indissolubly connected in their minds with nightmare and indigestion. They had sick headaches all the morning, and dreamed every night of vast cellars from which every vestige of a barrel had disaped. Were they a deputation from e temperance society?--a club of un principled ruffians, who had speculated deeply in tea and coffee, and now cloaked their selfish objects by pretending a horror of wholesome British gin? This also was one of the unanswered interrogatories propounded by Riggs to Larkin, and Larkin to Riggs; but in this, as in all their other investigations, "They asked the more because they asked in vain." At last, by means of repeated helpings to toasted cheese, and an extra allowance of rum and water, a new light seemed to break in upon Mr Riggs. "I say, Larkin, why did the old gentleman ask if Tim Duffy was a strong man? It don't need a man to be particularly strong to be a gardener, does it?" "Did he ask you that?" replied Mr Larkin" you should have said so before. What could he mean?" Mr Riggs drew the kettle of hot water nearer to him, and dropped three four lumps of sugar into his tumbler. or "I'll tell you what it is-Larkin, I don't half like it-I've heard very strange things reported of forgers and such like. I shall look very sharp to the money they pay for Holywell Lodge-eh? what do you think?" was "I've heard so," said Mr Larkin, calmly; not, perhaps, wishing to give Mr Riggs the triumph of having fathomed the mystery, though it evident that, in his own mind, he believed the murder was out at last. " And the cellars, you think, are what they keep their tools in?" A sagacious nod was Mr Riggs's reply. "And Tim Duffy's strength is required for the boxes of false coin?" " Why, what else can it be?" said Mr Riggs, in whose mind, by this time, bare supposition had grown into certainty. "What the deuce would they need with a cellar, if it wasn't for that?-or why did they care whether Duffy was strong or weak? Ihad a bad sixpence in change from Morrell, the grocer, last Monday. I will go up and call on the old man to-morrow. It won't do to have a tenant of Holywell Lodge hanged. It would sink its value a guinea a-week." And, with this magnanimous resolution, the gentlemen took one more tumbler apiece, to reward themselves for their perspicacity, and dreamed all night of the cellars that used to be formerly empty, now filled to the brim with light half-crowns and copper sovereigns. That morning Mr Riggswas intensely mysterious all the time of breakfast. His body only was present, but his thoughts were far away. He scalded his mouth with the tea, and emptied the cream-jug over his French roll. His wife was not a person of much observation, and was confirmed in her enmity to Jamaica rum. The daughters were too much engaged in their own contemplations to bestow much attention on the eccentricities of their sire, and all might have passed off without any observation, if Mr Rigg's heart had not grown, like Coriolanus's, "too big for what contained it," and had forced him, as his lady would have expressed it, to let a bit of the cat out of the bag. "I think I have found them out, girls," he said; and, with an intuitive knowledge of relative pronouns, unknown to the slower disciples of Lindley Murray, they knew in a moment who were meant under the monosyllable them. "Have you, indeed, papa? Oh! do tell us!" But Mrs Riggs, like the wives of most men of surpassing ingenuity, was what is facetiously called rather a slow coach, and had to be carefully instructed as to the mean.. ing of the aforesaid pronoun. "Oh, mamma," exclaimed Julia, impatiently, "what can you be thinking of? Papa means the gentlemen at the Lodge--he says he has found them out." "I know he has," rejoined the matron" he has never found them in nor any body else, except Dr Adams; and he thought them the oddest people he ever saw." "Well, papa," struck in Miss Marianne, "who are they? Oh, I am so impatient!" "I'll tell you more of it in an hour or two. I'm going up to call, and I shall insist on having an explanation of the whole business." The red cheeks of the two elder Miss Riggses grew still redder. "Dear!-what business, papa?" "Why, that cellar, to be sure," replied Mr Riggs, to their evident relief for certain thoughts of Cauliflower Lane, and right-hand gloves, had sug |