n eyes,
though being neither a manufacturing one nor a cathedral one, nor even
the chief town of the county, it was somewhat primitive in its manners
and customs. Passing out at the town, toward the east, you came upon
several detached gentleman's houses, in the vicinity of which stood the
church of St. Jude, which was more aristocratic, in the matter of its
congregation, than the other churches of West Lynne. For about a
mile these houses were scattered, the church being situated at their
commencement, close to that busy part of the place, and about a mile
further on you came upon the beautiful estate which was called East
Lynne.

Between the gentlemen's houses mentioned and East Lynne, the mile of
road was very solitary, being much overshadowed with trees. One house
alone stood there, and that was about three-quarters of a mile before
you came to East Lynne. It was on the left hand side, a square, ugly,
red brick house with a weathercock on the top, standing some little
distance from the road. A flat lawn extended before it, and close to
the palings, which divided it from the road, was a grove of trees, some
yards in depth. The lawn was divided by a narrow middle gravel path, to
which you gained access from the portico of the house. You entered
upon a large flagged hall with a reception room on either hand, and
the staircase, a wide one, facing you; by the side of the staircase you
passed on to the servants' apartments and offices. That place was called
the Grove, and was the property and residence of Richard Hare, Esq.,
commonly called Mr. Justice Hare.

The room to the left hand, as you went in, was the general sitting-room;
the other was very much kept boxed up in lavender and brown Holland, to
be opened on state occasions. Justice and Mrs. Hare had three children,
a son and two daughters. Annie was the elder of the girls, and had
married young; Barbara, the younger was now nineteen, and Richard the
eldest--but we shall come to him hereafter.

In this sitting-room, on a chilly evening, early in May, a few days
subsequent to that which had witnessed the visit of Mr. Carlyle to the
Earl of Mount Severn, sat Mrs. Hare, a pale, delicate woman, buried
in shawls and cushions: but the day had been warm. At the window sat a
pretty girl, very fair, with blue eyes, light hair, a bright complexion,
and small aquiline features. She was listlessly turning over the leaves
of a book.

"Barbara, I am sure it must be tea-time