ce at the time when it was built. It
consisted of a centre and two wings, the gable-ends of which were
shaped like stairs. It was built partly of wood, and partly of small
Dutch bricks, such as the worthy colonists brought with them from
Holland, before they discovered that bricks could be manufactured
elsewhere. The house stood remote from the road, in the centre of a
large field, with an avenue of old locust[13] trees leading up to it,
several of which had been shivered by lightning, and two or three
blown down. A few apple-trees grow straggling about the field; there
were traces also of what had been a kitchen-garden; but the fences
were broken down, the vegetables had disappeared, or had grown wild,
and turned to little better than weeds, with here and there a ragged
rosebush, or a tall sunflower shooting up from among brambles, and
hanging its head sorrowfully, as if contemplating the surrounding
desolation. Part of the roof of the old house had fallen in, the
windows were shattered, the panels of the doors broken, and mended
with rough boards; and there were two rusty weathercocks at the ends
of the house, which made a great jingling and whistling as they
whirled about, but always pointed wrong. The appearance of the whole
place was forlorn and desolate, at the best of times; but, in unruly
weather, the howling of the wind about the crazy old mansion, the
screeching of the weathercocks, the slamming and banging of a few
loose window-shutters, had altogether so wild and dreary an effect,
that the neighbourhood stood perfectly in awe of the place, and
pronounced it the rendezvous of hobgoblins. I recollect the old
building well; for I remember how many times, when an idle, unlucky
urchin, I have prowled round its precincts, with some of my graceless
companions, on holiday afternoons, when out on a freebooting cruise
among the orchards. There was a tree standing near the house, that
bore the most beautiful and tempting fruit; but then it was on
enchanted ground, for the place was so charmed by frightful stories
that we dreaded to approach it. Sometimes we would venture in a body,
and get near the Hesperian tree, keeping an eye upon the old mansion,
and darting fearful glances into its shattered window; when, just as
we were about to seize upon our prize, an exclamation from some one of
the gang, or an accidental noise, would throw us all into a panic, and
we would scamper headlong from the place, nor stop until we had