said, aloud,--

"The Baron Stoltmayor, of Saltsomething, has come to look at the
premises."

This announcement was received with all due deference and respect, and
the task of showing the baron the premises at once fairly commenced.

"Here you have," said Mr. Leek, assuming an oratorical attitude--"here
you have the umbrageous trees stooping down to dip their leaves in the
purling waters; here you have the sweet foliage lending a delicious
perfume to the balmy air; here you have the murmuring waterfalls playing
music of the spheres to the listening birds, who sit responsive upon the
dancing boughs; here you have all the fragrance of the briny ocean,
mingling with the scent of a bank of violets, and wrapping the senses in
Elysium; here you may never tire of an existence that presents
never-ending charms, and that, in the full enjoyment of which, you may
live far beyond the allotted span of man."

"Enough--enough," said the baron.

"Here you have the choicest exotics taking kindly to a soil gifted by
nature with the most extraordinary powers of production; and all that
can pamper the appetite or yield delight to the senses, is scattered
around by nature with a liberal hand. It is quite impossible that
royalty should come near the favoured spot without visiting it as a
thing of course; and I forgot to mention that a revenue is derived from
some cottages, which, although small, is yet sufficient to pay the tithe
on the whole estate."

"There, there--that will do."

"Here you have purling rills and cascades, and fish-ponds so redundant
with the finny tribe, that you have but to wish for sport, and it is
yours; here you have in the mansion, chambers that vie with the
accommodation of a palace--ample dormitories and halls of ancient
grandeur; here you have--"

"Stop," said the baron, "stop; I cannot be pestered in this way with
your description. I have no patience to listen to such mere words--show
me the house at once, and let me judge for myself."

"Certainly, sir; oh! certainly; only I thought it right to give you a
slight description of the place as it really was: and now, sir, that we
have reached the house, I may remark that here we have--"

"Silence!" said the baron; "if you begin with here we have, I know not
when you will leave off. All I require of you is to show me the place,
and to answer any question which I may put to you concerning it. I will
draw my own conclusions, and nothing you can say, one way