t state, and even splendour, and
treated with almost boundless hospitality.

To keep up our spirits, we were taken for a drive by the sitting
member a few miles out, into what they call "the country" in those
parts. The suburban residence was situated in a well-wooded park, if
that can be called well-wooded where there are no woods, but only
stunted undergrowths sickening with the baleful fumes that proceed
from the city of darkness in the distance, and black with the soot
of a thousand chimneys. The member apologized politely enough for
bringing us to this almost uninhabitable and Heaven-forsaken region;
but I begged him not to mind: it was only a more blasted scene than
the heath in "Macbeth."

"Yes," said he, still apologetically; "it _is_ very bad, I admit. You
see, the fumes and fires from those manufactories make such havoc of
our woods."

This was apparent, but the question was how to pass the time amidst
this gloom and sickening atmosphere.

I found his residence, however, to my great joy, was farther than I
expected from the appalling city of darkness, and hope began to revive
both in my junior's heart and mine.

Our friend and host, seeing our spirits thus elated, began, to talk
with more life-like animation.

"The fumes from the factories, Mr. Hawkins, have so played the devil
with our trees that the general impoverishment of nature has earned
for the locality of Sheffield the unpleasant title of the 'Suburbs of
Hell.'"

"I don't wonder," I answered; "no name could be more appropriate or
better deserved; but if it were my fate to choose my locality, I
should prefer to live in _the city itself_."

A curious incident happened to us during this Yorkshire visit. An
excursion was arranged to see Warburton's, situated some few miles
off, and notable for many oddities.

We were driven over, and when we arrived were by no means disappointed
by the singularities of the mansion. It was enclosed within a high
wall, which had been built, not for the purpose, as you might suppose,
of preventing the house from getting away, but for that of keeping
out rats and foxes; for there were birds to be preserved from these
destructive animals. Next, this portion of the estate was surrounded
by water, which afforded an additional security to its isolation,
access to the island being attainable only by means of a bridge.

The mansion was occupied by a Mrs. Hailstone, whose duty it was to
show visitors over the house and