men pitch their
tents in the deserts of Sahara or the wild prairies of America. What
business have they here in the midst of a civilized community,
linked together by chains of mutual obligation and dependence?" These
observations apply to few private parks now-a-days. Permission to
drive, ride or walk through them is rarely refused. Almost the only
cases where there is much strictness in this respect are those of
parks situated near a great watering place, such as Brighton or
Tonbridge Wells. Thus, at the former, Lord Chichester's rule is that
all persons on horseback or in carriages may pass through his ground,
but foot-passengers are not allowed. The late Lord Abergavenny, a man
of very shy and retiring disposition, was the least liberal park-owner
in England. The gates of his superb demesne of Eridge very rarely
revolved on their hinges; and this was the more remarkable, inasmuch
as he did not reside there more than three months in the year. The
story was told that at his accession to the property he had been
more liberal, but that one day he was seated at luncheon alone when,
suddenly looking up, he observed to his horror three proletarians
flattening their noses against the window-pane, and gaping with
exasperating interest at the august spectacle of a live lord at
luncheon. To pull the bell and issue an order for the immediate
removal of the intruders was, in the graphic language of the dime
novel, the work of a moment; and from that hour the gates of Eridge
were so rigorously sealed that it was often a matter of difficulty
even for invited guests to obtain admittance.

It may seem very ill-natured sometimes to refuse admittance on
easy terms to such places, and to act apparently in a sort of
dog-in-the-manger spirit. But it should be borne in mind that the
privilege when accorded has not unfrequently been abused, more
especially by the "lower middle class" of the English people, whose
manners are often very intrusive. Such persons will approach close
to the house, peer into the windows of private apartments, or push
in amongst the family and guests while engaged in croquet or other
out-door amusements. Another common offence is leaving a disgusting
_debris_ lying about after a picnic in grounds which it costs the
owners thousands of pounds yearly to keep in order. The sentiment from
which such places are kept up is not that of vulgar display. They
are hallowed by associations which are well depicted by the lat