was small, but neatly
furnished, and contained a single bed. This appendage had been concealed
from Melissa's view, as it was the opposite side of the house from
whence she alighted. "Where is John?" asked Melissa's aunt. "My husband
is in the garden, replied the woman; I will call him," and out she
scampered. John soon appeared, and exhibited an exact counter part of
his wife. "What does madam please to want?" said he, bowing three or
four times. "I want you John," she answered, and immediately stepped
into the other room, and gave some directions, in a low voice, to him
and his wife. "La me! said the woman, madam a'nt a going to live in that
doleful place?" Melissa could not understand her aunt's reply, but heard
her give directions to "first hang on the teakettle." This done, while
John and his wife went out, Melissa's aunt prepared tea in her own room.
In about an hour John and his wife returned, and gave the same bunch of
keys to Melissa's aunt, which she had given to the servant who drove the
carriage.

Melissa was involved in inscrutable mystery respecting these
extraordinary proceedings. She conjectured that they boded her no good,
but she could not penetrate into her aunt's designs. She frequently
looked out, hoping to see the carriage return, but was disappointed.
When tea was made ready, she could neither eat nor drink. After her aunt
had disposed of a dozen cups of tea, and an adequate proportion of
biscuit, butter and dried beef, she directed Melissa to prepare to take
a walk. The sun was low; they proceeded through fields, in a foot path,
over rough and uneven ways, directly towards the Sound. They walked
about a mile, when they came to a large, old fashioned, castle-like
building, surrounded by a high, thick wall, and almost totally concealed
on all sides from the sight, by irregular rows of large locusts and elm
trees, dry prim[A] hedges, and green shrubbery. The gate which opened
into the yard, was made of strong hard wood, thickly crossed on the
outside with iron bars, and filled with old iron spikes. Melissa's aunt
unlocked the gate, and they entered the yard, which was overgrown with
rank grass and rushes: the avenue which led to the house was almost in
the same condition. The house was of real Gothic architecture, built of
rude stone, with battlements.

[Footnote A: The botanical name of this shrub is not recollected.
There were formerly a great number of prim hedges in New-England,
an