FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205  
206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   >>   >|  
hotel_ of Cardinal Fesch with his two turbots, or luckless Vatel who fell upon his sword and died because he had no turbot at all; or even, rising in the grandeur of the comparison, we may liken her to Domitian, who, weary of persecuting Christians, one day called the Roman Senate together to decide with him upon the sauce with which another historic turbot should be dressed. Some late arrivals among the Indians had that morning brought in several large baskets of the delicious oysters for which Wareham is still famous, and although it was an unfamiliar delicacy to her, Priscilla, remembering a tradition brought from Ostend to Leyden by some travelers, compounded these with biscuit-crumbs, spices, and wine, and was looking about for an iron pan wherein to bake them, when Elizabeth Tilley brought forward some great clam and scallop shells which John Howland had presented to her, just as now a young man might offer a unique Sevres tea-set to the lady of his love. "Wouldn't it do to fill these with thy oyster compote, and so set them in the ashes to roast?" inquired she. "Being many they can be laid at every man's place at table." "Why, 't is a noble idea, child," exclaimed Priscilla eagerly. "'T will be a novelty, and will set off the board famously. Say you not so, John?" "Ay," returned Alden, who was busily opening the oysters at her side. "And more by token there is a magnificence in the idea that thou hast not thought on; for as at a great man's table the silver dishes each bear the crest of his arms, so we being Pilgrims and thus privileged to wear the scallop shell in our hats, do rather choose to display it upon our board." "Ah, John, thou hast an excellent wit--in _some_ things," replied Priscilla with a half sigh which set the young fellow wondering for an hour. By noon the long tables were spread, and still the sweet warm air of the "Indian Summer" made the out-of-door feast not only possible but charming, for the gauzy veil upon the distant forest, and the marine horizon, and the curves of Captain's Hill, seemed to shut in this little scene from all the world of turmoil and danger and fatigue, while the thick yellow sunshine filtered through with just warmth enough for comfort, and the sighing southerly breeze brought wafts of perfume from the forest, and bore away, as it wandered northward, the peals of laughter, the merry yet discreet songs, and the multitudinous hum of blithe voices, Saxon and
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203   204   205  
206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

brought

 

Priscilla

 

oysters

 
turbot
 

scallop

 
forest
 

busily

 
choose
 

opening

 

display


multitudinous

 

excellent

 

fellow

 

wondering

 
replied
 
things
 
returned
 

blithe

 

dishes

 

silver


magnificence
 

thought

 

voices

 
privileged
 

Pilgrims

 

spread

 

turmoil

 

fatigue

 
danger
 
curves

horizon
 

Captain

 
sighing
 

southerly

 
breeze
 

comfort

 

sunshine

 

yellow

 

filtered

 

warmth


wandered

 

marine

 

Indian

 

Summer

 

discreet

 

tables

 

perfume

 
charming
 

northward

 

distant