Anonymous

“ It is true, there is much enjoyment in the peace and quiet of a tranquil summer’s day, when we [Pg 107] can leave the busy haunts of men for some secluded glen or mountain-path, while the sky above is blue and cloudless, and the broad sea looks still and beautiful. It is delightful then to listen to the sweet notes of the birds, and the low murmuring of the breeze ”

“ Papa, I do wonder any one can like to make such a disturbance among the poor little creatures, just for their own amusement: it would be much more diverting to me, I am sure, to see them gambol and frolic over these green hillocks. Ah, there are their pretty young ones, running as fast as their little legs will carry them, by the side of their mother. ”

“ The bodies of thousands of human beings, who fell victims to avarice, ambition, or revenge, then strewed the plain, where now the solitary herd-boy tends the flock; while beneath us, on the dark blue ocean, which once bore to our devoted land the hostile fleets of an invading foe, we may mark the sails of distant vessels, laden with the blessings of commerce, the fruits of industry and peace. ”

“ It is endowed with the wonderful power of raising at will a tiny bag inflated with air, by means of which it floats; but, when to descend is the object, it is lowered or cast off, and the little animal disappears. They are often seen by voyagers floating together in great numbers, many hundred miles from land.”
“How surprising!” said Edward, “and how beautiful they must look, either by night or day! But I need not wish to go abroad for the sake of the purple-ocean snail-shell, when I can see so grand a sight at home.” ”

“ I am sure uncle Tom will never make a sailor of me.”
“I do not wish he should, my boy,” said Mr. Ashton; “yet you must do your best to overcome your natural timidity, or you will find it a source of trouble and inconvenience to you in passing through life. But to return [Pg 10] to the pier. I do not wonder you should doubt its strength, judging from its light and elegant appearance; and yet, I assure you, it is better calculated to withstand the force of the waves than buildings of solid masonry, which present a greater resistance to them. ”

“ The shells of some animals are in form like little vessels, the valves of which they open to the breeze, and thus float on the surface of the waves; others, inclosed [Pg 88] in cases, which remind us of the diving-bell, lie hid in ocean’s caves; or occasionally descend to the very bottom of the sea. The limpet, in his conical dwelling, lives like a solitary hermit on the sea-coast: the pinna has a shell so large as to admit other guests: the chiton rolls himself up in the plaited folds of his armour, at the first approach of danger ”

“ Ashton to Helen, one morning, when the breakfast-things had been removed, “I suppose by this time Edward and Lewis have shown you all that is worth seeing in this gay place, and have made you nearly as wise as themselves. I am quite at leisure this morning; but I am afraid there is nothing left for me to do as a chaperon.”
“Thank you, dear uncle,” said Helen, laughing; “you could do a great deal for us, I assure you; but [Pg 105] only see how very fast it is raining!”
“Yes,” said Lewis, in a disconsolate tone, “there will be no going out to-day; the clouds are coming up thicker and faster.” ”

“ Ashton, smiling good-humouredly; “only we must remember, that children are not mere machines; and that the education we give them should be such as to render them intelligent and useful members of society.” ”

“ This thought of Lewis’s, however, was immediately succeeded by another, and a better one, that in so doing he should not be acting kindly to his brother: so, loosing his arm from his mother’s, he said, “I am just going to call Edward;” and as he ran along he said to himself, “I am glad mamma did not think of it for me; there is so much more pleasure in doing what is right of one’s own accord: and though Edward would not have known I had prevented his sharing the pleasure, I should have blamed myself for it. ”

“ It was so dark when we came here last night, that what papa told me was the sea looked only, as we rode along, like a line of black clouds.”
“Come to the window, then,” said Lewis, “and you will see that it looks bright and blue this morning. How the waves sparkle in the sun-beams! Those vessels in the distance [Pg 3] must be fishing-boats, from their size; or is it because they are so very far away that they seem so small?”
“Some are larger than others,” said Edward: “and, look! it must be a steam-vessel which is smoking so, at the end of that long bridge we see in the distance. ”

“ Ashton, “are brought from the Red Sea and the East Indies. Those which are found in the West Indies are less brilliant; and the shells of colder regions possess still less lustre and variety of colours: so that this difference may very reasonably be attributed, in some measure, to solar heat: perhaps, too, those seas in which the most brilliant shells are found, may furnish a greater supply of nourishment to the animals which inhabit them, and thus cause their shelly coverings to increase in size and beauty.”
“Do you really mean, mamma,” said Edward, “that shells grow?” ”

“ Mr. Ashton told them that the Chain-pier (for such the building was called) was used in the manner Edward had supposed; but that it was erected principally for the convenience of the visitors and inhabitants of Brighton, and that it forms one of the most agreeable walks in the town; “for, here” said he, as they passed the noble esplanade which forms the entrance to the pier, “we can enjoy the pure sea-breezes, without the [Pg 6] danger or difficulty of going out in an open boat.” ”

“ The numbers which sometimes attach themselves to the sides of vessels, add so [Pg 82] greatly to their weight as to impede their progress; so that, you see, the inhabitant of the lepas is frequently a traveller, and is exposed to the violence of the boisterous waves. Now, observe how admirably the Creator has provided for this little creature’s safety: here, at the entrance of its shell, is fixed a door, consisting of triangular valves, which the lepas opens or shuts as may best suit his convenience; by means of this little feathery tube the animal procures its food. ”

“ But a few moments passed, and the happy children were at their father’s side.
“Well, cousin Helen,” exclaimed Lewis, when the first greetings were over, “how you are grown! you are almost as tall as Edward, I do believe. I hope you are not too much of a woman to play with boys now; though you have been to boarding-school since we saw you. Is not [Pg 90] Brighton a delightful place? Were you not very glad to come?”
“Poor Helen!” said Mr. Ashton, “you will not give her time to answer one question, before you put another.” ”

“ The Chinese consider the shoulders of the fum an emblem of the virtues; their wings signify justice, their sides obedience, and their nest fidelity.”
“Well, dear mamma,” said Edward, finding that his mother did not proceed, “have you quite done with the Pavilion?”
Mrs. Ashton did not recollect anything else that would be likely to interest them: she was disappointed in the library, which contained but few books; the royal chapel, near the [Pg 43] south wing of the palace, she hoped papa would be able to show them, on his return to Brighton. ”

“ Lewis said: he was very glad Helen did not love playing with dolls, except it was the sport of giving them a sail in the brook, which ran at the end of his uncle’s garden.
Helen had no brothers and sisters of her own; but she had spent many happy hours with her cousins, when [Pg 91] they were visiting at her papa’s house.
“We have no garden for you here,” said Edward; “but we have a great many things to show you; and I think you will not soon grow tired of the beach, and the Esplanade, and the chain-pier.” ”

“ Lewis thought there must be quite as much pleasure in travelling as would compensate for the danger and toil: “So, Edward,” he said, “when I am a man and a traveller, I will send you home specimens of birds, [Pg 61] beasts, and fishes; and you may class and arrange them all to your heart’s content; for that is dull work, if you please.”
Here their mother warned them that it was long past the usual time for their retiring to rest.
“Mamma,” said Edward, “may I ask you one thing before we go? Will you let me hear those lines you were repeating to papa the other day ”

“ I believe you are mistaken there, my boy: even your weather-oracle, Tom Price, tells me, he thinks it will be fine; but if it should prove that he is mistaken for once, we will try to make ourselves happy within doors, and not waste our time in unavailing regrets. ”

“ The dressing-room adjoining it leads into a delightful bath, into which hot and cold water are conducted at pleasure. And now, perhaps, it may amuse you to hear something of the Chinese gallery; though I fear I can hardly give you an idea of its gorgeous splendour. It is divided into five compartments, the central one is illuminated by a dome of tinted glass, and decorated with a representation of the God of Thunder, surrounded with his appropriate emblems, as described in the Chinese mythology. ”

“ The name of the village of Poynings, is derived from two ancient [Pg 140] British words, descriptive of its situation; pou, country, and ings, downs: that is, the plain country under the Downs. The church is a large and ancient edifice; it is built in the form of a cross, with a tower in the centre. The ruins Mr. Ashton spoke of, were those of some stupendous building raised in ancient times, which tradition relates was the seat of the barons of Poynings. ”

“ Even the sea which you have often looked at with so much delight, would cease to charm, if its aspect were always the same. And in all the works of the beneficent Creator we may observe, that with perfect beauty, endless variety and change are combined. ”

“ Lewis turned to the plates; and with the assistance of them, and the description given, he came at last to the conclusion, that the shell in question must be the lepas anatifera.
“And now,” said Mrs. Ashton, “you have been very persevering, and I will endeavour to tell you something interesting respecting the lepas. These extraordinary shell-fish are never found detached from other substances: they adhere firmly to rocks and stones, and even to larger fish, such as the whale. ”

“ The rain is much needed, and the country will look more beautiful after it.”
“Do you not think, papa,” asked Lewis, who was not at all disposed to look on the bright side of the picture this morning, “that it would [Pg 106] be much pleasanter if the weather were always bright and calm. I am sure, if rain and storms are useful, they do a good deal of mischief sometimes, and often disappoint us of pleasure.” ”

“ CHAPTER III. “Shells, Edward! bright polished shells and sea-weed!” cried Lewis, as he lifted the paper covering to a small basket which his mamma held in her hand; “where did you get them? not on this barren coast, I am sure; for Edward and I have searched every where, and can find nothing but common things, not worth picking up.”
The Pavilion, Brighton.
“And yet, Lewis,” replied his mother, “I assure you some of these shells were found here; and I believe you will see among them many of the [Pg 29] common ones you despise so much; but the greater part were brought from foreign countries. ”

“ Ashton: “happy, indeed, is the mariner, who trusts not in any strength or skill of his own, to guide his bark through the troubled ocean of life.”
The widowed mother did not take much part in this conversation; but Edward and Lewis observed her fast-falling tears, as she busily plyed her needle. They therefore forbore to ask any more questions about old Tom’s voyages, the storms he had encountered, or the foreign lands he had visited, lest they should remind poor Mary of the husband she had [Pg 52] lost, and give pain to her feeling heart. ”

“ On the ceiling of one of the outer compartments, is exhibited the fum, or Chinese bird of royalty; on that of the other, the imperial dragon.”
Here Lewis interrupted, to ask if there really was such a bird as the fum. His mother told him, that “the Chinese are so singular a people, and so fond of mystery, that less is known of them or their country, than of almost any other nation. ”

“ I hardly know which is the worst, to blame one’s self, or be blamed by others: but then it mostly happens, when papa [Pg 33] and mamma blame me, that I am vexed with myself too.” Then Lewis was going on to think, how he might, much oftener than he did, avoid giving himself this unnecessary pain; but just then his brother set off to run again; so Lewis shouted, “Edward! Edward! Stop; pray stop!” ”

“ The picture was admired and examined again and again, but the [Pg 50] sight of it seemed to revive some painful recollections. The seaman remarked, that the motto was a very true one; and said that life had been a stormy sea to him, though he had met with many a friendly sail on the voyage.
Mrs. Ashton here expressed a hope, that he might never be left without a pilot, to whose safe guidance he could trust; and reminded him, that all our affairs are in the hands of Him, whose voice the winds and waves obey. ”

“ Edward carried a present [Pg 47] for the old man, of a well filled tobacco-box, on the lid of which was represented a ship in a storm, with the motto, “Such is Life.” Lewis chose a book for the eldest boy, who had learned to read pretty well at the National School; and Mrs. Ashton did not doubt, but the frock which she had made for little Charley, would give pleasure to the fond mother as well as to the child. ”

“ Some of Tattersal’s descendants are yet living in the town; but the pension has been, from what cause I know not, discontinued.”
“Mamma,” said Lewis, as they again drew near home, “can you tell me how far it is from Kemp-Town to Brunswick Terrace? for I suppose that takes in the whole of Brighton, from east to west.”
[Pg 74]
“Yes,” said his mother, “the distance is not less than two miles and a half; and from our present place of residence, the Steyne, to the extremity of the parish, on the London road, is about one mile and a quarter. ”