Blandford

“ Reginald said “Thanks!” drily, and in a way so cutting that Mr Shanklin and Blandford both laughed this time.
“Look here,” said the unwholesome Pillans, looking very warm, “what do you say that for? Do you want to cheek me?”
“Don’t be a fool, Pillans. It doesn’t matter to you where he lives,” said Blandford.
“Thank goodness it don’t—or whether he pays his rent either.”
“It’s a pity you had to leave Garden Vale,” said Blandford, apparently anxious to turn the conversation into a more pacific channel; “such a jolly place it was. What do you do with yourself all day long in town?” ”

“ In the figure that had apparently risen from the dead to confront him, Demorest only saw the man he had unconsciously wronged—the man who had it in his power to claim Joan and exact a terrible retribution! But it was part of this monstrous and irreconcilable situation that Blandford had ceased to contemplate it, and in his preoccupation only saw the actual interference of a man whom he no longer hated, but had begun to pity and despise. ”

“ Blandford and his friend, sitting in state to receive their distinguished visitors, among whom were to be the real owner of a racehorse, a real jockey, a real actor, and a real wine-merchant, these open-hearted and knowing young men were considerably taken aback to find a boy of Horace’s age and toilet ushered into their august presence. Blandford would have preferred to appear ignorant of the identity of the intruder, but Horace left him no room for that amiable fraud. ”

“ But Blandford put it aside with a cold gesture and folded his arms.
“You have forgotten all you ever knew of me, Demorest! I am not in the habit of making clandestine appointments with helpless women whose natural protectors I dare not face. I have never pursued an innocent girl to the house I dared not enter. When I found that I could not honorably retain Dona Rosita's affection, I fled her roof. ”

“ Demorest is worldly, but one of Edward's old friends,” said Mrs. Blandford, with a slight kindling of her eyes, “and he would not have refused to aid him in what might be an errand of grace or necessity. You can keep the money, Ezekiel, as a gift, not as a wage. And go to bed. I will sit up for Mr. Blandford.”
She passed out and up the staircase into her bedroom, pausing on her way to glance into the empty back parlor and take the lamp from the table. Here she noticed that her husband had evidently changed his clothes again and taken a heavier overcoat from the closet. ”

“ Blandford in the same measured tone, “if he does not add his own evil company to his advice, it is the best he has ever given yet. I think he might have taken another day than the Lord's to talk about it, but we must not despise the means nor the hour whence the truth comes. ”

“ Blandford knew little of horseflesh, but like all men he was not superior to this implied compliment to his knowledge. He resigned himself to his companion as he had been in the habit of doing, and Demorest hurried the horse at a rapid gait down the street until they left the lamps behind, and were fully on the dark turnpike. The sleet rattled against the hood and leathern apron of the buggy, gusts of fierce wind filled the vehicle and seemed to hold it back, but Demorest did not appear to mind it. ”

“ Reginald smiled.
“I work for my living,” said he, keeping his eye steadily fixed on Mr Pillans, as if waiting to catch the first sign of an insult on his part.
“That’s what we all do, more or less,” said Mr Shanklin. “Blandford here works like a nigger to spend his money, don’t you, old man?”
“I do so,” said Blandford, “with your valuable assistance.”
“And with somebody else’s assistance too,” said Mr Pillans, with a shrug in the direction of Reginald. ”

“ If there is anything stands in the way, let me know what it is and I can overcome it. If it is my telling Ned Blandford, don't let that worry you, he's as loyal a fellow as ever breathed, and I'm a dog to ever think he willingly betrayed us. ”

“ Blandford, going over to Joe and seizing the lad’s hand. “It wasn’t because I don’t like you.”
“Thank you,” replied Joe. “I don’t understand what you and Mr. Deo were talking about, but I don’t wan’t to be in the way.”
“You are not in the way at all,” said Mr. Deometari, emphatically.
“I should say not,” exclaimed Mr. Blandford, heartily. “Deo is right and I was wrong. I’d be happy if I wasn’t in anybody’s way any more than you are. You’ll find out when you grow bigger that a man never gets too old to be a fool.” ”

“ Above the town of Blandford is an odd intrenchment on a hill, a squarish work, with others like the foundation of small towers: a barrow near it.
Vol. I. p. 81
A Roman Camp near Bere Regis (Ibernium) Dorsr 9 Iun 1724.
Stukeley delin.
E. Kirkall sculp.
Blandford.
Blandford is a pretty town, pleasantly seated in a flexure of the river, before charming meadows, and rich lands. Wood thrives exceedingly here: indeed this country is a fine variety of downs, woods, lawns, arable, pasture, and rich valleys ”

“ Blandford, a little disappointed at his friend's dogmatic suppression of certain material facts, shrugged his shoulders.
“If that's all your story,” he said, “I must say I see no prospect of your reforming. It's the old thing over again, only this time you are evidently the victim. She's some designing creature who will have you if she hasn't already got you completely in her power.”
“You don't know what you're talking about, Ned, and you'd better quit,” returned Demorest, with cheerful authoritativeness. ”

“ That's the country for a young man like you—just starting into life, and without incumbrances. If I was free and fixed in my family affairs like you I'd go to-morrow.”
There was such an occult positivism in Demorest's manner that for an instant Blandford, who had been married two years, and was transacting a steady and fairly profitable manufacturing business in the adjacent town, actually believed he was more fitted for adventurous speculation than the grimly erratic man of energetic impulses and pleasures beside him. ”

“ You don't understand women, Ned. That's what's the matter with you.”
It required all of Blandford's fond memories of his wife's conservative habits, Puritan practicality, religious domesticity, and strong family attachments, to withstand Demorest's dogmatic convictions. He smiled, however, with a certain complacency, as he also recalled the previous autumn when the first news of the California gold discovery had penetrated North Liberty, and he had expressed to her his belief that it would offer an outlet to Demorest's adventurous energy. ”

“ Many women had done the same.
“Suppose if you were to tell your wife I was going to reform,” said Demorest, “it might be different, eh? She'd want to take me into the church—'another sinner saved,' and all that, eh?”
“No,” said Blandford, earnestly. “Joan isn't as rigid as all that, Dick. What she's got against you is the common report of your free way of living, and that—come now, you know yourself, Dick, that isn't exactly the thing a woman brought up in her style can stand. Why, she thinks I'm unregenerate, and—well, a man can't carry on business always like a class meeting. ”

“ The plant here figured is from the arboretum of the Marquis of Blandford at White Knights, where we first noticed it in 1806, growing in the greatest perfection, and bearing abundance of fruit, which it still continues to do annually; and being a finer species than any we before possessed, is an interesting addition to our collections of hardy evergreens. ”

“ Lysons, and Knight (Imperial Cyclopædia) all tell the same story. Peuchet cites the Blandford laces as "comparables à celles qu'on fait en Flandres (excepté Bruxelles) , en France, et même dans les Etats de Venise"; and Anderson mentions Blandford as "a well-built town, surpassing all England in fine lace." More reliance is to be placed on the two last-named authorities than the former, who have evidently copied Defoe without troubling themselves to inquire more deeply into the matter. ”

“ Blandford was athletic in early life, and belonged for several years to the 2nd (South) Middlesex volunteers. He was also interested in art, literature, and music, showing skill in water-colour sketching and collecting from an early period Whistler's etchings, besides contributing a few unsigned articles to the 'Cornhill Magazine.'
Blandford's chief work was an admirably practical and comprehensive text-book, 'Insanity and its Treatment; Lectures on the Treatment, Medical and Legal, of Insane Patients' (Edinburgh 1871; 4th edit. 1892) . ”

“ Nothing would do but he must go to New York and see his "young Marster Blandford." Old as he is, he has a deal of common sense, so I've let him go. I couldn't refuse him—he seemed to have concentrated all his hopes and desires into this one adventure into the wide world. You know he was born on the plantation, and has never been ten miles away from it in his life. And he was your father's body servant during the war, and has been always a faithful vassal and servant of the family. He has often seen the gold watch—the watch that was your father's and your father's father's. ”

“ He is in peaceful society like a mischievous child in a well-furnished drawing-room, puts things in confusion, and destroys much that is valuable and worth preserving, and when asked, “Who has done it?” pleads ignorance, or places it upon the shoulders of others, joining you in strong utterances of condemnation of such wanton conduct.
Mr. and Mrs. Blandford had lived together in their village cottage forty years, in the greatest conjugal affection and concord. It was generally known that they had seldom or ever had a quarrel or misunderstanding during the whole of that period. ”

“ I paid the man his well-earned two shillings, besides which I had treated him to sundry refreshments on the way; and we remained at Salisbury for the rest of the night, starting early on the following morning for Blandford. We marched seven miles before breakfast, and after it did not halt again till we got to Blandford, where we stayed the night; and next morning, which was Sunday, proceeded on towards my native village, which is about eight miles from Blandford. ”

“ Blandford appeared rather flattered than otherwise by this observation, and told Mr Pillans to shut up and not tell tales out of school.
“I suppose Wilderham hasn’t changed much since last term?” asked Reginald wistfully.
“Oh no; plenty of fellows left and new ones come—rather a better lot, take them all round, than we had last term.”
“Has the football club been doing well again?” asked the old boy.
“Oh, middling. By the way, the fellows growled rather when you only sent them half-a-sov. instead of a sov.” ”

“ Having removed to Bristol, he was there brutally ill used. In the ‘Commission’ of 1650 he is entered ‘William Allen [sic] , a learned, orthodox, able divine, the present incumbent.’ In 1653 he is similarly designated. When the Act of Uniformity was passed, the vicar of Blandford never hesitated. His parishioners held him in the utmost veneration, and he ‘dearly loved’ them. But he ‘freely quitted his living,’ and ‘ministered to a few people in private.’ A few years after the ejection he took up his residence again in Bristol, where he carried on his ministry with ever-increasing acceptance. ”

“ Blandford had written,—
“Dear Cruden,—I hope it’s not true about your father’s money going all wrong. It is a great sell, and fellows here, I know, will be very sorry. Never mind, I suppose there’s enough left to make a decent show; and between you and me it would go down awfully well with the fellows here if you could send your usual subscription to the football club. Harker says you’ll have to leave Garden Vale. I’m awfully sorry, as I always enjoyed my visits there so much. What are you going to do? Why don’t you try for the army? ”

“ Harker, who had shared the distinction of being tossed with Horace in the same blanket every night for the first week of his sojourn at Wilderham, had not forgotten the fact, and ejaculated,—
“Rather!”
“The mischief is,” continued Blandford, “they get such a shady lot of fellows there now. ”

“ Eastbury, of course, is haunted—so much is to be expected of such a place; but those who have seen the headless coachman and his ghostly four-in-hand issuing from the park gates, or returning, are growing scarce, and times are become so sceptical that even they cannot obtain credence. So, with a sigh for the decay of belief, we will e’en on through Pimperne down to Blandford, which good town, of fine dignified classic architectural presence, the coach-road enters in a timid back-doors manner, down a narrow byway. ”

“ My dear boy, if you want to see how peevish and ill-natured and idiotic a grown man can be, just starve him for a matter of eight or nine days. Some wanted to go one way and some wanted to go another, while others wanted to stay where they were. Actually, Blandford and I had to cut hickories and pretend that we were going to flog the men who wanted to stay there and die, and when we got them on their feet we had to drive them along like a drove of sheep, while Pruitt led the way. ”

“ Hannah, daughter of Thomas and Rebecca, died in Chatham, Oct. 19, 1736, in her eighteenth year. The Hamilton data sent me by the town clerk of Chatham proves that Thomas, son of Daniel (1) , died in Chatham in 1772.
In regard to James Hamilton of Blandford, I will quote from a letter received from Rev. S. L. Wood, who is collecting material for a history of Blandford, Mass. Mr. Wood writes: “Armour, Hugh, John, James and Robert Hamilton or Hambleton, as it is often spelled, were all here, and each obtained settlement lots on the settlement of this town. ”