Mr. Humphreys

“ Humphreys had inherited—quite unexpectedly—a property from an uncle: neither the property nor the uncle had he ever seen. He was alone in the world—a man of good ability and kindly nature, whose employment in a Government office for the last four or five years had not gone far to fit him for the life of a country gentleman. He was studious and rather diffident, and had few out-of-door pursuits except golf and gardening. To-day he had come down for the first time to visit Wilsthorpe and confer with Mr. Cooper, the bailiff, as to the matters which needed immediate attention. ”

“ Humphreys! Now I shall have the laugh of Miss Foster (that’s our rector’s daughter, you know; they’re away on their holiday now—such nice people) . We always had a joke between us which should be the first to get into the maze.’
‘I think the garden keys must be up at the house,’ said Mr. Cooper, who had been looking over a large bunch. ‘There is a number there in the library. Now, Mr. Humphreys, if you’re prepared, we might bid goodbye to these ladies and set forward on our little tour of exploration.’
As they came out of Mr. ”

“ With the temple she was particularly delighted, and, said she, ‘Do you know, Mr. Humphreys, I think your bailiff must be right about those lettered blocks of stone. One of my mazes—I’m sorry to say the stupid people have destroyed it now—it was at a place in Hampshire—had the track marked out in that way. They were tiles there, but lettered just like yours, and the letters, taken in the right order, formed an inscription—what it was I forget—something about Theseus and Ariadne. I have a copy of it, as well as the plan of the maze where it was. How people can do such things! ”

“ I've never thanked you, except by letter, for all the trouble you've taken to find people to look after me at the Hall.'
'Oh, I'm sure that was nothing, Mr Humphreys; but I really do think that you'll find them give satisfaction. The man and his wife whom we've got for the butler and housekeeper we've known for a number of years: such a nice respectable couple, and Mr Cooper, I'm sure, can answer for the men in the stables and gardens.'
'Yes, Mr Humphreys, they're a good lot. ”

“ Really, I sometimes say I don't know a nicer district, for the country; and the people round, too: such a quantity always going on. But I'm afraid you've come a little late for some of the better garden parties, Mr Humphreys.'
'I suppose I have; dear me, what a pity!' said Humphreys, with a gleam of relief; and then, feeling that something more could be got out of this topic, 'But after all, you see, Mrs Cooper, even if I could have been here earlier, I should have been cut off from them, should I not? My poor uncle's recent death, you know—'
'Oh dear, Mr Humphreys, to be sure ”

“ Then he went hastily into the other room.
"Evelyn," said he, "will you take my place, like a good fellow? I shall be back as soon as I can. Waters will get you everything you want."
"But about Wolverhampton, Mr. Brand?" shouted Humphreys after him.
There was no answer; he was half-way down the stairs.
When the hansom arrived in Curzon Street a hurried glance showed him that the dining-room was lit up. She was at home, then: that was enough. For the rest, he was not going to trouble himself with formalities when so beautiful a prize might still be within his reach. ”

“ Humphreys, that you’ll catch the archway over the entrance. You’ll see it just at the end of the walk answering to the one that leads up to this very building. Did you think of going there at once? because if that be the case, I must go to the house and procure the key. ”

“ The tracing of the plan for Lady Wardrop and the careful collation of it with the original meant a couple of hours’ work at least. Accordingly, soon after nine Humphreys had his materials put out in the library and began. It was a still, stuffy evening; windows had to stand open, and he had more than one grisly encounter with a bat. ”

“ BAKEWELL, ROBERT (1768–1843) , geologist, born in 1768, was not of the family of the preceding Robert Bakewell, to whom, however, he was known, and with whom he has sometimes by error been identified. He records that he was asked by the Countess of Oxford 'whether he was related to the Mr. Bakewell who invented sheep' (Introduction to Geology, 5th edition, pp. 402 and 403, note) , and he replied that there was no connection between them. ”

“ Miss Mulso met an attorney named Chapone, to whom Richardson had shown many attentions, and she fell in love with him. Mr. Mulso would not at first hear of the marriage, but he yielded in 1760. Before obtaining her father's consent Miss Mulso wrote her ‘Matrimonial Creed,’ in seven articles of belief, and addressed it to Richardson. Her wedding took place on 30 Dec. 1760 (Gent. Mag. xxxi. 433, her brother Thomas being married to ‘Pressy,’ daughter of General Prescott, at the same time. She went first to lodgings in Carey Street, and then to a house in Arundel Street (Works and Life, i. 123) . ”

“ BROUGHAM, HENRY (1665–1698) , divine, was one of the twelve children of Henry Brougham of Scales Hall, Cumberland, sheriff for the county in the 6th of William III, by his marriage with 'fair Miss Slee, daughter of Mr. Slee of Carlisle, a jovial gentleman,' who was a merchant in that city. In Midsummer term, 1681, when sixteen years old, Henry Brougham 'became a poor serving-child of Queen's College,' Oxford. ”

“ ACTON, HENRY (1797–1843) , unitarian divine, was born at Lewes, Sussex, 10 March 1797, where his father was parish clerk at St. John's. He was apprenticed in his sixteenth year to Mr. J. Baxter, a Lewes printer, and became a member of a literary society in the town, where his papers were much admired. The two unitarian congregations of Southover and Ditchling agreed to give him 50l. a year jointly (a grant of 10l. being added from the Unitarian Fund) for serving their chapels on alternate Sundays with a fellow-apprentice, William Browne ”

“ BRYAN, MARGARET (fl. 1815) , natural philosopher, a beautiful and talented schoolmistress, was the wife of a Mr. Bryan. In 1797 she published in 4to, by subscription, a 'Compendious System of Astronomy,' with a portrait of herself and two daughters as a frontispiece, the whole engraved by Nutter from a miniature by Samuel Shelley. Mrs. Bryan dedicated her book to her pupils. ”

“ BRADSHAW, JAMES (1717–1746) , Jacobite rebel, born in 1717, was the only child of a well-to-do Roman catholic in trade at Manchester. He was educated at the free school, and learned some classics there. About 1734 he was bound apprentice to Mr. Charles Worral, a Manchester factor, trading at the Golden Ball, Lawrence Lane, London. In 1740 Bradshaw was called back to Manchester through the illness of his father, and after his father's death he found himself in possession of a thriving trade and several thousand pounds. ”

“ She was born without arms, hands, or legs (Handbill in British Museum, 1881 a 2, where her name is printed Beffin) . Her height never exceeded thirty-seven inches; but by indomitable perseverance she contrived, by means of her mouth, to use the pen, the pencil, and paint-brush, and even the scissors and needle. Her first instructor was a Mr. Dukes (Gent. Mag. xxxiv. new series, 668) , to whom she bound herself, and with whom she stayed sixteen years. In 1812 she was carried round the country to exhibit her powers and ingenuity, and was at Swaffham in October, the race week (Handbill) . ”

“ In 1648, when Elizabeth was four years old, Captain Lawrence died, and in 1661 Mrs. Lawrence remarried (ib. 3) , her second husband being Mr. Nathaniel Bradshaw, B.D., minister of a church in the neighbourhood. About 1664 Elizabeth described herself as 'converted,' and she commenced that searching method of introspection with the evidence of which her 'Diary' abounds. Her studies, begun rigidly at four in the morning, in spite of delicate health, embraced Hebrew (ib. 6) , French, music, heraldry, mathematics, philosophy, philology, anatomy, medicine, and divinity. ”

“ Chapman's sympathies with India never cooled. He issued a pamphlet in October 1847 on the cotton and salt question, entitled ‘Remarks on Mr. Aylwin's Letter,’ &c., and presented to parliament on behalf of native merchants in the Bombay presidency a petition in four oriental languages respecting the reform of civil government in India (Gen. Bapt. Mag. 1856, p. 215) . He prosecuted his inquiries about Indian cotton from 1848 to 1850 in Manchester and other places in preparation for his book, ‘The Cotton and Commerce of India,’ which he issued on 1 Jan. ”

“ She finally retired to Liverpool. There age overtook her, exertions of her extraordinary kind grew very painful, and she fell into poverty, which was only lightened by the benevolence of Mr. Richard Rathbone, who organised a subscription for her benefit. She died 2 Oct. 1860, aged sixty-six years.
[Chambers's Book of Days, vol. ii. p. 404; Redgrave's Dict. of Artists of British School; Handbill to the Nobility, Ladies, and Gentlemen, No. 1881 a 2, Brit. Mus.; Gent. Mag. vol. xxxiv. new series, 1850, p. 668.] ”

“ I asked.
“Only yesterday—pray, unhand me, good Humphrey, thy hand is irksome—a pursuivant of his Grace’s, with Timothy Ryder from Stationers’ Hall, and a handful of the Company at their backs, made a sudden visitation, and searched us up and down, till they lit on—you know what.”
“The secret press,” cried I, like a fool, letting him see that I knew of it.
“Alack! Humphrey,” said he, “there is nothing secret that shall not be made manifest. Without more ado, my poor master was seized and hauled away to the White Lion. ”

“ When the two brothers were alone together that night, Humphrey said,— [Pg 318]
'It is all prosperous and well with you now, George. You have got your heart's desire, and your fair lady looks fairer, ay, and happier than I ever saw her.'
'Ay, Humphrey, it is true. At times I wonder at my own good fortune. I had my fears that she would hanker after fine things and grand folk, but it is not so. She went with the boy to Wilton two months agone to visit the Countess of Pembroke, who holds her in a wonderful affection. The boy is her godson, and she has made him many fine gifts. ”

“ When I told him of the hue and cry, and how near the watch was on the scent, he turned to me and said:
“Where shall we go, Humphrey?”
Which meant, that wherever he went, he counted on me to follow. So I told him of my errand to Rochelle, and of the Miséricorde, which lay below the Bridge. Then his face brightened.
“That is well,” said he. “It matters not whether we go to France or the Pole, so I breathe some freer air than this of England. Let us start now. We must not go together. I will take the wherry while you go by land.” ”

“ O! thou hast no head for business, Humphry: thou hast no genius for business, my good Humphry. (smiling conceitedly.)
Humph. Why, for certain your honour has a marvellous deal of wit, but I dont know how it is, nothing that we take in hand ever comes to any good; and what provokes me, more than all the rest, is, that the more pains we take about it, the worse it always succeeds.
Roy. Humph! we can't guard against every cross accident.
Humph. To be sure sir, cross accidents will happen to every body, but certes! we have more than our own share of them. ”

“ Captain Galsworthy accompanied me for a few miles on the road--across English Bridge, past our old farmhouse (now held by a tenant of Sir Richard Cludde's) , through the beautiful vale of Severn, till at Cressage my way led me southward from the river. Then he held me fast by the hand and looked me in the face.
"God bless you, Humphrey," he said. "Live clean, and--and--hit straight from the shoulder, my boy." ”

“ As we turn the last page of Humphrey’s political life, it is with a feeling of regret that we remember his career. We see brilliant abilities and immense possibilities for useful work all thrown away because the fire of genius burnt only in fitful gleams. Moral stamina was denied to an otherwise promising character, and the concentration which might have moulded his life’s work into a useful policy was lacking. He had done nothing to carry England further along the high-road to strength and fame, he had lived in a decadent age and had been overwhelmed by the spirit of his times. ”

“ It is hard to say whether these gifts were in all cases indications of literary esteem, or merely means towards securing the favour of a powerful prince. At least they show that Humphrey’s interest in all kinds of literature and learning was not assumed as a pose, but was a veritable passion, ministered to by all who desired his friendship. To no other man of his time were such gifts in such profusion given, gifts, moreover, which came not only from the needy scholars who desired his support, but from prince, noble, priest, and humble gentleman alike. ”

“ I shall, if it please God, be over again in a fortnight, and in the meantime, do you find out the place, and ascertain if what the fellow said is true.”
“I will,” replied Humphrey. “I will go to-morrow, with Billy and the cart, and take a spade and pick-axe with me. It may be a fool’s errand, but still they say, and one would credit, for the honour of human nature, that the words of a dying man are those of truth. We had better go back now, for I think dinner must be ready.” ”

“ Humphrey, think of the trouble it is like to bring on our good master and mistress. Have you no thought for anyone but yourself? Yet, I give thanks thou art safe, so—far—my—good—Humpi—” and here he rolled off to sleep and left me in quiet.
Yet not in peace, for I could not sleep that night for many an hour. For my life seemed to have taken a strange turn round since morning. Before to-day I had thought the ’prentice’s life the merriest life in the world. I had cared for nobody, and it had troubled me little if nobody cared for me. ”