Penrose

“ But why are all novelists of today so merciless to the provincial town? There must be some pleasant people in Cathedral cities. I am weary of retired colonels with port-stained faces, and vinegary old maids, and unctuous canons. Mrs. Penrose has shown in her earlier books so real a sense of beauty and so touching a spirit of kindliness that I am bound to confess that, with the exception of her treatment of her hero, this rather acid and ironical piece of nonsense is a disappointment. ”

“ The only remaining brother, known as Jan of Penrose, constituted himself sole guardian of the heir, and master of the place and property.
Now this Jan hated all whom his late brother favoured; and in consequence of his ill-will William Penrose left the West Country—for the sea it was supposed—but whither he wandered was unknown, as no tidings of him were received in the West.
The new master, however, soon got a large smuggling craft and manned her with a crew who cared but little what they did for gold or an exciting life; being well-armed they feared nothing that sailed the ocean. ”

“ I lived i' Brunford."
"Of course you can go your own way," said Penrose. "I suppose you will spend your evening in the public-house, or at some cinema show, or perhaps you will be larking around with some silly girls; but I am going to the Y.M.C.A."
"Do you go there?" cried Tom in astonishment. For Penrose was looked upon as anything but goody-goody, and he was generally admired. He was the best boxer in the company, was smart in drill, could do long marches with the best of them, and was always ready to do a kindly action. ”

“ Captain Duggle’s grave; but he wasn’t in it!”
“But what really became of him, Mr. Penrose?” cried Cynthia.
“The Rising Generation is very skeptical,” said old Naylor. “You, of course, Penrose, believe the story?”
“I do,” said Mr. Penrose composedly. “I believe that a devil carried him off, and that its name was delirium tremens. We can guess, can’t we, Irechester, why he smashed or burnt everything, and fled in mad terror into the darkness? Where to? Was he drowned at sea, or did he take his life, or did he rot to death in some filthy hole? Nobody knows. ”

“ Penrose told his tale, vouching as his authority an erstwhile "oldest inhabitant," now gathered to his fathers; for the tale dated back some eighty years, to the date of the ancient's early manhood.
A seafaring man had suddenly appeared, out of space, as it were, at Inkston, and taken the cottage. He carried with him a strong smell of rum and tobacco, and gave it to be understood that his name was Captain Duggle. He was no beauty, and his behaviour was worse than his looks. To that quiet village, in those quiet strait-laced times, he was a horror and a portent. ”

“ We next find Captain Penrose commanding Vice-Admiral Murray’s flag-ship, the Resolution, during the absence of Captain Francis Pender, then acting as commissioner at Bermuda. Towards the latter end of 1796 he again returned to the Cleopatra; and had the melancholy satisfaction of conveying his much respected patron to England, that valuabla officer having been seized with a paralytic affection, from which he never recovered [6] .
On his passage home Captain Penrose captured l’Hirondelle French privateer, of 12 guns and 70 men ”

“ These unnatural occurrences, however, put no check to the excesses of Penrose's band and the lawless castaways who joined them. By way of variety to their fun, they frequently disguised themselves and made nocturnal excursions to some village within a few miles, where they would alarm the quiet folks in the dead of night, by discharging their fire-arms in a volley; and make a bonfire of a furze-rick, out-house, or thatched dwelling. ”

“ But you can’t muzzle the press; you can’t hide things from it. Sooner or later it leaks out, and the longer it’s delayed, the more pains you’ve taken to hide it, the worse it seems. Moreover, Penrose was an army man. The papers will want something. I’ll do what I can, but—Wrenham, it’s up to you.”
His manner changed.
“Here are some addresses she sent me. Friends in Washington who’ll take care of that end. She wouldn’t even let me wire yesterday of her uncle’s death, any more than she’d talk about Minot or Ravenell. Duty, her uncle’s honor, came first. ”

“ But the career which has carried him into the sacred ranks of the priesthood is open to every man who feels the sense of divine vocation, which has made Penrose one of Us.”
“No, Father Benwell! Not open to every man.”
“I say, Yes!”
“It is not open to Me!”
“I say it is open to You. And more—I enjoin, I command, you to dismiss from your mind all merely human obstacles and discouragements. They are beneath the notice of a man who feels himself called to the priesthood. Give me your hand, Romayne! Does your conscience tell you that you are that man?” ”

“ Penrose has peculiarities which put him in a niche quite his own. He eschews conversation as an idle affectation. He dislikes to shake hands, preferring the Chinese fashion of holding his on his own expansive paunch. When he finds it necessary to talk at all he speaks the precise truth as he sees it without consideration for the feelings of those he happens to be addressing. The results are frequently so ludicrous, particularly when he enters a colloquy on the Senate floor, that he is given credit for a much more pronounced sense of humor than he actually possesses. ”

“ Penrose took holy orders, and became curate to his father at Newbury. About 1777 he was appointed by a friend to the rectory of Beckington-cum-Standerwick, near Frome in Somerset; but his health failed. He died at Bristol on 20 April 1779, and was buried at Clifton, where a monument was erected in his memory. In 1768 he married Mary, eldest daughter of Samuel Slocock of Newbury. She married at Newbury, in February 1786, the Rev. Thomas Best, master of the free grammar school, and died about 1840, at the age of ninety-four. ”

“ Penrose applied his theory to certain Greek temples (see Proceedings and Philosophic Transactions of Royal Society) , and with Lockyer he worked out a calculation on this basis in relation to Stonehenge (see also Journal R.I.B.A. 25 Jan. 1902) . He joined the Royal Astronomical Society in 1867, and in 1894 his astronomical researches were recognised by his election as F.R.S.
Penrose's creative work as an architect was incommensurate in quantity with his obvious ability. He built at Cambridge the entrance gate at Magdalene, and a wing at St. John's; at Rugby School he erected the infirmary ”

“ The Penrose family is one of the most ancient in Cornwall. The name signifies the Head of the Moor, and it belonged par excellence to the Land's End, where, at S. Sennen, we find the Penroses seated as landed gentry from the time of Edward I. They had branches in Sithney, Manaccan, and S. Anthony-in-Meneage. They mated with the best in the county—the Trefusis, the Killigrews, the Eriseys, and the Boscawens. One broke away from the circle of beautiful Celtic names, and took to wife a daughter of Sir Anthony Buggs, Knt. ”

“ I felt a great pity for the handsome young man for whom, so the captain said, the best doctors in Portland had been able to do nothing.
Captain Perkins presented him to me and he shook my hand cordially. But as he opened his mouth to say something, Major Penrose’s voice, raised and irascible, floated down from the top of the stairs.
“Landlord!” he cried angrily. “Has that —— caterwauling ended for good? In the name of all things how may a man work with that noise?”
I saw the eyes of Tony fill with tears, child-like. He turned appealingly to Captain Perkins. ”

“ Penrose broke into a hearty laugh, and complimented Betty, telling her she was the sort of woman to make ‘converts to the cause.’ Then old Malachi put on his wisest look, and continued:
‘Mr. Penrose, aw mut as weel tell yo' afore yo' get wed, that it's no use feightin' agen a woman. ”

“ The young men were exploring the woods in the White Mountains. The girls were racing about in absolute delight over the ferns, while Mr. Rand, who had actually taken the "jaunt" from the hotel afoot, sat on a huge stone comparing notes with his muscles, and with the inactive years of discretion and indiscretion.
"They're like a lot of young animals," he was saying to any one near enough to hear, "and I—I am like something that really ought to know better."
"Just suppose," said Jack to Ed, "that a young deer should spring out just there where Belle and Hazel are sitting. ”

“ I was waiting for you to fix up your boat Cora, and I saw the boys' canoe."
"Well, I suppose they could never be certain, as there must be more than one boat built even on those lines," said Cora. "My! See how close they are—the girl and the boys!"
"She's ahead!" exclaimed Belle, clapping her hands. "How I hope she wins!"
"We all do!" declared Hazel.
Then they were silent. The first canoe was almost in, and it was the one called the Gerkin, paddled by the boys.
"Go it girl!" screamed the boys from the Peter Pan.
"Beat them, girlie!" called the girls from the Petrel. ”

“ The Whirlwind skimmed along the avenue, first down to the post office and later fetched up at the garage. Bess and Jack, with Belle, followed, and as the little party glided along through the sea-side town, many admiring glances were cast in their direction.
"If Nettie does not come," remarked Ed, "are you sure, Cora, you won't be the least bit afraid alone at the cottage?"
"Why, no. There is a telephone wire over to the hotel, and, besides, I'm going to cock the little ivory pistol before I go to bed. A sneak thief always runs at the very sound of a pistol." ”

“ It was evidently a command, for the gypsy girl turned instantly and went away, disappearing into one of the vans, while the man, after a scowl that included all the party, sauntered away and dropped on the grass beside some of his comrades.
“Well, what do you think of that?” demanded Belle in amazement.
“Just when she had a husband picked out for each of you, too,” chaffed Paul. “But cheer up, girls. We’re here yet. Count on us to the last breath. You can’t lose us.”
“No such luck,” retorted Bess. “But what on earth made that man act that way?” ”

“ ON THE LAWN
“When I was a very small girl,” exclaimed Mollie Richards, otherwise known as Dick, “I used to hope I would die young so I could escape the tooth-filling process, but here I am, doing these dreadful exams, and I haven’t died yet.”
“Never despair,” quoted Rose-Mary. “The worst is yet to come.”
“Cheer up, fellows,” lisped little Nita Brandt, “We’ve been promised a clam-bake when it’s all over.”
“Yes, I fancy it will be all over with me when that clam-bake arrives,” sighed Edna Black. “Since Tavia has ‘turned turtle’ I don’t even have the fun of sneezing for exercise.” ”

“ Molly Richards was nearest, and she jumped up and ran to the platform. Tavia felt as though her own limbs were powerless. The girl realized that the teacher had fainted.
“Oh, dear me! whatever shall we do?” gasped Dick, chafing the teacher’s hands.
“Run get some water—or some smelling salts!” cried Edna Black; but she never offered to go herself. ”

“ The girls went upstairs together, casting quick, nervous glances over their shoulders as they ascended. They locked their hall doors as soon as they were inside. But as the four chambers communicated, it was as if they were in one large apartment.
“Oh dear!” exclaimed Cora, as she was taking down her hair. “I’ve forgotten it.”
“What?” asked Bess, who was taking off her shoes.
“My flashlight,” Cora answered. “I left it on the table in the living room. I meant to bring it up, for I like to see what time it is if I awaken in the night.” ”

“ Pangborn, but with a laugh. “And you think they somehow tricked you and got more supper than you intended?”
“I am positive. I have been to the pantry. That door should be locked——”
“Oh, no!” cried the principal. “I never lock things away from my girls.”
“A mistake, Mrs. Pangborn,” declared the assistant, with growing confidence. “Youth is naturally treacherous.”
“Oh, my dear Miss Olaine!” exclaimed the principal of Glenwood. “I am sorry your experience has led to that belief. Mine has not—and it has the advantage of yours in extent of time,” and she smiled again. ”

“ They finished their little refreshment, being, about the only stranger-guests at the hotel, and then went out to view what they could of the town by lamp-light. Some of the shops displayed wares that, under other circumstances, would have been attractive to the girls, but now they did not feel like purchasing. They were under too much of a strain.
"Well, no news is good news," quoted Walter.
Alas! how often has that been said as a last resort to buoy up a sinking hope. No one else spoke, as they made their way to the dock where the little ferry boat awaited them.
"What's the matter, Jack?" ”

“ At the sound of it, the hermit was galvanized into life. He dropped what he had been eating, and slowly rose from his crouching attitude. Then he turned slowly, so as to face the group of intruders on his island fastness. He seemed to fear they would vanish, if he moved too suddenly—vanish as the figment of some dream.
"Poor fellow," murmured Cora. "Speak to him, Jack. Say something."
"I'm afraid of' frightening him more. Wait until he wakes up a bit."
"He does act like some one just disturbed from a sleep," spoke
Walter. "Maybe you girls—"
"Oh, we're not afraid," put in Bess, quickly. ”

“ It was Cora who demanded this when, an hour or so later, Jack and Ed had been reunited to their party in the Mansion House at Fairport.
“Who was she?” and Cora looked appealingly at her brother, who smiled in a tantalizing fashion.
“We told you everything,” remarked Ed. “Over the wire, you know.”
“It’s very easy to tell things–over the wire,” remarked Belle, with a laugh. “One doesn’t have to–blush, you know.”
“And if one does, even the central operator can’t see it,” spoke Bess. “Oh, you boys have given us a big scare!”
“Scare? How?” demanded Jack, with a look at his sister. ”