CHAPTER V.
“Good news! great news! Lewis,” cried Edward, the moment his brother entered the breakfast-room the next morning. “If you had been up a little sooner you might have heard it too. Now guess who is coming to-day.”
Lewis raised a shout of joy, and exclaimed, that it must be his dear papa.
“Yes, you are partly right; but there is some one else coming too,” said Edward, his eyes sparkling with pleasure: “cannot you guess?”
“Not I,” said Lewis; “I am afraid, if papa has any of his friends with him, he will not give up so much of his time to us.”
“Oh! but it is a friend of ours too, Lewis, I must tell you. Papa is going to bring cousin Helen with him; and she is to stay till we return to school.”
“Oh, joy! joy!” cried Lewis, “how many things we shall have to show her and tell her about! How soon will they be here?”
Mrs. Ashton said, she did not expect the travellers till evening; and advised the children to form some plan of employment for the day, that the time might not pass heavily.
“Will you help us, mamma?” said Edward; “I always like your plans.”
“Well, then,” said his mother, “suppose we walk this morning, and spend the afternoon in looking at, and arranging the shells and sea-weed: perhaps,” she added, seeing Lewis’s look of disappointment, “I may find something entertaining to tell you respecting them; and you, Lewis, may choose our walk for this morning.”
“Thank you, mamma; then, if you please, we will go along the western cliff, as far as Brunswick Square. I like that side of the town, it is so gay; besides, I see by the little map papa gave us, that there are several squares in that direction; and I want to visit them all, that I may make a good showman for cousin Helen.”
“I am sure Helen will be much obliged to you,” said his mother; “but I am afraid you have undertaken more than can be accomplished in one morning, by such pedestrians as we. What say you to a ride?”
“Oh, thank you! thank you! that will be pleasant!” exclaimed the children; and in a few minutes they were seated by their mother, in one of the convenient little open carriages which are always to be met with in Brighton; Mrs. Ashton having told the driver that they wished to visit the Chalybeate.
“Well,” said Edward, as he sprung from the carriage, “I do not think I have seen any thing so pretty as this little rustic cottage, surrounded with trees, since we have been at Brighton; it looks so cool and shady. But why, mamma, did you call it the Chalybeate?”
“Because, my dear, there is here a chalybeate, or mineral spring, which has been found to possess valuable medicinal properties: you shall taste the water if you please.”
Edward and Lewis did so: it was very cold, but they thought it extremely unpleasant, and had no wish to repeat the experiment.
Their mother told them, that the spring had been found to contain muriate of soda, muriate of magnesia, sulphate of lime, oxide of iron, and silicia, or flint.
When the children had seen as much as they wished of the chalybeate spring, the reading-room, cottage, &c., Lewis took from his pocket the little map of Brighton, and showed his mother that Brunswick Square might be visited on their road home. “But see, mamma,” he added, “here is Adelaide Crescent; will it tire you too much to go there? it is not much out of the way. But what is this circular mark in the map intended for, with the word ‘Dome’ by it?”
Mrs. Ashton told them, that in that spot was situated the Antheum, or Oriental Garden; but that the stupendous dome, she regretted to say, was no longer there: it fell in with a tremendous crash only a few days after its completion. Happily, the disastrous event took place in the night, so that no lives were lost.
This building, which was the largest of the kind ever erected, was intended as a conservatory, for the reception and preservation of the rare and beautiful plants of tropical climates; the interior was very tastefully arranged, and contained a basin for aquatic plants. The dome represented the inverted calyx of an open flower, and was one hundred and two feet larger than that of the Cathedral of St. Peter’s at Rome.
Edward and Lewis, mourned over the fate of the poor conservatory, and pitied the gentleman who had projected it; at the same time hoping, that he, or some one else, would have spirit enough to recommence the undertaking; till fresh objects of interest arrested their attention.
They both agreed in thinking Adelaide Crescent would be very beautiful when completed, and in admiring the splendid houses, comprising Brunswick Square and Terrace: Regency Square, and Bedford Square, with the noble Hotel, bearing the same name, the children had before seen.
“Edward,” said Mrs. Ashton, as they passed the end of West Street, “you are fond of history; and it will, perhaps, interest you to hear that near this spot is still standing the inn which afforded a temporary shelter to the unfortunate king Charles II., after the battle of Worcester, when he fled from his rebel-subjects to the continent. His faithful friends, colonel Gunton and lord Wilmot, had laid a plan for his escape, in which they were aided by a man, named Tattersal, the master of a coal-brig, who promised to conduct king Charles in safety across the Channel. Accordingly, he was brought in disguise over the hills to Brighton, to await the sailing of the vessel; but greatly to the alarm of all parties concerned, the owner of the inn immediately recognized his royal guest. Smith, for that was his name, would not, however, betray his sovereign: notwithstanding the enormous sum offered for his capture, he kept his secret inviolable; and, at five in the morning, Charles embarked with a favourable wind, and landed the next day at Fescamp in Normandy.”
“That was nobly done,” said Edward, “I hope, when king Charles was restored to his country and kingdom, he did not forget those who had befriended him in his misfortunes.”
“I do not know,” said Mrs. Ashton, “how it fared with the innkeeper; but Nicholas Tattersal’s fidelity was rewarded by an annuity of one hundred pounds being settled on himself and heirs. 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.”
“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. Formerly, East Street, West Street, and North Street were boundaries of the town, so you may judge how greatly it is increased. But, Lewis, the clock has struck two, and we must lose no time in preparing for dinner.”
“Two o’clock!” said Edward; “only four more hours to wait, and then papa and Helen will be here.”