The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 276: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

BLOOMFIELD 249 whereas this belongs to a period of no more ancient date than about the close of the last century. Indeed, the very cottages that are associated with the tale — for it is a per- fectly true one — may be seen in the valley on the other side of the hill bordering the ravine. Those two cottages were inhabited by peasant families, as I suppose they are now. An elderly couple lived in one and an elderly couple in the other. To one couple belonged a son, who of course was exceedingly handsome, or else he would not be fitted for the hero of a romance, much less for a gay deceiver, as he was; while the other couple possessed a daughter, who was as lovely as every heroine ought to be. And it followed — likewise as a natural occurrence in a tale — ”’ ‘“‘ But you tell me,’ said Ethel, laughing, ‘‘ that it is a true one, and yet you are treating it as a romance? ”’ ‘““ Tt is indeed all true, though I may seem to treat it with a certain gaiety which is rather derived from the infection of your buoyant spirits, my sweet Ethel, than from the nature of the legend itself, which has a termination anything but comic. However, as I was about to observe, the hand- some young peasant and the beautiful young damsel fell in love with each other. They were wont to ramble forth on a summer evening, and I know not why, but certain it is that they used to take their station upon the bridge, where they mingled their sweet voices while the stream was gurgling beneath. Matters went on for some months, until at last the young peasant swain— who must have been sadly fickle — was smitten with the beauty of a damsel in the village yonder, the daughter of a small tradesman who had just taken a shop there. He gradually neglected his first love, and devoted his attentions to his new one. Per- haps he thought it preferable to espouse a tradesman’s daughter than a girl in his own sphere, or perhaps he was really more enamoured of his new love than of his old. The neglected fair one reproached him not, but she pined and faded visibly. She avoided him, for her pride would not suffer her to throw herself in the way of one who no longer loved her. At length, in the course of a few months, every- thing was settled for the bridal of the peasant and the trades- man’s daughter; the village was all excitement and curiosity, for these rural weddings are a source of general glee in the little communities where they take place. CORNICLOOOKS (CO)