This gentleman's name was Mr. Meeke. He was a single man, very
young, and very lonely in his position. He had a mild,
melancholy, pasty-looking face, and was as shy and soft-spoken as
a little girl--altogether, what one may call, without being
unjust or severe, a poor, weak creature, and, out of all sight,
the very worst preacher I ever sat under in my life. The one
thing he did, which, as I heard, he could really do well, was
playing on the fiddle. He was uncommonly fond of music--so much
so that he often took his instrument out with him when he went
for a walk. This taste of his was his great recommendation to my
mistress, who was a wonderfully fine player on the piano, and who
was delighted to get such a performer as Mr. Meeke to play duets
with her. Besides liking his society for this reason, she felt
for him in his lonely position; naturally enough, I think,
considering how often she was left in solitude herself. Mr.
Meeke, on his side, when he got over his first shyness, was only
too glad to leave his lonesome little parsonage for the fine
music-room at the Hall, and for the company of a handsome,
kind-hearted lady, who made much of him, and admired his
fiddle-playing with all her heart. Thus it happened that,
whenever my master was away at sea, my mistress and Mr.
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