We must not forget to state, that the extreme
cleanliness of the court-yard was such as
intimated that mop and pail had done their utmost
in that favoured spot, to atone for the general dirt
and dinginess of the quarter where the premises
were situated.
Over the doorway were the arms of Bethune
and Baliol, with various other devices carved in
stone; the door itself was studded with iron nails,
and formed of black oak; an iron rasp,* as it was
* Note C. Iron Rasp.
called, was placed on it, instead of a knocker, for
the purpose of summoning the attendants. He
who usually appeared at the summons was a smart
lad, in a handsome livery, the son of Mrs Martha's
gardener at Mount Baliol. Now and then a servant
girl, nicely but plainly dressed, and fully accoutred
with stockings and shoes, would perform
this duty; and twice or thrice I remember being
admitted by Beauffet himself, whose exterior looked
as much like that of a clergyman of rank as the
butler of a gentleman's family. He had been valet-de-chambre
to the last Sir Richard Bethune Baliol,
and was a person highly trusted by the present
lady. A full stand, as it is called in Scotland, of
garments of a dark colour, gold buckles in his
shoes, and at the knees of his breeches, with his
hair regularly dressed and powdered, announced
him to be a domestic of trust and importance.
Pages:
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176