THE SAINT LEGER FAMILY. CHAPTER I. THE Saint Leger family have resided in Warwickshire for a long period. My father, who was fond of tracing genealogies, affirmed that the estate upon which we lived was bestowed upon Bertold Saint Leger by Richard the lion-hearted, for the conspicuous services which he had rendered that monarch in his war with the Saracen. How such an uninterrupted possession had been maintained for so long a time, and through every successive revolution, my father did not explain. The task might have proved difficult. At any rate, it was well to rest satisfied with an account which appeared every way authentic. Be this as it may, our family was certainly an ancient one. My grandfather, Hugh Saint Leger, by his marriage with a lady of large fortune, became possessed of the valuable estate which joined Bertold Castle, and was considered one of the wealthiest gentlemen in Warwickshire. This large patrimony fell to my father, who was an only child. Bertold Castle was a singular, grotesque-looking pile, half ancient, half modern, in its appearance. Up to the time of my father's marriage, it remained as it had stood for generations. The castle was built upon the very brink of the Avon, and its foundations were deeper, it was said, than the bed of the river. The old moss, which covered its walls, extended down into the stream, so that the castle seemed to rise directly from the water. Many were the dismal stories which were told of dungeons far under ground, of secret passages beneath the bed of the river, communicating with the other side, and of cruelties practised upon the unhappy prisoners confined in them in days of yore, and especially in the time of the famous Guy, Earl of Warwick, of whom my ancestor was a firm adherent. It was said, too, that the spirits of these unfortu nate persons still haunted the neighbourhood, and made the green banks of the Avon their place of meeting. The low murmur of the stream, as it swept gently under the walls of the castle, was said to be the voices of these spirits, as they breathed their lamentations over the waters which had been the only witness of their sufferings. I speak of nursery tales and neighbourhood gossip, not of course credited by the enlightened, but which served to fill my infant mind with terror and awe. And as this sketch is intended to give the history of my mental, as well as of my external life, I dwell with the more minuteness on those things which first affected it most powerfully. On my father's marriage with a daughter of one of the noble families in Warwickshire, the castle was almost completely metamorphosed. His pride would not permit him to throw down a single stone of the staunch pile which had stood so long a tower of strength for his ancestors; while the improvements of the age required a mansion more in accordance with its refined and peaceful spirit. It was consequently resolved to add to the pile a splendid modern structure, which was to become, par excellence, the residence of the family. The old dining-hall and the state-rooms were, however, allowed to remain in all their sombre grandeur. The library was not quite dismantled; but all of the handsomer books were removed into the new room built for that purpose. Enough, nevertheless, remained to save it from utter neglect, although the dusty cobwebs around the walls gave evidence of the slight attention it received. The older servants saw with dismay the preparations for enlarging the establishment; looking upon it as a virtual abandonment of the "Old Castle." This was considered a bad omen, and to augur the termination or downfall of our house. A prophecy was quoted relative to the dreaded event, now about to take place, which was said to be of great antiquity: "When ye Saint Leger shal marrie a virgyn fair, My grandfather held this prophecy in high veneration. He was wont to say, "With so plain a warning in view, the Saint Legers would stand an unbroken name for countless ANCESTORS OF THE SAINT LEGER FAMILY. 5 generations." The consequence was, that nothing was done to the old castle, except what came strictly under the denomination of repairs. Improvements were not thought of. At length, Hugh Saint Leger was gathered to his fathers, and the great gong of the castle struck his requiem amid the weeping and lamentation of relatives, servants, and retainers; for he was a man of many virtues; both generous and kind, though stern in his manner, and possessing somewhat of the haughty bearing of the preceding age. My father was educated at a more enlightened period, when improvements waxed rife; when distinctions began to soften, and changes to be thought necessary. He affected to disregard the prophecy which had been always so religiously believed. He maintained that the old castle was built mainly with a view to defence, in case of attack; that it possessed great conveniences for a garrison, but comparatively few for a family residence; and while he revered it as the home of his fathers, regarding with just pride the frowning battlements, which had resisted every assault, still he maintained that there could exist no reason why improvements should not be made, which might accord with the present state of things. The "addition" was consequently resolved upon. My father was particular always to give it that name, secretly deciding, perhaps, that by so doing he avoided the letter of the prophecy. The new mansion was built. My father married. rolled happily away. He was blessed with three promising children; and everything went on joyously and well. My own recollections are of my home in the improved state I have described. From the old servants, however, I learned, at an early age, the existence of the prophecy, and the fearful construction which superstition had given it. Little was said openly; but the deprecatory air, the sombre, melancholy look, which two or three of the old crones, who had become superannuated in our service, constantly wore, were always a sore interruption to our childish sports. Did we meet them while full of the elastic, happy, feeling which children so much enjoy, it was always: "Poor children! God preserve ye: Who knows what ye may come to! God send ye an easy death!" and the like. Years My brother-I had but one, and he was my seniorseemed but little affected by these prophecies of evil, while |