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The Governor’s Hall
Withmanyvariations,suggestedbythenatureofhisbuildingmaterials,diversityofclimate,andadifferentmodeofsociallife,GovernorBellinghamhadplannedhisnewhabitationaftertheresidencesofgentlemenoffairestateinhisnativeland.Here,then,wasawideandreasonablyloftyhall,extendingthroughthewholedepthofthehouse,andformingamediumofgeneralcommunication,moreorlessdirectly,withalltheotherapartments.Atoneextremity,thisspaciousroomwaslightedbythewindowsofthetwotowers,whichformedasmallrecessoneithersideoftheportal.Attheotherend,thoughpartlymuffledbyacurtain,itwasmorepowerfullyilluminatedbyoneofthoseembowedhallwindowswhichwereadofinoldbooks,andwhichwasprovidedwithadeepandcushionseat.Here,onthecushion,layafoliotome,probablyoftheChroniclesofEngland,orothersuchsubstantialliterature;evenas,inourowndays,wescattergildedvolumesonthecentretable,tobeturnedoverbythecasualguest.Thefurnitureofthehallconsistedofsomeponderouschairs,thebacksofwhichwereelaboratelycarvedwithwreathsofoakenflowers;andlikewiseatableinthesametaste,thewholebeingoftheElizabethanage,orperhapsearlier,andheirlooms,transferredhitherfromtheGovernor’spaternalhome.Onthetable—intokenthatthesentimentofoldEnglishhospitalityhadnotbeenleftbehind—stoodalargepewtertankard,atthebottomofwhich,hadHesterorPearlpeepedintoit,theymighthaveseenthefrothyremnantofarecentdraughtofale.
