[Illustration]

"Then the bath-room's forgotten," says Milburd. Add it in dots to tennis
court.

Then over every room there'll be a bed-room and dressing-room. So
that'll be a good house.

"What style?" asks Cazell.

"Elizabethan, decidedly," I reply. They think not.

"Gothic's useful," says Boodels.

"Italian's better," observes Milburd.

"Something between the two," suggests Cazell.

Twelve rooms below, twelve above. Stables outside, added subsequently.

_Happy Thought._--Submit this to Chilvern, my architectural friend.

I say, Estimate it roughly.

He does it, after a day or so.

_Rough Estimate._ About L8,000.

"That," I say, a little staggered, "is rather _over_ the mark than under
it, eh?"

[Illustration: CHILVERN.]

"_Over?_ No," he replies, "_Under._ I mean, of course, to have
everything done well, thoroughly well. Of course," says he, "there are
men who will run you up a house in a few weeks and charge you about
L4,000. But what's the result? Why you're always repairing, and it costs
you, in the end, double what you'd have paid for having it thoroughly
well done at first."

I ask how long the building would take? Chilvern is of opinion that it
would be six months at the least.

Then I say I'll give it up. I wanted it for Christmas.

Then the notion of the party must be abandoned.

_Happy Thought._--An abandoned party! Dreadful character.

Boodels says he's sorry for that, as he can't go into his own house just
now, it being under repair.

Cazell suddenly exclaims, "I tell you what we ought to do!" We listen.
He goes on. "We ought to take a house for the Winter Season, the lot of
us together, and then ask our own friends."

Boodels observes, that, if we agree to this, he will supply some
servants, as _his_ are doing nothing. Chilvern can tell us where there's
a place to be let. Just what we want, about an hour's train from town.
Queer old mansion, a bit out of trim, he tells us, in fact he was going
to have had the job of restoring it, only the people suddenly left; but
he'd put that to rights. Would we go and look at it?

Carried nem. con.

CHAPTER II.

NOTIONS--GUIDE WANTED--BLACKMEER--CHILVERN--HIS ELEMENT--VIEWS--
OBSERVATIONS--DISCUSSIONS--FISHING--TROUT--SHROPSHIRE--THE LAKE--
THE SOLITARY CASTLE--HERMITS--GAMES--DIFFERENCES--AT THE HOUSE.

We go down. Hertfordshire. I find on inquiry that there is no Guide to