Mrs. Jersey was very glad to see her, and as soon as Dolly was rested a
little, entered upon the fulfilment of her promise to show the house.
Accordingly she took her visitor round to the principal entrance, in
another side of the building from the one Dolly had first seen. Here,
before she would go in, she stood to admire and wonder at the rich and
noble effect; the beauty of turrets, oriels, mouldings, and arched
windows, the wide and lofty pile which stretched away on two sides in
such lordly lines. Mrs. Jersey told her who was the first builder; who
had made this and that extension and addition; and then they went in.
And the first impression here was a contrast.

The place was a great hall of grand proportions. There was nothing
splendid here to be seen; neither furniture nor workmanship called for
admiration, unless by their simplicity. There were some old paintings
on the walls; there were some fine stags' horns, very large and very
old; there were some heavy oaken settles and big chairs, on which the
family arms were painted; the arms of the first builder; and there were
also, what looked very odd to Dolly, a number of leather fire buckets,
painted in like manner. Yet simple as the room was, it had a great
charm for her. It was lofty, calm, imposing, superb. She was not ready
soon to quit it; and Mrs. Jersey, of course, was willing to indulge her.

"It is so unlike anything at home!" Dolly exclaimed.

"That's in America?" said the housekeeper. "Have you no old houses like
this there, ma'am?"

"Why, we are not old ourselves," said Dolly. "When this house was first
begun to be built, our country was full of red Indians."

"Is it possible! And are there Indians there yet, ma'am?"

"No. Oh, yes, in the country, there are; but they are driven far
off,--to the west--what there are of them.--This is very beautiful!"

"I never heard anybody call this old hall beautiful before," said the
housekeeper, smiling.

"It is so large, and high, and so simple; and these old time things
make it so respectable," said Dolly.

"Respectable! yes, ma'am, it is that. Shall we go on and see something
better?"

But her young visitor had fallen to studying the ceiling, which had
curious carvings and panellings, and paintings which once had been
bright. There was such a flavour of past ages in the place, that
Dolly's fancy was all alive and excited. Mrs. Jersey waited, watching
her, smiling in a satisfied manner; and then, after