ht that still glowed in dim bars from
behind the hills, his face showed with a noble outline. He looked round
for a space, said, "Ay, the lads'll be having a bonny night," then
strode heavily to his "settle" once more, and prepared to chat with his
daughter. When the lamp was lit, the grandeur of his face became finely
apparent. His hair was coarse, and black, and lustreless; it hung
heavily over a heavy brow. His jaw was square and powerful, but its
firmness was saved from seeming absolutely cruel by the kindly lines of
the mouth. Not a feature of the man was unmarked by signs of keenness
and strength. You would not have chosen him for an enemy unless you
happened to be a thought inexperienced. This was Mr. Thomas Casely. For
fifty-four years he had dwelt in that house on the cliff-edge; his
father still lived in one of the small cottages near by, and his
grandfather and great-grandfather had spent their lives in the same
village before him. Probably the progenitors of the Caselys and the
Ellingtons came over together on a thieving expedition, and, finding the
natives of the region amenable to emphatic arguments, settled quietly
and used their long vessels henceforth for comparatively honest
purposes.

A deal of very curious talk is spent over the ancient Scandinavians who
used to harry the peaceful farmers long ago. We learn that these
rapacious gentlemen were above all things "deep-thoughted," and that
they had rather fine notions about poetry and the future life. They
were, in short, a species of bloodthirsty AEsthetics. Instead of devoting
themselves to intense amours and sonnets, they were the Don Juans of
Death, but in no other point did they differ materially from the
cultured creature who lives up to his blue china.

This notion seems wrong. From all observations, I should incline to say
that the earliest Ellington who settled in England was a big ruffian who
disliked work, and who had a sharp eye to business; whilst the earliest
Caselys were probably thievish fellows, who loved moonless nights, and
objected to the use of cold water. Under the influence of softening
generations, the Caselys and Ellingtons had dropped their predatory
tendencies, and lived peaceful lives. Furthermore, it is certain that
the heartiest amity had prevailed between the houses for more years than
I care to reckon. Travel and town life had given polish to some of the
aristocrats, and taught them to use reasonable haughtiness toward
i