Coaching days and coaching ways . the Bath Road has appealed to meas being more particularly the literary road than any ofthe other five great thoroughfares out of London. Thenext thirteen miles out of Reading go to bear out thisview. They teem with literary and romantic miles out of Reading and on the right of the roadis Calcott House, once the seat of the Berkshire the pleasant park which lies in front of the square,formal-looking old house, the beautiful Miss Kendrick,the rich, the whimsical, confronted Benjamin Child,Esq., Barrister-at-law—masked, rapier in hand,
Coaching days and coaching ways . the Bath Road has appealed to meas being more particularly the literary road than any ofthe other five great thoroughfares out of London. Thenext thirteen miles out of Reading go to bear out thisview. They teem with literary and romantic miles out of Reading and on the right of the roadis Calcott House, once the seat of the Berkshire the pleasant park which lies in front of the square,formal-looking old house, the beautiful Miss Kendrick,the rich, the whimsical, confronted Benjamin Child,Esq., Barrister-at-law—masked, rapier in hand, andunder the pale moonlight. The lady had refusednumberless offers of marriage made in clue form. Dueforms however were her aversion, and so seem men tohave been,, till one fine day, when Being at a noble wedding In the famous town of Reading,A young gentleman she sawWho belonged to the law. In fact Benjamin Child, Esq. To him the lady sends achallenge unbeknownst, as Mrs. Gamp would say, to 3° COACHING DAYS AND COACHING WAYS. THE BATH ROAD 31 fight a mortal duel in Calcott Park. Nor did shetrouble to assign any cause why Child—if such lot wereto be his—should be skewered like a chicken. Thissounds like Dumas, but the barrister thought it meantbusiness, and repaired to the place named sword in found the fair Miss Kendrick, masked, and still unbeknownst, awaiting him, So now take your chance, says she, Either fight or marry he, Madam, pray what mean ye ?In my life I neer have seen ye. In fact he proposed point-blank that she should unmask,not perhaps caring to take a pig in a poke. The ladyhowever remained firm and incognito, when the intrepidChild, fortified perhaps by a view of Calcott House,which formed a grateful background to the scene, toldthe lady that he preferred to wed her than to try herskill. Upon which in the twinkling of an eye he foundhimself Clothed in rich attire Not inferior to a squire — in fact master of Calcott. Fortunate man ; roman
Size: 1340px × 1865px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublisherlondon, booksubject
