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626 THE ADVENTURES OF PHILIP
Philip's grandfather. And those two slim girls embracing, surely
those are his mother and his aunt. Philip walks softly through
the vacant rooms. He gives the porter a gold piece ere he goes
out of the great hall, forty feet cube, ornamented with statues
brought from Rome by John first Baron, namely, Heliogabalus,
Nero's mother, a priestess of Isis, and a river god; the pictures
over the doors by Pedimento; the ceiling by Leotardi, &c.; and
in a window in the great hall there is a table with a visitors'
book, in which Philip writes his name. As we went away, we
met a carriage which drove rapidly towards the house, and which
no doubt contained the members of the Ringwood family, regarding
whom the porteress had spoken. After the family differences
previously related, we did not care to face these kinsfolk of Philip,
and passed on quickly in twilight beneath the rustling umbrage of
the chestnuts. J. J. saw a hundred fine pictorial effects as we
walked : the palace reflected in the water ; the dappled deer under
the chequered shadow of the trees. It was, " Oh, what a jolly
bit of colour !" and, " I say, look, how well that old woman's red
cloak comes in !" and so forth. Painters never seem tired of their
work. At seventy they are students still, patient, docile, happy.
May we too, my good sir, live for fourscore years, and never be
too old to learn ! The walk, the brisk accompanying conversation,
amid stately scenery around, brought us with good appetites and
spirits to our inn, where we were told that dinner would be served
when the omnibus arrived from the railway.
At a short distance from the "Ringwood Arms," and on the
opposite side of the street, is the " Ram Inn," neat postchaises
and farmers' ordinary ; a house, of which the pretensions seemed
less, though the trade was somewhat more lively. When the
tooting of the horn announced the arrival of the omnibus from the
railway, I should think a crowd of at least fifteen people assembled
at various doors of the High Street and Market. The half-pay
captain and the curate came out from the " Ringwood Athenaeum."
The doctor's apprentice stood on the step of the surgery door, and
the surgeon' s lady looked out from the first floor. We shared the
general curiosity. We and the waiter stood at the door of the
"Ringwood Arms." We were mortified to see that of the five persons
conveyed by the 'bus, one was a tradesman, who descended at his
door (Mr. Packwood, the saddler, so the waiter informed us), three
travellers were discharged at the " Ram," and only one came to us.
"Mostly bagmen goes to the 'Ram,' " the waiter said, with
a, scornful air; and these bagmen, and their bags, quitted the
omnibus.
Only one passenger remained for the " Ringwood Arms Hotel,"