KENILWORTH - Penn State University

KenilworthSo saying he led his lovely wife into the next apartment,where Varney and Foster received them with the deepest reverences,which the first paid after the fashion of the court,and the second after that of the congregation. The Earl returnedtheir salutation with the negligent courtesy of one longused to such homage; while the Countess repaid it with apunctilious solicitude, which showed it was not quite so familiarto her.The banquet at which the company seated themselves correspondedin magnificence with the splendour of the apartmentin which it was served up, but no domestic gave hisattendance. Janet alone stood ready to wait upon the company;and, indeed, the board was so well supplied with allthat could be desired, that little or no assistance was necessary.The Earl and his lady occupied the upper end of the table,and Varney and Foster sat beneath the salt, as was the customwith inferiors. The latter, overawed perhaps by society to whichhe was altogether unused, did not utter a single syllable duringthe repast; while Varney, with great tact and discernment,sustained just so much of the conversation as, without theappearance of intrusion on his part, prevented it from languishing,and maintained the good-humour of the Earl at the highestpitch. This man was indeed highly qualified by nature todischarge the part in which he found himself placed, being discreetand cautious on the one hand, and, on the other, quick,keen-witted, and imaginative; so that even the Countess, prejudicedas she was against him on many accounts, felt and enjoyedhis powers of conversation, and was more disposed thanshe had ever hitherto found herself to join in the praises whichthe Earl lavished on his favourite. The hour of rest at lengtharrived, the Earl and Countess retired to their apartment, andall was silent in the castle for the rest of the night.Early on the ensuing morning, Varney acted as the Earl’schamberlain as well as his master of horse, though the latterwas his proper office in that magnificent household, whereknights and gentlemen of good descent were well contentedto hold such menial situations, as nobles themselves held inthat of the sovereign. The duties of each of these charges werefamiliar to Varney, who, sprung from an ancient but somewhatdecayed family, was the Earl’s page during his earlier andmore obscure fortunes, and, faithful to him in adversity, hadafterwards contrived to render himself no less useful to him82