Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

12 1 RAVENSHOE.
Ramoneur blood, and that Ascot would never listen to her; that
no horse of that breed had ever been a staying horse; that she
believed, if the truth could be got at, that the Pope of Rome had
been, indirectly perhaps, but certainly, the inventor of produce
stakes, which had done more to ruin the breed of horses, and
consequently the country, than fifty reform bills. Then her ladyship wished to know if Charles had read Lord Mount E's
book on the Battle of Armageddon, and, on receiving a negative
answer, gave a slight abstract of that most prophetical production,
till the gong sounded, and Charles went up to dress for dinner.
CHAPTER XXI.
CLOTHO, LACHESIS, AND ATROPOS.
THE road from Ranford to Casterton, which is the name of
Lord Hainault's place, runs through about three miles of the most
beautiful scenery. Although it may barely come up to Cookham
or Cliefden, yet it surpasses the piece from Wargrave to Henley,
and beats Pangbourne hollow. Leaving Ranford Park, the road
passes through the pretty village of Ranford. And in the street
of Ranford, which is a regular street, the principal inn is the
White Hart, kept by Mrs. Foley.
Here, in summer, all through the long, glorious days, which
seem so hard to believe in in winter time, come anglers, and live.
Here they order their meals at impossible hours, and drive the
landlady mad by not coming home to them. Here, too, they
plan mad expeditions with the fishermen, who are now in all
their glory, wearing bright-patterned shirts, scornful of halfcrowns, and in a general state of obfuscation, in consequence of
being plied with strange liquors by their patrons, out of flasks,
when they are out fishing. Here, too, come artists, with beards
as long as your arm, and pass the day under white umbrellas, in
pleasant places by the water-side, painting.
The dark old porch of the inn stands out in the street, but the
back of the house goes down to the river. At this porch there is
generally a group of idlers, or an old man sunning himself, or a
man on horseback drinking. On this present occasion there were
all three of these things, and also Lord Ascot's head-keeper,
with a brace of setters.
As Charles rode very slowly towards the group, the keeper
and the groom on horseback left off talking. Charles fancied