The harvest had been gathered, and the beautiful vales of Pendennyss were
shooting forth a second crop of verdure. The husbandman was turning his
prudent forethought to the promises of the coming year, while the castle
itself exhibited to the gaze of the wondering peasant a sight of
cheerfulness and animation which had not been seen in it since the days of
the good duke. Its numerous windows were opened to the light of the sun,
its halls teemed with the faces of its happy inmates. Servants in various
liveries were seen gliding through its magnificent apartments and
multiplied passages. Horses, grooms, and carriages, with varied costumes
and different armorial bearings, crowded its spacious stables and offices.
Everything spoke society, splendor, and activity without; everything
