The hall was handsome and spacious, and the bed-rooms were sufficiently numerous to make an auctioneer's mouth water.

But the great charm of Ongar Park lay in the grounds immediately round the house, which sloped down from the terrace before the windows to a fast-running stream which was almost hidden--but was not hidden--by the shrubs on its bank.

Though the domain itself was small, the shrubberies and walks were extensive.

It was a place costly to maintain in its present perfect condition, but when that was said against it, all was said against it which its bitterest enemies could allege.
But Lady Ongar, with her large jointure, and with no external expenses whatever, could afford this delight without imprudence.

Everything in and about the place was her own, and she might live there happily, even in the face of the world's frowns, if she could teach herself to find happiness in rural luxuries.