CHAPTER X.

PLEASURES OF RYDE.

MRS. MORELLE had been told by some young ladies that she had seen at Brighton, that Ryde was the most charming place on the Isle of Wight.

"Indeed," said they, "it is the only place. worth visiting. We have been all over the island at Shanklin, at Ventnor, at Freshwater Bay, and all those places, and they are dreadfully dull. As for Newport, it is perfectly intolerable."

Now, when any person gives you an opinion in respect to any places which you have not seen, the question whether you will agree with them or not will depend upon what it is they like or dislike the places for, and whether the considerations which lead you to like or dislike places are the same with theirs.

It happened that these young ladies lived in very high and fashionable life, and their whole happiness consisted in dress and display — in balls, parties, concerts, and elegant picnic excur

sions, managed by gay and handsome young men, and Ryde is just the place for all these things. It is the great resort of all the wealthy and fashionable people, and those who are fond of high life, and of dress and fashion, and who are, moreover, of a rank and position in society to be freely admitted to the first circles in Ryde, enjoy the time they spend there very highly. If they are young and handsome ladies, so as to receive a great deal of attention wherever they go, it is charming to them to meet so many people of rank from all parts of the kingdom, and to be courted and admired by so many handsome young officers and noblemen. All such persons, after spending a month at Ryde, go away with very exalted ideas of the charms and fascinations of the place, and are very enthusiastic in their praises of it.

The vicinity of the queen's marine villa at Osborne adds very much to the interest of the place for this class of persons. Even if they are not exalted enough in their position to enjoy the privilege of visiting at Osborne, they meet in society many persons who do; and to see and talk with persons who have seen and talked with the queen, is a very great privilege in the estimation of so loyal a class as the English ladies of fashion.

Besides, they can, at any rate, attend service on Sundays at the little parish church at Whippingham, a small village near Osborne, and about five miles from Ryde, and in so doing have a chance of being under the same roof with her majesty, who often attends divine service there.

For all these reasons, gay and fashionable ladies generally find Ryde a very charming place "in the season.'

But those who go to the Isle of Wight for retirement or repose, or to enjoy the sea, or to be impressed with the sublime grandeurs of the cliffs and the downs-and also those who, though they have a fondness for fashionable life, have not access to the high society of Ryde-go away with very different impressions of the place. The time which they spend in it is passed in a state of weariness or of vexation, and with the exception of the lively scenes to be witnessed on the pier, and which, though very exciting at first, soon lose their special interest, they find little to entertain them there, and soon desire to go away.

As for Mrs. Morelle, she spent her time very pleasantly indeed for three days. She took two very pleasant drives into the surrounding country -once along the sea shore and once into the inte

rior. She also walked through the streets twice, and was much interested in going into the shops and looking at the various objects of interest pertaining to the island, which were for sale in them, such as engravings of Isle of Wight scenery, pictures made of the sands of Alum Bay, crystals and other beautiful minerals, collections of sea-weeds, and also of flowers and plants growing on the island, all very nicely preserved and put up in books or in frames with. glass to protect them from injury.

Mrs. Morelle bought some of these things, and the children also made some purchases. Florence bought some of the sand pictures, and also some brilliant crystals, which were called Isle of Wight diamonds.

Grimkie did not buy any of the sand pictures for he said he meant to get some of the sand when they went to Alum Bay, and make pictures for himself. He, however, bought a set of geological specimens showing the character of the different mineral formations of the island. He also bought a very pretty embossed geological map, showing in relief all the cliffs and mineral ranges, and the different kinds of rocks, and the strata of sand and gravel which come out to view in the different regions.

He observed by this map that there were two

great masses of the chalk formation, as it is called, in the island, one passing through it from east to west, ending in the two capes which form the extremities of the land in those directions. The other mass formed great swells of land at the southern side.

"Those are the downs," said Grimkie, as he was showing John his map. "We shall go up on the downs and you will see what a curious region it is."

"Are they mountains?" asked Florence.

"Not exactly mountains," said Grimkie, “but great swells of land, smooth and nearly level on the top, with no trees and no houses, and the ground covered every where with short and fine grass, and little flowers that make a carpet as soft as velvet.

"I should like to go there very much," said Florence.

"When the downs come near the sea," added Grimkie, "we can have such magnificient views. The sea wears away the chalk and undermines it, and then what is above falls down and forms cliffs so high that you don't dare to go near the brink at all."

"I dare," said John.

"You will see," said Grimkie. "And be sides the danger of falling, the sea birds that