Page:Early Reminiscences.djvu/195

Rh he did not become extravagant and reckless. He was a very quiet, sensible and well-conducted man.

To him Edward Gould, the last of the elder branch at Staverton, left his estates by will in 1736, when he was but seventeen. It was whilst at Pridhamsleigh in Staverton that he made the acquaintance of Margaret Belfield, daughter of John Belfield, serjeant-at-law. She was eight years older than himself, but a beautiful woman. He died at Lew Trenchard in 1766. The portraits of himself and of her were painted by Hudson in 1761. Sir Joshua Reynolds in his notebook records how that she sat to him for her portrait, and when and what he was paid. But this picture has passed away from the family, and cannot be traced.

She had but two children, Edward and Margaret. Edward was a great scamp and got rid of the Staverton property. Happily, he died unmarried. Old Madam then resolved to do her best to recover the estate, and for this purpose she took farm after farm in the parish into her own hands, farmed it, and succeeded so well that when the family of Wood of Orchard fell into difficulties, she bought their estate and said: "Now I can die happy, I have got the Wood's out of the parish." She bought Orchard in 1790.

When she had received her rents, she filled her saddle-bags, mounted a horse, bade a manservant ride on another horse, with a couple of holster pistols, and went up thus to Exeter to deposit the money in the bank.

One day she was riding on the Exeter road, when she was overtaken by the carriage of Mr. Harris of Hayne. Both stopped, and she inquired whither Mr. Harris was bound.

"To Exeter," he replied.

"I will ride there with you," she said.

On the way Mr. Harris inquired of her what she was conveying in her saddle-bags.

"Money," she replied. "I am taking all my rents to the bank."

"Good God, Madam, are you not afraid of highwaymen?"

"They have more reason to be afraid of me than I of them," she replied, pulling forth a loaded pistol.

She was often heard to say, extending her skirt, that her son Edward had cost her as much gold as she could carry in her lap.