THE WISHING WELL,

ISLE OF WIGHT.

BY ABRAHAM ELDER, ESQ.

In answer to our inquiry respecting the Wishing Well, Captain Nosered gave us the following account of it.

The Wishing Well is a small spring of water that runs on the edge of the brow of the very steep hill that looks over the Undercliff, a little to the eastward of Ventnor. The superstition respecting it is, that if a person walks quite straight up to it from the low ground beneath without once looking behind him, and then drinks of the water, he will have any three wishes that he makes granted to him. "It is, however, a feat not often performed. In the first place, the ascent is extremely steep, and the grass very slippery ; and, although falling down does not forfeit the privileges of the waterdrinker, yet should he fall, it would be very difficult to avoid looking behind. For, even if the person should not happen to turn partly round in his fall, he will be very apt to forget himself for a moment, and look at the sea and the country beneath. I do not know why it is; but while resting during an ascent of a steep road we have always a natural, and as it were, instinctive inclination to turn round; which, as I before observed, is in the present instance destructive of future prospects. Supposing all these accidents and inclinations surmounted, and the brow of the hill reached, ascending in a straight line, without inclining to the right or left, or looking round, the chances are greatly against coming exactly upon the little spring; and, if you find yourself upon one side of it, it is clear that you cannot get to it without turning, which, as I observed before, forfeits the right you would otherwise possess of having your three wishes accomplished.

"Since I have been an inhabitant of Violet Cottage," continued Captain Nosered, "I have not heard that any one has gone through the ceremony so exactly as to have obtained his three wishes."

"But, then, you should bear in mind, sir," observed the Antiquary," that the spot is so frequented by strangers visiting the island, who are here to-day and gone to-morrow, that the thing might have happened over and over again without its having of necessity come. to your knowledge."

"Your observation, Mr. Winterblossom, is a very correct one. For instance, when I was first married to my dear Florilla," (here Mrs. Nosered gave a smile of approbation,) "we took a honeymooning tour round the Isle of Wight. Did we not, love?" (here another smile and a nod.) "Well, when we got to Ventnor, where we drank tea and slept, we determined to visit the Wishing Well the next day after breakfast, and to wish for a boy," (here Mrs. Nosered put her hand before her face, and turned a little on one side, to look as if she was blushing.) "Well, after breakfast we started, and soon arrived at the bottom of the Wishing Hill; but, alas! it was far too steep for Florilla's delicate limbs," (she was a large, fat, red-faced woman, at the time the Captain related to us this story,)" so I was obliged to leave her at the bottom of the hill, and see what I could do for the family by going up to the spring, and drinking and wishing by myself. I was wonderfully successful in the ascent. I

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never looked once behind me; though Florilla in all her charms was seated at the bottom of the hill, smiling probably, and looking up towards me. Well, sir, I came straight upon the well at the top of the hill; I took some of the water up in the hollow of my hand; drank it; I then sat down, and wished for a boy. No boy came, however, as the saying goes-in the due course of time. About two years afterwards, indeed, we had a little girl.-Jane, my dear, give Mr. Winterblossom a little more sugar in his tea. That's her,

sir.

Why it did not turn out right I cannot tell. Perhaps there is no real virtue in the well. Perhaps I failed in some small particular. But, somehow or other, it often strikes me that if Florilla could have managed to have got to the top of the hill, and we had there drunk and wished together, it might have been otherwise." Here Jane presented the Antiquary with a cup of tea, and Mrs. Nosered carried one to her husband, and, under pretence of whispering something into his ear, she gave him a little small kiss upon his left cheek; I suppose to thank him for calling her "dear," and talking of her charms before company,-which is more than any wife has strictly a right to expect. I was not, however, forgotten in this amiable distribution of tea; for the younger daughter, Charlotte, brought me my cup. Charlotte was, indeed, really beautiful. She had a small elegant nose-not looking downwards-which I admire above all things. Her light brown curls hanging down in long ringlets, and the ends of these silken tendrils resting upon her delicate and white bust-for she wore a low gown, being dressed for the evening. Heaven and earth! what would I have given for her to have whispered something into my ear after the manner of her mother. But, to return to my story. We sipped our tea, and stirred it, and then sipped again, Florilla looking complacently upon her husband; the Antiquary watching Jane as she spread and sliced the bread and butter; while I was feasting my eyes upon the beauty of the sweet, dear, Charlotte Nosered.

After the Antiquary had finished his tea, he continued knocking his spoon backwards and forwards in his empty cup-in deep meditation, doubtless, for he was deaf to frequent invitations to another cup. At length he turned to Captain Nosered, and said,

"I think you observed, that when you got to the top of the hill you tasted the water, and then sat down,-and then wished for a boy?"

"Just so."

"Pray did you turn yourself round when you sat down?"

"Undoubtedly I did. The hill is so steep that if I had sat down the other way, I should probably have rolled head over heels down to the bottom of the hill."

The Antiquary made no answer, but gave a significant nod, and then changed the conversation by requesting Mrs. Nosered to supply him with another cup of tea.

At length I ventured to put in my word, and I said to the Captain, "Then, sir, if I understand you rightly, you have tried the well yourself, and it has failed; and you have never heard of anybody else who has been more successful; although, of course, as Mr. Winterblossom well observed, the thing might have happened without its having of necessity come to your knowledge.

"You have quite misunderstood me, Mr. Elder," said he ; "what I

stated was, that I was not aware that anybody had obtained his three wishes since I had been a resident in Violet Cottage. There is, however, a man living close by, who a few years before I came to reside here drank of the wonderful well without making any fatal mistake, and had his three wishes all granted to him in due form. Shall I go out with you in search of the man, or shall I tell you the story my own way. I am quite at your service, whichever you choose." Here the Antiquary and myself put our heads together in consultation.

"The Captain tells a story well," said the Antiquary. "That he does," said I. "Besides the man may be a blockhead; which would destroy the romance of the thing. Besides, he will require about half-a-crown for his story; and, besides, I think it is going to rain.”

The fact was, that I thought the society of Captain Nosered's family would be more agreeable than that of the man of the Wishing Well. So the Antiquary acquainted Captain Nosered that we should much prefer hearing the story in his own words. Captain Nosered began as follows:

THE STORY OF THE WISHING WELL.

"John Chaw, the hero of my tale, at the time of his celebrated visit to the Wishing Well, was about twenty-two years of age. He was a labourer in the employ of Joseph Bull, a farmer, who lived not very distant from this place. John looked after his cows, and occasionally drove his waggon: but, having heard a number of curious stories about the Wishing Well, he determined to visit it, and see whether he could not, by wishing, better his condition. It was a smart walk from Farmer Bull's, and he had very little time to spare from his business; so he started a little before his breakfasttime, carrying his breakfast with him in his pocket. When he got to the Undercliff below the hill, he looked out for the tuft of grass that marks where the little spring oozes out from the brow above. He marked well the direction in which it lay, and walked straight for it. He never looked back; and he never turned at all to the right or the left all the way up. He then took some of the water up in the hollow of his hand, and said, "I wish as I was richer than any man in the Isle of Wight, and so here goes." He then drank some water. He then repeated his wish. After which he laid himself down upon the grass to rest himself a little, for the weather was very hot. Presently the hill, the Undercliff, the sea, and the sky faded gradually from his sight, and he seemed to be shrouded in a kind of grey mist. At length he thought that he could trace the figure of an old woman in a loose grey cloak, standing with her arms extended over him. In her right hand she held a long, thin, straight, white stick. The figure got plainer and plainer, till her form had become quite distinct, when she said to him,

"What's your wish, sir?'

666

'Why,' said John Chaw, 'I wish as I was richer than in the Isle of Wight-that's what I wish.'

any man

"The old woman answered, Very well,' and then touched his forehead with the end of her stick. 6 Any other wish?' said she. "Nothing else at present,' said John Chaw. I should like that wish to soak in a little first.'

"As you please, sir,' said the old woman, and her form gradually got fainter and fainter, till at length it disappeared altogether. The mist began to clear away, and John Chaw saw again the Wishing Well beside which he had laid down, the Undercliff, the sea, and the sky. So he got up, and walked down the hill, wondering all the while whether the old woman meant really to give him any money or not. However, he did not go straight down, but took an easier way, which led him into the path that leads from Ventnor to the rock that is called the Pulpit Stone. Here he met with an elderly gentleman, who had apparently been taking a stroll to the Pulpit Stone, and was returning to Ventnor. He followed the old gentleman for about a hundred yards or so, when the latter suddenly appeared to be taken very ill, for he tottered a little, and then sat down on the grass by the side of the hill. John Chaw went up to him, and asked him whether he found himself unwell?' John Chaw offered to assist him home; which offer was accepted, and they went home to the old gentleman's lodging at Ventnor. Mr. Ballicalli was the old gentleman's name, and he took a great fancy to our hero, John, and he asked him to stay with him, and take care of him. The next day he said to him, 'Mr. Chaw, I feel that I have not many days more to live. I have spent the greater part of my life in India, and I have got no friends and few relations in England, and those few I do not like. I have taken rather a fancy to you, and, for want of a better, I intend to make you my heir.'

"I hope you will live many a long day yet,' said John Chaw, wishing to appear civil.

"So Mr. Ballicalli wrote to his lawyer in London, saying that he felt himself but poorly, and that Mr. Chaw was to be his heir; and, for fear of accidents in the mean time, he sent for a lawyer from Newport to make his will. The will was made, and Mr. Ballicalli died. And John Chaw, in compliance with the old gentleman's request, became Mr. Ballicalli Chaw. A day or two afterwards down came the lawyer from London, an elderly man in a brown wig, with black short gaiters, and acquainted Mr. Ballicalli Chaw that he was now the proprietor of a large house and fine park in Northumberland.

"Off goes John Chaw to Northumberland, and arrives safely at his great house. Lots of footmen to wait upon him, in blue coats and red small-clothes. John Chaw was as happy as the day was long. He had porter and purl, and beans and bacon for breakfast; got drunk regularly after dinner, and smoked his pipe in the evening. Many jolly companions visited him, and partook of his good cheer. Many of the squires in the neighbourhood called upon him, and almost everybody called him sir.' But, what pleased him most was, that Lord Thingummy, and his sister, Lady Kitty Thingummy, called upon him, and told him that they had the greatest pleasure imaginable in making his acquaintance. His Lordship told him that there was only one thing wanting to make Mr. Ballicalli Chaw completely genteel,-that was, marrying a lady of rank and after a little while he went so far as to hint that Lady Kitty was very much prepossessed with his personal appearance and amiable manner. The upshot of all this was, that shortly after Mr. Ballicalli Chaw was married to Lady Kitty Thingum

my, on condition, however, of his dropping the name of Chaw, which she did not consider sufficiently genteel.

"Here commenced our hero's misfortunes. In the first place, Lady Kitty, although of a high family, was extremely ugly, squinted, was very proud, and had the temper of a devil.

"John was obliged to cut all his merry companions, because they were vulgar. He was obliged to give up his porter and purl, and beans and bacon for breakfast, because they were vulgar. Getting drunk upon ale at dinner was vulgar, and John did not like wine. Smoking of an evening was the vulgarest thing that ever was heard of. John's great delight in former days used to be playing at skittles for a pot of beer: but skittles, he was told, were, if possible, still more vulgar than clay pipes. Besides, he had the greatest difficulty in finding people to play with. Lady Kitty would not hear of his playing with the footmen. This he thought the hardest thing of any; for, what are footmen for?' he would argue, if it is not to please their master.' However, the thing was pronounced to be vulgar, and so there was an end of it. He might, however, have a billiard table, if he pleased, and so he immediately ordered one. But this did not help him a bit; for, who was there to play with him? Unfortunately for John also, Lady Kitty's relations were even more proud than she was herself. She cut all John's friends and relations, because they were vulgar, and her relations cut Lady Kitty Ballicalli, because Mr. Ballicalli was so vulgar. Thus, between the pride of Lady Kitty and Lady Kitty's relations, John hardly could find anybody to speak to.

"Day after day he used to walk about his great park by himself, staring at the old oak trees and deer, without knowing what to do with himself. Even in this, however, he was sometimes interfered with; for walking (or, at any rate, walking much) was vulgar. Two or three days a week he used to drive with his wife, in their coach-and-four, along the turnpike-road, to the market-town and back; more for the purpose of showing off their grandeur, than for anything that they had to do there.

"This rumbling along in a carriage, instead of taking his natural and wholesome exercise on foot, as he used to do, went sorely against the grain with the unfortunate Mr. Ballicalli.

"Once or twice he seriously thought of rebelling, and throwing his gentility overboard altogether, and living comfortably and merrily with his merry vulgar companions again. But notwithstanding that he had what he called a successful scrimmage now and then, the influence of the wife in the end always prevailed. For instance, once he swore he would, and he actually did, go down to the village pot-house, and have a game at skittles; and he made all the folks that he found there as drunk as fiddlers, into the bargain. Such a life, however, he led for a fortnight afterwards, that he never showed fight upon that subject again. John Ballicalli began to think that a person may be very rich, and very genteel, and yet not be very happy, after all. In short, three months had hardly elapsed before he had made up his mind that he had not gained anything by his change of circumstances.

"One night he was lying tossing about in bed, bewailing his unfortunate condition. I just wish,' said he to himself, as he turned over to the other side, that I was back at the Wishing Well