Two other hinds belonging to the household, who were watching the issue
of the contest, here joined in a loud clamour at the victory; and
Gregory, dogged with baiting, became silent, scowling defiance at his
foe.
Waddington Hall was at that period a building of great antiquity.
Crooks, or great heavy arched timbers, ascending from the ground to the
roof, formed the principal framework of the edifice, not unlike the
inverted hull of some stately ship. The whole dwelling consisted of a
thorough lobby and a hall, with a parlour beyond it, on one side, and
the kitchens and offices on the other. The windows were narrow, scarcely
more than a few inches wide, and, in all probability, not originally
intended to contain glass.
The chimneys and fireplaces were wide and open; the apartments, except
the hall, low, narrow, and inconvenient, divided by partitions of oak,
clumsy, and ill-carved with many strange and uncouth devices. The hall
was, on the right of the entrance, lighted by one long low window; a
massy table stood beneath. The fireplace was on the opposite side,
occupying nearly the whole breadth of the chamber.
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