There would be little to strike the eye of a traveler accustomed to
picturesque scenes, on approaching the small town of L----. Like most of
the settlements in Virginia, the irregularity of the streets and the want
of similarity in the houses would give an unfavorable first impression. The
old Episcopal church, standing at the entrance of the town, could not fail
to be attractive from its appearance of age; but from this alone. No
monuments adorn the churchyard; head-stones of all sizes meet the eye, some
worn and leaning against a shrub or tree for support, others new and white,
and glistening in the sunset. Several family vaults, unpretending in their
appearance, are perceived on a closer scrutiny, to which the plants usually
found in burial-grounds are clinging, shadowed too by large trees. The
walls where they are visible are worn and discolored, but they are almost
covered with ivy, clad in summer's deepest green. Many a stranger stopped
his horse in passing by to wonder at its look of other days; and some, it
may be, to wish they were sleeping in the shades of its mouldering walls.

The slight eminence on which the church was built, commanded a view of the
residences of several gentlemen of fortune who lived in the neighborhood.
To the nearest one, a gentleman on horseback was directing his way. The
horse required no direction, in truth, for so accustomed was he to the ride
to Exeter, and to the good fare he enjoyed on arriving there, that neither
whip nor spur was necessary; he traced the familiar road with evident
pleasure.

The house at Exeter was irregularly built; but the white stone wings and
the look-out over the main building gave an appearance of taste to the
mansion. The fine old trees intercepted the view, though adding greatly to
its beauty. The porter's lodge, and the wide lawn entered by its open
gates, the gardens at either side of the building, and the neatness and
good condition of the out-houses, all showed a prosperous state of affairs