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VIBRATION CONTROL AND
ACTUATION OF LARGE-SCALE
SYSTEMS
VIBRATION
CONTROL AND
ACTUATION
OF LARGE-SCALE
SYSTEMS
Edited by

HAMID REZA KARIMI


Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier
125 London Wall, London EC2Y 5AS, United Kingdom
525 B Street, Suite 1650, San Diego, CA 92101, United States
50 Hampshire Street, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
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© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
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such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our
website: www.elsevier.com/permissions.
This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the
Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).
Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience
broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical
treatment may become necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating
and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such
information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including
parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.
To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume
any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability,
negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas
contained in the material herein.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN : 978-0-12-821194-6

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visit our website at https://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals

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Cover Designer: Victoria Pearson

Typeset by SPi Global, India


Contributors

A.M. Harsha S. Abeykoon Department of Electrical Engineering, University of


Moratuwa, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Adam Biernat Electrical Department, Institute of Control and Industrial
Electronics (ISEP), Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland
Islam Boussaada Universite Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CentraleSupelec, Laboratoire
des Signaux et Systèmes, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Inria Saclay, “DISCO” Team,
Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Institut Polytechnique des Sciences Avancees (IPSA),
Ivry-sur-Seine, France
Xiao-Heng Chang School of Information Science and Engineering, Wuhan
University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Li-Qun Chen Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics,
Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
Alfredo Cigada Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano,
Milan, Italy
Krzysztof Damaziak Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Military University of
Technology, Warsaw, Poland
Hu Ding Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Shanghai
University, Shanghai, China
Haiping Du School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineer-
ing, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
Guanbin Gao Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Kunming
University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
Huijun Gao Research Institute of Intelligent Control and Systems, Harbin Insti-
tute of Technology, Harbin, People’s Republic of China
Shuping He Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Processing
(Ministry of Education), School of Electrical Engineering and Automation,
Anhui University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
Yingbo Huang Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Kunming
University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
K.D.M. Jayawardhana Department of Electrical Engineering, University of
Moratuwa, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Jinchen Ji School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of
Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
Hamid Reza Karimi Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di
Milano, Milan, Italy

ix
x Contributors

Jerzy Małachowski Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Military University of


Technology, Warsaw, Poland
Jing Na Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Kunming University
of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
Silviu-Iulian Niculescu Universite Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CentraleSupelec, Labor-
atoire des Signaux et Systèmes, Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Inria Saclay, “DISCO”
Team, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Donghong Ning School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications
Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
Francisco Palacios-Quiñonero Department of Mathematics, Universitat Politèc-
nica de Catalunya, Manresa, Spain
Huihui Pan Research Institute of Intelligent Control and Systems, Harbin
Institute of Technology, Harbin, People’s Republic of China
Chengcheng Ren Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Signal Proces-
sing (Ministry of Education), School of Electrical Engineering and Automation,
Anhui University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
Josep M. Rossell Department of Mathematics, Universitat Politècnica de Catalu-
nya, Manresa, Spain
Josep Rubió-Massegú Department of Mathematics, Universitat Politècnica de
Catalunya, Manresa, Spain
Esala H. Senevirathne Department of Electrical Engineering, University of
Moratuwa, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Ali Siami Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Carleton
University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Weichao Sun Research Institute of Intelligent Control and Systems, Harbin
Institute of Technology, Harbin, People’s Republic of China
Tomasz Szafranski Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Military University of
Technology, Warsaw, Poland
Sami Tliba Universite Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CentraleSupelec, Laboratoire des
Signaux et Systèmes, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Lixin Tu School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology,
Beijing, People’s Republic of China
W.M.T.G. Wijewardhana Department of Electrical Engineering, University of
Moratuwa, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Xing Wu Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Kunming University
of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
Jun Xiong School of Information Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of
Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Emanuele Zappa Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano,
Milan, Italy
Mingming Zhao School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University
of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
Preface

Vibration is a phenomenon that affects systems such as robot manipu-


lators, bridges, buildings, towers, vehicles, and aircrafts. The protection of
these large-scale systems against the harmful effects of vibration has
become a major field of research in recent years. In the literature of vibra-
tion control of mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic systems, different
damping systems, mainly passive, active, and semiactive damping sys-
tems, have been proposed and successfully applied to tackle the vibration
problem. One critical characteristic common to most of these actuators is
that they, in general, exhibit nonlinear dynamical behaviour and thus
complex control techniques must be employed for an appropriate perfor-
mance. To this aim, this book unifies existing and emerging concepts con-
cerning advanced vibration control methodologies and actuations of
large-scale systems toward practical applications, such as vehicles, build-
ings, wind turbines. The book may be useful for researchers in control sys-
tems, mechatronics, mathematics, mechanics, and alike.
The book consists of 13 chapters, which are organized as separate con-
tributions and listed according to the order of the list of contents as
follows:
In Chapter 1, Biernat’s contribution dealt with frequency-frequency
analysis (F-F analysis) of the vibration spectrum. The vibration spectrum
was transformed into an image that revealed the occurring frequency com-
ponents as well as their harmonics and side bands. F-F images showed
a unique approach to track changes occurring in the vibration process
during the operation of electromechanical systems. In Chapter 2, Ji studied
the implicit resonances in the forced response of nonautonomous time-
delayed nonlinear systems in the vicinity of Hopf bifurcations. In
Chapter 3, Abeykoon et al. analyzed a force (torque) sensorless vibration
suppression methodology for externally applied vibrations on actuators.
In Chapter 4, Tliba et al. investigated the problem of vibration damping
for a thin beam, with an Euler-Bernoulli configuration, using output feed-
back controller based on delayed proportional actions. In Chapter 5,
Siami et al. proposed some methods for vibration protection of statues
and cultural heritage objects against earthquakes and ambient vibrations.
In Chapter 6, Palacios-Quiñonero et al. proposed an iterative linear matrix
inequality computational procedure for designing high-performance static
output feedback controllers for vibration control of multistory buildings

xi
xii Preface

equipped with a distributed set of interstory actuators. In Chapter 7, Pan


et al. proposed the finite-time state and output feedback control issues
for vehicle active suspension systems subjected to unknown external distur-
bance. In Chapter 8, Huang et al. proposed robust adaptive parameter
estimation and control method for half-car active suspension systems in
the presence of uncertainties and nonlinearities. In Chapter 9, Ren et al. pro-
posed an observer-based finite-time robust H∞ vibration control problem
for half-car active suspension systems with actuator parametric uncer-
tainties and nonlinearities. In Chapter 10, Tu et al. presented a negative
stiffness magnetic spring to install on a seat suspension system to achieve
high-static-low-dynamic stiffness characteristic and such a system can also
be semiactively controlled to reduce vibration responses via an electromag-
netic damper. In Chapter 11, Xiong and Chang addressed the robust fault-
tolerant H∞ control problem of semiactive suspension systems with quan-
tization. In Chapter 12, Zhao et al. studied the effects of bending moments
on the dynamic response of a planetary three-stage gearbox used in an
indirect-drive wind turbine under different load conditions. Finally, in
Chapter 13, Damaziak et al. presented a design approach for a structure
of a small wind turbine with respect to control its response in the frequency
domain.
Finally, I would like to express appreciation to all contributors for their
excellent contributions to this book.

Hamid Reza Karimi


Milan
C H A P T E R

1
Analysis of vibration signals
Adam Biernat
Electrical Department, Institute of Control and Industrial Electronics (ISEP),
Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland

O U T L I N E

1 Introduction 1
2 Vibration process 2
3 Frequency-frequency analysis 3
4 Analysis of vibration process based on F-F image 12
4.1 Analysis of vibrations caused by a unbalanced forces of
kinematic origin 12
4.2 Analysis of vibrations caused by unbalanced forces of
electromagnetic origin 19
5 Conclusions 29
References 29

1 Introduction
Unbalanced forces occurring in electromechanical systems are the
cause of time-varying displacements (vibrations) of elements of a given
mechanical system (structure). Displacements arise as a result of the prop-
agation of disturbation caused by the occurrence of an unbalanced force
by a number of paths through elements of the mechanical system charac-
terized by specific resonance properties, nonlinearity caused by the clear-
ance, discontinuity and anisotropy of the medium, and modulating
properties associated with the cyclicity of changes in the mutual position
of system elements. The amplitude and shape of the time course of

Vibration Control and Actuation of Large-Scale Systems 1 © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821194-6.00001-9
2 1. Analysis of vibration signals

displacements (determined by the content of frequency components of the


displacement spectrum) depends on the place of measurement (due to
availability, displacement of external surfaces is usually measured). In
consequence, as a result of adding up the propagating distortions,
mechanical vibrations occurring at a given point of the surface are deter-
mined by the mechanical properties of the given structure and the place of
origin of unbalanced forces.

2 Vibration process

The general (presented in a modified form) relationship describing the


vibrations occurring at a given point of the surface, approximating the
complicated process of disturbance propagation, must take into account
both the path and direction of propagation, resonance properties, modu-
lating properties, and the influence of external and random factors [1]:
82 ! 3 9
X< Y X =
xξ ðt, pÞ ¼ 4 xs,k ðtÞxd,k ðtÞ xwm,i ðtÞ + xwm, j ðtÞ5∗hk ðtÞ + nðtÞ,
k
: i j
;

(1.1)
where xξ(t,p) is the vibration signal in position p, xs(t) is the signal repre-
senting the primary disturbance, xd(t) is the function dependent on the
path and direction of propagation of the disturbation, xwm(t) is the func-
tion describing all factors modulating the disturbance signal, xwn(t) is
the function describing all nonmodulating external factors, h(t) is the func-
tion describing the resonance properties of system components, n(t) is the
function representing random disturbances.
Primary disturbances may in general be purely mechanical distortions,
distortions caused by unbalanced forces in the medium where the electro-
magnetic field is propagated and electromagnetic torque ripples appear-
ing when the electromechanical energy converter is coupled with another
mechanical or electromechanical device. The relationship reveals the com-
plicated vibration structure that is specific to a given point on the surface
of the electromechanical system under consideration. It should be empha-
sized that modulating factors as well as resonance properties of system
components have a significant impact on the frequency range of the spec-
trum of generated vibrations. Thus, identifying primary unbalanced
forces based on the recorded vibration signal requires an analysis of the
vibration spectrum over the widest possible range of frequencies. There-
fore, it is important to ensure a wide frequency range of the signal while
maintaining proper frequency resolution. In the case of recording a dis-
crete signal, this requires a high sampling frequency and a sufficiently
3 Frequency-frequency analysis 3

long measurement time. When the condition of the stability of basic pro-
cess parameters is not met (this problem concerns most technical imple-
mentations), there are problems with identification (especially in the
range of higher frequencies) of the frequency components of the vibration
spectrum. The proposed solution is frequency-frequency analysis (F-F
analysis) of the vibration spectrum. The vibration spectrum is transformed
into an image that reveals the occurring frequency components as well as
their harmonics and side bands. Image analysis makes possible to identify
all the frequency components of the spectrum, their interrelationships,
and also reveals a possible failure to meet the condition of process param-
eters stability—amplitude and frequency of the primary disturbance.

3 Frequency-frequency analysis

The idea of creating an F-F image [2] is presented in Fig. 1.1. The real
part of the discrete frequency spectrum (DFT) of the vibration signal after
removing the element representing the constant component is treated as a
vector S ¼ [sk], k ¼ 1, 2, … ks, ks ¼ 1/2(T/Δt) is a vector S length, T is a
measurement duration, Δt is sampling period of the vibration signal,
where sk represents the amplitude of the spectral line at a frequency
kΔf, Δf ¼ 1/T is the spectrum frequency resolution. The S vector is trans-
formed into a P table:
S ¼ ½sk  ! P5½pn, m , (1.2)
where n ¼ 1, 2, … np, np—row length, m ¼ 1, 2, … mp, mp—column length,
in such a way that consecutive fragments of the vector S with the length of
np create the next rows of the table P, wherein ks npmp. The quantity
fP ¼ npΔf is to be called the characteristic frequency of the table P. In the
F-F image created on the basis of the table P, the amplitude of individual
frequency components is represented by the degree of color intensity sim-
ilar to the case of single-color cartographic maps. The F-F image is orga-
nized so that the p1,1 element is in the lower left corner.
Next, the properties of the P table are discussed.
Property I. The frequency of the spectral line associated with the element of the
table P is unambiguously described by the indices n and m:
fpn, m ¼ ðm  1Þnp Δf + nΔf , (1.3)
so successive elements in the row are distant by a frequency Δf, while successive
elements of the column are distant by a characteristic frequency fP.
Property II. Operation (1.2) can be treated as shifts of the m-th fragment of the
spectrum in the frequency domain by the frequency fP. This means that in the case
of existence of higher harmonics caused by the primary disturbance xs(t), succes-
sive parts of the spectrum show a high degree of similarity.
FIG. 1.1 The idea of creating an F-F image.
3 Frequency-frequency analysis 5

Let’s introduce the criterion for choosing the characteristic frequency fP.
In this purpose, the concept of F-F image ordering is defined:
The F-F image or its fragment is ordered when the given fundamental
frequency component and its higher harmonics form successive elements
of the table P column.
Fig. 1.2 illustrates the adopted ordering criterion. Marked elements of
the table P (image points) represent the given frequency component fx and
its second harmonic 2fx. Image fragment ordering is obtained when fP ¼ fx
(left side of the drawing). A fragment of the image that does not meet the
criteria of ordering fP 6¼ fx is presented on the right. A given vibration pro-
cess creates an individual pattern in the F-F image. Next, the patterns
appearing in the F-F image that represent the basic vibration processes
are discussed in turn.
Pattern 1. Single primary disturbance. Spectrum of the vibration pro-
cess contains the basic and higher harmonics components with the kfa
(k ¼ 1, 2, … kh) frequencies. The characteristic frequency fP ¼ fa. The fre-
quency components form successive elements of the column pa,k (indexed
by the parameter a) of the table P (Fig. 1.3A).
In many technical issues, it is convenient to observe the occurrence of
even and odd harmonics separately. Separating them in this case requires
only adopting the characteristic frequency fP ¼ 2fa (Fig. 1.3B). The pattern
consists of two columns, left containing odd harmonics, right containing
even harmonics of the vibration process. If both even and odd harmonics
are present, the right and left side of the F-F image is characterized by a
high degree of similarity.
Pattern 2. Single primary disturbance. The spectrum of the vibration
process contains the basic and two-sided bands components with the
fb  kfa, (k ¼ 1, 2, … kh) frequencies resulting from the nonlinear modula-
tion process. The characteristic frequency fP ¼ fa. The frequency compo-
nents form successive elements of the column pb,k (indexed by the
parameter b) of the table P (Fig. 1.4).

FIG. 1.2 Ordering criterion.


6 1. Analysis of vibration signals

FIG. 1.3 Pattern 1. The F-F image elements with the kfa frequencies are marked with color.
Characteristic frequency fP ¼ fa (A). Characteristic frequency fP ¼ 2fa (B).

Pattern 3. Single primary disturbance. The spectrum of the vibration


process contains the basic and higher harmonics components with the
kfa, (k ¼ 1, 2, … kh) frequencies and their two-sided bands with the kfa  lfb,
(l ¼ 1, 2, … lh) frequencies resulting from the nonlinear modulation pro-
cess. The characteristic frequency fP ¼ fa.. The frequency components form
successive elements of the columns pa,k, p(alb),l (indexed by the parameters
3 Frequency-frequency analysis 7

FIG. 1.4 Pattern 2. The F-F image elements with the fb  kfa frequencies components are
marked with color. E (fb/fP)—natural part of the ratio fa/fP.

a and a  lb) of the table P (Fig. 1.5A). In some cases only side band com-
ponents are present.
Often it is convenient to arrange the F-F image so that the characteristic
frequency and its higher harmonics are in the image center (Fig. 1.5B). This
makes easier to capture the symmetries of image patterns associated with
existing side bands.
Note that the relationship (1.3) between the spectral lines frequency and
the indices n and m of the table P cells should be modified accordingly.
Pattern 4. Single primary disturbance. As in the case of Pattern 1, the
spectrum of the vibration process contains the basic and higher harmonics
components with the frequencies lfb (l ¼ 1, 2, … lh). The characteristic fre-
quency fP > fb. The frequency components form elements pn,m of the table
P. Starting from pb,1 the diagonal pattern is created (Fig. 1.6).
The diagonal pattern deviates from the vertical axis by the angle γ
depending on the difference in real frequencies f ∗P and f ∗b and the scale
of the image determined by the ratio md to nd:
fP∗  fb∗ md
tgγ ¼ : (1.4)
Δf nd
The deviation angle γ of the pattern from the vertical axis can be treated
as a measure of the ordering of a given vibration process. The smaller it is,
the greater the orderliness is. When γ ¼ 0 there is order due to the charac-
teristic frequency fP and in this case fP ¼ fb.
8 1. Analysis of vibration signals

FIG. 1.5 Pattern 3. The F-F image (A) and the modified F-F image (B) elements with the kfa
and the kfa  lfb frequencies components are marked with color.

Pattern 5. Low-level wideband stochastic disturbances. Mechanical


construction has a limited frequency range resonance properties. In the
spectrum of the noise-like vibration process, no dominant frequency com-
ponent can be clearly distinguished. Noise-like frequency components
form a horizontal pattern with a width determined by the frequency range
of resonance vibrations (Fig. 1.7A).
3 Frequency-frequency analysis 9

FIG. 1.6 Pattern 4. The F-F image elements with the lfb frequencies components are
marked with color.

Pattern 6. Low-level wideband stochastic disturbances and single pri-


mary disturbance. The mechanical construction has resonant properties.
The spectrum of the deterministic vibration process contains basic and
higher harmonics with the kfa (k ¼ 1, 2, … kh) frequencies components,
whose amplitude increases significantly within the resonance range
(Fig. 1.7B). The characteristic frequency fP ¼ fa. The deterministic fre-
quency components form successive elements of the column pa,k (indexed
by the parameters a) of the table P, stochastic frequency components form
horizontal pattern (combination of Patterns 5 and 1).
At low levels of deterministic disturbances, the frequency components
of the vibrations process are present only close to the resonance range.
(Pattern 6a—Fig. 1.8A). In some cases of the modulation process, only side
bands frequency components appear in the resonance range (Pattern 6b—
Fig. 1.8B).
Property III. The distances between the vertical patterns of the F-F image
formed by a given vibration process expressed in frequency units correspond to
the fundamental frequencies of the vibration process. The occurrence of higher har-
monics in a given vibration process is marked by the length (height) of the pattern
that represents them.
Property III implies adopted convention of F-F image axis units: unit of
the horizontal axis is frequency, unit of the vertical axis is number indicat-
ing the fragment of the S vector.
10 1. Analysis of vibration signals

FIG. 1.7 Pattern 5 (A). The F-F image elements with the noise-like frequencies components
are marked with color. Frequency fa is optional. Pattern 6 (B). The F-F image elements with the
noise-like frequencies and the kfa frequencies components are marked with color.

Property IV. When, for a given np, an ordered image or fragment of an image
(pattern) is obtained, one can assume that the frequency fP ¼ Δfnp is the basic fre-
quency of the relevant vibration process.
Property V. The side bands created as a result of modulation process introduce
symmetry of image fragments relative to the vertical axis.
3 Frequency-frequency analysis 11

FIG. 1.8 Pattern 6a (A). The F-F image elements with the noise-like frequencies and the
limited band kfa frequencies components are marked with color. Pattern 6b (B). The F-F image
elements with noise-like frequencies and limited band kfa  fb frequencies components are
marked with color.

Property VI. In case of several simultaneously occurring primary distur-


bances x1(t), x2(t) … with different fundamental frequencies (first harmonics),
each of them will create its own pattern, with the F-F image being the sum of
all patterns.
12 1. Analysis of vibration signals

Property VII. The pattern meeting the adopted ordering criterion is obtained
only for the disturbance with the frequency fx ¼ fP. Disturbance with other fre-
quencies will create their own patterns that do not meet the order criterion. This
property allows to find subtle changes occurring in the vibration process.
Property VIII. There is a possibility of occurrence of patterns suggesting a
false frequency of the vibration process, associated with the occurrence of aliases
in the same way as in the case of sampling an analogous signal that does not meet
the Nyquist criterion. This applies to patterns created by processes with a basic
frequency that is not a characteristic frequency.
The intensity of the vibration process is demonstrated by both its fre-
quency range and vibration amplitude. Based on the F-F image, one can
create a measure that shows sensitivity to both the amplitude of the vibra-
tions and their frequency range—the average value of the amplitudes of
the frequency components and their higher harmonics:
(m )
1 X  
p

ams ðnÞ ¼ Γ s n + ðm  1Þnp , (1.5)


mp 1

where Γ is possible operation of changing the amplitude scale.


Measure (1.5) can be organized in the form of a vector containing the
average values of columns of the table P (distribution of average vibration
amplitude):
Ams ¼ ½ams,n : (1.6)
An important feature of the proposed measure thus created is the pres-
ervation of information about significant modulation processes.

4 Analysis of vibration process based on F-F image

Next, F-F images of selected vibration processes and their individual


features will be discussed.

4.1 Analysis of vibrations caused by a unbalanced forces


of kinematic origin
The reason for the occurrence of unbalanced periodic forces of kine-
matic origin is the limited accuracy with which the elements of the rotating
mechanical system are made, as well as their wear and deformation.
Among them the unbalance and faulty coupling of rotating elements,
the clearances between mutually moving surfaces (an interesting aspect
of the occurrence of clearances is the appearance of certain vibration fea-
tures indicating their chaotic nature), and the wear of rolling and sliding
4 Analysis of vibration process based on F-F image 13

elements of bearings. A number of causes (bearing load, shocks, high


operating temperature, defective lubrication, bearing currents) leading
to flaking, wiping, and increase in roughness and even local damage
are responsible for the wear of the rolling element surface and raceway.
In the process of bearing wear, the increase of unevenness of interacting
surfaces is responsible for the occurrence of a number of excitations of
varying amplitude and frequency. In the initial period when the degree
of wear is low, the forces are stochastic in nature with a relatively small
amplitude. With increasing wear, local surface defects increase until local
damage occurs. Expected basic vibration frequencies caused by damage to
individual bearing components—fs (Ball Spin Frequency), fi (Ball Pass Fre-
quency of Inner ring), fo (Ball Pass Frequency of Outer ring), and ft
(Fundamental Train Frequency) are determined by bearing geometry
and relative speed of both raceways. These frequencies are not always
easy to identify due to the complicated signal modulation process. Rela-
tions between them:
fi + fo ¼ nf r ,
fo ¼ nf t , (1.7)
fi ¼ nð fr  ft Þ,
where n is the number of rolling elements of the bearing, fr is the relative
rotational frequency of outer and inner race, facilitate identification of the
side bands of the spectrum of the vibration process.
Next, F-F images of the vibrations of the electric machine housing
caused by different degrees of wear of the rolling bearing surfaces will
be presented.

4.1.1 Analysis of vibration acceleration of the housing of a 3-phase


asynchronous slip-ring motor with p ¼ 2 pole pairs
With a low degree of bearing wear, resonance vibrations within a lim-
ited frequency range dominate, forced by random excitations (in addition
to excitations related to the roughness of the rolling surfaces of bearings,
small excitations of electromagnetic phenomena origin should also be
expected). The spectrum is dominated by vibrations associated with the
resonance of the machine body (Fig. 1.9).
In the F-F image created for fP ¼ fi, there are two overlapping patterns
(Fig. 1.10). In the part of the image representing resonance vibrations of a
stochastic nature, symmetrical (Pattern 6b) areas appear (marked with
arrows) containing frequency components of vibrations with a higher
amplitude (represented by higher color saturation in the image). They
show the occurrence of the deterministic vibrations. The location of the
marked fragments indicates that they are side bands, distant by rotational
14 1. Analysis of vibration signals

FIG. 1.9 Vibration acceleration spectrum of the slip-ring induction motor housing.

FIG. 1.10 The F-F image of the spectrum of vibration acceleration of the slip-ring induc-
tion motor housing.

frequency fr. They are clearly correlated with the distribution of the aver-
age amplitude of the vibration acceleration Ams (Fig. 1.11). The phenom-
enon of side band blur will be discussed later.

FIG. 1.11 Distribution of the average amplitude of the vibration acceleration Ams of the
slip-ring induction motor housing. Arrows indicate fragments of the Ams distribution corre-
sponding to the areas marked in Fig. 1.10.
4 Analysis of vibration process based on F-F image 15

FIG. 1.12 Vibration acceleration spectrum of the synchronous motor housing.

4.1.2 Analysis of vibration acceleration of the housing of a 3-phase


synchronous motor with p ¼ 2 salient pole pairs
As bearing wear develops, local raceway defects increase, resulting in
vibration also in the lower-frequency range.
Frequency components outside the dominant resonance area appear
due to defects in the inner race of the bearing (Fig. 1.12). In the upper part
of the F-F image created for fP ¼ fi, there are stochastic and deterministic
frequency components, the last ones being side bands of higher harmonics
of the frequency fi, distant by rotational frequency fr, (Fig. 1.13). Higher
harmonics of the process frequency fi also appear in the low-frequency
range (combination of Patterns 6b and 1). The side bands are visible in
the distribution of the average amplitude of the vibration acceleration
Ams (Fig. 1.14). Only selected side bands distant by rotational frequency
fr are marked.

4.1.3 Analysis of vibration acceleration of the housing of a 3-phase


induction motor with p ¼ 1 pole pair
Further development of local damage to the rolling surfaces of the bear-
ing causes the generation of impacts, which are the source of machine
vibration. The surges generated are strong enough to evoke resonance
vibrations in the frequency range above 5 kHz.

FIG. 1.13 The F-F image of the spectrum of vibration acceleration of the synchronous
motor housing.
16 1. Analysis of vibration signals

FIG. 1.14 Distribution of the average amplitude of the vibration acceleration Ams of the
synchronous motor housing.

The vibrations were recorded at two housing points. In the first case the
radial vibration sensor was placed on the edge of the bearing shield from
the drive side (Fig. 1.15), in the second on the machine housing, close to the
bearing shield on the opposite side of the drive (Fig. 1.16). The dependence

FIG. 1.15 Vibration acceleration spectrum of the squirrel cage induction motor housing
(drive-side position of the measuring sensor).

FIG. 1.16 Vibration acceleration spectrum of the squirrel cage induction motor housing
(opposite to drive-side position of the measuring sensor).
4 Analysis of vibration process based on F-F image 17

FIG. 1.17 The F-F image of vibration acceleration of the squirrel cage induction motor
housing (drive-side position of the measuring sensor).

of the vibration signal on the place of registration confirms the clear dif-
ferences between the two spectra presented. Areas of occurrence of reso-
nance vibrations are marked. The FF image created on the basis of the
spectrum of the signal registered by the sensor placed on the drive side
for fP ¼ fi, shows a high degree of ordering (combination of Patterns 3,
6a and b) enabling the identification of the dominant frequency of vibra-
tions fi, its higher harmonics, and side bands resulting from frequency
modulation fr i fr  ft (Fig. 1.17).
Fig. 1.18, presenting the distribution of the average amplitude of the
vibration acceleration Ams, enables all dominant side bands to be
identified.

FIG. 1.18 Distribution of the average amplitude of vibration acceleration Ams of the squir-
rel cage induction motor housing (drive-side position of the measuring sensor).
18 1. Analysis of vibration signals

The F-F images allow to trace changes in the vibration process as a


result of an increase in the amplitude of the excitation and a change in
its character (the appearance of strokes associated with local damage to
the bearing race). It can be seen that the side bands are characterized by
a certain degree of blur - they do not occupy one vertical column but create
vertical structures of limited width. This indicates a certain degree of ran-
domness of the vibration signal associated with slipping of rolling ele-
ments during bearing operation. It can be assumed that the slip causes
small changes in the initial conditions of the process affecting the change
in the frequency of generated vibrations. There is a noticeable increase in
the extent of side band blur along with the increase in vibration frequency,
which can be explained by the accumulation of frequency deviation.
The F-F image created on the basis of the spectrum of the signal
recorded by the sensor placed on the drive side for fP ¼ fo (Fig. 1.19)
reveals the simultaneous presence of two vibration processes (Property
VI) forming overlapping patterns—Patterns 3 and 4. One of them (domi-
nant, associated with the frequency fi) shows a lack of order and creates a
false diagonal pattern (Property VIII). The second (poorly marked) pat-
tern, showing a high degree of orderliness caused by a vibration process
with a fundamental frequency fo, indicates that the impact of the outer race
track condition on the generated vibration is small. Accurate image anal-
ysis allows to find the associated higher harmonics and sidebands result-
ing from frequency modulation.
However, the FF image created on the basis of the spectrum of the
signal registered by the sensor located on the opposite side of the drive
(Fig. 1.16) for fP ¼ fo, similar to the FF image shown in Fig. 1.18, shows
a high degree of ordering enabling identification of side bands resulting
from modulation the dominant vibration frequency fo (caused by damage
to the outer race) by the frequency of ft. This indicates the dominance of the
forcing related to the operation condition of the outer race.

FIG. 1.19 The F-F image of vibration acceleration of the squirrel cage induction motor
housing (drive-side position of the measuring sensor).
4 Analysis of vibration process based on F-F image 19

Attention should also be paid to the differences in the frequency of the


side bands of the vibration process related to damage to the rotating ele-
ment (in this case the inner race) and the stationary one (outer race). In the
first case, the rotational frequency fr is an additional modulating compo-
nent. Knowledge of the frequency spacing of the side bands allows to asso-
ciate the vibration process with a given raceway of bearing.
Summing up, analysis of the F-F images of vibrations in two different
places on the surface of the machine housing makes it possible to unam-
biguously associate a given damage with a bearing.

4.2 Analysis of vibrations caused by unbalanced forces of


electromagnetic origin
The force affecting the separated area of the electric machine system is
the sum of the electromagnetic volumetric and surface forces expressed by
the products of magnetic quantities: magnetic induction vector B and
magnetic field strength vector H. It is the basis for determining the forces
acting on the boundary surfaces of ferromagnetic areas. When we take the
core of the stator and rotor of an electric machine as ferromagnetic areas,
the magnetic force acting in the radial direction is described by the
expression:
1 2
pr ðα, tÞ ¼ b ðα, tÞ, (1.8)
2μ0 δ
where μ0 is the magnetic induction in the air, bδ(α,t) is a time-varying flux
density at the gap point between the rotor and stator, described by the α
angular coordinate, with the simplifying assumption that the magnetic
conductivity of ferromagnetic regions μFe ≫ μ0. Then, accepting that the
magnetic voltage between the stator and the rotor is equal to the resultant
flow θ(α,t) of the stator and the rotor, the induction in the gap is inversely
proportional to the distribution of the gap width δ(α,t):
μ0
bδ ðα, tÞ ¼ θðα, tÞ: (1.9)
δðα, tÞ
Unbalanced magnetic tension forces, being one of the causes of the pri-
mary disturbance xs(t), depend on the air gap geometry. The geometry of
the air gap of the electric machine is determined by the shape of the stator
and rotor slots and the distance between the external and internal surfaces
of the rotor and stator, respectively. In electric machines with salient poles
(SRM), due to the open grooves and height of the stator and rotor teeth, the
cause of the primary disturbance are both the dominant radial forces com-
pressing the stator core and tangential forces causing deformation of the
position of the ends of the stator teeth. The relationships describing radial
20 1. Analysis of vibration signals

and tangential forces take into account the degree of overlap of the stator
and rotor teeth [3]:
Lrβ 2
pr ðα, tÞ ¼ b ðβ, δ, iÞ, (1.10)
2μ0 δ
Lδ 2
pt ðα, tÞ ¼ b ðβ, δ, iÞ, (1.11)
2μ0 δ
where Lrβ and Lδ are coefficients taking into account the volume δLrβ
defined as the level of overlap of the stator and rotor tooth, δ is the width
of the air gap, L is the packet length of the rotor core, r is the rotor radius,
β is the angle of overlap between the stator and rotor tooth.
In both cases, the primary disturbance is a function of both time-
varying air gap and phase band current.
The space-time variability of the air gap conductivity is associated with
the influence of the shape of the stator and rotor teeth:
μ0 μ0
λðα, tÞ ¼ ¼ , (1.12)
δðα, tÞ δs ðaÞ + δr ðα, tÞ + δ0
where δs(α), δr(α,t) are the modifications of the air gap caused by teeth of
the stator and rotor, δ0 is the constant component of the air gap width.
The expressions δs(α), and δr(α,t) describing the air gap modifications
can be approximated by a harmonic series containing frequency compo-
nents determined by the number of teeth of the stator Ns and the rotor Nr
and their higher harmonics, respectively:
X  
δs ðαÞ ¼ Δms cos ms Ns α  φms , (1.13)
ms
X  
δr ðα, tÞ ¼ Δmr cos mr Nr ðα  ωr tÞ  φmr , (1.14)
mr

where ms ¼ 0, 1, 2, …, mr ¼ 0, 1, 2, 3, … are the harmonic order, φms, φmr are


the harmonic phase shift of the order of ms and mr, respectively, ωr is the
rotational pulsation of the rotor.
The resultant flow θ(α,t) of the stator and rotor also describes the har-
monic series:
θðα, tÞ ¼ X
θs ðα, tÞ + θ∗r ðα, tÞ X  
¼ θns cos ðns pαs  ωns t  φns Þ + θnr cos nr pαs  nr ω1 t  φ∗nr ,
ns nr

(1.15)
where θs(α, t), θ∗r (α, t) are the stator flow and the rotor flow related to the
stator, ns ¼ 1, 2, …, nr ¼ 1, 2, … are harmonic order, p is the number of pole
pairs, φns, φ∗ nr are the harmonic phase shift of ns and nr order, respectively,
ωns is a pulsation of the order of ns, ω1 is the basic pulsation of the stator
current.
4 Analysis of vibration process based on F-F image 21

Substituting the expressions (1.13) and (1.14) to (1.12), then (1.12) and
(1.15) to (1.9) and then to (1.8) or (1.10) and (1.11) we obtain an expression
describing the frequency components of the primary distortions of electro-
magnetic origin found in electrical machines. They will correspond to all
possible combinations of additive-differential pulsation components: ω1,
ωns, nrω1, mrNrωr and (mrNr  msNs)ωr [4].

4.2.1 Analysis of the operating condition of a 3-phase low-speed


vertical squirrel cage induction motor with p ¼ 3 pole pairs,
Ns ¼ 72 stator teeth, and Nr ¼ 86 rotor teeth
The spectrum of vibration acceleration of the machine body on the
opposite side of the drive (shown in Fig. 1.20) reveals the low level of fre-
quency components of vibrations associated with bearings and rotor rota-
tion, which indicates good technical condition of bearings and lack of
imbalance. Additionally the omega type clutch connecting the motor shaft
to the driven device compensates for alignment inaccuracy and practically
does not transfer axial stress. Occurring vibrations with frequencies:

f ½m N ð1  sÞ=p
fr ¼ 1 r r , (1.16)
f1 ½mr Nr ð1  sÞ=p  n2
where f1 is the supply voltage frequency, s is a slip, n ¼ 1, 2, 3, … is a har-
monic order, testify to the dominant impact of unbalanced radial forces of
electromagnetic origin related to the air gap geometry. The F-F image,
being a combination of the Patterns 2, 4, and 6a, reveals a special kind
of symmetry (Fig. 1.21). Adoption of fP ¼ 2f1 means that sidebands distant
by 2f1 occupy successive elements of the column. The relationship
between fundamental f1, rotational frequency fr and slip frequency sf1 is:
4f1 ¼ ðNr  Ns ÞNr sf 1 , (1.17)
which means that between the supply frequency f1 and the slip frequency
sf1 there is a relation of the natural common multiple additionally con-
nected with the number of stator and rotor teeth.

FIG. 1.20 Vibration acceleration spectrum of the squirrel cage induction motor housing
(opposite to drive side position of the measuring sensor).
Discovering Diverse Content Through
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HIGHBECK HALL.

HIGHBECK Hall was a very long day's journey from


Newcastle, in the best of roads. A frost, the first of the
season, had set in two or three days before, and the roads
were as hard as iron, and rougher than anything I can think
of, wherewith to compare them. We had four noble great
horses, beside a saddle-horse for Mrs. Deborah to mount
when she pleased, for she was a great horse-woman. We
had four inside our coach, and two outside, and a man on
horseback beside.

The first day's travel was very dreary, and the inn where we
stopped at night was not particularly comfortable; though
the good people of the house did their very best to
accommodate us, and were so civil and obliging, that we
could not in conscience find fault. They gave us the best
they had for supper—brown bread, and freshly toasted oat
cakes, bacon and eggs, and a noble dish of trout from the
stream near by, and we had our own tea; so we fared well
enough as to eatables.

But the beds were terribly hard, and Mrs. Philippa


complained dolefully in the morning that she had not slept a
wink, and felt as if all her bones were broken. Amabel and I
had a great chamber to ourselves, with a high carved
mantel, and a fireplace as big as a chapel, with a great
roaring wood fire in it, which did not do much to warm us,
and doors opening on all sides into dark closets and
passage-ways. The building having once been a fine manor-
house, room was the last thing wanting.

"It is a ghostly-looking place, is it not?" said I, with a little


shiver, after we had fastened the doors as well as we could.
"It makes me think of some of the great disused rooms at
St. Jean!" answered Amabel. "I suppose the poor old house
is left quite alone by this time. How I wish we could hear
from the dear mothers and sisters."

"What do you think they would say to what you are doing
now?" I asked, for Amabel was at that moment taking our
Bibles out of our hand-bags.

"They would be grieved, no doubt!" answered Amabel. "I


think of it often, and wonder whether I can really be the
same person I was a year ago."

"People would say we had changed our religion very


suddenly!" said I. "Only think! It is not yet six months since
we first saw a Bible. I don't know how it was with you, but
with me, it has been more a finding of religion, than
changing one for another. I believed what I was taught,
because I knew nothing else; but I cannot say it ever
satisfied me."

"If I had had any one to dispute or argue with, I dare say I
should have held out longer!" remarked Amabel. "But Mr.
Wesley was too wise for that. He just gave us the truth, and
left it to make its own way. But Lucy, we must not sit up
talking. Let us read our chapters and go to bed, that we
may be bright in the morning."

I thought I should certainly lie awake to listen to suspicious


noises, but as it happened, the first noise I heard was
Tupper's voice at the door, calling us to get up.

The breakfast was a counterpart of the supper, except that


as our meal was seasoned with Mrs. Philippa's doleful
forebodings, so the other was with her still more doleful
complaints. The bed was hard—she had heard strange
noises—an owl had screeched close by the window, and a
death-watch had ticked at her head five times over, and
then stopped; and she knew it was an omen of her death,
which would happen in either five years, five months, five
weeks, or five days.

"Or five hours, or five minutes, or perhaps five seconds—


who knows?" said Mrs. Deborah, more to herself than her
sister.

"Who knows, indeed? I may be dead before I leave these


walls. I only hope Sister Chloe will take the pains to see
that I have a decent funeral, that's all."

"Oh, don't be alarmed. You shall have the finest funeral


money can buy!" said Mrs. Deborah impatiently.

Whereupon Mrs. Philippa began to cry.

"Sister Deborah!" said Mrs. Chloe with gentle reproach.

"Well there, child, I won't do so again. Come, do eat your


breakfast, we shall never get away at this rate."

"What is a death-watch?" I ventured to ask.

"It is a little maggot or beetle, rather, which lives in the


timbers of old houses and the like, and makes a clicking
noise when it gnaws or scratches the wood. It is thought by
some to be a sign of death; but I have had one in my room
these twenty years, and he has not killed me yet."

"A dozen death-watches would never kill some people!" said


Mrs. Philippa spitefully, through her tears.

"But how does the beetle know when one is going to die?"
asked Amabel. "It cannot make any difference to him, and it
does not seem very likely that God would tell such news to
a little worm in the wall, and hide it from the person it most
concerns."

"If you are an infidel, Niece Leighton, you had better keep
your infidelities to yourself!" said Mrs. Philippa with great
asperity. "I have not come to my time of life, to be reproved
by a chit out of a French convent."

"I beg your pardon, aunt!" Amabel answered gravely and


gently, though the color rose in her cheeks.

Mrs. Deborah made her a sign to be silent, and helped her


to a great piece of marmalade, and the breakfast was
finished without another word from any one.

But we were not to get away just yet. It turned out that one
of the horses had lost a shoe, and the coach had a screw
loose somewhere, so we were fain to wait two hours till the
village blacksmith could supply what was wanted. The elder
ladies occupied themselves in knitting. Mrs. Deborah being
engaged on a substantial pair of hose for some poor person,
and Mrs. Chloe on a counterpane, which had been in hand
for some years. Mrs. Philippa lay on the hard sofa and
fretted at the delay. And Amabel and I explored the great
old house, found our way into the kitchen, and made friends
with the hostess and her mother, a pretty neat old woman,
who sat all day in a warm corner, and read in her great
Bible.

"Yes, mother is a grand scholar!" said the good woman


proudly. "She reads in the Bible from morning till night, and
now she has gotten another book, which a traveling
gentleman gave her, who staid here one night. He was one
of these new light People—what is this they call them?"

"Methodists!" suggested Amabel.


"Yes, Methodists! Gaffer Thistlethwaite says, they are only
Papists in disguise, and mean to bring in the Pretender, and
the Pope. Do you think that can be true, mistress?" asked
the woman with some anxiety.

"Oh, no!" said Amabel. "They are not in the least like
Papists. We know Mr. Wesley very well, and he is a
clergyman of the church of England."

"I'm heartily glad to hear it!" answered the good woman,


evidently much relieved. "The gentleman was that kind and
civil spoken, and said such good words, I did not like to
think ill of him. He gave mother a book with fine verses in
it. Show it to the young ladies, mother."

The old woman pulled out a book from her pocket, which
turned out to be a volume of Mr. Charles Wesley's hymns,
then lately put out. She was wonderfully pleased, when we
read some of them to her. I never saw a nicer old woman,
and it was a pleasure to see her age made so happy, by the
consolations of religion, and the respectful care of her
daughter and grandchildren. She was able to spin, she told
us, and showed us some very nice thread of her spinning.

At last the carriages were ready, and we set out on our


travels once more. The second day's journey was much
more pleasant than the first, though the roads were no
better; for the sun shone brightly, making the poor birds
twitter a little in the bushes, and the hips and rowan berries
glitter like jewels. For the first two or three hours, Mrs.
Philippa chose to ride in the coach, so Mrs. Deborah took to
her saddle-horse, while Amabel, Mary Lee, and I, had the
smaller carriage to ourselves. We had been gradually rising
for some time, and the purple mountains which we had
seen ever since the fogs cleared off, seemed to be drawing
nearer, so that we could discern the deep valleys and
ravines which divided them. Amabel asked Richard what
mountains those were.

"Those be the Cheviot Hills, miss; you will have heard of


them, sure," answered Richard. "On the other side of them
hills lies Scotland. We shall soon see the hall now, aye, a
long time before we come to it."

Accordingly it was not long before Mrs. Deborah, riding to


the side of the chaise, pointed out a mansion of
considerable size, and built of grey-stone, standing on the
hillside which rose in thickly-wooded slopes behind it, dark
with fir trees, while higher still it passed into what seemed
rocky pastures and moorland. A village church with roofs
clustered about it was seen some distance below.

"There is your home, children," said she. "See how brightly


the sun shines on the old house. I take it as a good omen."

"And I wish we were there, Mistress Deborah," said Richard.


"It will be a stiff pull from the village with this slippery
ground."

"We shall do very well, Richard," answered Mrs. Deborah. "I


dare say the young ladies and Mary Lee will not mind
walking a little to lighten the load."

We at once professed ourselves willing and glad to walk a


while. Mrs. Deborah smiled, and bade us keep our strength
till it was wanted, as we had seven miles yet to go.

We stopped for our nooning at a farmhouse where Mrs.


Deborah was well-known, and where we were received with
immense hospitality, and regaled with all sorts of good
things—milk and cream, fresh bread and butter, cheese,
honey, and cold beef. The good woman would have dressed
a fowl for us, but that Mrs. Deborah would not allow.
This was the first time I ever tasted ewe-milk cheese. I
should dearly love to see a bit once more, but you might as
well talk to the folk hereabout of milking the cat as milking
an ewe.

We had come down into quite a deep valley, through which


ran a considerable stream, with narrow fertile fields on each
side. Mrs. Deborah told us this was our own burn, swollen
by the accession of several other streams. We now began to
ascend once more, a part of our road lying between fine
woods. Then we came to the village, which looked forlorn
enough to me. The church was large and handsome, though
partly in ruins, and there was a row of very ancient cottages
near it built of stone and covered with tiles, which Mrs.
Chloe told us were almshouses, maintained by a charge on
the estate.

It was near sunset when we came to a great gateway with


ramping stone monsters surmounting the posts on either
side, and a stone lodge, from which came out a pretty
young woman with a little babe in her arms to open the
gates.

"Now, young ones, if you like to save the horses a little and
try your own legs, you may get out and walk a way," said
Mrs. Deborah. "Stop where you see a stone bench and we
will take you up again. Keep under the trees and you cannot
miss your way."

We descended accordingly, glad of the chance to walk a


little. The sun was setting in a great pomp of red and gold,
and the moon, near the full and an hour high, hung in the
midst of that solemn blue shade which creeps up the
eastern sky of a frosty evening. The trees were leafless, of
course, but the turf under foot was fresh and green. A low
wall bounded the avenue on one side, and on the other
spread a waste of bracken and gorse—fuzz they call it there
—on which some honey-buds still lingered.

Presently we came upon a troop of deer, which rushed away


in great alarm at the sound of our voices. We could see
before us the upper part of the great hall gleaming in the
solemn sunset rays. The air was clear and sweet with the
peculiar fragrance of peat smoke, and a robin was singing
an autumn song in the trees. We walked slowly, for the
ascent was a steep one, and the carriages were far behind
us.

"Does it not seem as if we were approaching an enchanted


castle?" said Amabel, as we reached the bench of which
Mrs. Deborah had spoken, and sat down to await the
carriages which were slowly toiling up the hill.

"I wonder whether we shall find a sleeping beauty?" said I.


"As for the dragon, we have brought that along, I think."

"She is certainly a trial," said Amabel. "I do not so much


mind her myself, but it does stir me to hear her speak so to
poor Aunt Chloe. Do you know, Lucy, I don't believe Aunt
Chloe is long for this world?"

"I think the same thing," I answered; "but she herself


believes she is going to get better."

"So does Martha Styles," said Amabel, alluding to a poor


consumptive girl we sometimes visited in Newcastle. "Did
you observe that she was not at all scared at the death-
watch, which so alarmed poor Aunt Philippa?"

"I think Mrs. Deborah feels troubled about her. Here comes
the carriage at last," as the great lumbering machine
reached the level ground where we were standing.
We took our seats once more, the coachman cracked his
whip, a pair of inner gates flew open, and we drove round a
corner and under an archway into a paved court, which
made me think at once of St. Jean de Crequi.

A flight of broad stone steps led up into a great hall


surrounded by a gallery, to which a broad staircase with
landings led up at the farther end. Half a dozen servants,
headed by a gray-headed man carrying a silver branched
candlestick, were drawn up to receive us, and, to judge by
their faces, were well-pleased to have their mistresses
among them again.

"Welcome to Highbeck Hall, nieces!" said Mrs. Deborah,


turning around on the threshold and giving us each a hand.
"Roberts, this is my brother's daughter, Mrs. Leighton, and
my brother's adopted daughter, Mrs. Corbet, daughter of Mr.
Corbet, of the Black Lee, whom you must remember."

The old man bowed profoundly and the maids curtsied.

"Yes, these are our nieces, Mrs. Leighton and Mrs. Corbet!"
echoed Mrs. Chloe, as usual. "Nieces, you are welcome to
Highbeck Hall. Sister Philippa, no doubt you welcome our
nieces to the Hall?"

"I should welcome myself to my room and my bed, if I


could be allowed to get there!" snapped Mrs. Philippa.
"What signifies the welcome of a poor invalid like me? I
dare say my room has not even a fire in it, and that there is
no chocolate ready."

"There has been a good fire in your room all day, and I have
your supper ready and waiting, Mrs. Philippa," said a pretty
elderly woman, whom I afterwards found out to be the
housekeeper.
"Then if it has been waiting, of course it is not fit to touch! I
desire that you will make fresh chocolate directly. Tupper,
are you ever going to help me to my room, or do you want
me to lie down and die on the stone floor, as I seem like
to?"

Tupper looked, I thought, as if she would have no particular


objection to Mrs. Philippa's following out her fancy in this
direction. However, she gave the lady her arm, and they
disappeared in one of the galleries above.

"I have prepared the leather room and the turret for the
young ladies, Mrs. Deborah, thinking they might like to be
together!" said the housekeeper, turning to her elder
mistress. "But the blue room is also ready for company."

On Mrs. Deborah referring the matter to us, we at once


asked to be put together.

"Very well, you shall do as you please, and your maid can
sleep in the turret-room above!" said Mrs. Deborah. "Jenny,
do you show the young ladies the way."

An elderly maid-servant led us up stairs, and opened the


door of a spacious room, where were candles and a bright
fire. The walls were hung with leather, stamped in curious
patterns of gilding and silver. There was a great high
mantel, and a bedstead hung with curtains of brown
damask; another little bed with white curtains, occupied the
opposite corner. The toilette-table was of Japan, with many
odd boxes and drawers, and hung also with brown damask
as were the windows. The floor was bare, save for some
foreign-looking rugs, and a square of cross-stitch wool work
in the centre of the room, and so slippery with scrubbing
and waxing, that it was like ice.
"This is your room, ladies!" said Jenny. "Here is a place for
your gowns and mantles, and here is a closet—" opening
the door of a small octagon-shaped room. "This staircase—
opening another door which gave on a winding-stair—leads
to a room above, where your maid will sleep. I will return
and show you the way to the supper-room."

Amabel and I looked at each other in some little dismay at


the aspect of the room, which was certainly rather gloomy.
The high wainscot was of dark brown oak; the ground of the
hanging was also brown, and in the flashes of the fire-light,
the gold and silver dragons and wyverns seemed to come
and go, in a weird and uncomfortable manner. The bed
looked like a catafalque, and the corners of the room
entertained companies of suspicious-looking shadows, in
spite of the candles which stood on the dressing-table.

"This is certainly the enchanted room!" said I, trying to


laugh off the eerie feeling which came over me. "I wonder if
the sleeping monster who is to be set free by a kiss is lying
in that bed. Dare you look and see, Amabel?"

"Oh, I am not scared!" said Amabel. "But as to the monster,


I will leave him, or her, to you. But after all, Lucy, it is not
so bad; that bow window will be beautiful in summer, and
see what a grand East County cabinet here is, all full of little
drawers and places. I wonder what the closet is like?"

She took up the candle to explore it, and I followed her. It


proved to be an octagon room, with windows on three
sides, and doors on two more, one opening to a spacious
wardrobe, the other to the stair Jenny had spoken of, which
seemed to wind around the turret from below. There was a
great Bible and prayer-book on a little table, a hassock, and
a square of carpet, two or three chairs, and a shelf on the
wall holding a few books. There was also a fireplace, but no
fire at present.

"This is a snug little place!" remarked Amabel, holding up


the light. "If aunt will let us have a fire here, we can make a
nice little study of it."

The entrance of Mary Lee with our bags recalled us to the


needful duties of the toilette. Mary looked rather pale and
scared, and being questioned as to how she liked her new
home, confessed that it was all so big and grand, that it
made her feel home-sick; she supposed she should grow
used to it in time, but it was not what she was used to.

"Of course you will!" said Amabel cheerfully. "Why, what


would be the use of traveling, if one never saw any thing
but just what one was used to? Come, brush our gowns,
and find some fresh kerchiefs, and when we are ready, we
will look at your room."

Our mails had not yet come, but we made our traveling
dresses look as smart as we could, by the help of clean
kerchiefs and fresh lawn aprons, and then as Jenny did not
come to call us, we mounted the winding-stair to inspect
Mary's room. It corresponded in size with the one below,
and had besides two windows rather high in the wall, a
sashed door which seemed to open to the leads on the top
of the house. It was all comfortable enough, and might be
even cheerful and pretty in the day-time, but it did look
rather gloomy by the light of our one candle.

"Why, this is a nice room, Mary!" said Amabel.

"No doubt it is, mistress, and better than I deserve,"


answered Mary, dissolving into tears. "But it does seem
dreadful lonesome to sleep here alone, away from every
body."
"Now Mary, I shall be sorry we brought you, if you are going
to be a cry-baby," said Amabel decidedly. "Nay, I am not
sure but I shall ask Mrs. Deborah to send you straight home
again. And how can you say you are away from everybody,
when here are Miss Corbet and myself close by you. What
do think will happen to you?"

Mary did not know, only—

"Come, come, this will not do at all," said Amabel. "Mary,


you profess to be a Christian girl. Don't you think the Lord
can take just as good care of you here as if you were in
Mrs. Thorpe's back attic? You must have more faith, child."

Mary wiped her eyes and said she would try. At that
moment, we heard my Aunt Deborah calling us from the
room below, and we hastened down the winding-stair to
find her standing in our room.

"I could not guess what had become of you," said she.

Amabel explained that we had been looking at Mary Lee's


room, and trying to reconcile her to her new quarters. It
was rather an unlucky speech.

"Why, what is the matter with her quarters?" asked Mrs.


Deborah, in a displeased tone. "Are they not grand enough
for Mrs. Thorpe's apprentice? Perhaps she would like the
state bedroom, where King Charles, the Martyr, slept on his
way to Scotland!"

"On the contrary, it is the very grandeur of her lodgings that


alarms her, I fancy," said Amabel, with ready tact. "She has
been used to consider Mrs. Thorpe's attic as a luxurious
bed-chamber. I assure you, aunt, I am a little scared myself
at these splendid hangings."
Mrs. Deborah's brows relaxed, and she admitted that it was
not unnatural the girl should be over-awed.

"The hangings are reckoned very uncommon, and very


handsome," said she. "My great-grandfather brought them
from Spain, whither he went about the business of the
marriage of Prince Charles with the Infanta. This was your
mother's room, Amabel, and here you were born. See, here
is your mother's picture hanging on the wall. But you must
not stay to look at it now, or we shall have Mrs. Tabitha in
fits over her spoiled supper."

Mrs. Deborah led the way, and we followed her down the
grand stairs and through a long corridor to the dining-room,
a vast apartment with a fine carved ceiling and a buffet of
silver plate and old china. Our supper-table was set in a
recess where there was a fireplace, and which was partly
enclosed by a great Indian screen.

Mrs. Chloe was already standing by the fire. The old butler
and another elderly man in a blue livery were in waiting,
and instantly proceeded to cover the table with steaming
hot dishes—a cheerful sight to us travelers. Mrs. Deborah
said grace, and we sat down with excellent appetites. Mrs.
Philippa supped in her room, which was no draw-back to the
cheerfulness of the party. We young ones were silent, of
course, but Mrs. Chloe had already picked up various items
of domestic news which she imparted to her sister, as that
the brindled cat had three kittens, one of which was snow-
white—a bit of news at which Mrs. Deborah looked rather
grave—and I learned that the birth of a snow-white kitten
was not considered a good omen. Old Roberts now and then
put in his word informing his mistress with regard to the
dogs, the horses, the sheep and cows.
"And what has happened in the village?" asked Mrs.
Deborah. "I see Letty at the Lodge is about again."

"Oh yes, she was about and doing well, and old Ralph Tracy
was also out of his bed, and had been to church; and it was
said his son was going to marry the miller's daughter, which
would be a grand match for him, to be sure, but rather a
come-down—" so Mrs. Deborah opined—"for her."

At which Mrs. Chloe made some remark about true lovers,


at which Mrs. Deborah smiled indulgently, and Roberts gave
a little sniff.

I listened to the conversation with great interest, for—


whether it be a fault of mine or not, I don't know—I do
dearly love personal histories of all sorts. I discovered that
Mrs. Deborah took a great interest in the villagers and their
affairs, in which, as I surmised, she might sometimes
interfere rather despotically.

"And what about the church?" asked Mrs. Deborah. "Has it


been opened?"

"Oh yes, three or four times. The doctor had read service,
and Mr. Longstreet had preached once. But Mr. Longstreet
was going away, having been presented to a living not far
from Allendale in the hills."

"From Allendale!" said Mrs. Deborah. "Why, what will he do


there among the miners? And what will Doctor Brown do for
a curate?"

"The living is a good one, as I am told, having a good


income and very light duty," returned Roberts. "As to the
miners, they will not trouble the church very much, and Dr.
Brown has hired a new curate from Berwick way—quite a
young man—but comes well recommended, and has a fine
horse, but some complain that they don't understand him
well."

"Why, does he not speak English?" asked Mrs. Chloe.

"Oh yes, madam, after a sort, but you know Berwick is near
the border, and the people do have a kind of twang of
Scotland, as it were."

I could not help wondering if the Scotch twang were worse


than the Northumbrian burr. We had become used to this
odd dialect in Newcastle, but the Newcastle folk speak
classical English compared to those about Highbeck Hall and
in the lead-mining districts. The conversation was now cut
short by the ladies rising from table, and Mrs. Deborah,
supposing we must be very weary, sent us to bed,
promising to have us called betimes in the morning. She
also told us that her own room was very near ours, and
added, somewhat abruptly:

"I have had a cot-bed carried into your room, so you can
have your maid sleep near you, if you like. Not, of course,
that there is any thing to be afraid of, but young folks are
sometimes timid, and the wind makes doleful noises at
night among the old turrets and gables."

We thanked Mrs. Deborah for her consideration, which, I


fancy, was meant as much for Mary Lee as for us, and
betook ourselves to our room.

We had decided that we would have Mary read a chapter to


us every night, that she might improve in her reading. We
had bought Mr. Wesley's notes on the New Testament, and
we proposed to go through the book with our little maid in
regular course. When our lesson was finished, we asked
Mary whether she would sleep in our room or hers.
"I think in mine, if it is all the same to you, ladies,"
answered Mary, with a little quiver in her voice, but quite
decidedly. "I have been thinking on what Miss Leighton said
about trust, and I don't think it becomes a Christian to give
way to fear."

"Why, that is a brave girl!" said I, well-pleased, "You may


leave the doors open between, if you like!" Amabel added.

But I observed after all, that she shut them.

"That is a grand victory!" said Amabel, when she had


withdrawn. "And not the less that there is really nothing to
be afraid of."

She took the candle as she spoke and went to look at her
mother's picture.

"'Tis a lovely face," she observed after a little silence. "I


never saw one that pleased me better; but who is it so
like?"

"Look in the glass and see?" said I, "It is as like you as one
pea to another. I wonder whether that is your father's
picture next."

"It is not my notion of him!" said Amabel, studying the


weak handsome face which in all its softness had a certain
look of obstinacy often to be seen in such faces. "I wish you
had a picture of your own mother, Lucy!"

"Thank you, but I do not know that I do!" I replied. "I would
rather wait and see how she looks. But Amabel, you will
take cold standing about so in your nightgown. We ought to
be in bed."
Amabel and I had been used all our lives to occupy separate
beds, but somehow to-night we thought that the great
curtained bedstead looked very large for one, and we
agreed to sleep together. Amabel fell asleep directly, but I
lay awake a long time listening to the moan of the wind, the
rustling and cracking which one always hears among old
furniture at night, and the roar of a waterfall which I had
noticed before and which I now heard more distinctly in the
stillness.

I thought over all that had happened in the last few


months. I thought of St. Jean lying lonely and forsaken with
the bright moonlight shining on the graves and making
colored shadows on the floor of the church. I thought too
with a shudder of the awful caverns under ground and the
dark and dreadful waters which had swallowed up the
young heir of Crequi and where I had been so near to losing
my own life.

I grew restless and nervous and began to fancy that I heard


stealthy steps and whispering voices outside the door. At
last I made a desperate effort to withdraw my attention
from these sounds. I repeated all the Psalms with which I
was familiar in French, English, and Latin, and then tried to
imagine myself helping Sister Baptista to measure olives—a
fancy which soon put me to sleep.
CHAPTER XVII.

LIFE AT THE HALL.

JENNY came to call us betimes in the morning, but we could


hardly dress in time for breakfast, so occupied were we in
gazing from our projecting window at the great picture
spread out before us.

The morning was clear and frosty. The house, as I have


said, stood very high on the hillside, and the ground was so
steep that there was nothing to break the view over the
broad plains, clothed here and there with little villages,
farm-houses, and clumps of wood. A great deal of the land
was pasture and still more was unclaimed waste, inhabited
only by gypsies and other wild and lawless people. We
seemed to look directly down into Highbeck village on one
side, and on the other up the course of the noisy mountain
stream to the place where it tumbled over a dam or ledge of
rocks forming a considerable cataract. The woods were all
brown and sere save where the red stems and dusky green
heads of the Scotch furs mixed with the oaks and ashes,
and the rowan trees still displayed their scarlet berries.

"Is it not beautiful!" said Amabel. "There is something


exhilarating in such a wide prospect. It makes me think of
our favorite window at St. Jean, only one cannot see the
sea as we could there."

"What a large house it is!" said I. "I thought we were quite


at the end of the passage, but see, there is a long range of
wall beyond us. What beautiful ivy!"
"Half the house cannot be inhabited!" remarked Amabel.
"But come, we must make haste or we shall not be ready."

We found breakfast prepared in a much smaller and


snugger room than the great dining-room, hung with
cheerful tapestry representing various pastoral scenes,
where Corydon in cross-stitch made love to a satin-stitch
Phillis herding her French knotted sheep on the worsted
green. We were given to understand that Mrs. Deborah's
grandmother had worked this tapestry from her own
designs to illustrate her favorite book, "The Countess of
Pembroke's Arcadia," and we looked on it with respect
accordingly.

Mrs. Chloe had a tea equipage at her end of the table—


there were jugs of milk and bowls of cream, and more kinds
of hot cakes and cold cakes than ever I saw before. Each of
the old ladies gave us a kiss, wished us good morning and
hoped we had rested well. Then Mrs. Deborah rang a bell
and the servants came in, bringing their stools with them
and took their places near the door while Mrs. Deborah read
prayers. Our little Mary was among the number, and I was
glad to see that she looked quite cheerful. We ought to have
called her to dress us, but a maid was a luxury we were not
used to and we forgot all about her till we were quite ready.

"Your little maid looks bright and cheery this morning,


nieces! I am glad to see it. Did she sleep in your room?"
asked Mrs. Deborah.

Amabel told Mrs. Deborah how Mary had been determined


to conquer her fears. The old lady looked well-pleased.

"That speaks well for her. I was afraid she was going to
mope, and I hate moping people. If a thing is to be done,
why do it, I say, or else let it alone, but don't go about it
with a long face, as though you were a martyr. Well, nieces,
and what will you eat? Here are oat cakes and barley
scones and milk scones—and wheaten bread, you see! Or
will you share my sister's pot of tea? I am no tea drinker,
but I am willing that other people should take it, if they like
it!"

"Yes, Sister Deborah is no tea drinker, but she makes no


objection to my having it!" observed Mrs. Chloe. "Won't you
take a cup, niece Corbet? This is very good."

I was no more a tea drinker than Mrs. Deborah, but I had


been taught never, if I could help it, to refuse any thing
offered in kindness, so I accepted one of the little cups, and
liked it very well. The new milk was delicious, and Mrs.
Thorpe had taught me to like fresh toasted oat cakes, so I
made an excellent breakfast. Mrs. Deborah breakfasted
heartily on porridge and milk, observing that she had been
up long enough to get a good appetite.

"Yes, Sister Deborah has been up a long time!" said Mrs.


Chloe, who ate scarcely anything. "Sister Deborah is very
fond of the dairy and always oversees it herself. That is the
reason we have such nice butter. Lady Thurston's butter
does not compare with ours. Do you think it does, Sister
Deborah?"

"Lady Thurston is become too fine a lady to know a cow's


head from its tail!" returned Mrs. Deborah.

"Oh, but sister, I hardly think that can be the case, for she
was dreadfully afraid when a cow looked at her the day we
were out walking!" returned Mrs. Chloe, who always took
everything literally. "Don't you remember?"

"I remember she made a great goose of herself with her


fine London airs! I wonder how my old lady ever endured
her follies. 'Tis enough to bring her out of her grave to see
the way things go on. Nieces, are you afraid of cows?"

This was asked as who should say—"If you are, prepare at


once for banishment."

Fortunately we were able to give an answer which turned


away the impending wrath.

"Oh no! Aunt Deborah!" answered Amabel, smiling. "When


we were at St. Jean, each of us had her own cow to milk—
Lucy's was Fanfan and mine was Cocotte. Ah, my poor
Cocotte, I wonder who milks thee now!"

"We used both to help in the dairy, but Amabel more than
I!" I added. "Mother St. Anne used to like to have me help
her in the still-room."

Mrs. Deborah's frown relaxed, but Mrs. Chloe looked


shocked.

"But did you really milk with your own hands, nieces?" she
asked. "I do not think the nuns ought to have required that.
Many ladies take an interest in their dairies. They overlook
them and even skim the cream, and mould the butter, and
make cheese-cakes and so on, but I never heard of a lady
that milked! Did you, Sister Deborah?"

"Yes, I know a lady who milked an Ayrshire heifer this very


morning!" returned Mrs. Deborah, smiling. "But in general,
we employ maids for such services. Did you have no
menials, lasses, that the nuns put you to such work? I
thought convents always had lay sisters!"

"I believe they do in general, but our house was very poor,
and the ladies did all the work with their own hands. Sister
Lazarus who attended to the cooking was the daughter of a
Marquis."

"The daughter of a Marquis a cook!" said Mrs. Chloe, in, a


tone of absolute consternation. "But perhaps she did that
kind of work for a penance. I have heard of such things."

"Oh no, aunt. She had a special vocation for cooking!"


answered Amabel, gravely.

"Well!" said Mrs. Chloe. "I have always fancied that it would
be a good thing, if we had convents in the Church of
England, but if that is the way—I hope they did not make a
cook maid of you!"

"No, aunt, Sister Lazarus always said I had not enough of


recollection to be a good cook, but Lucy used to help her,
and she learned to make a great many nice things."

"Well, well, you shall tell Sister Chloe about it all at some
other time!" said Mrs. Deborah, rising. "If you wish to go
through the house, children, I have leisure just now to show
it you. Sister Chloe, you had better remain by the fire."

We were not a little anxious to see the house, and followed


Mrs. Deborah with great interest as she led us through the
long gallery hung with family portraits and a few good
Spanish and Flemish pictures, brought from abroad by the
same ancestor who imported the leather hangings.

"Some day I will tell you the history of all these people!"
said she, as she opened the door of the saloon. "I suppose
you know nothing of your own family, niece Leighton?"

"Scarcely anything, aunt. But oh, who is this beautiful


lady?" exclaimed Amabel, stopping before a full-length
picture which was revealed by the light from the open door
of the saloon.

A black silk curtain hung from the frame of the picture, but
it was drawn aside. The figure was that of a woman of
superb beauty, with large eyes and a queenly poise of the
head. The expression of the face was haughty and resolute,
yet had in it something—I know not what, which was not
pleasing. I should call it a look of apprehension or rather of
suspense, as though she were momently expecting the
appearance of an enemy and were nerving herself to meet
him.

Mrs. Deborah frowned, and hastily drew the veil over the
picture.

"Who has dared!" she exclaimed, and then checking herself


as by a strong effort. "There, never mind, child. I'll tell you
the story some day, or you may ask old Elsie about it." Then
as if to change the subject—"You must make old Elsie's
acquaintance. She is one of the family curiosities, and very
fond of young people."

"Who is she, aunt?" I ventured to ask.

"An old Scotch woman that came here with Amabel's


grandmother, who was one of the Grahames of the Border.
She knew all the ghost stories about the place, I believe.
See, here are more pictures which my unlucky great-
grandfather bought in Spain, and here is some curious
pottery."

"Why do you call him unlucky, aunt?"

"Because he spent more money than he could afford, child,


and that was very unlucky to those who came after him. We
do not use these rooms very much in winter. But this will
interest you!" she added, opening a door into a little room
with a southern aspect.

It was prettily hung with an Indian paper, and contained a


couch and chairs of lacquer work, a noble East India
cabinet, an old-fashioned spinet and a work-table. A good
fire was burning on the hearth, and the sun streaming in at
the window made the little room look quite charming.
Amabel and I both uttered an exclamation of delight.

"I am glad you are pleased!" said Mrs. Deborah. "This,


children, was my Sister Leighton's own room, which she
fitted up herself, and here your mothers used to sit together
with their work and their books, before your mother, Niece
Corbet, was married. I do not often come hither—it has sad
recollections for me, but you can sit here when you please.
I have given orders to have a fire for you, and you shall
have your harpsichord in here, and practice as much as you
like. Your bedroom is directly above, and here is the stair
that leads up to it," opening a door which showed a dark
entry and a winding-stair.

"How very good you are, aunt!" said Amabel. "I am sure we
never thought of having such a lovely room to ourselves. I
thought we should sit with you and my Aunt Chloe."

"And so you may, as much as you please, and I shall be


glad if you can do anything to cheer and amuse poor Chloe,
who has been sadly low-spirited ever since her illness. But I
know young things like to be by themselves at times, and
you have a kind of right to this room."

"But will not the fire be very expensive?" I ventured to ask.


"In France, we never had a bit of fire except in the kitchen,
and sometimes in the work-room, when it was very cold.
Sister Bursar said that fire was the most costly of luxuries!"
"I dare say it may be in France, where, as I have heard,
there is great want of fuel," replied Mrs. Deborah, not at all
displeased, as I had half-feared she would be by my
question. "Thanks to the near coal mine, and our own
woods, great fires are among our cheapest enjoyments. I
am glad to see, niece, that you can think of the cost of
things. I wish some other people were as considerate. But
come, we will go up stairs, and then you must pay your
respects to your Aunt Philippa."

"How I shall like to sit by this work-table, and think that my


dear mother sat here before me!" said Amabel, lingering a
moment by the table, and taking up a little prayer-book
that lay upon it. "It seems to bring her so near."

Mrs. Deborah stopped short and turned about.

"Your mother, child, was an angel!" said she abruptly. "I did
not know it—my eyes were blinded, first by wounded pride,
and then by—no matter what. I had been mistress here for
many a year, and I resented it bitterly when my brother
brought a stranger from a far country to reign in my stead,
though I knew it was what I had to expect. She gave me no
cause of offence, but I was not kind to her, and when a
wound came from another quarter, I avenged the smart on
her. God help me to atone for my sin by kindness to her
child. There, we won't speak of it again."

"Come up this way, and I will show you the King's bed-
chamber."

We passed up the turret stair and through our room, where


Mary Lee sat sewing in the window. Mrs. Deborah looked at
her work and commended its neatness.

"I hear you are a good girl!" said she. "Continue so, and you
will always have a friend."
Somehow, a word of commendation from Mrs. Deborah
always seemed to go farther than a whole chapter from any
one else. Mary Lee blushed and curtsied, and said she
would do her best.

Mrs. Deborah led the way to a door at the end of our


passage, opened it, and disclosed another gallery lighted
down one side, and with doors on the other. We passed two
or three of these, and found ourselves opposite one, which
Mrs. Deborah unlocked with peculiar solemnity.

"This is the room in which King Charles the martyr slept, on


his way to Scotland in 1646!" said she solemnly. "No one
has ever slept in the bed since." *

* I have heard since, that King Charles did not go to


Scotland by that road at all. But it does not matter
greatly. The story was fully believed in my time.

We looked at the bed with a sensation of awe. A king had


really slept in it, and the Martyr King at that.

"No one has ever slept in it since!" repeated Mrs. Deborah.


"No one ever shall in my day, unless another rightful king
comes to occupy it, which may Heaven grant!" said she
solemnly.

"Do you think King George is like to come this way, Aunt
Deborah?" asked Amabel, innocently. "They say he is not
very fond of traveling in England."

The thunder-cloud was on Mrs. Deborah's brow in an


instant.

"I spoke of the rightful King, Niece Leighton, not of the


usurper who at present occupies a throne to which he has
no more right than I have. King George indeed! That I
should live to hear the Elector of Hanover called King by a
niece of mine, and in this sacred chamber!"

"I beg your pardon, aunt!" said Amabel, meekly and greatly
astonished by the storm she had unwittingly raised. "I
assure you I meant no offence."

"No, I dare say not! I forgot you had been living among the
whigs of Newcastle, who would sell their elector as soon as
their king, if they could make any thing by it. But you must
learn better now. I shall make it my business to teach you.
See, here is the Bible his Majesty used, and the chair where
he sat. But we must not stay too long here; these shut up
rooms are damp. Niece Leighton, if you ever come to be
mistress of this house, as I hope you may, you must dust
this room with your own hands, four times a year, and mind
you lay everything down in just the place you took it up.
Will you promise me this?"

"Indeed I will, aunt!" answered Amabel, sincerely desirous


to atone for the offence she had given.

"Where do these doors lead to?" she added, as we passed


the locked doors on our way back to the other part of the
house.

"Those are the shut up rooms. They are never used or


opened!" answered Mrs. Deborah abruptly. "Come, we will
see the other wing."

Of course we asked no more questions, but we were all the


more curious especially, as these shut up rooms adjoined
our own.

Mrs. Deborah showed us the state bedroom, very grand in


red satin, with needlework hangings, all a little the worse
for wear—the blue room, the white room; her own
apartment which was very plain, in green moreen, and Mrs.
Chloe's, gay and pretty with Indian chintz, and a white
muslin and pink silk toilette-table, covered with bottles of all
sorts of washes and lotions for the complexion. Finally, she
led us to the door of Mrs. Philippa's apartment, and left us
to announce ourselves, telling us to come to her in the still-
room, when Mrs. Philippa had done with us.

We knocked, and were admitted by Tupper.

Mrs. Philippa, dressed in a very becoming wrapping-gown


and cap, was sitting up in bed, working on a very handsome
piece of embroidery, with her silks and working implements
on a sort of tray beside her, near which lay a fine tortoise-
shell cat with a kitten. There was a great fire, and the air
was heavy and close with the odors of musk, and
sandalwood, and potpourri. I never entered that room
without a kind of insane longing to break out a window-
pane.

"Well, nieces, and so you have come at last," was Mrs.


Philippa's greeting. "I expected you before, but no doubt
more interesting matters claimed your attention than
waiting on a poor lonely invalid."

"Aunt Deborah said she thought you would not wish to see
us very early, and she has been showing us the king's
chamber and the rest of the house," answered Amabel.

"Oh, of course. She makes an idol out of her king's chamber


—not that I believe King Charles was ever in this house in
the world. Well, and what do you think of the old pile?"

"I think it is beautiful," answered Amabel, sincerely. "I


wonder my father does not live here all the time."
"Your father thinks too much of himself to shut himself up in
such a lodge in the wilderness as this is," was the reply.
"But he thinks it is good enough for his sisters, though he
might take a house in Newcastle for us as well as not."

"But, Mrs. Philippa, I thought you did not like Newcastle," I


said, rather unwisely. "I am sure you called it an odious
place."

"You are very pert, miss, to remember my words against


me," returned Mrs. Philippa; "but no doubt you have had
your lesson. No doubt my Sister Deborah has given you
your lesson already. I dare say she has been talking about
me all the morning. Pray, what has she told you about me?"

"Nothing, Mrs. Philippa," I answered, truly. "She has not


mentioned your name except to say that we should wait
upon you, and come to her in the still-room when you
dismissed us."

In my heart, I hoped this dismission would come soon, for


the air of the room was stifling, and Mrs. Philippa had never
asked us to sit down.

"Oh!" said she, in a tone of sarcastic incredulity. "You are


very discreet—very wise, indeed, Miss Corbet; but you will
not blind me quite so easily. I know my Sister Deborah."

"Indeed, Mrs. Philippa, she did not once speak of you


except just as I tell you!" I said, feeling lay cheeks flame.

"Well, well, what do I care whether she did or not?" said


Mrs. Philippa, peevishly. "There, sit down. Tupper, why do
you not set chairs for the young ladies? And so you have
lived in a convent all your days. Of course you know nothing
of society. Well, so much the better. I might as well be in a
convent myself, for all the company I have. Chloe is so silly
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