The Star-Chamber, Volume 1 | Page 2

possession of some delicious
vintages, which, could not be matched elsewhere; and, with this nectar
at his command, the fortune of his house was made. All the town
gallants flocked to the Three Cranes to dine at the admirable French
ordinary newly established there, and crush a flask or so of the
exquisite Bordeaux, about which, and its delicate flavour and bouquet,
all the connoisseurs in claret were raving. From, mid-day, therefore, till
late in the afternoon, there were nearly as many gay barges and
wherries as lighters lying off the Vintry Wharf; and sometimes, when
accommodation was wanting, the little craft were moored along the
shore all the way from Queenhithe to the Steelyard; at which latter
place the Catherine Wheel was almost as much noted for racy Rhenish
and high-dried neat's tongues, as our tavern was for fine Bordeaux and
well-seasoned pâtés.
Not the least, however, of the attractions of the Three Cranes, was the
hostess herself. A lively little brunette was Madame Bonaventure, still
young, or, at all events, very far from being old; with extremely fine
teeth, which she was fond of displaying, and a remarkably neat ancle,
which she felt no inclination to hide beneath the sweep of her round
circling farthingale. Her figure was quite that of a miniature Venus; and
as, like most of her country-women, she understood the art of dress to
admiration, she set off her person to the best advantage; always attiring
herself in a style, and in colours, that suited her, and never indulging in
an unwarrantable extravagance of ruff, or absurd and unbecoming
length of peaked boddice. As to the stuffs she wore, they were certainly
above her station, for no Court dame could boast of richer silks than
those in which the pretty Dameris appeared on fête days; and this was
accounted for by reason that the good skipper seldom returned from a
trip to France without bringing his wife a piece of silk, brocade, or
velvet from Lyons; or some little matter from Paris, such as a ruff, cuff,
partlet, bandlet, or fillet. Thus the last French mode might be seen at
the Three Crowns, displayed by the hostess, as well as the last French
entremet at its table; since, among other important accessories to the
well-doing of the house, Madame Bonaventure kept a _chef de
cuisine_--one of her compatriots--of such superlative skill, that in later

times he must infallibly have been distinguished as a cordon bleu.
But not having yet completed our description of the charming
Bordelaise we must add that she possessed a rich southern complexion,
fine sparkling black eyes, shaded by long dark eye-lashes, and
over-arched by jetty brows, and that her raven hair was combed back
and gathered in a large roll over her smooth forehead, which had the
five points of beauty complete. Over this she wore a prettily-conceived
coif, with a frontlet. A well-starched, well-plaited ruff encompossed her
throat. Her upper lip was darkened, but in the slightest degree, by down
like the softest silk; and this peculiarity (a peculiarity it would be in an
Englishwoman, though frequently observable in the beauties of the
South of France) lent additional piquancy and zest to her charms in the
eyes of her numerous adorers. Her ankles we have said were trim; and
it may be added that they were oftener displayed in an embroidered
French velvet shoe than in one of Spanish leather; while in walking out
she increased her stature "by the altitude of a chopine."
Captain Bonaventure was by no means jealous; and even if he had been,
it would have mattered little, since he was so constantly away.
Fancying, therefore, she had some of the privileges of a widow, our
lively Dameris flirted a good deal with the gayest and handsomest of
the galliards frequenting her house. But she knew where to stop; no
licence or indecorum was ever permitted at the Three Cranes; and that
is saying a great deal in favour of the hostess, when the dissolute
character of the age is taken into consideration. Besides this, Cyprien, a
stout well-favoured young Gascon, who filled the posts of drawer and
chamberlain, together with two or three other trencher-scrapers, who
served at table, and waited on the guests, were generally sufficient to
clear the house of any troublesome roysterers. Thus the reputation of
the Three Cranes was unblemished, in spite of the liveliness and
coquetry of its mistress; and in spite, also, of the malicious tongues of
rival tavern-keepers, which were loud against it. A pretty woman is
sure to have enemies and calumniators, and Madame Bonaventure had
more than enow; but she thought very little about them.
There was one point, however, on which it behoved her to be careful:

and extremely careful she was,--not leaving a single loop-hole