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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLucknow Sentinel, 1890-05-09, Page 2• .,..ADOMD BY UN DEAN zims or TWO oouguroa, olitt 4. sande of fresh work to be itfp, tie dry, Cornelia roused herself t bee reverie, lighted her reading -lamp, ». E"...prolog a ponderous volume waa loon ,„!ettli tolihe world around her. Esp eine came down -stairs the nest •,y". •Ilnynnse is goad sairier and radii ar.. t.,..t' ....r.nn....-rtmr.vR.6:+�1 -n•+^rvn�rtwm!!�.na-n'..m� leaving her room she had fastened one of . ,tb i wall -flowers in her dress, and had _caught herself singing the retract of a game which she used to play 'with the convent . _ "gee ttitag de__bettea tines_ Girod givens t" Her sprightliness, however, soon vaniehedt for in the.botenpetressi diming roots she found to her dismay that a sub- stantial meal awaited her. To sit down M cleat o'clock to a regular defamer .a la fotarchette, was an almost unbearable inflict- ion • her ; she resolved- to ijme which had already been so foolishly unapproachable, bat Esperanee waa toe W miaoaeltle *0 heaitzte. 11 was with some diffiault'y that she said, "Oh, Bertha l" Jebel exclaimed, " I am 83 " Indeed, you are very= good to think of unhappy, do have pity on me. 'Cornelia helping me. my ooaain ; I know I am very will not have'me in her sandy, andlChriata= ignorant." ' bel will talk about the Commune, and I " If you will take pains, it will be a can't bear it, indeed I can't." pleasure to me to help you," replied Cor- " Bat what can I do for you ? " said nelia, with mach more warmth. " And I Bertha, gravely, bat net unkindly. " Of am going so give you one correction already- coarse you may sit hers', d that is what you Do not $!e aces eAAsee- Pe a .µ.ms} . „ . S4�L1�"T.""i,.Y YIt-:4�?'�'.'1.i3...:.. .•. �'ONi14 .1.N.Y:y.'•F1.-Jy. .'-�w��,.isy-i�ttguan. "-""-tees, Y went -that �tco'-�; tit �ert�a, tiE you " Indeed ! I had no idea of that ; in could only love me a little -I can's live France it would be thought rade almost withoutlove." not to do it Bat a thousand thanks for " I thought so Daae," replied Bertha, tPping me." with a half smile ; " bat I find I can mac - The hour spent in Cornelia's room was age without it now." Then, as Esperance not altogether a pleasant one. A brief looked astonished, " I am speaking, of examination brought to light what seemed course, of one's ideal of real love, not of the to Cornelia almost as ... oleranoe that relationship sandahe..weal-nily all•deepeir-over -such,4n_-brings- . unpromising pupil- Esperanoe, ignorance, ordinary gore oft _ _...�. __ speranoe, scone- I don't know what yon mean," said tamed to examination of any kind, and Esperance hall frightened. With us, understanding English very imperfectly, relationship brought,all that waa true and vte, of cortege, at a great disadvantage, and strong, and beautiful in love. noes it not eaoape was Stet supposed, and. afterwards added to the story. ae a feel,,.,. OL:oouise the anbject was avoided both with the Collinsona .and with MT -evinces herself, Ito that it was long before the truth was really known.. Baperanoe, in conse- quence, thought -the Rilchester people hard- hearted and =sympathizing. is would have been a relief to her to `talk some- times of her father. and of their troubles in TtifLt she ever aunCeAf to it, they changed the conversation at once, in reality from kind-heartedneas and a wish to spare her, but with what seemed of course, to her, an atter want of interest. Those first few months tried ber severely. ;She was very lonely, anaiotas 'about Gas- pard, end out of harmony with her sar- rotindi.nge. Cornelia was gold end sar- eaetio, end her time- for etudy • wsz a real trial. • Mrs. Mortlake was nnj sec and irritating ; Bella, crow and spoiled ; Bertha, disappointing and 'reer rved. This, at hasten was Eeperance's Niew of the by a crash, as of eomething lalllag heavily ou -aha-Stine. floor.. . _ . , ..........- - - An unguarded exolamatton of wrath made itself hoard no dletinotly In the choir, that the reading of the 'neon was for a moment suspended, and the two vergers, seizing their diver -hoicked sleets, battened to quiet ehe diiturbanoe. Esperanoe listened with hushed breath, really quite trembling for the vlutlw. She then the eager voice' Melte& -agate, " I was doing no harm hers." Another admonitory " hush " followed by a whiaperud altercation, then that voice once more. " Well, since) l mayn't palate' will coma in.' The footetepa drew nearer ; Euperenoe, and indeed everybody looked curiously toward the -door -with a stetoly, measured step, the two vergers returned, their staves triumphantly raised in the air, and behind them walked the culprit, a young man et two cr three-and-twent tall and hand' aan• the toffee so execrable that it was an im- poBaltisbility - moreover, Mrs. Mortlake was see evidently offended at her pumerons ,,. refusals, that she forced herself to take what she would much rather have been without. The• garden looked teniptingly cool and shady', and after breakfast was over Eeper- imee asked leave to go out. Cornelia -eeceaved her proposal with some surprise. '` -" Oh, certainly, if you wish to do so, but "there is nothing worth seeing in our garden, ae& besides it is almost time for service." " Oarvios a tethe_cathedral ? lbngisg to see the interior." " Yon will have plenty of opportunities, than, for we always attend both morning and -evening service : be careful to be ready Ave minutes before the hoar, as my father kitty particular as to punctuality-" And Cornelia moved away, leaving Esperanee chilled and repulsed, though she could not have explained why. Ohs was still looking out of the window, rather sadly,- when tea. Mortlakereturned,. leading by the hand a fair-haired little girl cbjaboat .six yeah of age, who would have b. extieedingly pretty, had not her mouth bspotled by constant posting. tin and kiss your new cousin, Bella," said Mrs. Mortlake. " Cho at once, there is a good child." " But Bella drew back with an obstinate Shu'n't-" 2peranoe who waa very fond of children, began to coax her, and world soon have won her over, but MrteMortlake interferred in an aggrieved tone., " Excuse me, Esperance, bat I must really have the management of my own child. Lesiva her to me." Then as Esperanee moved tie the other aide of the zoom, with heightened color, she turned again to the child. " Now, Bella, do as mamma tells you,•and you shall have a piece of anger." Eaperance world mach rather have been •' *Mout the bribed kiss, but after Mrs. Mortlake's very pointed remark she could -trot venture to say to ; Bella hesitated for -a minute, advanced a step or two ie ..rte M once more. 4- .�: • " A large piece, mamma ? " .. Yea, my darling, a large hers s , " Bella hesitated no longer; and Esper- fume, much amaiad, met her halt way and kissed her -unluckily on both cheeks. - " Bella ran back to her mother triumph- " Two lunette of sugar, mamma, two big limps, ehe kisaed me twice ! " °• 'Espennoa laughed merrily, bat Mrs. Mortara, vexed at the foolishneaa of her `awn bribe, looked annoyed. . 4, ""Nonsense, child, I said one piece," • =,.then, as Bella begets to ery loudly, " Ah, I '-hnew thaleivould Dome of is ; it just shows '-'40u,Eseniitranoe, how careful you Aught to be with btildren, and Bella is so very sensi- tive.Besides, how could yon expect.her to asderatand your French ways ? I'll not have them introduced here, so piealle re- n member. - - - Bsperance was too surprised and indig- nant to attempt any vindication. " A thousand-" she would have said " Pardons," but the words atuck in her throat ; she hastily substituted " a thous- and regrets," and left the room, while Mra. Mortlake began - to, bargain with her child as to the amount of sugar ehe should have, lithe would only stop crying. Though Eaperance would.only laugh in after days at the recollection cf her absurd introduction to Bella, at`' the time she was considerably ruffled by it ; it wee the first Ohne in her: life that ehe had suffered from inj and her T f. joe-it was hard to be falsely blkmed, b• Mortlake's slighting mention of ench ways," had wounded her >!x tis with a very. heavy heart that at the pointed time she joined Cornelia and B , and walked with them to the cathedral. Butcamfort came to her as she entered and gazed around with wonder and lade. Whether from the beauty of the eight, or from the vastness and strength of all about her, or from a certain reeemblance to Notre Dame de Paris, she did not know, but somehow ehe was stilled, her heart no longer throbbed indignantly, and for the first time she felt at home at Rilchester. They walked- much faster than she would have liked down the choir aisle, and . she had only time 'for a brief glance at the nave, with its glorious vista of srch and pillar, before they passed through the careen gate, and were ushered by a prim -looking verger, into the deanery pew. The service seemed to her dull and dreary in the' extreme, and though the choir was fairly good, she soon wearied of the complicated Anglican chants 1 and lengthy canticles, in which no one attempted to join. There was something depressing, too, in the smallness of the con- gregation, whioh Certainly could not leave numbered more than a dozen, and in the th half -incomprehensible foreign prayers.' do Esperance was sadly tronble1 with ar wandering thoughts, sp that. she wee re- ' th Eared When the hear waif ended and she th wee free once more to devote all her eyes to ' • T °the beian,y. around. of Corlmjia, however, allowed no lingering,' her and they hed se -steely / left the cathedral of before she began in 'her Clear, authoritative and way, " As eosin as we are at home will yon bur come to me in my room, and I will see what B etttdiea you had better take up ? We most Co o„ lose no more time." ) i Esperance knew she ought to; have been t ' mnoh more grateful, bat there ws some- ' thing in Cornelia's cold kindneet which reeo rated on Ilea -and --nndnubteelly there Wee B fn her tone an implied reference to the the yon see, are some houses, all falling wn, in the Rae de Rivoii ; the silly people e destroying their own city. And look ! the they are shooting the insurgents in e Lnrembonrg G rdens." he familiar nam_a, and the cruel want coneideratisn in speaking theta before were too mach for Eaperance'e powers sandnrance ; agein her tears broke 'forth, not attempting a eecond argument she riedlyt isft the room. at where could elm go ? To return to =elle would be to receive a doable scold. and she longed too much for sympathy care to seek ber own room -she would, ny rate try to find Bertha before she rted to it. ertha was sitting in the great drawing• J(rt.�.,17Git -..1 No quick, trite 'gent.anewer, she was generally either puzzled- completely, or frightened by her cousin's peremptory matinee into absard mistakes. Cornelia, seeing that this was mese waste of time, began a lesson on physical geography, but this was not mach more successful. Though exceedingly clever, she was not a good teacher ; ehe could neither understand nor ejmpathize with the diffi- culties of a lees talented mind, and even painstaking slowness made her impatient and sarcastic. Esperance was redly unhappy -aware that -she -had- nneweredeleadlyencad-veaed- that she had not done more justice to her father's teaching. She was certain, too, that had the circumstances been different she could have done much better, and a oonscionemese that Cornelia did not under- etand-her. added to herwretctiedneste. Bat . this last thought reminded her ,of one of Gaspard'a pieces of advice-" What - sisters ? " " If we were not sisters we ahonld pro- bably hate each other," replied Bertha ; " never were there three lest congenial people, I should say ; but being related, of course, we have to tolerate, or if you -like ' love' each other. Now you understand what I mean about existing without love." Esperanee looked aghast. a Is must be very dreadful," she said, with a shiver. " Oce grows actuetomed to it in time," replied Bertha. e It will Egan cease to trouble you." -"-No-that l carrnever-belieevei-a'nd`uutit-- I have come to that state, •yon will love me a little, will yon not ?'' and Esperance looked un so casnengiy that Bertha was feirly conquered. " I will try," ehe eaid with more energy than usual. " Only I am Eo unpracticed that you must not expect much from me— I can't be demonstrative-" ever happens, don't let -yourself become a " Never mind,. 1 wilLdo all the demon- ' femme incereprire,"' and, taking courage, titration," said Eeperance, Lan -fling, and :ha began, You will 'think me hi nkingly plump Berths what seeta� to her an ignorant, Cornelia ; but really. it is partly overwhelming embrace. "There ! now m ignorance R' y m of English that izietree stupid ; yon must not think I have never been taught these things." " The fraita 3f good teaching are seen in the impression left on the memory," said Cornelia, 'calmly. Esperance flashed angrily. 'em sure i speranee was, wever, quite satisfied, cannot.; if the memory is bad, -the best and moreover, ehe had solved the mystery teaching may be thrown away to it." of Bertha's nonchalant manner and dreamy - 'f On it," corrected Cornelia, in the -same indifference. If ehe neither loved tor waa imp.uive tone ; ". but do not excite your- loved, what else could be expected ? Here Biell so much; I surely may hold different was en interest already et the 'deanery ; views without rousing all this indignation."., she world make it her special object to give " It is not your views -I do not care for Bertha pleasare. ' your views," replied EsPeranoe, her 'voice' Her letter to Gaspard that day was rising; " it ie your -your. slights to, my almost cheirfal, and though she could not father, to the education he has given me, avoid telling him what she thought of Mra. that nuke me angry. Yon do not know, Mortlake.and Cornelia, she dwelt eJ mach you can never'know, how good, how wise, on Bertha'a kindness, and the beauty of the how noble he was." • cathedral, and gave each amnting •descrip- " Perhaps not," replied Cornelia. " Bat tieing of the English manes and customs if I were to judge of him by what ,hie that Gaspard was relieved from his anxiety daughter is at present, what should I--" about her and much cheereel iit�l elf-. e -c Garet into tears: nese. " You are cruel -cruel ! to speak so of CHAPTER XIV. him -now that -oh, papal papa I why did I not die too ?-shells fallingall daylong -Earth 1e sick 'And Heaven is weary of the hollow words and not one would come where it would which states and kingdoms utter when they talk have been welcomed ! " .. Of truth and justice-. Tarn to private life She, was leaning down on the gable her And sacra] neighborhood look we to ourselves. .. A light of duty si ines on every day face. hidden. WOnld Cornelia never speak, For all ; and yet how few are warmed orcheered she wondered -world no word of sympathy me so am happy. And you will really do a little more than tolerate me ? " You ere the strangest child I ever saw," said Bertha, but as if she did not mind the atra'ngenesis. " Yea, I will try ; but you ' have come to ,a most unlikely quarter for love." The Ezcurrion. pass thous grave lips ? Rllcheater waa a picturesque old town, Bat. still the silence was only broken by with narrow, irregular streets, gabled her own �goba ; and looking up at last, she houses, carigae old courts, and'ancient found herself alone. gateways. A peaceful -not to say sleepy - She was eo dismayed, so astonished, that air pervaded the whole place ; even in the she could not cry, even though each a principal street there wan little traffic, and desertion seemed to her mons creel ; she the few pedestrians walked : quietly and eat looking at Cornelia's vacant chair, and leisurely along, as if hurry and bustle were at the map of mountains and rivers on the a thing unknown to them. table, soaked through and through with her The population was not very great, and own tears- had of late yearn decreased, 'so that although When Cornelia returned she was quite-- there was little actual ptvert-v in the place, calm b cousin a scorn ane - enrprise, she was pressing aspect, the old hooses having busily engaged in treeing the wet tear- fallen oat of repair, end the owners nos marks on the map to the same length as the caring to lay out money on -them. various rivers. These deserted quarters, however, were " I think yon do not require the quiet of some way fe.. the cathedral, and rarely, my study foe such an intellectual employ- if ever, obt : ted themselves, upoa the ment,"eaid Cornelia, end as our lesson notice of the ore wealthy'citizens. o is over you may go." Proximity to the cathedral beings mark Espsrance could not help smiling at Cor. of station, hooses in the close were eagerly nelia'a sarcasm. • sought after, and though they were•mostly " It was very foolish, was it not ? I hope very old, draughty, and ill -built, some it has nos. hart the' map," she said, with a people had been known to leave much more little laugh ; adieu, then, and many thanks comfortable dwellings for their sate. There for your lesson-" were certainly, however, the advantages of Cornelia was 'mate with astonishment. a fine view of the cathedral, and an open, She had left the room, quite oat of patience healthy situation, not to mention one of the with Esperance s' tears, and resolved to great attractions to the inhabitants of Ril- read her a lecture on her demonstrativeness cheater -a first-rate view of your neighbors' when ehe returned -but her plane had been houses, and the' beat possible chance of frustrated, the good-humored reply to her knowing all they did. stinging speech, and the little ringinglaagh, For, like all small towns, Rilchester de - were even wore aggravating then the sad. rived its pleasure, its store of anecdotes, its den burst of passion, and for once in her daily ;conversation from gossip; - and as life she felt thoroughly nonplussed. This there waa but little amusement of a higher little French girl was, indeed, a puzzle to kind in the place, and a dearth of work, or, her but on the whole she was not more truly, a sleepiness in the atmosphere, altogether displeased with her for being out which tended to destroy the faculty for of , the common, and as a new sandy of work, there was some excuse for this. character ehe interested her. The arrival of a visitor at the deanery Eaperance,°meanwhile, went down -stairs, was, sufficient to set all .the tongues in the to her pwever ; her teare were spent, and, certain parts of she town had a most de - amused and a little triumphant et Cor- place going, and when it gradually became nelia's evident surprise ; the consciousness known that the dean hed adopted his niece, of having averted e " scene " or a lecture and that she would •thenceforth live at Rile was exhilarating, and she was quite con- cheater, Esperance became quite a nine- vinced from Cornelia'a mantler that some- days'- wonder." thing of the kind had keen intended. Had she•only come to the place earlier in But her jay was short lived, for in the the year, when every one was fall of com- dining•room She found hire. Mortlake end paesion for the whole French nation, ,ehe Bella eagerly looking at the last "Illustrated would have met with a mnoh warmer web. London News," which tette fall of the come ; bat the horrors of the Commune horrors of the Commune. • had quite altered this feeling, and to be of ".05, mamma. what are they doing, to Frenclrbirth was the reverse of a recom- that woman ? " asked Bella. mentation. • " Shooting her, darling ; she has been . Her appearance was criticised severely, spreading petroleum, wicked creature. And and strange stories were set afl gat as to her history ; one old lady -well-known as the greatest gossip in the close -had 'told per friend that the dean had been seen to flash quits angrily when some one' had made inquiries after M. de Mebillon-she feared he had been a moat notoriova character - the dean had felt his sister's marriage most aontely, she knew this as a fact. From Shia beginning arose a wild story exagger&ted stilt more at each repetition, in which it was stated that'Esperance'e father had ended a moat iniquitous lite by•at- tempting to betray his country to the Prue. elites, and had in consequence been shot, while her brother hal assisted in tile mar• der of Clement Thomas, and had, •able• quently been killed ea a communistic inane. gent. When it transpired that he was alive and welt.. in_..,London,, su.,,ma elotis O ln#--l.otf,c�;t.; the -. ookeclvox .:- . y N n.+wx •. z to " 'Tis we. not they. who are in fault, "When others seem so weecg " Of course her grievances were not wholly imaginary, but she magnified them greatly, and - would not see the good points which ' counterbalanced the failings. Her letters to Gaspard, which hal at first been brave and cheerful, were now either in a strain of forced merriment, or with an undertone of bitterness which was very foreign to her nature. She never complained, it is true, but she indulged herself more and more in little mecesms, at the expense of ber cousin or their friends, and-Gespsrd-grew-serionely tmeasy about her. He wrote to her at last with'a very gentle remonstrance, end entreating ber -to tell him if she were really unhappy ; 'but the reply was fax from satisfactory, and only made him still more anxious. It ran es follows : " The Deanery, Rilchester, 121h Septem ber, 1871." M'z Dns Gesrnn,-A thousand' than for your welcome fetter end"for the ecolding you gave me, only I can hardly call it by such a name, since I am accustomed here tors much more severe fault-finding. So yon really think I am growing sarcastic ! Well, I am hardly surprised, for I am a great, deal with Cornelia, and she is jam one great. piece of earcasm-I suppose it is infections. ,Nothing in .articular has ha since wro e. i ert, a is et 1 away and the house' is very dull, the most en- livening thing being one of Bella's scream- ing fits, which are liken kind of intermittent 'fever, and Dome every other day- In be- tween she is what Chriatabel calla ' good,' really petted and spoiled 1 .She, is , indeed an enfant terrible. I forgot 'to say that I have had my first experience of an'English dinner -.party. 'I wish yon could have seen it, it was most amusing ; that i3 to say, the . evening was, for I did not dine, thus e she dispute, his lips gravely compressed, but en irrepressible sparkle of amusement in his keen'bine eyes. He was solemnly conducted to a seat, and atter one rapid 'glance around,Eeper- antee was relieved to see' that he beehtalead with perfect reverenoe, joining in 1 Deum in a way which set an example to silent congregation, and during the reading of the second lesson, scarcely stirring, but gazing at the reredos and the grand east window, through which the eaoehine wap streaming, shedding, an • exgaiaise radiance on all around. At�he close of the services, Mre. Mort- lake made all speed to go out, but not before the >rtranger had already left the choir. Whieperzng an explanation to Cor- ° nelia, she folloeed in the direction of the north choir aisle, closely attended by Esperance, who was full of cariosity, and in great teeror kst Cornelia should call her -.rheas Lathe aisle they discovered the cause uS - thanks the downfall and the angry txclaznetlola-s< prostrate easel and canvas ,the young artist had just raised the laatter, a looking at it critically, -when a. Mor lake approached. " Mr. I1agnaw ! i.gdeed taken us by " I came late la artist, glancing f Es.-ra.oe :s hoping to oall on y thinking that the meeting -place. Th ops escaping an infliction of two hours. Th ladies . come to tide drawing -room abon nine, or, perhage later, looking very sleepy and bored, end then they sit trying to talk for,abont half an hour, a footman bringing Mlles- t -coffee, and then tea to prevent them from quite going to sleep 1 I mast tell yon that they are all dressed to match, the married ladies chiefly in grays, m5uvee, and violets, and the young ladies in limp white nnnalin. . I .suppose it is the way English people put on their clothes, bat they -always look es if they had been out in one of their fogs. Later in the evening the gentlemen straggle into the room, as if they didn't mach want to come ; they all look very black and sombre, the old gentlemen, wear- ing great white tient and the younger ones Miff -looking collars, and no dress clothes at all, for they are ell clergymen, there seems scarcely a layman in the place. They stand all together .in a group, like so many rooks, though it is not thought imporpsr in Eng- land for .them to speak to the ladies, end perhaps two or three venture into the circle by and by. I noticed the other night shit there was quite a little manoeuvre to secure a vacant chair. Englishmen seem so much happier when they are sitting down, they never seem to know what to do -with their hands and feet, otherwise. Altogether, it was very dull and atiff,,bnt perhaps I have seen a bad. Specimen ; ' people •never could endure many such parties, surely, they world die of ennui. Why do yen ask point-blank if I am happy ? It was incon. siderate of you. Of course I em not, and cannot be, away from you. As to the cathedral, it is marvelously beautiful, but the long daily, servicea do not agree.. with me ; perhaps it is being quite unaccustomed to such things, or perhaps the foreign prayere, or it may be what Mrs. Mortlake woald call my ' frivolous French mind.' but certainly they are at present a penance.' No oge here has a good word to say for a Frenchman -they seem to think we are all Communists, and forgot, that the martyrs, Monseigneur Darboy,,the Abbe Deguerry, Pere do Coudray, and many others, were else French. It is very had to bear. I snppoae, however, the troublfies are nearly over ? Have yeti heard . lately from Monsienr Lemereier ? I hope he has not been arrested, poor man. How wonderfully in earnest -he wads that morning we left Paris. • With my compliments to Bismarck. Je t' ewbrnue de tout e¢ur, Esrus.& CE BIEN- ADiEE r s Maerre os ." • In reply to this letter Gaspard sent a little French edition of the English Charoh Services, and she was so uch touches by Ins anxiety for her, and o really anxioae to do right, that she tried ery hard to attend better. One bright sonny morning, about the end of. September, Esperanoe, after a greater effort than usual to listen to the Paalme, had taken her place in the nnoom. fortable oaken stall, which was ber nsnel seat, and had opened her French Bible, in order to follew the reading of the first les- son, when a soundof voices in the choir aisle roused her cariosity. The speakers • how are you ? You have surprise." et Light," replied the from Mrs. Mortlake to • .. , . ., .. : •. - on later in the day, not cathedral might be oar e dean is well, l h ?" " Very well, thank you, he will be glad to see you, I am sure," replied Mrs. Mortlake, moving toward the door. Claude Magney hastened to move the easel, which lay in Esperance's way, and walked down the aisle with them, holding open the heavy outer door while Mrs. Mori lake uttered'many--last words. Yon are here for some time, then ?" she asked. ' " I cannot tell how long," he replied. " I have a commission for a view of this interior. One could not have a more -c4eagh•Lf j - t -a -in y. -1I-ow-giorionrr it ie in this light I " Esperance thought the grand old- door- way, with its sombre moldings, the eager, half -wistful face of Claude Magnay, and the background dim with brightness would have made a wonderful pioture ; bat detecting a alight eiade of impatience,- and a restlee movement of the hand which held the canvas, she ware not , sorry when Mrs. Mortlake closed the convereation with a preasinginvitation,to dinner that evening and really turned homeward. " What a thorough artist he is, to be sure ! " she exclaimed, half musingly. " So engrossed with hie work, and with the beauty of the cathedral, that he forgot even. to speak of the disturbance he made daring the service ! " " Is he English ?" i'gaired E-apsrenoe, secretly wondering whether any one so polite could bother dielike to the Rilohester people' having prejudiced her against the whole nation. Yee, oh, yes," replied Mrs. Mortlake. , I am not sure that the name is not of Scotch origin, but the family has been in England . for years. 'This young man's father was an architect -e very clever man rand a friend of father's. He had great money losses before his death, and had it not been for Claude's talent! 1 don't know how they would have managed. However, all is comfortably settled now ; one sister is married, end has taken the youngest child to live with her ; the mother died not long ego, and so Claude has only himself to support." Esperance thought this a ver heartless speech ;. but the mention of the nee, the bereavements, and the loneline:e, touched a chord in her own life, and for the first time since her arrival she fell .thoroughly inter- ested and attracted. The day parsed rather more happily than usual, and Eaperence was quite in spirits when she went to dress for dinner ; ehe could not helji looking forward eagerly to the diversion of seeing some one really new and not an inhabitant cf Rilchester. Claude had already arrived when she came down, and was standing telking to the dean, having gnite lost the somewhat preoccupied expression hehad worn in the „cathedral.' Tho dean gravely ' introduced My „ niece, Mademoiselle de Mibillon -=he" always uttered the name withstn effort and Claude's easy bat courteonraf.mannere seemed all the more pleasant, when con- trasted with her nncle'a pompons solemnity. " I am afraid you were one of those whom I disturbed thin morning in the cathedral," he Reid. ".I bone ton will for- give me for the confusion I nrede,'was:il very distracting ? " Esper'ance a first impulse was to utter the false " Ob! not at all," a form of polite lying proverbially habitnsl to French women, and not =frequently indulged in by their English sisters. She had, how - fir, been brought up very csrefally in this specs by ber father, her standard of truth ss high, and with ready tact she eaid stead, " I do not think it distnrbed the ogregation generally; for myself, I cannot y =ant, it takes aceta small thing to aw off my attention." " I had no idea there was any info as to t'painting during service time, so I hope y ignorance may 1 e my exouse," said ande, turning to the dean. (To be Continued.) were evidently close behind her, for she Ev could distinctly hear even the low -toned re conversation. w " No painting allowed in service time, , in sir." ce " What, not out here ? How can I coos• ; as aibly disturb the services ? " replied the dr second vdihe. " Can't tell, sir," answered the first : no " but 'tis against rules ; you must move' at m once." Cl Bnt I tell yon, my good fellow, this is my service, jest as much as it's yours to wear a bleak gown andcarry that potter ; ' The Ducheas of Marlborough declares besides, the light is perfect now." ',..rl'he r'eplywee� iiandJbla but' ivas to l6vser that lae:and:the r:. n2 ; ____eeeeee _t ,Dnl,te-raze t-Izvs�n:,,�OQ,tid1Q°•. ..��.......:.-,::�� as year.