The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-12-06 00:00:00

CHAPTER XXXL
EYE'S MISGIVINGS.

Tint practised falsehood tinder saintly show,
Deep malice to conceal couched wit't revenge.
IT was hardly what might have been expected of
a man whose whole life had been passed in a pro-
fession which affords such an insight into the
1‘ seamy side" of human nature, that Mr. Sartoris
should allow himself to be gulled so egregiously as
as the case when he accepted without a word of
enquiry, without eves a misgiving in his mind, the
story which had been invented by Laura Desmond,
almost on the spur of the moment, to account for
the lack of testimonials, and admitted into his
household as the companion and instructress of a
young, innocent girl, a woman of whose ante-
cedents he knew nothing beyond what she herself
avouched. - _

_
Yet so it was. Perhaps advancing years had
brought with them failing powers of mind and
weaker judgment. Perhaps—for though lawyer he
was still man—the sight of a charming, tear-
stained, pitiful face, the sound of low, broken
accents recounting so sad a tale, had tended to
render him less cautious than he would have been,
had no such adventitious aids been used to enfeeble
Ms judgment.
Be that as it may, out of the host of applicants
who had come forward fate willed it that his choice
should fall upon the worst he could have selected.
But Laura Desmond was too clever and far-seeing
to allow him to make any discovery of this fact.
Her gratitude for the trust he displayed in her
she took care to show in many ways flattering to
his vanity, and confirmatory of the good opinion
he had formed of her. Not openly—she was too
wise for that; but in numberless imperceptible
ways—imperceptible' that is, to all but the one
with whom she most desired to ingratiate herself—
she speedily wormed herself into favour with Mr.
Sartons, and so completely that it would have t,ken
very strong evideice to shake the gentleman's faith
in her.
She was quiet, even reserved in her manner,: and
her accomplishments—if they were not actually so
great and varied as her employer believed— she
managed so to insinuate rather than parade, affect-
ing a modest reluctance against display, as it were,
that no doubt of her efficiency crossed. his mind.
Unpractised in the art of teaching she might be
—nay had confessed herself—but that was after all
hardly a fault, as what Eve most required was a
Companion, not an actual tutor—one who could teach
her without appearing actually to do so, or being
invested with authority over her to which she was
toe old now to submit with patience.
And, all such requirements as Mr. Sartoris bad
'sc}ught were, he flattered himself, to be foetid
combined in the person of Miss Desmend..— The
misfortune of her birth—for which, poor girl, she
could not be held accountable—alone excepted, there
Was actually nothing to be urged against her; and
it Was matter of coneratulation to Mr. Sartoris the

he hä if upon one so admirably suited in every
respect for her duties
There had been, however, one little drawback to
his entire satisfaction, and one which was very
nearly resulting in Laura Desmond' s having to seek
elsewhere for such a home and liberal salary as Mr.
Sartorie had offered.
Eve, very unaccountably, he thought, looked only
coldly upon the candidate he favoured.
Why, what possible fault can you find with herr'
asked Mr. &atom, d,sgusted to find such an obstacle
spring up when he had imagined everything was
settled in so admirable a manner.

_
" Fault ! Well, none exactly," Eve replied, with
a little hesitation; for, indeed, she had no tangible
ground for the aversion she felt towards the person
of whom they discoursed.. "I can't give you any
reason, but--"

" But what, in the name of all that is sensible ?"
pettishly demanded her guardian. "If I had chosen
a disagreeable, vinegary old woman who wanted to
treat you as a child, one with whom you could feel
no sort of sympathy, I could understand your
rebelling. Instead of that I bring you somebody
not so much older than yourself; a lady, 'evidently,
of refined manners—somewhat foreign, I admit, but
none the worse for that—and prepossessing in
appearance, and you—"
"I don't like her eyes," interposed Eve, in
icarcely audible tones, for in very truth she felt this
ground of objection to be so slight and unfounded
as hardly worth the bringing forward.
" Eh ! don't like her eyes' did you say ?" asked
Mr. Sartoris, opening his rather widely, as though
astonished at so puerile a reason. "Why, what on
earth is the matter with them ?'_ _ _ _

"Matter. Well—nothing, I suppose," a little
vaguely replied Eve, slightly vexed that she could
urge no better plea than this, "but—" and here
she spoke more decidedly, "I don't like them, for
all that."

"Surely you can say why ?" remarked Mr.
Sartoris, with a little smile of amusement that made
Eve feel uncomfortable and half-ashamed of her
prejudice. "Come, tell me what is the matter with
the young lady's eyes that you object to them so
strongly. Are they too large, or too small, or too
near together, or what ?"
" No, ' reluctantly admitted Eve, feeling that
she could not conscientiously adduce any of these
reasons against Miss Desmond's organs of vision,
which were intruth remarkably brilliant and well
set in her head. They had, perhaps, a spice of bold
audacity in them that she had been at less pains to
conceal before Eve than when in the presence of
Mr. Sartoris, at which times she was wont to veil
their flashing boldness by keeping them fixed
demurely downwards, or only venturing an
occasional upward glance of modest appeal.
"No, but"—and here Eve resorted to her sex's
last unanswerable argument—" I feel I do
,not like
them."

"Oh, I see!" laughed Mr. Sartoris ; "a regular
case of 'I do not love thee, Doctor Fell,' and the
reasoning equally cogent. But, my dear Eve,"
and his voice took a graver tone, " does not your
conscience tell you that such antipathy without
cause is most unjust? Consider, my dear, here is
a young girl, alone in the world, bravery struggling
to maintain herself. If, for no reason except that
you have taken an unaccountable distaste to her
eyes—which I protest, upon my honour' I consider
very fine—she is to be turned adrift, what might be
the consequences? It is not everybody who
would accept her services so entirely without
recommendation as I have done, and, granting that
there is any force in your reason, even, if she should
obtain employment elsewhere, similar objections
might be raised as to the colour of her hair, the
shape of her nose or mouth, or something equally
absurd."
" Ah, you don't understand me, gtiardy r cried
poor Eve a little resentful at being supposed
capable of each paltriness. "It is not that I com-
plain of any actual fault. I daresay that Mss
Desmond's eyes are beautiful, as you say; I sup-
pose you are a better judge of that than I can be,"
she added with a slight touch of malice that, how-
ever, left the old lawyer unscathed. "I dislike
their expression though. They are like Rufus's
there," pointing to a demure-looking cat that sat
basking in the sun at the conservatory door, but
watching at the same time with feline gaze the
hoppings of a couple of sparrows on the lawn with-
out, every hair upon his quivering tail erect, as he
made ready ler a spring, should his feathered prey
come within reach. _

"Not a very flattering comparison, my dear."
"It is the test I can find, guardy, and conveys
exactly what I mean," persisted the girl. "Rufus
has beautiful eyes too, now, hasn't he ?" •
"Well, I can't say that I have ever examined
them very closely, my dear; but I daresay you are
right."
" trobably Miss Desmond's are more attractive,
guardy," said Eve, but seeing that her shaft again
fell harmless, she went on. "They are both alike
in one respect, however. Seen in repose nothing
but mildness beams from them; but I have noticed
that in your favourite's eyes which reminded me
immediately of Rufus when he looks as he is look-
ing now, when he—ah, see !"
And she pointed again to the animal, which had
just made its spring, and was returning, unsuecessful
to its former station.
"Look !" she continued. "See the cruel, savage
expression that contraction of the pupil gives him.
That is what I have noticed in Miss Desmond. That
is what I dislike her for."
She spoke eagerly, almost vehemently, but Mr
Sartoris, who could only regard the outburst as due
to girlish fancy, merely shrugged his shoulders.
"Upon my word, Eve," he siid coldly, "I bad
no idea that you would allow your imagination to
run wild in so ridiculous a fashion. So, because a
cat follows its instincts, and you presuppose a like-
ness of feature, which I certainly find it impossible
to trace, we are to credit a fellow-creature of whom
we know no evil with being treacherous and
cruel I"
" I—l did not say that, guardy," returned Eve,
humbly, for her momentary excitement had sub-
sided and she began to feel that she had made her-
self slightly ridiculous.
"Not in so many words, perhaps; but there is
only one inference I can see to be drawn from your
smile. Miss Desmond's eyes do not please you, and
therefore she is all that is false and bad. Upon my
word, Eve, I did not believe that you could be so
ungenerous."
" Oh, guardy !" cried the girl.
"Call it by another name, if you will," coldly
continued Mr. Sartoris, who was indeed ruffled by
this unlooked-for obstacle to his plans in no small
degree, and felt commensurately annoyed at his
ward's perverseness. "I see none other to give
it."
"You spoke about instinct just now, sir," said
Eve; roused at last to defend herself.
"Well."
Have we no instincts to warn us? There may

De no reason, as you say; but have you never
heard of cases in which quite as foolish fancies
as mine appear to you have turned out well-
founded ?" - - -

"Possibly, and many more in which such
fancies have proved totally groundless. However,
we need not argue upon that point. It seems to
me that it has already gone further than there
was any occasion for. The matter can easily be
settled."
"How ?" asked Eve.
"Simply by my informing Miss Desmond that
I have mde other arrangements. It will probably
be a great blow to her hopes' poor girl, after all
that has passed ; but I am not so stern a guardian
that I desire to force anyone upon you whom you
do not like. I will write to her at once, so as not
to keep her in suspense."
And so saying Mr. Sartoris left the room, and
retreated to his study for the purpose he had just
announced.

Not without much vexation of spirit, and many
a muttered objurgation over the girlish wilfulness
that forced such a course upon him. But there
seemed no help for it, as he could not alter Eve's
opinion, and he commenced the letter.
It would have been much better had he been
left to himself and allowed to finish it. Forlorn,
friendless orphan as he took her to be, Laura
Desmond would hardly have have been in such
piteous case Ps he pictured to himself, and to
alleviate which to some extent a crisp new bank-
note lay on the table beside him, ready to enclose
in his letter, if her services were rejected.
But this "as not to be.
Mr. Sartoris had got no farther than "Dear
Miss Desmond," and was rubbing the tip of h:s
nose with the tip of his pen, while considering in
what words he could most delicately word his reject-
tion and solici acceptance of the enclosure as a
slight solatium for the disappointment he was about
to inflict, when the study door opened gently, and
Eve made her appearance.
"I really wish )ou would not interrupt me when
I am busy," pee viShly exclaimed Mr. Sar ens,
placing a sheet of paper over the note, conceal-
ment he certainly need not have attempted, for
Eve would have had no suspicion of its intended
destination. "I hate to be disturbed, child, you
know, and—"
"Yes, guardy, I do know," said Eve, stooping
down and laying her cheek beside his with a caress-
ing action. "But I wanted to say something to you
before you send that letter away."
" Well ?"
"It is to—Miss Desmond. Is it not ?"
" Yes."
" To tell her ?"
"That in consequence of the unreasonable pre-
. juuice of a certain young lady who has taken
exception to a Ifault—if fault it could be called—of
nature, I am reluctantly compelled to decline her
services."
"Oh, ,!uardy l"
"We 1, that is the fact, though I have not, of
course, stated it so plainly."
"But you have told her she will notbe wanted ?"
"Certainly. Your obstinacy left me no choice.
A bhade of indecision passed over Eve's face, and
then she seemed to have made up her mind.
"Don't send it, guardy," she said. .
"I have been thinking," the girl went on, "and
you are right. It would be most cruel to dis-
appoint her now, after leading her to expect that
evervthiner was settled, and only because of my

silly farrciiii. I daresay we shall get on together
very well."
"Do you really mean this P" asked Mr. Sartoris.
"Really."
"That's a sensible girl," said the lawyer, '.too
much relieved at the turn the affair had taken to
trouble his head as to whether Eve's submission was
dictated by a real conviction of the causeless
notion of her prejudice, or—what it actually was—
a simple desire to please him. "I thought you
would consider better of the matter. Then I may
tear this letter up, and write another to Miss Des-
mond telling her that she can come to us as soon as
her arrangements will allow ?"

“Yes, gTuardy.”
"That's a good girl," Mr. Sartoris ap-
provingly. "And now run away and let me finish it
in peace."

(T's be continued.