The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-06-17

as q iashionably- dressed. man came up the ne.
no~ned paved road, looking inquitingiy At the
parsonage. ssils-=l s2ssss,ess~s stssssssstsz
He was military-looking individual, and
walking with his umbrella under his left arm
in the manner Of sword, and With that indie.
scrioable something In his appearance and air
that spoke the, man of the world-the man
about town-the London man of good society.
Rosa by chance raised her eyes st the excla
mation. 1t was mere chance for che had
been 90 ofsen entrappsd by the like bullet of
wonderment shot out of Marian's mouth, that
she had learnt to disregard it now altogether.
For MArian's yon hsd never turned ont to
be anything better than dirty fisherman or
lie character, If by chance one 80 misguided
found himself in Lionel house Dale; and as for
organ boys, or buy a. brooms, or monkeys, or
white mice, they were real lord-mayor raree-
shows to old and young, and received popular
ovations far superior to anything We metropol.
itans could do.) Or it might have been Far
mer so-and-sos new cart of staring red and
blue, or hand-barfow of unsavory 6sb, or
couple of little schoolgirls in new frock apiece,
or even curly tailed dog that NariAn did not
happen to recognise. For in Lone house Dale
anything living certainly any thing human,
native or foreign-was an event with Q capital
e, and in italics.
If Rosa bad seen brother, she could not
have felt more sudden rush of pleasure than
she did at the sight of this military looking
man. In London, she would probably not have
noticed him; in Lone house Dale, he was an
Event 10 her as well as to the rest She had
been six months here now--all through the
long, dull, dreary winter, and, like dainty pal.
ate brought to The reception of gastronomic
enst~x e. II. L. Il r.
ungenial atmosphere was brought to desire and
appreciate the blessing of fit companionship %
she had never done before. Moreover, she
recognised the stranger as Captain Morris,
whom she had known very slightly in town,
though now, indeed, she felt inclined to extend
that slight Acquaintance into positive friend.
ship. But she made no remark; while Marian
and her mother beat each others brains in vain
coDjectures as to " who it could be, and what
ever could he want here now, in Lone.house
Dale staring, too, at their house sol"
After looking at the house for some time, as
if 10 assure himself that it was all right" the
gentleman opened the little wicketgate, and
came up the pebbly garden walk, through the
rows of cookie and oyster shells set up on end
each side, like Quite Contrary Mary's garden
of silver belle, and cookie shells, and pretty
maids all of row, row, row. He looked about
him as even London men-those civilized rep
resentatives of Indian stolidity-look at provin.
cisl eccentricities, then knocked at the small
grass-green door, with its glazing brass lions
head knocker, till the whole house shook and
echoed under the power of his wrist, and his de-.
monstratve manner of self-aunouncement.
"Oh my, mother! he's coming here |" cried
Marian, in tone Of intense terror.
"Lord q mercyl" said Mrs. Devotion, settling
her cap, $50 he is. What ever can he want
here, wonder2 hope he amt swindler, or
some dreadful thing like that, Rosa yet amt it
odd, now"
~ believe know him slightly" said Rosa,
in her quiet way, for che was sufficiently good
natured not to like to see people uncomforts.
BILE; perhaps because their business annoyed
her. He is not q swndler, or any one to be
alarmed at-he is simply a Captain Morris, of
the -th, who used to visit US sometimes on
state occasions"
"Oh, Law how did he find you out now"
sad Mrs. Devotion; for, "to the best of her be-
lief, Rosa had never written letter to chick or
child since into the house che came" as she
said to her husband only 80 late ago as last
night; "and how could he have found her out
now?"
she does not know am here" said Rosa.
1t is pure accident that he has come at all ;
l give you my word" she added, gravely, for
she saw Mrs. Devotion making eyes at Marian,
true to the first instinct of an underbred wo.
man and next to stealing or telling 6bs, Rosa
thought it the greatest possible insult that could
be offered to her to suppose that she was in
love, or encouraged any man whatsoever.
80 dear, we shall see about that" said Mrs.
Devotion, with what was intended to be an arch
look but her eyes were too small, and their
lids too fat to be arch, 90 that they we're rather
leery than anything else.
At that moment the gswky servant girl, who
had quite long parley before she would admit
the visitor, threw open the door with bang
and q futter, bawling, "please, ma'am, yer
wanted as if she had been hailing ship at
sea.
"Glad to see you, sir" said Mrs. Devotion,
much fiustered, and making series of fat lit.
tie bobbing curtesys while Marian stood erect
and crimson, hanging her head and siding be-
hind her mother. Then, almos: before Cap
tain Morris had finished his preliminary bow,
she began to nudge her mother in the back,
saying, in loud whisper, "Mother-mother,
wont the gentleman sit down ask him, moth.
err; mother, ask him" (crescendo j all in q
broad provincial accent, and with voice that
grated like steel rods carried over rough street.
Rosa was on the sofa, shrouded in the shsd.
ow of the dingy curtain. Her black dress
helped to conceal her, as we'll az the shadow in
which she was placed, so that Captain Morris
did not see her at all, and accepted Marisn's
uncouth invitation without even 90 much 40
knowing that another person was in the room.
Bat when he Was seated, and before he could
open on the business of his visit, Rosa's smooth,
STILL lady like voice, said, very quietly, g think
l have had the pleasure of seeing Captnin Nor
ris before"
"And know that voice." said Captain Nor
ris, with start, for it seemed almost like q
piece of ventrilt quism, coming 90 suddenly
from nothing. He rose 80 quickly that he up
set his chair, which, however, he picked up again
with less than the average loss of dignity, and
then made few steps hurriedly to the darkness
" l know the voice." he repeated-'but in this
twilight am ashamed to say cannot quite
give it q name."
"Do you remember the Ardens, Of -
Square7" said Rosa, holding out her hand.
"Good heavens, Miss Arden how in the
name of wonder came you here?" he exclaim
ed, with such unfeigned surprise that Rosa
smiled as she made room for him on the sofa
by her side. For his words meant, (" How can
you, the type of refinement, live in q place
where they trim their garden with cookie
shells ?-kow can you breathe in q room where
the windows never seem to be opened, and
where there is an omnipresent smell of old
woollen, apples, and turpentine and how
can you make companion of freckle-faced
girl, that talks bad English and says Sir !"
So Rosa explained briefly how it all had
come about; how that her father had failed,
been shipwrecked, and was drowned, and how
that she had been preserved from the wreck by
her good friends here-Rosa's heart heaved
with pride as she forced her unwilling lips to
say this word-who had kept her ever since,
and would not hear of her leaving them. To
all Of which Mrs. Devotion listened open-eyed,
smoothing her apron, and CALCULATING Lord