, 1862-02-27
How Tyrawley Conquered.


the north. west coast Of Devon. The variOu
branches Of English society are very fairly re
presented by its component parts. There art
two peers, three members Of the lower house
some Guardsmen, some undergraduates, cler
gvman, and lieutenant in the navy. But Ou
hero is not a representative man: yet he belong
to class which, called into existence by the &C
cumulated wealth Of the nineteenth century, i.
ever on the increase.
Frederick Tyrawley resembles Sir Charles
Coldstream, inasmuch as he has been everywhere
and done everything but heis by no means uscC
up, and can still take al interest in whatever his
hands find to do. Nor is his everything every
body else's everything. It is not bounded by
Jerusalem and the pyramids.
Mr.. Tyrawley has fought in more than one
state Of South America, and has wandered fol
more than two years from isle to isle Of the Paci
fc. A mysterious reputation hovers round him
He is supposed to have done many things but
no one is very clear what they are and it is mol
likely that much information on the point will be
obtained from him, for he seldom talks much,
and never speaks Of himself His present mission
appears to be to kill to partrdges, play cricket
and dress himself Not that il must be supposed
that he has ever been in the habit Of wearing less
clothing than the custom Of the country in which
he may have been located required; but only
that at the present time he devoted much time
to buff waistcoats and gauze neck-tes, braided
coats and curled mustaches.
Such as be is, however, he is an object Of in.
tereSt TO the feminine portion oi the party at
Ravelstoke Hall for he is rich and handsome, as
well as mysterious, and he cannot be more than
two.and. thirty. And the ladies' at RavelstOke
outnumber the men; for although it is still rare
for the fair sex to participate actively in the sa-
turnalia of the partridge god, they will always
be found lowering in considerable numbers on
the outskirts Of the feast aud the varieties Of
the British lady are fairly represented.
There are some mammas with daughters to
marry, and there are some daughters with nam
mas to prevent marrying again, which is, per
haps, the most difficult thing Vi the two, as she
has an income in her own right. There are
blondes and brunettCs, and pretty, brown.haired,
brOwn-eyed girls who hover between the two
orders, and combine the most dangerous charac-
teris,ics Of both, who can wear both blue and
pink, and who look prettier in the one color than
they do in the other; but who always command
your suffrage in favor of that which they are
wearing when you look at them.
And there is Constance Baynton with gray
eyes and black hair. And the incest critic OF
feminine appearance might be debel to state
what she had worn, half an hour after he left
her, for no one can ever look at anything except
her face.
Yet Constance is three-and-twenty, and still
unmarried. Alas, what towards men are The
fact is that Constance is very clever; but as
Mrs. Meliish (the widow says, "nOt clever
enough to hide il"
Is she little vexed at her present condition? !?
Certainly she does not exhibit any tendency to
carry out Mrs Mellsh's suggestion, IL it has ever
been repeated to her. The young men are more
AFRAID Of her than ever; and certainly she does
say very sharp things, sometimes. Especially
she is severe upon idlers, the bu terfies of fash.
ionabe existence. She appelrs to consider that
she has special mission 70 arouse them; but
they do not appear TO like being lcctured. With
the young ladies' she is a great favorte, for she is
very atieCtionate; and though so beautiful and
distinguished, she has proved herself TO be not
50 dangerous q rival as might have been expected.
Indeed, il has happened more than once, that
male admiration, rebounding from the hard sur
lace Of her manner, has found more yielding
metal IN the boSoms Of her particular friends.
Besides, she is always to lead the van in the gen.
eral attack upon the male sex when the ladies'
retire to the drawing-room.
Not that she ever says anything behind their
backs she would not be ready to repeat to their
faces; but in that course probably she would not
meet with such general support. In MIR. Tyraw-
ley she affected to disbelieve. She stated as her
opinion 10 her intimate friends, that she did not
believe he ever had done, or ever would do any.
thing worth doing; but that he plumed himself
on cheap reputation, which, as oil were igno-
rant Of its foundation, no one could possibly i'm
pugn.
There is reason to believe that in this instance
Miss Constance was not as conscientious as usual !;
but that she really entertained a higher opinion
Of the gentleman than she chose 10 con ess. He
certainly was not afraid Of her, and had even
dared TO contradict her favOrite theory Of the
general wOrthlessness Of English gentlemen Of
the nineteenth century. Ii was one wet morn.
ing when she had been reading Scott to three or
four Of her particular iricnds-and it must be
confessed that she read remarkably well-that
she began to lament the decline Of chivalry. Ty-
rawly was sitting half in and half out Of range.
Perhaps she talked little at him. At any rate
he chose to accept the challenge.
" cannot agree with you, Miss Baynton," he
said. at is true VT no longer wear ladies'
gloves in our helmets, nor do We compel harm.
less individuals, who possibly may have sweet
hearts Of their own, to admit the superiority Of
our lady love at the point Of the lance; but Of
all that was good in chivalry, Of courage, truth,
honor, enterprise, selEsacrilice, you will lind as
much in the nineteenth century as in the
twelfth
He frightened up as he spoke, and it was quite
evident that he believed what he said, q circum.
stance which always gives an advantage to a dis
putant
More than one pair Of bright eyes smiled ap.
proyal, and Miss Constance saw q probability Of
a detection from her ranks. She changed her
tactics.
"YOu are too moderate in your claims for
your contemporaries, Mr.. Tyrawley. IL remem.
Der right, mOdesty has always been considered a
qualification Of = true knight"
''l am not ashamed to speak the truth" he
replied "your theory would have been more
tenable before the days Of the Crimean war and
the Indian muIiny; but the men who lit their
cigars in the trenches Of the Redan, and who