The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-05-31

comes 30 easily that it does not even occur
to them to call it "virtue." On the other
hand, her grandfather's pale face and sunken
; features seemed to plead with her against
all unreasonable timidity. Hastily, there
fore, and as though she were about to COM
init q theft, she put aside the mating, drew
the old man inside, and then replaced the
screen as carefully as if she hoped in this
manner to hide her audacious proceedings
from tho owner Of the hut-or rather, If the
truth must be told, from the owner of the
mysterious mantle. This first step fairly
taken, Nellie suddenly grew brave, and re-
solving to make the most of their impromptu
habitation, she drew the settle nearer to the
fire, and made Lord Netterville sit down
upon it. boz 81
| The sight OF the embers seemed to revive
the latter, less, perhaps, from any need he
felt of it's warmth on that bright sunny day,
than from the home-like associations which
! it awakened in his mind. He smiled win
| try smile, with more of old age than of
gladness in it, and stretched forth his with
cred hands to warm them in the blaze.
Then, as if suddenly waking up for the first
time to q perception of his being foodless,
ready, for that, in truth, he was well-nigh
starving. Starving he must have been, that
poor Nellie knew well enough already; for
they had exhausted. their scanty stock of
food that very day, and he had tasted
nothing aince tho carly dawn. She soothed
uu1, nOWoVcIS anu UcSOuKuU nlln I'd nave
yet little patience, and then, with des=
perate resolution to appropriate to his use
whatever of food the hut might happen to
contain, she commenced a careful examina-
ton of it's hidden hooks. There were, Of
course, neither shelves nor cupboards, or
idea of provisions having been ever kept
there; but at last, when she had almost
begun to give up the search in despair, she
espied something like the handle of q bas-
ket peeping out from beneath a bundle of
frewood which lay heaped in one corner of
at once, she discovered that it contained a.
couple OF sea-trout, upon which the owner
of the mansion had probably intended
making an early dinner, for they were al
ready prepared for broiling. With renewed
energy Nellie took a handful of dried brush
guished fire, after which she proceeded, in
her new character of cook, to lay, in a very
1eisurely and scientific manner, the fish
upon the embers. So engrossed was she in
this occupation, that she never perceived
that the mat curtain over the doorway had
been once more lifted up, and that some
one was watching her proceedings from the
outside. This some one was man, appa-
rently about twenty five or thirty years of
age, with figure rather above than below
the middle height, and a face which, full of
energy and expression as it was, was by no
regularly uslHuSOHc, VIC
large, Mufillo looking eyes by which it was
lighted up deceived casual beholders into
conviction that it was.
He-was clad in garb which might have
belonged to the native fishermen of the
coast, yet no one could have mistaken him
for other than the gentleman and soldier, as
he stood there, holding back the screen of
mating, and gazing, with a look curiously
compounded of amusement and annoyance,
mt the scene presented by the interior of the
cottage. The latter feeling, however, was
evidently in the ascendant--sO much so, in
deed, that he had actually made half
movement, as if to retreat and leave the
hut to its unlimited occupants, when some
thing-was it Il glimpse of Neilie's delicate
profile, as she stopped over the glowing en-
bers Induced him to change his mind,
and stepping quietly over the threshold, he
dropped the screen behind him with an en-
ergy and goodwill which seemed to indi-
cate that instead of his premeditated flight,
he had made up his mind to accept with
good grace, and perhaps even to enjoy, Tins
unexpected addition to his society. The
sound of the falling mat warned Nellie of
the advent of u stranger, and, crimson with
shame and fear, she stood up to receive him.
He gazed upon her steadily, the half-feehng
of annoyance, still visible ON his clouded
brow, yielding gradually to n look of intense
but reverent admiration, and removing his
tisherman's cap from his head, he bowed
courteously. and said in English:
Good save all here, and hundred thou
sand welcomes also, if, as l apprehend, you
are fugitives like myself from tyranny and
Injustice.
There was an Undesirable tact and cour-
tesS III the way i'll which he combined this
announcement of his being the master of
the hut with a frank and ready welcome to
ms ms unknown visitants, which made Nellie
reel at once that she had to do, not only
with a man of gentle birth, but of high and
polshed breeding also. Yet this fact seemed
loL me moment rather to add to her diff
Guilty cut than to decrease it, and secretly wish
ing mat the fish could be made, by some
in'ls'cai process, to disappear from the en-
bers upon which it was comfortably broil-
| ing, she placed herself as much az she could