The New Orleans crescent., 1868-09-06
CHATTER n.-BY LAoo D'AoNlso.

1 tnes WIZ ~~~~s
CHAPTER n-BY LAGo D'AeNAso.
" Let Us go into the country somewhere, uncle.
| This is too like the Ladies' Mile; only for the
| Towers"
Mr.. Fernham had taken rooms on a breezy
primo piano, protesting always to economics, and
keeping the joke up with immense enjoyment.
He bad escorted the uDtraveled English girl
amongst the lions with praise worthy industry !;
amply repaid, as be told her, by the sight of her
fresh enjoyment. They had been through Castel-
lamare TO Sorrento and done" Tssso's house I;
they had walked the paved streets of POmpeii
heard ell about the skeleton of the priest before
his altar, With the sacrcia knife still iu the bony
tgures-seen the fountains in mosaic the TEN.
Piles and the great ampbitheater, which young
Trevor Pole said made him wonder If his horse
Gladiator was being properly attended to. They
bad submitted 10 be half choked with sulphurous
clouds at the top of VesuviHs, and had Inspected
the - Devils Kitchen" For Lucy's sake Mr..
Fernhsm had even mounted again the hundreds Of
steps to St. Elmo and San Mariino-and now he
was riding, rather wesrily, If the truth must be
told, besioe her in the Villa Resle, watching the
carriages creep on, three abreast, and the
exaggerated "swelldom F" Of the exquisites
who rode at snail's pace beside them.
And with the Fernhsrms there was the
Red6eld party over again the English
milord Charles. the little soldier, and the baro.
net. No one knew why they had all fsncied
Naples at this particular time each of them
agreed that it was odd - and each of them
sDeered at the others for perseyering idiots who
had no chance.
"lTl tell you where wen CO." said Mr.. Fern
ham, suddenly. Lucy, Wen drive tomorrow
Lucy, brir ging her sunny head so close that II
almost toucf ed his white one. whispered, Hush
don't want these men. Wen go alone-you and
And they went alone, along the coast to Baie,
Pozzuoli, snd the smoking Solfatara till Mr..
Fernham. suddenly putting his hand into his
breast pocket said, % My dear, forgot; here is q
letter for you. You shall read il here, by the
little Lake d'Agnano; it's pretty, is it not? and
I'll go away while you enjoy it. wanted to see
this place once again to say good bye to it," he
added, looking at her with odd mixture of
melancholy and Jest. Lucy, have hated suffer-
ing all my life, but did suffer here once, and up
there amongst the trees there is q memento of
it."
At an another time Lucy might have puzzled
herself little over this speech but she held her
letter in her hand, and knew that the writing was
Archer Denison's. While she read it-while two
tears gathered in her eyes. but never fell-while
the beautiful little lake blurred and its emer-
aid setting dismal mass Lucy went back year
OF her life, botting out the interval with that pas
siOnate despair which s vain and SO intolerahle
Archer had sent her only few foolish verses. bat
they sounded TO her like farewell forever. More.
over they came from Gwyneth's Head and she
knew that he must have seen the letter which she
had written to her aunt in the first flush of her
mig TO weary her. Angry that be should have
seen this angry with him, with herself with every
body, she read the lines again, thinking that she
would tear them up into small bits. and fling them
into the lake:
$50 orange and myrtle are fair for you,
And your northern eye can gaze
On wave half dark with shimmering blue,
Half stepped in golden haze.
And your cup is filed 10 the brim, you say,
Filled with life's sweetest wioe
Thus take from your hand, so far away,
sting you cannot divine.
For your sUDlit wave creeps chilly and slew
To break on a northern shore;
would ii had parted us long ago,
Forever and evermore.
" Your hair is touched with the glimmerng gold
AS the shadows come and 60;
Like memory's light on a story told
In the twilight, long ago.
From the dear, dear lie that was all q dream,
turn TO your words again;
And my heart, where sweet lay the golden
gleam,
Grows chill with sudden pain.
For the wave is between us now, you say,
Since the fair May dream is DER;
would that it had swept us apart that day,
Forever and evermore."
swell, Lucy, you have been long enough over
1t. hope it's proposal"
Lucy folded her paper with wonderful calmness
considering that moment before she had meant
TO tear it up and throw it into the lake.
"No, uncle"
A shadow passed over Geofry Fernham's face
There were few of his acquaintances and envers
who would not have started back aghast from the
thoughts and speculations which had occupied
him during that solitary stroll. Itwas not his habit
however, TO indulge in unpleasant reflections so
he shook them of, aud said, good humoredly,
p" Lucy, l wish you would make up your mind.
Here are four Euitors at your feet; honorable,
true men, holding good positions. They may not
be very clever, but what OF that! They are aver.
age. / was considered above that, and what has
my cleyerness done for mey shall go out of the
world without the regret of single soul. Mind,
am not mourning over this. My object has been
TO enjoy to the very full all that life could offer,
and have done so. The question is not concern.
ing me. however. but you. These gentlemen are
all in love with you, Lucy"
with your heiress, SIR" said Lucy involun.
tarily.
Mr.. Fernhsm smiled-a very odd smile, that
somehow seemed 20 give gnastly look to mis-
face.
"At any rate they are my friends. They are
going on with me TO Rome. / should like you to
be civil TO them."
q will be civil to them"
&" with wou would like Lord Charles. He's
very good sort of fellow. Try, Lucy. Hitherto
you have done nothing but queen it, but that cam
net go on. have n olives for wishing to see you
settled. Give Lord Charles a chance, my dear"
Lucy did not answer, bat she crushed Archer
Denisons envelope into her pocket rather saw.
frieIds. After all he had some right to complain
OF her. She would forget all about her past life
and the little cottage at Gwyneth's Head and as
TO Archer, 1t was worse than childish to wear q
sore heart for man who openly declared that he
wished they had never met.
soLucy iutored herself into subjection, and tried
to like Lord Charles. He was good. na,ured and
attentive she could not help seeing that her
will was law TO him. She wanted to get to Rome
in time for the Easter splendor and he managed
this for her. He even went with her 10 hear the
music in the Sistne Chapel, and the first Miserere
IN St. Peters, though he hated music, and couldn't
see the use Of being made mise. able by such mel.
sncholy sounds and on Esster-dsy he, constitu.
iionally an indolent man. submitted to stand from
eight O'Clock till twelve in St. Peters, to hear the
pope celebrate high mass. Lucy might have
seen the hopeles WEAKNESS in his face il she had
thought or MIN. but sne dfd not. From tire ufast
of silver carioDs which heralded the pope's en-
trance, 10 the moment when the papal troops |
drew mp in the piazza outside, under the balcony |
from which the benedcton was to be pronounced, |
she forgot all about her companions.
As for my lord, he never spoke to her; the dead |
silence OF so dense thropg had something awful |
about it to him; aud when the cannon sounded |