The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1870-06-18

wanted to see her; so I said to myself.
There can be nothing wrong in looking
at beautiful picture and she could
never be anything more to me, since was
| not already appropriated
Ihe sentence was very bitter to me
now; | had lost all of my passive sub
mission to my fate. At times, indeed,
the elements of strong rebellion rose up
within me, aud said TO myself that I
would be free; and the next moment
there would be the consciousness of La
day Nugent's voice in my ear and paw
figuratively upon my shoulder. Mean
time L only wanted to see her, to be from
time to time little nearer to this beauti-
full, uupainted picture, where there was
no harm III looking at, which | saw in my
dreams, aud when | awoke from them,
which | never utterly lost, eEen when
Lady Nugent and my cousin were with
me. Who was she Where did she come
from? Were her friends rich / hardly
know why; but thought not; I rather
preferred that they should not be. And
yet, after all what could it matter to
me?
This was how I came back with a sigh
to the actual position of affairs-to find
myself turning unwillingly from the open
promenade into the Spa Concert Room.
with cousin Cecile and Lady Nugent 1
dare say the concert was very fine that
night; Cecile said it was. / only knew
that [ had not the least idea what it was
all about, and that when everybody was
waiting in intense expectation for the
appearance of the great star of the even
ing, it itsuddenly struck me with a sharp
pang Suppose they are gone away alto
gether?"
l looked at Lady Nungent; she was
calm and pale /; waiting so was Ceeile /;
so was verybody-waiting as though life
depended upon few shakes and trills,
and runs half note higher than any
reasonable voice could go. How hot [
was how suddenly impressed with the
nothingness and inccnsequence of the
whole affair +! My picture my precious
unpainted portrait If that slipped away
from me, saw. as L had never seen be-
fore, how terrible a blank it would leave
behind
"'Tis close here I said to Cecile,
lawfully close, | wonder how you can
bear it."
SIS it ?" she said. ePerhaps so . but
hush, Robert, she is coming on
"Excuse me for FIVE minutes" [ whis-
pered: " my head aches"
Cceile just looked at me, raised her
eyebrows in wonder at my want of taste,
but did not speak, and the next moment
was cut on the almost deserted promcn-
ade. with the cool salt breeze on my fore
head, the stars beginning to come out
overhead and the moon struggling from
! L., o1o,,H An tbro,x Go.rn
silver line across the water to its edge
and there, near the little Pavilion, which
had no band in it, to night, | saw the
perambulator, the same lad propelling it,
my picture, aud close beside her, tall,
black-c coated, spectacled,-I drew long
breath.
The stars seemed to have come down
and got into my eyes; the lamps danced
into each other, ike will-o' the wisps gone
mad and the few occupers of the seat
under the colonnade became confused
mass of dingy color. In another moment
was shaking hands vigorously with the
; Rev. Richard Penryn, Vicar of Nugent.
blessing my memory, which never lost a
face when once seen, and explaining to
the perplexed clergyman my claims upon
his recollection.
@To be sure" he said at last; -four
new squire. I'm stupid and near sighted.
and did mt remember you at all. And
when shall we have the pleasure, but
forget, Mr.. Nugent, this is my daughter,
Constance, and this poor little weakling
-
''You are very rude, papa broke In
the childish yoics / remembered so we'll
s'I am not weakling. I'm strong enough
now, if Constance would let me walk, but
she won't And I know Mr.. Nugent
quite well he picked up Topsy for me.
SIy name is Lefty, N1r. Nugcnt, and papa
has no right to call me Gypsy, as dare
say you'll hear him do.
There was laugh at this long speech.
), don't very well know whether / joined
or not l don't know indeed exactly
: what did, or said, or thought, or how
the time went. I know that once Mr.
Penryn said something about the bay,
I.that we turned to look at it aud that far
away, black spot in the ripple of the
moonlight, there was a 6sherman's boat
with single light in it, which cleaned
red agains the silver. We could see the
fisherman in his boat, motionless and it
seemed as if in some way this also had
got into my picture, and l could never
forget it.
! 1T is so quiet here" said the wears
! daughter, in answer to my stupid remark
ssthat I hardly expected to see them
1 out"
"Then you don't care. for the gay
} promenade ?" said I.
: Indeed, but do she replied. 81
like the music and the lights, and to look
} at all the people"
"And the gossamer dress" put in the
vicar g Tis fine place for that sort Of
) thing, which we don't get much of down
! at Nugent. We are little cut Of the
I way down there, ell, Constance 2"
7 Out of the world Somehow there
came upon me rustling of soft wind
amongst the Nugent beeches; the sun
shining over green lawn lights and
shadows over distant woods river, and
! blue bills beyond. Here was a sitting
for my picture.