The St. Cloud journal., 1870-12-22

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ferosly At his antagonist, aud relieved
.his feelings by the exclamation '"Ruf.
'ilan"a But the Besnetts were not sor-
~ at heart when tho remonstrances
and personal interposit,on of Skelton
gave them poor excuse for retiring
from the spot, with muttered threats
against Kenetm! He waited calmly
until it was plain that all intention of
making repr;sals was abandoned, then,
with light and significant laugh, took
his way back to Gorton.
= Kenclm, however; paid dearly for
bis impetuoslty. He had applied for
the -mastership Of the Gortou Free
School, which had recently been vacat-
ed. The Office, however, was in the
gift Of the Corporation, amongst the
members of which Benefits influence
was great, and their choice devolved
upoo: another applicant. A most un-
fsir account Of young Goro's assault up
|on Marmaduke Bennett was put into
circulation. The star Of the elder Ben
nett was now in the ascendant at Cor:
ton, and his hostility foiled the efforts
which Kene|m made, as a new resource,
to obtain pupils in the town aud neigh
borhood.: Bad as the young mans
prospects now were, their bitterness
was increased BY one special circum-
stance. He had lately been betr"thed
| to:a young lady Of the name:of Digby,
who resided With her. mother in the
outskirts Of Gorton, Mrs. Digby, the
widow ofan officer who; had died in
necessitous circumstances, vas only pro-
stecte1s from want by the triding inter.
est of, !. legacy to. her daughter and by
an allowance from her bachelor brother,
who, to2the .oaagrin Of his family, had
embarked in trade, and whose destiny
had many years since called him to the
United States. y, Kenelm had hoped
that, in the event cf his gaining the
vacant mastership, Catherine would at
once have married him, and that they
would have struggled on tolerably to-
wards brig ghter days..
Catherine Digby, indeed, at nine
teen, possessed attractions, both OF
person and character, which might we'll
have justified devotion as ardent
even as that of Kenelm. IF her claims
to peefect beauty might in one or two
respects have been impeached, the
charm of her expression and the grace
Of her form and bearing we're as unde.
niable as her clear. moral percep-
ton and ~frmness, these qualities be.
ing SO happily blended with woman
ly tact and tendernesst hat her decis.
ion atill wore the sir, of gentleness and
her sweetness that Of dignity: She, pos.
sessed, moreover, a cultivated mind and
no small degree Of poetic Imagination
a gift which Kenelm shared with her,
and which was, perhaps, the strongest
bond bet~een them: They delighted
to read together the page that brought
home to them what was grand and
lovely in nature or noble and tender in
humanity. Honour and sacrifice en-,
tered largely into the ideals Of both
but 10 GATHERINGS humber and unsel6sh
character the love of thc'tair and good
deepeued into religious conviction and
unconsciously expressed itself in dali,
cats of kindness and use. With Kenelm
on the other hand, pride was too strong
an element for selfforgettulness. HI
could make sacrifices, for his effection.
were intense and his disposition gener
Gus but he bore his virtues, so tt
speak, as an illustration of the cbival
Try of the Cores, anda recoilel from
meanness and wrong even less bacaus'
J.; tconscieuce forbade them than because
Gore could not stoop to:thcm:: More
over, though capable; where his feel
iugs were: coucerned,oof showing tn
greatest devotion, she.jsalously elaine:
the same in return: Still, the harshc
impulses Of his character were, in gen
erel; sobaaed by the influence Of Cath
crime: and it was, perhaps, her chic
weakness that, while sympathisiug viii
her long-descendedasand ruined ssuito
! in his misfortunes, his very pride
which she would have condemned ii
: another, took for her an aspect, Of pie
turesquehess aid romance. '' :.
, Such were the lovers WHO Wake
together one: May evening in>tke Gorto1
lanes, shortly after Keuelm's not IN
provoked violence had ended :. in tn
Illustration Of his plans. sauguin
though he was he could hardly pre-
: pose to marry Catherine upon bar
possibilities. She, on her part, ha
this evening to disclose to him secre
= which had for three days weighe
: heavily on her mind. She had recei,
ed an important letter from Mr.. Law
son, her bachelor uncle in America
His health had become seriously i'm
paired. and he requested, almost pei
emptori]y, that his sister and nice
, would at once como to New York an