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

CHAPTER l..
az ORE KEEP, situated in the
M neighbourhood Of an old-fashiou-.
ego cd, halfslive town in one OF the
" northern shires, was, about TWEEN.
.y years ago, as interesting a relic of
tho old baronial castle as that division
Of England could furnish. All that
was habitable ofh was solitary tower,
asceuded by spiral staircase of stone,
communicating at every story with
apartments which though chiefly used
as granaries and admitting only a
gloomy light through barred-windows
and loopholes, did aot fail to impress
the occasional visitor with that mingled
feeling of pathos and awe so often ex-
cited by the handwriting OF Time en-
the memorials Of human grandeur and
pride. At the period of: which we
write the old and forlorn tower was by
no meaus an uniting type Of young
Kenelm Gore himself, whose father
had been the last proprietor Of the edi-
fee which had borne his name for five
centuries. For many generations the
Cores had been failing race. Loyalty
to the House of Lancaster had. resulted
in forfeit1re of lite and land, and al
though, in the regin of Henry VII, q
portion Of the family estates bad been
restored, the new lord of the keep
found himself minus half the posses
sions OF his ancestors, and beset, more
over, with heavy membranes. The
fidelity of the Cores to the Stuarts
went far to complete the wreck of the
former. The entail having been cut
of, groves of timber we're hewn down
for sale, and the land on which they
grew was next alienated acre after acre,
until in the days of Kenelm Cores
father, nothing of the old territory re.
mained, except the landmark Of the
tower and the little farm on which il
stood. Hard by, the elder Gore occu.
pied an unpreteuding low-roofcd house,
in which, though mainly supported by
the profits of his falm, he still asserted
his rank as country gentleman. In g
desperate effort t. upaold this position
Mr.. Gore involved himself in expenses
which he could i'll Afford. Uofortu
| nately for him, facilities for the indul
gencc of his extravaganza were read,l,
| furnished by Mr.. Luke Bennett, ONT
of the wealthiest inhabitants of th'
neighboring town Of Gorton. Bennett
who had begun life as small farmer
made bis first hit by buying for next t
nothing large quantity Of clay-land
which enabled him to set up an exten
sive mauufactory of bricks. This sue
cess was followed by speculatious il
steamboats,, railways, and Other form
of adventure, Bennett keeping tn
game IN his own hands whenever tn
prospects of success seemed decided
and managing to share with other
the risk of doubtful enterprises
Amongst his victims in the latter cas-
had been the senior Mr.. Gore, who ha,
repeatedly borrowed money from Ben
nett on the remnant Of his property
No small portion Of the sums so raise'
had, at Benefits instance, been EN-
ployed in disastrous spcculations, il
which Mr.. G. re had proved ner
commercial catspaw for the unscrupu
lous man Of business. In vain di
Kenelm Gore, as he approached man
hood, strive to arrest his fathers ez
travagance and folly, and so snatc]
him from the fatal influence of Bennett
MIR. Gore, weak, luxurious, and credu
lous, was awakened from his misplace
confidence only by finding the plan
temper become at last the relentles
creditor. Gore Keep and the smaI
domain around it had long been tn
objects Of Beunett's cupidity, who con
ceivcd that these possessions woul
give him some claim to the title of
landed gentleman. Eventually, b
force of tyranpical if not illegal mea.
ures, Luke Bennett became Bennett c
Gore Keep, and was only saved tb
shame of expelling therefrom the dc
scendant Of its old lords by the sudde
death OF the latter. A week befor
the time for his departure the old ma
looked drearily on while, under til
;: stilla and stern inspection of his son, tl
walls and rooms were being dismantle
of their furniture. One morning he WI
found dead in his armchair, near th
window, his sightless eyes still turne
to the wide expanse o! country who