The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-08-05

And shall do till our last goodnight.
THOMAS PEAcooK.
She was 50 very, very, very pretty. Ii
is hard, now that the glamour is passed
away, to rhapsodize as she deserves to be
rbapsodized about But in those days,
when I knew her first, she was worthy OF
ruy amount of impassloned poetical ferVor
that could be brought to bear -spon her.
NV sister, a widow, the reliet of re-
spectable baronet, was the patroness Of a
little living that was vacant down in GER
tain stertile spot in East Anglier. And as
I. Lady Vallant's only brother, had recent
II gone into orders, occurred to herlady-
ship as a fit and proper person to nomin-
ate to the vacant charge of the parish OF
Hoiton.
1t was little living, from the remunera-
ton point of view. But it was rather a
large parish, when the area of its acres was
taken into consideration. Holton proper
consisted of struggling street containing
many respectable houses--in which dvelt
respectively the lawyer, the doctor, the
banker, and the chief wine-merchant In
the place-and q few scattered manor and
farm houses, tensnted, according to their
degree, by small squires and big farmers.
Ny sister. Lady Valiant. oeeHpied nice,
comfortable, square, white-fsced mansion
on Tie uu1-bluc cOANAMGA0 @LOLA LAOASOA
and her nearest neighbor was Miss Her
nit. owner of and dweller in Herriot Court
-sn orphan, beauty, and belle esprit
So much gathered during the two or three
days that / spent In learning the capabili-
ties, the advantages, -and disadvantage OF
Holton.
Miss Herriot was, SO to say, hurled at
nv head from the moment of my first set
ting foot IN the parish. She was special
ly asked to dinner by Lady Valiant to take
her in to that meal. When l. in obedience
20 nv sisters order, advanced TO take the
sfasr and honored guest, was staggered
yoy seeing young, pretty, debonair-look-
ssap girl, who received my low salaam with
a mock obsisanee, and my pretty speech
with nock solemnIty, that left me men
tally high and dry, as far as she was con-
eernad, for at least half an hour.
While that half hour was passing over
our heads was occupied in discovering
what manner Of woman she was. Miss
eHerriot, OF Herriot Court, had good points
about her-so much was ascertaineble at
"a glance. But the rare beanty Of the girl
,1idn't dawn upon man at once7It stole
z1pon and bedeviled Linn gradually.
1 can't say with precision what her
htSoht was. Miss Herriot was of a charm
Ing BLaIuI6-lhn " ofOAA DSA-c1
called short, short enough to avoid being
called tan. The girl had a complexion.
100. and eyesi but what the color of these
Rhines were it is hard to say. They were
she color of roses and heaven to me then
-ofthe brightest, reddest roses. and the
brightest, bluest heaven.
And what wistful, tremElous' ductile
mouth she hadi 1t trembled with such
uretty quiyer when she mentioned her
Christian name to me casually, "Meianle
Herriotr think it quaint?- moth
er had been a Frenchwoman, bonn and
bred and nurtured Ali that she had been
the same, instead of having had to breast
all these insular prejudicesl 80,
CAN what insular prejudices2" didn't
In the least know who she charged will
what.
ssThesef she replied, sketchily; ''thest
people about here who dislike me, yor
know.
sDislike you-is 1t possible?" looked
all my unbelief of such hideous possibi
Iity into the azure eyes that were beamiul
upon me. And the voice appertaining un
to the same said, with a laugh;
Eyes; very possible; quite an establish
.Aa fsci. as you viii ind when you know
more Of bolton and the neighborhood-
: sVonder, ind6eds that Lady Valiant sutfere'
you to run fhe gauntlet OF my influence
dor, do you know, AF' Arnlitaee' ~ ina. an
considered very dangerous and defTlmen'
81, and-snd-an sorts OF thlngsf
She was SO lovely as she spoke-so love
sth her great beseeching azure eyes
! Iy. Va. INNOCENT child's mouth, and he
and her s consptexion. That dinner wa
rich roseate - v.lRnd to me. Even now
q phase of fan Ii see the table CLEAN
looking back upol. - slVsr and glass that
Ing with glitter of b. @ther dinner-tabl
supernatural, since no . 3 y since, in m
ever CLEANED SO before, G-z5@.s.sfs q
ewes. And u
1t was a phase of fairy-land. ~mG
all the pleasures of elfdom must be
compared with the magnitude of my bha
when she turned to me, Just before my SIS
ter sienaied to her to move from the table,
and said:
"As 1 am one of your parishioners, may
1 ask You to come and see me? / can't call
On you, yon know, because my doing that
would scandalize Holtou too terribly; but
I may ask you to my house. You know
where it is, don't your
any sister pointed out Herriot Court to
me to-day from the heights above Baltring-
ham
.sAnd didn't you think it queer old
placer You can't tell me now, because
Lady Valiant is in hurry to be of; but
-zOu sllan tell me by-and-by." With that
she ~sat sa, leaving me IA a hopeless state
of incipient love and well developed stzpe-
faction.
By-and-by / sought her side 8gain, as
she bid me do half an hour before; but hel
mood was changed. arE
Country dinner parties are the bes
-sedatiyes in the world, she said to me, q
seated rnyself near. -f1 am going to asl
your sister to be good enough to let me or
der my carriage"
aAlready?"
She laughed. stWhat despairing tone
Are Won afraid my departure will break ul
the party2 1t won't, assure you.
81 want to tell you what thought Q
Herriot Court, as you desired me to do jus
now"
l.Ah. 50 I did. Come to-morrow an
tell me. come In the morning, Will 70
Mr.. Arn1itace? Then, as 1 bowed assem-
she held her hand out suddenly, and sal
sseood-nioht'' with iIl-concealed wearlnes
..Melanie Herriot gives herself very gre'
airs, don't you Think" one lady SAID to m
sister, directly the fair young guest hs
passed out of the room. = 8 -
nNo. / don't think she does, conside
ing all things" Lady Valiant said, goo'
Inaturedly. eE
awhy don't you, as friend, tell b
that she really ought to get some respee
able matron to chsperoz herr A youn
Girl like that living alonel it's disgrac
Tful another lady put in with angry empi
asis
s-4.I don't think Melains would thank \
for the suggestion" my sister said. 81
loves her liberty and independence -
has told sas that if her grandfather III
haEpered her with a lot of restrictions s.
would have forfeitsd the property. As It J
she is left perfectly free. ana, as SAID D
fore. she thoroughly enjoys and uses b
Iiberty. r-.l .,...--...,.-.-z
0Thoroughly abuses it, rather, said on
"a great misfortune when a girl Sc
herself up against public opinion, sa
-sFven with Herriot Court to bestow 81
vSu find it difficult matter to get hu
(. bs,.d. I fancy" said third; and then n
sister raised her hands 10 depreciation
tba S storm of disapproval, and told the
= ,t,sts she would not hear another Wo
against her faTorite.
The next morning after breakfast La
Valiant startled me out of reYerle py 81
IN MAJ