Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-05-24

fe6ts cold as an empty house.
'Its fige, miss You didn't ring, 80 I brough
you cup OF tea without waiting, and I've put
can OF hot water In your room"
Only half-an-hour to spare, then those ruffle
/ to be fought with and aubdued. Never mind
Leisurely she drinks her tea leisu ely she dswdle
through her dressing. Then. when she is quit,
| ready, and possessed OF cool conviction that il
no possible manner could her appearance be i'm
proved, being always q somewhat feeble apology
for woman, she pats down an ebullient end ol
| the gTandchiids brand-new blue bow, specially
deeigned for the occasion, composes him in
striking attitude over her left arm, and leavel
her room for the landing.
Hark voices downstairs some one growing
away on lower O.
Eve draws up her small white throat. She Ii
not positively shy. Lady SHADES companion sell
dom is, and yet she goes downstairs very slow
ly-Yery very, very, slowly-and as she gets to
the three last steps, "Come along |" exclaimI
Ned bursting cut of the dining -room--his dear
CHEEKY old face running over with smiles and
good humor and enjoyment. NCome along Nv,
Just been telling dwynne all about your railway
adventure the other day and the mystic hero
This is my sister Eve. Gwynne, baptized Ever.
Ida, and he walks her into the room with his
arm about her waist. .-. .....Y. .
And Eve stands stock still and Htares for this
Gwynne is the great gray man.
CHAPTER Tv.--MoRE SWEET THAN sHAPEN MUSIC rs
And the great gray man stares too; stares with
puzzled, astonshed eyes down from the ceiling,
1t seems, to Miss StapyltOn He Is standing with
his back against the mantle-piece, and his hands
In his pockets. aud the whole room seems full to
over flowing Of him.
But it is not in the nature of things that two
sane members OF society should keep on glover
ing dumbly at each other like this.
Given man and a woman In circumstances
requiring presence of mind, which OF the two
will develop that admirable faculty first {?
The man -.-
Be this maxim incontrovertible or not, certain
ii Is that Gwynnes lips are the first to smile.
Gwynne's right hand the first to offer itself.
Gwynne the first to speak
Aud what does she do why she looks at the
carpet. gets. scarlet, mumbles something OF no
particular meaning, and plumps down upon the
sofa with bump which Jerks the grandchid
nose-downward into her lap.
"Hulloa !" exclaims Ned-not a little amazed
1t his sisters want of manners, and rather vexed,
to tell the truth He has SO made up his mind
that she shall admire Gwynne. and that Gwy nne
shall admire her. You'll break the poor little
beggar's neck il you don't take care. This is tie
grandchild. .Gwynne," seizing him up by the skin
of his back, and exhibiting him IN cOnspectu
onlniu'H. Eve thinks he looks like those ex-
ceedng detected and para'ytic golden sheep,
which you may see strung up by their middles
on rural publicans sign-post now and then.
The grandchild " echoes Mr.. Gwynne curl
ousy. "These are odd people, these Stapyltons
what with their clipped heads, and superabund-
ant ruilles and democratic rationalistio revolu-
tioniZing theories Ned has been hitting out at
his pct dummies in the train, and their four-leg-
ged descendants. Your grandchild2" mo p
says Eve, jumping up and snatching him out OF
his tormentor's clutches 'minel" and her face
Is ruddiar than the cherry. II am the mother
of his parents
"To make matters trifle clearer to tho ord'u-
ary comprehension" obse yes Ned dryly 1--WE
used to have a very handsome pair OF retrievers,
but when bread and cheese became difficulty
L sold them both to a friend OF mine, and this is
ono Of the last litter Of pups"
''Ah !" signs Eve, her eyes out of window,
seeing two dear, beautiful black faces in the
evergreens. Il thought my heart must break
when said goodbye to the Cockaloo."
(which was that p inquiries Gwynne, delib
eratey seating himself beside her and stretching
out one lohg gray leg half across the hearthrug.
"The papa 2"
'Yes, she says, and she smiles round at him
slowly out Of her great shy eyes, just the witch
smiled who led him such dance only yesterday
afternoon ''he WAS my darlirg, my best OF dogs
could never be 30 fond Of anything again as 1
was of him !"
"Oh yes, you could,'' laughs Ned ''none OF
your hypocrisy, Miss Eyerilda. Recollect the
mystic hero, Blaek-farouche--bruta A Hercu-
les with the temper OF Nero, tearing railway
trains in pieces az more moderate mortals tear
sheet of paper ON Lord Shaftesbury's arguments
Eating fire aud splitting it out again in the form
of locomotives. God bless me think l see
him now; nice sort Of brother-in-law-eh,
GWynne 7" and Ned catches himself by the knees
aud roars with laughter, and Gwynne roars, too;
and Eve sits very bolt upright and does the dis
embodied spirit by its native hearth.
'Shall take off the covers, sir ?"
The tilleted soles are good and the leg OF NUT
ton is roasted to q turn, and the wonderful pyra-
mid Of asters reared in the middle of the table
purple, and pink, and creamy white-round
off awkward corners, aud do to gaze at vRcuous-
ly in the pauses Of the conversation.
For there are pauses
You cannot dream OF person for three nights
and two days-ihe said person being as remote
from your individual sphere as Arcturus il from
o. ion--and then suddenly ind yourself eating
your daily bread in their company, and talk quite
as g'ibly Of outside life, as you would were the
legal mpediment, or tine man who helps you TO
sherry, dear Flo's bridegroom elect.
Nature will have her way now and then, and
nature has her way now in tying the tongues Of
Eve Stapylton and Arnot Gwynne, as they thus
sit at meat together.
Not that they are entirely silent. Eve has
seen too much OF the Wrentham world, and Arnut
too much OF the great wide world for that. Ne;
they do talk about music, aud new plays and
new books. There is a spice of Dlrwini5m in
the mental structure OF Mr.. Gwynne, little az he
possesses in common with the eparent ape. This
notice to be not uncommon accident but in
all they say there s a sort of reference to things
undreamed-of by poor sober Ned
away at his turnips and gravy and
heavy feed generally aud now and then their
eyes will meet, not very often they are shy of
looking at each other, these two who have faced
death together, in way scarcely calculated to
materially assist in the elaboration of polite YER
biage.
Dinner over, and the dessert on the table, with
a bottle OF good Bordeaux-well, the bottle of
good Bordeaux on the table-it becomes ques-
ton, "qLe taire?'
''sing US song, Eye2" says Ned.
She is obedient. For the last twelve months
of her life she has lived at the beck and call of
''ifs" and lands" about doing the bidding of the
goes and sings and the song she sings is Mendels.
sohn'A Parting" and then she plays that dream
lest Of Chopin's valses, the one in minor, and
that most exqu site of Chopins nocturne's, No
2, of the three called "Murmures de la Seine,"
and then
Cant one go for walk ?" says GSynne, in
low, desireful voice.
Ned is sound asleep on the highly cslendered
chintz sofa, the grandchild cured up in his lap.
Oh. supinest, most intolerably dull Of brothors.
Eve sits silent, staring at the black and white
worries of the keyboard.
"Oume !" and he gets between her and the
twilight.
A moment or two of hesitatng. To be out
with him in the free air, away from listening
ears, to have his words, yes, an they be but the
the very poorest words in the English language
TO have these words of his all for ones swn
hearing, to have him all to ones self just for
little while. She looks round at Ned, she l0oks
up at Gwynne and she gets up, aud goes away,
Five minutes, he. with his keen, bright eyes,