Litchfield enquirer., 1876-02-17


 throat; while Miss Williams, prim and starched, draws in her chair to the tea. . table. Il~- - =, :. . =. VI s-s
 Bee goes the round, waiting on them all, Tn spite of Harry's faint protests. and ) still feebler movements. ~7
 lie looks up laughing in her face. and she orders him to sit still, and they understand each other perfectly.
 Harry begins to think that he had not , the worst of the bargain in coming home; 1t really. was rather slow in the wood till that one moment when the buck came in sight: and who could say that he would ' have knocked over another as clean and
 fair? Who could have promised him
 another shot at all l? E.zs st , Besides which, he is conscious of his seif-aacrifce, the women have openly &C., knowledged it, and he knows that even ] the boys and the sportsmen were not more blinded than they choose to be. 'Mayl have little,a very little naore?" Ot course he may there is plenty. If
 there were pot, some one else might. go
 without-Arthur, for instance-shee will
 not be particular in keeping anything for
 him, you may be sure. :4s- -e3 ! as.
 Her mothers cup comes back likewise.
 Lady Gsaeme will have another, if Bee can promise that it will be quite as good as the last; and then Miss Williams fol- lows suit; lastly, the tea maker drains the pot on her own account, and with, grim satisfaction doubles up the last thin slice of brown bread and butter -' s'S's2fl
 They can ring for more if they want 1t. l As this tray was only supposed to be served up for the two elderly ladies' mod est refreshment, the little minx knows that She can shelter herself so she takes up her supplies, comes away from the tea table, and gets into the other corner of the fireplace with the utmost content.
 "How dark 1t is growing hope they have stopped by this time P exclainas Lady Graeme. anxiously. :. etT-
 Captain Blount looks at his watch. They were to stop at half-past four. It IS nearly five now ''' -,''
 Not five yet Duncan must have brought tea earlier than usual.
 Because you rang for it, mother. We always get earlier and earlier at this sea- son: was quite ready for mine "
 l 'So you ought; you had no luncheon" Pray, how does he know what she had? Bee assures him that she did have lun- l cheon
 t'What! How much?'' |. @ ;, .-ai '' 1 She had some. r y 't ~i...- ..-. .-'e4.- He shakes his head at her, she shakes hers cack at him; the other two. cannot help laughing at them.
 "H l were to tell Lady Graeme--'' He is not going to tell tales, but she thinks he is, and gives him such frown, turning her face aside to do so, as cAlIls poor Harry's veins He stops short, of course; then upsets his empty cup on the rug to account for It, and wonders what she meant? What l trown 1t was! That girl has notion of keeping people in order.
 The subject must be changed evidently; and so, ee 14yp .f ia. - ..T T,'
 "How much sooner does it become dark | here than in the south, should you say?" | inquiries Captain Blount. An honr ls lt pqte lasgg lasggRmaad2 Rmaad But this day" ''' 'ne Sn0r'ess .,9 Ji9oflous n December weather! Ton
 oonV Ton were taIkine so fast to baba that you had no time to look at it." -- 7 Ono, Miss Betty! little of the Beatrix peeped out then, . q e.s..-..... l
 Well, l,Sir Charles is delightful company; | he neAer met anyone so charming, he and in the middle of the panegyric the object of it pokes his head in at the win dow.
 "Well. here we are, here we are! You l did not expect us back so soon, eh, Janet? | No more sport though. Blount. At least l Arthur and had none: the boys ran down | that wounded buck however. He did not l go far. That makes four in all; two to ] me; and one to each of you. We'll have l them brought,round for mamma to see"
 Apparently he forgets that some one 1 else may not care for the spectacle; but | Bee remains sehind, as mamma cheerfully 1 acquieces, leaves her comfortable corner and goes out into the chilly air. to take all the interest she eau in the accounts of the chase, and hear her lord descant upon the spoil f E...i5t .--., t. -tETaa. @ ~
 Arthur comes into the drawing.room rather sulky, and inclined to be ashamed of himself; which state of feeling is not improved by finding tho other two so com fortably esconced by the ire and nothing but empty cups standing about its There never was such a house! Any where else there would have been a sec ond tea waiting! The room is like an oven l with that furnace of a. fire Why'did not | Bee-and he ian3les the bell with j. peal that will be Instantly recognized as his be- low stairs-why did she not give proper orders?gasU aasgIT .zN le .laug. ssa sa@ l No thanks to Bee;, but at 4 this moment the door opens, and the second tea is tri- umphantly displayed by Duncan.
 1 Duncan had heard the party returning afsr of, and guessed what the captain would want. i s..,..F ,,, 1sls.,-.ar t,,a ,Gt . The stranger should see that everything I was done in style at Castle Graenne. .'1 1 Alas, it is lost on Harry; he only feels the relief of Arthnr's silence, and his sit ting down instead of funingl about the room.
 Bee wonders why it IS always before other people that Arthur shows to. such disadvantage: he can be pleasant enough when they are alone; but whenever any one is there, it seems as if he tried to make himself disagreeable. g =aas as.f a ..s,z
 She has no idea, poor little woman, that the same effort, otherwise directed, robs her, too, of half her attractiReness. }ifaa
 She sees it plainly In Arthur; he is some- times vaguely provoked with the same in her: but neither recognized the root of the | evil d {A Dts- Ut@. fAa %3FJscai tsIa1H
 Thus Betty has been so unaffectedly charming throughout the day, that it is sad pity she resolves upon being so in the evening @ AZ -i- ..- ~--'-'." !; She is asked to sing, and complies; but,
 with much turning over of her portfolio, chooses an Italian air, suitable for pow erful and accomplished soprano. I Bees voice is low. and naturally sweet,
 and the boys like to hear.i One of them
 has eagerly demanded ''Huntingtower,"
 and another begs for the pathetic When ; we two parted" but she prefers''La Flor J aja, "-and accordingly there is a dead lsi-. lence at the close. broken only by the
 most lukewarm of murmnrs from Captain Blount
 Harry's correct ear is vexed by the per : formance, and Lady Graene would rather
 have seen .Beatrix do as her brothers ask
 = Nov, No old fellow. it is your turn. unrna' a4 | Oh, If Captain Blount willI She was only turning over the pages. had not fixed on anything, but perhaps she could play his accompaniment" [ Mot bit of it: he plays his own. !o Go