Litchfield enquirer., 1876-04-27

al appearance The expresSiOn IS strong one, but it suits the case.
 He went away from the ball in Blanche wake, and when he reached his apartment he found that his valet had package oi English letters ready for him. He sent the yawnine Frenchman to bed ,kindledhie ameershAum, and sat down to read the sepisties, though he knew in advance what they contained. .,1g g-- 4- 5s.z s-f He opened the first letter; it was from his maternal parent. He read few lines, threw it duwn, and opened the others laWyers' letters. When he had devoured the whole and taken in their meaning, he sat and stared straight before him, as dag ed as . man that has been rapped on the head with club. ''
 Two strong, vigorous Britons had pass cd apddenIy. out of this vond-Lord Er1eAdi1e, ih-the prime ofiife, from an attack of funaristocratie erysipelas; Charles .Willoughby, his heir, by the upsetting of sasail boat in the Bay of Naples; and Harry Vane was the possessor of the lofty title and rent-roll that nobody but Miss Burdett-Coutts or royal duke could equal.
 The family wrote to urge speedy re- turn; the dowager wrote to beg her son to remember what was due to his ancestors, aud poE remain loDger among those dread ful Yankees "a soiourn of which she had never approved. She trusted, in words heavily underlined, that he had been gull ty-of no -nonsense: had not allowed him. self to become embarrassed by any of the sntanglements against which she so often warned him. Thea some fine sentences about the claims of position and the fact that noblesse obtige.a Toward theel ,sea bit of informagion, casually thrown in, to the effect that Lady Alicia Langdon was ill the neighborhOod, quste. we'll, and smore lovely than ever. e1 .26-~r sa
 Sir Harry-no, Lord Ernescliffe--read his letters and went straight do.n into the comfortable place ventured to name. But deep as hs went, he held fast to the one course which he knew was right. v He agreed with his mother that s''sottesse O6tgge fbat tAe proyerlg had R different sig1lfcation to his mind afroin that which she had gfEsn it.ss SB = raH H
 When skhe day dawned z he burned a lock Iof schsstnut halr that had lain for a year next his heart, destroyed a score of tiny billets.which he had treasured- -oh. soscafefully and so long !-threw back the curtains, let the sun stream in, F and 1wel- comed as best he might the life thatstretch- ed before him. a
 The door of the great red room opened; ;; Blanche Osgood entered noiselessly and walked toward him. He rose, took her little cold hand in his colder fingers. and the1two faces. unlike as sstheY were. gained a strange sort of resemblance from the frm,determination each wore. f ''Lhave had letters from England" he said at once.
 sNo bad news, trust" returned she.
 'sGood, I suppose shall be Lord ERuaaN1iHa whoN vo hoak It meant very little to his listener;4 a title of more or less consequence wasa slight matter. ts.sTo - '
 '.It sounds nicely" she said, becoming coIHcious that he was waiting for her to speak a gE E-&EG. Ell kls1&t IA fI
 "yoa Americans have had surfeit of titles ihe observed, amused. in spite of his trouble, at her indifference. usI think SC" " she answered. ~
 He must go on: she expected it, and had aIigkt So to do. JyWell.y his lady mother ought to be satisfied with the breeding she displayed--a born duchess could not have received startling news more eelmly. hns b,t5z,-s..r .zr ..s.et s' He was about to speak, was what she on her side thought. These fresh honors on- ly made her money more necessary to him, and be should have it. She had tao itly pledged her word; there was no rea- son for going back from it; life had noth- ing else to offer. -SeT g''0n one account am glad, he began, but something ip his throat choked4 him, and he stopped. A movement of her graceful head had reminded him of Alicia. The very likeness made his duty harder.
 ''Then I am glad too" she said, with her eyes raised to his face, but not seeing him. Though you will not ask why" he continued, as soon as the suffocating sen sation would permit. "It places me in a different position. With the fortune this title brings, nobody can accuse me of mercenary motives where"
 She interrupted him so suddenly that he could only stare in wonder-caught his hand and shook it with warmth.
 II congratulate you heartily" she said, m i. voice that had gained a new ring.
 Was she q grasping little mermaid. af- ter all l2 He had so thoroughly repected and liked her-did she mean to show her. self worldly and disgusting now? fE : I've beth said yesterday that May wosla bea pleasant month, r he answered
 ..But you ought to go at once," she ex- OASAA4SAS 4CA AoOS AA5AtOo uP WAtA A P4Obby eagerness. "How, glad am Do let me telluunty." ". CJNJ~-}- G~ i ''Just a moment, he interposed, more coldly, the new animation in her eyes making her beauty odiouss to ..him. @sI l think you forget what brought me here this morning" gro tell me this good news, as it turns out.oF E1iGS 1FS8
 "But that is not all; nothing is changed by it, .o.t g., ..Ia. nH '-I
 "It leaves us where we were, Sir Harry good friends, I hope; true, honest friends" "-rrt,.s.,ss. -.,r.q>rr.,.,.
 Meneate 50 stupid that he.could not yet comprehend she wanted to keep him from speaking further =. -
 II aoni la1dsrstaad siDhj jcKS aa,d. in a rather injured tone.
 He would mortity himself in spite of her efforts if she was not quick, and she wanted him to be able to swear to Alicia that he had never been committed.
 "But I understand every thing,n said she. feeling Q glow of pleasure in the thought of the happiness, awaiting him. II don't mean, to explain now. and don't mean you to. Some time, when come to England"-she. broke of to open q book of engra1ingsS Of British beauties that lay on tho table,-'.you 4hall help me to renew my acquaintance with the origi- nal of this. U IE5I:D <9[& cI9
 He looked at the page to which she pointed It was the portrait of Lady Alicia Aang0Ons ass8-t-s7 RgES hs2 s718 ~H elSg !
 He began to stammer with true amasl culine awkwardness. She put up her finger ts.sl, ,sIa asisr,,ss ; ,,,.sss. : s..r 1
 My dear friend" she said earnestly. eff you were my own brother, could not be more glad and thankful--doa believe thati It was what always wanted. If l had only known how to manage it.
 Her sentence was not very clear, but he understood it-understood, too, that she just realized how welcome this escape wal to her, He remembered her face yester day, when the returned traveller met them he cOmprehended that he himself, wheth. Nallnd Sir uaprv To~1