The Portland daily press., 1876-12-11

sUuss
Thomas shuddered at the idea of Selling
young lady by the ears.
"And now to dine" cried Orlando.
''Who is she?"
ssSheis Jeanne. Her father is Mr.. Dorian
and his place is one of the incest on the river.
The bore is, that 1 must skull up there in the
morning. l never should have got away
from the paternal gratitude if ] had not
promised"
"And what shall do?" asked Thomas,
feeling painfully unimportant.
''Oh, 1 told them about you, and they said
l might bring YOU"
"And you are hero" thought Thomas as
he followed his friends broad back to the
shoulder of lamb. Then he thought of him
self as the friend of the hero and sighed once
more over the good behavior of those ponies.
CHAPTER II.
Here's flowers for you.'
The next morning, after an early swim and
great breakfast, the two friends turned their
boats head up stream and set out for Rayn
ham Farm.
Orlando, overlooking with delight in oar
and stream and summer air, burst ever and
anon into conventional expressions, uttered
in fine tone of mockery. MAY l ask for
dancer" he shouted. 'Where are we to
sit? When do you ride?" and then with
great burst of laughter he hazarded the OBJ
servation, 81 think know your brother"
Thomas, swinging steadily behind his
friends broad shoulders, could not keep his
eyes from the bank, gracious with river flow
ers the Iris stan ling tall, strong and grace
full in the stream, or crowned with gold
among the meaner reeds; the forget-me-nots
nesting by the dimpled water; the fair,
white water-liles withdrawn slyly into shad-
owed hooks; and loosestrife frequent in the
more common crowd. The boat passed ON
by cows standing deep in the pool; by the
swan mother busy in stately fashion among
the rushes, while her mate sailed near, proud
as king and ready ruffied for war; by grand
clusters of trees and creeks half hidden in the
tangled thicket; by trim gardens and wild
hanging woods. So the rowers moved from
beauty on to beauty, with ears charmed by
the gossip of birds, and soothed by the rush.
ing of the far-off weir. So they bent to the
oar and were not aweary of rowing when
they came to the smooth shelving lawn of the
sweetest of riverside places. And on the
lawn fair girls were moving gladly, and they
tossed the ball from one to another. Now
when they saw the two young men run their
boat carefully by the old water steps and
ship their oars, Lefty and 10, who were
young girls and still in the schoolroom, shrank
back and began to whisper together and to
glance, and 10 almost to giggle; but JEANNE,
though she paused for a moment like a
startled deer and let her ball fall idle at her
feet, came presently forward with her head
up and looking with open honest eyes. She
came neither quickly nor slowly, giving the
young men time to fasten their boat, before
she met Orlando with little sunburnt hand
outstretched. ''Please let me thank you
again." she said, "and don't be angry"
The young man laughed somewhat sheep
ishly, ut was very hot,'' he said, "and was
glad of a plunge"
"But might have drowned you."
"Not much fear," he said, in the pride Of
his stength; Sand besides, you behaved so
well. and kept your head. 1t was nothing
and feel such fool when am thanked.
Now, while these two were talking Thorn
as was thinking many thoughts, as his Gus
tom was, and had all sorts of feelings; for the
girl whom his friend had saved in the after
noon was she who had driven the ponies in
the morning. All in moment he was pre-
posterously glad and absurdly wretched. 1t
was great thing that wonders should hap
pen in an age when miracles are announced
by telegram; but how might they shatter a
sensitive and sentimental man.
When Jeanne looked at Thomas, she Won
dered why his face had SO many expressions,
and what they all meant. She thought that
he was shy; and so when Orlando said, "This
is Thomas, lmy friend" she smiled, very kindly
and held out her hand. Then fshe explained
to her guests that her father had been obliged
to 60 to town, but would go back in the after
noon; that they were to dine and sleep there /;
that they might remain iD flannel; and final
ly that their rooms were ready.
Before the friends had time to expostulate
they found themselves and their bags being
conducted by servant to the house.
"What wonderful little managerw said
Orlando in voice which he believed to be
low.
''What perfect child!' said Thomas to
himself,
When they came back to the lawn Miss
Dorian was alone, having sent her youger
sisters to the schoolroom, She played the
hostess with strange simplicity, and showed
them all the small beauties OF the place with.
ont doubt of their interest. Orlando was
unusually gentle, and Thomas thought of
Una and her lion as he watched the pair be-
fore him.
Nor was the young woman unmindful Of
the shy man. She made many little remarks
to him, and sometimes turned to look at him,
with sympathetic curiosity in her eyes. She
laughed at something which the big Orlando
laughter delight in fun which thrilled
the hearers. When Una laughed, the lion
roared with laughter; and SO laughing and
talking they went to see the strawberries, the
copper-beech, the monky-puzzler. the hollow
tree with the peep-hole towards the river, the
old kitchen garden half filled by intrusive
flowers and sturdy lavender-bushes, the field
with the new haystack, and the farmyard
where the white pigeons summed themselves
on the dull red roof AMI the geese walked in
procession and tie sweet smelling stalls were
nd for bo hoo, Orlando toll
OF his admiration at every corner, out Thorn
as said little until they came to the
stables.
"These are my ponies," said Miss Dorian
with pride.
81 saw you driving them yesterday morn
ing" said Thomas briefly.
''Did you?" asked she, kindling with in
terest. "How strange! 1t must have been
you l passed walking alone close to Darby
Court. remember wondering if my ponies
would take fright"
81 wish they had" said he.
''You wish they had taken fright ?" she
asked with round-eyed surprise.
mo, no. 1 beg your pardon. I meant
something else"
He laughed uneasily as she still looked at
him with frank curiosity. She thought him
a mysterious young man.
When everything else had been duly adj
mired, the attention of the guests was called
to the merits of the house, SO roomy yet so
modest so near the river and so free from
damp, with its old brick weather-stained and
laced, but not stangled, by ivy, and its deep
veranda cool all day long. Indeed it is in all
repects what house by the Thames should
be.
At luncheon Miss lJeanie Dorian presided
with perfect selfpossession, now checking
her Youngest sister with glance which it was
equally impossible to defy and to resent, now
encouraging that meekest Of goyernesses,
Miss Tubb. 1t was clear that this lady re-
garded Miss Dorian, who was at least ten
years younger than herself, with extraordina-
ry Difference. When she ventured on a re.
mark, she seemed to plead for her approval,
and she put to her series of chance ques-
tions, which had evidently been rehearsed in
private. She blushed good deal at finding
herself in the society Of two strange gentle
men, and was driven into desperate CONVEX
sation by the eyes of her two pupils. She
was painfully conscious that new chapter
would now be added to the false history OF
her lite, on which 10, most imaginative of
biographers was always engaged. For many
years romantic incidents had been growing
around her uneventful life, and 10 would
have long since raised her to the rank of the
most heroic heroine that had ever been, had
she not been checked by the Christening
criticism of tha more nrosaic LET.