The Portland daily press., 1876-12-11

ness, ner parted Ups, her eager LOOKS, and all
the beauty which seemed nothing to her.
Thomas, watching the players, thought how
much alike they were, and yet how different,
and how very quickly they had become
friends. For some reason he could not feel
their gaiety, and his thoughts wandered off
with sympathy to Miss Tubb. who had of
course been disappointed in life, as anybody
could see.
This was one of those rare summer days,
which seem to have no end Each is a life as
happy as uneventful, and its chronicle must
be tedious as the biography of maiden aunt.
Yet they are the great sumbrous flowers of
the garden where memory loves to wander in
idle hours, as the laden bees 60 back and can
not get enough of sweetness. This long day
was scarcely old when Mr.. Dorian came
home. He found his family drinking tea in
the veranda; and Miss Jeanne, who had run
to meet him like child, came leading him
by the hand towards the young men. This
father was evidently the kindest of men, for
Lefty proudly claimed his other hand, 10
flung herself upon him, and Miss Tubb ex-
panded in his presence. He had been all his
life in business, and had made constant efforts
to believe in the wickedness of the world, but
to no purpose. There were tears in his eyes
as he held out his hand to Orlando, and said,
" must thank you again for what you did
yesterday. don't know how to say-I don't
know how to think of what might have
been," and he put bis arm round his eldest
child as he spoke.
"Please don't speak of it," cried Orlando in
great hurry; sit was nothing; could not
have done less for cat.''
Hereupon Miss Dorian burst out laughing
and caught Thomas's eye and stopped. She
introduced him TO her father, and looked at
him curiously. She was puzzled aud almost
troubled by him, wondering what he thought
about so much.
ga splendid placer said Orlando that eve
ming, as he breathed the night air in his
friends room.
81 never believed in maiden simplicity be-
tore," murmured Thomas, whose old enthu-
siasn. for romance seemed rather stale to
him.
''She is like an awfully nice, honest sort
OF boy" said Orlando, with the air of one in
spired.
Thomas shuddered. There seemed to me
certain profanity in the remark.
Ill.
"Smooth runs the water where the brook is Deep
The days went slowly by, and the two
| friends did not leave the farm by the river.
They had not refused to send for their lug
| gage, and after all the place was good CEN
trail point for lovers Of the Thames. Thus it
happened that great change came over the
| family, who were converted with wonderful
ease to Orlando's theory of life. Mr.. Dorian
took holiday. He had read "W;lhelm Meis-
teri when boy, and there was half-choked
| spring of romance beneath his ample waist
coat. He now became possessed by a convic-
ton that wisdom was to be imbibed with air,
| and that health and happiness were incom-
patible with shirt-collar. He began to row
with tremendous energy, TO lead his family
to distant spots, and to wonder in the solitude
| OF his own room why exercise made him
stouter. In the school-Ioom lessons were
| forgotten. 10 added a stupendous chapter,
| in which was related the tragic story of
Miss Tubb's attachment to bargeman, by
whose side the Farnese Hercules was a
| puny whipster; and Miss Tubb herself, after
many fears of possible improprieties in,
vested secretly in little manual of training.
The headlong zeal and superb example OF
Orlando inspired the community. Early ris-
| ing, though cynically regarded by the serv-
ants. became custom; and to greet the ris-
| ing sun with shout assumed the character
| Of religious observance. To ride, to shoot,
| and to speak the truth seemed once more the
whole duty of man, and the hardy Norseman
found home upon the gentlest of rivers.
The courage of the men was matched by the
endurance of the women, who made an
exercise of hair-brushing and scorned to
| shrek at the split point of hairpin. Sim
| pllclty was the fashion and practical Lefty
manipulated her bed with so much dexterity,
| that she could almost lie in it as she had
| made it. All things began to be viewed with
the eye of the athlete 1t was observed for
| the first time that the butler was beginning
| to stoop, and it was suggested that he should
| for the future carry the tray of coffee cups on
| his head. Miss Tubb fell into feeble costa
sizes over the wing-muscles of the birds,
| whom she had previously regarded with
| merely sentimental interest as feathered song
sters of the grove; and the very sunlight,
which had been little more than caress,
gained new interest as tremendous species
| of force. Thomas alone was cold. He con-
graduated his friend somewhat dismally on
bis successful preaching of the brutal life.
BRUTAL life" cried Orlando; 81 wonder
that you can use such coarse expressions"
why, it was your own word" said the
other staring.
''Say simple life, or Greek, Homeric, hero
ic," said the prophet whose voice grew louder
with each epithet. Thomas smiled as he
recognized the refining influence of the des-
pissed sex. He was acquiring the habit of
| smiling sadly. He took part in the common
| occupations, but often moved away into
| solitude. Sometimes he was disconnected
among the eager crowd, and having left them
was more disconnected still. He lowered on
the borders, shearing little and imagining
much, half actor, half spectator, as comfort
less as hypochondriac damned in a.draughty
doorway. One eye observes .the sweeta
treacherous moonlight without, the osher a
warm, wide sofa within, but the draught on
the neck is undeniable. So was Thomas dis
satisfied with the world and with himself, as
he interpreted the words and actions around
him according to his theory of the situation,
bis tale of the hero who saved the lovely
woman from the water. So too, it happened
that when Miss Dorian, who preserved be-
coming moderation even in this new life,
came, as she often did, to ask his advice
about some book or some subject for the
pencil, he was infinitely touched by so much
thoughtfulness and courtesy aud made great
efforts not to damp her joy. At her request
he read to her in his most dulcet tones, but
stopped at the bottom of every page to make
sure that she was not bored. He received
her kindness with diffidence and perplexed
her by smiles which were at once pathetic
and intelligent.
ITO RE CONTJNIrEn I