Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-01-18

impulse of kindness, of pity for her forlorn
position, or of mere duty, demanding from
him; as bs might suppose, some such form of
leave.taking az be bid her temporary adieu?
GersldiSe knew. not. But that unexpected
kiss thrilled her deeply strangely, through
the profoundest depths of her heart. It
brought flush to her cheeks and tears to her
eyes, and caused her pulses to throb with
tremulous emotion long after he had left her
alone. When she had recovered her calmness,
she resolved to take advantage of his permis-
sion to explore the castle, of which she had,
as yet, seen but small portion. She first vis-
tied the library. where she had held con.
versation with her husband on the previous
evening; then smaller study adjoining,
probably reserved for his more private or
business use; next a fine conservatory, open.
ing with glass doors upon the lawn, attracted
her attention, and here she spent some time
among the plants and flowers, admiring many
rare and beautiful specimens which she bad
never seen before. Among these gardener
was busy with shears and trowel, clipping off
decayed leaves, and loosening the earth about
their roots. He seemed grati6ed at her no.
tice, and stopped his work to follow her
through the ferny alley-way, and tell her the
names of which she was ignorant. Geraldine
had peculiarly sweet and gentle manner to-
ward dependants, and the gardener was quite
won by her gracious address. He Informed
some of his fellow-servants afterwards that
she was just the sweetest lady he had ever
spoken to in bis life; an opinion in which all
of them, when they learned to know her bet
ter, fully concurred.
In the rear of the lower floor were the SER
wants offices, housekeeper's room, etc. Be-
sides these there were several unoccupied
apartments, into which Geraldine did not care
to penetrate She, therefore, on leaving the
conservatory, ascended to the next story, and
wandered for nearly an hour through the
spacious drawing-rooms, where she found so
many beautiful things to admire that it seem.
ed as though she would never get through.
Carpets, 60 rich and soft that they nearly bu-
ried her feet as she trod among the roses
scattered on them, covered the floors; lofty
mirrors, with carved glittering frames reached
up to the frescoed ceilings, multiplying in
their depths the statues and pictures and
gems of marqueterie and buhl and polished
cabinets, and quaint ornaments of porcelain
and bronze, and inlaid tables, and sofas and
chairs luxurious with velvet and brocade, un-
til the vast suite of rooms seemed to stretch
out into infinite extent, and"the bewildered
eye almost lost itself in space. Parallel with
these and running their entire length, was
the dancing hall, all of marble, and unfur-
nished, save by cushioned seat of purple
velvet running the whole way around three
sides against the wall, and curtains of the
same material and color draping lofty
arch, which formed the entrance, opening in
to the rear drawiug-room. A row of Corin-
THAN columns of pure white marble extended
from one end to the other, supporting the cell.
ing, from which hung two immense chande-
liers of bronze, sparkling with thousands Of
glittering pendants. One end of the room, or
rather hall, was filled by an immense mirror,
which rejecting these marble pillars and ele-
CANT chandeliers, ann produced a most beauti-
ful effect. Geraldine wondered, as she slow
ly paced the floor, whether it was ever used
now for the purpose for which it had been de-
signed, or whether the feet of dancers had on
ly pressed it in days of the past. Its vast
ness and emptiness, as the echo of her own
footsteps fell upon her ear, gave her q dreary
feeling, and she did not linger there long.
The picture.gallery next claimed her at.
teution. And here she found so much to en-.
tertain and interest her, that before she had
finished her tour around it she was surprised
to find that the hour for luncheon was near at
hand, and was, therefore, obliged to postpone
all farther explorations to another day.
TO BE CONTINUED.