Litchfield enquirer., 1877-01-25
g EFrcm Blackwoodis Magazine.l
 MEMuPHAR: A FANCY.

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 I am going to try to call up before you what consider to be one of the loveliest pictures in that great picture book that
 we call the world, and which Is always
 iylng open for the eyes of every admlring
 child of nature to look upon. #
 A grey, cool summer dawn, lighting up
 with the haZy, mysterious light peculiar to tue dawn. the darkshadows that have
 slept all night among the branches of the
 trees: dew-drops lying on every leaf wait ing for the suns touch to convert them into sparkling diamonds. Nothing to be heard around but the faint chirp of new ly-awakened birds, lover everything else the soft hush that seems to prevail in the very early morning, as though the whole world were waiting and listening so as to wake mp to life and motion at the very l first token of the arrival of the Day god. At the foot of the trees which grow thickIy around it, and tower darkly above 1t, is large lake-Wykeham Mere. The marsh -narigolds and forget-me. nots OH it's banks, as also the alders and tall trees above, are reflected in it's waters, and all
 over It's broad surface lie the white blos-
 sons of the water-lilies with tlght folded
 petals. sleeping away the hours of night. Suddenly dyer the landscape, springing
 from one knows not where, comes little
 shivering breeze that rustles the tall tree.
 tops, ard even disturbs somewhat the
 placid waters of the mere, causing the
 water lilies Go move restlessly to and fro
 on the baby nipples, and the rushes, that
 on the one side grow by the waters edge,
 to shiver and murmur amongst them
 selves,-a little breeze that is the precur-
 sor of morning. +-a -f9rA
 It has scarcely time to give its message,
 and pass on with it to other lands, ere the
 clouds on the horizon have cleared away.
 and through the branches come fiickering
 rays of light that wake the birds to cho
 rus of praise, and canse the water lilies to
 unfold their leaves in anticipation; then
 few more minutes of waiting, and the dim
 gray haze has disappeared no more dreams. of night--po more uncertain fam
 cies of dawn; those are alike over and
 done with, for the day has come-the
 working-day of stern facts and realities.
 Some hours later on, the path that led
 through the park from Wykeham Hall to
 Wykeham Mere was trodden by John
 Clermont, lord of the manor
 He walked slowly, and leant heavily on his stick, but more through weariness of spirit than infrmity of body: for a tired
 heart makes fred feet, and Mir. Clermonts s
 heart was indeed sad. Only year ago
 he had. after seeking for il, for zover fifty years, found and won for his own, the most precious jewel in the world least it had seemed so to him; and now he was thinking of how once more he was left quite alone only all the sadder and drearier for the remembrance of the brief glimpse of sunshine he had had, and of how at home, in the wide nurseries where he had once, not so long ago. hoped to see 2 proud young mother holding her child in her arms, there was. no one but the week-old motherless babe. So think Ing, and pondering over the rights, and wrongs of question. the solving of which came down to the water s edge, and stood watching the white moony cups floating on it's calm surface; but even in their still loveliness his angry embittered soul could see no beauty. ''Senseless things" his thoughts ran on, ''you were just as un- moved and looked at me just as calmly, a l year ago when gazed upon you in my joy, as you do to-day in my sorrow Cold and white and beautiful, you have not one feeling in common with usi You stand apart in a world of your own, the of selfshness! Il
 ''There are some howers." SO his fam cies ranlbled on, Cone could imagine gift ed with 8 soul, so near and dear do they become to us. Mignonette, or heather even, a scentless blossom, but still there is something that it has about it that is different to-a peony, for instance But you are of the peony type, I am afraid" he dreamed on, ''despite your beauty" but here the thread of his thoughts was broken, and sharp cry of utter astonisi- ment broke from his lips and entirely his fancies, which had begun 1 to run rather wild, as they were some. times wont to do; for among the reeds by the waters edge. he had caught glimpse of what appeared at first sight to be a wa ter lily gifted with motion, but which on l a closer examination proved to be baby. 1
 It was laid in the rushes as in cradle, l safely out of the reach of the water, al. 1 though the hem of it's long robe was damp by reason of it's having ~coma in contact l with the wet leaves around. ssg.sss T
 The child was fast asleep, but at John 1 touch it opened it's large blue | eyes and gazed up at him, With many a l cry of astonishmenta and surprise, he liit- | ed it up in his arms out of its unsafe bed, where certainly in it's white dress, and | with its little close-ftting cap tied under | it's chin, it did present rather an unearth- 1 ly appearance,
 II will take thee home. little one," said John, his own grief and bitterness of soul for the minute forgotten, in contempla- tion of the helpless infant in his arms: s'for the present, at least, thou shalt re- main with us; and if in the future no one 1 comes to claim thee, why, thou canst still | stay on. and be 2 companion for little, | lonely Heather"ffA -FFEF h
 There was much excitement in the nur- sery at Wykeham at the appearance and history of this new water-baby. and much discussion as to its parentage; for although MT. Clermont inquired every where, and the nurses made no secret as to how and where it had been found, no one ever came forward to put in claim
 It was lady's child, nurse Bell, who had been engaged to look after it, de clared, because of the delicate laces and | wherewith it's things were which supposition nurse Betty, Miss Clermont's attendant, of course, thought 1t her duty to contradict. And as the days went on, and still no anxious father or mother raised an inquiry for the babe, it really seemed at times to Mir. Clermont whilst gazing on the sleeping infants placid countenance, that it Was not altogether impossible for it to have sprung from the same root as it's name sakes floating on tie waters of the lake; for, as sort of link with the past, and as
 q remembrance of how the founding had
 come among them, he had given to the
 child the name of Nenuphar.
 Little Heather screamed and cried when, on the christening day the sacred drops
 fell upon her forehead, but Nenuphar
 only opened her wide, blue eyes, and
 smiled sweet, baby smile, as if she liked
 to feel the water; and Mir. Clermont,
 watching her in the distance. smiled too,,
 for it seemed to him realization of his
 quaint concei.s and fancies that day he
 had found her down by the waters side:
 and from that day forth he took more in.
 terest in ner than ever, for it diverted his
 mind from his own sorrow, and he looked
 forward with something almost approach | inn to ksrun vwlsor1 chn