The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-06-02


quite deserve that and other little marks OF
favor rs well, perhaps, II events proved her not
to have been guilty of wiling old John May
| Dard's fortune from him by those well remem'
| bered crocodile tears.
"You are really very good girl. Babette, to
| remember the mending," she said cordially,
over some important business with DR.. May
nasd when he comes in. shall be much
obliged to you IL you will get it done"
Lesbia ran upstairs quite elated with the
| few kind words and the success of her little
scheme, and forbore to scold Walter for lifting
the heaped-up work basket from Its shelf in
ing its conten Is by thrustiDg his hands into it.
'You are going to be very good boys all this
afternoo Walter and Bobby" she said COAX
| ingly, 'apd when have finished my work
! will tell you over again the whole story of the
terrible fghG at Ba'lyowen fair, and how near
| ly Your cousin John Thornley, had bis arm
| broken by the red dhaired Irishman, who ttied
to pull him off his horse"
The conservatory was dilapidated little
place entered by door and some stone steps
from the back room where DR.. Maynard oocas'
since all pretenos of keeping 1t supplied with
plants had been abandoned and 1t was seldom
uttered now by anyone but Lesbia, who liked
to shut herself in among the cobwebs and
broken fiowe pots beosuse it was the only
place in the house where she could feel herself
quite safe from the boye, who did not dare to
pursue her &C oss their fathers territory. she
used to study her lessons there, for the masters
her brother and sister insisted on giving her.
There she diligently carried on the skilfull
contrivanc with her needle and scissors, and
stores of ribbon and net, that gave her much
worn gowns and bonuets the dainty air 30
puzElipg to Ellen DAILY. There she laughed
aloud, and sometimes cried and trembled over
her sisters letters from Ireland and there,
seated on the stone steps with her elbows on
her knees, and her dimpled chin propped be-
tween her hands, she dreamed her girlish
her. II the t6ronging, brightly -oolored
thong hts could only have taken shape as they
rose mp and photographed themselves OF the
cracked panes of & lass round her, what curl.
ous aud pretty series of decorations the old
tumble down outhouse would have had, and
how surprised Lesbia would have been on
getting up from her seat and walking round
when the hour of castle building was over to
observe what q very prominent place q certain
slim, dark eyed parsonage held In all the pic
lures! She would have been quite certain
that she did not really think as highly of her
self as all that, and was not in truth 80 selfish
rs to want so many good things and SO mnch
praise and prosperity all for herself. The
bright fsnoies, no wsver' ,s generally came when
very pretty work, had rather depressing
effect on Lesbia's spirits, and on that day
there were several reasons for her thoughts
taking the sombre hue OF the dull grey ma.
terial she was forced to look ct. She had got
up in the morning expecting something very
pleasant to happen that afternoon, and oh,
leaden the sea and sky looked, seen through
the dusty, oobWebby glass panes! How melan-
oholy the wind sounded, and the flap, flap of
of the unframed briar-rose branches against
young Days parted last night At the garden
gate, she had said to herself that she would
enjoy one more merry Day with her friends.
WAS coming, but the rain had cheated her of
her respite. OF oourse there would be fne
days after this. Even at Whitecliffe it could
not rain forever, and she and Ellen and Connor
wond walk and sail again together but it
would not be quite the same as it had been.
1t never was the same in party when one
member of it had gone away. Mr. Pelham
Dsly's departure was the beginning of the
break u of all that had made this summer 30
different from every other. The end would
come very soon. Other people lett Whitecliffe
when the dreary autumn and wild winter days
set in, but she, Lesbia, had to stay there
always. TIE Days would go certainly. The
house opposite would be shut up, or some
stupid people would take it, and she would
walk down the parade or along the sands
with Bobby and Watty. when there would be
no possibility Of these three hgures looming
upon her in the distance, whose approach
changed the dullest and most monotonous
walk into something fresh and pleasant. She
might never again hear word about them
through all her life, or perhaps some day DIR.
Maynard would read the marriage of one of
them from the newspaper at breakfast and say
to his wife, THAT Mr.. Pelham DAILY, who has
made such grand marriage, must surely be
the eldest brother of the young lady who once,
q good many years ago, took q sort of fancy to
Lesba." That would be the way they would
put IL, ana InAG WOulQ Do tD6 CTubns OnBoRoS
would come to others, bat she must 60 on liv-
ing jast here, through long summers when the
parade wRs hot and crowded with strangers
who never came to be friend and through
windy winters when the place was desert,
teaching Bobby aud Wstty, and darning their
socks on rainy days among the broken flower
pots till-till-she was thirty perhaps, or even
forty, and had deep hollows under her eyes
and grey streaks in her hair, and had grown
silent and sour-iookiug like the Miss John
stones next door. Lesbia could not bear the
- aAa had ant
lon ger, it was too dreadful she snatohed the
sock she darnng from her hand with q
childish gesture of despair, and, turning round,
threw her arms on the upper step of the flight
she was sitting on, and, leaning her forehead
against them, grosned aloud. Down fell the
work basket by her side, hopping from step
to step in its fall, and scattering it's miscel-
lsneous contents all around. Lesbia spranG
up to arrest it's progress, and there, staring her
in the face on the top of pile of stockings,
lay the two letters Walter had kept back in
the morning. She seized them with a ory of
joy, hardly caring to consider how they came
to be there, and tore open the uppermost en-