The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-06-30

wbelmiDg pain and despair behind the strop
gates Of reserve and silence within who
she habitnslly entrenched herself. After tha
there waslittle hope Of approaching her nes
enough to comfort her. Her face, always sti
and grave, hardened into q stony look of or
durance that frczs words of sympathy on th
lips of those who tried TO speak them. He
eyes seemed to be always asking the q a uestior
"is there sny sorrow ike unto my sorrow 7
and forbidding any sttemp pit at an answer.
| Little Lesbia was struck with O great aw,
| OF her when she came TO offer the bunch @
violsts she and Connor bad gathered in tn
garden ssd, The iD.n Large Ssso.ifo tears that cam
the sight Of Mrs. Daly's pale worn faoo unde
| the circular folds of crimp ped muslin and a
she held ont her hand with the violets. he
heart weiied with warm, generous feeling
for had she not spent the entire sfternoo,
| with John in devisiDg schemes to rescue th,
| widow and her children from poverty and de
pendence, and secure them homef She ex
Perienced Q painful chill of disappoin tmen
when Mrs. DAILY put ont one 6nger for her tc
| shake, quite ignoring the vioets, aud met hel
swimming eyes with steady, fearless gaze
that seemed somehow to take all the gIo "
and glory from her projects of protection, and
made her feel herself ss impotent o oomforte,
as il she had sunk back into being Aunt May.
nard's snubbsd companion again. There " az
not much conversation daring the long even.
ing. After the silent melancholy dinner, Sir
CHARLES Pelham drew John Thornley, into o
window recess and held whispering consulta.
tions with him on business matters from time
to time.
Ellen seated herself on footstool by her
motners ch8lr-secnre that no one, not even
her cousin Marmadnke on his last evening in
ireland, would have courage to attempt q con-
versation with her 10 the neighborhood of
thSt fortress OF grief. Msrmaduke Pelham
stolidly settled himself in the armchair on
that, if be might not talk to his cousin Ellen,
he would at least spend the last hours of this
unhappy visit in looking at her-all the while
quite unconscious that he was heapipg up Bit
h oil ~. kn.
being the first person who had ventured to
sit down in Mr.. Daly's accustomed seat since
his death, and that Connor was making We.
of consideration behind his back.
Ellen sent one half-apgry, halfappealing
look towards him as he took his place, the
meaning of which he did not in the least
understand; and then she appeared to forget
that he was there. Her eyes fixed then sslves
vacsntly on the now closely -shuttered and
curtained window recess. Bat her thoughts
were evidently far away, folio wing the Incl
dents of that evening when she had stood
there last talking and laughing; when the
window was open, and when, q mile or two
away outside. something was happening that
she must not 60 Cn thinking about forever
Now and then she reused herself aud turned
to look ct her mother, and then the expree sion
OF another kind of sorrow fole into her fate
q look snch ss faithful dog casts into his
mas6ers face when he sees he is in pain and
cannot help him. At such times che would
put up her hand stealthily to stroke her
mother's knee, or touch softly the dropping
head that never chan ged it's position or show.
ed the least consciousness of her oaresses.
Leeoia, watching this little pantomime, was
startled by the sound of an Impatient grosn
coming from the direction of the window |
recess, that in the stiffness was quite plainly |
audible throughout the room. Everybody |
turned his or her head to discover what it |
meant, except John Thornley,, who stood still, |
been, Lesbia concluded, much disgusted with |
himself for betrsying 80 publicly the extent |
to which Sir Charles Pelham's conversation |
bored him.
Lesbis had opportunity for watching her
neighbors, for no one took much notice Of her;
and she found SO much food for thought, that
The long hours of the client evening did not
hang heavily on her hands. It is elWays a |
natter of deep interest to watch the way in
which new circumstances draw ont unexpect-
I'D points OF character in our friends and ac. |
luaintasces. Little Lesbia was, perhaps
unknown to herself, diligent student of char
'oter, and owed the pleasure of her evening to
ob5ervaCtons on the change in
DIR. Pelham DAILY which had been effeoted by
he events of the last ten days.
Everybody in the house had felt the change
'ut no one but little Lesbia had had leisure of
heart to chronicle its signs and ,mment on
'nem In thonght. 1t wes not that Pelham put
himself more forward or was less reserved
ban formerly during those dark days but bis
lence no longer seemed the effect of shyness
'nd MS reserve was not, as formerly, worn as
suit of armor for the purpcss of keeping in
ruders at distance. He looked a prsat deal
lder than he had looked q week ago. He was
o busy all that evening sorting aud number.
ng letters, and eat 30 far out of the
irole OF the lamp light, at his fathers old
lgeon hole desk in dim corner, that Lesbia
ould venture to let her eyes rest for quite q
eoond at time on his face, while che won
cred what the difference in him really vac
,hether there actually wss q line between the
lack brows and q hollow under the large
yes, or whether 1T was only the new expires.
ion on his face that m: de him ssem 30 com
letely grown-up man now, and the head of
ne house. She had to turn her eyes quickly
way for fear of IN seting HE when he left his
lace, as he did every now and then, to go and
6and bshind his mother's chair, and make her :
ak to him for a few minntes (; but though she
'aS not looking, she could hear the tender
ones his voice took in addressing his mother,
nd observe that Mrs. Daily never ignored his
tile caresses as she did Ellen s. When he I
rosSed the room and laid his hands on Con-
ore shoulders to stop him in picking out q
ance tune on the piano, IS he had oarelessly
egun to do, there was nothing of the old pro-
okiDg peremptorines IS in his manner, nothing
nat the touohiest younger brother could pos: /
bly, resent. Connor, who had begun o petu- +
INT twist to shake off the restraining hands
hanged his mood when he looked MP into
alha faoa and anhokiko tod ~