The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-05-12

] pFOVOKlnRy COntTHuICtOTy
tations. For the last eighteen months she had
| been picturing Mr.. Thornley, to herself q
hale fresh faced, obs innate headed John Ball
sort of man, of the Sir Charles Pelham type,
| who would talk her down with loud-voiced
| self assertion, or crush her geod humoredly y
| with contemptuous patronage. The gentle
man with whom she found herself shaking &
hands was, in the first place, much younger
than she had expected, and had much more the
air of n scholar than o man of business. He
| was thin, and not particularly tall, while face,
eral grey neutral tint that would have stamped
the whole person with insignifcanoe If the
oountenance had not been redeemed By the
presence of pair of very bright grey eyes,
looking keenly out from under the sandy eye.
brows, and by the play of the lips, which
when speaking disclosed two rows of very
white teeth, and when silent fell into q curve,
that puzzled you to make ont whether it was
o smile or u sneer.
THAT little Whitley. brown grocer's appren-
tice to attempt to- rule over Us in the place of
Dermot DAILY. Pnew Thought Anne, and she
dropped the hand she could not bring herself
to shake cordially. The lady who folio wed
and claimed m iss o + iahertys second greeting
appeared to be about FIVE or six years her
brothers senior, and exaggerated in her person
the neu tral tint etfsct produced by his, that
she gave Anne the Impression of having been
cut out, dress. face, hair, and all, from au i'm
mense sheet of packing paper. Both spoke in
pleasant, well bred tones, and brought out
well-choseu remarks with "a deliberaton and
air of good sense that reduced Miss Faherty
to state of conscious idiocy, and robbed her
OF all possibility of luventing appropriate re-
plies. Yet though the conveIs alton lapgosh-
ed, har visitors were in no hurry to go away,
and seemed to -fEd-stfi -afnnsement-it,
looking about them W ith air of intelli gent
investigation, such as would have become
European traveller in Ksmschatkau hut or
Indian wigwam. They asked permission to
examine the Good Peoples Hollow works of
art that adorned the eheffoniers and chimney
pieces, and they did examine them thoroughly,
passing little family Mandatory remarks upon
them to each other, that 80 put Anne past her
patience, that she longed to end the talk by
knocking together the two neutral tinted
heads bent critically over her treasures.
Every now and then, while Indifferent dis
course went on, Anne felt that four though tful,
cold eyes were stealing critical glauces at her
self, rs at some strange, unRccountable posi-.
bly, malevolent being, whose ignorant animos-
ity was to be soothed away or rendered harm
less by the charms of superior wisdom and
mAgpanimous example OF tolerant good W i'll.
She went out of the room for few minutes to
order soma additions to her luncheon and
approaching the turret-room door was startled
by hearing laugh, actually a natural girlish
and boyish fit of Taught perpetrated by her
prim visitors, Peeping in, she that Miss
Thornley, had lifted up gaily.oolored feather
flower wreath from the cheffonier and was
holding it round her brothers head, aud m ak
ing him admire the effect in the cracked look
ing-Rlass above the chimney piece. Connor
had cracked the glass long ago, and Anne
know well how distorted everything looked in
it.
The two faces had now tinge of color and
light in them, and the white teeth showed
sgreeably, but it did rot propitiute Anne to
find that her guests stupidity was due to her
presence, and that they could be animated at
her expense. After Luncheon they took a walk
through the valley 20 examine some new cot
t8ges Anne bnildiog, and to talk to
Peter Lynch ahont the druiRing of the bog
lands o. the hillside, and the other agricul-
tural improvements for which the valley was
famous.
Aune read on Peter Lynch's stolid face
fixed determination not TO let a word of useful
Information be dragged from him by her
present visitors, even If he were TO be torn by
wild horses for his silence, and for peace's sake
contrived TO leave her prime min ster to the
ladys management, aud monopollze the com
pnDy of the gentleman herself. Ho did not
like it, and tried at first to show bis indiffer-
ence to any Information on matters of business
tba, cruIe from lady, by restricting his com
munications with Mis- O'Flaherty TO remarks
on the scencrY. and H. tnrninG h2cktn Peter
Lynch when be wished to ask question re-
spectipg the nature of the soil or the works be
saw carried on. Anne could not help enjoying
the puzzled look that Peters astounding re-
plies brought upon his face. In despair, at
last he came back to her, and against the will
of both they were drawn, by the vital interest
that each took in the topics that opened up,
to throw off restraint and talk freely. Anne
had the most to say at first. 1t was the wis
dom or folly of the work of her life that was
in question, and somehow it wss 0 longer an
ins gnifi can't counteuEnce into which she
looked up as she talked. 1t was the thonght-
full pondcripg face, young and yet strangely
old, OF deeply Interested inquirer, whose YER
dict she could not help eagerly wishing to win
for her own views, The questions he asked
showed that Re bad thought great deal on
the subjects he was Investigating, and Anne
answered and argued, and her words flew out
faster and faster, and began to take color from
her hopes instead of her experience, till she
fouud herself expounding unreservedly to this
stranger some of the most cherished dreams
aud aspirations of her solitary hours. This
was while they were Investigating the indust-
rial works aud chief points of interest in
Annes little domain peeping into the new
cabins, and measuring the depths of the
drains. and pacing the dimensions of the
potato plots won from the bottom of the bog
while Nj. Thornley's eyes were occupied with
looking we'll his with listening.
After Heightened progress they returned to the
house by mountain path where there was
nothing to be examined then Mr.. Thornley,
took his turn to speak, and Anne walked by
his side, listening and wishing that she could
take back aud hide every of her words.
His were quiet aud poiite enough, He spoke
from the calm heights of logical deductions,
and proved by well argued and thoroughly
tablished laws of other peoples fading out,
how l1aae all ADDa'a tati