Litchfield enquirer., 1878-10-03

gold plate the enormous length of the enter tainment, and the extreme tenuity of the small talk the stoutness of the people; their large noses the absence of the letter <, and the sub- stitution of the letter D for the letter p-the l moral and material oppression caused by all
 thls splendid vulgarity was overwhelming
 For the Baroness was sagacious enough to perceive this she remarked that when Cyril Clarke was present the heavy atmosphere lift ed a little that where he sat there was an
 oasis in this desert of dullness where laughter ] nppled. In time he grew to be indispensable She had wit enough to see that he did not like 1t that rich wines and fine feast were not sufficient attractions to man of his stamp; that he came in short, after Myra and vet the
 Baroness encouraged him. If she discarded him, the men he had brought to the lodge and
 who leavened her parties so pleasantly, would l in all likelihood go away, and everything would be as it used to beT-as dull as ditch-Water Moreover, she did not give np all all hope of getting into society society through Cy- ril's good offices. He had procured invitations for Myra for ball or two at houses of un- doubted fashion, and the girl had attended them under the escort of a great lady whose l footman had left her earl at the lodge. But these ia 7hionable doors had never been opened
 for the Baroness herself, and to her they were
 the gates of paradise. To have had square card from the Duchess of Doldrum, requesting the pleasure of MT.
 Mrs, and Miss Patterni's company at Doldrum House. she would have sacrificed half her for l tune; to have procured her Grace's presence | under her own roof, she would have bartered
 her hopes of heaven. She had left no stone unturned to "get into society ;" she had taken house at Ascot every
 season, and thrown it open during the race l week she had actually ventured upon having frN hor 1scf1T ed by tacit consent for royalty and Lady
 Blanche Mildew-but had only got laughed at for her pains. Once she had been upon the
 very brink of bliss. Cyril Clarke had some
 how arranged for her to be presented at court | it was to cost thousand pounds in fees, &c.,
 none of which. it is fair to say, was to go into
 Ms pocket. She would have been quite content
 to pay the money had it been twice as much. But at the very last moment the affair broke
 down, and ended in very ill-natured para graph in the Court InteIgigeacer.
 Myra was not very pretty nor very distin-
 guished- looking, but she was good Hooking in- telligent girl-evidently well-to-do grazier's daughter.and would have found no difficulty in getting fitting mate, had she not had 925,- l 900 of her own, and been heiress to as much l per annum. This made it very difficult No one who was in social position to merit such | prize made any advances; the score or two l of young gentlemen who did were s'not to be | thought of, as her mother said. I am afraid, | however, Myra did think of one of them. Eff could only get my mothers consent, | would marry you tomorrow" she had told
 the young barrister: but you know that that i is impossible. 1 will never marry you without l it, so you had better cease your visits to the | lodge, which only give me unnecessary pain. !" | She was very sensible girl, who saw through | her mothers weakness for fashionable life, and despised it ;>b but she had honest scruples
 am afraid Mr. Cyril Clarke did not share them. l He thoroughly understood his position at the l lodge, and resented the Baroness treatment of
 him, as any man of spirit would have done !; | but he loved Myra quite independently of her fortune although he was not one to despise 1 fortune he persevered in his attentions
 shall make no apologies for what he after
 ward did for it was indefensible but 1 must l say that there were excuses for him.
 l A few years ago it was noised abroad that a
 great Eastern potentate the Shah of Persia,
 was about to visit England. Cyril Clarke 1 brought the news twenty -four hours before 1t
 was published in the papers, to Evelyn Lodge 1;
 one of his missions was to bring the Baroness
 early intelligence of all fashionable movements | and he was very skilled in acquiring it. But
 these particular tidings he had learned from a
 friend of his in the Foreign Office under pecu-
 liar circumstances. This gentleman had at
 one time resided in Persia, and couldspeak it's
 tongue, and he had been sounded by the chief
 of his department that very morning as to
 whether, in case his Imperial Majesty the Shah
 should come, he would be attached to his sa-
 cred person while in England. News. of this kind was meat, drink, and clothing to the Bar | oness
 ssMy dear Cyril" said she, ''you are invalu-
 able and you will find MYra in the conserva-
 tory" She knew that squeeze of her daughters
 hand would repay him for all his trouble in
 pumping the Foreign Office clerk, as indeed, it | did
 Her twenty-four hours start of the newspa-
 pers gave the Baroness quite a reputation, and
 would have made her very happy hadthe pub l lie she enlightened by it been other than of her l own class; but she was already one ofits chiefs 1 and little cared for such supremacy. AS time
 went on and the tidings came to be common
 property, she envied Baron Reuter-, at whose l instance the Shah was said to have determined upon his western journey, above everybody
 If she could only get his Imperial Highness to I take any notice of her, that would be bliss in-
 deed, and Mir. Cyrl Clarke actually gave her
 hopes of it. He thought it not impossible that
 through his friend in the Foreign Office the | Shah might be induced to believe that Evelyn
 Lodge was one of the centres of financial great | neSS ana Gndt, as SUCH, lI was "oIbn HIS WHllc ! to visit it 1; the Persian Loan would certainly
 be all the better for the backing of the Patter-
 mi and Company, while at Patterini's mansion
 his Imperial Majesty would have the opportu-
 nifty of beholding type of social life Tn finan-
 cial circles.
 | Cyril broke this gorgeous project to his pat
 troness with extreme caut1on lest the vision of
 greatness thus disclosed should be too much for
 her, and his prudence was not misplaced.
 She did not however, faint, but she cried
 like child, and wobbled all over like a jelly.
 Eff you do it, Cyril" gasped she-''if you
 bring his Imperial Highness the Shah of Per
 sia beneath my humble roof, there is nothing =
 'aOtliasg that can deny you. You have only
 to name your reward"
 1 ''Myra!" said Cyril, with his usual presence
 of m1nd
 l The Baroness turned pale and swallowed
 something in her throat but she was not one | to go back from her word. ''If the Shah comes here, said she, 'you
 shall have Myra-"
 DUBTTATION. Tslo oxvo;+o,,,oy,t oS,,cad in London Inv the ar-