The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-08-04
CASTLE DAILY:
Story of an Irish Home Thirty Years Ago.
tContinued.)


occupy her old place at the head OF the dinner
table and Ellen was engroesed in hearing
news Of the Hollow from Anne, that she hard
o,bsrwise with Pelham. The prospect Of re-
turning to Castle Daily as visitor had NOT
troubled him beforehand. He bad been 10 the
honse several times since his fathers death,
and the changes in it were quite familiar 10
him. Yet it was be who was the real sufferer
on the frat evening of the old possessors sit
ting as guests in the family rooms. he was
the person to whom the trial brought all, and
more than all, the bitterness that might have
been anticipated from it,. 1t was he who, in
every morsel of food that passed bis lips, ate
the bitter bread of exile and humiliation. lie
had not cared for the old home as the Others
had cared for IL; there had been times when he
had despised 1t, and after his long sb seno's in
then, there had lurked at the bottom OF his
heart o certain pride and joy in the feeling
that IL was his; that 1t belonged to him rs IN
alterably as the sun to the sky. Visions OF his
early days came back to him that evening,
with the hazy glory hanging round them that
belongs to half.remembsred childish scenes
of the days when he used regularly to be
mounted on his fathers shoulder, after break
fast, to make his morning rounds with him to
to the stables and dog kennels, and when
babyish whim of his always found dozsn de
pendents eager to carry 1t out: OF the times
ON his pony by his fathers side, and the people
pressed out Of the cabins to look at him and
cell down blessings on his head. He had felt
IL 3
then that his subjects were in rags, and the
grandeur and state had all been slip-shod. 1t
was the worst part of his pain now that the
discovery and the consequent contempt had
come later, for it made him fee! ss if his pre-
sent sense of loss and longing was punish
ment-s weird sort of revenge which one part
Of himself was taking on the other. Ii he had
always been loyal to his own home, he faocied
he could have let 1t 60 with more inward dig
nifty. At least, he should not have felt the
present appearance of the house, realizing ae
IA 5. = ls- -ANI t., 81 ks,r,aa aNf
what 1t ought to be, such bitter mockery &c
he felt it now-a Tantalus vision put 80 oooe
to him, that it seemed as IL the least move
ment of his hand would grsspit and yet utter.
the course Of the evening Pelham tried to turn
the pain out of his mind by giving himself up
to q day dream. He was not much addicted to
day dreaming, but just now the vision
seemed msde to his hand, and instead Of in
venting anything, he had only to forget. He
was seated little apart from the rest OF the
party, In q window recess of the welllighted,
tastefully furnished drawing room. B'ide
Thornley, was playing soft music on the grand
piano at the far end of the room. Anne Fla
herty and Ellen occupied sofa by the fire
and Lesbis Maynard, in her old pink muslin
dress, of Whitecliffe memories, sat meekly on
. stool at their feet. 1t might have been last
year, or rather one of his visions of last
year, realized by an enohnnters wand This
was home; his fathers house, TO which he was
heir; not as it ever had been, but as he used to
see it sometimes in bis thoughts. while he
tain little peuniless girl to share 1t with him.
It was his taste and care that, for her sake,
had brought together all the comforts and ele-
Rances he saw round him. She was on visit
20 his father and mother, and tomorrow he
was going to speak to her and tell her of his
love. She would lift up her dark eyes surprised
and grateful; low hesitating voice would
ahswef sweet4Y. She would thiuk only of m;
but he shonld look round proudly, glad to
have 30 much to offer-such worthy casket
to enshrne his pearl. That was such natu.
Is 49, t.k-, IL Tod 20
make it real, so little undoinR, SO little for
getting was needed, that, in spite of all the pain
the reaction would be sure to bring, Pelham let
his thoughts stand still BIT FIRE 1t, to contem-
plate 1t little while.
"Mr. Daly"-the voice OF which he had been
dreaming, just rs soft and meek as he had been
faDoying il, woke him from his reverie. Lesbia
had left her foot stool, and tripped across the
room to the window recess-"Mr. DAILY, want
you to como into the oonserva :ory to look at
some new plants have just had sent fre m
The dream fell shattered into Thousand
pieces, and Pelham got mp to follow with an
inward grosu, feeling as If every nerve of his
body had been brueed and wounded in the
conoussion of the fall.
Lesbia paused once OF twice in her progress
across the drawing room TO draw his attention
to objects they were passing. That picture
over the sofa was my present to John and
Bride at Chrstmas. It is o LAndseer. They
fell in love with it when is was exhibited in
London years ego, and when read in the Art
it for them. Was not luokyi That mosaic
table, with the doves, and the marble stAtuette
OF Psyche. belonged to my great uncle aud
came to me from Florence after his death. You
must come q little this way to see the Psyche
to advantage. Some people think is very
beautiful-John does"
Young Mr.. o'Roone, when Lesbia had intro
duce6 him to the Psyche Q few days before,
had found something flAttering to insinuate
about the disadvantage that marble Psyches
were under when animated ones stood near.
Lesbia could not help wondering whether any
thought of tho kind would by chance occur to
Pelham DAILY, and che stole q glance from un
der her eyelashes to SEQ if there were any trace
of it in his face. He was not looking at the
Peyche with any favor, but neither was he
looking at her. LeSbia was not quick enough
TO read the sensitive panied pride his carefully
oompo ssd features pressed, but she felt chill
ed and mortified, jlst IS che had often felt at
Whiteoliffe in the early days of her acquaint-
Ance with the Days, when Connor and Ellen
made much of her in their impulsive wild way,
and the standing aloof of the dignifed elder
brother gave her the impression that she was
80 blame somehow, and had committsd herself
to something silly. She felt Just as SIZE had
often felt then, that che could not bear to come