Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-05-22
TYRAWLEY.

A large party is assembled to celebrate
the feast of st. Partridge mt Ravelstoke
Hall, an old country house about two
miles distant from the northwest corner
of Devon. The various branches of 5.ng-
lish society are very fairly represented by
It's component parts. There are two
peers, three members of the lower house,
some guardsmen, some undergraduates,
= clergyman, and lieutenant in the
navy. But our hero is not representa-
tive man; vet he belongs To a class which,
called into existence by the accumulated
wealth Of the nineteenth century, is ever
on the increase.
Frederick Tyrawley has fought in
more than one state of South America,
and has wandered for more than two
wears from isle To isle of the Pacific. A
mysterious reputation hovers round him.
He is supposed to have done many things,
but no one is very clear what they are;
and il Is not likely that much informa-
tion on the point will be obtained from
him, for he seldom talks much. and
never speaks of himself His present
mission appears to he to kill partridges,
play cricket, and dress himself.
Such n he is. however, he is an object
of interest to the feminine portion Oft
j
and handsome. as well as mysterious, and
cannot be more than two-and-thirty.
There are blondes and brrInettes, and
pretty, brown-h haired, brown-eyed girls,
who hover between the two orders. and
combine the most dangerous character
istics of both. who can wear both blue
and pink, and who look prettier in the
one color than they do in the other; but
who always command your suffrage in
favor of that they are wearing when you
look at them.
And there is Constance Baynton. with
gray eyes and black hair. And the incest
critic Of feminine appearance might he
defied to state what she had worn, half
an hour after; for no one can ever look
mt anything except her face.
Yet Constance Is sthree-and-twenty. and
still unmarried. Alas. what towards
men are. The fact is that Constance is
very clever; but as Mrs. Mellish (the
widow says, mot clever enough 90
hide it,
In Mr.. TYrawley she affected to dis
believe. She stated rs her opinion tn her
friends. that she didn't believe he ever
had done or ever would do anything
worth doing; but that he plumed himself
on cheap reputation, which, rs all were
ignorant of its foundation, no one could
possibly impugn.
There Is reason to believe that in this
instance Miss Constance was not as con-
scientious "a usual, but that she really
entertained higher opinion of the gen
tleman than she chose to confess He
certainly was not afraid Of her. and had
even dared to contradict her faYorite
theory of the general worthlessness OF
English gentlemen Of the nineteenth
century.
The day fingered on. after the usual
fashion Of wet days in September in full
country houses. There was \ little
dancing after dinner: but all retired
early in hopes Of finer day on the NOR
row.
Tyrawley had some letters to write.
% that il was past two before he thought
of going to bed. He always slept with
his window open. and as he threw up
the sash. fierce gust Of wind blew out
his candles, and blew down the looking
glass.
Pleasant, by Jover he soliloauized.
Il wonder whether it's smashed-un-
lucky to break n looking glass-I'm
hanged II know where the matches are;
never mind; | can find my way to bed
in the dark. What nightr as fash
Of lightning illuminated the room for n
moment. and he bent out of the window.
The wind must be about nor-nor-west.
Cheerful for anything coming up to Bris-
tol from the southwark. | wonder what
\ storm II like on this coast. | have n
great mind to go and see. | shall never
b. able TO get that hall door open with
out waking them up! what n nuisance.
Stay, capital idea! I'll go by the
window
Before starting on this expedition. lac
changed the remainder of his evening
dress for he had been writing in his
dressing gruwn) for flannel shirt and
trousers, whilst n short pea-iacket and
glazed hat completed his array. His
room was on the first floor. and he had in
tended to drop from the window-sill; but
the branch of an elm came so near that
he found it unnecessary; rs. springing to
IL, he was on the ground, like cat. in
an instant. lie soon found his way
across the country, like bird to the
edge of the cliff. The sen for miles
seemed one sheet of foam.
But a fash of lightning discovered
group Of figures about quarter of
mile distant; and he distinguished
shouts in the Intervals Of the storm.
He was soon amongst them. and he
found that all eyes were turned on
vessel which had struck on n rock with
In two hundred yards Of the cliff. IL
was evident that she would 90 to pieces
under their very eyes.