Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-09-27
GEORGE.


two, or any darker at noon, for there had been
fog all day-heavy, impenetrable, yellow.
An express train was on the point of starting,
and young man stood at the door OF the COM
partment In which he had already chosen MS
seat. He was waiting till the last moment, as
young men will wait. Shadowy ghosts moved
fam1lias doomed through 1t ogrewise, gesticu-
latlng vehemently to his womenkind. who fiut-
tered h1ther and thlther like large bats.
Ghostly doors stood open, and shadows fitted
IN and out OF ghostly Carriages. Every now and
then phantom truck rushed by and scattered
other pha1toms. Everywnere confusion, fog
gaslight, opposite to which our young traveller
was standing, behold vtsionl beautiful
him, her face bright with a look Of recognition,
raised to his.
"George and never even knew you were
come home-never knew you had left Canada.
You are going down to Cragthorpe, Of course?
What fun we will have! l suppose grand
mamma meant It for surprise pGd But there, Let
will think am lost In the fog"
The little hands futtered like captive birds
in his grasp, released themselves, and the vision
vanished One of the shadowy carriages en-
gulphed 1t, for the doors were being shut now
by phantom form, which, as it drew near the
flaring gas and came within its Influence, took
the likeness Of human railway guard.
Now, then, sir, times up
Our hero entered his compartment, the
whistle sounded, the train steamed out of the
station. But as it did so, far from making him-
self comfortable after the manner OF travellers
in general, he left the crimson rug still I'm
folded on the empty seat opposite him, left the
pages OF Punch uncut, allowed the Saturday Re-
uietr to lie neglected at the bottom Of the car
rage where 1t had fallen, and sat upright,
staring out into the yellow fog and pulling his
mustache, until In his perplexity he exclaimed
aloud
"But who is George?"
For he was not George himself-that was
certain.
In fact he was Phflip-Philip Leigh, young
barrfster, not altogether brieless; although a
md JTIf m ltS RI
climb, lay between him and fortune. About
the said hills Philip had hitherto troubled him
self little, such gentle activities as he had yet
met having served, rather pleasantly than
otherwise, to vary he dead level of his ordt-
nary purSuit-a systematic chase after pleas
ure. But no man can court a sterner mistress
than the law. No coquette herself, she never
forgives trifiing I'm her votarieS, and was even
now sensibly withdrawing from Philip the few
smiles with which she had hitherto encouraged
him. He was just beginning to be aware that
IL was not possible to combine the merry, care
less life he was leading with aay hopes he
might entertain OF success in his profession.
The object of his present journey was to pay a
long deferred visit to the home of one OF his
greatest allies 1t so happened that, Intimate
as lie was With Thorpe himself, this was Philips
first expedition into Muddyshire He had
never met either Sir Luke or his wife. Still.
Cragthorpe had been so often described to him
that 1t puzzled him to imagine who grand
mamma" could be, for there was no such per-
son In his friends family.
Philip to himself GLOW pleased she was to
see me-him kmean" And then the idea &C.
CURED that "George' might possibly be in
fairy at Cragthorpe. 81 shouldn't mind If she
mstook me for him agatn-plenty Of opportu-
mites in a country house-ratner nice If she
were not to know US apart"
Yet. on the whole he felt he should prefer
1t, If George were discovered to be still In
Canada, or gone to Jamaica. . matter where,
only the further off the better.
on reaching the station at which he was to
alight, Philip looked out for his fellow travel
lers; but by that time 1t was dark, and While
he was finding his portmanteau, footman
had handed the ladies into the family coach
looking in the gloom mournfully like the family
hearse-and the tall chestnut horses had am
bled off with 1t into the MuddyShtre lanes.
Philip followed In fly: He speculated upon
his chances of overtaking and passing. the
their joint place of designation; but while he
speculated fate decided against either alterna-
tive. With sudden lurch the vehicle he &C.
cupied subsidized into the mud, and, owing to
the delay necessary for the repair OF damages,
by the time he arrived at Cragthorpe all out
side the house was dark and silent.
Philip found Lady Thorpe in small ante
room. She was In consultation with her house
keeper; and, probably owing to the delay oc-
casioned by the breakdown, seemed to have
Turning hastily as he was shown in, she, too,
exclaimed, as Lefty had done:-
siGeorger' Correcting herself Immediately,
however. "What nonsense! Mr.. Leigh, Of
course-but really the likeness is very striking
You have been mistaken for Captain Boland
once before Ueu6N6. WedIe Q6IS
you have found your way to Cragthorpe at
last. hope you don't need to be told how well
come any friend CT Archies is to Archie's mo-
Their"
"George is Captain Boland" thought Philip,
suppress1ng with difficulty the inclination TO
ask, sand who is grandmamma?"
- won't make stranger of yOu,' continued
Lady Thorpe s'Give yourself the trouble to
go through that door; you will ind Archie in
the library and he will present you to Sir
Philip went through the door indicated.
stumbled over something round and black,
which rolled away utterlng dlscordant yells,
and tall, spare lady rushed across and fell on
her knees before him.
my love! My darling angel! My sweet lit
Looking down at her, amazed, Philip was re.
jfeved to md it was not himself, but the snarl-
ing lapdog he had trodden on which was thus
nIe Pbips rst ndstinct impresslon was
that it was full Of tea. There were women In
bonn cts sitting here and there, and tea cups
everywhere. Archie came forward to welcome
his friend and Introduce him to his father.
Sir Luke stood on the hearth rug talking poll
tics with a baldheaded old gentleman. ''Glad
to see you, MI. Leigh. Better late than never:
Hope you'll make yourself at home. Eh! what.
Fly broke down coming from the station? Now
I've warned that fellow Jobson twenty times
that I'd withdraw my custom II he would per-
sist in keeping such rattletraps Of"
"But SIR Luke, put in he OF the bald head,
don't tell me-" exclaimed Sir Luke, wheel
ing round upon him, and they went hard at it
again.
From mis- position near the fire Philip COM
manded the whole room. There was not face
that did not undergoa rigid scrutiny from the
demure eyes so well under control that they ap-
peaIed merely to bestow passing glance upon
the assembled company. But the object OF his
search most certainly was not present, and he
deferred an appeal to Archie until he should
be alone with him. The opportunity came at
dressing time, when yonng Thorpe was him
self Philips guide to the apartment assigned TO
him.
ait must have been little Lettie Fairfax
said Archie. "She and her mother arrived an
hour before you did. can't say ever noticed
the likeness myself, but It is no bad eompli-
ment, assure you, old fellow, to be taken for
George Bolland."
stWho is he? A relation, l suppose Miss
Fairfax seemed tolerably intimate with him."
ale is native OF these parts, Muddyshlre
man: so, for that matter, Is Letty-or Muddy
shire woman, you know, it's all the same:
George was distant far-away nephew OF
Letty's father, and 1t so happened that all the
estates went to him when Mr.. Fairfax died
without son. George and Miss Fairfax were
q great deal together brother and sister after
a fashion. But he's been In Canada these two
years now
"And. grandmamma?" asked Philip.