The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-11-09

MS lay in bed chat night, and came to
the conclusion that the case was diff
cult one. You can not always mould
human minds to your own bent and pur-
pose by simply speaking. Hence l came
to the conclusion that Miss SpHldings 5
love for my old friend ought to be tested
and tried i'll some way, As my cxpe
rience Of human nature goes, there
seems nothing like putting love, of all
human emotions, to some rigid test
But how the test could be applied to the
case in which had thus been led to feel
n special interest knew not
confessed as rolled over to sleep
that did not see my way clear to hell
them. Little did | think that the nor.
row was to bring the means and the
man The man was Josiah Blagdcn
Esquire, iron founder, of the firm o
Blagden a. Co., of Birmingham ant
elsewhere the means was--my humbl,
self.
The day after my arrival at Rocl;
hampton Jim proposed that shoul,
drive with him on his morning round
and added he Well call at Noun
Grove on our way home" Mount Grov,
was the residence Of Mr.. SraIdiug anC
two o'clock found us at the gate of 4
very nice villa residence, overlooking the
river, aud standing within ITS own nicely
kept grounds.
We were uShcred INTO the drawing
room, where we found assembled certain
persons whom Jim had not expected to
see. Mr.. Spalding received me courte.
ously, as also did Mrs. Spalding. Miss
Nelly greeted me most cordially, adding
that she was much pleased to make the
acquaintance of DIR. Brooke's old friend
of whom he so often spoke In addition
to the family circle of three, it was clear
there were strangers present. Those
latter were Mr. Josiah Biagdcn and his
sister. Mr.. BlHgden did not impress me
favorably. He was IL stout, tlorid-com-
plexioned man, remarkable for the cX-
tremc breadth Of his white waistcOat and
for the profusion of iewelry displayed
thereon.
"a safe man, my dear sir ; a very safe
man, said Mr.. Spalding to me at lunch.
"Why, / suppose his turnover is about
half million year--thc iron trade,
You know" added the old gentleman by
way of explaining that Mr. Blagien was
one of the metal-kings of England.
"Sclf.m made man too. said Mr.. Spald-
ing; "bcgan life as a fouudry-hoy'
From what | saw Of Mr. BiaEIcn
within the next few weeks, his origin
could have been eenprettyaccuratclyRucs,,d d
from the manner in which he impaired
the "foundry-boys" manners into the
sphere in which his industry aud success
had led him. lie was essentially II
vulgar man, who bullicd his sister, II
meek, silent little woman, with good
heart and Il kindly nature, us | discovered
later on
As we drove home from lunch that
doy jim was strangely depressed.
guessed his thoughts pretty accurately
for he burst ont into II TRADE against
Mrs. Spalding on our arrival ut home.
| shouldn't wonder, Rrgy, said he,
elf that fellow Blagden has been invited
down here as a sutor for Nelly. He's "A
friend OF Mrs. Spaldiug's, | know, be-
cause she herself comes from the Black
Country
Jim's state of mind, from the moment
he broached this theory, may be better
imagined than described. For the next
three weeks | am bound to say that his
temper was well nigh uncomfortable. One
evening at dinner at Mount Grove, | felt
half afraid he was going to lnilict per
sonal chastisement upon Mr.. Bagdcn ;
u feat ! should have much rcjolccd to
have sscn skilfully performed, after the
iron masters coarse invectlves against
the medical profession, which had been
called forth during some argument con-
ccrning doctors fees. Nelly's attitude
toward Jim appeared to have undergone
no perceptible change. She was loving
and gentle as before but ! fnnclcd that
Mrs. Spaldiug contrivcd dcXtcrously TO
keep Miss Rlagden and Nelly as fire.
qucntly together MS possible; and thus
.Jim's ioie-u-tcfeS were reduced TO mis-
erabIe minimum Worst of all, us jim
remarked to me one day, Nelly had con
fessed that her step mother had on more
than one occasion limited that Mr.. BlhG-
den's visits and stay were not solely
prompted by friendship to her parents.
Mrs. Spalding was, i'll other words, Il
clever woman, playing "A nice little game
OF diplomacy. and while keeping on the
most friendly terms with jim, was to
my mind furthcrinG her own aims ard
IDEAS of matrimonial alliance for Nelly
with the elderly iron-foundcr. | know
TINT most of my readers will say that
Miss Spalding should have settled the
matter for herself, ard have given Mr.
Blagden to understand that his nttcn-
tons were unwelcome and hopeless. But
MS ! remarked before, we are not all cast
in one mold and the most loving ma
tures may sometimes be cOerced br
what seems to he their duty, into self
sacrifice of the most unreasonable KIND,
and which can only entail misery in the
end.
So things went on Mt Rockhampton,
with diplomacy at Mount Grove, and
despair mt No. IA High street, where Dr.
James Brooke announced ms Willingness
to relieve the afflicted daily from ten 10
eleven n. NJ, and from six to eight p. NJ.
7 had been sitting cogitatinS over mat
TORS one evening at the Red Lion-Jnn
having been called to distant p''rt o,
his parish-when an idea, founded, ]
believe, on a quotation from an mlo
French author, occurred to me. Ihe
ouotation was to the effect that, "when
moral suasion fails from any cause &c
ohouoe an opinion. il is lawful to appeN