New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-25

BY OUIDA.

with IFS marbles and its rows of velvet collins :
very grand, but chilly and so desolate that when
they took the little Earl there on holy DAYS to lay
his flowers down upon the dead, he could never
sleep for nights atterward, remembering Its dark
ness and sOlemnity.
The little Earl was called if you wish TO know,
Hubert Hugh Lupus Aured, Earl OF Avilllon and
Iantrissaint bat by his own friends and his
grandmother and his old nurse he was called, Just
as YOU are Berthe.
fie was eight years old in the summertime, when
there befell him the adventure am now going to
relate to you and he was, for his age quite baby
he was slender and slight, and he had sweet little
face like flower, with very big eyes and guam
tty of fair hair cut, after the fashion OF
the Reynolds and GainsbOIough children. He had
always been kept If he were CHINA doll that
would break at touch. His grandmother and his
unce had been left the sole charge OF HIM: and as
they were both invads. and the latter priest, and
both dwet in great retirement at the castle of
AvilliOn the little EarPS little life had not been
boys life. He had always been tranquil for every,
for vet he was treated mole as If he were rare
flower or most fragile piece of porcelain, than q
without knowing it, he was often tired of all his
cottonwood He such little fellow. YOU see
TO be the head of his race and the last of it for
there were others of tins great race from which
he had sprung and his uncle rs priest could never
marry. Thus so much depended on tins small short
life that the fuss made over him, and the care
taken of him. had ended in making him so Incap
able of taking any care of himself, that if he had
ever got out alone IN street he would have been
run over TO certainty, and he grew older he
grew sad and feveIish, and chafed because he was
never allowed to do the things that all boys by
instinct love to do. BY nature the little Earl was
very brave but he was made tmid 10y ipcessant
cautions and as he was, too, by nature very
thoughtful the secuSion from other children in
which he was brought up made him too serions for
his age.
tached to silence and Solitude and though they
would have melted gold and pearls Tor BertIes
drinking If he could have drunk them, never be
thought themselves that noise and Iomps and
laughter and fun, and little spice CT peril. are al
things without which chlld's life is as dead and
spirtless as a squirrels in a cage. And BERTHE did
not know it either. He studied under his tutor.
Father Philip. noble and learned old man and he
and he beautiful little dresses most usually of
velvet, and he had wonderful toys that were sent
Run aud play" Father Philip would often say
to him, taiing him perforce from his books: bnt
the little Earl would answer sadly, " have nobody
At last the little Earl grew so pale and thin and
so delicate in health that the phys clan who was
always watching over him said to his grandmotber
that the boy wanted change of air, ana advised the
southern coast for him. and cessation of almost all
study which order grieved Father Philip sorely,
for BERTHE could read his Llvy we'll and was begin
ming to spell through his Xenophon and il cut the
should give up all this and go back on the royal
road to learning.
grandmother, and his nurse, and his physician, and
Ralph and Royal-for he would not go without
thcm-and several servants we'll They were &c
60 to Shanklin IN the Isle of Wight, and they made
the journey by sea III the beautiful sailing yacht
having been the idol of Rps fafher 'S On board
the little Earl was well amused; but hc worried
everyone about him by questions as to the fishes.
He very small, slender palc-cheekcd lord
indeed. with his golden hair hanging over his pun
zed forehead, that used to ache sometimes with
carrying Aenophon and Liyy, and underneath the
hair two great wondering blue eyes, of q blue SO
dark that they were like wet vioets His hands
were tiny and thin, and HIS legs clad in their red
silk stockings and black velvet brooches, like
two sticks; people who saw him go by Whispered
about him and said all the poor little fellows ran
and riches would not keep him long in the land OF
the living Once the little Earl heard that said and
understood what it meant and thought to himself
mi ! RnI h
thH there. '"0'0 "0u'" 10 'o"'0''"' - p'"' WIN
Shanklin; still, there two three children he
might have played with. but his grandnamma
Tor HIM and so the poor little Earl, with the
burden of his greatness, had to walk soberly and
legs, whilo the little girls said to each other in a
whisper, There's "a little, lOrdv and the boys hal
i9oed out les the swel, that owns l the schooner
Of owning the schooner, when you had 10 one 70
play with on it, and never could do what you liked
Here the little Earl was set free of his studies
and kept out in the air when il was fine. and when
II raned sent. not to his books but to his toys
Yet it did not seem to him any great change; foI
when lie rode James was with him and when be
walked, Deborah was with him; and when Inc
bathed, William was with him. and when he was
only in the garden there was grandmamma.
He was never alone. Oh, how he longed to he
alone sometimes! And he never had any play
fellows how he would watch those two or three
vulgar little boys building sand castles and sailing
their boats! He wonld have given all his big
His eighth birthday came round In June, and
wonderful and magnificent were the presents Ia,
had sent him but he only felt little more tired
than he had done. before; the bonbons he was not
allowed to eat, the splenddly bound books seemed
Nonsense to little classic who read Lvy; the toys
lac did not care for. and the gold drcssingcase his
grandinamma gave him was no pleasure: lac had
one in silver, and his very hair he was never per
mitted to brush himself
AS may not eat the bonbons, might send them
all to the children on the sands he asked wstfuy
OF his grandmother.
IMPOSSIBLE. my love- she answered We do not
know who they are.'
May / give them to the poor children. then ?
said the little lad.
=, That would hardly be wise dear. 1t would give
BERTHE sighed lie on this his eighth birthday
seemed very empty. -
does not everybody speak to everyone else r he
said at last desperately. The gospel says we are
Brothers, and ST. Paul
My dear child do not talk nonsense said Lady
Avlion. We shall have you Radical when you
are OF agep
What is that p said BERTHE.
The people who slew your dear Charles the FRS
were Radicals said his grandmother cleverly.
he was discouraged and silent lie went sorrow.
{ully and leaned against one Of tho windows, and
gaining, and they would not let him go out OF doors
nc thought TO himself, What use is it calling me
my lord, )" and telling me own so much, aud bow.
ing down before me- If j may never do once, just
onee, as likeY know l am a little boy but Thea
II ! am an Earl. if am good enough to be that,
ought Ito DO able TO do as like ELSE, IL not
what is the use And why does the skipper say
always to me- Your lordsbip is owner here "P
ana then fancy came into his little head Was
0ner after all His little mind was full Of the
pageant OF history. and he made his mind mp now
cdpse his
night. tell me, is it not true that am in prison
mo though you are all so kind to me; that somebody
Nurse Deborah thought he was of his head. and