Litchfield enquirer., 1881-07-07
new of the enraged Lady Matilda and her

view of the enraged Lady Matilda and her companion.
 "Shameful!" gasped the angry lady. shameful Outrageous How dare he ?"
 Langton made no answer, but tugged silent ly at his musiache. ss 1f "Mr. Langton," panted lady Matilda. I pray you to believe that am no party to this disgraceful conduct on the part of my daugh- ter"
 'Disgraceful repeated Langton, with an astonished lifting of the eyebrows. "Why disgraceful2 Perfectly natural, I should say"
 Lady Matilda glared at him as if doubtful of his sanity
 'Given. continued her companion, Ca country house, handsome young man, a pretty girl. time, place, and opportunity, surely the result should not surprise you"
 rBut without consulting me-" Langton broke in, with a calm impudence which completely bewildered his compan- ion. s --
 Did you always ask your mammals per- mission before" s''-,. i He dld not complete his sentence, but eked ont his meaning with smile.
 The lady, with au angry fiirt of her para sol turned from him and walked towards the distant Hall. He followed her.
 My dear Lady Matilda, pray don't take the matter 90 hardly. There is-isn't bet ter fellow in the whole world than Roderick Vane."
 "A penniless adventuref."
 Permit me. Not an adventurer, and not penniless. That he has decent position is past dispute he is gentleman, and has very good prospects" s rs... =,
 'A very good catch for tradesman's daughter, no doubt," answered the offended mother. ''But had looked higher than a government clerk for Elsie'' .a.
 Langton would have spoken again but she flashed round on him suddenly with undis- guised rage in face and voice.
 Do you plead his cause, MT. Langton ?"
 II do. If may be permitted to say SO, I shall regard it as a good match on both sides. '' 2
 She turaed from him with gesture and ex- prise were all expressed, and left him where he stood.
 Stephen Langton gained the solitude of his own room, and shut himself in, to fight out the great struggle of his life, and have his blt- ter hour unseen.
 The pride that had kept back any avowal O was too shallow a pretense to be kept up to himself. The agonies of such mind are easier imagined than described, at least by such pen as mine. There is no scrap of the proverbial wisdom which is truer than that one which teaches us that the stillest waters are oft times the deepest, and those passions that Stephen Langton so perseveringly cloaked in cynicism were wider and more real than any even of his closest inmates would have deemed them.
 A knock came to his door. and, in answer to his query. the voice of his valet announced the advent of his dinner-hour He bade the fellow begone savagely. and a minute after cursed himself for his weakness.
 You ass! !" he said, apostrophizing his re- dection in the mirror. Is this your philos- ophy Is this the result of the self-drilling of lifetime, to make yourself the babble of your own servants hall, and the tool of such match making old harridan as that? What do you want with the girl, you wrinkled, crow's-footed. overgrown scheolboy? Whats the girl to you, or you to her? What quality of body or brains or heart have you to win such prize by? What right have you to cast your ugly shadow on two lives ?''
 A second knock came to the door as he finished this pncon1pli imentarg, ,harangne.
 Who's there ?" he asked.
 s'It is 1, answered female voice. ssIs anything the matter, Stephen?"
 '.No, y he answered, afraid to trust his voice to say more. 'John said he thought you were ill, :" re turned the voice.
 ''l am not ill.," returned Stephen. 'I shall be down to dinner presently"
 Stephen, am sure there is something the matter, continued the voice, with feminine persistency.
 Laugton opened. the door and confronted his visitor.
 What do you want ?'' he asked ungra ciously. .. ...
 What is the matter with you 2" reiterated this feminine Irish echo.
 Stephen Langton was tall and dark, Bertha Langton was small and fair Stephen was forty and looked more; Bertha was almost twenty one, and looked less. They differed In a dozen other things, and yet were alike in some mysterious way. Where the likeness lay the most astute observer could never have determined; but it existed, nevertheless
 There's nothing the matter with me-" an- swered Langton. Cant you take an an- swer?" ',..-
 "Don'ttalk to me in that way, Stephen" answered the lady, in calm reproof. "You'll only be sorry for it afterward" smiled .-
 ''It's only business affairs, my dear. I've been bothered lately. Run away, like good girl. I'll be at dinner directly"
 He turned away as he spoke, and walked towards his toilet-table. But before he reach ed it pair of soft arms were around his neck, and his sisters cheek against his own.
 lie sat down, almost unnamed by this touch of wonfanly pity. The girl would have ln0Kpn hnt fhara lopb iv,t tho he turned on her that she forbore Presently he said, quite in his ordinary voice.
 "Yon are the only creature who has my secret. Keep it, Bertha" I 444 :.
 She answered by kiss, and left him. ..
 Feeling strangely composed and quiet after his intense mental excitement, Stephen dress ed and, descended to dinner. His appearance was the signal for general movement to the table. Roderick Vane. he noticed, was i'll at ease, and divided his furtive regards between Lady Matilda, who sat, prim and rigid, exact- ly opposite him, and her daughter Elsie, his companion of the afternoon, who had been estab lished far down the table, with an insu- perable barrier of two county members, their wives, and clerical dignitary between them Elsie was very pale, and sat out, the dinner. eating nothing, and sending away her plate untouched after each course. There seemed to be sense of constraint on all present: and conversation languished, in spite of the gal iant efforts Of Bertha, ably seconded by her brother. is z3@ ss fH @aa
 "We were speaking this afternoon, Lady Matilda, of the maglc. emerald" said Lang ton.
 Lady Matilda remembered the conversa- tion. es@ That is the stone in the center-piece of my sisters necklace" ..t@ ,,.i.1.-' - -
 It was not stone of extraordinary size, and would have shown but poorly in that respect oesiue some of it's famous sisters. But it's color and brilliance were .marvelous:a a and it's water as pure as that of the fainons treasure for love of which poor Isaac Levi went mad. It's mention gave flip to the conuersatinn