The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-08-11
upon the plate, after the fruit had been

"Ah! my sweet nymph! cried Lady
de Burgh, clasping her hands in an &C.
stacy of delight; and then she took the
little plate of fruit on Der knee, and
gazed at it abstractedly for some seconds
before offering it to me, with sigh. But
helped myself ruthlessly. felt that
Molly had picked the currants and ma
neuvered their artistic simplicity and the
fruit tasted delicious because she had fin
gered it.
81 think you must go out now Molly"
said Lady de Burgh, in more subdued
tone than ever. "This excitement has
quite overpowered me, and my brain
throbs."
"Would not little fresh air do you
good?" suggested, marveling what the
excitement had been.
Lady de Burgh smiled family.
'No," she replied, solitude is my
best physician--solitude, and my own
grand thoughts"
''Dear mammal calculated Molly kiss
ing her mothers pale brow very, very
gently. II am afraid that talking so
much has tired you. You must rest q
little, and will bring you some flowers
and you must come out by and-by, when
the sun is low"
"When the dew has risen," murmured
Lady de Burgh. "Thank you, my flower
bud"
We crept away in silence. At the door
I turned, and looked again into Lady de
Burugh's corner. She was absorbed. She
was caressing the sprig of groundsel
against her cheek.
Out of doors in the sunshine with
Molly, felt different being. The wierd
feeling which had oppressed me in the
drawing room fell away, and. was a
young man again. talked, and Molly
talked. was very happy. and hope she
was too. She kept picking curious
leaves as she went along, though with
out interrupting the conversation, until
at last, as we stopped beside an iron fence
which separated the garden from a
meadow, she stopped, put her hand
through the bars, and gathered two dan
delions.
"You mYat put one e; Of these in your
when you gSJto say goodbye to her."
1 put it in my button-hole immedi-
ately. I would have put radish there,
or cucumber, to please Molly. She
held the other IN her own hand, and sur
veyed it rather comically.
'Mamma is so fond of these sort of
things" she said. II am afraid l am
not good daughter, but it is so difficult
for me to care for what mamma calls real
art"
"And what do you call real art?" in
quired.
81 don't know" she replied, but like
papas art best. If you ever come to see
us again I will show you the picture
room, where papa has some beautiful
Vandycks and Reynolds, and a Titan,
and Rembrandt; and the library, where
he has some rare editions of Shakes
peare, and other books. Do you know
papa?'
"I have never seen him since his we'd
ding day, when every one was saying
how delightful it was to witness the
union of two artist souls"
ibid they say that?" said Molly. II
did not bnow mamma ever thought papa
artistic. She says he cannot rise above
Shakespeare, and she says Shakespeare is
false art. But perhaps papa and l shall
grow to her ideal some day. She says
It might burst upon us quite suddenly.
What do you think?"
Heaven forefend" 1 could not re-
frain from saying, fervently. "Why in
that case Sir John would burn his fine
books aud pictures"
s.Then you don't think shall ever be
like mammal" said Molly, rather defect
eddy.
IT shook my head"
well! am little glad" said she,
more brightly, "for feel as if I should
never really care to sit in dark room
and contemplate. And yet can't help
being Just little bit sorry, for mamma
saws mine is not the highest life."
longed to tell her she was perfect,
but forbore.
"But you lead very useful life," l
said guardedly. "You are your fathers
companion and help"
"Oh! but that is pleasure" she cried.
81 like riding with papa, and doing
things for him, and trying to make him
happy. Mamma says there is no good in
any life which does not yearn over HUI
manity. Now, don't yearn""
"No," I interrupted, half amused.
"You do much better. You make every
item of humanity happy which comes
near you"
THAT is nothing" she replied. "Peo-
pie are so kind in seeming to like to talk
to me. But, do you know, think I am
beginning to improve, for never enter
tanned one of mammals guests before,
L nsxk