Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-01
sure that we have. and,woas+ mind lending Il,

and
"ssy no more" said !, decidedly "wemust
ing up Mr.. Ducie to them" IT
He was there even while va were speaking;
he told US Of bis visit afteyward, and said he
thought Miss Wffmot q Very charming girl,
though It was easy to bee that. Hike the fat boy
long would he continue to pat my Dorothea IN
the first place thoseD Shutes began to angle
for him in earnest Our experience was that
they always managed to get what they wanted.
He began to 60 to the Cottage . great deal
more than liked. Aywlfe said it was because
from the Shutes windows he could sometimes
see Dorothea walking in our garden. did not
know. Why did he not come to us2
He did come to Us. and sometimes asked
Dorothea to stroll with him In the garden, but
no sooner did they go out than Mrs. Shute and
1.-THE Abominable, that unlimited came" but
how could the mind revert to poetry in the
midst of such vexatiOn as this?
While everything was in this wretchedly
uncomfortable state | received . letter from
my uncie-the uncle did not want to offend.
1t was rather cold, and 1t ended thus: 81 think,
John, you must now see that had every rea-
son to warn you against taking that foolishly
expensive house Of yours, but you need not
have sold your Turner and you ought to have
had ct least another hundred for it. Besides. I
would infinitely rather have lent you some
money myself than have that exquisite draw
ing go out Of the family"
1t had not gone out Of the family-I had not
sold it. and never meant to do so! It had been
an act of great self-sacrifce to let it 90 to the
Cottage for q few days, but now 1 had got it
back and would keep it. My uncle's letter made
me feel inclined to go and look at the drawing
took it down to enjoy it thoroughly. It had
been taken out Of it's frame. Why had that been
done? l at once went to the Cottage to ask the
question The ladies were out. They had
hired carriage and gone to spend the day
with Mr. Ducie's mother. They were evidently
IN terrible earnest about that affair. and It
was most significant feature that they had
hired carriage, instead Of insisting on having
ours.
''Mr Shute is in the studio, Sir, will you walk
up stars1" said the servant.
l walked up stairs, but he was not there On
the tables and easels l saw a number of water
color drawings In various stages of progress
all OF which he was copying from others
Mr.. Shute copied Turner drawings and sold
them as originals l saw it in q moment.
And he had copied mine! Or had he,
perhaps, sold the original and sent me back
the copy? Then the drawings on his walls were
copies, too, and had not such q well-to-do ten
ant after all, for those Turner'S on the walls had
been my sheet-anchor of safety Perhaps the
rent of this cottage, for which 1 had sacrificed
so much. would never be paid, and my cream
and new-laid eggs, my fruit my vegetables NV
peace of mind. even my hopes for the future,
were all to be as nothing. Letters with foreign
stamps lay on the table. doubtless orders from
the antip0das for valuable drawings which nv
clever tenant had no difficulty in supplying, and
even now his wife and her sister were tWinng
their meshes round
looked up suddenly, and saw from the Shutes'
window my Dorothea and Mr.. Ducie walking in
the garden below, hand in hand. JOY took pos
session OF my heart. He had fled from the two
Wilmot sirens in search Of my Dorothea!
We never saw the Shutes again. That same
evening they left Byzantine Cottage Next
morning two emissaries of the law took posses
sion of it. MIR. Shute was deeply in debt, but
he had taken away nearly everything that was
valuable. All that remained to satisfy his
creditors was a certain amount of Indian mat
ting two pair of fiimsy curtains, few rush
bottomed chairs, empty picture frames. and
some furniture too heavy to be moved The
china plates which had looked 80 imposing were
cracked in every direction and neatly mended
Not one Of them was worth.a shilling! Every
thing else was much tie SAME This little par
adise OF estheticism had faded away in an hour
or two.
My wife and were 50 happy that we did not
grieve over our lost rent. Ny uncle lent me
f10O, and three months afteyward came to Dor
Othea,s wedding on which occasion he satisfied
himself. and me too, that my Turner was still on
my walls. and that the estilnable Mr. Shute of
Sheffield had contented himself with making q
copy.-Belgar,a.