The Penn's Grove record., 1884-08-23

LhClLuIi "a u"It VIM, NiIhCNt t'NJ ~
parent earthly reason, adopted nissan
thrOpy as = eigion, and Vigorously
! lived up to his creed such was Hervey
Davenant.
At fve-and. twenty he had returned
| from a prolonged foreign tour to find
| both his father and mother dead and
himself heir to a large unencumbered
estate. without any demonstration OF
ioy or sorrow, he had settled down at
| Davenant Hall with his only sister,
where his persistent ~seclusiOn soOn cut
| him off from old friends and prevented
| him from making new. Miss Jane,
though ten years older, looked up to and
I reyeTenCed her brother with a blind
sort of hero-worship. Though person
| ally fond of society, she acquiesced in
all Hervey's plans, and fell into his
ways insensibly. Miss Jane had met
with a disappointment when very
young, and, though neither soured nor
blighted by it, people saw at a glance
that miss janet she would remain to
| the end of the chapter.
But. for all her apparent devotion to
| Hervey and unprotesting sanction of
| his mode of life, Miss Jane, in her Sc
cret soul, was not satisfied. She thought
| it a sin and a shame that her grand,
| handsome, clever brother should NOPE
| away the best years of his life i'll a
gloomy library, surrounded by musty
! foIios. and dusty dead bats and beetles,
and other hateful debris of animal life.
| She longed to see him married and I'LL
ing his proper place in society, and,
not venturing to openly express her
| wishes, set numerous little traps to
catch his unsuspecting and unwary af-
f%ections. But, though Miss Jane fan
cied that she arranged her plans with
Machiavelhan diplomacy, they were as
transparent as water 20 the keen per-
ceptiOn of the intended victim. Her
yey seemed to know by intuition when
| an ambuscade was prepared. and always
managed to cover his retreat, If not
with dignity, at least with security to
himself and defeat to the enemy.
But Miss Jane was an inveterate
matchmaker, and pursued her designs
year after year, very hopeful of ultl-
mate success despite repeated failure ;
though the ninety ninth matrimonial
bait for Hervey failed, she set the h m
dredth with mistaken faith. Miss Ire
herne she meant to take the citadel by
storm, Never before had she gone SO
openly and undisguisedly to work and
her plan would at least have the advan-
tage of novelty.
i lady visitor at Davenant Hall the
misanthrope regarded as a simple nui-
sance which neeessitated his leaving
home for as long a period as she chose
to remain +; but, as he could generally
contrive to make himself tolerably com
Portable in a hotel somewhere, he did
not regard the arrival of T of James
friends as a very serious disaster. But
that there should be a visitor, and that
he should have to remain at home, meet
her, and help to entertain her, was quite
another thing how to set about such a
task exercised his mind a good deal.
Still, he reflected, Jane was a very good
creature, who seldom troubled him in
any way doubtless her friend was a
very dear old one, or she would not he
so anxious that he should show her
some attention. She was not danger
GUS from a matrimonial point of view
ON that head he was quite satisfied
or she would have been introduced sur
reptltiOusly, and made known to him
without warning. In all probability
she was a prim antiquated lady IN lace
mittens and spectacleS, probably with
extreme religious views, and perhaps
chronic bronchitis. She would be a
bore however-of that he was morally
certain sim, to oblIge Jane, he would,
If it were necessary, be civil to ally six
of the most Objectionable of her school
fellows, for in his secret Heart, far
down below tie cynical and nissan
.thropical strata, HerYey Davenant
dearly loved his sister
"This is Miss Treherne, Hervey. Eff
fe, my love. this is my brother" Miss
Jane said hurriedly, ~inverting the usual
order of introduction in her blind be-
lief III Mr.. Davenant's absolute suprem-
acy.
"How do you do, Mr.. Davenant ?"
The misanthrope was standing on the
white leecy hearLhrug in the drawing
room, looking down curiously at a
young girl who knelt there, warming
Her hands before a blaZ ng fire-a very
slight girl dressed in black, with pale
wavy hair fastened carelessly
with a black ribbon low down ON her
neck. bright hazel eyes, a delicate col
orless complexion. and "A sweet happy
She looked little more than a
CHI d as She knelt in the freight and
glanced up half c~uriously, half fearful
ly at Hervey, who, after making a
formal bow and muttering some unin-
teliisible commonplace on the pleasure
Of meeting his sisters friend, stood SOL
EMMY silent.
a bright imperious winning little
girl, with a half-pleading, half CON-
manding voice and wholly fascinating
manner. Efie Treherne rubbed her del
lcate little white hands, and prattled
about her journey, her impressions Of
the country, of Davenaut Hall, and
every object that happoned to eaten her
OaseryanU eye as she was driven from
Hailsham. In a few moments dinner
was announced, and, silent still, with a
gravity that was more sad than grim,
Hervey took the young lady to the Gin
Ing-ruom, and, with a politeness winch
Lord Chesterfield himself might have
enviel, anticipated all her wants and
wishes. In her widest flights of imag-
nation Miss Jane never pictured such
a metamurphOsis in her morose brother;
and YET She was not satisfied. All