Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1884-04-03
THE GIPSY'S CURSE.
CHAPTER ".

CHATTER Nv.
"Sir Philip DARRELL" exclaimed Miss
Durnford, quickly descending the steps of
the terrace at the back of the house--for
Jennie had fled precipitately to inform her
or the distinguished visitor who was APP
preaching with truant Miss llma--"this
ia a most unexpected, most welcome pleas
urev
She held out her hand, her face and ac-
tion amply seconding her cordial words,
and he, in courtly fashion, learnt abroad,
bent and kissed that hand.
"How kind Of you," he said, "to be so
glad to see me! Five years have not
changed you, Miss Durnford; wish
could believe they had wrought as little
change in me. Your niece, whom l had
the pleasure OF meeting OH the river
bank, melted me to invite myself to
breakfast with you this morning; but if
presume-"
"Oh, Sir Philip" cried the old lady,
"you have such lot of foreign palayer! 1
wonder that you don't forget how to speak
English. You cannot utter sentence of
good old Cumberland, know. lima, run
round and tell Robert to take Sir Philips
horse to the stable. You have Il superb
horse, Sir Philip"
Giles jewel in every way, Miss Durn-
ford" replied Darrell; and lima begged
to be allowed to lead Hassan to the stable
herself.
"Old darlingw she said, as Sir Philip
resigned the bride TO her; and she would
have envied Robert the charge of him if
the society of the lord of the soil had not
been stronger attraction.
She ran back TO the break Mushroom, and
wentup TO her aunt with halEpenitent,
half-misohieyous look.
"Please forgive me for being late, auntie.
did not know how the time was going;
and should not nave been here at all may
be but for Sir Philip"
"My dear child, what do you mean?"
Darrell explained, and Miss Durnford
looked as Mortified rs if lima had actually
tumbled into the river.
"You are so wild, lima" she said
CHOW did you leave the house this MORN
ing? There was not bolt withdrawn"
al got out Of my window, auntie, and
crawled down the creeper"
Darrell burst out laughing. Miss Durn-
ford was obliged to laugh too, though she
tried to look grave.
"You'll break limb some day, child"
she said. "Now sit down to breakfast
al won't do it again till next time"
said lima, in an undertone, as she took her
seat.
Sir Philip sat opposite to her; and from
time to time she scanned him covertly,
watching him while he talked to her aunt.
aid marking every change of feature,
and every infection of a singularly sweet
voice.
Sir Philip was as dark rs a southern
Italian; his rich curly locks were Of the
hue-black hue not often seen in Italy, and
the delicate and statuesque chiselling of
his features was Italian rather than Eng
fish. Every line of his striking counten-
ancc indicated strong passions and intense
pride; but pride seemed not inappropriate
to man who bore so strongly the marks
Of gentle blood. But deep in the dark
eyes lay the shadow of the vague unrest
that overcast life which nature and for
tune ought to have combined to make
bright and glorious.
lima thought that this man looked as if
he had stepped out Of some frame at the
Pitt Palace; He seemed to belong more
properly to an age In which swords right
ed wrongs. 1t was no wonder that the
people considered him almost an alien; no
one, could be more unlike the usual repre-
sentatives of great county families. Sir
Philip Darrell was pale, slender, supple,
with the hues Of an Italian, clean-slIaved
save for the soft moustache that shaded
the resolute lips, man of courts md
cities, all but stranger in his native
country, his very speech giving, neither in
tone nor accent, the faintest indication of
his birthplace. He neither hunted nor
shot, or took any part in county doings,
being indeed an absentee. 1t was no won
der that some Of the most superstitious
shook their heads and said that some
strange influence had presided at the hour
Of his birth.
Sand do you intend" asked Miss Durn-
ford, after q short pause in the converse
tion, "to give US your company for little
longer time, this time, than you did last,
Sir Philip"
He shrugged his shoulders and answer
ed
"I can hardly tell, Miss Durnford;
have no settled plans. L am rolling
stone, you know, and shall be as long rs
live"
81 hope not.'
"Do you? Do you cherish the idea that
shall settle down and become country
gentleman at agricultural shows! MISS
Costello, you see is laughing at the bare
notion"
al cannot help IT," said Inns. "Why,
Sir fhilip, look rs much couhti! Se"-
tleman as you do"
Miss Durnford glanced hastily at her
niece; her Transatlantic freedom OF man.
ner some what disturbed the good lady's
equanimity; but IL was so free from
Transatlantic forwardness, so cbild-like
and charming, that no one could misintor-
pref It.; and Sir Philip Darrell was the
last man TO he anything hut pleased by 1t.
He laughed and said
ono, no, Miss Durnford, rather for me
"'rifty years of Europe, then cycle Of
Cathayr"
$50 Cumberland is Cathay, and your
splendid ancestral home prisonW
"Ah," said Darrell, carelessly, though
again with the tone of bitterness lima had
noticed before--"s short life and n merry
one"
al should say long life and good
one," replied Miss Durnford.
"Long lifei Defend me from itp AS
he said the words he caught fleeting look
from Ilma's brown eyes, look 20 full OF
pain and unconscious pleading that a
quick flush crossed his cheeks, and he bit
his lip; but, recovering himself, and with
total change Of manner, as IL to dismiss
an Improbable subject, he asked lima II
she would like to 60 over the Court.
"Oh, 20 muchw she said eagerly. "My
cousins say It has such lovely pictures,
and all sorts of beautiful things"
sfyou uust honor me then. and your