St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-01
UNA AND THE LION.
By E. NJ. CAMBRIDGE.


least, thought Cecil Anstruther as he looked
at his unfinished pictures, and feared to touch
them, lest his brush should carry into them
somewhat Of the surrounding gloom. He
was feeling very detected when there came a
note, from Lady Eleanor Carstairs, the wife
OF one Of his kindest patrons. asking him to
escort her to a concert in st. James Hall.
81 can't use my eyes to any advantage, so I
will try to receive consolation through my
ears,'' he said and accordingly went to the
concert.
For half an hour, carried away by the
music, he forgot, not merely his pictures and
his troubles, but everything around him too,
and only knew that his ear was being salts
fled with almost perfect harmony of sound
Suddenly something made him look up at
the left-hand side OF the third row in the or
chestra and instantly the artists eye was at
tracted by two faces of singular beauty, alb
solutely alike in feature and expression, al
though one was that of a young man, the
other that of girl. Each had wavy light.
brown hair, broad white forehead, dark
eyes, a finely nodded nose and chin, and a
mouth that told Of tirmness and decision.
Both were leaning slightly forward in the
self-same attitude, and appeared to be en-
tirely entranced by the mnsic.
1t ceased at length, and Cecil withdrew his
eyes for a moment as he joined in the ap-
plause. When he looked back again he
could scarcely believe that those were the
same two faces he had been gazing upon be-
fore, so changed were they now, so utterly
unlike each other in expression. The fixed
look of rapt attention, which had made them
almost seem as though carved in stone, had
passed from both faces. Over the girls
countenance, as she turned to speak to her
brother, played bright and tender smile,
softening and irradiating a beauty which be-
fore had seemed somewhat stern and cold.
But the stern lines about the young mans
mouth had deepened, and there were others
now visible upon his brow that told Of sor-
row, suffering, and care. Evidently the
habitual gloom of his expression had only
been chased away for a few moments by
the charm of the music.
One of Beethoven's symphonies again
struck the same chord of feeling in the two
souls, and the two faces grew strangely
once more.
Who could they be? What was the life
story that had so marked the mans face?
Cecil found himself wondering. hitherto
he had been too much self-centered; never
had his interest been so deeply stirred before.
Lady Eleanor thought him rather absent
as he took her to the carriage and drove back
with her; she feared that her plan for dis
tracing his mind from his work had not
succeeded, little dreaming that by means of
it had been granted to him an inspiration
that was to raise and purify his whole future
life.
He went home to make vain endeavors to
put on canvas the two faces that had so much
attracted him, and when Saturday came
round he took his seat betimes in the orches-
ira of st. James Hall, hoping to catch an
other glimpse of the lovely maiden and her
melancholy brother. Nor was he disap-
pointed; there they were below him, where
he could gaze on them comfortably without
attracting their attention. 1t was well for
him that he was So placed, for if the brother
Glanced to notice that any one was staring
at his sister he rewarded the attention with
a wrathful look that was almost enough to
terrify the offender. Cecil did not fail to no.
tice this, and in his mind named the pair
''Una and the Lion.''
On the next Saturday he went before the
orchestra door was opened, waiting until
they came, and, determined to brave ''the
Lion's' wrath, took the seat next to him.
He then bought one of the sixpenny books
of the music, and finding that his neighbor
did not do so, ventured to ask if he would
like to see it before the concert began.
''The Lion'' was on the point of gruffly re-
jecting the civility, when the ''fair Una"
leaned forward, and said pleasantly, ooh,
thank you, should like to see it very mnch;n
and her surly guardian was forced to take the
book.
While she was looking at it he cast side
long glances at the presumptuous mortal who
had ventured to address him. The inspec-
ton proved satisfactory, for Cecil Anstruther,
though poor, came of good old family, and
in look and bearing he was every inch
gentleman. This the other could not help
seeing, and, repenting of his rudeness, he
cOndescended, as he handed back the book,
to make some remarks upon the music.
During the intervals between the pieces
Cecil followed up his advantage, and when
the concert was over and they left the hall,
the three were engaged in so interesting
conversation that, as their homeward road
went for some time in the same direction, it
was a good while before they separated By
this time Cecil, always frank and open, had
told his new acquaintance that he was
painter, and at parting he gave the Young
man his card, and begged that he would pay
him visit if ever he were in the neighbor-
hood of his studio; he had also heard that
the Christian name Of the otherwas Godfrey.
but his surname he did not discover. nor
''Una's'' real christian name, nor the place
of their abode. Much astonished was he.
therefore, when, on Monday afternoon, a
card, bearing, the inscription, ''Mr. Godfrey
Carew,'' was brought in to him. He had the
presence of mind hastily to cover the por-
trait of Mr.. Godfrey Carew's sister, on which
he had been feasting his eyes, before his
friend of Saturday walked in.
OF course Cecil was delighted to see him.
They talked at first on general subjects, then
Mr.. Carew inspected the pictures that sur
rounded him, and Cecil felt that he had sell
dom had critic more keen to appreciate
both the merits and defects of his painting;
but all the while he was in agony lest he
should raise the cover of the easel that stood
in the middle of the room. Luckily however,
Mr.. Carew did not even ask the subject of
the picture, supposing that it was some un-
finished thing which the artist did not wish to
exhibit
At last, as he was leaving, with an effort
which bespoke him unused to asking faVors,
he said, 'sMr. Anstruther, you mentioned
Yesterday that you had a number of ac-
uuaintances in musical circles in London,
and one of my reasons for coming here to-
day was to ask if you thought it possible
that you could help me to get situation
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