The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-01-09

since. Long after We got out of sight
of land she and sat together on the
deck in the calm summer evening, talk
ing of this Indian voyage and what it
was like, and what people did during
the long four months from land to land.
She gave me much information to
which listened with strange interest.
well remember, fool that wasl sit
ting on the=deck of that Belfast boat,
with the sun dipping into the sea before
us, and the moon rising on the other
side - sitting and thinking what it
would be to feel ones self on the deck
of some India-bonnd ship, alone, or else
in companionship that might make the
word still correct, according to its orig
inal reading all one. An etymologic-
al notion worthy of poor govern
ess
The only remarkable event of our
voyage was my sudden introduction by
Mr.. LIE Poer to parsonage whom had
not thought existed. My son, Miss
Pryor; my eldest and only son, Lieut..
Augustus lie Poer."
was very considerably surprised. as
had never heard of the Young gentle
man. | could only conjecture what /
afterward found to be the truth, that
this was the son of a former marriage,
and that there had been some family
quarrel, lately healed. The lieutenant
bowed to me, and | to him. Zllah, who
sat by me, had no share in the intro
duction, until the young man, sticking
his glass in his eye, stared at her ener-
getically, muttering to his father some
question, in which | just detected the
words. "odd fish,
"Only Zillah, answered Mr.. LIE Poer
carelessly. Child, this is your cousin
Augustus, lately returned from foreign
service. Shake hands with him."
Zillah listlessly obeyed; but her
''cousin" seemed not at all to relish the
title. lie cast his eyes superciliously
over her. / must confess my poor
child's appearance was not very attract
i've. did not wonder that Lieutenant
Augustus merely nodded his head,
twirled his mustache, and walked away.
Zillah just looked lazily after him, and
then her eyes declined upon the beauti-
full expanse of sea.
For my part / watched our now
friend with some curiosity and amuse-
ment, especially when Caroline and
Matilda appeared, trying to do the
agreeable. The lieutenant was to them
evidently the beau ideal of brother.
For myself did not admire him at all.
Unluckily, if | have three positive
aversions in the world, it is for handles,
men with mustaches, and soldiers-and
he was a compound of all three. Also,
he was small man; and |, like most
little women, have great reverence
for height i'll the other sex. Not uni
versally, for some of my truest friends
have been diminutive men-eXcellent,
noble, admirable Zaccheuses. Still,
from an ancient prejudice, acquired
no matter how-my first impression of
q N n q
inches; therefore Lieutenant LIE Poer
did not stand very high in my estima-
ton.
Little notice did he condescend to
take of us, which was rather salts
faction than otherwise; but he soon be-
came very fraternal and confidential
with his two sisters. | saw them all
chattering together until it grew dusk;
and long after that, the night being
fine, | watched their dark figures walk
ing up and down the other side of the
deck. More than once | heard their
name of Zillah; so supposed the girls
were ridiculing her to their brother.
Poor child she was fast asleep, with
her head ON my shoulder, wrapped
closely up, SO that the mild night
could do her no harm. She looked al
most pretty-the light of the August
moon so spiritualiZed her face l felt
thankful she had not died, but that I'M
der Heaven, my care had saved her
for what? Aye, and for whom2 If, as
l kissed the child, I had then known
Butno, should have kissed her and
loved her still
Our brief voyage ended. we reached
Belfast and proceeded to Holywood-a
small sea-bathing village a few miles
down the coast. To this day | have
never found out why Mr.. LIE Poer took
the trouble to bring us all over the wa
ter and settle us there; where, to all
intents and purposes. we might as well
have been buried in the solitudes of the
Desert of Sahara. But perhaps that
was exactly what he wanted.
l think that never in her life, at least
since childhood, could Zillah have been
so happy as she was during the first
week or two of our sojourn at Holy
wood. To me, who in my youth, when
we were rich and could travel, had
seen much beautiful scenery, the place
was rather uninteresting; to her it was
perfection. AS she grew stronger, life
seemed to return to her again under
quite new aspect. Certainly it was
great change in her existence to have
no one over her but me-for her uncle
and cousin Augustus had of course
speedily vanished from this quiet spot
to be able to do just what she liked,
which was usually nothing at all. She
was not made for activity; she would
lie whole days ON the beach, or on the
grassy walk which came down to the
very edge of high-water mark--cover-
ing her eyes with her poke-bonnet, or
gazing sleepily from under her black
lashes at the smooth Tough, and the
wavy line of hills on the opposite shore.
Matilda and Caroline ran very wild al
so; since we had no lessons l found it
hard work to make them obey me; in
deed it was always great pain for
quiet soul like me to have to assume
authority. | should have got on better
even with Mrs. lie Poer to assist me;
but she, poor little woman, terrified at
change, had preferred staying quietly
at home in Yorkshire. | was not quite
sure but that she had the best of Ii
after all.
In the course of week my cares
were somewhat lightened. The lieu
tenant re-appeared, and from that time
forward | had very little of the girls
company. He was certainly kind
brother: / could not but acknowledge
that. He took them about great deal
or else stayed at Hollywood, leaving us
ny Tie ldte evening Train, us lle Sdiu, w
go to his lodgings at Belfast. !, the
temporary mistress of the establish
ment. was Of course duly polite to my
pupils brother, and he was really very
civil to me, though he treated me with
the distance due To an ancient duenna.
This amused me sometimes, seeing |
was only wenty-six-probably his own
age; but l was always used to be re-
garded as an old maid.
OF Zilla the lieutenant hardly ever
took any notice at all, and she seemed
to keep out of his way as much as pos
sible. When he left us In the evening
and there was always tolerable con-
fusion at that time, his two sisters
wanting to see him off by the train,
which he never by any chance allowed
then came the quietest and pleasant
est half-hour of the day. The Misses
LIE Poer disliked twilight rambles, so
Zillah and always set off together;
though oftentimes we parted company,
and was left sitting on the beach,
while she strolled on to pleasant walk