New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-06-29
NOBLE BLOOD.
A STORY.
BY JULIAN HAWTHORNE.


tery-these are accessories to beauty which no
Young lady need desplso; and they all present
ia the instance which had suddenly fixed the atten
ton of Mr. Owen Ambrose The face, moreover,
had for him the additional charm of awakening a
reminiscence; it recalled a portrait, by Palma
Vecchio OF an Italian lady of rank. Ambrose had
INDUCED a sentimental passion Cor that portrait
during his recent sojourn IN Italy; and now he
could imagine himself in the Fifteenth Century
under the window of Venetian palace, from
which his mistress smiled down on him-and she
did really smile
But the smile was the only part of the situation
in which imagination not involved. Ambrose
was not in Italy, but IN land much less fire.
onented though not less ancient. The century was
not the fifteenth but the nineteenth; and the face
belonged not 70 the daughter of Doge, hut TO.
All. That was the question.
She smiled upon Ambrose; of so much he was
certain: she tapped her white chin nOnehalantly
with her closed fan and then-nOt abruptly, but
IN q lazy and imperial manner, well IN keeping
with her appearance she withdrew into the
shadow. and vanished. After gazing for while
at the dark vacancy which the fair face had just
filed Ambrose wiuked his eyes. and fetched a long
breath Had any face at all been theref Ii could
not have been a ghost because there no ghosts ;
but there are optical Illusions. and subjective
Authorizations that practically answer almost as
well. Perhaps. then. the apParltion OF a lovely
wonlans face 1t the ruined window OF An unln-
habted house. was the involuntary reproduction OF
an impression formerly dOmesticated III that region
of the brain or centres assigned to the funo-
tion known as memory. Ambrose had seen the
dark SQUARE OF the window. and had hypothecated
the recollection of the Italian portrait to I'LL 1t.
At all events the vision had been vivid one,-
warm flesh and blood itself could not have been
more So But then the house, or castle ut was as
much like "A castle as anything must have been in
ruins for generations the window was high above
the ground; the staircase had probably been de-
sroyed ages ago; the very fact OF the resemblance
of the face to the portrait against Its reality
No il was an illusion :" said Ambrose TO himself
rather gratfed than otherwise at being the subject
of 80 agreeable a visitation.
AT the same time, of course, he knew very well
that he mad seen no vision. but something as sub
stantial as himself. He had seen it, not through
the deceptive ven of twilight. but in the clear
illumination of a summer afternoon. He was not a
dreamer nor a poet, but man of the world ana OF
culture-a citizen of the great Republic when was
founded TO put all end to hallucnatlonsot all KINDS
= And vet don't know" said Ambrose again, after
another look upward at the empty aperture, with
;,s mulloned frame OF stone. No doubt the place
IL haunted-all the old places IN this country are
co And what if the ghost chooses TO appear IN day
lirht = she more bCdul4u4 IhdA N~J AiA'AN
beautifnl even than the Palma Necchio. She may
he the wrath of some noble Italian refugee. such
reonle u.ed 10 come here three hundred years ago
And no wonder! Where IN Italy or any other
couptrv Is there a scene more lovely than this
with II, blue harbor, its steep hills, its hshing
boats with mellow sails It's grey Ola houses rising
orr above amor her from the waters edge GehoH Is
less picturesque; ence Is not 30 soft and rich III
eolor | mean To settle down mere! Chance brought
me hitAer. and chance and | were always friends
And why should l not rent tins ramshaeke old
castle to set up my studio Inf If the ghost VIII
only sit 10 me- Palma NecchlO snOuIu nave d nii0
teenth century rival!
aN-l,at a sumptuous air she hadW resumed the
xopno man. seating himself on one of those fences
half stone and half turf, which are characteristic Oh
the South of Ireland :" such pearly purity oil the
carnations and such fine rOco cWaate gesture WIN
her fan! If she be not ghost. she IS some chance
visitor here to-day and gone tomorrow. Such
creature never came life in this lemote corner
of the world. That girl has noble blood III her
veins: she was nuTtured III the lap OF an antique
overripe civilization. Shes the SISTER OF LucIe%'d
Rorc;a Of T,tlan's Bella Donna; of Petrarchs. E.
no not Of her, nor of Dantes Beatrice either But
who wa. that wife of Dominica Silvio, WHO was
60 celebrated. eight hundred years ago, for her
luxurions and voluptuous habits That Is the type
of +his spleudid ghost of mine. What subtle
stroke of hers to relieve her beauty against TINS
rnstic and runous IRISH background! more telling
than Venetian brocades fretted gold, and poiished
marble She has the true artistic Italian soul but
can q ghost have a soul well, when my easel Is
ND. | shall learn that from her own superb lips
Superh lips and how superbiy they smiied-the
lever ;utf,ne forth so generously beneath the
MINERS disdalnful curve. And the chin-the IVORY
prow of that grand barge. her head The eyes. too
what an arch. sweep, "a glance! Blue they
rnusr have been with that pearly complexion ana
1ono dark eyebrows; but they looked black at me
to me rather: for the smile was IN theih de9plle
their haughtiness. How did she wear her haT =
Can't say; it melted into the darkness DehIhd heT,
But what throat she had-white, smooth hrih
Aud .uch shadows ! remember an ear, 100 small.
well st on carving up the line OF the chm iuii
breadth Of the lobe below; none OF Your hihisy'
bioodie,s, nervous. squeamish cara! She Is d
princess from top 10 toe,-th0ughl "a" HeI ohlS ~
i,as If But the way she withdrew from the
window showed what her hgure and ga't must DC :
pobie. oomposed. stately; IA nature whose iran
oniitg betray, it's passionA good deal Of physical
eplendor for ghost l wish women sun Iuc'rh"'o
had a tithe as muchW
Owing TO the popularity of the position u oceu-
MED from Anbrose's point Of view IL was u'in0o
for MIN 10 determine whether the mario" ron' w
fore Linn were facade, wing or merely an ouIiy
ing portion of a main building situated somewhere
out Of his present range of vision For as he SAT
on the wall opposite, the foundations of the struct-
IRE were on level with his head,-the soad sklr'-
ing the side OF the hill. aud the edice GROWING the
hank on tine higher side of the road 1t was fankeu
On both sides by six-foot wall wiich added 10
a. elevation of the bank hindered any one from
ai,, What WAS On the farther side. As owen AM
Iose looked ND at the towerlike pile therefore, IL
stood out against the sky, and appeared detached
and solitary. It was built Of the grey stone com
800 IN that region which has the peculiarly OF
making tile structure composed OF II TOOK ~ -
lewn out OF solid rock MS senpinTv f q stford