Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-12-16
A TWILIGHT VISIT.
[Belgravia.l

A TWILIGHT VISIT.
[Belgravia.l
1 was an imaginative, romantic lad O
eighteen when I first met Sydney Lorimer
and accepted him at once with effusiol
as the hero l was waiting for. He was th'
very man to captivate boys fancy at frs
sight, especially boy whose soul wal
above his surroundings, and who could re
cognize the gentleman under that careless
reckless, Bohemian manner of his. Lori
mer never gave himself any airs-never as
serted his supremacy in fact, he was hail
fellow-well-met with us all, from Barebone
Brotherton. our leading tragedian, to littl'
Tommy Howard, the newest and rawest O.
our supers; but there was something abou
him we instinctively recognized as superio
to ourselves. Even the manager, as big {
bully as ever breathed, found fault will
him in an apologetio sort Of way whel
obliged to do so, very different from th'
tone he took with the rest of Us. He hai
an idea, I think, that Lorimer was only do
ing bit of acting for love of adventure, a
so many swells do nowadays, and that al
some future time it might prove advanta
geous to stand well in that quarter. I
would not be polite to offend possible
Dukes son by swearing at him for unpunc
tuality or for not being well up in hi
part.
And yet, after all, the poor mans patti
ence must have been tried many and many
time, for a more careless, erratic, unre
liable fellow than Lorimer never existed
liked him better than any one in the com
pany, but I could not help wishing hi
would be steadier. There were times wher
it really seemed as though the devil entered
into him; he could not rest, he could moi
study, he must be in some mischief OF
other.
"What is tho use of your talking to me p
he would say in answer to my feeble re-
monstrances at such times 'You are
only boy; you've never lived yet. tel
you I must have excitement Of some kind
or I'll 60 mad. must forget.'
And what could I say? was only q
boy, and he was so much older and more
experienced that it seemed presumption in
me to preach prudence.
But still I believe had good influence
over him, though it might be merely a
slight one. I was the only one of tho COM
pany he ever talked to about himself. He
firted desperately with tho women, and he
drank freely with the mon, and yet none OF
them came near his real self but me.
Not that he was communicative about his
past life or his belongings; only that he did
not seem called upon to keep me at such a
distance as the others, nor did he snub me
for any questions I might ask. To be sure,
l was not vulgar enough to 60 on showing
curiosity where saw it hurt; and besides l
was, as I said before, romantic, and rather
liked an air Of mystery to surround my
friend and hero.
He was not, and never would be, a great
actor. Better for him in many ways it
would have been if he had possessed that
wonderful gift which, for want Of anything
better, we call genius. So long as art il
left to true artist he can never be wholly
and entirely miserable. He can always e.
cape from world which bores, or digusts,
or pains, to happier, moro congenial one.
Not SO poor Lorimer. He was very good
looking and had a charmingly sympathetic
voice. He had evidently been well trained
for the stage, and was useful all-round
man for comedy or farce; but when you said
that you said everything. There was never
a touch Of passion or Of tenderness in his
acting-and he knew it. His heart was not
III Lib WOIk, duu u0f6I WOulu D6 " LILO 6uu
of time. We were a travelling company
not flrst-rate one, but still fairly good,
and our last venture was piece which had
a great run in town, and we had played
now in the provinces until we all knew our
parts by heart and were beginning to be
rather sick of them. However, it gave US
a good deal of leisure, and, as l was very
fond of walking, saw a great deal of the
pnr1 1fvxr1 1v,% %hn v>1oo ~ r 0vs
mer Joined me very often in those rambles,
and we grew closer friends than ever.
We had been about three weeks at a very
pretty country town in Somsrestshire, and
were leaving for large manufacturing city
we were 10th to leave our pleasant quarters
for smoky B., with its whirr of machinery
and ugly surroundings; so I proposed that
instead of going on with tho rest of the
company on Sunday afternoon we should
walk through Leafham woods and catch the
night train from Fareham, junction some
miles away.
We had very pleasant time of it and en-
joyed our stolen walk amazingly. Every
thing combined to make it harmonious; the
blue sky overhead, with the sun coming
through the transparent green of the young
leaves !; the joyous notes Of the birds; the
flowers at our feet; and last, not least, the
cheerful mood Lorimer happened to be in
that day, which, of course, fell in with at
once.
never saw him so merry. He laughed
and he joked and trolled out snatches of
student songs in his rich, full baritone
voice, and told me some queer stories
of his college days, until we fairly grew
tired of joliity and trudgsd along for while
in silence.
Suddenly he declared himself tired, and
lay down under tree to rest. He must
have sleep, or he couldn't walk another
step. l was anxious to walk on fearing to
lose the train, knowing that the morning
one would land us at B. TOO late; but
Lorimer was too masterful for me and soon
overruled my weaker will. Itwas growing
dusk, but the moon would soon be up, and
then it would be pleasauter going on there
was plenty of time, and if we didn't catch
one train there was always another, and life
was too short to hurry, &c.
Well, naturally l gave in, and in five
minutes my companion was fast asleep. A
very imprudeut thing to do, to lie on the
damp ground, with the dew falling as it does
fall in wooded places at sunset but never
thought of that. We were young, and
things do not seem to matter 80 much then.
I sat watching him long while, and was
surprised to see what a change came over
his features in sleep. The gay, careless
expression died out from his face, and he
looked years and years older. You could
see that it was mask of gayety he wore
habitually, and that the real man behind it
had known sorrow and trouble and sadness.
The sadness infected me unconsciously,
and as looked sighed.
What was that?
My sigh was echoed by another close at
hand, and as started and looked round
became aware that we were no longer alone.
From out of the gloom formed by the
mass of foliage beside me a figure came
quietly on until it reached Lorimer, when it
stood looking down on his recumbent form,
without speaking word. How she start
led me Where had she come from, as
quietly and stealthily as shadow?
It was getting late, and far from any
house or village, and it seemed strange for
young girl to be wandering alone in such
place.