Weekly commercial herald., 1885-10-30

noJ know VINO you are, nor WnaG your means
may be. Remember that am poor-I am
so poor-I can tell you all now, that to-
morrow we shall-wel patienee-to-mor-
row shall most likely have my very stock
seized and sold"
'fTour stock sold9 Oh, grandfather"
cried Iris; land you did not tell mel And
have been so happyn
'Friend, said Lala, twas it well to hide
this from mep
Foolish people," Mr.. Emblem went on,
shave spread reports that am rich, and
have saved money for Iris 1t is not true,
Mr.. Arbuthnot. / am not rich. Iris will
come to you empty handed"
Sand as for me, l have nothing" said
Arnold, except pair of hands and all the
time there is. So we have all to gain and
nothing to lose"
"You have your profession" said Iris,
"and l have mine. Grandfather, do not
fear, even though we shall all four become
poor together"
1t seemed natural to include Lala Roy,
who had been included with them for
twenty years.
LAS for Iris being empty handed" said
Arnold ''how can that ever be? Why, she
carries in her hands an inexhaustible cornu-
copia, full Of precious things"
my DEAR" said the old man, holding out
his arms to her, 81 could not keep you al
ways. Some day knew you would leave
me; it is well that you should leave me
when am no longer able to keep roof
over your head"
'tBut we shall find a roof for you, grandt
father, somewhere. We shall never part"
''The best of girls always" said Mr. En-.
blem; ''the best Of girls Mr. Arbuthnot
you are happy man"
Then the sage lifted up his voice and said
solemnly:
"On her tongue dwelleth music; the sweet
ness of honey floweth from her lips; humility
is like crown of glory about her head; her
eye speaketh softness and love; her husband
putteth his heart in her bosom and findeth
joy"
'"Oh, you are ali too good to me-" muir
INJURED Iris"
"a friend of NINE" said Mr.. Emblem,
''now, like nearly all my friends, beneath
the sod, used to say that good marriage
was happy blending of the finest Wallsend
with the most delicate Silkstone. But he
was in the coal trade. For my own part,
have always thought thet it is like the bind
ing of two scarce volumes into one"
ooh, not secondhand volumes, grand
father" said Iris.
81 don't know. Certainly not new ones.
Not volumes under one and-twenty, if you
please. Mr.. Arbuthnot, l am glad; you
will know why very soon. am very glad
that Irismade her choice before her twenty
first birthday. Whatever may happen now,
no one can say that either of you were in
duencod by any expectations. You both
think yourselves paupers; we'll, say
nothing, because l know nothing But,
children, If great thing happen to you,
and that before four and-twenty hours have
passed, be prepared-be prepared, l say-to
receive it with moderate rejoicing"
Tomorrow Iris asked. "Why to-mor-
rowe Why not tonight, if you have a secret
to tell us!n
'Your father enjoined in his last letter to
wait till you were twenty-on The eve Of
your birthday, however, is the same thing as
your birthday. We will open the papers to-
night. What have to tell you, Iris, shall
be told in the presence Of your lover, what
ever it is-good or bad"
He led the way down stairs into the back
shop. Here he lit the gas, and began to
open his case, slowly and cautiously
Eighteen years ago, Iris, my child, re-
ceived your fathers last letter, written on
his death-bed. This Ihaye already told YOU.
He set down. in that letter, several things
which surprised me very much. We shall
come to these things presently. He also laid
down certain instructions for your bringing
up, my dear. / was, first of all, to give you
as good an education as I could afford; I
was to keep You as much as possible sepa-
rated from companions who might not be
thought afterwards fit to be the friends of
young lady. You have had as good an edu-
cation as Lala Roy and l could devise be-
tween us. From him you have learned
mathematics, so as to steady our mind and
make you exact: end You have learned the
science Of heraldry from me, so that you
may at once step into your own place in the
polite world, where, no doubt, it is familiar
and necessary study. You have also
learned music, because that is an accom-
plishment which every one should possess.
What more can any girl want for any
Gtationi My dear, am happy to think that
gentleman Is your lover. Let him tell us
uow-Lala Roy and me-to our very faces,
il he thinks we have, between us, made YOU
lady"
Arnold stopped and kissed her hand.
"There is no more perfect lady," he said,
Sin all the land"
"Iris's father, Mr.. Arbuthnot, was q gen.
tleman of honorable and ancient family.
Rnd l will tell you, presently, as soon as /
find it out myself, his real name. AS for his
coat-of-arms, he bore Quarterly, first and
fourth, two roses and boar's head erect:
second and third, gules and fesse between
strange, now, that l have forgotten what
was between Everybody calls himself
gentleman nowadays; even Mr.. Chalker,
who is going to sell me up, suppose; but
everybody If you please, is not armiger.
Iris, your father was armiger. l suppose
am a gentleman on Sundays, when 90 to
church with Iris, and wear black coat,
bnt your father, my dear, though he mar.
ried my daughter, was gentleman by birth.
And one who knows heraldry respects gen.
tleman by birth" He laid his hand now on
the handle of the safe, as if the time were
nearly come for opening it, but not quite.
"He sent me, with this last letter a small
parcel for you, my dear, not to be opened
until you reached the age of twenty-one. As
for the person who had succeeded
to his Inheritance, she was to be left
in peaceable possession for reason
which he gave-quite romantic story, which
will tell you presently-until you came of
age. He was very urgent on this point. If,
however, any disaster of sickness or misfor-
tune fell upon me, was to act in your in