The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-03-03
stepped forward with somewhat over.

| stepped 1OFWSrQ- WIN y sOmeWIldI OV0Ss
wrought flourish Of politeness.
II believe / have the pleasure of ad.
dressing Mr. Tregarthen?' Tregarthen
bowed. aud the stranger fourished his
hat to his head, and hourished his hand
kerchief out Of his pocket Il have not
the honor Of being personally known tc
you, sir, but my father was your re.
spected fathers solicitor-Mr. Penruth.
of Gorbay. 1 have dared to trespass in
order to oblige these ladies and gentle
men with sight of Tregarthen Castle"
Il remember your father, SIR said
Tregarthen. little confusedly. "and
you are quite welcome here.'' 1t was
strange, he thought, that in so little
while his absence from the common
haunts of men should have cost him so
much in saroir.faire. If your friends
would care to see the interior of that
house shall be happy to admit them.
Pray introduce me-"
Mr.. Penruth was obviously delighted,
and was honored by Tregarthen's affa-
bility. The last representative of the
great local family was not rich, as the
times go, but he had a background;
fact to which people who have no back
ground are apt to attach superstitious
value. The solicitor tlourished through
the introduct;ons, apd Tregarthen
! caught no name until he faced the lady
he had supposed to be Miss Churchill.
"Miss Farmer" said Mr.. Penruth--
/ "Gorbay's chief ornament-Mr. Ire.
garthen."
The girl flushed at this for moment
with look of anger, but she bowed to
Tregarthen as if he had been squire
of low degree and she a princess. 1t
crossed him that she was not so plain
as he had fancied. Mr.. Penruth was
persuaded that he had said the right
thing in the right way, and got through
the remaining introductions with in.
creased ease and glibness.
I" II we may have your permission to
visit the CASTLE" he began, when the
ceremony was over Tregarthen Gu,
him short with dry Certainly" and
fell into talk with the lady of the
voice. She seemed chary at first OF
letting the voice be heard, but by and
by, at the sight Of the picturesque old
ruins and remnants of Tregarthen's
house, she warmed. The dim family
portraits, the arms and armor, the
black oak of walls, ceilings and fur.
niture delighted her, and she took nc
less interest in the gray walls from
which trees spang, the broken arches
window-spaces opening on blue air, in
what had once been the family strong
hold. In case like this it is perhaps
less important to note what charming
woman says than how she says it. Her
commonplaces were commonplace
enough, but they dropped Oh Ire
/ garthen's ears so pleasantly that he
would rather haze listened to them
than to much learning and wisdom
She was charmingly dressed in q
fashion which is now deservedly stig-
matized as ugly. Tregarthen thought
he had rarely seen anything so digni-
fled yet SO gentle As her carriage, and
the singular, soft fascination of her
voice grew upon him more and more.
When the rounds were finished the
host profered to his guests some slight
refreshment, which the Gorbay solicitor,
in behalf of self and friends, declined
with many Ilourishes Of humility and
gratitude. Tregarthen saw nothing for
it but to permit them to retire, though
he would willingly have detained one
of them y little longer. When they had
gone, the young gentleman was guilty
of what he felt to be a mcanness. He
stationed himself at his bedroom win
dow, and thence, by means of single
barreled opera-glass which had be.
longed to his mother. he kept the lady
of the voice in sight until She and her
companions had entered the boat in
which they had arrived, and the little
vessel, being pushed off. disappeared
behind the cliffs.
Tregarthen did not resume his studies
that evening with anything like his Gus
tomary gusto. A commoner malady
than the old one had clapped him on
the shoulder. His books Law spread
about his library table, and now and
then he fingered the leaves of one or
another of them. and even read pas.
sage in which he found no meaning.
That was not at all an uncommon thing
at the best of times, but it generally
arose from the fact that there was no
meaning to he found, whereas now the
main reason was that he brought no
understanding to his reading.
CHAPTER Nv