Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-09-17
THE ROMANCE or A BRoKER.

This apartment" said the Count E,trella
throwing open the door with a truly mapnih
cent flourish, lis worthy of his Majesty the
king-nay, Of his Holiness the Pope"
Marsden, who wanted TO hire lodeipps of
the impecunious descendant of the E,trellas
thought the apartment admirably suited the
wants OF a New York stock broker off on an
Italian holiday 30, without considering fur.
lher lts desirabllity for King Humbert or
rope L"o, he promptly agreed to the land
lords TERMS and asked TO have his Iuppape
fetched from the hotel
He walked through the charming drawing
room and out on the tiny loggia. and sn fed
the air with keen delight, 'What a place
Tor cigar on warm night" he exclaimed.
The balcony overlooked a delicious Italian
landscape, and yet, overhung with such
GREENE So Of vine and foliage il was com
pletely retired. There was an awning oy, r
II, and rug on the floor, and Marsden haul
ca out some OF the ancient tapestry chairs
| worked by the fingers of the dead and gone
E7trellas, and set himself to forgetting New
York and certain late melancholy experiences
OF his on the stock board The Villa E,trel.
Ia was good place for forgetting M4rsden
got out bis Horace and straightway forgot all
That had happened since his university days
when he counted the old Roman az his clos
eat friend. Nay, since he could not bring old
Horace forward into the nineteenth century
he threw himself back TO the reign Of Angus.
tus C@ ar He revelled in the wisdom OF
that delightful pagan. "Oh, Horatius FLAG
Gus, ne sometimes exclaimed, ''you had
| pretty fair vine in your day could you but
have had this Il ina Victoria am now smok
ing can't fancy you this moment, Jolly,
Tat, bald-headed, watching the smoke curl in
to the bluer air, subdued, enchanted by this
new and strange delight" And 10 il went
on through the soft Italian spring.
Marsden had noticed that next to the Villa
E1trella rose the tall white walls Of a convent.
Inside the convent wall grew what had once
been an Hex hedge but It had grown into
| great trees that crowded each other and lock
ed their great arms alously to bafii4 ma
rauding eyes. But one morning after a
storm, a. Marsden sat on his balcony read
ing, he raised his eyes, and right before him
was rent in the green curtain of foliage,
through which he could see into the convent
garden as plainly as he could see into his
own drawing-roOm. He was the soul OF hon
or, and Just as his mind, distracted from his
book, had realiz ID that be was scarcely iusti
naole In watching people who supposed them.
selves secure from observation slim Young
inquire ran out of door IN the great stone
building and flew down the gravelled walk
almost under Marsden's very feet. In an in
stant black robed sister FOLLOWED her. Fas
cinated aud wholly powerless to withdraw his
attention, he heard the following colloquy:
sgnoria, you must come in directly.
What would the Mother Superior say 2"
1t does not matter to me what she saya
| hate her."
Holy Mother For Heavens sake 90
back with me-"
TO that dark, doleful class room Oh.
sister, the sunshine feels 80 good !"
GU can come out again when the other
scholars do"
Yes, with that pack of Gathering idiots
had rather stay in the class ROOM" There
was short scuflis, and the next thing Mars
Den saw was the sister tall stalwart wom-
an-seize the young girl around the waist
and carry her off bodily into the house. 1t
was not unkindly done, but Marsden's heart
swelled within him. The girls voice was SO
SOFT and pleading, aud she had such great i'm
plorlng black eyes. As soon as she WAS
gone, be turned the back Of his chair reso
lutely toward the opening and tried to get
back to the AuRustsn age, from which the
pretty girl bad called him. But it was of no
use. lie had seen hundreds of pretty girls
ne had heard thousands OF sweet voices, but
his hour had come. This handsome fellow.
who had hirted over the best part of two CON
tinents, had seen a girl, had heard voice
that went to tue marrow of his heart This
does not mean that be was desperately in
love with her on the spot, but that he was ir.
resistloly Interested in her which leads to
love by geometrcal progression.
Before that rift in the lick trees had come.
Marsden had felt not the slightest curiosity
to know what went on in the white. walled
garden. But now not all the hrmness of a
resolute nature could quell the burning, the
yesrning, to know why that lovely young
girl should not be allowed even to walk in |
the convent garden alone. He did not feel
called upon to give up his lodgings because
the storm had broken q bough of the lick. |
tree, but be did feel that as a man OF honor |
he could not indulge the wish of his heart by |
gazing all day at that little paradise of trim |
Hover beds and luXuriant shrubbery Yet by |
sudden, involuntary Chances, by what met his |
eye when he walked out ON the balcony with |
his book, by what he heard in spite OF him |
self, he came TO know something about this |
girl-even her name, Lucia Mario. She |
was not more than seventeen, slender and |
soft voiced, shy, but sometimes full of a |
girls uncertain courage, and defying the sis
ters 70 their faces. Her long black lashes |
usually concealed her eloquent eyes; she |
seldom smiled, and never laughed. That
there was some strange surveillance exercised
over her was plain. She seemed to have Der.
mission to stay in the garden during the
hours OF recreation, when the other scholars
were present, but she rather avoided that; at
every opportunity when the garden was de-
serted she slipped out 10 walk up and down
the narrow path which was plainly all she
could steal in way of freedom. Sometimes
she was caught, sometimes she was not
Marsden did not think it could be love
analr that had caused Lucia to be Gagged up.
She was very young, and, besides, she did
not seem sad-only sullen. Probably it was
some girlish folly or disobedience. Italian
parents are sometimes strict.
II was now June, and the glorious midsum-
mer moon shone. One evening, as Marsden
had settled himself on the loggia, from which
no power could now tear him, he saw Lucia
steal out of the little door OF the convent,
ana begin her restless walk up and down the
gravel path. She had been weeping Mars
den heard occasionally a suppressed sob, and
In the white moonlight he could see tears
dropping from her eyes. What sight more
pathetic than beautiful young lady friend
less and In distress? Marsden arose from
bis chair in agitation. He threw away his ev-
cigar, and involuntarily he held out
MS arms to Lucia. At that time she raised
her eyes, and for the first time fixing them
on the clear space in the ileX-tree, through
which the moon shOne, she beheld Marsden's
tall inquire IN an attitude of imploring deVo-
ton. She stood for q moment transfxed
with surprise. Marsden tore from his coat
rose, aud pressing it to his lips and his heart
Threw 1t at her feet Lucia, without waiting
20 pick 1t up, turned and sped swiftly toward
The convent door.
Marsden sat down in tumult of feeling.
lie instinctiVely turned for Oomposure to his
cigar case. As he struck a match he saw
that his hand trembled. He threw the match
away, and sat perfectly still.
In few moments he heard a stealthy step
On the gravel. Lucia orept out again. He
knew she stopped where the rose had fallen.
lie turned boldly and faced her She saw
him, and pressing the flower to her lips,
rushed away once more, this time not to re-
turn.
Marsden spent that night walking the floor
of his room. He had gone on without think
ng where this singular infatuation was to
lead him. He had called it an idyl, a fancy
Tor picture but he found that, instead of
possessing the fancy the fancy now possess
I'd him. How was he 10 see her Go straight
10 the convent and ask the Mother Superior