Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-07-15

mako ncftcN unrtu ~ 'NN"o'~h
required. Without much beauty, some
thing singular in her appearance drew
attention. She was brown-faced girl.
with masses OF sun-faded brown hair,
and sleepy blue eve that had trick OF
opening suddenly TO accompany sud
den smile which revealed two rows OF
small white teeth otherwise her express
sion was sullen and rather scornfuL 80
much had noticed, paying little. heed
TO her, however, as she cnmo and went
about her work. Her presence In the
room now snrprised me. She was speak
ing as / came in, but ended or broke on
abruptly on my entrance, and stood, as
/ have described her, leaning against the
wooden door of the press. She shot n
glance at me from her half-closed eyes
ss / took my book from the table
where / had left it, but did not change
her position. The young Englishman,
on the other hand, sprang to hi. feet.
81 tell you," be said, facing her and
speaking with q certain vehemence,
lyon have nothing TO do in the matter
nothing. Keep out OF it.
lie thrust his hands deeper into his
pockets and swung out OF the room.
The girl looked after him. l did not
like her look, but it WAS no affair OF
mine. / took my book and quilted the
room, leaving her standing there with
her folded arms. At the foot OF the
stairs / met my acquaintance, the
waiter.
"Who is that girl ?" / said, describing
her. 81 have seen her several times
about the house"
You mean Lotto ?" said the old man.
"Have nothing to do with her, young
sir sho is bad ono. The master took
her in out of charity, but tomorrow she
leaves. There is nothing she likes bet
ter than to set on the young men who
come here to quarrel about her. There
have been two duels fought already In
tho twelve months she has been In tho
house. No great harm done, to be sure /;
but the master won't have it, and 30 to-
morrow she goes. He has found her
place where there will be no young men
TO set by the ears. Oh, know her ways ;
I've seen her at it. She treats them like
dogs till they turn and insult her, and
then she gets one of them to take her
part. When the mischief is done she
rubs her hands Oh, I've seen her at 1t,
know her ways. No, no, she'll come
to no good wherever she is"
A bell rang and he left me. l made
my way upstairs to my own apartment
on the second floor. At an open window
in the passage saw the young English
man standing and gazing out into the
darkness. He started at my approach,
and preceding mo rapidly along the cor
ridor. opened the door and disappeared
within The bedroom next my own. L
heard bolt drawn as l passed, and .
match struck, and saw him no more.
was tired aud although the night
was oppressive ! fell almost at once into
uneasy slumbers. | woke again restless
with the heat. The room was perfectly
dark. / struck my repeater it was
nearly l o'clock in the morning. My
window stood open, and | could hear the
even, temperate sound Of summer rain
the lowering cloud was descending IN a
steady downpour. got up and CROPPED
nv way to the window, hardly visible as
a square OF fainter black opening from
the blackness within. A church clock
struck the single stroke of the hour ;
it WAS answered by another and
another then far off like an
echo q chino from some hidden
village in the bills. Moist odors rose
| through the darkness from the earth and
herbs aud leaves in the garden below
the damp and odorous GOODNESS, the
steady sound OF the rain refreshened and
Gained me. was returning to bed with
better prospect of sleep than before,
when my attention was arrested by q
noise in the adjoining apartment. A door
communicating between the two rooms
made IT easy for sound to pass from
one to another; it was sob | heard
now-yet less a sob than kind OF SILVER
ing moan, as from some creature trapped
and held by mortal anguish. 1t came
again and again j listened until listen
ing became impossible, the room was oc-
cupied as l knew by my young compa-
triot recalled his pale and desperate
looks some few hours before, and light
ing candle, dressed hastily and went
out into the empty corridor. A streak
of light shone below the door OF the
neighboring apartment il knocked quiet
ly and waited.
NV knock was quiet, as beftted the
silent hour but that it WAS audible to
the occupant of the room was immedi-
ately apparent heard chair pushed
back. with q movement as Of some one
suddenly springing to his feet; then
silence. / knocked again. This time a
besitating footstep crossed the floor, the
bolt was Withdrawn, the door was opened
an inch, then thrown back entirely the
Young Englishman stood before me.
He was dressed as | had seen him the
previous evening, except that he had re-
moved his necktie and exchanged his
boots for clippers. In his hand he held
a candle that feebly lighted up the
sparsely-furnished room, the bed stand
ing in dusky corner, the painted ward
robe and half-dozen chairs, tho small ia
BILE set near the window. 1t illumined
his white face also, and hair hanging
loose and damp over bis forehead. There
was something dishevelled and miserable
in his whole appearance, and scared
look in his eyes as they met mine, that
made me hasten to explain my appear
ance there.
81 beg your pardon" ] said, for in
truding at this hour, but feared you
might be i'll. L wanted to know If
conld be of any use TO you."
He gazed at me uncertainty for mo-
ment in silence then. standing on one
side that l might enter, he closed the
door, bolted it, and, advancing to the
table, set down his candle among litter
of papers and letters with which it was
strewn. A chair was pushed back from
the table close by, propped up against
another chair, was an open portmanteau.
The young fellow motioned me to
seat and sank himself into the one
from which ne had just risen.
For moment he sat without
speaking, gazing fxedly before him ;
then turned his bead as though to
address me. But any words he might
have spoken died away in a fit OF shiver-
ing. He grew even paler than before,
his teeth chattered, he looked at me
helplessly, ss child might, as be sat
Il n 4