The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-10-20

I'm impervious
TO the weather, and that not all the rain
In Derbyshire ever caused me as much
as single sneeze By the way, when
the butchers man calls, you had better
order leg of lamb for tomorrow, and
If you have time, you might drive into
Marley this evening and see whether
you can't forage out little asparagus
and peck or SO of marrowfats."
''All which means that you have in
vited some one to dinner.
Precisely So A brother piscator whom
/ encountered in the Dale, and with
whom / had the pleasure of getting
soaked through in company. But I'll
tell you more about him when I've
changed my toggery."
The speakers were the Rev. Dyke Fer
NOR, rector of Whiteapple, in the coun-
ty of Derby, and his eldest daughter
Margery. The rector was a well built,
bluff looking man, in age somewhere
between fifty and sixty. He had
strongly marked features, dark, pierre
ing eyes under bushy, pent house brows,
q somewhat agg essive expression OF
countenance, and altogether more the
air of gentleman farmer than that of
clergyman. Margery Fermor had turn
ed the corner Of her twenty 4arst birth
day month before, but did not look
her age by acoupfe of years. The slight
ness of her figure caused her to seem
taller than she really was, as well as
serving to augment the youthfulness of
her appearance. She had large, dark,
pathetic looking eyes, with sort of
wistful, far away expression in them,
which many people chiefly of the OPP
posite sex--found singularly attractive.
Her features were delicate and finely
cut; her hair was a mass of short black
glossy curls, arranged in way which,
while to all appearance the acme of
carelessness, in reality owed not little
to the touch of art. Her complexion
was designated by her sister Bessie as
being OF the strawberry and cream"
kinda description which, crude though
1t be, in lack of more elaborate one,
may be allowed to pass
The visits of strangers to Whiteapple
rectory were SO few and far between
that, Margerv Fermor might well be ex-
cused for feeling some curiosity as to the
one whom her father had invited to dine
there Oh the morrow.
Now, papa, you must tell me all
about your rara avis before you sit down
to your newspaper" she said as the rec
tor re-entered the room, looking rosy
and comfortable, ..'because if you once
get buried in The Times there will be no
coaxing a word out of you till the last
advertisement has been read and di-
gested."
The rector gave utterance to mellow,
unctuous laugh, such as one would hard
ly have expected from SO hard featured
a man II am not aware that as much
as limited at having lighted on a rara
avis" he said There's his card, how
ever, and when tell you that he is stay
ing at the Anglers Rest, at Marley,
bent, as he himself expressed it, on
idling away few weeks in sketching
and fishing, your knowledge of him is
about on par with my own"
Margery took the card and read: "Mr.
James Gascoigne.'
'sNo information t. be- got from that"
remarked the rector at may be the
name of a great swell-there are Gas
coignes in the peerage, / believe-or it
may be that of mere bagman out for n
holiday"
"But what is he like, papaS Is he a
gentleman? Is he young? Is he good
looking!'
''To two at least of your queries can
answer Yes with clear conscience.
He is certainly a gentleman; on that
point / cannot be mistaken. In age
should take him to be about thirty; anc
as for his looks, you will be able to de-
eide that point fors yourself, but certain
ly should call him fairly handsome
man"
"Whatever Mr.. Gascoigne may turn
out to be, you are darling old ogre for
asking him to dinner. We have not had
a stranger to dine at the rectory since
you brought Mr.. Midway, now nearly
half year ago."
"Ah, my poor girl, this is indeed a
heaven forgotten hole in which you are
condemned to pass your days. said the
rector with a sigh, which was but the
echo of very ancient grievance. There
is one little popularity about Mr.. Gas
coigne," he went on presently, (which
It may be as well you should be made
acquainted with beforehand. 1t is a
point as to which can readily imagine
him to be peculiarly susceptible, SO much
SO that even a too conscious look, or a
thoughtless smile, ON the part of others,
might be enough to cause him pain or
annoyance, Nature, when she sent Mr..
Gascoigne into the world, was evidently
in one of her sportiye moods. She con-
ferred upon him the torso of an athlete
with the lower extremities of man
whose growth has been prematurely ar
rested When Mr.. Gaseoigne is seated
he appears as other men are, except that
he looks q finer specimen of his kind
than ordinary; when Mr.. Gascoigne is
standing upright. the crown of his head
is about ON a level with my shoulder
what great pityl Then he is more
or less deformed."
"Not bit of it. All his limbs appear
TO be as straight and well formed as
well, let us say rs mine. There is no de-