The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1889-02-13

for what? Aye, and for whom? If, as
/ kissed the child, had then known
But no, should have kissed her and
loved her still
Our brief voyage ended. we reached
Belfast and proceeded to Holywood-a
small sea- bathing village o few miles
down the coast. To this day I have
never found out why MIR. LIE Poer took
the trouble to bring us all over the wa
ter and settle as there; where, to all
intents and purposes. we might as well
have been buried in the solitudes of the
Desert of Sahara. But perhaps that
was exactly what he wanted.
think that never in her life, at least
since childhood, could Zillah have been
80 happy as she was during the first
week or two of our sojourn at Holy
wood. To me, who in my youth, when
we were rich and could travel, had
seen much beautiful scenery, the place
was rather uninteresting; to her it was
perfeetiOnl AS SHE grew stronger, life
seemed to return to her again under
quite a new aspect Certainly it was a
great change in her existence to have
no one over her but me-fof her uncle
and cousin Augustus had of course
speedily vanished from this quiet spot
Ito be able to do just what she liked,
IL
was not made for activity; she would
lie whole days on the beach, or ON the
grassy walk which came down to the
very edge of high-water mark-cOver-
ing her eyes with her poke-bonnet, or
gazing 6ieepily from under her black
laShes at the smooth Tough, and the
wavy line Of hills on the opposite shore.
Matilda and Caroline ran very wild al
so; since we had no lessons / found it
hard work TO make them obey Inc; In
deed ii was always great pain for a
quiet soul like me to have to assume
authority. / should have got on better
even with Mrs. Le P0er to assist me;
but she, poor little woman, terrified at
change, had preferred staying quietly
at home in Yorkshire. / was not quite
sure but that she had the best Of it
after all.
In the course Of week my cares
were somewhat lightened. The lieu
tenant re-appeared, and from that time
forward had very little of the girls
company. lie was certainly a kind
brother; / could not but acknowledge
that. lie took them about a great deal
or else stayed at Hollywood, leaving us
by the lat6 evening train, as he said. to
go to his lodgings at Belfast. 7, the
temporary mistress of the establish
ment, was OF course duly polite to my
pupils brother, and he was really very
civil to me, though he treated me with
the distance due to an ancient duenna.
This amused me sometimes, seeing
was only twenty-six- probably his own
age; but was always used to be re-
garded as an old maid.
OF Zilla the lieutenant hardly ever
took any notice at all, and she seemed
to keep out OF his way as much as pos
sible. When he left us in the evening
and there was always t0ierable con-
fusion at that time, his two sisters
wanting to see him off by the train,
which he never by any chance allowed
then came the quietest and pleasant
est half-hour of the day. The Misses
LIE Poer disliked twilight rambles, so
Zillah and / always set off together;
though oftentimes we parted company,
while she strolled on to pleasant walk
she said she had found-a deserted
house whose grounds sloped down to
the very shore. But /, not very strong
then, and weighed down by many anx-
ious thoughts, loved better to sit and
Supply myself with the n1urmur of the
gea--a habit not good for me, but pleas
ant. No fear had | Of Zillah's losing
herself, or coming to any harm; and the
girl seemed so happy In. her solitary
rambles that had not the desire to
stop them, knowing how a habit Of self
dependence Is the greatest comfort to a
woman, especially to one in her DESC
late position. But as the frost of her
nature broke UP, and her dullneSs was
melting away, Xillah seemed more self
contained, SO to speak; more reserved,
and relying on her own thoughts for
occupation and amusement; still, she
had never been so attentive or affec-
tionate to me.
1t was q curious and interesting
study-this young minds unfolding;
though shame TO say that just then |
did not think about Zillah as much as /
ought to have done. Often | re-
preached myself for this afterward; but
as things have turned out, / now feel.
with quiet self-compassion, that my
error was pardonable.
mind one evening-that II mind'' is
not quite English, but learned it with
other phrases, in my young days, so let
1t standl-I mind one evening, that, be-
ing not quite in mood for solitude. /
went out walking with Zillah. Some
how the murmnr of the sea wearied me;
turned through the village and along
the high road-almost like an English
road, so beautiful with overhanging
i
walked quite silently. which indeed was
nothing new. | think | see her now.
floating along with her thin but 1.-the
figure and limp, elinging dress--the
very antipodes of fashion nothing
about her that would really be called
beautiful except her great eyes, which |
were perfect oceans Of light. When we
came to a gateway--which, like most |
things in poor Ireland, seemed either
broken down or left half finishedr-she |
looked round rather anxiously.
''Do you know this place, my dear?n
ut Is an old mansion--where often |
like to STROLL"
"Whatl have you been there alone?n |
"Of course have,o said she quickly |
and slightly coloring. "You knew if;
or thought you did,"
She appeared apprehensive of reproof, |
which struck me as odd, in so inoffens-
i've matter as her adventuring a soli-
tary stroll; especially as was anything /
but q cross governess. To please and |
reassure her l said "Well, never
mind, my dear, you shall show me your
pet pet. paradise. 1t will be quite
II don't think so, Miss Pryor. It's |
all weeds and disorder, and you can't
endure that. And the ground is very |
not like it at all,
.Oh, but will, If only to please you,
Zillah, said /, determined to be at |
once firm and pacific; for / saw trace |
OF her old Sullen look troubling my pu-
Pills face, as IL she did not like her |
haunts to be intruded upon even by me. |
However, she made no more open OPP |
position, and We entered the grounds, |
which were almost English in their as
pect, except in one thing their entire
desolation. The house might not have
been inhabited. or the grounds cultl-
waited, for twenty years. The rose-beds
grew wild-great patches of white clo- |
yer overspread the lawn and flower
garden, and all the underwood was one
mass of tall fern.
had not gone far in aud out of the
tangled walks Of the shrubbery when l
found that Zillah had slipped away. l |
saw her at distance standing under
tall Portugal laurel, seemingly doing
xaA 4, tx,fr f..sf -