Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-10

ing him with such amused interest or knowing
that they were doing it. went to the desk. filled
mp a telegram form with the words, Patience,
idiot! Letter sent. Will meet six train, v
handed it to Mr.. Brown with the money for il,
and departed. His telegram was addressed to
Miss Agnes Fairfax-Agnes was therefore his
sister. Somehow or other Mr.. Rokewood be-
came partaker in this telegram, too, and the
consequence was that, being in the neighbor-
hood OF the station that evening with nothing
particular to do, he found himself sufficiently
Interested In Agnes to hang about in the lane
through which she must pass when she left the
station. OF necessity she must be foot pass
enger, for there were no fys or omnibuses at
Selswyke. He did not go quite so far as the
station, but waited on the rough cinder path
outside. leaning against some untrimmed rail-
ing and gazing far down below on the bay,
where a spring tide seemed to be trying to
overtake some fishing boats drawn up on the
sand bank to be out of its way. He counted
seven Of them. Half a crown q year was the
sum which he, as lord of the manor, received
for each boat to which the privilege of escap-
ing to this bank was accorded. Selswyke bay
and the village of the same name, lying in a
ravlne between two great cliffs, were hemmed
In by a semi-circle of high hills. which, with
every variety Of gently undulating line and
lovely curve, sloped down to the seashore.
Before the railway had been made any one
living at Selswyke might easily have persuaded
himself that it was little world intended to
ever to wish to leave it. Nothing could be
seen of the greater world lying beyond the hills
winch closed 1t In on every side but one. 1t
had Its own seven or eight miles Of sand,
ending abruptly in almost fnsurmountable
barriers of rocks fallen from the high cliffs
which jutted out at each extremity of the
semi-circle. 1t had its own church and
its manor house. its own meadow and
cornfelds, its woods, its pastures, and sweet
secluded ravines through which fresh brown
streams from the hills forced their way down.
ward to the sea. 1t had. too. its own sky and
almost its own sea- for what sea could be
perceived by the inhabitants of Selswyke was
all but framed in by the high cliffs at each end
Of the little bay. Before the railway came the
only visible sign of a great world beyond its
own barriers was an occasional steamboat or
sailing vessel. Sometimes the knowledge that
this other and wider world had links that bound
1T closely to Selswyke was borne in on the in
habitants OF that place by the harsh sounds of
the speaking trumpet from vessel as it crossed
IN front of the bay, and then some mother or
wife, whose thoughts had for a long time been
travelling by water, hearing this. would drop
her work andcry, "Oh, there's my poor Peter
orJohn, and hurry away to a point where she
would be clearly visible to waive a large white
sheet or tablecloth to show that Peter or John
was not forgotten. Even the railway for some
time did little to dispel the sense of isolation.
train suddenly made its way out of a high hill
on the southwark side, it rolled to the lower
level Of the station by its own impetus-it al
ways stopped at Selswyke but rarely deposited
passenger there. Sometimes, but not very
often, 1t took one or two to the market at ScOr-
ton, but most of the Selswyke Bay folk were
wholly unreconciled to the iron. monsters ap-
proach, viewed it with alarm, and refused to
lntrust themselves to its power. 1t only stopped
a minute or two, therefore, and then stea med
away into deep cutting in the cliff ON the
north side was lost to view, and the connection
with the outside world broken.
The squire now began to watch the hill to the
southwark for the puff of smoke which would
show that the train had burrowed its way
through the tunnel. Presently he heard steps
crunching along the cinder path and saw the
young artist Fairfax striding along to the sta
ton. What good-looking, gentlemanlike lad
he was! Why did he allow himself to send such
kilograms to his sister and how did he happen
to have sister who could permit herself to
send such kilograms to him?
While Squire Rokewood was asking himself
this Mr.. Fairfax came up, raised his cap and
said, Il believe am speaking to Mr.. Roke-
wood; l wish to ask you favor. Will you
allow me to sketch in that little wood by the
mill-beck, and may my sister sit beside me
when am at WORK? We shall have to go
through the field, but we will keep to the foot
path and be careful not to trample the grass
down. see there is board up with a notice
that no one is to go there, but shah be much
obliged if you will allow u.s."
'Oh, certainly" said the SQUIRE" with pleas
ure." He very much liked this young mans
manner; he knew that squires always had gen.
tlemanllke manners, but was unaware that
artists sometimes partook in that advantage.
"Are you staying at Selswyke?" he asked.
Eyes, am at the Redwood Arms; but
should be very glad to get to some quieter
place-my sister is coming to be with me-"
Il am afraid there are no lodgings-at least
none that would be comfortable. The new inn
is the best but il is full "
'We must be satisfied with the one we are in
then" he remarked cheerily, ''6nd l dare say
we shall do very well. 1 had no conception
that anything SO beautiful and so absolutely
this ironclad country of ours. Oh, here's the
train coming. Thank you for giving me leave.
hope have not taken a liberty in asking"
ooh, dear, no; l am going to the station
too, said the squire, who began to think that
it would look odd if he staid where he was any
longer.
my sister and are alone in the world. We
have the misfortune-or perhapsI ought to say
fortune-to have no relations"
MY mother and are in exactly the same
plight, and we have sometimes the same diff
Guilty in knowing whether it is an advantage or
disadvantage" observed the squire, and never
in his life had he spoken 80 freely to stranger,
and then he abruptly recalled himself to some.
thing more like his usual reserve of manner.
See if there is small parcel for me in this
train" he cried to the porter, to supply Q
motive for his appearance on the platform.
He staid by young Fairfax, though be
was quite sure he should not like that
sister. Seeing girl in rather fast-looking
hat he felt certain that she was "Agnes," but
turning to see if Fairfax was gazing at her with
eyes Of affection he found that he had darted
of to third-class carriage, whence issued
pretty-a very pretty-young lady of three-and-
twenty or 30, hooking very businessike and
eminently able to take care of herself She
was prettily dressed, but not by any means in
the style Of the three or four young ladies who
represented county society at Selswyke Her
hair was light brown and curly, like her young
brothers, and her brown eyes looked out Of
rather pale face, full of spirit and character.
She seemed lively enough to have sent that
telegram and a great deal more besides, and
the squire was charmed. And he would have
to watch her walk away with young Fairfax
and see no more of her. But would he? There
was difficulty about her luggage. The soli-
tary porter was so busy trying to find what was
not there for Squire Rokewood that he would
think Of nothing else.
II must have the rest of my sisters luggage
out" said Fairfax to the station master. Two
trunks were already on the platform. "How
many more has she brought2' wondered the
squire, land who is there here to see her
pretty dresses?'
"Robin, it's all out but the book box-I
brought box Of books" said Agnes.
Jackson, attend to that lady," cried the
squire. "Never mind my parcel" But Agnes
did not hear, and what the porter regarded as
the squire's magnanimity went for nothing.