The Irish standard., 1889-08-03

Not many months after the death of Lady
Percival there fell a shadow over another
home beautiful country seat near Heather
leigh. This one was the lovely home of 9
former friend Of the Percivals. But it was
not the shadowof the silent reaper's sickle.
No, it happened in this case to be that of
the grim visaged horror Of polite society
poverty, and the stricken was the pleasant
residence of Beechwood Terrace, and the
home of the Fairfaxes.
With one fell swoop, uncompromising
failure had swept the luxurious ease and
careless contentment from the elegant stone
mansion and it's aristocratic inmates found
themselves suddenly stranded on the ruins
Of its former prosperity.
So when the mother oflnventlon satdoWn
in the handsomely unfinished apartments
to devise different arrang ements from those
of simply enjoying life, she sent thrill OF
horror through the veins Of their jewellers.
To be thus thrust out of their rank in life
and society, and reckoned with the plebe-
lans, was trying ordeal. The common lot
of the financially unfortunate cast a dis
heartening influence across their day. The
social circles began to forget them. and no
member of the proud, refined family felt
the neglect more keenly than the eldest
son, Arthur, who had, hitherto, many warm
friends within the radius of the boz: ton OF
Hastings.
To be thus ignored, many less suscepti-
BILE heart than his had found a bitter fort
une: then marvel not when Arthur grew
morbid over his changed life. and looked
upon their circumstances as something
savoring of a criminal offense.
Society snubbed, society talked and spec
ulated, until, driven almost to despair,
Arthur determined to retrieve the loss of
property in part, at least, abroad TO this
end he resolved to embark in a mining en-
terprise with an uncle in the coal mines,
which promised unbounded success.
But paramount to all the grievances he
endured in consequence of his fortunate
circumstances, there was a wretched dread
of a possibility of more magnitude and i'm
portance to him.
In his palmy days he had been welcome
visitor at Heatherleigh, and had been
favorite of the house, with the exception OF
Sir Rupert.
He, however, had treated him kindly, al
though he could not lay claim to a title
This mark of favor young Fairfax did not
accord to the real reason, but was pleased
to consider it in the light of meritorious
worth. Had he, for an instant, imagined
that the master Of Heatherleigh was only
condescendlng to him, in consideration OF
the wealth and influence of his family, his
visits to the hall would never have been
made in the free and easy manner OF an in
innate friend Of it's occupants.
But Sir Rupert's kindly tolerance fat
tered him, and the sincerity Of Lady Per-
cival pleased him exceedingly; but, after
all, it was really the society of Miriam
which had held him spellbound in those
days.
Thrown into her charming company con-
tinually, his heart had gone out to her in
sacred attachment before he was hardly
aware of it. But when Miriam, who at
first had received him shyly and with re-
serve, had grown to welcome him with cor
diality and heightened color, he awoke to
the knowledge that be loved her passion
ately. And often, too, he had fattered him
self she was not Indifferent to him.
After this awakening it was only natural
for him to indulge in dreaming Of a happy
day s'to be.' when the beautiful lighter
of the Percivals would consent to unite her
destiny with his.
Little did the young lover know Of the
sad days of reverse and keen sorrow the
future held in store for Miriam as his wife.
But since Lady Perciyals death he had
intruded on the sorrow Of the hall but
little, for Sir Rupert had seemed so silent
and grieved, and Miriam had not been WIS.,
ible.
And now, after his own reverses had
fallen, would Sir Rupert ever be kind to
him againa Knowing his eccentric ways,
and of late years his strange reserve, he
dreaded to risk q visit to the gloomy old
gentleman since the failure Of his father,
and since by it he had fallen out of rank
with the Percivals.
How the news of his faplily's changed
circumstances had been received at the
hall he had no way of finding out, and how
it had affected the one sweet friend of his
life on whose yea or may hung his future
happiness he knew not.
She would not Danish him as if he had
committed sin, when it Was really no fault
of his that failure was written over against
the family name, and that the ledger was
found without balance sheet in the Fair
fax housed Arthur loved to think Of 1t in
this way and argue himself into believing
as he dreamed.
Ithame7' Fairfax was no hnancler, and,
being one Of those untried individuals whose
wealth comes 30 them by Inheritance, cost
ing them nothing but the exertion of enjoy
ing it, he never acquired any business quail
ifications. And it was owing to his dull
ness Of mental vision that he invested
largely with certain interruptions COM
panies and in the end being swindled COM
pletely
Not so with the son, for, although he had
not Deen obliged to toll, he had inherited
from his mothers family great business ca
pacity Their name being connected with
the most successful mining enterprises in
the north and west of England gave Arthur
great confidence in himself, and he hoped to
accumulate wealth and be wise enough to
remain on sound financial basis. But before
he should go abroad in the interest of the
enterprise be longed to visit Heatherleigh,
and still he dreaded it.
AS it happened, opportunity favored him
sooner than he had dared to hope, and he
found himself within the spacious rooms of
the hall, where he had spent many happy
honrs. hit the light of Heatherleigh had