Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-09-04


maiden" and "thee'd" and "thou'd," she
would hardly have been surprised. lie in-
deed was suitably framed but Roland and
Rose looked painfully out Of place amid
such surroundings. Yet lima wished she
could see one room that looked as II IL had
| been lived i'm within the last hundred
years, as il children had ever played there
or young girls dreamed there. What
grand, bright, happy home this might be,
! but for the heavy curse that lay Oh 1t like
black pail
The picture galleries, Sir Philip told his
youngest guest, occupied the whole OF
what was called Sir Damian's wing, hay
ing been built by that lord in the four
| teenth century.
81 dare say" said Sir Philip, rs he open
ed the doors of the portrait-gallery, "you
will desire to take n mere general survey
to-day, as you will have so many opportu-
mites of seeing all that is TO be seen; but
don't let me hurry you. L only want you
! to take your own time and pleasure"
lima thanked him, and they passed in
among crusading knights and ladies i'm
colts and farthingales. Even the stiff, inn
| perfect Inning Of the earlier periods
/ could not hide the marked characteristics
/ OF the race, dark, naughty Misunderstanding
faces, all more or less handsome, some re-
markably SO; though none, lima thought,
! had such beauty MS Sir Philip. In the
last representative Of the house all its
! graces seemed TO have reached their high
| est point.
GLOW is IT," asked lima, "that the Oar.
rells have such an Italian type Of face! 1t
/ is strongest in you, Sir Philip; but none
Of these faces are English"
"The tradition, you know, is" he repli-
ed, 'that the first Darrell was an Italian
noble, who fed his country for some politi-
| cal reason, or for some crime, real or
charged to hm and think it must have
been SO. Several times in later ages we
have intermarried with Italians. The
mother Of Sir Ingelhard Of the Curse was
an Italian, and so was my great-grandmo-
Their. They say am more like Sir lngei-
hard than any Of the Others"
care your" said lima, with sharp
| pang at her heart. Was there any fate in
! this resemblance between the man who
/ had brought the doom on this noble house
and the one who was to be its last VIC
tim?
"You will see," replied Sir Philip, AS
the girl stopped silently before stately
dame of the reign of Henry W.; and,
glancing around he saw that Rose and Ro-
land had loitered behind, and he heard
laugh from Rose which echoed through the
lofty arches.
"Ilma started and her brow contracted
with look of pain.
"How sensitive you are ~ said Sir Phil
/ lip, smiling. 81 suppose you think ii
sounds odd To laugh here. You have not
done SO once"
IL don't think / could" replied lima;
cit all seems SO awesome.'
Il
err and nearer TO Sir highlands portrait.
Presently they came TO a stately knight in
robes of the early EIizabethan period; by
his side was beautiful woman with "a
face from Ncnitia."
"Renfrc Darrell and his wife, Gineyra
della Scala" said Sir Philip quietly. "In-
gelhard was their son. They were the last
who were happy in love. Sir Renfric met
Ginevra at the Doge's court, and they
lived together for thirty years. Both
died-well for them before highlands
crime"
"Were there other children besides In
gelhardE" asked lima.
"No; .agelhard was an only child
There is his picture
lie fell back q step or two, folding his
arms, but standing SO that lie could see
llma's face, upon which, as upon his own,
fell the mellow light OF "A painted win
dow.
The girl drew long breath, and invol-
UNFAIRLY locked her little hands together
rs she looked upon the dark handsome
| countenance of Sir Ingelhard OF the Curse,
the recreant knight who lad shown the
churps ingratitude, who had brought
shame to the hearth that should have been
sacred to him.
The figure was half-length, leaning on q
sword. and the head uncovered. The
countenancc, like Sir Philips, was striking
| ly intellectual and OF commanding beauty !;
! but the eyes were sinister, their depth was
all Of the mind. There was an utter lack
Of the tenderness that gave - beauty all
their own to Philip DarrelPs eyes; the
mouth too was cruel. One could believe
Philip Darrell ruthless for the state, re-
lentless in vengeance, like ruler Of me-
diayal Italy, but never cruel, never one to
trample on all rights TO gain his end. His
iron will was tempered by noble qualities.
which might be sometimes obscured, but
never obliterated. Those qualities had no
resemblance between the two faces; but
the advantage Of mere physical beau
ty, still more that OF power, depth, and
soul, rested with the famous knights de-
| scendant.
Long did lima stand gazing on that
countenance, as If she would imprint ey-
cry feature oil her memory; and two or
three times she glanced at Sir Philip, AS il
comparing the TWO. Finally, she turned
away with u slight shudder shaking her
| head.
"Well," said Sir Philip In q slightly
mocking tone, "what is your verdict! He
was brave man, tins ancestor OF mine he
did great deeds OF derringdo in the Span
ish wars; he was favored squire OF danes
yet you shudderW
ale was u black-hearted villain" replied
lima, .'and lie has an evil face! l could
never have loved him."
"You are keen; there is no heart in In
gelhard's face-and you can see that. But
Zarah was an ignorant gipsy-girl. Ay,"
continued Sir Philip, grinding his heel on
the floor, as though lie was crushing some
obnoxious object, $50 black deed deserv-
ed curse! Why, Heston flung his life
away for ngelhard's--less worth q thou
sand times, though lie was Darrell and
belted knight. 1t was indeed