The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-06-12
-...@%[dpiE s7a4NERGAN PRESS tHSSoCERTlON 1879

his chief clients. Therefore, on the
principle of omne ignotum pro magnifco,
fabulous reports were circulated about
him. He had bought and sold the
Jewels of empires. He had weighed in
his balances the crowns of the sovereigns
of Europe. He had bargained with the
shah and the sultan. In his books might
T befound the names of every millionaire of
contemporary times. Half the diamonds
of Old World history either were or had
been in his possession, and were re-
placed in the regalia of their putative
owners by sLillful limitations in paste.
So ran the gossip, at which Harry Trent,
when he happened to hear any of it,
would laugh heartily and declare that it
was lucky nobody knew how really diff
cult it was for him to make both ends
meet
The truth, as usual, doubtless lay be-
tween the extremes, but may reasonably
be held to have inclined toward the large
extremity rather than the small one.
Kings and queens and other people of
august station are sometimes in pressing
need of money, and have little except
their jewels to offer in exchange for it.
Their jewels may or may not be their
personal property; at all events, paste
reproductions are cheap and easily come
by. Who knows, or can expect to know,
whether the Regent de France, the Pasha
of Egypt, the Sancy, or even the Great
Mogul, are genuine or bogus? If bogus,
where are the originals? Whispers have
even been heard regarding the Kohl
moor; but it is to be hoped that, in this
case at least, there is no basis for them.
Meanwhile Harry Trent continued dill
gently at work on his new house. We
have seen many fine houses erected since
then; but it is safe to say that Trents
house is still as good as anything in the
way of q dwelling in New York city.
Its excellence, however, lay not so much
in external adornment as in the fittings
and furniture inside.
1t stood on corner lot-or rather on
a corner lot and two adjoining ones
and there was space on both sides of it,
while at the back was u roomy Enclosure
and stables 1t was built of reddish
graystonc, with broad projecting Win
dows admitting plenty of light. The plan
of the rooms and staircases was most
agreeable; at whatever point you stood
You saw around you only charming Wis
taS, harmonious lines, soothing colors and
spacious perspectives. Every room was
picture in itself, combining with the
others to form more elaborate picture
Yet the eye was never wearicd by petty
details; the minor features constituted
and contributed to the whole effect i'll
stead of dctracting from it. There was
nothing i'll the house that did not belong
to Harry Trent-not only in the ordinary
sense of proprietorship, but as being the
material incarnation of his thoughts,
tastes and accomplishments. His house
was he-and it is paying him no small
compliment to say so. A mans interior
is not always SO comely an object of con-
temptation. You might discover, indeed,
here and there, Il picture, q statue, Il
sweep of drapery or q passage of color
that indicated regions in the designers
nature of a somewhat sumptuous, sensu-
Gus or voluptuous tendency; but they
were never obtrusive, never out of due
subordination to the rest, and were after
all only what would be expected from
man of his artistic and generous Temporal
ment.
But what was Harry Trent going to
do with his new home? He was going
to live in it. doubtless; but did he mean
to live alone? This question had latterlv
thrown good many charming women
into meditative frame of mind. 1t was
known, of course, that Harry Trent had
been married: but that was in his youth;
his wife had died within a year and had
left him childless. There WAS nothing,
then, in the way of his marvin: II; lin.
and upon other grounds suc.i s,n event
was probable. For, us has already been
intimated, he was still to all intents and
purposes u young man. That quality in
him that led to his being called Harry
Trent, instead of Mr. Trent, or Henry,
may serve to convey one meaning. Hewas
still i'll the swim; he was not on the re-
tired or retiring list; he was modern and
active, not fossilized and Anticipated. Men
younger in years than he had not half
his elasticity and vitality. He kept pace
with the times and looked ahead rather
than backward. Moreover, he was fond
of society and constantly in it, and
man more liked by women could not be
found. 1t was not that he dazzled them
with his own brilliancy, but he made
them brilliant; he drew from them the
best that was in them and enchanted
them with themselves.
Mirabeau had the don terrible de la
familiarite;" Harry Trent had the no
less terrible gift of sympathy-magnetic
sympathy Ito employ once again that
abused adjective). There was vigorous,
masculine fiber in him that never fails
to attract the other sex. They felt that
he understood them and could manage
them-could do the thing they wished
to have done, whatever it might be-
This, of course, is not quite the same as
saying that 1.-THE American Castellani"
las he was sometimes styled) was a man
whom women could afford to trust
There were stories about him-never
fairly authenticated, however - that
pointed to different conclusion. If we
give ear TO the gossip of the world, who
would escape? Harry Trent was man
of the world, and he was a highly cul-
tured, fastidious man. Low intrigues