Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-09-04
CHAPTER VI.

The Court was magnificent pile Of
buildings standing about two miles from
the river, on the opposite bank to the Weir
Mill, in The midst Of an extensive park,
beautiful pleasure-grOunds Immediately
surrounding the mansion.
The Sabines almost knew the place by
heart; they had carte blanche to go to the
Court when they chose, only the library,
music-ro0m, and one or two other apart
nents being locked up. The building it.
self, they told lima, would take fortnight
to oxplsrc, to say nothing Of the picture
gallery, state apartments, chapel, and
works OF art innumeTable, collected dur
Ing several hundred years.
The Sabfnes' carriage rolled under q
deep arched gateway into a vast court
yard, and lima looked up with profound
yeneration at castellated walls that had
trOwned ell crusaders and had been de-
Tended against Crsmwell's soldiers. How
could Sir Philip care SO little to remain in
such grand old home as this, breathing
traditions Of glory and greatness? Her
heart swelled within her, her eyes filed
with tears, and her breath came quickly.
But the carriage stopped ut the noble en-
trance, and Sir Philip came down TO re-
ceiye his guests.
lie gave, rs in duty bound, his best at
tention to Miss Durnford, but llmR's rapt
face was the only one Inc really cared to
see. They passed through the great hall,
where lima would have given the world
to linger, and where it seemed proper to
converse in subdued tones, to noble
apartment all furnished in OAK and ebony,
with stained-glass windows and painted
domed ceiling, and with stately pictures
by Velssquez and Vandyck OH the walls.
"Ilma is quite oyerawed," remarked
Rose, laughing; aud the girl WINGED and
colored, but smiled when Sir Philip turn
ed to her.
"Ysur organ of generation is large" no
said; and Just for second q wild vision
flashed through his mind which made his
heart almost cease to beat, as he saw her
standing there in her young beauty, with
the warro light on her golden hair aud
deeper light in her wondrous eyes.
Would she ever know why he was silent
for moment and summed her cloudless,
fearless gaze?
"I suppose" he said, after that pause,
"that, though lima is the youngest here,
she must be commander Of the expedition,
rs she is the stranger. You all know the
Court as well as-perhaps better than--I
do. Miss Durnford tells me she would
prefer to remain here for little, and then
intends to steer for the conseryatorics,
where wilkins will be a superior guide to
myself, for l am the worst of Horticulture
lists. So, lima, where is it to be first for
your"
lima hesitated; and then she said
al am sure to like 1t all"-thinking that
perhaps Sir Philip would not like to go to
the picture-galleries, which she would visit
when he was away again.
"Would you like to sec the picture-gal-
lericsW asked Darrell, diyining what
was in her mind. "Yes? This way
then"
As they paused before an old Sevres vase
in a corridor, he said
"It was very kind Of you to think Of me;
but L have no objection at all TO the pic
turc-galleries. Perhaps we had better
commence with Che one containing the FAM
lily portraits" he added, as Roland and
Rose approached, jamie having gone OF
somewhere else.
1t took somo time to reach the galleries,
there being so many things to admire and
hear about on the way. But for Ilma's
company, Roland would far rather have
been in the stables. He had not much
taste for curious carvings, statues, and
things of kindred nature. He could not
have told the difference between the Re
naissance and any other period, any more
than he could have assigned painting to
any given school. Sir Philip however had
It all at his finger's-ends, and lima seemed
in her glory; but In her heart she felt
more and more, as she went on, that this
lgrand place was not o home. A shadow
seemed TO hang over It. Sir Philip was
proud Of the Court; he loved IL passion
ately in way, but not word passed his
lips such as would have been natural for
its master, In the flower Of his manhood,
indicating that he regarded il ms an abid-
ing-place. Nor had IL an air Of home
Everything was redolent Of the past. IL