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

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 in within the last hundred
years, as IL children had ever played there
or young girls dreamed there. What n
grand, bright, happy home this might be,
but for the heavy curse that lay on 1T like
black pail
The picturc-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.
al dare say" said Sir Philip, as he open
ed the doors of the portrait-gallery, "you
will desire TO take mere general survey
to-day, rs you will have so many opportu-
mites of seeing all that is to be seen; but
don't let Inc hurry you. / only want you
to take your own time and pleasure"
lima thanked him, and they passed in
among crusading knights and ladies in
colts and farthingales. Even tue stiff, I'M
perfect Inning Of the earlier periods
could not hide the marked characteristics
of the race, dark, naughty Italian-looking
faces, all mere or less handsome, some re-
markedly so; though none, lima thought,
had such beauty as Sir Philip. In the
hast representative of the house all its
graces seemed to have reached their high
est point
"IIow isit," 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"
"Thc 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 him; and l think IL must have
been 50. 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 lngel-
hard than any of the Others"
care your" said lima, with a 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 lie saw that Rose and Ro-
land had lOitered behind, and lie heard
laugh from Rose which echoed through the
lofty arches.
"Ilma started and her brow contracted
with q look Of pain.
elbow sensitive you are p said Sir Phil
ip, smiling. al suppose you think it
sounds odd to laugh here. You have not
done SO once"
81 don't think could" replied lima;
ait all seems SO awesome."
Her heart beat fast as they drew near
er and nearer to Sir highlands portrait.
II 10 lt.f.r
robes of the early EliZabethan period; by
his side was beautiful woman with "a
face from Venitia."
"Renfric Darrell and his wife, Ginevra
della Scala" said Sir Philip quietly. elm
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
gelhard!" asked lima.
"No; -Hgelhard was an only child
There is his picture"
lie fell back u step or two, folding his
arms, but standing so that he could see
llma's face, upon which, as upon his own,
fell the mellow light of painted win
dow.
The girl drew long breath, and invol-
UNFAIRLY locked her little hands together
as she looked upon the dark handsome
eountenance Of Sir Ingelhard OF the Curse,
the recreaut knight who had 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 a
sword, and the head uncovered. The
countenance, like Sir Philip's,wa 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 a 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 u ruler of me-
diRyal 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 II she would imprint ev-
cry feature on her memory; and two or
three times she glanced at Sir Philip, rs IL
comparing the two. Finally, she turned
away with slight shudder shaking her
head.
"Well," said Sir Philip in a slightly
mocking tone, "what is your yerdicu He
was brave man, this ancestor OF mine; he
did great deeds of derring-do in the Span
ish wars; he was favored squire OF danes
yet you shudderv
"He was u black-hearted villain >" replied
lima, "and he has an evil facet / 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 he was crushing some
obnoxious object, $50 black u deed deserv-
ed a curse! Why, Heston flung his life
away for lngclhard's-less worth q thou
sand times, though he was Darrell and
belted knight. 1t was indeed
"'Foulest stain on knighthood's face,
Deadly blight on nobicst race
And have not his children, and his chill
dren's children, TO the fourth and fifth
| generation, suffered for III But there"