The sun., 1893-11-09

and laudable economy, much more to
be commended than the purchase of a
brand-new door-plate, which would
| have been mere waste of money? To
be sure! and as to strangers-in the
first place, strangers are very rare
birds in Codlngton; in the second, If
Mrs. Petherick, II. N, had caught any
such staring and smiling at her door
plate it would not have put her out at
ALL
The good woman lived on her PEN
sion and by the letting of lodgings
Besides Mrs. Jack and her servant and
her child, there were two other dodgers
in the house. One was compositor in
the printing office of the Codlington
Chronicle, who slept in garret at the
top of the house and took his meals
with Mrs. Petherick and her son Tom
in the kitchen. The other was GER
tain Miss Barnasconi, teacher of music
and singing, who occupied the parlor
and tiny bedroom behind it. Mrs.
Jack lived on the first floor
1t certainly was a humble place, but
the young widow thought it looked
homelike and cheerful when she went
into her sitting room, where white mus
lin curtains We're fiuttering at the open
window, and a bunch of buttercups
and daisies were arranged in blue
china bowl on the side table, and there
was shelf full of books-mOstly school
prizes, with the name of Miss Isabel
Parsons inscribed in them in a series
of elaborate tiourishes made by the
writing master, but with one or two
russet-coated worthless of sterling mer-
it, among the bright blues and bright
scarlets and gilding-and a little old
fashioned upright pianoforte, with scat
tered sheets of music strewn upon it,
and one very small, square-toed shoe
that had lost lost strap, lying on the
threadbare carpet
All these objects, poor and common
as they were, looked pleasant to Bell
Lilly. The place was her home. She
had found kindness there-more kind
ness than she had ever experienced at
Percival House, as she thought with
some bitterness; and then, for | do not
mean to disguise Mrs. Jacks little
foibles, she was praised and admired
and petted in her lodging in Old street,
whereas at Perciful House there never
were any sugar plums of fiattery forth
coming for her. The widow had two
original and indelible sins in the eyes
of her husbands family. The first sin
was that she had brought Jack Lilly
no penny of money; the second that,
despite her poverty, she had an as
pect of gentlehood and refinement
which could never be attained by the
daughters of Mr.. John Lilly. Those
young ladies declared that Bell gave
herself airs. But the airs had in fact
been given to her by Nature, and they
were very pretty, graceful airs indeed.
Mrs. Petherick was very fond of her
lodger. To be sure, she had neither
married Mrs. Petherick'S son nor COM
peted with her in the matter of per-
sonal attractions. Miss Rarnasconi, the
singing-mis tress, was her great friend,
and Biddy, the Irish maid-servant,
adored her mistress and tyranized over
her from excess of devotion. But,
pleasant as the petting and the praise
might be it would not stretch out her
income to pay the butcher, and poor
Mrs. Jack came home from her father
inlaW's house in very low spirits.
Her little girl and Biddy had not yet
come in from their afternoon ramble.
She sat down and took off her bonnet
and her heavy widows cap, and her
pretty auburn hair fell down in ten
drillT curls on each side of her face.
She pushed it back impatiently, and
sat for some time with her bonnet in
her hand, in q melancholy reYerie.
Its no good; / can't make up my
mind to it!'' she exclaimed, suddenly.
And, springing from her chair, ahe ran
down stairs and tapped at the door of
Miss Barnasconi's parlor.
Barney! Barney, dear, are you at
homer" she said
Just then a latch key turned in the
door, and Miss Barnasconi entered the
house. want me, my dear?" she said.
walk in. I've only just got back from
Miss Crosby's school. Go into the par
lor. I'll make cup of tea, and we can
talk comfortably"
Miss Barnasconi was a spinster of
fifty-five. She had broad, square fig
ure, broad, square face and a mus
tache. She was very dark, brown
skinned "and black-browed;; and with
Immensely thick and coarse black hair,
a little streaked with gray, growing
low on her forehead. She wore a blue
musin gown, straw bonnet trimmed
with white ribbon and cheap roses, an
imitation black lace shawl, pink silk
handkerchief at her throat, and brown
gloves. Three or four steel chains, at
tached to a leather belt round her
waist, hung at her side, and supported
Q variety Of useful objects; scissors, a
penkaifa, q lead pencil q fat piHHcush-
ion and @ small bunch OF Keys. She
had deep contralto voice, an eccen-
trio manner, and it was rumored that
she took snuff. But as she only per-
mitted herself this indulgence i'll soli-
tude, or in the company of very CEN
fidential and trustworthy frien:ls, the
rumor never was confirmed 10 the
outer world cf Codlington.
Miss Barnasconi, with her foreign
name, and her many -colored attire, and
her peculiar manner, was an Old-estab-
lished institution in ECodlin9tol. No
body stared at her as she went through
the streets, she was accepted as a
| matter of course The Codl!igtoa folks
were distrustful and contemptous Of
everything they were not used to, ard
| distrustful and contemptuous of you if
| you expressed any surprise at what
| they We're used to. They were used
TO Miss Barnascohi. The dull little
fown-pace the CQdlingtonians1 might
not seem to offer aNvefy favorable
field for her professional exertions.
| Yet she managed to live, and even to
save little money. She taught singing
and music in the principal schools of
the place, and in many private fami-
lies of the highest gentility," to whom
she referred the public in general in
her annual advertisement In the Cod.
lington Chronicle. "a =
Her italian name stood her in great
stead, although, truth to say, Miss Bar
! nasconis italian was none of the pur-
est having filtered through two genera
tons of cociSneydom. Her grandfather
had kept shop for the sale of plaster
casts in the neighborhood of Long
| Acre. Her father-being idle. and hav-
ing a pretty tenor voice-got into the
| chorus at the italian opera in London.
She herself had gone to Codlington thir-
ty years ago, being attracted thither
by the fact that some of her mothers
relations lived in the neighborhood The
relations did not help poor Barney
as she was familiarly called-not being
proud Of the connection with the plaster