The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-22


words which | longed to have reach the
ears OF the savage prisoner from ballarat,
and thrill in the maidens inquiry which
stirred another member of the DOrklin
family as no cathedral incident had ever
affected him before.
A moment later the woman and maiden
had crossed St. Mary's square and the
close and entered the cathedral. passing
at once TO the choir From within the
west window angle, where remained IN
observed, l now and then saw their forms
fitting between the choir screen and the
altar.
They were still bareheaded, and they
moved about the place as those having
known its mellowed lights through years
~ loving familiarity. Their search had
evidently been futile, for they finally
slowly retraced their steps, with haltings
and frequent quests through transepts
and nave. Just as they disappeared,
the elder woman turned at the porch
door, shaded her eyes and cast sweep
ing, longing glance around the sanctuary;
as though the wrath of Kirby DOrklin,
con- ured by my accidental presence be-
neath her window, might be huttering
somewhere among the inner shadows.
Never mind, auntie. Come along"
SAID the maiden cheerily. Here's papa
now. He'll keep sharp lookout for the
prayer book .
>
portly, merry-faced man, who at that mo-
ment entered the cathedral.
A comfortable looking man he was,
with pompOus little ways; ways that in
any other place would have puzzled one
whether TO set him down for bishop or
clergyman. Huge keys jingled musically
IN his hand, and bright air of vigor and
oustllng came with him. He trundled
bravely to little table beside the choir
screen, tossed the KEYS upon it, clapped
his chubby hands together smartly,
looked approvingly from arch vaulting to
nave tlllng and from transept TO transept,
as if to say:
"Ah, everything is here, Just as I left
1t. Monuments, effigies, brasses and all
We are now ready for the business and
recitals of the day!"
Then | knew that he was the verger;
that the sweet young face at the window
was the face of the verger's daughter;
that the "'tother one had so strange
~ discovered was sister mayhap; and
an unaccountable feeling of fondness for
the CHEEKY old fellow, half prophetic and
grateful, followed him from my heart
where his echoing footsteps led.
Confused as my emotions were, the in
huence Of the sacred and glorious struct-
ure was for time paramount Standing
Just beneath its west window, beside the
font, my eyes followed its splendid lines
OF depth and hight, up and on, up and on
past choir screen and choir, past deli
cate flying buttresses across the huge
transept opening above, past the won
| drous carvings of the chancel and chantry
faces, past the high altar and the tilmy
Gothic reredos, to that marvellous east
window, greatest in Britain-and feasted
upon as perfect Chris tian temple as the
inspired builders have ever wrought.
Rapt and eXultant / started idly for
ward, mu5ing that 1t could be likened
! only to the arched vaulting of majestic
tarest trees where innumerable inter
lacing branches and leaves so filter, but
| never turn back, the sunlight, that from
point of arch TO sward beneath there is
pulsing, palpable transcendent glow,
when my foot touched some tiny dark OBJ
ject beside the font.
stopped and picked it up. Day of
dreams and miracles, thought l, here
was the acknowledgements prayer-book
l tremblingly scanned its yellow pages.
Inside the first cover l saw the inscrip-
ton,
K. D. to Dorothy Newton.
At the back, bound in next the liable
of Kindred and Affinity" were blank
leaves for a diary. Only one page had
been written upon, In red ink, near the
bottom, opposite the date, May "a, 1851,
was the legend:
Our Engagement Day
D. n. and K. D.
Just beheath this was one word,
Miscria!
This was all, but the entire misera BILE
and pitiful tragedy was revealed and
sank deeply into my heart
do not remember just how it all came
about, but that evening l found myself
walking arm and arm within the tranquil
| cloiSters with portly John Newton, YER
ger of Gloucester cathedral. Oddly. too
his daughter, Grace Newton, was beside
him, looking, with the same quizzical
merry smile had first seen glowing from
her hazel eyes, now in her fathers face
and then into mine, with a shade of anXi-
ETY., flash of interest, or a deeper glow
of enthusiasm, occasionally Tightening
its beauty into greater winsomeness for
me.
Stranger still, I had become their
| pledged guest and arch conspirator, for
we were already cons pirators three. We
had got Dorothy Newton, the verger's
sister, daughter of another verger New
! ton-for the Newtons had been vergers
| here since the days of ABBOT Newton
away back in the seventeenth century,
and Grace and her aunt Dorothy were
| attectionaUely known as the vergers
| daughters'-away to Cheltenham for a
! few days visit, mercifully unconscious of
| my identity or the presence of the man
! from Ballarat, that very afternoon
! The whole story of my uncle's splendid
architectural laborS under Canon Jeune
in the restora tions, his bretrothal to
| Dorothy, the lovers foolish quarrel, the
! young and hotheaded architects sudden
disappearance with the succeeding cruel,
un broken silence, had been recounted {;
and now, every imaginable plan for a
possible reconciliation Of the long suffer-
ing lovers was being discussed with the
mutual enthusiasm of friends of many
years.
Nearly a week of double life passed by;
| idyllic days they were with Grace and
her father at their rose uncovered home {;
idyllic days in my dreamful loiterings in
ancient cathedral and more ancient
cathedral town; but they were
days and nights of anxiety and unrest as
l sought by every art to win over the I'M
yielding spirit within the New Inn.
My uncle had extended his prison
bounds to the limits of the inn court. \ ot
for all the mines OF Ballarat would he
bulge a foot farther, not he
stay as long as you like. hunt 'tother
ones till the end of time if you will,
| Ro0ert Dorklin," he would say with ex-
| asperating resignation whenever
touched upon the subject of the city or
the cathedral, but don't you dare TO
leave this inn, till you're ready to take
me as | comedy night and in a close