The Press., 1895-01-24

deeper. Ills mouth was weak anu h0IS was strong In her walk and bearing there was morestrength and character than seemed to belong to her brother All these thingsI did not observe at the moment when she passed quickly up the pier, but I found them out atterward As for l.sr figure, she was nearly as tall as her brother, who was certainly feet 8, and in shape she resembled the god dess Artemus, who was of thinner and slighter build and had more slender waist than Aphrodite. Her admirers, tice of tight facing. In the evening after dinner we took refuge in the billiard room, as there was nothing at all i'll the house to read. The only occupant of the room was the young fellow whom had seen in the | boat with the extraordinarily beautiful girl He was knocking the balls about for amusement. There was no marker. I observed that he blushed violently when I invited him to play game more violently, that is, than a boy of IS ought to blush He accepted, howev- or, and we played five games, Paul watching the play ill a chair. Presently we began to talk about the village. The boy said that partly because it was eight miles from a station and partly because there were no lodgings except at the inn visitors very rarely found their way to the place. As for society, he said, blushing crimson-we could not say l why-a few people lived in the villas beyond the church outside the little town-his own people among them, but it was a very dull and quiet place. For his own part-but here he blushed again and did not complete his sentence
 For your. own part" said Paul, ''you desire to hear nothing but the beating of the waves on the shore and the cry of the sea birds all your life.
 "And yet" the boy replied, with 8 touch of sadness in his voice, II do not know how am to get anything else. But that does not matter to you, " he added quickly. Then, as if afraid of saying moro than he desired to say, he wished us good night and went away.
 "Why can't he expect anything else?" Paul asked. ''The boy wants to go to sea, I suppose, or on the stage, or into the army, or>to become poet, or to do something which his father won't let him do He's pretty pink and white sort of boy; sometimes they turn out we'll, that sort of make. And he's 8 gentleman. We'll, shall go and put 8 compress oh my ankle. Help me up stairs, old man"
 He went up stairs, and returned to the coffee room. It was then about 10 o'clock. The place was so quiet and still that the silence oppressed me.
 Then heard steps outside tho house and in the hall, and 8 man appeared at the door. He peered round, saw me sit ting beside couple of candles, hesitat- ed for g moment, and then came in. It was public room, and suppose he had perfect right to use it if he pleased, but resented his intrusion. When he took off his hat, I perceived by the light of my two candles that he was perfectly bald, that his whisk- CTS and eyebrows were white, that his eyes were red, his lips thick, his cheeks as fiercely red as his eyes, and his nose swollen. declare that the very first aspect of this man made me ] ! it may have been 8 presentiment of mis- chief, yet he did no harm to me. Some times I have thought that this natural loathing was caused by the inexpressi- ble wickedness of the mans face.
 II think, he said his voice was raspy and grating T think that I saw Eyoung Robert Reeve leave the inn lit tie while ago. ?
 There was young gentleman here, . I replied, hRho played game of bill lizards with me and is gone. :"
 "Yes, the same, the same. Nice boy, sir, ain't he?''
 "He appears to be so. '" r..
 Are youa a friend of his-of the fam fly, may ask?" He leaned forward and grinned horribly. Why did he grin? ".An old friend perhaps of former and happier times? Yet not quite old enough, I should say''--
 II have not the pleasure of knowing them"
 "Ahv' He leaned back in his chair and breathed another sigh, apparently of satisfaction. 'Ahl A thousand pities for him, poor boy; but, of course, it is worse, much worse, for the girl. But vou do not know the family yet. You wnrll be interested"-
 ''->ot at all, said. 'Pray do not waste village scandals upon me.
 Village scandals? My dear sir you are greatlymistaken-greatlym mistaken. It is wofldwide-why, could tell scandals-why, I could tell you things about this Village which"--
 I perceiged that the old fellow had been drinK4ng, which was perhaps the cause of his familiarity and his strange condolences. However, left him.
 In the morning Paul's ankle was still swollen, and agreed to leave him and go on with the walk alone. He, for his own part, thought he would send to town for some books and stay where he was. The place was quiet; the inn was comfortable; he should be neither lonely nor dull. l thought of the boy-this Robert Reeve, if that was the name &perhaps he would turn up at the inn, and then thought of the girl. There was certainly one possibili- ty which might make a stay at this place very far from dull. But said nothing about her.
 After breakfast strapped my knap- sack and started for the solitary walk of 25 miles day for 8 fortnight or so. When one is young, so many friends arc made at every halt that there is no time to feel lonely.
 Three weeks later I found waiting for me on my arrival at certain town which was on our proposed route let. ter from Paul. It was short and with. out explanation begged me to get back to him as soon Rs received the letter. This request gave me an uneasy feeling.
 What should Paul-Paul, the self re liant-want with. me or with any one If man wanted counsel, he generally went to Paul for it, but Paul himself asked no mans counsel. It could not