Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-01-30

knee was an open book. inscribed
on its page was the name ''Cicel,
Clayton, and the initials ssL. +. >
She was apparently seated IN som,
church or chapel. for over her heat
vas grotesque Gothic corbel, ani
the polished oak of q sombre-look
ing organ was visible in the back
ground. Ny eyes had wandered
from the mild face, and was pom,
dering on the significance OF ths
Cain and Abel on the carving, when
Z: returnsd ms plr.s
Il see you are !. mt on hearing
the legend. Professionally connec.
ted as / am with the Evrards and
their affairs, it is not my place te
encourage such tales; but you are
nobody; and" he added, smiling.
''I rather want to know your opin-
ion of my style / may turn au-
thor one of these days" So say
ing, he handed me few sheets OF
exceedingly legal-looking paper,
and, wishing me pleasant dreams,
left me to the perusal of the follow
ing story.
From the time of the fourth Hen
ry to the beginning of the present
century, Briarhurst was in the pos
session of the Evrard family. The
last baronet was a Sir Lambert Ev-
rard; at the time l speak of, a gal
liant, hearty gentleman, who, after
a youth spent amidst the brilliance
and gayety of the court, the ac-
qualntance of Walpole, the wor-
shipper of Lady Montague, had, in
the evening of his days, settled
down at his country seat, a quiet
country gentleman. He was not
rich, for his fathers extravaganza
had mortgaged and wasted every
thing available. Worldly wisdom,
would have had Sir
Lambert marry a heiress. but, most
perversely, be chose the Daphne of
his early love sonnets-a lady whose
voice and sparkling eyes had cap
His wife had no fortune, so he could
not afford to keep a town house,
and, soon after the birth of his first
son, came to reside permanently at
Briarhurst. They had two sons,
whom the father, before they were
three years old, had respectively des-
tined for the bar and the army, and
his time was principally occupied in
their education. 1t was natural, in
the then state of his affairs, that he
should look forward to his sons dis
tinguishing themselves, as the only
means of restoring the family to its
former position. Circumstances,
however, pointed out another way
by which the desired wealth might
be more easily secured. On the
death of distant relative, Sir Lam
bert became the guardian of an or
phan heiress; he earnestly hoped
his eldest son would marry her, and
thus fulfill the wish of his life.
Contrary to the custom of heroes
and heroines Of romance, who al.
ways wantonlv thwa:t the desires
of their parents and guardians in
affairs of matrimony, young Lam
bert Evrard and his beautiful cous-
in, Cicely Clayton, glided imper-
ceptibly from childhood's pretty
playing at man and wife to the more
serious kind of love-msking, and
by the time they had reached res.
pectively the ages of twenty and
seventeen, their unioI w:.xnxed on,
The young man was of a strange
ly meditative turn of mind; he wal
very studious, too, and had imbued
his lady love with q taste for tht
sombre musings and sage books h.
loved himself. There is one spot
in the old garden knot of lin
dens shading a broken figure o.
Niobe-where | have often fancieG
those two lovers might have sat
It seems just the place for such ar
earnest, thoughtful love as their
was, to hold communion in. Lam
bert inherited from his mother
rare skill in music; and he anC
Cicely would spend hours at tn
organ in the chapel, his finger
seeming unconsciously to wande
over the keys, and his spirit appar
emily floating heavenward in tb
tide Of glorious anthem and solemn
symphony his art awakened. I'll
was a painter, too; and many al
hour would she sit before him as b