The Portland daily press., 1897-12-24


House, at the same time arranging to
visit Miss Marston at her residence.
which is not far distant from where he is
staying.
(Chapter Wiz
WHICH INTRODUCES CLARA LAM
BERT.
Upon the long and dusty road which,
in the year 1858, led from the richly floral
Domain away towards the dim unknown
interior of the mighty continent, there
stood-possibly there may still stand-a
large, somewhat melancholy looking
house, situated about mile from the
outskirts of Sydney. The upper part of
the building only was visible to passers-
by along the white glaring highway, be-
You'd the top of the tall brick wall which
surrounded 1t; brown and dingy looking,
with darkly cleaning windows, and u
ruddy redtiled roof; the whole thrown
into a deep gloom of shade by the dense
clustering of trees around 1t. Something
Uncolonial- like in the highest degree WAS
this house, and just such a russet-hued,
messy manse as one might expect to see
peeping betwixt the hedges of an English
rural roadway, instead of rearing it's in
oongruous structure in q country where
everything WAS as yet new and wanted
into the picturesque. On the stone col
umns guarding the entrance to the
grounds was painted the somewhat ambi-
tious name of Fitz William Lodge; a
designation seeming about as much out
of place amid such surroundings las the
house itself, with its SAVIOUR of the subur-
ban villa and the jerry builder
There always was an air of mystery
about this house. 1t was reputed TO be
haunted; piece of pleasant superstition
which had the effect of leaving it for
years empty upon the hands of its luck
less owner. Then strengthening old
man took it for awhile, and used to be
observed going darkly and timorously In
and out; it was known that he lived quite
by himself, and that be never by any
chance permitted people to pass within
the walls. One day it occurred to q
neighboring farmer during the course of
his casual reflections that he had not seen
this strange looking old man about for q
long while; he fell to questioning his
neighbors, and they too had missed the
quaint, mysterious figure for weeks past.
So, thinking he might be i'll, little party
of them passed the rubicon of the outer
gate, and forced an entry into the forbid
ding dwelling, ana in a darksome upper
chamber they discovered him lying stark
and stiff; dead of famine with great
wooden chest nearly brimful Of glistenlng
"a QSbItli1A SOteLGl2uS SUS1Au1E2 Open U0-
side him.
At the date Of our tale there lived in
Fitz William Lodge an elderly clergyman
name Lambert, together with his wife
and daughter. This little family had ar
rived from England about year before,
q growing lung trouble having Obliged
the clergyman to give up g comfortable
living in Gloucestershire, realize uponShis
small property, and embark for @ new
land where the climate was warm and
togs were unknown, as the only chance
of prolonging his life. They had arrived
in Sydney as friendless immigrants, and
taken Firz William Lodge, partly because
the proprietor of that property offered it
to Mr.. Lam bert at very low rent, and
the rambling, gabled old parsonage at
home than any other house they had yet
seen in the colony. Time passed, and The
little family seemed to flourish and be
happy enough amid their new surround
ings. Mr.. Lambert grew wonderfully
better, and he made friends among the
hearty Australians living around, who
ed in getting his slender capital to yield
him nearly three times the income that
he could possibly have got out of it in
England. His wife, who had but few
ties to bind her to the old home, soon
grew enamored of the fair land into
which she had come, with its fruits and
flowers, gay birds and bright sunshine,
and the quiet, peaceful life into which
they had speedily settled down.
But with their daughter Clara it was
otherwise. She was a very pretty girl of
about twenty three;ss very fair, with a
rich profusion OF golden hair, and large
blue eyes; and on her arrival she natur-
ally attracted good deal of notice in a
young country where pretty unmarried
Cno 1I1J 1s@ Il
very far between. There WIS lack of
spr1ghtliness and animation In her, how
ever, as though she could not reconcile
herself to the thought of settling down SO
far away from her old home, and present.
ly the story got about that she was en-
gagged to be married tn an Englishnlan
who was beyond the seas in the mother
country, and that her air of melancholy
was caused by constant secret fretting
over her separation from her sweetheart
1t wanted two days to a week from the
time of the arrival of the Strathnairn in
Sydney Bay. 1t was bright morn ng,
with promise of great heat when the sun
should have climbed little higher into
the deep blue vault of the sky Mr.. Lam
daily custom, to do such shopping as
might be requisite and attend to his
business. His wife and daughter sat to-
gether on the lawn at the back of the
house, both busy wish some kind of need
lework. They reolined in luxurious fold
ing chairs under the cool shade of huge
overspreading beech tree. Presently Mrs.
Lam bert let fall her work, clasped her
hands upon her lap, and after gazing for
some moments at the girl exclaimed:
"Clara, do you know, have strange
sort Of presentiment upon me that when
papa returns this morning he will bring
some news about Cecil"
She looked up quickly and said, ST
trust he may. This long waiting is grow
ing very wearisome. Only think, mother,