Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-09-28
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tilted by his sudden nlgnt anu ulo"p
nearance. At that time his position
here had seemed a singularly pleasant
one. He was young-he was seven or
eight and twenty: he was fairly well
off-he had something like three thou
sand year, indeed; he belonged TO an
excellent family, the Shropshire Vel
lans of whom the titled head, LORD
Vellan of NOrshingfield, was his uncle;
he was good-looking, amiable, amusing
popular. and he had just won seat
in the House of Commons, (as jun
ior member for Sheffingham) where,
since he was believed to he ambitious
as well as clever, it was generally eX-
pected that he would go far.
Then, quite suddenly, lie had re-
signed and left England. His motive
for this unlikely course he explained
to no one. To few intimate friends
he wrote brief letters Of farewell.
II am off for a journey round the
world. | shall be gone an indefinite
time"
The indefinite time ended by defin-
ing it as upwards of thirty years, Tor
the first twenty of which only his So
Iicitor and his bankers could have
given you his address and they
wouldn't. For the last ten he was
understood to be living in the Island OF
Porto Rico, and planting sugar. Mean
while his uncle had died, and his cous-
in (his uncle's only SOM had succeeded
to the peerage. But the other day his
cousin. too. had died, and childless, so
that the estates and dignities had de-
volved upon himself With that re-
turn to England became an obligation;
there were IA score of minor beneficial
ries under his cousins will whose lega-
cies could not without delay be paid
unless the new lord was at hand.
Mrs. Sandyrl Kempton sat before the
fire in her wide, airy, faded drawing
room and thought Of Theodore Vellan
of old days. and wondered what the
present Lord Vellan would be like. She
had got note from him that morn
ing, dispatched from Southampton the
day before, announcing:
Il shall be in town tOmOrrow-at
Bowden's Hotel, in Cork street. and
asking when lie might come to her.
She had answered by telegraph:
Come and dine at eight tonight, y
to which he had wired back all ac
ceptance.
Thereupon she had told her son thai
he must dine at his club; and now she
was seated before her fire, waiting fol
Theodore Vellan to arrive, and think
ing of thirty years ago.
She was a bride then, and her hus
band, her brother Paul and Theodore
Vellan were bound IN league of ar
dent young mannish friendship, {
friendship that dated from the time
when they had been undergraduates to
gether at Oxford. She thought of The
three handsome, happy, talented young
men and of the brilliant future she hat
foreseen for each of them. her husband
at the bar, her brother in the church
and Nellan-not in politics, she cOCie
never understand his political aspira
tons, they seemed quite at odds will
the rest Of his characteristic in litera
ture, as a poet, for he wrote verse
which she considered very unusual anC
pleasing. She thought of this, and Their
she remembered that her husband was
dead, and that Theodore Vellan haG
been dead to his world at all events
for thirty years. Not one of them ha(
in any way distinguished himself; moi
one had in any measure fulfilled the
promise of his youth.
Her memories were sweet and bitter
they made her heart glow and ache
Vellan, as she recalled him, had beer
before all things, gentle-with the gen
Hest manners. His gentleness, sh,
told herself. was the chief element O.
his charm-his gentleness which wa
really a phase of his modesty. HI
was very gentle, he was very modest
he was very graceful and kind sh
said. and she remembered hundred
instances of his gentleness, his mod
esty. his kindness. oh, but he was n,
milksop. He had plenty of spirit
plenty of fun. He was boyish, h
could romp. And ut that time Scene
repeated itself TO her mind. seem