The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-17

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the piano she sang a pathetic ballad to
her own accompaniment. She was pos
! sessed of a fine natural voice and sensi-
! bility gave her an extraordinary power of
! expression.
AS she paused at the end of the ballad
she heard behind her long-drawn sigh
and turned to see standing there "a tall
| and elegant young man." 1t was Lord
! Mortimer, the owner OF the estate, who
had arrived Unexpectedly at the hall.
Lord Mortimer was now in the glowing
prime of life, his person was strikingly
elegant and his manners insinuatlngly
pleasing. Seductive sweetness dwelt in his
smile and as he pleased his expressive
/ eyes could sparkle with intelligence or
beam with sensibility, and to the elo-
| quence of his language the harmony OF
! his voice impaired charm that seldom
, failed of being irresistible In this man
ner began acquaintance between the
young nobleman and Amanda which rap
idly ripened into friendship and then
swiftly into love.
| Lord Mortimer was the eldest son and
heir of Lord Cherbury, and though Aman-
, da was living at the cottage under an
assumed name, he found out that she was
the daughter of his fathers friend, Cap
tain Fitzalan. He had come to Wales to
pay a visit to a friend in the Isle of
Anglesey, but the object of his journey
was now forgotten and he fingered on and
on at Tudor Hall, which he had inherited
from his mother, paying his court to
nd lie In r1Ia On 0f
and sweet companionship. the>lovers wan
dering by the streams and reposing for
their MONDAY repast in shady groves to
which the thoughtfulness of Mortimer had
previously conveyed such delicacies as
were most suitable and refreshing for
Amanda. The curate Of the village.
| young Mr.. Howell, fell in love with Anar-
da, but she soon gave him to understand
| that he must seek elsewhere for wife.
The curate's attempt to woo Amanda
gave rise to most unfortunate misun-
Outstanding between Edwin's daughter FL
len and Chip young carpenter who was
engaged to her. Thinking that the curate's
visit to the cottage were on her own
account Ellen's head was turned and she
gave poor Chip to understand that their
engagement was off-that she was for his
betters; whereupon Chip shipped In a.
kings ship and went off to sea, while the
repentant Ellen cried her eyes out for
him. There was only one break in the
sylvan and romantic idyl of the courtship
of Amanda by Lord Mortimer. That was
before Mortimer had discovered the real
name of Amanda.
He wondered at the reasons which could
! induce a being 80 cultured and so beau
tiful, so full of sensibility and elegance,
TO immune herself in such a retreat as the
humble cottage OF Edwin. There was
mystery about it which he fain would
solve, and sometimes the horrible fear
came to him that the causes which kept
Amanda secluded might not be entirely
creditable to her. These fears were made
almost a certainty when Mrs. Edwin one
day, thoughtlessly gossiping, said to
Mortimer, "Our cottage is not at all what
she has been used to Well, strange
things happen every day; yet must say
l never thought that would happen
which did happen to make the young lady
and her father part. 1t Is none OF my
business, of course, but your lordship it
Is a sin you should not know all about
the dear child; she Is really not what she
appears to be; no, If the truth was told,
not the person she passes for. But Lord,
she would never forgive me If she thought
I had told you even so much. Poor dear
thing, she is very unwilling to have her
! situation known, though she is not the
! first pretty who has met with bad
man who brought grief upon herself and
her father"
Now, the good woman had merely in
! tended to hint to Lord Mortimer that
Amanda Malvina was Of a station in life
| superior to that in which she appeared
and that wicked persecution Of innocence
was the reason of her retirement. But
so clumsily had she gone about 1t that
! she produced an exactly opposite effect
For this reason in his next interview
| with Amanda Mortimer assumed a tone
which at first surprised the girl and then
aroused her anger and sorrow. Heaping
| indignant reproaches upon his head, she
informed him that all was over between
them and flying to the cottage gave orders
that upon no account was he to be adj
mitted to her presence. But Lord Nor
| timer felt that he could not live without
Malvina an overwhelming belief in her
innocence took possession of him; he
| forced his way into her presence, ex-
plantations followed and the lovers were
reunited. He now, with Amanda's con-
sent, wrote off to Captain BItzaSan ask
| ing him for his daughters hand, and
| learning that his father had returned
from Paris went off to see him and OBJ
tain his consent to their marriage.
While Mortimer was absent on this mis-
sion Captain Fitzalan suddenly appeared
| at the cottage and told Amanda to pre-
part Immediately for journey to Ire
| land, where Lord Cherbury had appointed
| him agent of his estate of Castle Car
berry He explained to his daughter that
Lord Cherbury had arranged a match for
| his son with Lady Euphrasia Sutherland,
! her cousin, the daughter of the Marquis
! of Roslin and his wife, who had been
Lady Augusta Dunreath. Upon the match
| Lord Cherbury had set his heart, and 1t
| would look like the basest ingratitude for
| him. the captain, to countenance any dis
arrangement OF his lordship's plans by al
! lowing the union of Lord Mortimer with
| Amanda Tt would look, moreover, as IL
| she, the portionless Amanda, was seeking
| an alliance for ambitions sake. His pow
| erty and the relations In which he stood