Year: 1879

wondered, and most probably re-
ioiced for, at my death, you know,
the old place will come to you, as
it came to me. free from debt or in


cumbrance. l suppose you have
attributed my confirmed bachelor
hood to some disappointment in
love in early life, Ell?


'Ah, well ; I'll tell you the whole
story. 1t may serve as a warning
to you, ! was going to say, only /
do not believe in one mans expe


rience being of use to another
And as to warnings-bah ! they
never serve. But | am in retro
spective mood tonight SO if you
Care to hear the story, you shall.


My Uncle George and [ were
staying up at Battling, a small fish
ing place of his in the Highlands,
/ to which we resorfed regularly
twice year for about fortnight,
in pursuit of salmon. I had lost
my father when l was four years
old, aud since that time his broth
er, my Uncle George, had been nv
father in all but the pane. Indeed,
[ think we were fonder of each
other than fathers and sons usual
ly are in these days.


1t has always been a wonder TO
me, and to every one else, that
Uncle George lad never married.
Some people declared that he had
been hopelessly in love with the
beautiful Duchess de-, and
that it was tor her sake he had re-
mained single; others hinted at
some ENHANCEMENT; while some
maintained boldly that Sir George
Wyville was married, and that |,
his nephew and heir presumpt
in the eyes Of the world, should
look very foolish some day on the
baronetcy, and Wyville Castle, be-
ing claimed by the son of my un-
cle's Old college bed maker.


But to all these stories | turned
a deaf ear. [ knew enough of Un
Gle George to feel sure that there
was not IA shadow of truth in all of
them My uncle often spoke OF the
Duchess de-as what she was
one OF the handsomest women and
most finished coquettes of her day.
But l felt certaln that he had never
cared for her be would not have
talked so much about her if be had.
And as to an entangjemel or a
secret marriage, why, I knew all
my uncle's affairs as well as | knew
those OF Charlie Baynsford, nv
bosom friend and brother officer,
who had been gazetted as ensign
and lieutenant in the Fifth Foot
Guards, the same day as myself,
about two months before No,
whatever reason my uncle may
have had for remaining single, it
was one that be had carefully
guarded from the whole world. /
was glad that | was going to hear
1t at las.


| lit my pes pipe, about the COL
oring Of which was so anxious,
and drawing my chair nearer to the
fire, prepared 10 listen in comfort.


! was about thirteen, George,
when | first saw Nora O'Byrne. 1
was at Eaton then, and she was
flower girl in the streets Of Wind
sor- The first day l ever saw her
| remember it as well as if it were
yester6ay-it was a bitterly cold
March afternoon, and she was
standing outside the then only no.
tel IN the place, selling violets. To
this hour | cannot stand seeing a
girl selling violets in the street. 1
gave her ali the money l had in
my pocket, and my heart with it.
1t IS no use attempting to describe
her. All descriptions Of real beau
tv are futile. She was simplest
the loveIiest child, as she was af-
terwaTds the loveliest woman, I
ever beheld. Day after day 1 used
TO see her. l contrivei to meet
her quietly. | did all [ could for
her, and it went to my heart to
feel that [ could do so little. I use
to give her food ; clothing 1t was
no use of giving, for her mother
took it away again din ectIy, and
pawned it to buy gin.


I need scarcely tell you that
Nora was no common beggar.girl.
Her father had been a Weli-to do
workman and during his life-tim g
she had heeu to school, aud had
learned how to read and write
but after his death they had been
reduced to beggary, through her
mothers fatal propensity for drink.
For nearly two years of my lite I
spent every shilling | could spare
upon that child, and I loved her as
L have never loved any other hu-
man being. And what is more I
kept my boyish love a secret from
every one-no easy matter, as you
may imagine.


When | was fifteen l had a bad
attack of typhus fever. l was stay
ing at WyviIle at the time of the
summer vacation with my uncle,