Year: 1874

: Lnen, lOr L see tHe COlulll5 LTdlu-a lhclo
speck-down yonder. The very day I mailed
my letter announcing my proposed visit to
your mother, my father received an urgent
despatch from Sir John Harrington, whose
solicitor he is, requesting his immediate pres
ence at the Grange. He left London within
the hour, and l came up with him; without
having an opportunity to send your mother
any word. We arrived last night, and father
intended riding over with me, but was pre-
vented this morning by the critical condition
of Sir john


"Is Sir John Harrington i'll" I asked, in
astonishment; for 1 had seen him only two
days previously-tall, thin and spectral, but
yet looking quite as healthy as I had ever
seen him, within my remembrance.


The whistle blew as spoke, and the roar
of the advancing train-the grinding wheels
and pent-up steam-drowned her reply, but
she nodded an affirmative.


knew Sir John very we'll by reputation,
and had slight acquaintance with him, per-
sonaly-the Grange, where he and his ances.
tors had resided from time immemorial, being
distant only ten miles from our house, and
about half that distance from the station.


It was one ofthe finest estates in England
or rather had been, for it had been greatly
neglected in Sir Johns time-he having suf
fered it to 60 to decay in earlier years, by
leaving it shut up and uninhabited for long
period after Sir Hugh's-his father's-death
and in later days, since his return from abroad,
he had only occupied small portion of the
vast ancestral pile that constituted his inher-
itance.


Remembering this, I also remembered GER
tain reports-mere rumors become traditional,
as such things will and do among successive
generations of old gossips-which were cur
rent after Sir John Che was not Sir John then)
returned from his first tour in foreign lands:
How he had brought home to the Grange
poor and penniless Italian singer as his wife /;
thereby incurring the displeasure of his father,
who refused at first to see them, but finally
consented for her to remain on condition that
Sir John would again 60 abroad to complete
his education-which he did. How the for
eign young wife died suddenly during her
husbands absence; and how Sir John speed
ing home, on accidentally hearing of it, held a
stormy interview with his father, at which the
feeling between Sir Hugh and his son became
deadly quarrel; how child was reported
to have been born to the unfortunate young
bride on the sad night ofsher death, and had
been buried with its mother in the old family
vault; how old Sir Hugh had never recov-
cred from what some called his sons ingrati-
tude, and others termed the remorse that fol-
lowed his conduct toward his sons young wife.
Others had declared that the child of the un-
fortunate singer had not died, but had been
taken away by Sir Hugh and sent over seas
to the SUMMER cline whence its mother had
been brought; but no confirmation of any of
these rumors had been sought from Sir John,
whose habitual reserve and stern countenance
alike forbade all confidential approach.


1t was strange, as afterward thought, that
should have recalled, even vaguely, these
old gossips' tales at such moment; but, as in
certain conditions Of the brain when under
narcotic influence or, as has been often de-
scribed in the case of drowning persons, when
whole volumes of remembrances may troop
through the mind with the celebrity Of light
things having neither time nor place in nor
NAL thought; so was it then, remember, with
the memories evoked by Jenny Danforth's
mention of Sir John.


The train arrived and departed amid the
usual attendant hustle and confusion incident
to arrivals and departures by rail, and l was
just thinking how l should send my horses
back if accepted a proposition made by
Jenny to return with her to the Grangc-for
the two-fold purpose, as she expressed it, of
seeing my uncle who had requested it, and
escorting them home to my mothers next day.


The old lawyer had very seldom, if ever
visited our house-in fact l could not, as I
told Jenny, recall ever having seen him there,
though | had seen him once or twice in Lon
don-and now that he was so near felt that
it would be something of a triumph to secure
him and bring him, unexpected, beneath my
mothers roof.


1t was while these thoughts were passing in
my mind, that caught sight of a stout lad
known to me who had come up by the train,
and whose mother widowed, like my own
lived near US. His name was Charles Foster.


called to him, and in moment concluded
an arrangement whereby he was to take the
horses back, with brief message to my moth
er, stating the facts bearing on my absence.


Two minutes later was driving the great
white horse, which now remembered to have
seen Sir John Harrington riding on one or
two occasions-wit Jenny Danforth by my
side, her comfortable Red Hood delightfully."-
close, and contrasting, l imagine, as cheerful
bit ofcolor with the snowy landscape as any
artist ever yet incorporated in his pictures
We were not long in reaching the Grange,
for the great white horse proved as remarka-
BILE for speed as for size, and the crisp snow
and the electric atmosphere Gas if, in my case,
such stimuli were at all requisite or necessa-
ryD combined to raise the spirits of man
and beast.


Jenny's father-unclc Danforth-came out
as far as the great porch to meet US, for it
seemed he had been anxiously watching for
our appearance, from an upper window; and
the grave expression on his face gave place to