Year: 1871

areat, tall, seldies-llke.


abrown-faced hero from
~ 90 9o lea schoyle, G., r.. and
! Y. c., had done his country much good
Service, and laurels had been amply
hesped upon him he was "honor-
ably mentioned = and duly 1auded. re-
ceiving his fill of adulation and adora-
tlon from all the country round His
handsome face was as bronzed as it
yell could Be, but ell the mischief the
African sun had done Ills complexion,
lad NOT. spoiled the. beauty Of those
8eer, datE eyes, or the perfect symme-
try of those noble features.


Yes, he was wonderfully fine fellow,
this Abyssinian here, and great lion
in his way; all. the girls about Har-
bingdon had failed down before his
shrine and worshiped; but their ador-
sticn was short-hTed; 1t died away
with faint struggle when they heard
the gallant colonel was engaged to be
married. It was all up with our hero
then ;Abyssinia was no longer an in
terested topic of conversation and I
don't think the colonel was considered
SO handsome as he had once been


There was grand entertainment at
Harrington hall on Christmas eve, and
Col, Yetschosls and his Aancee were.
st it. -


The evening was more than half over,
and the colonel was in the. cloak room,
standing under the mistletoe, locking
with great, dark, angry eyes into the
glowing fire. Let me tell you this
brave warrior was much put out just
then, and about as angry as he could
be; you could see he had hot tenn
per, and that something had occurred
20 render it hotter than ever. The col
onel was man who would not stand
being trifed with, and he considered
that he had been trifed with in most
shameful manner; he was there to
learn the cause, and he was waiting for
Enid NayasCr to COME and render on
explanation. sa,s


Meet me in the cloak room in a
quarter of an hour he had said to
her, In a low, determined, hard voice,
as she was whirled away in a valse by
= tall, dasfy young officer; whose name
The colonel did not know, and whose
uncommonly handsome face he had
not, seen until Just few minutes be-
fore, when he caught sight Of it in the
conservatory, amid orange trees and
oamelias, In very close proximity to the
lovely, laughing lips of Enid Vava
sor @


The storming of Magdala was nothing
to the fierce warfare in the heart of
Vivian Verschoyle as he witnessed that
kiss. He walked away to the far end
of the long drawing-room at Harding
dor hall, bewildered, n1addened, furi-
ausly angry, fereely jealous. This
great, strong, noble-heareed man had
given all his pure, true love to that
girl, and she had made a fool of him.
Another moment and SHE was Rhifled
past him in the arms of this stranger
valsing too thing she said she had
given up because she knew he disliked
it. The colonel was beside himself,
and then it was that he went up to her
and told her to meet him in the cloak
room in a quarter of an hour; and now
he was there awaiting her presence.


She was long IN coming. He pulled
furiously at his great tawny beard in
his restless impatience, and yet he had
not made up his mind what he was to
say to her, though he felt that a girl
vhe could act as she had acted that
night was no fit wife for him. He was
bitterly disappointed in her for he be-
heved her to be all that was pure and
womanly, having lively aversion to
the fast, free 'Fgirl of the period


They had been engaged about
month, and her fathers estate Joined
Harrington, where Col Verschoyle
was now staying on visit to Lord
Marlborough. Enid Vavasor was the
only girl in family of nine sons, most
of whom were in TIE army, and she
was the very idol Of her doting par
ents.


Ha ! she was coming now-and Wv
ian Versehoyle turned his naughty face
toward her as she passed through the
door of the cloak-room.


Enid Vavsor, how shall | describe
you, with your strange, fanclful name
and your strangely sweet face2 1t was
not in beauty and excellence of feature
she excelled, for beyond those rare blue
eyes she had not single good feature,
and yet-strange contradiction-it was
a lovely face, and Col. Verschoyle
knew it to his cost as he turned to meet
1t, with its winsome smile, its exquisite
coloring, and its halo of chestnut
brown hear, rippling and waving over
the broad low brow Bright scarlet
holly berries shown out amid the brown
ripples with just the faintest soupcon
of mlstletoe. and another bunch of the
Christmas berries appeared on the
breast of that snowy dress of softest
lace. She looked almost as if she were
enveloped in a white cloud as she came
forward, and met the naughty gaze of
colonel bent upon her.


A little mischieyous smile parted her
coral lips. For moment she looked
about to laugh outright !; but she con-
trolled herself; and, looking up with a
dancing light in her blue eye, she ask
ed, "What is the matter ~


Now our Abyssinian hero did not
expect this effrontery, SO he came to
the point at once with soldier-like
brevity.


Enid Yavasor, you are coquette-
and-I won't stand it will not be
trifed with ~


OF course he meant to say much
more, and make longer speech, only
the pretty face looked so mocking that
he stopped short in abrupt contempt.
She came step nearer, and for some
mlnRtes they stood there under the
great bunch OF misletoe together.


:" What have / done she asked.


The lovely laughing eyes were raised
inquiringly to his, but as he felt the
spell her beauty was casting over him
he grew more fierce


4" What have you done2" What you
shall never have the chance of doing
again--make fool of me!n he thund-
cred forth, his generally clear voice
th elk with passion.


Remember, the colonel was madly in