The Two Bachelors.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1823, 18 December 1875, Page 6 (Supplement)

The Two Bachelors.

PAET I

It was in the summer of 'Gl that Jack Ferrars and myself, then gay bachelors of thirty, weary with the business that had surged in upon us during the winter months, rented between us a small shootin? in the Western Highlands, with the view of recruiting our wasted energies in a pastime of which we were both very fond. I admired Ferrars almost passionately. He was a fine, handsome fellow, with yellow hair and blonde mustache, and possessed the gentlemanly manners and easy flow of conversation which I esteemed above all things. But my attachment to Jack was no mere passing admiration of his brilliant parts aud fascinating manners ; it dated as far back as the days when we were boys at school, and had gone on in an uninterrupted flow eversince, strengthened by the test of time. We had, moreover, numberless things in common, among the most important of which was —we were both confirmed bachelors ; in good truth, bachelors proud of the name —bachelors who never intended to bo anything but bachelors, and who took a peculiar pleasure in saying so, and in vowing allegiance to each other in a manner that would have done credit to the Corsican brothers.

It was therefore with brilliant anticipations of the delight wo wore to experience in each other's society, that wo found ourselves the occupants of a pretty villa, on the outskirts of a little outlandish place in the Highlands, far removed from all friends and acquaintances. With a sigh of relief, and a delighful feeling of freedom, we ■wheeled our chairs into the open bow window on the night of our arrival, and lighting cigars, sat down to enjoy the really beautiful scene before us. In the foreground lay our own smoothly-cut lawn and rectangular flower-beds, with the moonlight falling in pale, bright bars over the sleeping flowers; and beyond, the silver loch, whence wo could distinctly hear the light laugh of some late pleasureseekers, as they rowed slowly homewards ; while above the loch tho hills rose in dark majestic outline against the pale beauty of the sky. Jack, as apropos to the scene, had been repeating, as best he could, between tho whiffs of his cigar, Lord Byron's 'Lake Leman'; and an animated discussion, which had afterwards arisen on the merits and demerits of that much maligned poet, was suddenly interrupted by a burst of the finest music I had ever heard. It was a splendid soprano voice, accompanied by the guitar, singing tho old pathetic Scottish song, 'Auld KobinGrcy.' The expression thrown into the voice was simply oxquißite.l When the mournful minor key was struck Jack snatched his cigar from his lips, leaned forward in a breathless listening attitude, as if afraid to lose a single vibration, and did not move again until the song had ceased. 1 felt strangely affected myself. I had often listened to the same song before, but never with the soul-thrilling of to-night. As the last cadence died away, borne over the silverwaters to the dark hills, it seemed to mo as if it were an angel's whisper over tho death-bed of a child.

The sounds proceeded from the open drawing-room windows of the villa next our own; and when at last they ceased Jack, resuming his cigar in the most prosaic fashion, remarked : 'By Jove ! that was good singing, Bob. This is better than a box at the opera ; eh, old fellow !'

It's the finest singing, without exception, I ever listened to,' I answered. ' I hope I won't meet tho tair possessor of such an exquisite voice.'

'What an absurd fellow you are! Why ?' asked Jack, blowing a long curl of smoke out of the window,

' Oh, because, if she's pretty, I feel as if I should fall in love with her.'

Jack winced at this betrayal of weakness.' Pshaw! Harding, don't talk like an idiot. Ten to one she's an ugly old wretch, with sunken jaws, with powder enough on her face to last a lord chiefjustice's wig for six months.'

' I almost hope she is,' I returned, ' for then my heart won't run such a chance of being captured.'

'You're a consummate fool, Harding.' was the flattering encomium of my friend Ferrars.

' Sorry you think so, Jack,' I said; ' but a fool or no fool, if that's a pretty young girl, I would't give sixpence for your own chances of retaining your bachelor's notions much longer, Jack Ferrars.'

I leaned forward, smiling, to catch a glimpse of his expression in the dim light. A haughty curl was on his lips, and a look of scorn in his blue eyes, which disappeared with a ludicrous rapidity as soon as he observed I was rallying him.' 'Ah ! Bob, no fear of that,' he said; ' you and I are too jolly together to care about pretty girls, however fascinating— else we'd have been married long ago.' ' I begin to think so Jack,' I returned; ' and, upon my word, I often wonder how a fellow like you, upon whom scores of designing mammas have had their envious eyes, was never caught.'

' I was just going to make the same remark about you,' said Jack, with a laugh, as he stroked his handsome mustache.

'It seems to me we're a couple of extremely clever fellows,' I answered, rising.

•We're a couple of extremely lucky fellows, at any rate, to have safely escaped all the snares and fascinations laid for us,'returned Ferrars, shrugging

his broad shoulders and looking the personification of happy bachelorhood as he thus disburdened himself of his antimatrimonial notions. ' But what say you to a bit of supper, old boy ? It is getting late.'

I agreed, and we both descended to the dining-room. Mrs. Mason, the worthy housekeeper, had lit a fire in honor of our arrival, and the dying embers now cast a dark red glow on the walls, making a decidedly comfortable appearance notwithstanding it was a fine autumn night. "When wc turned up the gas, a cosy little supper laid out lor two was displayed, and the wine and fruit we had been using at dinner still stood on the sideboard. Never were there two happier, jollier, or more amiable bachelors than Ferrars and I that night, as we sat chatting over our wulnuts and claret and laying out our schemes of enjoyment, until the small hours warned us that it was high time we were in the primary enjoyment of sleep. ' Good-night, Jack,' I said, as at last we separated for our respective rooms.

' Good morning, rather.' echoed Jack, an he shut hi,; door; ' and I hope tho ghost of Eobin Grey won't disturb your slumbers.'

A sharp rat-tat on my bedroom door, and the familiar ' Hallo, old boy !' of Jack outside, awoke me from one of the most delightful and refreshing sleeps I had enjoyed for a long time. To say the least of it, I felt fierce to be thus awakened. ' Confound you, Ferrars,' I shouted ; ' what do you want ? Be off!' ' Get up, old boy, gel up ; if you're not out of bed before I count ten. you shall have no breakfast. One-two-three' —

The threat was too awful to be anticipated, and beforo he had completed tho given number, I had unlocked the door for him. He came in with a merry look in his blue eyes, and throwing himself down on the bod I had so unwillingly vacated, began kicking tho white counterpane with his dirty boots. ' Jack, man, look what you're doing,' I said, pointing to a mud-splatch on tho e'ean linen, ' Mrs. Mason will think I tumbled into bed last night in the disreputable condition of not knowing very well what I was about.' ' Just tell her I did it, Bob, and she'll bo delighted to put on a fresh counterpane, lam sure. But do you know what I was doing this morning while you were driving your pigs to market?' 'Feeding the chickens, probably,' I answered, feeling cross at Jack's good humour.

' Guess again,' said he laughing. '_M o ; if you don't choose to tell mc, my curiosity will wait,' I returned, as I arranged my necktie. * Well, then, I've been getting on good terms with Mrs Mason, and finding out who our friends of musical repute next door are.'

' The dickens you have !' I ejaculated, pausing in tho adjustment of my shirt studs. Jack nodded, his blue eyes fairly dancing with merriment, ' And the result of your inquiries is ' That the household consists of a Colonel Hallam, his wife and daughter.'

' Is that all you know about them ?' I asked, somewhat, disappointed at the meagreness of the detail, as I put the finishing touches to my toilet. 'You ungrateful scoundrel!' returned Jack. ' Why, the people only arrived here two days ago, and Mrs Mason herself only got the information this morning from the baker's boy at the door.'

' Ah! then it's sure to bo correct. But come, let's go down stairs and try if we can get a look at Colonel Hallam or his pretty daughter.' It was a glorious morning. The sunshine was dancing gleefully on the rippling surface of the loch, and the flowers were lifting their dewy heads and filling the breakfast-room with their fresh fragrance. A very tempting repast stood awaiting us on the table, and Jack's blue eyes looked not amiss behind the coffee-urn.

' Altogether this is very pleasant, Jack,' I remarked, as I took the cup be handed to me ; ' you look almost pretty enough to kiss, my dear.' ' Come, no chaff. Is your coffee sweet enough ?' ho returned affectionately, twirling the ends of his blonde mustache.

' Oh, it's there all right,' I said, alluding to the handsome appendage : ' I didn't make any mistake about that.' He turned his laughing eyes on me for an instant, and no sooner had they wandered to the window again, than he started uttering a long—whew ! I stood up too, following his eyes inquiringly, and there, over the low hedge that divided the gardens, I caught sight of a young girl in a fresh morning dress, engaged in cutting flowers and daintily arranging them into a bouquet. What we saw of her face under the broad-rimmed hat that shaded it was bright and beautiful. ' Good heavens' Miss Hallam,' said Jack.

'By Jove! Miss Hallam,' echoed I. And we both looked into each other's faces and laughed outright.

' What are you laughing at ?' usked Jack with the utmost inconsistency, as he sat down and resumed his breakfast.

' Just what you're laughing at,' I returned, breaking my egg. ' She's not old or ugly, either,' he remarked after a pai so.

'By Joye, she isn't!' I answered as I gulped a mouthful of my highly-sugared coffee.

* Are you sorry ?' ' No, are you glad ?'

' It doesn't matter a rap to me what she is, or is not.' ' You are a cynical old bachelor, Ferrars.'

' Allow me to return the compliment, Harding.'

' I rather meant you to keep it I think.' ' I decline it with thanks, as not suitable. I'm not cynical.'

'' When I wish to expatiate on the charms of a nice young lady, you get as sour as vinegar ; now, you know it's true ; so not a word in reply ; but hurry up, old boy—tempus fugit ;' and I pulled out my watch.

Wo were both in a hurry to be off to our sport, and soon all thoughts of Miss Hallam were forgotton in the bustle of arranging our shooting-gear. The wagonette was brought round to the door, and two very happy heart-whole bachelors sprang lightly into it, and were bowled away down the gravel path, through the gate and out of sight. We had a pretty good day's sport on the moors, and returned homo in the best of humor with ourselves, and tired enough to enjoy thoroughly an after-dinner lounge in our drawingroom, which we had converted, pro tern, into a smoking-room, and ornamented in every available place with meerschaums, tobacco and cigar-boxes. Upon this evening, Jack, who was a fair player on the pianoforte, was performing the ' Blue Bells of Scotland,' with much elaborate flourishing and crossing of hands, and I, as the audience, was stretched on three chairs at the window, lazily smoking my cigar in that sort of half-dreamy, comatose state that one feels in the enjoyment of well-earned leisure and rest. I cannot say that I was altogether in raptures over the ' Blue Bells,' but perhaps they helped to promote the pleasant tenor of ray thoughts as I lay with my eyes half closed, letting the smoke from my weed curl affectionately in the folds of Mrs. Mason's lace curtains. 'How jolly Ferrars and I are together,' I chuckled to myself; ' this little trip of ours is going to be altogether a success. Girls are well enough to meet occasionally, but they become a bore. Now, suppose I had a wife with me here instead of Jack, she wouldn't be content unless she had the house filled with visitors and servants, and'—

Just at this interesting juncture of my ruminations, the flourishing and dashing at the piano stopped, and presently the chairs on which my legs were resting were pulled from under me, and I was left ignominiously sprawiingon the carpet,with Jack's face grinning down at me in evident enjoyment of my discomfiture. But my fall did not cause me to forget tbe thread of my meditations, and as I gathered up my elegant limbs, I remarked ; 'My wife would not have done that, Jack.'

' No; she would have kissed the poor, tired darling, and thrown a shawl gently over him, to keep him from catching cold,' said Jack in a tone of mock affection.

' Picture of domestic happiness!' I returned, laughing, as I readjusted the chairs. * Hark ! what is that ?'

The stillness of the night outside was broken by the same exquisite music we had listened to on the previous evening. In an instant our banter was hushed. It was a gay, lively air which I recognized as a selection from the ' Student's Frolic,' and the singer seemed even more at home in this style than in the pathetic. It made me feel as joyous as a bird in spring, and had I not been too lazy, I could have danced, in the very exuberance of my spirits. ' Jack, we must get an introduction to that little girl,' 1 cried enthusiastically, throwing my half-finished cigar out of the window.

But, to my surprise, Jack seemed in no mood to talk, and kept staring out of the window, taking no notice of my remark. Feeling aggrieved at not being met with the storm of opposition and contempt I expected for proposing such a thing, I went over and slightly shook him, at which he ran his fingers through his blonde ourls, and, looking up with an expression of innocent surprise asked : ' What is it ?' ' Wouldn't you like an introduction to Miss Hallam ?' I repeated. ' Why, yes; of course, Harding; you needn't have shaken a fellow half out of his senses to ask that silly question,' and Jack readjusted his broad shoulders and relapsed into silence again. I tried to talk of Miss Hallam, music, literature, politics, but all to no purpose. He sat staring out of the window, as if the seven wonders of the world were visible on our path of moonlit lawn. Bather disgusted, I left him star-gazing and retired to bed ; but as I went up stairs I must own to a little curiosity as to the cause that had made my amiable and talkative friend suddenly so laconic and disagreeable.